The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Not bad..." Murong Jiu felt a little tired when she thought about this breakthrough.

However, Chu Luren's intervention did make the breakthrough much smoother; otherwise, he would have had to go into seclusion for at least another half a month.

When he went into a state of demonic possession, it was essentially a case of "reckless advancement." Afterwards, he was helped to regain his composure by Chu Luren. His internal energy did increase significantly, but considering the side effects... Murong Jiu begged for his breakthrough to fail!

"Young Master?" Abi looked at Murong Jiu, who was about to leave, with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong?" Murong Jiu asked irritably.

Abi didn't know why, but she always felt that although the young master's seclusion was going well, his mood was very bad.

“Young Master, since we’re about to leave the pass… let’s just change back into our clothes!” Abi thought Murong Jiu had forgotten in his haste.

"Go outside and change... Don't catch a cold!" Upon hearing this, Murong Jiu's face twitched as she was about to refuse, and she even came up with a good excuse.

“My internal energy is enough to keep me warm for a short time. That little devil that Young Master Chu brought is really troublesome. He and Brother Bao and Brother Feng have been dealing with him the whole morning. We didn’t see Young Master Chu all morning, and we thought something had happened.” Abi complained about Xiaoyuer.

Chu Luren then realized why the people of Murong Manor didn't seem worried even though he had been missing for several hours!

Abi was worried that Xiaoyuer would discover their strange behavior, so she insisted on changing back in the freezer and started taking off her clothes.

"Huh? Young Master? What's wrong?" Abi looked at Murong Jiu, who seemed somewhat resistant, with a puzzled expression.

"N-nothing!" Murong Jiu glanced quickly in Chu Luren's direction, and seeing that he had already pulled his head back and was no longer peeking, she relaxed.

However, I still felt a little uncomfortable when I was about to take my clothes off. Even though I had already seen everything I needed to see, knowing that there was still someone else there...

Murong Jiu felt extremely awkward, but in order to prevent the matter from being exposed, especially to avoid releasing "another self" due to emotional instability, Murong Jiu finally changed her clothes while carefully observing Chu Luren's location.

After Murong Jiu and Abi left the ice cellar, they made sure to send Bao Butong and Feng Bo'e away as well...

Since the young master was alright, the two of them obviously didn't have the wild idea that Chu Lu was inside. Relieved, they went about their own business.

Chu Luren then quietly emerged from the ice cellar and returned to the inn.

When Wang Yuyan saw him in the small courtyard of the inn, she asked in surprise, "Brother Chu? Where did you go last night?"

"I'm in... my room!" Chu Luren said somewhat guiltily.

If it were just about sharing the secret manual, Chu Luren wouldn't have anything to be ashamed of. However, what happened during the sharing of the secret manual... well, it's a long story!

“But I went to see you last night,” Wang Yuyan said, pouting.

"Ahem, I went out for a walk," Chu Luren said awkwardly, then preemptively asked, "What do you want?"

"It's nothing. Aunt has already paid her respects, and you've already obtained the treasure map. Let's... leave today!" Wang Yuyan was somewhat reluctant to talk to Murong Fu.

After all, yesterday Murong Fu said a lot of heartless things to stop her from bothering him, nothing more than humiliating her by saying that "her relationship with Chu Luren is unclear" and "there's no need for her to specifically seek out Chu Luren to humiliate her."

Wang Yuyan, who already had some suspicions about the identity of the Western Xia warrior that day, was completely disappointed in Murong Fu. Just as Murong Fu had expected, she only wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“Okay!” Chu Luren immediately agreed.

Wang Yuyan gave him a strange look, feeling that Chu Luren seemed even more anxious than she was.

Chu Luren was indeed afraid of Murong Manor...

Just then, a commotion broke out outside. It turned out that Bao Butong and Xiaoyuer had another conflict. In fact, Xiaoyuer had discovered that Chu Luren was following him last night. This had nothing to do with martial arts; it was purely a matter of "counter-surveillance" ability. No matter how high Chu Luren's martial arts skills were, he could only keep quiet. His ability to hide certain light and shadow and to reset his surroundings was not professional.

Xiao Yu'er didn't know who was following him, but he figured that only Murong Fu and Chu Luren in the manor could achieve such lightness skills, so he deduced that it was Chu Luren!

Afterwards, he deliberately pretended not to notice, wanting to use Chu Luren to investigate the Murong Manor...

Wang Yuyan also whispered a few words to Chu Luren. This morning, after discovering that Chu Luren had not returned, Xiaoyuer had been chatting with the people of Murong Manor. If Chu Luren hadn't not appeared by lunchtime, the people of Murong Manor would probably still be in the dark!

"Lunch?" Chu Luren was embarrassed upon hearing this.

"What's wrong?" Wang Yuyan asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing... Let's go then, don't keep Young Master Murong waiting." Chu Luren had already guessed that this luncheon was arranged by Abi. Originally, today's "script" should have been that Abi, dressed as Murong Fu, would be sarcastic and make the luncheon unpleasant, after which Chu Luren and Wang Yuyan would leave.

Now that Murong Jiu has come out, it's not a good idea to cancel the banquet, and the main person in charge has definitely been replaced.

Although Chu Luren felt awkward, he still went to the banquet with Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing. Xiaoyuer and Tie Xinlan were also there. When Xiaoyuer saw Chu Luren come out of the guesthouse, he winked at him, as if asking him if he had any luck last night. Chu Luren... ignored him.

As for Tie Xinlan, she had already copied a treasure map last night and then handed the original to Chu Luren!

From now on, people in the martial arts world will only know that the treasure map of the former number two in the world is in the hands of the current number two in the world.

Chu Luren was ready to take his leave, but he found that the luncheon had been changed to a communal meal. Everyone sat around a long table, with Murong Fu at the head of the table, Chu Luren to his left, followed by Wang Yuyan and Mu Wanqing, and then Xiaoyuer and Tie Xinlan—the two of them would no longer stay at Murong Manor to join in the fun.

On the right are Zhang Jing, then Gu Renyu, and behind them are the four powerful retainers.

“Cousin, we won’t bother you any longer. After the banquet, Brother Chu and I will take our leave!” Wang Yuyan said stiffly.

The four retainers and Zhang Jing and others also sensed the strangeness in Wang Yuyan's tone, but they all pretended not to hear it at this moment.

Murong Fu frowned slightly and said, "How about... staying a couple more days before leaving?" He carefully kept his eyes from drifting towards Chu Luren beside him.

It wasn't that Murong Fu missed her so much, or that he wanted to stay, but rather that the matter of Hanhan Jiu hadn't been resolved yet. Perhaps it was because Chu Luren had done his best to suppress her demonic possession that Hanhan Jiu was born. In addition, the first person Hanhan Jiu met after her birth was Chu Luren... She had an extremely strong attachment to Chu Luren!

This not only affected Murong Jiu's usual words, actions, and thoughts, making her instinctively unwilling to hurt Chu Luren, but also meant that Hanhan Jiu only felt safe when she was by Chu Luren's side—and "safety" was the foundation of Hanhan Jiu's slumber.

Murong Jiu was worried that if Chu Luren wasn't there, she wouldn't be able to appease Hanhan Jiu once she appeared.

In particular, she didn't want a third person to know about Hanhan Jiu's existence, otherwise this "weakness" would be too obvious...

Chapter 338 Hospitality

Wang Yuyan was furious!

Murong Fu, what do you mean by this?

They actually tried to persuade him to stay?

Are you trying to humiliate me? Or... pretend to be on good terms with me and sow discord between me and Brother Chu?

"Never mind, I have an appointment with a friend in Fuzhou later. Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Murong!" Chu Luren quickly said.

Murong Fu looked over expressionlessly, and Chu Luren's arrogance immediately diminished.

Wang Yuyan hadn't noticed anything else amiss, but Xiaoyuer seemed to have sensed something, glancing suspiciously at Chu Luren and Murong Fu.

If Murong Fu hadn't always considered himself a man and had developed very masculine habits, Xiaoyuer would have realized long ago that "he" was a woman disguised as a man. Unfortunately, Xiaoyuer only suspected that these two might be... tsk tsk, it seems there are terrifying things outside the valley!

Chu Luren breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Murong Fu look away, but then Wang Yuyan suddenly clenched her left hand—Chu Luren: ? ? ?

Then, Wang Yuyan blushed and let go again.

Chu Luren was unaware that Wang Yuyan had taken action because she saw him rushing to refuse Murong Fu and assumed that Murong Fu's attempts to keep her had displeased him.

Although it was under the table, Murong Fu noticed it and let out a soft snort.

Wang Yuyan was initially a little shy, but upon hearing this, she immediately glared at Murong Fu, only to find that Murong Fu wasn't looking at her, but instead glaring angrily at Chu Luren.

You, Murong Fu!

When you're angry or jealous, you always look at Brother Chu? So you only ever saw me as an "object" before?

Wang Yuyan glared at Murong Fu, Murong Fu glared at Chu Luren, and Chu Luren... stared straight ahead at the West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce in front of him.

The situation became somewhat awkward!

Seeing this, Deng Baichuan, the oldest person present, quickly exchanged a few pleasantries to liven up the atmosphere, and the banquet finally began smoothly...

Although Chu Luren was able to deduce why Murong Fu only ate boiled food yesterday after reading "The Fossil Divine Skill", Murong Fu still only placed a few plates of vegetables in front of him today in order to maintain his persona.

After the banquet began, Chu Luren focused intently on the West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce in front of him, ignoring Wang Yuyan on his left, who seemed a little off for some reason, and Murong Fu on his right, who seemed very off for some reason as well…

No, perhaps it should be called Murong Jiu now?

Chu Luren hadn't fully accepted this setting yet, but after making a comparison, he understood a bit more—Murong Jiu was already tall and slender, and with some subtle "minor adjustments" to her disguise, she could achieve a masculine appearance with minimal traces!

Because Chu Luren, Wang Yuyan, and Murong Fu, who was in charge of the banquet, were all silent today, it wasn't long before Xiaoyuer and Bao Butong took center stage at the banquet. The two started arguing again, and Bao Butong ended up getting himself into trouble after only a few words.

"You!" Bao Butong was somewhat exasperated.

"Third brother!" Deng Baichuan looked at his outspoken third brother.

Bao Butong stopped talking listlessly after being scolded by his elder brother.

"Haha, young man, you are indeed a hero among young men... But I still don't know who your master is?" Deng Baichuan greeted Xiaoyuer warmly.

Deng Baichuan was quite old, with white hair and beard, and a very strong build, even a little overweight. He still remembered the important task of restoring the Murong clan and hoped to help the young master win over powerful allies.

Yesterday, because Murong Fu's seclusion was interrupted, the four powerful ministers all hoped the banquet would end as soon as possible, and even Bao Butong didn't say much. But today...

Chu Luren didn't pay much attention to Deng Baichuan, or rather... he was quite reserved today?

Considering Wang Yuyan's relationship with Chu Luren, Deng Baichuan and the others misunderstood and thought that was the reason, so they did not communicate with Chu Luren any further.

"Me? I don't have a master. I learned all my skills from my uncles and elders." Little Fish smiled, giving off a very well-behaved vibe.

"Oh? Young man, you come from a prestigious family?" Deng Baichuan became even more interested.

"I wouldn't call myself from a prestigious family. My uncles and aunts aren't really related to me, but they've all been very kind to me... They've been retired from the martial arts world for a long time and live in seclusion in the valleys. We all get along very well."

Those who don't know Xiaoyuer probably imagined a secluded paradise where a master lived after hearing his words.

"Oh? I've been traveling for forty years. Even if you don't want to say your name, young brother, you can tell me what your uncles and elders are good at. Let's see if there are any I know," Deng Baichuan said, hoping to find a few experts he could recruit.

"My Uncle Du is skilled at using a pair of spiked gloves to perform sword techniques. My Uncle Xiao doesn't use martial arts much, but he's very kind. Uncle Yin doesn't fight much either, and usually just enjoys his lightness skill. Uncle Li is a good cook, and his food is exceptionally delicious... Eh? Senior Deng, what's this?"

"N-nothing!" Deng Baichuan forced a smile, his face looking rather unpleasant, and made no mention of his previous attempt to get close to him.

One or two could be a coincidence, but when Xiaoyuer said it, even though Deng Baichuan wasn't familiar with them, he could tell who they were and what the "valley" was!

Xiaoyuer looked puzzled, but now... when Deng Baichuan and the others looked at him, they felt that this guy's style was different.

This is the secret technique that "He who doesn't eat human heads" Li Dazui taught him—establishing authority and gaining momentum!

Is human flesh delicious?

Stop joking. Even Li Dazui needs a lot of spices to make his food palatable. How can it compare to chicken, duck, fish, and meat?

Therefore, Li Dazui would not eat people unless it was for "performance".

The reason for this "performance" is precisely to instill fear in others, solidify the image of a terrifying "man-eater," and ensure that in the future, when others encounter them or hear their name, they will be terrified from the start...

Through two days of observation, Xiaoyuer deduced that Murong Manor had some ulterior motive!

Furthermore, it was confirmed that these were not the kind of "heroes" who would necessarily want to fight and kill just because they heard they came from "Valley of Villains," so they revealed this in reverse to establish their authority.

At the same time, he used Haha'er's "smiling dagger" to pretend to be harmless, making others unable to figure him out.

At this moment, Xiaoyuer was confident that even if Chu Luren was not there, she would be able to escape from Murong Manor unscathed!