The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan frowned. Returning to a familiar place, Wang Yuyan did indeed think of Murong Fu after a long time. Then she remembered the Western Xia warrior she had encountered not far from the Apricot Grove, and... a certain Pingjiao.

"Has my cousin been to the manor recently?" Wang Yuyan asked hesitantly.

Although Murong Fu's status in her heart has plummeted, Wang Yuyan still feels uneasy about what happened a year ago, and hopes to get to the bottom of it if she has the chance.

"He wouldn't dare! Without your pleading, if he takes even one step, I'll chop him up and use him as fertilizer!" Li Qingluo raised an eyebrow.

Wang Yuyan: ……

Afterwards, the mother and daughter talked for most of the night because they hadn't seen each other for a long time. During the year that Wang Yuyan had been away for training, she not only gained more experience and understood her mother better, but most importantly, her previously timid and submissive demeanor in front of her mother had greatly improved.

Li Qingluo felt a pang of emotion. As her daughter grew up, she subconsciously became more willing to communicate with her daughter on an equal footing, rather than scolding her at every turn.

……

Chu Luren had no idea what the mother and daughter had talked about that night, and he took his leave early the next morning.

After all, it's already late August...

Li Qingluo was somewhat dissatisfied. Chu Luren was so enthusiastic, which made him feel "flattered" – it was the first time he had encountered someone who was being freeloaded and still complained that the time was too short. Mantuo Manor was indeed a wealthy family!

However, it was not advisable for Chu Luren to stay any longer, and Wang Yuyan also chimed in, so Madam Li did not say anything more.

On August 28th, Chu Luren arrived in Lin'an on his little red horse, almost right on time.

After all, transporting the little red horse to Peach Blossom Island was not easy, and there was no need for riding horses on the island, so Huang Rong temporarily lent the horse to Chu Luren.

Huang Rong was probably the only one among her female friends who vaguely sensed that Chu Luren's trip to Lin'an wasn't so safe, even though Chu Luren hadn't mentioned anything about it!

With September fast approaching, Chu Luren hadn't bothered to look at the chivalry rankings published in April and July. He knew for sure that he had already fallen off the list—he had barely made it in the first place. Chu Luren's most outstanding achievement in the past six months was "exposing the Shaolin conspiracy" at Juxian Manor.

However, the stance adopted by Chu Luren was clearly not satisfactory to the Song court, and therefore would not be a positive factor.

Zhao Wushi might have been happy when he criticized the Northern Shaolin Temple, but... his strong support for Qiao Feng, whose Manchu origins were already confirmed, and his criticism of several anti-Qing martial arts forces, displeased the Song court.

As the thirty-sixth on the Heavenly Ranking, it was only natural that he disappeared from the list instantly!

Chu Luren was prepared for this. After each episode was announced, he would curse the Iron-Blooded Marquis in his heart for six or seven hours before he felt at ease.

The "successor of communism" that Chu Luren casually mentioned before was also featured extensively in the tabloids that were being sold alongside it. Some said it was a branch of the Mohist school during the Warring States period, others said it was a descendant of the eccentric scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and still others said it was a descendant of the Western Regions demonic sect—the Ming Cult originated in Persia, which can also be broadly considered as the Western Regions. Therefore, the impression of Western Regions sects among the people of the Central Plains was that they were all "demonic sects".

Chu Luren also figured it out; the point was to reinforce his image of disrespecting etiquette and lawlessness, and thus continue to associate himself with the "Grand Duke Jupiter"...

Chu Luren was too lazy to argue, and it was easy to argue anyway, after all, he had the Heroic Deeds List in his left hand, the Chronicle of Major Events in the Martial World in his right, and various Martial World Gazettes hidden in his waistband—all of which were controlled by the Dragon Guard Manor behind the scenes!

When Chu Luren came to Lin'an this time, he specially disguised himself. He put away his salted fish jar and suona, and changed into a white dress. He also specially brought a folding fan. In short, he dressed up in whatever way matched his ideal type!

This kind of "disguise" was taught to me by Huang Rong.

At first, Chu Luren didn't believe it, but later he found out... that there was indeed no disguise on his face, but no one recognized the famous Chu Taisui!

Chapter 243 The Rendezvous

Beyond the mountains, green hills rise; beyond the buildings, more buildings stand. When will the songs and dances of West Lake cease? The warm breeze intoxicates the tourists, making them mistake Hangzhou for Bianzhou.

The world is in chaos now, and the frozen bones of the dead are everywhere on the roadside. No matter how big or small the country is, it cannot be said to be a peaceful and prosperous nation. However, when it comes to the rich feasting and drinking, the Song Dynasty is unique.

From high-ranking officials to wealthy merchants, who among them wasn't raised on the blood and sweat of the people?

Lin'an, the "most virtuous place," was so eager to spread silks and satins on the ground and hang gold and silver jewels on the treetops to show off its nobility.

Emperor Zhao Zhen has been on the throne for five years, but he is only eighteen years old. Empress Dowager Liu E still rules from behind the curtain. When the previous emperor was in power, the Eastern Depot was established, and the chief eunuch was in charge of it. The eunuchs were directly under the emperor's command and had the responsibility to report rumors and the power to arrest and punish officials.

Another figure is the Imperial Uncle Zhao Wushi, who built the Dragon Guard Manor to oversee the martial arts world.

When ordinary people talk about this damned world, they curse Cao Cao, the eunuch, and at the end, they don't forget to praise him, saying that it's fortunate there is still the Iron-Blooded Marquis. As for the Emperor... in everyone's memory, he is still that little boy.

As for whether or not to launch a northern expedition, no one in the court has mentioned it since Marshal Yue was unjustly killed ten years ago.

Looking at the lavishly decorated pleasure boats with their decadent music coming and going in the waterways, Chu Luren sighed with regret. Then, displaying his lightness skill, he chose one and jumped aboard...

Chu Luren was different from other ordinary people; he came for a serious matter.

The madam of the boat was not surprised that the wandering swordsman had boarded the ship in this way. She quickly approached him with a beaming smile: "Young hero, it's been a long time since you've come. Feng'er and Ping'er have been lovesick..."

This was just polite talk; this was Chu Luren's first time visiting Lin'an.

But... why don't I receive this kind of treatment when I come dressed normally? This made Chu Luren feel a little uneasy.

"Two, please, but no one over eighteen!"

Madam: ...

After a series of coded signals, Chu Luren was led to a secluded cabin inside the ship.

One of them, dressed entirely in white, with a lean appearance and a long, white beard, was eating meat and drinking wine while flirting with the two courtesans accompanying him.

"Hahaha, so it's Brother Chu who's arrived? I've heard from the Holy Maiden that you're quite the handsome young man! Come, sit down, drink some wine, eat some meat, and choose some girls! Hahaha..." The old man was very hearty and generous.

However, judging from his full temples and his eyes that seemed to be shining brightly, you could tell that he was a master of internal martial arts!

In terms of internal martial arts skills alone, he might even surpass Guo Jing...

Needless to say, the only expert who can appear here now, given his age and appearance, is Xiang Wentian!

Judging from the bowl, chopsticks, and wine cup on the table, Xiang Wentian already knew that Chu Luren was coming while the madam was leading the way.

Faced with Xiang Wentian's enthusiastic invitation, Chu Luren put on the face of a peerless swordsman (in his own opinion), and then said in a deep voice, "When I'm out, I only eat vegetarian noodles, without oil or salt."

Xiang Wentian: ? ? ?

Who the hell is this persona?

You, Chu Taisui, don't eat oil or salt? Are you so arrogant just because you didn't bring your salted fish jar?

What do you mean by "outside"? You, Chu Tai Sui, a wandering bachelor, talk as if you own an entire estate...

Xiang Wentian was embarrassed and stunned for a long time when Chu Luren simply threw together some random persona and applied it without any explanation. He hadn't expected Chu Luren to react like this when he saw him.

Xiang Wentian originally thought that Chu Luren did not want to reveal his identity and wanted to say a few words of advice, but before he could speak, he was choked by Chu Luren's cold face.

Chu Luren was deliberately giving him a hard time—this man's generosity, while not entirely fake, was tinged with self-interest, and he was ruthless and had a very low moral standard. He was acceptable as a business partner, but not as a close friend.

In the original work, Linghu Chong was replaced by Li Tao and thrown into Ren Woxing's cell, which shows his cunning. When persuading Linghu Chong to join the Sun Moon Cult, he both tempted him with benefits and emphasized that when Linghu Chong became the leader of the cult in the future, he could set things right... which shows his scheming!

Beneath this seemingly generous and magnanimous exterior lies a cunning and treacherous nature.

Of course, Xiang Wentian also possessed the courage and straightforwardness of a martial arts practitioner, as evidenced by his unwavering loyalty to Ren Woxing and his daughter. However, his methods were not appreciated by the people of Chulu, so they had no intention of befriending him.

"Hehe, since that's the case, give Chu Taisui a bowl of plain noodles... without a drop of oil!" Xiang Wentian put away his boldness and gave the order in a colder tone.

Xiang Wentian was an old hand at the game and noticed Chu Luren's distance. Moreover, Chu Luren was someone the Holy Maiden had asked to help him. He wouldn't clash with his partner just because of a momentary anger, but he also wouldn't lower himself to try and get close to a cold-faced young man, even if the young man was currently riding high.

If... there really was something between the young lady and Chu Luren, Xiang Wentian might be more concerned. However, he had inquired with Green Bamboo Elder in private and there was absolutely no such thing. On the contrary, Xiao Feifei told him that "this person is just a block of wood," which made Xiang Wentian slightly concerned. How come it seems that if he says he is not a block of wood, something will happen?

Therefore, Xiang Wentian still maintained at least some politeness.

Chu Luren didn't want to cause trouble, so he sat down as well, but... he really had no interest in the plain noodles that came next.

"Isn't Qunyu Courtyard not safe? Why did you arrange to meet here?" Chu Luren asked Su Mian without even glancing at her.

"While we can't guarantee the entire Qunyu Courtyard in Lin'an, we'll definitely have our people on this entire pleasure boat." Xiang Wentian could tell that Chu Luren didn't really want to eat vegetarian noodles, so he took a big bite of meat and began to chew it heartily.

Chu Luren nodded, accepting this explanation, and then asked the question he was most concerned about: "Where is Ren Woxing being held?"

This was indeed something Chu Luren cared about. He had inquired around Lin'an but hadn't heard of any Plum Manor, let alone such a place in the martial arts world!

Considering that the Four Friends of Plum Manor are nominally "secluded" people, it would be understandable if there was no such place as Plum Manor in the martial arts world, but Chu Luren couldn't find any information about it near Lin'an either, which made him worried. Ren Yingying asked him to come to Lin'an... Could it be that the place of imprisonment is different from the original work?

When Xiang Wentian heard Chu Luren address the sect leader by his given name, he frowned almost imperceptibly before saying, "The sect leader has been imprisoned by that Eastern scoundrel in the Heavenly Prison beneath West Lake!"

Upon hearing "West Lake," Chu Luren initially felt relieved, but the way the location was referred to next almost caused him to stray off course.

"Yes... the Sun Moon Cult has a prison near Lin'an, and they even built a Heavenly Prison?" Chu Luren asked to confirm.

"Brother Chu is joking. It is naturally the number one prison of the Song Dynasty, hence the name 'Heavenly Prison'!" Xiang Wentian smiled slightly, pleased to see Chu Luren's surprised expression.

"What is the relationship between Dongfang Bubai and the Song court? How can they imprison him in the imperial prison?" Chu Luren was so surprised that he couldn't understand.

"Brother Chu only knows one side of the story, not the other..."

Chapter 244 The Plan

Iron-Blooded Marquis created the Heroic List, established the Dragon Guard Manor, and forced the two island lords of Dragon and Wood to impose restrictions on the reward and punishment order. Especially after twenty years ago, when he confronted the evil Gu Santong, who had seized the secret manuals of various sects and slaughtered hundreds of righteous masters, Zhao Tiedan's prestige in the martial arts world reached its peak...

At that time, Zhao Wushi also established a rule that if any sect had any wicked disciples who rebelled, committed any heinous crimes, or implicated their sect in being hated by other sects in the martial arts world, and felt they were wronged, they could arrest the person and send them to the Dragon Guard Manor to be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison.

Afterwards, the Dragon Guardian Manor can conduct a trial, and once verified, it can serve as notarization to endorse the "innocently implicated" sects.

However, this rule is now largely forgotten, as very few sects would follow it, and doing so would only invite contempt from their fellow practitioners.

For example, the Ming Cult was thoroughly tricked by Xie Xun – he killed those people entirely to force Cheng Kun to appear, neither at the instigation of the Ming Cult nor for the benefit of the Ming Cult.

However, when the Dragon Guard Manor tried to facilitate this, both Yang Xiao, the unpopular acting leader of the Ming Cult, and Yin Tianzheng of the Eagle Sect, who had established his own sect, resolutely refused...

Not only did they not attempt to capture Xie Xun, but even nominally, they refused to acknowledge handing Xie Xun over to the Dragon Guard Manor for arrest!

This is the Ming Cult, which has some "demonic" characteristics. If it were a reputable sect, no matter how upsetting the situation was, they would at most try their best to clean up their own mess and would never ask the imperial court to do it—they couldn't afford to lose face!

Whether they are righteous people or gangsters who consider themselves outlaws, they all share a similar consensus: Guo Jing defending Xiangyang is a matter of national importance and righteousness, but joining forces with the imperial court to hunt down Jianghu figures, even if they are targeting evil and heretical sects, is nothing but the behavior of a lackey.

So young people like Chu Luren had never even heard of these "rules".

However, in reality, the Dragon Guard Manor does have such a rule, and the Dragon Guard Manor itself has also arrested some people, so there are indeed martial arts practitioners imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison.

When Xiang Wentian mentioned this matter to Chu Luren, Chu Luren's first reaction was—the Absorption Technique!

People in the martial arts world believed that Iron-Blooded Marquis's move was an attempt to further expand his influence in the martial arts world, and it was one of his many measures, but it was obviously not a successful one.

Chu Luren, however, was reminded of the "Iron-Blooded Marquis" in "The World's Number One" and the "Absorption Technique" he had mastered!

It's very likely that Zhao Tiedan also wanted to take this opportunity to find a target to absorb his power. After all, someone who could cause trouble that made the sect beg the Dragon Guard Manor to come forward and endorse him must have caused a lot of trouble, and most likely his martial arts skills were not low either.

“But Dongfang Bubai shouldn’t need the endorsement of the Dragon Guard Manor, and there has never been a rumor in the martial arts world that Ren Woxing was handed over to the imperial court by Dongfang Bubai…” Chu Luren was still puzzled.

Zhao Wushi's motives for taking Ren Woxing in were quite valid—one was the "Absorbing Power Technique" and the other was the "Star Absorbing Technique," and Zhao Wushi probably wanted to study them too!

However, what reason would Dongfang Bubai have to hand over his "handle" to Zhao Wushi?

There has been no news of any cooperation between Zhao Wushi and Dongfang Bubai, or rather, with the Sun Moon Cult.

"Saintess and I are just speculating about this. It seems that the scoundrel Dongfang realized that his martial arts were incomplete, and the original martial arts were collected by the Song court, so he made a deal with Zhao Tiedan!" Xiang Wentian honestly replied that he was just guessing.

"Isn't Dongfang Bubai afraid that Zhao Tiedan will trick him?" Chu Luren couldn't understand. Ren Woxing being in the hands of Shenhou should have been very disadvantageous for Dongfang Bubai.