The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

In the courtyard where Yang Tiexin and Bao Xiruo had rested, Yang Tiexin was looking dejected. Qiu Chuji occasionally offered him words of comfort, while Ma Yu silently chanted something, perhaps a Taoist mantra for rebirth. Guo Jing and Huang Rong had also arrived by this time, and Mu Nianci was comforting Yang Tiexin.

"Young Master Chu, hey, let's not disturb Brother Yang for now..."

Before Qiu Chuji could finish speaking, Chu Luren rudely interrupted him, continuing to demand of Yang Tiexin, "I'm asking you what happened! You were with her, and she committed suicide, and you didn't know?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Tiexin revealed a pained expression and said, "My wife cannot accept that she has lost her virginity to that scoundrel Wu Sangui, and I... I cannot stop her either."

"You're not as strong as her?"

"She used acupressure on you?"

"You, a seasoned veteran, are so sound asleep that even an ordinary woman hanging herself from the ceiling wouldn't wake you?"

Chu Luren pressed him with a cold face.

Bao Xiruo undoubtedly committed suicide, but Chu Luren could not accept it, while Yang Tiexin "calmly" accepted her suicide.

Well, perhaps it's not exactly "at ease," but Chu Luren felt there was no difference.

Upon hearing this, Yang Tiexin's face grew even more pained. Guo Jing, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but stop him, saying, "Brother Chu, Aunt died to uphold her chastity. How could Uncle Yang possibly stop her? Uncle Yang is the one who is most heartbroken right now..."

“Yes, I know. Over the years, Xiruo has suffered a lot, but she endured it and did not give up for the sake of Kang’er…” Yang Tiexin clutched his head in anguish and squatted down, heartbroken.

Chu Luren's expression remained cold and unchanged. He took two steps forward, and the onlookers thought he was helping Yang Tiexin, but who knew... he kicked Yang Tiexin, sending him tumbling out and crashing into a dilapidated wall.

"Ah!" "Stop!" Mu Nianci and Guo Jing shouted immediately.

Ma Yu, who was silently reciting the Taoist Rebirth Mantra, was also startled, and Qiu Chuji quickly blocked Chu Luren.

"Brother Chu, what's wrong with you...?"

"Don't hit my godfather, he's the one who's most heartbroken right now!"

"Young Master Chu, please calm down."

Yang Tiexin felt a tightness in his chest and spat out blood, saying, "Well done, well done!" After saying that, he pounded himself hard, saying, "It's because I'm such a coward that I couldn't save Xiruo back then, which is why I've become like this today!"

Chu Luren took another step forward, and Qiu Chuji did not stop him, as he seemed to have no intention of making a move.

"First, I rescued Bao Xiruo, and now she's dead because I saved her. I regret it."

"Secondly, I don't know whether she has suffered or felt it was all for nothing over the years, but her choice to run away with you must have been a mistake."

"Third, more than a decade ago, you were powerless to turn the tide, so you weren't a coward. But tonight, you are a complete coward!"

After Chu Luren finished speaking, he turned around and called to Mu Wanqing, "Let's go!"

"Young Master Chu..." Qiu Chuji called out somewhat shyly.

Because of Qiu Chuji, the Quanzhen School and Yang Tiexin's family cannot be said to be completely unrelated. The Guo and Yang families are old friends. The one who is truly unrelated is Chu Luren!

Now that Chu Luren has stepped in to help, things have turned out this way. The three elders of the Quanzhen Sect, who have always had a good relationship with him, are all feeling very depressed. Moreover, if Chu Luren leaves in a huff, the Quanzhen Sect will lose face if word gets out in the martial arts world.

Ma Yu then stopped Qiu Chuji from calling out to Chu Luren and said to himself, "Alas, Master Chu acted out of 'righteousness,' and his angry departure was also due to 'righteousness.' It is we mere mortals who have done a bad job. Junior brother, there's no need to say more for now. Let's go to the Ancient Tomb to apologize when we get back."

Although Ma Yu referred to himself as an "ordinary person," even Guo Jing, who was standing to the side, could tell that he was actually subtly complaining about the others. He had just entered and started chanting the Rebirth Mantra while ignoring everyone else, which made sense.

Yang Tiexin also felt guilty about Bao Xiruo's death, but not for not stopping her—something Chu Luren could not accept.

I originally wanted to see you two living happily ever after because of your sincere feelings, Bao Xiruo's disregard for the honor of being a princess, her more than ten years of hardship, and her immediate escape upon learning that you were still alive. But... this is what you show me?

This made the Chu Lu people particularly unhappy!

Chu Luren hadn't said anything out of anger; if he had known things would turn out this way, he certainly wouldn't have gotten involved in this matter.

Even if Wu Sangui was a traitor whom everyone wanted to kill, Chu Luren wouldn't mind using his turtle... cough, head as a badge of honor if he had the chance. However, from Bao Xiruo's perspective, Chu Luren still thought it was better that they hadn't escaped.

Even without this incident, the worst that could happen is that the Qing emperor would later exterminate my entire family, which is still better than dying now...

Of course, many people in the martial arts world might not accept Chu Luren's logic, especially in the north where etiquette is more important—Bao Xiruo had already lost her virginity after more than ten years of pacifying the Western King.

If he were to commit suicide now, then all those years of enduring humiliation for his son and preserving his reputation would be considered as such. It would be awkward if he didn't die...

However, Chu Luren could not accept it, but if it was about wanting to kill someone... it wouldn't be that serious.

After all, Bao Xiruo was forced to her death by feudal ethics. Yang Tiexin simply did not stop her, but rather acted as part of feudal ethics, not by directly forcing her to her death. If that's the case, then Chu Luren would have to kill far too many people. Even if he were the greatest villain in the world, he probably wouldn't be able to kill them all.

Therefore, Chu Luren simply expressed his dissatisfaction forcefully before turning and leaving.

Mu Wanqing naturally stayed with Chu Luren. Putting aside the difference in their relationship, even if we just talk about the matter at hand...

Although Mu Wanqing was taught to be more biased from a young age, based on her naive and simple sense of right and wrong, she also believed that Yang Tiexin was a dog of a man, and who was he trying to impress with his current mournful appearance?

To Chu Luren's surprise, Huang Rong also followed without saying a word.

After calming down a bit, Chu Luren couldn't help but ask, "Miss Huang, why are you out here too?"

"Is that strange? I'm not familiar with them at all!" Huang Rong said irritably, clearly not in a good mood either.

At this time, Huang Rong was not as patriotic and people-oriented as she was in the original work, nor was she as "shrewd" as she was a few years later. She was a "little demoness" who had been raised by the Eastern Heretic for more than ten years and was at the most mischievous age.

The transformation of Huang Rong in the original work is undoubtedly one of the most dramatic.

In the original story, when Huang Rong learned that Guo Jing was going to take a risk after Wang Chuyi was injured, her first reaction was, "So what if he's crippled? It's not like it's you or me who's crippled." Only when she saw that Guo Jing was angry did she go with him to find a way to save him.

Twenty years later in Xiangyang, when the Golden Wheel Monk arrived, Guo Jing wanted to protect his wife, but Huang Rong half-scolded him, "Is Xiangyang more important, or our love? Is your health more important, or mine?" She insisted on fighting alongside Guo Jing.

However, Huang Rong at this time was probably even more thoroughly evil than the old pedantic Huang Yaoshi, since Huang Yaoshi hid his pedantry when he taught her by word and deed.

Asking her to understand the act of suicide and chastity, which others even consider "the right thing to do," is undoubtedly the worst possible time. In comparison, the real "Little Eastern Heretic" is now more in line with Chu Luren's thoughts, so with her troubled mind, she left with him...

Chapter 191 See if I'll prick you or not

Lin Pingzhi and Linghu Chong had no idea what had happened, but Chu Luren dragged them out for drinks...

From just a few drunken words, it was clear that Chu Luren regretted doing something, but both of them had the good quality of being drinking buddies—they didn't ask any further questions.

At this time, neither of them connected the recent "chaos" in Luoyang with the Chu Lu people.

Although the Pingxi Prince's Mansion was in chaos, and they may have sensed it, Chu Luren was not suspected because Yu Zhenzi had concealed something.

Chu Luren's only connection to the incident is that he once fought alongside Wang Chuyi to block the royal family's tribute during the martial arts contest for marriage.

However, given Chu Luren's relationship with the Quanzhen Sect and his reputation as the Red and White Tai Sui, it was perfectly normal for him to take action at that time!

Now that Wu Kang has suddenly "become" not Wu Sangui's biological son, he dares not anger Wu Sangui, and he treats the matter of the martial arts contest to choose a husband as if nothing had happened.

Both were completely drunk. Chu Luren had intentionally ingested alcohol but couldn't expel it, and Linghu Chong was in a terrible mood, wanting to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

After getting drunk, Chu Luren began to mock Linghu Chong, "humiliating" him about his romantic relationships, and exposing his desire for his master and mistress to marry his junior sister to him, calling him a coward and a wimp... This outburst of anger made Linghu Chong so angry that he wanted to hit someone!

After their argument, the topic somehow shifted to Linghu Chong's "not daring to recognize Qunyu Courtyard after going there," and then escalated to "only a coward and a wimp wouldn't dare to go."

In the end, even Lin Pingzhi couldn't stop them. Chu Luren and Linghu Chong, drunk and half-mad, arrived at Qunyu Courtyard... Luoyang Branch.

Lin Pingzhi was half-sober from the alcohol, but he couldn't stop the two of them. Besides... when he was still in Fuzhou, he had been to similar places quite often!

So he took out his money pouch, bribed the madam, and then "escaped" on his own.

After all, he was still on his way back to his hometown with his coffin. People in the martial arts world don't have such strict rules. Chu Luren and Linghu Chong had both been kind to him, so it was fine to have a drink with them. However, it would be too much to ask them to patronize prostitutes!

When Lin Pingzhi returned to the Wang family, he was extremely careful not to disturb anyone, lest his senior sister ask him where his senior brother was and he be unable to answer...

At the Luoyang branch of Qunyu Courtyard, the madam initially looked down on江湖客 (jianghu ke, a term referring to people from the martial arts world) like Chu Luren and Linghu Chong.

After all, judging from their appearances, the two of them were not like Ouyang Ke. These young江湖客 (jianghu ke, a term referring to people who are out of the martial arts world) might be generous, but they are mostly difficult to please—not because they have high expectations for service, but on the contrary, their expectations are too low and too direct, which makes many girls unwilling to accept them.

And at any time, he'll suddenly perform some kung fu and make a mess of the shop!

Especially these two, arriving so late and already quite drunk...

However, out of consideration for Lin Pingzhi's money, the madam still managed to force a business-like smile.

Although Chu Luren and Linghu Chong were quite drunk, they immediately regained their footing upon entering. However… for a long while, neither of them spoke, and they looked at each other…

The situation is a bit awkward. What should I say in this situation?

Just as the madam was beginning to doubt whether these two were virgins, Chu Luren steeled his resolve and thought to himself: I can't let my momentum falter!

"What kind of services do you offer? What's the price for the full package?" Chu Luren asked casually, pretending to be a regular customer.

Madam: ? ? ?

The madam grinned and cursed inwardly: "Among so many annoying江湖客 (jianghu ke, a type of江湖客 ...

Chu Luren realized he might have misspoke and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Two, please! No ones over eighteen!"

"Gentlemen...would you like to listen to a little tune first?" the madam said with a smile.

"Want to hear a tune first? Actually, I can play one too... cough cough, okay, what I mean is, two pots of tea, nothing over eighteen coins." Chu Luren covered up the matter.

"You may leave now. I will personally attend to these two guests," a soft female voice called out.

A woman with a veil covering her face, yet still recognizable as beautiful, approached carrying a zither.

Upon hearing this, the madam shuddered and then stumbled down in a panic...

She didn't know who this person was, only that he was sent down "from above". At first, she thought he was there to check the accounts, but later she found out that this person seemed to have some special hobbies. In his spare time, he would play the zither in the shop to greet customers. He was just selling his art, not his body. In fact... a while ago, the people from the Prince's Mansion forcibly took her back, but the next day she was fine in her room. On the contrary, the Prince never came back.

The madam understood that although she was the nominal manager of the Qunyu Courtyard in Luoyang, she had no control over most of the girls, and even some areas of the courtyard were off-limits to her. She also had a vague idea that the Qunyu Courtyard was related to a powerful force in the martial arts world, and it seemed to be a force with questionable methods.

……

Chu Luren also felt that the ancient brothels were really different from what he had imagined. It wasn't just about the more elegant foreplay; in Chu Luren's impression, shouldn't each customer at least have one in their arms while listening to music?

Why is it that now, with Linghu Chong and me together, we are only listening to a girl playing the zither?

Unfortunately, neither of them had actually experienced such a service, and neither dared to voice their doubts so as not to appear ignorant...

That piece was played really well—Chu Luren is a connoisseur of music!

If I'm not mistaken, this should be "The Phoenix Seeks Its Mate," the suona version played by Chu Luren. Although there are some differences, the overall style and several sections overlap with the piece I know...

The musician was dressed in palace attire, wearing a bright red inner garment and a pale gold gauze shawl on the outside.

For some reason, Chu Luren felt that listening to this music made his head increasingly dizzy, and the alcohol that hadn't entered his bloodstream before was now all going into his brain.

The lingering smell of alcohol, which had dissipated somewhat from the outside air, suddenly returned, leaving Linghu Chong with a hazy, confused mind. He had already fallen asleep, snoring loudly.

"Young master, have a cup of sobering tea." In a daze, Chu Luren heard the voice of the woman playing the zither and saw that she had finished playing the zither and was pouring tea for him.

Chu Luren secretly complained to himself, "Is business bad for this group of jade academies? Why is it that the person playing the zither and serving tea is the same person? Can't they bring another one?"

For some reason, Chu Luren felt as if he could still faintly hear the sound of a zither—even though no one was playing it anymore.

In his drunken stupor, Chu Luren mustered his courage and felt that watching someone pour tea while he was drunk seemed disrespectful to their profession, so... he stepped forward and grabbed the other person in his arms!