The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

In addition to the promise of a ship, a flower was also engraved on the back, which was much newer than the ship promise code.

"What does this flower mean?" Chu Luren asked.

Upon hearing this, Huang Rong shook her head and said, "There are no flowers in the code, but... it seems like it's about drawing a datura flower? Was it left by Miss Wang?"

Chu Luren thought about it and also felt it was quite possible—Wang Yuyan did say that if nothing else happened, she might go to Peach Blossom Island.

"They probably just happened to be apart. Yu Yan didn't know what had happened, so she went back to Mantuo Manor first," Chu Luren speculated.

"Shall we go to Mantuo Manor afterward?" Huang Rong asked.

Originally, no one had any specific destination in mind. Chu Luren considered it and decided that it was still a bit early to set off for Fuzhou. Lin Pingzhi and his group were carrying a coffin, so it certainly wouldn't be possible to go that far.

"I'm not going!" Mu Wanqing was the first to object.

Li Qingluo had previously sent people to hunt down Qin Hongmian and her daughter Mu Wanqing. Her hostility towards Li Qingluo was obvious. Going there would only invite a fight.

“Actually… it’s possible that Aunt Qin visited Mantuo Villa a few months ago,” Chu Luren said, offering his speculation.

"What nonsense are you talking about? My mother went to Mantuo Manor?" Mu Wanqing frowned as she looked at Chu Luren.

“When I was at the Huashan Sect, I mentioned to your mother that Uncle Duan might go to Mantuo Manor. And then… didn’t we see that after leaving Huashan, Aunt Qin went southeast? That’s not the direction back to the Five Phoenix Blade Sect,” Chu Luren said truthfully.

"Won't my mother be in danger?" Mu Wanqing asked hurriedly.

“Uncle Duan should have already been at Mantuo Manor at that time, what danger could he have been in?” Chu Luren shook his head upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Mu Wanqing blushed and looked disappointed.

"Maybe Aunt Li and Aunt Qin have made up? Besides, you and Yu Yan got along quite well in the Ancient Tomb, didn't you? Why don't you go to Mantuo Manor and invite Yu Yan to the Five Phoenix Blade Sect next time?" Chu Luren was making tireless efforts for peace in the martial arts world.

If Duan Zhengchun had any conscience at all, he should thank Chu Luren properly!

Mu Wanqing can be a bit temperamental. In fact, Mu Wanqing and Wang Yuyan's relationship wasn't particularly close when they were in the Ancient Tomb, since neither of them were the type to quickly become close.

Fortunately, they did not inherit the grudges of the previous generation. In addition, since they are blood relatives, they still occasionally exchange a few intimate words with a touch of pride.

Chu Luren could also see that Mu Wanqing was just being coquettish and wanted to be comforted, so he comforted her, "Alright, didn't we compare birthdays before? You're a month older than Yu Yan, so you should be more considerate of your younger sister and try to address each other as sisters in a more open and respectful way in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Wanqing's face flushed red, and she quickly retorted, "Why...why should we address each other as sisters?"

Chu Luren: ? ? ?

“Aren’t you sisters? It’s not right to keep things like this forever…” Chu Luren keenly and cleverly realized that Mu Wanqing must still have some issues in her mind. First, she doesn’t accept her own background, and second… Li Qingluo had a grudge against them before.

For some reason, Mu Wanqing's face turned even redder, and she remained silent.

Huang Rong rolled her eyes at Chu Luren, then suddenly noticed Yun Luo's conflicted expression...

"My good friend from the Song Dynasty, what's wrong?" Huang Rong asked deliberately.

Yunluo lightly patted her, then muttered under her breath, "Wanqing and her half-sister are only a month apart... Shouldn't their mothers have lived very close to each other back then? How come their relationship is so bad?"

The other three were taken aback upon hearing this, even Huang Rong hadn't thought of this angle before...

In other words, Prince Duan was "running back and forth" between Qin Hongmian and Li Qingluo, who were at odds with each other, within a month.

Mu Wanqing stomped her foot angrily, adding another grudge against her father to her mind...

Chapter 303 A Hero Uses Martial Arts to Break the Law

After convincing Mu Wanqing, Chu Luren, along with Huang Rong, Mu Wanqing, and Yunluo, headed north to Wuxi. They planned to cross Taihu Lake near Wuxi and travel to Mantuo Manor.

To facilitate their movements, when Chu Luren retrieved Little Red Horse and Yunluo's White Horse from Qunyu Academy in Jiaxing, he suggested that Qunyu Academy launch a horse-sharing business and volunteered to be one of the first test users, sharing two fine horses with them.

Zhou Botong did not follow either. Chu Luren had urged him to go to Dali, but that night at an inn in Jiaxing, Zhou Botong left a letter and "escaped".

Starting from Wuxi is farther than starting from Suzhou, but the Chu Lu people aren't in a hurry...

Huang Rong instructed several mute servants to go around and search for snake catchers, and hire them to go to Peach Blossom Island.

After arriving in Wuxi with Huang Rong, Mu Wanqing, and Yunluo, Chu Luren specially found a larger ship. Unlike the two-hour journey from Suzhou, the journey from Wuxi would likely require spending the night on the ship.

"Not leaving? Don't be afraid, boatman. We are all friends of Mantuo Manor, very familiar with each other. The people of the manor will not make things difficult for you." Chu Luren was not surprised by the boatman's attitude, so he spoke to reassure him and intentionally or unintentionally revealed his sword.

To everyone's surprise, the boatman shook his head: "Sir... great hero, it's not just a problem with Mantuo Manor. Judging from your reputation as a chivalrous hero, the bandits on Taihu Lake have been restless lately. It's said they've clashed with the Chang Le Gang and are suddenly searching the lake extensively. Nowadays, apart from ordinary fishermen, no one is going out in this area."

"Taihu Lake bandits? What a coincidence, I'm quite familiar with them too!" Chu Luren wasn't actually familiar with ordinary bandits, but he was very familiar with their leader.

Upon hearing this, the boatman was even less inclined to set sail...

"Alright, alright, we'll buy the boat. It's said that the bandits on Taihu Lake are quite chivalrous and won't bother ordinary passing boats. They mostly rob those who are rich but heartless or corrupt officials. We'll buy everything on your boat, and just send some men to carry us. You don't have to worry about those bandits robbing your people, do you?" Huang Rong said, taking out a handful of silver notes.

Judging from the boatman's bulging eyes, you could tell that the price was probably overcharged quite a bit.

This is not a Robin Hood-style fund, but rather the "family fortune" that Huang Rong took with her when she left Peach Blossom Island. If the previous times were about running away from home, then this time it was about leaving her hometown—leaving without even leaving her well behind!

The boatman glanced at the money, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! We'll sell the boat, but we need to send the money home first."

"Go quickly and come back quickly," Chu Luren urged.

Yunluo, who had never truly traveled the martial world, asked with curiosity and admiration, "Are the bandits of Taihu Lake really so chivalrous? Do they only rob the rich and heartless, and the officials who are unjust? Are they the legendary righteous bandits?"

Ancient Taihu Lake was much larger than it is today, especially within the larger lakes and rivers, where it was significantly larger and served as an important waterway.

Huang Rong chuckled silently, while Mu Wanqing was slapped on the head by Yun Luo's naivety. Chu Luren explained, "Well, that's roughly it... But do you know how to distinguish between the rich being heartless and the officials being unjust?"

Yunlu thought for a moment and guessed, "Visiting the common people?"

“The princess is very perceptive, knowing that the eyes of the masses are discerning… However, the bandits of Taihu Lake are not so troublesome. They identify their targets very simply. First, those notorious corrupt officials and evil merchants are definitely among their targets. Similarly, those well-known good officials and benevolent merchants are always treated with respect.” Chu Luren first agreed.

Yunluo, however, sensed the problem and pressed further, "But most people should fall somewhere in between, right?"

"That's right. These people are basically those who offer tribute voluntarily. They are benevolent merchants and good officials who dare to act arrogantly in Taihu Lake without reporting to their respective strongholds. They are rich but heartless and unjust officials." Chu Luren revealed the wealth code of the Taihu Lake bandits.

Yunluo: ...

Yunlu pouted and remained silent for a while, probably disillusioned with the so-called "righteous thief".

Chu Luren then added an explanation: "Calling them righteous bandits isn't entirely wrong. Indeed, since Guiyuan Manor integrated the Taihu Lake bandit alliance, they've established many rules. Not only are their already despised acts of rape and plunder closely monitored, but unless they encounter a tough opponent, they only seek money and not kill... Most importantly, didn't the boatman just say that ordinary fishermen go out on their boats normally?"

"What did ordinary officials and businessmen do to deserve this?" Yunluo asked, somewhat unconvinced.

"There are no ordinary ones... Take the Great Song Dynasty for example. Any local official of the seventh rank or above with some real power, regardless of their reputation, not counting their salary from the imperial court, and not being considered corrupt or lawless, just the officials of Liangzhe Circuit alone, the amount of charcoal and ice tribute they 'reasonably received' in a year was a thousand times more than the entire Taihu Lake bandits."

Those who can escape this "vulgarity" are either no longer in officialdom or are truly noble and proud, with a well-known reputation. If you ask me, the rules of the Taihu Lake bandits actually have some merit.” Chu Luren’s words were even more of a blow to Yunluo.

Yunluo stared wide-eyed and said, "They're so rich? My...brother is usually very frugal."

“Your brother is supposed to set an example. If even he is so extravagant, then there’s no hope for him… Take Lin’an for example. Apart from the size of the residences, the height of the houses, and the number of people in the sedan chairs that can be seen, those high-ranking officials and nobles dare not surpass your brother. But in other aspects of enjoyment that cannot be seen, there are many people who are better than your brother.” Chu Luren already knew all this.

“But those merchants… many of them haven’t broken the law, have they? They were robbed here innocently, how can that be considered the work of righteous thieves!” Yunluo still had a strong sense of justice and was still protesting.

Actually, Yunluo felt a little guilty when Chu Luren partially ransacked Tao Sheng's house.

"Whether they really didn't break the law or not is another matter. The problem is that these wealthy merchants and powerful gentry 'legally' own thousands of acres of land and have countless servants... Why should ordinary people be 'legally' exploited to the point of exhaustion, and when disaster strikes, they either sell their land or sell themselves?" The people of Chulu don't buy into this. There are no innocent feudal landlords.

"You mean... it's a problem with the 'Great Song Dynasty Laws'?" Yunluo's tone was doubtful and conflicted, as if her worldview was being reshaped.

However, Chu Luren shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. Maybe it will be changed, and the Song Dynasty will be gone tomorrow? There's nothing wrong with thinking like that... Don't think too much about it."

If Yunluo goes back and tells her brother about these things, it might frighten the emperor so much that he will never dare to let his sister go out again. Besides, this is not something that a mere princess can change.

Moreover, this is indeed not a problem of the Song Dynasty. No matter how many feudal dynasties came and went, it was always the same: after Sun Wukong left, a monkey would come along.

As for ending the feudal era? Sorry, when Chu Luren traveled through time, he didn't bring a hard drive like the unyielding Bai Tu in "City Princess Three Kingdoms," so there was no way to do that.

Therefore, Chu Luren was focused on the martial arts world from the very beginning. He never thought of becoming an official or a merchant. However, he couldn't accept the principles that the common people had to follow, so he became a "knight-errant" who used martial arts to break the law in order to make a living.

While they were talking, the boatman returned with his two sons, who were now nominally Huang Rong's boat, and set off with Chu Luren and the other three...

Chapter 304 Taihu Lake Bandits

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tick-tick...

On such a vast lake, Chu Luren, being a music boy, was naturally in high spirits!

A song of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" resounded across the lake at dusk.

The boat was passing through a reed bed when the music ended. Chu Luren stood at the bow, imagining himself as a dashing figure, his clothes fluttering in the wind...

Whether others understand it or not is a matter of perspective!

"Friends in the reeds, why don't you show yourselves?" Chu Luren couldn't help but ask.

Chu Luren was initially just having a good time, but he inadvertently discovered that someone was hiding in the reeds...

Suddenly, more than twenty small boats emerged from the reeds from all directions. They were all small assault boats, and the lead one came straight at them.

The boatman was startled and worried about getting involved in trouble. After all, although the bandits on Taihu Lake looked down on laborers like them, they couldn't be sure that the people they were carrying weren't "fat sheep" or "enemies from the martial arts world"—which is why fishing boats can go out, but ferries can't.

However, at this moment, the first man, with his nine-ringed broadsword hanging down, stood at the bow of his small boat, looked up at Chu Luren, clasped his hands and said, "Shi Dangxian of Taihu Sanshi Village, it is an honor to meet Master Chu in person! We often hear Chief Lu mention you, and we all envy Chief Lu very much."

Previously, Shi Dangxian and his men had been hiding in the reeds, presumably ambushing others. When they heard the suona, they were initially impatient, but then... thinking of the recent legends circulating in the martial arts world, they felt a chill run down their spines.

Peeking through the reeds, I saw that the person playing the suona was indeed dressed like a wandering swordsman, and the melodious sound alone was unlike that of an ordinary suona player, clearly indicating that he possessed internal martial arts skills!

Who else could it be?

Regardless of the private criticisms surrounding Chu Luren's "second place on the Heavenly Ranking," these outlaws at least knew the truth...

Just look at how they've offended Mount Song and Shaolin, yet they can still roam freely. I'm afraid even if all the leaders of the dozens of water strongholds, big and small, around Taihu Lake came together, they wouldn't be enough to defeat them.

The chief of the stone stronghold didn't want to cause any trouble. Seeing that Chu Luren was just passing by and had no intention of showing himself, and that it was getting dark and everyone was hiding in the reeds, he shouldn't be able to see anything.

I just wanted him to get there quickly... but I ended up being discovered first!

Chief Shi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly urged all his brothers to come out together, lest hiding some of them cause any misunderstandings. Then he tried to establish a connection with them in a friendly manner—indeed, his own chief had mentioned before that he had "joined forces" with the Red and White Tai Sui twice.

"So it's Chief Shi... What big deal is this? I haven't even offered my congratulations yet." Chu Luren was clearly mocking him for hiding and not showing himself before.

It wasn't that Chu Luren was stingy, but rather that Shi Dangxian and his men clearly didn't know the wonders of the "Nine Netherworld Sound Soul Technique." Before, in the reeds, they were all criticizing Chu Luren for being second on the Heavenly Ranking, criticizing Chu Luren's suona, and even gossiping about Chu Luren's relationships with the Red Serpent Fairy, the young lady of the Wang family of Mantuo Manor, and the current princess...

As a result, Chu Luren overheard everything!

"Thanks to you, sir, there's some business... We also have our own brothers lying in ambush ahead. I'll send a speedboat to accompany you, so as not to startle your ship." Chief Shi emerged from the reeds, but he was no longer the gossipy, resentful blabbermouth he always was. Instead, he humbled himself and became extremely attentive.

He was also worried that people from other villages might not know this, and if any of his brothers offended the Chu Lu people, it would be a great injustice.

Seeing this, Chu Luren couldn't very well ignore him, so he waved his hand and said, "Then I'll trouble Chief Shi to go ahead and inform them, and also tell Young Master Lu that I'm going to Mantuo Manor this time to talk to Miss Wang about some serious business. Since the destination is different, I won't be visiting his Guiyun Manor."

Judging from the fact that "listening to the stone first" implies that it's a joint action by many villages?

It seems there's a really big deal going on...