The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

The woman in red, whether due to momentary lapse in attention or genuine fragility, fell into Chu Luren's arms, one arm half-embracing his shoulder.

What Chu Luren didn't notice was that the other party frowned, then turned cold, and at the same time, a golden needle appeared between his fingers, pointing at the back of his neck, about to pierce it!

If Chu Luren were still conscious, he might realize that this was the third time he had seen this red-clad musician.

It wasn't that I had visited before, but that I had "saved" someone once near Hengyang Mountain City, and then I saw their back view at the Prince's Mansion a couple of days ago.

Now this one seems to have lost her patience—she only remembered Chu Luren for "saving" her once when he meddled in other people's business, so she just helped him out when he was punishing that scoundrel in the palace. Now that he dares to be rude to her, she'll just treat him like that scoundrel too...

"I... I'll tell you a story... Do you think I made a mistake... that I shouldn't have saved him..." Chu Luren was unaware of the danger he was in. Instead, he leaned down and whispered in the other person's ear, taking advantage of his drunkenness.

"Okay, I'll tell you the story before I prick you," the red-clad zither player silently put away her needles.

Chapter 192 Departure

"Ah!" Chu Luren woke up with a start in the morning.

Then, as if remembering something, he immediately touched his clothes—thankfully, they were still there, and there was no sign of them being disheveled or worn again; the smell of alcohol was still there.

Chu Luren breathed a sigh of relief, only to discover... that he was actually in his own room at the inn?

Was last night's challenge to Linghu Chong to go to Qunyu Tower just a dream?

No, that's too realistic. I think I listened to some music before losing my memory of it...

Chu Luren breathed a sigh of relief, but also secretly examined himself—how could he be so unrespecting? Boys need to take better care of themselves when they're out in the world… He must have been corrupted by Linghu Chong!

Fortunately, he still had a self-preservation instinct in his subconscious. Chu Luren guessed that he had drunkenly walked back alone after listening to the music.

I wonder if Linghu Chong came out with me...

Just then, Chu Luren suddenly heard a commotion downstairs, so he got up and went downstairs. He saw Linghu Chong looking like a wilted eggplant, looking embarrassed. Lin Pingzhi also looked apologetic. The main culprit was... Yue Lingshan.

"What's wrong with your Master Chu? Why did he take Senior Brother to a place like that?" Yue Lingshan said with dissatisfaction.

Although she didn't have romantic feelings for Linghu Chong, they were childhood sweethearts and she admired him to some extent. Lin Pingzhi couldn't resist asking questions and slightly revealed some of Chu Luren and Linghu Chong's whereabouts last night, especially the fact that Linghu Chong was blocked by Yue Lingshan at the entrance of Qunyu Courtyard, which confirmed the matter.

Yue Lingshan came over for two reasons. First, she complained about Chu Luren, who not only seduced Lin Pingzhi but also corrupted Linghu Chong... Fortunately, Lin Pingzhi is still reliable. Second, she took the opportunity to complain about him!

Yue Lingshan knew she couldn't do anything to Chu Luren, but she could "reveal" it to Mu Wanqing.

Just as Chu Luren was halfway down the stairs and sensed something was wrong, he heard Mu Wanqing frown and say, "What nonsense are you talking about? Last night, around midnight, I woke up once and heard the sound of tea being poured in Brother Chu's room next door." In front of outsiders, Mu Wanqing addressed Brother Chu sweetly.

Upon hearing this, Yue Lingshan was taken aback at first, then glared angrily at Linghu Chong—So you didn't just go alone, and when you were discovered, you even dragged others down with you as shields?

I never expected you to be this kind of senior brother?

Upon seeing this, Linghu Chong hurriedly said, "I...I...I clearly remember that Brother Chu also ordered tea."

"That's right. I couldn't refuse Brother Linghu's invitation, so I went to listen to some music and then came back. I was quite drunk at the time, so I don't really know what Brother Linghu did or why he stayed overnight," Chu Luren said, concealing his true intentions.

"Ah! So brothels are places to listen to music... But why do you say they're bad? Is it because the music is bad?" Huang Rong asked, puzzled.

Huang Rong is very clever, but Huang Yaoshi obviously wouldn't teach his daughter these things.

Linghu Chong lowered his head and did not argue further. He had not intended to drag anyone down with him; it was just a coincidence that he was discovered.

In fact, Linghu Chong also felt wronged. He seemed to have fallen asleep as soon as he entered the room last night, and was just "laid out" there casually this morning. He didn't know until he went there that the service quality of Qunyu Courtyard was so bad.

Chu Luren assessed the time—was I really in my room at the third watch of the night? Sure enough, I had finished listening to the music and returned on my own. That's just how I am!

Mu Wanqing pulled Huang Rong aside, and Chu Luren didn't know how she would explain why brothels were "bad."

Lin Pingzhi then took the opportunity to talk to Chu Luren about the departure...

Luoyang has been in chaos lately. The Prince of Pingxi's mansion has been acting strangely for some reason, with multiple troop movements in the past two days. The city is in a state of panic, and it is no longer a place to stay for long.

Wang Yuanba originally wanted Lin Pingzhi to stay for the New Year, but now he no longer insists.

"Leave tomorrow? That's fine..." Chu Luren nodded upon hearing this.

Linghu Chong looked up at Yue Lingshan, seemingly wanting to say something, but after hesitating for a moment, he ultimately said nothing—tomorrow he would naturally part ways with everyone and head north to Hengshan with Liu Hou'er.

It's almost the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. However, for those in the martial arts world, it's not uncommon to be away from home during the New Year, especially since the festive atmosphere isn't very strong these days.

Before leaving, Chu Luren went to Green Bamboo Lane one last time to formally say goodbye to Ren Yingying.

She had probably already guessed that the recent "excitement" in Luoyang was caused by the Chu Lu people.

However, Chu Luren was naturally at ease with Ren Yingying. After all, the two were now in a cooperative relationship, and she certainly wouldn't report him to Wu Sangui. However, his words revealed a hint of resentment—he had promised not to disturb "that person"!

Chu Luren could only laugh it off, ultimately failing to alarm Dongfang Bubai. This also confirmed that the cooperation between Dongfang Bubai and Wu Sangui was not yet very close, and perhaps... they were still in negotiations!

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been no response for so long.

"Then I must thank Young Master Chu for risking my life to find out about that person," Ren Yingying deliberately teased Chu Luren, and rolled her eyes at him.

Before Chu Luren could feel embarrassed, Ren Yingying immediately took out a token engraved with Blackwood Cliff and said, "Last time, Young Master Chu left in a hurry and forgot to give you this... With this token, you can inquire about some information in the various Qunyu Academy locations. However, remember not to inquire about anything related to that person or the main altar. The Qunyu Academy is a property of the sect and is basically under my control, but it is still connected to the main altar. It is hard to guarantee that there are no people from that person among them."

Chu Luren was greatly embarrassed upon hearing this. Only when he noticed that Ren Yingying only had a puzzled expression on her face, wondering why he was standing there, did he realize that Ren Yingying had not found out anything and was not intentionally mocking him, but was genuinely trying to help him.

Of course, if you go to Qunyu Courtyard to inquire about information, the Holy Maiden will probably know whatever you ask. Moreover, Qunyu Courtyard is not the Holy Maiden's own property, but belongs to the Sun Moon Cult. You definitely can't ask about anything related to the Sun Moon Cult!

You can't ask about anything too confidential, because it will all be leaked to Ren Yingying, or even to Dongfang Bubai.

Especially recently...

Previously, Ren Yingying thought that she had completely controlled the Qunyu Academy system, and that the other person was just an old blind man on Blackwood Cliff. However, recently, because she felt guilty, Ren Yingying became more cautious and began to feel more and more that there was a "mole" in the Qunyu Academy system - to be precise, her own mole had not completely replaced the core of the Qunyu Academy.

The feeling of being able to command someone as easily as they were once an illusion?

Chu Luren took the token and weighed it in his hand... It was certainly convenient, but using it as a channel for confidential information would definitely be a loss. For matters that were too important, he couldn't directly consult the Qunyu Academy.

"You can think of a code word now, and then carrier pigeons will relay it to all the Jade Palaces in the world. Even the Jade Palace in Dali will receive the news within two months," Ren Yingying reminded her.

After thanking the Holy Maiden and returning to the inn, Chu Luren specifically asked Huang Rong where she was going, and if she was going to return south by sea, she could travel with her.

Huang Rong didn't say where they were going directly, only that she wanted to see the sights and that it would be good to travel together for the time being...

Chapter 193 New Rankings in January of the Fifth Year of Tiansheng

Chu Luren and his group left Luoyang, crossed the Sishui River, and arrived in Henan Province, which was also the territory of the Songshan Sect's home base that Lin Pingzhi was most worried about!

Of course, in Henan, the birthplace of the Central Plains martial arts world, there are countless masters, famous masters, and righteous sects. Although the headquarters of Mount Song is located here, it is far from being the hegemon. The true leader is naturally Shaolin Temple, also known as Shaolin Sect in the martial arts world.

The saying "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin" is an exaggeration, but it is true that Shaolin is the source of many martial arts schools and has a very high influence. There are three main reasons for this...

Firstly, the Shaolin School has existed for over a thousand years since Bodhidharma crossed the sea to the East, and as the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism, it has accumulated profound knowledge and experience.

Secondly, the Shaolin School widely accepts lay disciples. Although it is strict in its admission and dismissal, and considers both the acceptance of disciples and the departure of lay disciples from the mountain, each Shaolin disciple can be taught one of the Seventy-Two Arts. After leaving the mountain, they can not only bring glory to the Shaolin School, but also, if they obtain the approval of the Bodhidharma Academy and have a certain understanding of the taught skills and come up with new ideas, they can even establish their own school.

For example, Master Huangmei of Nianhua Temple in Dali, whom Chu Luren had met, was originally a lay disciple of Shaolin. Lu Guanying, the chief bandit leader of Taihu Lake, became a disciple of the Xianxia Sect, which was also a lay branch of Shaolin...

Thirdly, Shaolin itself also emphasizes the accumulation of martial arts. Whenever a disciple of the temple goes down the mountain to travel, the first thing he does upon returning is to go to the Discipline Hall to confess whether he has broken any precepts. The second thing he does is to go to the Prajna Hall to register the martial arts he has seen and heard. The temple will then analyze the martial arts of other schools.

There is also the Bodhidharma Academy, a hall where the most skilled martial arts masters in the temple gather to study advanced martial arts.

It can be said that Shaolin's current status in the martial arts world is the result of its emphasis on both learning and innovation.

In contrast, Wudang is able to be on par with Shaolin "simply" because Wudang has Zhang Sanfeng, who could completely suppress Shaolin's confidence in learning and innovation...

With Shaolin Temple in place, Songshan in Henan dared not cause any trouble, and the journey was relatively peaceful. However, in the first month of the lunar calendar, Chu Luren heard some worrying news—Qiao Feng had appeared at the Southern Shaolin Temple!

The good news is that Xuan Ku and the Qiao couple are not dead. Chu Luren estimates that Qiao Feng's previous deception not only fooled others but also his father, and everyone thought that Qiao Feng was still in the north.

Even if that person who harmed his son wanted to kill someone and frame Qiao Feng, he wouldn't do it now.

The bad news is...

The Shaolin Temple's "Yijinjing" has been lost!

Although the place where Qiao Feng was found is in a different direction from the Sutra Pavilion, it is clear that some people have connected the two events.

……

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Chu Luren and his group arrived at Kaifeng Prefecture.

Nowadays, whether it's the great powers like Song, Yuan, and Qing, or the more powerful Western Xia and Tubo, or the smaller kingdoms like Dali... the world is generally not very peaceful. Song was relatively stronger, but even there, the rich feasted while the poor froze to death. Dali was more stable due to its location, but life was still hard, and there wasn't much of a joyous atmosphere for the New Year among the people.

This was especially true for the Qing Dynasty's territories, which were beset by internal and external troubles...

Kaifeng was a large city, and the Qing government had a considerable amount of defense there. After entering the city, Chu Luren and his group headed straight for the eastern part of the city, where martial arts figures gathered, trying their best not to cause trouble.

Chu Luren immediately visited the "Tianxialou" in the east of the city—the official Tianxialou within the Qing court's territory, nominally opened by the number one manor in the world, but in reality controlled by the Manchu Qing dynasty.

Although not as well-informed as the Divine Marquis's Mansion, it still served as the eyes and ears of the Qing court in the martial arts world. In accordance with the agreement with the Song court, it would also update the "Heroic List" every month, only about fifteen days later.

After all, if it were completely banned like the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the result would only be a shift from overt to covert, at most a slower pace.

Chu Luren estimates that there should be an updated list of chivalrous deeds by now...

Sure enough, outside, Chu Luren saw a very new-looking list posted—this shouldn't be the version from four months ago!

Furthermore, many martial arts practitioners and local idlers were also watching, and there was a lot of discussion. In fact, Chu Luren could even occasionally hear his own name.

From the frequency of these mentions, Chu Luren already had a clear idea of ​​what was going on. When he dismounted, he deliberately made a loud swaying sound with his clothes, and he also made sure not to leave the suona horn and salted fish and drunken crabs at the inn.

Look at the way he rode his horse to the gate, walking with a pigeon-toed gait and the imposing manner of entering through the central gate—he's no ordinary person, instantly attracting a lot of attention.

"Suona, suona! And bones... salted fish jars..."

"It's him, it's him..."

"Red and White Tai Sui!"

"It is said that in Luoyang, he fought against seven opponents single-handedly. Seven bodyguards from the Songshan Sect attacked him at the same time, resulting in one being injured and another crippled!"

"Why would he come to Zhongzhou? Could it be that he's going to..."

Shh! Keep your voice down.

Chu Luren heard some inappropriate comments, but it was true that his achievements in climbing the rankings had been written into the list, which was why the whole world knew about it.

The people around quickly made way for him, and Chu Luren pretended not to care, glancing at the Heavenly Ranking posted outside, his eyes landing directly at the bottom of the list...

One glance is enough.

Indeed, just as Huang Rong said, he was thirty-sixth on the Heavenly Ranking!

Don't take the thirty-sixth one for granted. As soon as he entered Tianxialou, he was immediately and politely invited to the second floor by the manager. However... the manager's rat-tail hairstyle reminded Chu Luren that this was not the Song Dynasty's Tianxialou. It was better to take the free gift and leave. There was no need to exchange pleasantries with anyone here, lest he inadvertently reveal any information to the Qing Dynasty.

After receiving the "gift" chivalry board from upstairs and declining the routine recruitment, Chu Luren went downstairs and suddenly noticed two burly men dressed as farmhands. They had been exchanging pleasantries with someone and seemed to have handed out invitations, but when they saw him, their expressions changed, and they turned away furtively...

Seeing this, Chu Luren had a vague idea in his mind. He moved and instantly appeared behind the two of them, placing his right hand on one of their shoulders.