The Three Young Masters of the Tang Clan

Xiangquan followed the monk to the main hall of Pingshan Hall, where he saw the heroes of the Red Flower Society gathered, whispering among themselves. Three coffins were prominently displayed in the hall; two belonged to Penglai Wuyingdi and Shangxin Yidao, but who was inside the third?

As soon as Xiangquan arrived, Choujiao hurriedly made her sit at the front, her face extremely grave. She said, "Sister, while we were eating, I had the twelfth leader, the Third Young Master of the Tang Clan, lock Wuyingjian in a woodshed in the backyard and keep watch over him. After we finished eating, Eighth Brother, who had split himself in two, decided to go to the woodshed to find Wuyingjian for some amusement. But when he got there, the woodshed door was wide open, and Twelfth Brother, the Third Young Master of the Tang Clan, was lying in a pool of blood. His own personal weapon, the Emei Dagger, was stuck in his abdomen! That treacherous dog, Wuyingjian, was nowhere to be found!" Xiangquan was greatly alarmed. "Strangely," she asked, "weren't you the ones who bound that traitor using your unique method? How did he escape?" Thousand-Hand Guanyin pondered for a moment before replying, "From my observation, that Shadowless Sword was probably a silver-tongued devil who used his eloquent and lewd tricks to convince our twelfth brother, making him personally untie his ropes. Unexpectedly, Shadowless Sword suddenly changed his tune, stealthily killing our twelfth brother!" Split in two, she cursed, "That damned bastard! Don't let me run into him! If I do, I'll chop him in two with my axe and avenge our twelfth brother!"

Stinky Feet said, "There's no time to lose. I've gathered everyone here now so we can set off in four directions and quickly search for the whereabouts of the Shadowless Sword! Once that thief escapes to Hangzhou and goes back to inform his Emperor Qianlong, it will be too late! For safety's sake, we must all disguise ourselves when we go out to avoid being discovered by the soldiers! Sister, go back and arrange for the heroes of your Southern Fist Sect to also help search!" Fragrant Fist readily agreed, "Yes, I'll go arrange it right away!" He then stood up and took his leave. With Stinky Feet's command, the heroes obeyed and left, leaving him alone in the cold, quiet hall. Gazing at the coffin of his twelfth brother, the Third Young Master of the Tang Clan, he felt a deep sorrow. He recalled the trials and tribulations they had shared over the years. Though they had faced countless dangers and perilous situations, they had always found joy amidst hardship. He and his brothers shared a profound bond, a close-knit family, upholding justice and fighting against injustice in the martial world, battling powerful officials and the government, earning a resounding reputation—the Red Flower Society! It was precisely for this reason that the Qing Dynasty considered them a thorn in its side, a constant threat, and always sought to eliminate them to prevent future troubles!

The Third Young Master of the Tang Clan, a renowned figure in the martial arts world, was the third young master of the Sichuan Tang Clan. He was famous for his mastery of the Emei Dagger, a unique weapon. His Emei Dagger was only a foot long, thick in the middle and thin at both ends, shaped like a cone with flattened ends, resembling the tip of a red-tasseled spear, and featuring a central ring. In practice, he would simply slip the ring onto his middle finger, holding one dagger in each hand. Using a flick of his wrist and fingers, he would spin the dagger rapidly, employing thrusting, stabbing, parrying, hooking, and sweeping techniques to specifically target vital areas such as the eyes, throat, temples, chest, heart, and groin. Because of its small size and light weight, it was difficult to spot, often appearing suddenly and striking unexpectedly, leaving the attacker bewildered and fatally wounded. Legend has it that the Emei Dagger was also a specialized weapon for ancient naval warfare, used for underwater assassinations or to breach the hulls of enemy ships, achieving a surprising and decisive victory. Therefore, it is also known as the Water-Dividing Emei Thorn. So, although the young hero Tang Clan's Third Young Master was not yet sixteen, he repeatedly succeeded in the martial arts world, killing countless corrupt and thieves, earning him the reputation of "Emei Poison Thorn." He was like a poisonous thorn in the flesh of the government and the underworld, a poisonous nail in their eyes, hated to the core, yet powerless to do anything about it!

No one could have predicted that such a formidable and troublesome character would die so tragically at the hands of an unknown scoundrel! If this news were to reach the ears of the Tang Clan in Sichuan, what would they think? And how would I explain myself? While Stinky Feet was lost in thought, he suddenly sensed someone creeping up behind him, quietly approaching from behind! Coming to his senses, he turned around and saw a small, thin monk. The monk, flustered upon seeing him, quickly lowered his head and bowed respectfully, saying, "Chief, the abbot requests your presence in his chambers!" Stinky Feet was puzzled, thinking, "Why does this monk, who looks like a ten-year-old, have such a deep, heavy accent? Why doesn't he dare look me in the eye?!" He approached the monk and suddenly shouted sharply, "Raise your head! Let me see who you are!" The little monk was startled. He suddenly reached into his robes, pulled out something, and then with a sudden flick of his right hand, a fragrant, thick smoke wafted before his eyes. Stinky Feet sniffed it, felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and everything went black. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious!

The young monk chuckled secretly, then bent down and searched the man's body. Soon he found a book—the very same "Complete Guide to the Martial World"! Overjoyed, the man jumped and danced like a mischievous child, beaming, "This extraordinary book that has caused such a sensation in the martial world! Everyone wants to spend their entire life trying to obtain it and possess it. But unexpectedly, after searching high and low without finding it, I obtained it effortlessly with my Shadowless Sword! It seems Heaven has eyes! If I present this book to the Emperor, wouldn't that be a great achievement? Wouldn't he reward me with high office, wealth, and countless riches? From now on, my suffering will be over, and I can finally hold my head high and wipe away my shame!" "Let those who look down on me be envious!" He glanced at Stinky Feet and cursed, "This morning at Wulin Gate, you and that stinky monk tied me up so badly, it makes me so angry just thinking about it! Damn it, before I leave, I have to kill you!" As he spoke, he suddenly pulled out a dagger from his pocket, its cold light flashing, and was about to stab Stinky Feet in the chest when he suddenly heard a voice calling from outside the hall: "Brother, are you there?" It was Xiang Quan's voice! Wu Ying Jian was shocked and his face changed drastically. He didn't have the guts to fight the leader of the Southern Fist Sect, who was famous throughout Jiangnan. He quickly and quietly slipped to the back door and fled.

"Ah! Brother, what's wrong? Why did you faint?!" As soon as Xiang Quan entered the hall, he saw Chou Jiao lying unconscious on the ground and rushed over. He helped him up and sat him down at the table, loudly calling for the monks to come. A moment later, the abbot arrived, and seeing Chou Jiao's symptoms, he clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha! Although I am not a member of the martial arts world, I still know a bit about it! From what I see, the Grand Master has been poisoned by the Sichuan Tang Clan's 'Bewitching Incense and Bone-Soothing Powder,' causing him to fall into a coma!" Xiang Quan was somewhat surprised and puzzled, asking, "The twelfth hall master of the Red Flower Society, Tang Clan's Third Young Master, is from the Sichuan Tang Clan. Could it be his 'Bewitching Incense and Bone-Soothing Powder'? But he's already dead, his body is in a coffin. How could he have used a hidden weapon?"

The abbot examined Stinky Feet's body, then suddenly his expression changed. "Oh no! Someone has sneaked into our temple! He's been searching the chief's pockets and the brocade pouch at his waist, as if looking for something!" Fragrant Fist suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly said, "Quickly, check if my brother has a book on him!" Due to the difference in gender and the taboo against physical contact, even though they were siblings, it wasn't appropriate to search him in front of everyone. The abbot gestured for two young monks to come over and search Stinky Feet's entire body, but they didn't find the "Complete Guide to the Martial World"!

Xiang Quan couldn't sit still any longer. Her face paled, and she exclaimed in alarm, "Could it be that we've been completely fooled by that scoundrel, Wu Ying Jian?! After he killed the Third Young Master of the Tang Clan, he didn't act like a normal person. Instead of running away, he disguised himself and lurked among us. Seeing my brother alone, he seized the opportunity to ambush him! He's a cunning enemy, with the cold-bloodedness of a snake and the treachery of a wolf. He's truly unpredictable and impossible to guard against! I deduce that the Tang Clan's Bewitching Incense was originally on the Third Young Master of the Tang Clan. After Wu Ying Jian cruelly killed him, his greed took over, and he stole everything from him, including the Bewitching Incense! Abbot, order the gates of Daming Temple to be closed immediately, and thoroughly investigate all monks, worshippers, and tourists inside! Arrest any suspicious individuals, and I will interrogate them!"