The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

As for why you, Chu Luren, know the "Absorption Technique"?

Don't smear someone's reputation!

This is the "Star Absorbing Technique"! I have an excellent relationship with the Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Sect, and the people of Mount Song can testify to that!

In short, it means that Shenhou felt he had just gotten lucky.

Of course, even if the Marquis says it was a misunderstanding caused by "coincidence", he may not believe it entirely. He will inevitably suspect the Chu Lu people and will test and plot against them in the future.

Therefore, Chu Luren also regarded this as a backup plan, to be used only as a last resort, after all, he couldn't just watch Yunluo and the Empress Dowager be detained again...

Chu Luren didn't need to run all the way to the palace. After all, not all the people in the Eastern Depot were useless. In fact, after running out of two alleys, the Japanese stopped chasing him.

When Chu Luren ran into the street, he was quickly surrounded by the agents of the Eastern Depot. Even if they didn't recognize Princess Yunluo and the Empress Dowager, Chu Luren's appearance, carrying and lifting things on his back and using his light-footed skills all the way, was very conspicuous.

Moreover, the atmosphere in Lin'an City is already tense and volatile...

"Who goes there? Stop! Who are you carrying... Ah!" The leader, Eunuch Sun, had stopped the group because he saw some martial arts practitioners carrying a woman around. But when he saw who they were carrying, he was stunned.

Did I just do something good?

Or did we encounter a killer?

If someone dares to stroll around the streets with hostages, does that mean they have a massive army behind them?

For a moment, Eunuch Sun's mind was in a mess. In theory, Eunuch Sun was also Cao Zhengchun's subordinate, but because he had served the emperor for a long time, he was different from the other lackeys of the Eastern Depot and did not need to fawn over Cao Zhengchun.

Before he could figure it out, Chu Luren had already put Yunlu down. By this time, Yunlu was able to move freely again. Upon seeing Eunuch Sun, she immediately said, "Quick! Master Chu and I have rescued the Empress Dowager. You hold off the pursuers!"

"Ah? Yes!" Eunuch Sun was taken aback upon hearing this, then immediately waved his hand, ordering the agents of the Eastern Depot to draw their swords and block the direction from which Chu Luren was running.

But after half a day, no pursuers were seen...

“They probably won’t dare to chase after us. You should control the surrounding people and find a sedan chair to carry the Empress Dowager,” Chu Luren said to the eunuch who seemed relatively kind.

"Yes...yes!" Only then did Eunuch Sun realize that Chu Luren was carrying the Empress Dowager.

It would be inappropriate to continue having Chu Luren carry it back, so the people from the Eastern Depot quickly prepared a sedan chair.

"Master Chu... after you..." Seeing that Yunluo and Chu Luren seemed very familiar with each other, Eunuch Sun also lowered his posture.

Grandpa Sun was completely confused about what had happened—wasn't it said that the princess and the empress dowager had been kidnapped by a group of villains?

Why does this princess's statement sound like she took the initiative to leave the palace with her friends to rescue the Empress Dowager?

However, seeing that Chu Luren didn't seem to have any ill intentions, and that the princess and the empress dowager were already in front of him, Eunuch Sun felt relieved.

"Well, is it convenient for me to visit like this?" Chu Luren asked, looking at Yun Luo.

Before Yunlu could respond, the Empress Dowager weakly said, "So, young hero's surname is Chu? That's convenient! We should thank you and welcome you to visit us anytime..."

Although the word "visiting" sounded a bit awkward, the Empress Dowager still followed Chu Luren's lead.

Yunluo chimed in, "Excellent, excellent! Your Majesty will surely reward me handsomely. And didn't you say you could instruct me in martial arts later? That time you absorbed my power was truly amazing!"

Grandpa Sun: ? ? ?

What did the old servant hear?

This old servant heard nothing!

Grandpa Sun bowed even deeper...

Chu Luren naturally followed suit when he heard the Empress Dowager and Princess Yunluo say so.

Afterwards, it was the people from the Eastern Depot who carried the Empress Dowager in a sedan chair, and she returned to the palace with Chu Luren and Yunluo.

There was no fanfare along the way—after all, the kidnapping of the Empress Dowager and the Princess was a secret.

Only after entering the palace gates did they see the young emperor, who was already extremely anxious.

"Mother! How are you? Your unfilial son has caused you suffering..." The emperor immediately came forward to greet her.

The emperor looked very young at this time, about three or four years younger than Chu Luren. He was well-maintained and looked young, but his majesty... in Chu Luren's eyes, was not as good as the tired empress dowager.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, Master Chu and I have safely brought Mother back!" Yunluo said, eager to take credit.

When the emperor heard his sister say this, he put on a helpless expression, but his eyes revealed a weary peace of mind.

Clearly, along the way, agents from the Eastern Depot had already returned ahead of time to inform the emperor of the situation.

Although what Yunluo said completely contradicted what Cao Zhengchun reported, Zhao Zhen, at this moment, pretended to believe Yunluo no matter what.

After all, the princess was kidnapped...

If this gets out, the impact on your reputation will be enormous!

At this time, although the atmosphere of etiquette in the Song court was not as good as that of the Manchu Qing, such a thing would still be considered beyond the scope of "not being bound by trivial matters" even in the general public, and it would not sound good anywhere.

Yunlu nudged Chu Luren from behind, signaling him to greet his elder brother and then ask for a reward.

In fact, the people of Chulu didn't care much about rewards or honors—they couldn't ask for official positions or money, at most they could get some "honor."

After all, Chu Luren did not want to pursue a career in officialdom. Since he wanted to continue wandering the martial world, he could not accept the imperial decree, otherwise... he would be suspected of being a "lackey of the imperial court".

"A commoner from the martial world, I greet the Emperor," Chu Luren said, bowing respectfully.

He needed to be more assertive; being a lackey was absolutely unacceptable. In any case, he had saved the Empress Dowager, and the young emperor wouldn't take minor matters seriously.

"Well, Master Chu... please rest first, and I will summon you again later." The emperor was generally grateful to Chu Luren, at least believing that he had no ill intentions, but the specifics of the matter... still needed to be clarified by Eunuch Cao and Yunluo in a while!

Of course, seeing Chu Luren's attitude, the emperor wouldn't rush to be enthusiastic. He didn't put on airs by using the formal "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor") to refer to himself, which was already considered as a gesture of respect for his mother and younger sister.

Chapter 264 Iron-Blooded Marquis

The Empress Dowager had just been rescued, and the Emperor also had a lot to say, wanting to ask Yunluo and Cao Zhengchun, so naturally he didn't have time to immediately summon Chu Luren.

Chu Luren didn't mind; he simply sipped his tea in the side hall and waited.

Less than half an hour later, the sound of fighting suddenly came from afar...

Chu Luren was taken aback upon hearing this—wasn't the security of the Song court's palace a serious problem? Here we go again?

He quickly got up and rushed a few steps toward the direction from which the sound came. In order to get there faster... he ignored the structure of the palace and used his lightness skill to go straight onto the roof.

It turned out that the person who "broke into the palace" was none other than Cheng Shifei, dressed in eunuch's clothes!

His opponents were two "young men" who looked like ordinary martial arts practitioners. Chu Luren recognized one of them as Shangguan Haitang, whom he had met in Changsha.

The other one, though dressed as a Han Chinese swordsman, wielded a typical Japanese straight sword!

It must be Duan Tianya, the adopted son of Shenhou, who went to Japan for "further studies" for several years.

This wasn't the most important thing. What Chu Luren cared about most was that there was also a middle-aged man in a black robe and red cloak who hadn't made a move yet, but was subtly supporting the two of them.

Just as Chu Luren fell asleep, the middle-aged man glanced at the roof where Chu Luren was, seemingly sensing something. Chu Luren, on the other hand, instinctively sensed danger—in his "Golden Immortal" state, Chu Luren's instincts seemed to have been enhanced.

"Wait a minute, everyone! This is my friend!" Chu Luren jumped out when he realized he had been discovered.

Cheng Shifei had not transformed at this time and was completely at a disadvantage. He had even become a punching bag. However... this punching bag was very durable even without transforming!

When Chu Luren entered the palace, his sword had already been taken away. He was now fighting empty-handed. Taking advantage of the unexpected sudden leap, he seized the opportunity with the momentum of "a flower ready to be plucked" and used a small grappling technique. He grabbed Shangguan Haitang's wrist, which was holding a folding fan and thrusting it straight at Cheng Shifei, and twisted it with the force to block Duan Tianya's slashing Japanese sword from the side.

Then Chu Luren made a move to retreat, and before the two could continue fighting, he quickly adopted a "Ziwei, wait a minute" posture: "Wait!"

"Huh? It's you? Chu Luren." Shangguan Haitang still remembered Chu Luren.

After all, anyone would pay more attention to someone who had just happened to meet an "unknown nobody" back then, who later suddenly rose to the top of the Heavenly Ranking.

"Master Shangguan, it's been a long time." Chu Luren politely clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute.

"How did you end up in the palace...? Putting aside that, the person behind you is a wicked villain from the martial world. Don't stop us!" Shangguan Haitang said, about to make a move.

Chu Luren quickly said, "No, no, this Brother Cheng is my friend. He wasn't a martial artist before. He was just taught martial arts by chance. You must have misunderstood."

Upon hearing Chu Luren's explanation, the middle-aged man behind Shangguan Haitang and Duan Tianya stepped forward and said, "So... you know who taught him?"

"The people on the ninth level of the Heavenly Prison," Chu Luren said, feigning nonchalance.

He had naturally guessed that this person was Zhao Wushi!

"How did you know?" Iron-Blooded Marquis pressed.

"Well... hehe." Chu Luren chuckled sheepishly, not giving a direct answer.

Chu Luren's trip to the Heavenly Prison to rescue... no, his trip to the Heavenly Prison to duel with someone isn't necessarily something that can't be exposed. After all, Ren Woxing's matter is ultimately a matter of the martial arts world. Under the spotlight of the merit of rescuing the Empress Dowager, it's nothing. It's just that it's not good to publicize it openly.

"Have you seen that person?" Shenhou changed the subject.

"No, no, it was just a coincidence that I ran into Brother Cheng." Chu Luren deliberately didn't explain the matter of Gu Santong.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth floors of the Heavenly Prison have been flooded by West Lake. Zhao Wushi doesn't know whether Gu Santong is alive or dead... It's best to keep him hanging like this!

"Then please find another place to discuss this!" The Divine Marquis slightly raised his hand.

However, Chu Luren wasn't nervous, because he had already seen Eunuch Sun...

"Oh dear! What's going on? Master Chu, Marquis Shen, how could you two have misunderstood each other?" Eunuch Sun came running over with quick, small steps.

Zhao Wushi's background was embarrassing; he was born to his father and a palace maid after a hangover. So he was initially only granted the title of Marquis. However, as his influence in the martial arts world increased, he even established the Dragon Guard Manor. When the current emperor ascended the throne, he was granted the title of King, but everyone still preferred to call him "Divine Marquis".

"Haha, it's our fault. My friend is always mischievous, he probably did something taboo." Chu Luren said, pulling Cheng Shifei, who was about to say something, into the conversation.

"Who is this?" Eunuch Sun was taken aback when he saw Cheng Shifei's attire.

Could it be that Master Chu has a eunuch friend?

"This Brother Cheng... is also a friend of mine and the princess. He was originally helping us gather information, so... hahaha." Chu Luren spoke as if Cheng Shifei had disguised himself as a eunuch just to gather information.

Of course, Cheng Shifei hadn't actually run away a few days ago; he had disguised himself as a eunuch and hidden in the palace.

after that……

Because he discovered that the palace eunuchs also liked to gamble in private, and that their skills were not very good, Cheng Shifei took to gambling with these wealthy eunuchs. He was in no hurry to leave the palace until today when a senior eunuch accused him of cheating. After the senior eunuch attacked him, Cheng Shifei was defeated by Cheng Shifei. As a result, he was discovered by Shenhou and two secret agents who happened to be passing by.

Although Zhao Wushi had never practiced it himself, he was very familiar with the "Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill." Even though Cheng Shifei hadn't transformed, he recognized him, which led to what happened next...

"A friend of the princess? So... the Empress Dowager is indeed out of danger." Shenhou asked Eunuch Sun in a lowered voice.

He was summoned to the palace urgently, and only heard some rumors and intelligence.

"Don't worry, Divine Marquis, the Empress Dowager has been rescued by the Princess... and this Hero Chu. It was Eunuch Cao who made a mistake. That night, Hero Chu and the Princess happened to discover that someone was kidnapping the Empress Dowager, so they devised a plan." Eunuch Sun said, even he himself didn't quite believe it.

It's not that I suspect Chu Luren and the kidnappers are in cahoots, but... there's no explanation for why Chu Luren was in the princess's palace!

According to the princess's statement... could it be that the princess and the great hero Chu had a secret rendezvous in the palace that night?