The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Chapter 322 Duan Tiande

Mei Chaofeng attacked Chu Luren again from mid-air, but Chu Luren didn't even leave his chair. He just sat there and exchanged a few blows with her, then used a clever trick to throw her back...

Mei Chaofeng had clearly given it her all, but not only was Wu Kang, whom she attacked from the ground, blocked by Chu Luren's foot, but no matter how hard she tried to attack, she couldn't even damage the chair Chu Luren was sitting on or the coffee table next to him!

However, Chu Luren did not hurt her. After Mei Chaofeng was thrown out, she took the opportunity to perch on the opposite pillar, looking as if she was waiting for another chance to make a move.

Chu Luren then spoke up: "Alright, Mei Chaofeng, I have a way to ensure you don't disobey Island Master Huang's mission."

Upon hearing this, Mei Chaofeng's face darkened, and she said, "What do you want now?"

Mei Chaofeng clearly thought that Chu Luren wanted her master to change his mind—someone else wouldn't be able to do that, but Chu Luren was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also had his junior sister's cooperation, so maybe it was true...

However, it was not what Mei Chaofeng had hoped for that Huang Yaoshi would reluctantly change his mind!

Even though Huang Yaoshi had changed the mission to a third one, Mei Chaofeng had already made up her mind that after completing all of them, she would go to Peach Blossom Island and cut off her own hands.

"Island Master Huang said that he asked you to take back the Nine Yin Manual that you leaked, but he didn't care about my Nine Yin Manual... Your 'Nine Yin White Bone Claw' was already incomplete and poorly practiced. Since I taught him the real 'Nine Yin Divine Claw' and the corresponding internal energy incantation, it naturally doesn't count as you teaching him," Chu Luren said reasonably.

Mei Chaofeng was taken aback upon hearing this, and also felt that... there seemed to be some truth to it!

"Brother Chu, why don't you teach Senior Sister Mei a lesson too? That way, it won't be considered that she stole the knowledge..." Huang Rong tried to make her point more convincing, but Mei Chaofeng refused outright this time.

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan looked at Chu Luren strangely—who was it that just now said they were irreconcilable enemies with Wu Sangui? Why are they now not only releasing him but also teaching him martial arts?

Could it be...

Is he simply annoyed by us? Or is he annoyed by the righteous and unparalleled hero Jiang showing off?

Wu Kang, who was originally very resentful of Chu Luren, could no longer care about his grudges at this moment. Instead, he half-prostrated on the ground and looked at Chu Luren with some admiration and gratitude. He could be resentful because Chu Luren hadn't done anything to him before, but this time he was frightened by Mei Chaofeng and his moral integrity was suddenly exhausted.

"Your mother's death was indeed partly my fault. I will pass on the 'Nine Yin Divine Claw' and its corresponding internal energy cultivation techniques to you..."

Halfway through Chu Luren's speech, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, Guo Jing, and Mu Nianci all reacted, and for a moment they all felt a little uncomfortable.

Wu Kang immediately said, "Thank you for saving my life, Master Chu! I... I will naturally distinguish right from wrong! I will never bother Master Chu with this again."

The truth is that Wu Kang still has a sense of shame. Even if you ask him to say that he "doesn't care about his mother's revenge," he can't bring himself to say it. He can only say that he "can distinguish right from wrong"—as Chu Luren said, only "part" of the responsibility is his, so obviously there is other people's responsibility as well.

"Hmph, it's not a matter of whether it's annoying or not... There's another reason why I'm passing on this skill to you. I'm the junior brother of your master's, I mean, another master of the Quanzhen School... your uncle's! So you're my junior, so it's not unreasonable for me to pass on a skill to you!"

"But I'm not as easy to talk to as your Quanzhen Sect master. If I find out that you've used the skills I taught you to do evil, I'll definitely break your hands one bone at a time!" Chu Luren even used some sonic techniques when he spoke.

Wu Kang felt that Chu Luren's voice was becoming increasingly cold and terrifying, and he shuddered. He quickly knelt down and said, "Thank you for passing on your skills, Grandmaster Uncle. If I ever use your skills to do evil in the future, I will break my own hands and give them to you as a side dish!"

Chu Luren: ? ? ?

Why do I use this as a snack with drinks?

By the way... do you have any opinions about my snacks to go with my drinks?

Wu Kang regretted his words immediately after speaking. He had been so afraid that he had simply followed his preconceived notions about Chu Luren and blurted them out...

The bearded officer then realized that it seemed the people present genuinely intended to release the prisoners!

He hurriedly knelt down, disregarding the ropes binding him, and said, "This humble general thanks all the heroes for their great kindness and virtue! Of course, all the heroes are doing this for the sake of our Great Song Dynasty, and this humble general greatly admires your noble sentiments!"

When I return to Lin'an, I will set up longevity tablets for everyone at home and worship them every day. If I am able to take charge in the future, I will never forget that there are so many heroes in the martial world who still cherish the Song Dynasty.

If any of you ever come to Lin'an in the future, please feel free to look for me, Duan Tiande. I will certainly welcome you with open arms…

No one paid any attention to the guy's exaggerated flattery, but when he mentioned his identity, Guo Jing, who was standing next to him, immediately hardened his fists—this is probably what happens when villains die from talking too much!

"You said... your name is Duan Tiande?" Guo Jing asked through gritted teeth.

Not only Guo Jing, but all of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan also stared at him.

The battle between the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan and Qiu Chuji at the Misty Rain Pavilion was instigated by this villain, and both sides harbored deep hatred for it!

They had all met Duan Tiande... at least, except for Ke Zhen'e, they had all met Duan Tiande.

Now, seventeen years later, Duan Tiande's appearance and voice have changed considerably.

Especially since Duan Tiande was the arrogant and domineering Duan Tiande they knew back then, but now he is the sycophantic Duan Tiande who is under someone else's roof, so they didn't recognize him before!

"Young general, is your name indeed Duan Tiande? Does young hero Guo recognize me?" Duan Tiande asked hesitantly.

"Seventeen years ago, were you serving near Shanhaiguan?" Guo Jing asked, suppressing his anger.

"That's right, that's right! Is the young hero an old acquaintance of mine? Wait a minute... the young hero looks to be under twenty years old..."

"Fine! Do you remember the terrible things you did in Niujia Village back then?" Guo Jing roared.

Upon hearing the mention of Niujia Village, Duan Tiande immediately recalled the bloody battle of that night, and how Qiu Chuji had chased him all the way from the north to Nan. The memory was too vivid... His face turned pale instantly, realizing that he had run into his enemy!

"Guo...Guo...You are the son of Old Master Guo? Hero, hero, please listen to me! I didn't want to! When I met Old Master Guo back then, he was so majestic and handsome. I was filled with admiration and wished I could exchange name cards and become sworn brothers with him immediately!"

It wasn't me who wanted to do it! It wasn't me, Xiaojiang! I'm just a lowly military officer. It was that scoundrel Wu Sangui who took advantage of me! He was lusting after me and ordered me to do these heinous things in Niujia Village!

"I have elderly parents and young children to support, how could I dare to disobey General Wu? I was forced into this situation..." Duan Tiande hurriedly tried to distance himself from the situation.

however……

Wu Kang stood behind him, his eyes vacant...

You mean...my father?

Wu Kang was unaware that Wu Sangui was the culprit, and neither were Guo Jing, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, the deceased Bao Xiruo, or the reclusive Yang Tiexin!

Although he had previously hated this traitor for leading the Qing army into the pass, which resulted in turmoil in the army and the burning, killing, and looting of the junior officers, causing the tragedy of Niujiazhuang, he did not think too much about his "coincidental" rescue of Bao Xiruo, who had once saved him.

Therefore, Wu Kang did not hate his father, but was resentful of Yang Tiexin, who suddenly appeared and disrupted his life.

But Duan Tiande's words now made it impossible for him to continue deceiving himself...

Chapter 323 Guidance

"You lied to me! I'll kill you, kill you, kill you!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Wu Kang, in a fit of rage, even forcefully broke through the acupoints that Mei Chaofeng had previously sealed. He grabbed Duan Tiande's head with his claws, and amidst the sound of bones shattering, Duan Tiande screamed in agony, bleeding from all seven orifices, his skull shattered, and he died...

Wu Kang was still not satisfied and went up to kick and stomp on her.

Guo Jing, worried that "Brother Yang" would get too angry and harm his health, quickly pulled him away, saying, "Brother Yang, Brother Yang! Calm down!"

The Seven Freaks remained silent. Jiang Biehe, Lu Chengfeng, and the others didn't know what had happened, but... they all had some ideas in their minds and didn't speak for a moment.

After a period of agony, Wu Kang shook off Guo Jing and ran away.

"Hey, Brother Yang..."

"Jing'er, let him calm down on his own." Han Xiaoying, being more perceptive, stepped forward and pulled Guo Jing aside.

Chu Luren, looking as if he'd just watched a good show and had absolutely no empathy, muttered to himself, "So, should we go to Lin'an or not?"

"Brother Chu, say less!" Huang Rong, not wanting Chu Luren to be too harsh, pulled him toward the back courtyard.

However, as soon as she escaped the crowd in the front hall, Huang Rong immediately changed her expression, winking at Chu Luren with a smile. Chu Luren then immediately used his lightness skill and silently darted towards Wu Kang... no, Yang Kang.

Clearly, Chu Luren had only pretended not to care before, and Huang Rong had noticed his "pretending," so she helped him avoid the others.

This was the most conflicted time for Yang Kang. First of all, having grown up in the Prince of Pingxi's mansion for the previous seventeen years, Yang Kang was truly "a bad person by nature" and could not be considered a good person at all.

However, the revelation that "Wu Sangui instructed Duan Tiande to massacre the Guo and Yang families" had a tremendous impact on Yang Kang.

From the previous perspective, although Duan Tiande's massacre of civilians was a tragedy caused by Wu Sangui's plan to lead the Qing army into the pass, resulting in chaos on the border, Wu Sangui was not directly involved in the incident. Therefore, in terms of the overall situation, Wu Sangui, who later saved Bao Xiruo, was a traitor, but in terms of the specific events, he did not do anything wrong in the Niujia Village incident.

However, after the truth was revealed, it turned out that Duan Tiande was instructed by Wu Sangui, and the destruction of the Guo and Yang families was all orchestrated by Wu Sangui. This was a completely different matter!

For adopted orphans, the debt of gratitude for being raised is far greater than the debt of being born, but this argument does not hold water for children who are taken away.

Before this, Yang Kang still respected Wu Sangui and his father. From Yang Kang's perspective, Chu Luren didn't see anything wrong with respecting him solely from a familial point of view. However, after the truth was revealed, a chasm had formed between Yang Kang and Wu Sangui, both emotionally and morally.

If Yang Kang had the opportunity to "abandon evil and embrace good" in the original work, it would undoubtedly be now.

Unfortunately, Yang Kang's "nature" had already been formed during his growth, and at its core, he was still selfish and self-serving. Although he now questioned and even hated his adoptive father, he eventually returned to his adoptive father's embrace in the original work. There were probably considerations of emotion and self-interest involved in this choice.

If the biological father were a wise and virtuous prince and the adoptive father were a notorious bandit, the outcome would likely be quite different...

However, since there is hesitation and wavering, there is room for maneuver. Usually, among bad people, the most common whitewashing strategy is "not bad by nature". Conversely, "good people" can also be "bad by nature".

Besides, Chu Luren didn't need him to be a philanthropist; he just wanted to guide him so that he could become someone useful to the martial arts world, to the Song Dynasty, and most importantly, to himself!

Chu Luren found Yang Kang, who was still in the manor, in a fit of despair, smashing the tokens of the Prince of Pingxi's manor to vent his frustration. He hid there temporarily to see Yang Kang's reaction.

If he calms down too quickly, Chu Luren can only conclude that he has made up his mind to go back to find his prince father.

However, Yang Kang was actually agitated for a long time, and only calmed down when Guo Jing arrived, not wanting others to see his weakness.

"Brother Yang, everyone was worried about you. Are you alright?" Guo Jing stepped forward and asked with concern.

Guo Jing was a straightforward man, completely forgetting that he had almost died in the attack led by Yang Kang.

"Everyone? What 'everyone'? From now on, I'm an orphan!" Yang Kang said in an unfriendly tone.

"Brother Yang, Uncle Yang has returned to Niujia Village to live in seclusion..."

“I don’t know him!” Yang Kang interrupted.

“Brother Yang, how can you say that? Uncle Yang has always cared about you, it's just because of Wu Sangui back then…”

"Don't mention him to me!" Yang Kang became increasingly agitated.

Seeing that Yang Kang was about to sever ties with Wu Sangui, Guo Jing breathed a sigh of relief and encouraged him, "Then... let's go find Wu Sangui together and take revenge!"

Yang Kang looked at Guo Jing with annoyance and a strange expression, then asked, "If a villain raised you to this age, would you kill him?"

"What...what should we do?" Although Guo Jing was dull and unable to empathize with others, he was kind-hearted by nature. After hearing Yang Kang's explanation, he also felt troubled for him.

"I have a good idea!" Chu Luren appeared at this moment.

"Brother Chu, you've come at the right time. Brother Yang is feeling down..." Guo Jing said quickly upon seeing the situation.

He meant well, but Yang Kang found his words grating—what do you mean I can't let go? Do I have to go with you to kill...that person before I'm considered to have let go?

Upon seeing Chu Luren, Yang Kang immediately bowed and said, "Grandmaster Uncle!"

"Okay, get up." Chu Luren nodded.

"Grandmaster Uncle, do you... also think I should go and kill Wu Sangui?" Yang Kang asked hesitantly.

Chu Luren shook his head upon hearing this: "After all, he raised you. If you can even bring yourself to harm him, you probably won't hesitate to betray your master and ancestors in the future."

Yang Kang was startled upon hearing this, thinking that Chu Luren was warning him, and hurriedly tried to explain, but Guo Jing spoke first: "But it was also that scoundrel who caused trouble for Brother Yang and me..."