The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Brother Chu, you are unaware of this. The Heavenly Prison is actually divided into two parts. You can enter through a secret entrance by the West Lake outside the city and go directly to the seventh floor of the Heavenly Prison. Only this side is specifically for imprisoning people from the martial arts world!"

The four guards in this cell are Dongfang Gouzei's men. Dongfang Gouzei saved their lives back then, and they were later ordered to join the Dragon Guard Manor. Although they now serve Zhao Tiedan, they will never watch Zhao Tiedan use the sect leader to threaten Dongfang Gouzei! Xiang Wentian explained.

Chu Luren understood most of it this time, but the remaining questions were either unknown to Xiang Wentian or things he was unwilling to answer—for example…where did Xiang Wentian get his information? Did he have a mole in the Dragon Guard Manor?

"Since the Right Envoy and the Holy Maiden are well prepared this time, they must have a way to deal with the four of them, right?" Chu Luren asked the more crucial question directly.

"Brother Chu is joking. There's no such thing as 'proper' here. The Holy Maiden stayed at Blackwood Cliff this time specifically to rescue the leader and ensure that the Eastern scoundrel wouldn't make any big moves. As for us... we're just doing our best and leaving the rest to fate!"

As for how to deal with the four of them, there is indeed a way. The reason why Dongfang Gouzei was able to get the four of them to join the Dragon Guard Manor and not appear for ten years afterward was not only because the four of them had been saved by Dongfang Gouzei, but also because they had many interests outside of martial arts.

And with interest comes pursuit, and with pursuit comes desire... And when people have desires, they always find a way to deal with them! Xiang Wentian was initially very worried, but as he spoke, he seemed to have a sure thing.

Chu Luren continued to look at him, clearly wanting to know the specific plan. Otherwise, Chu Luren would not have accompanied him on this risk, lest they not only face the danger of the Sun Moon Cult and even the Song Dynasty, but also have to be careful of these people stabbing them in the back!

Seeing this, Xiang Wentian had no choice but to explain in detail: "I have prepared a generous gift for the four of them based on their interests. We will pretend to be members of the Giant Whale Gang... The Giant Whale Gang is a gang that engages in maritime transport and has close ties with the imperial court. Therefore, it is estranged from ordinary Jianghu gangs."

Back then, the Giant Whale Gang was involved in a case where its members robbed and murdered an important official ship. Enraged by the imperial court's actions, the gang leader handed the main culprit over to Zhao Tiedan, a rare occurrence in the martial arts world. Zhao Tiedan ultimately discovered that the Giant Whale Gang's case was merely the work of one of his subordinates. He not only protected the Giant Whale Gang but also, over the years, erected a golden archway in their honor, praising them for their service to the country and its people…”

Xiang Wentian's tone was very disdainful. Given his personality, he probably looked down on these "lackeys" of the Giant Whale Gang, and he also defined the Giant Whale Gang's so-called "protection of the territory and safety of the people" as intentional propaganda by the Dragon Guard Manor.

"So, does that mean we, the people impersonating the Giant Whale Gang, are also connected to the traitor who was handed over to the Dragon Guard Manor back then?"

Although what Xiang Wentian was saying now went beyond "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," Chu Luren still understood some of it.

“That’s right. When the time comes, we’ll use the name of wanting to bring back one of those people, and use these ‘treasures’ I’ve collected to make a bet with those four self-important people!” Xiang Wentian said with great sarcasm to the four guards at the West Lake entrance of the Heavenly Prison.

"Would the four of them agree?" Chu Luren asked, frowning.

Since they are working for the Dragon Guard Manor, these four people shouldn't be as narrow-minded as the Four Friends of Plum Manor in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and shouldn't agree to the bet so easily.

"It would definitely not work to bribe them directly with these 'treasures.' Even if they wanted them, they would always think twice about the pros and cons before breaking the rules. But as a bet, it's a different story, and they don't think things through as much! Besides, they were all famous for their swordsmanship in the martial arts world, in addition to their own interests..."

"I heard from the Holy Maiden that Brother Chu also used swordsmanship when he defeated the bandits of Songshan, right? With Brother Chu's swordsmanship, his chances of winning should be extremely high!" Xiang Wentian explained.

"And what happens after you win?" Chu Luren pressed.

“Hey! This greed has already been lured out, so it’s not so easy to admit defeat! And once people are blinded by greed, they’re capable of anything…” Xiang Wentian’s plan was one step after another, but suddenly he felt that Chu Luren’s gaze was becoming increasingly hostile.

Once greed is lured out, is it so easy to admit defeat? Once people are blinded by rage, they are capable of anything?

Were you spying on me drawing cards and fusing martial arts techniques?

Chu Luren felt offended and became even more convinced that this guy was no good!

Chapter 245 Catering to Their Preferences

"Who are you? We do not receive outsiders in our mansion!"

Outside Lin'an, beside West Lake, in front of a large manor that looked like it was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, a cold-faced servant opened the gate a crack and looked down on Chu Luren, who was trying to maintain his gentlemanly persona, and Xiang Wentian, who was simply disguised.

This manor doesn't have a name, but everyone in the neighborhood knows that it's one of the government's music and painting workshops, which trained many court musicians and painters. If Xiang Wentian hadn't told him, Chu Luren would never have guessed that this was one of the entrances to the Heavenly Prison!

"Not an outsider, not an outsider. I am Tong Huajin, the godfather of Li Tianhao of the Giant Whale Gang. This is Li Zhonger, the junior of Gang Leader Li Zhengkai. So impressive... Wait a minute!"

Xiang Wentian was speaking eloquently, but seeing that the other party was about to close the door and wouldn't listen to him anymore, Xiang Wentian had no choice but to step forward to stop him. Then he took out a scroll from his bundle and handed it to the servant, saying, "Excuse me, give this to the Fourth Master and ask him if he wants to see it!"

The other person took the scroll, glanced at him, and seeing his firm tone, said curtly, "Wait." Then he closed the door.

At this moment, Chu Luren looked at Wentian's attire, which was similar to his usual style, but with an added touch of travel-worn look. It was estimated that the four manor lords here were not very familiar with Xiang Youshi back then, otherwise, how could such a simple disguise fool acquaintances?

Chu Luren was still dressed as he was on the pleasure boat, which was... more like Xiang Wentian's usual appearance, dressed in white and looking like a beast in human clothing.

At first, Xiang Wentian told him to pretend to be Li Tianhao's godson. Xiang Wentian did indeed find out that Li Tianhao had a mysterious godson. Later, Xiang Wentian himself pretended to be Li Tianhao's godfather...

Li Tianhao is the current Grand Elder of the Giant Whale Gang, wielding absolute power while the gang leader, Li Zhengkai, neglects his duties.

As a result, Chu Luren naturally disagreed, and Xiang Wentian also compromised, telling him to pretend to be Li Zhengkai's junior and have no relation to Li Tianhao, and to call himself Li Erzhong.

Chu Luren asked, "Why not call him Li Zhonger?" So... he was called "Li Zhonger"!

"Brother Li, why do you speak with such a strong Dongying accent?" Chu Luren noticed Xiang Wentian's accent.

"Hey, the Giant Whale Gang, which protects the borders and the people, has close ties with the Japanese. Others may not know this, but the four of them are guarding the Heavenly Prison under the Dragon Guard Manor, so they probably know something. Giving Li Tianhao a Japanese godfather would make it seem more real, wouldn't it?" Xiang Wentian smiled with disdain.

It was only then that Chu Luren suddenly realized that this Giant Whale Gang... also seemed to have a somewhat mysterious sense of déjà vu!

It's no wonder Chu Luren was slow to react. After all, "The World's Number One" is just a TV series. Although it's a classic, Chu Luren only watched it once back then, so his familiarity with it was inevitably much less.

"Brother Chu, has something on your mind?" Xiang Wentian noticed that Chu Luren's expression was unusual.

"It's nothing, just something else." Chu Luren naturally wouldn't tell him.

Xiang Wentian's eyelids twitched, and he asked casually, "Brother Chu and the Holy Maiden are quite familiar, aren't they? What do you think of... the Holy Maiden?"

That's right, Xiang Wentian couldn't help but want to find out just how close Chu Luren and the Holy Maiden were. If they weren't close... he would find a way to teach this kid a lesson later!

Old Green Bamboo was getting on in years, and his eyesight was inevitably failing. He could still weave baskets and hampers, but he knew nothing about love and romance. Little Feifei was clever, but she liked to tease him for fun, and what she said was not necessarily the truth, so Xiang Wentian didn't believe her completely.

Chu Luren frowned upon hearing this, recalling how he had almost been sexually harassed when he was learning the music...

"Was it... Ren Yingying who asked you to ask?" Chu Luren frowned.

Xiang Wentian: ? ? ?

Why are they suddenly starting to call the young lady by her first name?

And... why do you think the young lady would make me ask this question?

Seeing Xiang Wentian's expression, Chu Luren became even more certain—it must be like this!

"Please convey to the Right Envoy that I only consider her a friend and that she should not have any wild thoughts. Even if I no longer learn the Star Absorbing Technique, I am not a casual person!" Chu Luren said righteously.

Xiang Wentian: ? ? ?

The way you're saying this makes it sound like the young lady is trying to persuade the cult leader to pass on the "Star Absorbing Technique" to you, or maybe it's all for... to get a kiss from you?

Xiang Wentian opened his mouth, wanting to yell "Don't be shameless," but then he remembered what that brat Qu Feiyan had told him before, and didn't dare to say anything more.

He whispered a reminder: "Brother Li, once you go inside, be careful not to give anything away. You absolutely must not use any skills like the Star Absorbing Technique... Apart from Huang Zhonggong, the other three should be fine. As for Huang Zhonggong... we'll see how things go when the time comes!"

At the same time, Xiang Wentian felt terrible and cursed Dongfang the dog even more fiercely—as expected, the young lady grew up without parents, so she grew up differently?

At this moment, the servant came out again to open the door and said, "Gentlemen, the Fourth Master invites you!"

The gift that Xiang Wentian... no, Tong Huajin had just given to the servants was an authentic work by a famous painter from the previous dynasty. Given such a valuable gift, the fourth master of the manor, Dan Qingsheng, who loved painting as much as his life, naturally invited the two of them to meet him immediately.

Upon seeing the Fourth Master in person, Tong Huajin became even more extravagant. He spoke with a Japanese accent and, under the guise of "please appreciate my treasures," displayed his many "treasures"!

There are authentic works by famous calligraphers and painters, as well as some seemingly mysterious "encounter chess scores"—chess scores are not as precious as the former because they can be copied, but these chess scores are all very "evil". They are chess scores left by chess masters after they encountered "immortals", "fox spirits" and so on.

The story is incredible, and the chess scores are extremely rare. Even those who have studied chess for decades probably have never seen them before.

Dan Qingsheng was overjoyed at the sight and quickly summoned the Second Master Hei Baizi and the Third Master Tu Biweng to join in the fun.

The three brothers were overjoyed, and at the same time, they secretly guessed that the people from the Giant Whale Gang had come, and that they were Li Tianhao's godfather from Japan and Li Zhengkai's junior, and that they had brought these people with them, so they probably wanted something!

However, even with this layer of caution, they still couldn't be too wary in the face of what was in front of them—after all, there were no important figures among the prisoners and survivors of the Giant Whale Gang. If they knew that these two were here for Ren Woxing, they would most likely have already thrown the things and the people out together.

"Brother Tong, you brought these not just for us to appraise, right?" Hei Baizi pulled his eyes away from the chess manual.

“Not bad, Brother Li, your swordsmanship is superb! No one here can match you. How about we make a bet? If you win, you leave your stuff; if we win, we take Li Pinnan with us.” Xiang Wentian saw that the three of them were not surprised that he was from Japan, but instead believed his identity even more, so he pretended even more earnestly.

Dan Qingsheng, blinded by greed, was already on the verge of agreeing. Besides his own insatiable greed, Li Pinnan was just one of the Giant Whale Gang members detained in the official ship case years ago—a nobody...

On the other hand, they all considered themselves to be masters of swordsmanship, so how could they believe that they were inferior to a young man?

Hei Baizi, still somewhat calm, reminded him, "Let's ask our elder brother first!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Wentian also brought out his most treasured possession: "This is the 'Guangling San,' which has been lost in the Central Plains for a long time. Please hand it over to the Grand Master."

This was originally left behind by Qu Yang, and it was also borrowed by Xiang Wentian...

Chapter 246 The Bet

With the Guangling San as a paving stone, even the most composed and calm Huang Zhonggong couldn't help but be moved and agreed to Tong Huajin's bet!

After Hei Baizi returned and told him that "Big Brother has agreed," Dan Qingsheng, who was the most impatient, was already excitedly eager to challenge "Li Zhong'er."

Chu Luren was waiting for him. Anyway, he was only here to compete in swordsmanship. He was determined that even if he was exposed and the Dragon Guard Manor or the Number One Manor in the World came to cause trouble for him, he would only say that he owed them a favor and came to compete in swordsmanship to pay it back. He would not know anything else!

Moreover, judging from the current situation, Ren Woxing's release has little to do with Zhao Wushi... right?

"Brother Li, please." Dan Qingsheng said, tossing a sword to Chu Luren and drawing one for himself.

Chu Luren took the sword and drew it on the spot.

Seeing that Li Zhong'er had already drawn his sword to its full extent, Dan Qingsheng, who had been anxious, apologized as a reminder and then immediately began to "wield" his sword!

Dan Qingsheng's swordsmanship is different from ordinary sword moves. It doesn't attack people directly, but rather spreads sword energy in all directions. At this time, Chu Luren and he did not leave the hall. After all, it was agreed that it was a sword competition, not a fight, and everyone didn't need to think about leaping with their bodies. There was no need for such a large space.

This is one of the reasons why the four brothers are so confident.

Dan Qingsheng swung his sword a few times, and instantly the room was filled with sword energy. The cold sword energy seemed to transform into the ancient pines, mountains, clouds and rivers in the ink painting, pressing towards Chu Luren from all directions—this was the characteristic of Dan Qingsheng's "Splashed Ink Sword Technique"!

However, Chu Luren's sword flourished, and his sword energy was even more intense than Dan Qingsheng's, as if the real Five Sacred Mountains had appeared, instantly shattering Dan Qingsheng's splashed ink sword energy.

With his fighting spirit broken, Dan Qingsheng was defeated in just a few moves!

Seeing this, Dan Qingsheng retreated with a grim expression. At this moment, the old man with the bald brush stepped forward, half indignant and half worried, and said, "Brother Li, I'll write a painting of General Pei for you. Please accept it!"

What the bald old man took out was not a sword, but a genuine judge's pen, as long as an arm.

What constitutes authentic?

Some low-class江湖人士 (jianghu figures) also use so-called judge's pens in order to appear cultured, but the nibs of those pens are made of fine steel. They are called judge's pens, but they are actually just chisels.

While the old man's brush wasn't actually bald, it was indeed a genuine wolf-hair brush, with a shiny bristle and a smooth, soft texture when no internal energy was infused into it...

As for why he's called Bald Pen Old Man?

It's probably because my head feels a little cold...

Those who wield this authentic judge's pen are all people with profound inner strength; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to harm anyone!

With a flick of his sleeve, the old man with the bald brush raised a burst of ink-colored sword energy from his brush—it wasn't a sword, but it was certainly within the realm of "swords."

Just like during the first Mount Hua Sword Tournament, everyone except Hong Qigong actually used swords. However, now Huang Yaoshi's Falling Flower Sword has become the Falling Flower Sword Palm, and Ouyang Feng's Snake Sword has become the Snake Staff.

It suits me better, but it still comes from swordsmanship!

Moreover, the sword energy within the pen of the Bald Pen Elder was also quite unique. He first casually exchanged a few moves with Chu Luren, and seeing that it was just the Judge's acupoint striking technique and couldn't do anything to Chu Luren, the Bald Pen Elder then twisted his wrist...

"The great ruler governs the six directions..."