Dragon Claw Reaching Out

Stinky Feet suddenly realized, "So that's why my brother-in-law deliberately threw the 'Complete Guide to the Martial Arts World' at me earlier! You had good intentions all along! Haha, my sister finally didn't misjudge you! Thank you, brother-in-law!" Bai Shandian was deeply moved that even though he was already married, Stinky Feet still called him brother-in-law so affectionately. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Take care. Farewell!" He then spurred his horse and rode away like the wind.

At this moment, Xiangquan and the others gathered around. Choujiao repeated Bai Shandian's words. Xiangquan said, "When we first met, he warned me, but I was blinded by hatred and thought he was deceiving me! It seems he was telling the truth." Choujiao said seriously, "Now that Qianlong is personally overseeing the operation, everything must be prepared. How easy is it to leave now?" Xiangquan looked around and saw that Wulin Gate was just a lonely city gate, desolate inside and out. It was truly a scene of "fragrant rice blossoms and the sound of frogs," with fields and crops everywhere. However, it was early winter, and the newly sown crops were either just sprouting or still dormant, leaving the fields barren. The wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see, with no magnificent buildings in sight. What shelter could there be? How easy would it be to escape suddenly? Emperor Qianlong was quite adept at military strategy; he had already set up a large, red-coated cannon on the solitary Wulin Gate tower! A large number of guards were thronging the cannon, and there were also over a dozen spears and a large quantity of bows and arrows, all loaded and ready for battle! This completely cut off the heroes' escape route! This was the north gate of Hangzhou; beyond it lay boundless freedom, like birds soaring in the sky or fish leaping in the deep sea! But the thick, long cannon barrel, the dark muzzle of the matchlock gun, and the bows and crossbows with their arrows ready were undoubtedly an insurmountable barrier!

Xiang Quan looked to the other three directions—east, south, and west—and was even more astonished. In each direction, there was a crouching red-clad cannon, resembling a tiger with its jaws wide open, thirsty for days, waiting to devour its prey, sending chills down one's spine! Crowds thronged all around, a dense mass of people forming an invisible, enormous encirclement, a seemingly impenetrable net!

Just as Xiangquan was racking her brains for a way to break through the encirclement, a sudden, deafening roar erupted as a cannonball exploded nearby, instantly killing two of the Southern Fist Sect's servants. She shouted, "Get down! Brothers, all of you, dismount and lie down!" One of them immediately dropped to the ground, and the others followed suit. Unexpectedly, the explosions continued, and several more cannonballs exploded around them, sending flames soaring into the sky and billowing smoke filling the air. Stones and debris rained down on the heroes. The horses, terrified, scattered and fled, neighing incessantly. Stinky Feet suddenly noticed something amiss and hurriedly shouted to the group, "Quickly assemble at Wulin Gate! Once we get close to the enemy, their cannons will be useless!" Fragrant Fist nodded secretly. Generally, cannons have a range of about 5 li. If the group gets close to Wulin Gate in the north, the enemy there will naturally be unable to fire. Furthermore, the enemies in the southeast and west will not dare to fire their cannons without fear of harming the enemy, and their cannons will also be out of range! However, one thing to be careful of is that the enemy on the Wulin Gate tower might use muskets and crossbows against them!

Stinky Feet seemed to have guessed this as well, and said to Thousand-Hand Guanyin, "Third Brother, as soon as we get close to Wulin Gate, you use your hidden weapon skills to deal with those matchlock snipers and archers! Cover us as we charge up the city walls and gates!" Thousand-Hand Guanyin nodded and readily accepted the order. Then, Stinky Feet said to Fragrant Fist, "Sister, after we get close to Wulin Gate, your Southern Fist Sect members will be responsible for attacking the city gates, while our Red Flower Society members will be responsible for climbing the walls and carrying out the surprise attack! If necessary, you can find a large beam, tie ropes to both ends, and have a dozen or so people pull on the rope ends, taking turns swinging the beam to ram the city gate—that way, the gate will probably open by itself after only a few rammings!" Fragrant Fist knew that her younger brother had spent his days wandering the martial world and was very knowledgeable, so he deliberately took on the high-risk, high-altitude work himself, while entrusting the seemingly strenuous but actually safe task of ramming the gate to her group. At that moment, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

At Xiangquan's command, the group rushed towards the Wulin Gate. As they neared their destination, Xiangquan spotted a centuries-old elm tree, its trunk straight and upright, by the roadside. She dismounted, reached out, and embraced it tightly, laughing, "This is it for breaking down the gate!" Turning to the Six Famous Fists, she asked, "Does anyone have a clever way to quickly bring it down?" Hongquan jumped off her horse, circled the elm tree, and said, "Let me try!" She assumed a horse stance, secretly channeling her inner energy. Suddenly, her hands transformed into sharp claws, flashing towards the elm tree's trunk. Her iron claws were truly like hooks, and she managed to tear several pieces of wood from the hard, thick trunk! This move, Dragon Claw Probing Hand, was a fundamental technique of the Dragon Fist within the Ten Forms of Hongquan. It emphasized channeling energy to generate power, focusing the force through the ten fingers, making them like hooks, capable of crushing stone into powder! This skill required substantial internal energy; however, with sufficient skill, one could crush iron like mud and stone into powder. It shares similarities with the Iron Palm technique of Shaolin external martial arts.

In a short while, she had torn a large hole in the trunk of the ancient tree, which was as thick as a person's embrace! A north wind blew, and the umbrella-like branches of the century-old tree swayed precariously, teetering on the verge of collapse. Hong Quan shouted, "Brothers, get out of the way! Be careful not to get hit by the tree!" Seeing that everyone had moved far away, he stopped his practice, stood up, and facing the tree trunk, suddenly unleashed a devastating attack, striking out with both palms! With a loud crack, the century-old tree crashed to the ground, its lush branches kicking up a cloud of dust! The force of the blow was truly astonishing.

Xiang Quan and the other Southern Fist disciples cheered and rushed forward, hacking and slashing with their swords and axes. In the blink of an eye, they had removed the canopy of treetops, revealing a rolling log used to strike the city gate! What to do without a rope? The petite and graceful Wing Chun practitioner came up with an idea. She smiled and said, "Mo Quan's Five-Colored Brocade Rope is exceptionally strong, a treasure of the Miao people. We can use it." Mo Quan generously took it from his waist and tied it to the front of the log. He said helplessly, "It's a pity there's only this one rope!" The Wing Chun practitioner laughed and said, "My rope dart can also be used temporarily. Don't underestimate it just because it's a strange weapon. It's a rope that can bind enemies! Because it's extremely tough and sturdy, I obtained it by chance from a secret cave in Tianmu Mountain!" She then took the rope dart from her waist and tied it to the back of the log.

Xiang Quan ordered everyone to lift it up, and they approached the Wulin Gate step by step. The heroes of the Red Flower Society had already clashed with the Green Standard Army on the city gate! After a few gunshots, a hail of arrows rained down from above, like locusts flying! When the arrows slowed down a bit, Thousand-Hand Guanyin quickly emerged from behind a large tree, pulled two large handfuls of iron caltrops from her waist pouch, and threw them! Don't be fooled by her casual throw; her aim was incredibly accurate. Screams erupted from the city gate tower, and for a moment, the "locusts" disappeared from the air!

"Move quickly!" Stinky Feet gave the order, and the twelve hall masters and the first incense master unleashed their superb lightness skills, whistling as they swooped down towards the city wall like giant birds! Incense Fist also hurriedly directed the Southern Fist disciples to lift the large round logs and quickly run to the city gate, banging on the gate with a thud!

As the band of heroes, including Stinky Feet, approached the city wall, a sudden burst of cold, gleaming sword light appeared above. This light, like a volatile, ever-shifting dark cloud, was not only incredibly fast but also relentlessly persistent, making it difficult to shake off anyone who caught its grip! The fourth leader, Thunderclap, and the fifth leader, Shadowless Flute of Penglai, who had just rushed onto the wall, saw the sword light swirling downwards. Thunderclap grabbed the edge of the wall with his left hand and unleashed a powerful gust of wind with his right palm, striking out fiercely! But with a cry of pain, his right palm not only missed its target but was instead pierced through by the enemy's bizarre swordsmanship! In a panic, he lost his footing and tumbled off the high wall! Shadowless Flute of Penglai, greatly alarmed, quickly activated the switch on his golden flute, unleashing countless fine, hair-like flying needles! However, the sword light was perfectly concealed; despite the numerous needles, not a single one pierced the cold, gleaming sword light, and they were all deflected! It was truly a case of lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own foot. Penglai Wuyingdi watched as countless flying needles came flying towards him, his soul nearly leaving his body. He somersaulted and hurriedly rushed down from the city wall! In a short while, five more of the twelve hall masters and one incense master were forced off the city wall!