The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

After gesturing for her to be quiet, and seeing Yunlu blink hard, Chu Luren released the pressure point.

"Wait for me on the side, but not from an angle where you can be seen from outside the window," Chu Luren said softly.

Yunlu didn't quite understand what Chu Luren meant, but she nodded nonetheless—by this time Yunlu already knew Chu Luren's identity and decided to trust this "old hand".

As soon as Yunluo went downstairs, Chu Luren rolled up his left sleeve, raised his right hand, and with a flick of his sword energy, cut a wound on his left arm near his left wrist, dripping blood onto the bed sheet.

Afterwards, while Yunlu was still full of questions, Chu Luren directly opened the curtain in front of the bed. Before completely closing it, he stuck his head out and warned, "Remember, don't peek!"

Yunluo: ? ? ?

Then... some rustling sounds and rhythmic noises came from the bed!

After about half a cup of tea's time, Chu Luren pulled back the curtain. His expression remained unchanged, but there was something strange about him.

"You brought salted fish? No one's going to take it from you... and you're still stealing it?" Yunluo asked in a low voice, clearly knowing the story of Chu Taisui.

"Shut up!" Chu Luren snapped irritably.

Originally, Chu Luren was still somewhat cautious when facing the princess. Although he looked down on the people of the court, he still followed his heart.

However, Princess Yunluo's carefree nature allowed Chu Luren to adapt to her in a short period of time.

Having staged the scene, Chu Luren suddenly felt that Yunluo's clothes were not quite right.

"What are you looking at?" Yunluo felt a little uneasy under his gaze.

"Go to the bed, take off all your clothes and give them to me!" Chu Luren instructed.

After all, they had already imitated the tearing sound last night, but the clothes were completely unchanged this morning, which seemed too fake.

Yunluo glared at first, then remembered Chu Luren's oral skills from last night, and understood. However, when she got to the bed and was about to draw the curtains, she said with disgust, "It smells like salted fish! Can't you eat outside?"

"Shut up!" A vein throbbed on Chu Luren's forehead.

"Don't peek." Yunluo returned these words and then completely closed the curtain.

After a rustling sound, Yunlu threw out pieces of clothing one by one...

Chu Luren glanced at it and then used his sword energy to cut it open, to avoid making a tearing sound again.

"What about inside?" Chu Luren asked.

"I cut myself!" Yunluo was clearly not without taboos, and the petals on her jade hairpin were almost as sharp as blades.

Chu Luren nodded, then threw his clothes all over the floor. After making sure nothing was missing, he put on the most smug expression possible and went out the door.

Even without Chu Luren's instructions, faint sobs could be heard coming from behind the curtain. Although the acting was mediocre, the cooperation was commendable!

Sure enough, ten steps away, there were several men dressed as Song Chinese, but with samurai swords of distinct Japanese style at their waists.

"Have you finished your business, esteemed guest?" This samurai was quite well-trained, with no hint of sarcasm in his tone. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Chu Luren had really been busy with some important matter last night... Of course, that was indeed the case.

"Yes, prepare a new set of clothes for our Song Dynasty princess," Chu Luren casually instructed.

"Please wait a moment, esteemed guest." Although the samurai's tone was stiff, he was still quite polite.

Chu Luren felt a slight sense of relief, realizing that the other party at least intended to "win them over" or "use" them.

After all, in the other party's eyes, he and Song Ting were definitely not on the same side, and he might even be extremely hated by Song Ting!

Although Chu Luren's injuries have healed, he is not willing to act rashly. Firstly, he does not know where the Empress Dowager is being held, and it would be difficult to deal with if the other side uses her as a hostage. Secondly, there are many experts secretly trained by the Eastern Ying and even the Divine Marquis in this area, and he may not be able to overpower them by acting rashly. It would be better to test the enemy's situation first.

As for sending the princess back directly and reporting this place on the side?

Chu Luren did not believe that Princess Yunluo's testimony would exonerate him, since he had indeed trespassed into the Forbidden City, but the matter of kidnapping Yunluo was still under investigation.

However, if the Empress Dowager is saved, the situation will be completely different—it could be a story of "Princess Yunluo, together with her friends from the martial arts world, cleverly rescuing the Empress Dowager from danger"!

Chapter 258 Misleading

Not long after Chu Luren returned the clothes to Yunluo, the Japanese invited Chu Luren to a meeting.

"Haha, Brother Hua, did you rest well last night?" A young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old asked Chu Luren with a wink.

Chu Luren actually recognized this person as not being the assassin leader from last night—this was purely a "feeling." Chu Luren felt that the martial arts skills of the person in front of him were not as high as those of the assassin leader from last night.

However, the other party clearly wanted Chu Luren to misunderstand, and even deliberately imitated the accent of the person from last night, so Chu Luren pretended not to see through it...

"That's even better than expected. I haven't thanked you enough for your kindness yet," Chu Luren said, feigning a sense of satisfaction.

"Come, let me introduce you, Brother Hua. This is my master, the number one expert in Fusang, Mr. Tajima-no-Kami, Mr. Yagyu!" The young man introduced the head of the group to Chu Luren.

A well-dressed middle-aged man, who was kneeling on a prayer mat and meticulous about his posture, opened his eyes and looked at Chu Luren.

Tajima no Kami is the name of an official title, referring to a nobleman whose fiefdom is the Tajima region, while Yagyu is the surname.

This person's eyes were like sharp swords, his aggressive gaze shooting over without any concealment. At first, Chu Luren couldn't help but want to avoid his gaze, but because he had guessed that he might be "showed his strength" and was prepared, he forcibly controlled himself, and in an instant... the style of the scene changed drastically, and then he looked at Yagyu Tajima-no-kami as if nothing had happened!

"So it's Senior Yagyu, I've heard so much about you." Chu Luren's tone was polite, but the way he held his fan and bowed was hardly respectful.

“Well, the Song court is indeed vast and rich in resources… My Yagyu family is like a frog in a well, and we’ve never heard of the Flower School before. But we never expected to have a young man like Mr. Flower.” Yagyu Tajima-no-kami seemed to be praising him, but in reality, he was questioning Chu Luren’s origins.

Of course, considering the size of Fusang, even the Song Dynasty was indeed considered to have "vast territory and abundant resources".

Chu Luren secretly became vigilant—the leader of the assassins last night was probably Karasuma, who was impersonating the envoy of Izumo. However, it was not good for his identity to be exposed now, so the one who came to see Chu Luren was replaced by Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

At this time, Japan was also divided into several small countries, the strongest of which, and the one that was Japan's suzerain state, was Fusang.

The Karasuma and the fake Princess Toshihide who came to Lin'an this time can be said to be among the top masters in Japan.

Especially Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, who is not only the number one fighter in Japan, but can almost be considered the number one fighter in Japan after Nemuri Kyoshiro...

Even better than Karasuma!

Even if Chu Luren goes all out, he will be slightly inferior. Moreover, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami is a master of swordsmanship, renowned for his swordsmanship. Chu Luren's "all-out attack" also relies on swordsmanship, so there is very little room for trickery!

Chu Luren was increasingly grateful that he hadn't recklessly pushed his luck last night.

"My Flower-Among School is a branch of the Hundred Schools of Thought from the pre-Qin period. We have been suppressed by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism for thousands of years. Now we are a single lineage. It is normal that the head of the Yagyu family does not know about us. I have long been familiar with the Yagyu family. It is said that the head of the Yagyu family was the swordsmanship teacher of the Shogun of the Eastern Shogunate. Tsk tsk, in the Song court, he would be a 'national teacher'." Chu Luren casually made up a persona and tested Yagyu.

After all, in the vast world of martial arts, Chu Luren was just guessing about the situation in Japan. However, the prototype of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami was indeed the swordsmanship teacher of two generations of Tokugawa shoguns, a prestigious family among prestigious families.

However, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's status is definitely not that high now. After all, the reason he followed Shenhou around and interfered in the affairs of the Central Plains court in the original work was because he wanted to become the leader of the Japanese martial arts world!

He is completely different from his historical prototype.

Even his more famous son, Jubei, based on a historical figure, has now been killed by Duan Tianya…

It doesn't matter if you guess wrong; Chu Luren can simply claim that the rumor is incorrect.

Upon hearing Chu Shika's words, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami smiled modestly and said, "Mr. Hana, you flatter me. The various schools of thought that Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism cannot encompass, if you are willing, you can lecture on them in Japan. You seem to have a good understanding of Japanese culture as well?"

Clearly, Chu Luren was right...

"I wouldn't say I know a lot about it, it's just that I've had a few teachers who taught me the postures, and they were from Japan." Chu Luren was also very reserved.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's Chinese proficiency led him to directly interpret "posture" as "movement".

"Oh? Which school of thought are you a master of?" Yagyu Tajima-no-kami asked curiously.

Chu Lu Ren mentioned some surnames, but Yagyu Tajima-no-kami had never heard of any of them...

Chu Luren simply denied it, claiming he was a hermit and that he was not a master swordsman, but rather skilled in ground fighting techniques... It seems that Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, at least on the surface, believed him!

Then, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami naturally transitioned the topic to "future goals".

"Mr. Hua has now made a good relationship with the princess of Song. I'm afraid he will not be tolerated in Song territory in the future. I wonder what his plans are?" asked Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

"The world is vast, not just the territory of Song, and the territory of Song is so wide that those henchmen can actually be found everywhere," Chu Luren said, seemingly unconcerned.

Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, mindful of his status, didn't really think much of "Mr. Flower," a lecherous scoundrel with some ability. After understanding Chu Luren's subtext, he simply laughed and said, "Hahaha, Mr. Flower is right! You Han people have a saying, 'Meeting is fate'... I think we are very destined to meet Mr. Flower. In the next few days, we might as well have more exchanges."

"Exchange? Hmm, that's fine..." Chu Luren looked like he saw right through Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami.

Indeed, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami cannot allow Chu Shika to leave now, otherwise the chances of his side being exposed would increase exponentially.

If the Dragon Guard Manor gets wind of this... that would put the Marquis in a very difficult position!

Chu Luren then forced a lewd expression: "However, during these few days of exchange... hehe, I wonder if the person you kidnapped from the palace was the Empress or some other concubine?"

Upon hearing this, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's eyes sharpened again, but seeing nothing unusual in Chu Luren's eyes except for lewdness, he calmly said, "She is the current Empress Dowager."

As expected, Chu Luren looked listless, after all, the Empress Dowager was over sixty years old... Seeing this, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami dispelled his suspicions about him.

During the banquet, seeing that Chu Luren had no aversion to raw fish and similar foods, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami became even more convinced that this person might have indeed learned something from the Japanese, and might even have been to Japan!

Although sashimi that hasn't been chilled isn't safe, Chu Luren has the "Kunpeng Mending the Sky Technique" with him, so who has ever heard of whales needing to chill raw seafood?

Chu Luren drank and feasted with Yagyu Tajima-no-kami as usual. Before it ended, it seemed that someone had to report something, so Yagyu Tajima-no-kami went out for a while. After returning, he felt even more at ease with "Mr. Hana".

“Last night was a chance encounter, and I was rather impolite in my hospitality towards Mr. Hana. Today, I have prepared a new guest room in the South Garden and have invited Her Highness the Princess to go there. Please make your way, Mr. Hana,” said Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

Chu Luren immediately realized that his previous "arrangements" had not been in vain. He was also glad that he had reminded Princess Yunluo to pretend to have bad legs, and he believed that she should still remember.

After the banquet, Chu Luren felt that these Japanese people were becoming increasingly attentive to him...

Chapter 259 The Plan

When Yunlu saw Chu Luren return and start a new round of "songs" in the middle of the day, she rolled her eyes and asked under the cover of background noise, "How is it? How is it? Do you know where the Empress Dowager is locked up? Is she safe?"

"I didn't ask. How could I possibly inquire about that?" Chu Luren said matter-of-factly.

"What should we do then? Should we sneak out tonight and scout around?" Yunluo asked anxiously.

Chu Luren shook his head repeatedly: "We must not alert the enemy!"

“If they wanted to kill the Empress Dowager, they could have done it in the palace. Since they took such a careful abduction, they must have a purpose. These courtyards aren’t very big, and the layout doesn’t match the habits of the Japanese at all. They must have just arrived. It’s impossible for them to have dug tunnels or dungeons. If they really decide to take action, we can just search for the Empress Dowager.”

Chu Luren discovered this while having a banquet with Yagyu Tajima-no-kami today... that long-legged tables and chairs are now commonplace among ordinary people in Lin'an City, but Yagyu Tajima-no-kami still sawed off the legs of his long-legged table so that he could kneel down!

"When shall we make our move?" Yunluo asked, looking ready to show off her skills.

"It's not 'we,' it's 'I.' Before we make a move, I'll protect you and get you out of here. After that, you must immediately go to the palace to ask for help!" Chu Luren emphasized.

When Yunlu first heard that Chu Luren wasn't going to take her, she was quite unhappy. However, when she heard that she was to go and ask for help, she suppressed her willfulness.

"I'll go directly to the Imperial Uncle's manor! That eunuch Cao certainly won't do his best," Yunluo said, indicating that she had a better option.

However, Chu Luren said with a stern face, "No! Such a big matter, the Divine Marquis must also be investigating it, and may even be stationed in the palace to protect the emperor. Going to the palace will be the same for you! In addition, if you go to the Dragon Guard Manor, you might miss the Divine Marquis and waste time!"

To avoid provoking Yunluo's rebellious spirit, Chu Luren didn't directly slander the Divine Marquis. After all, he had only known Princess Yunluo for a day, while he had trusted his royal uncle for over a decade...

Yunlu was successfully persuaded by Chu Luren, and then asked, "When shall we make our move?"