The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Faced with Murong Gongzi's renewed insistence on righteousness, Duan Zhengchun smiled awkwardly and, after a moment's thought, did not object—after all, killing Ding Chunqiu was the priority now.

"Alright then, Azi will come with me. We'll set off after lunch. We won't bother Uncle Duan any longer, so as not to delay the funeral." Chu Luren was clearly a person who knew how to talk.

Duan Zhengchun: ...

"A-Zhu, are you and Brother Qiao going to Leigu Mountain first?" Wang Yuyan suddenly asked.

“This…” A’Zhu said, looking at Chu Luren.

“That’s right. I asked my elder brother to go to Leigu Mountain first, so that Ding Chunqiu might cause trouble at this time.” Chu Luren had just told Wang Yuyan about Leigu Mountain at Mantuo Manor.

“Grandpa and Mr. Su have suffered a great misfortune, so they probably won’t easily let others into their lives. If Brother Qiao and Sister A Zhu go, they can only visit Mr. Su under the guise of a visit. If they are too eager, it might cause misunderstandings. Why don’t I go to Leigu Mountain with them, see Grandpa first, and then wait for Brother Chu to come over?” Wang Yuyan decided.

She would rather travel with Chu Luren, and if she had gone to Leigu Mountain by herself, she would have only caused trouble. Chu Luren also had an appointment with Lin Pingzhi in Fuzhou, so the itinerary had to be postponed.

But now that Qiao Feng and A'Zhu are going to Leigu Mountain, Wang Yuyan feels that it would be good if she could put the outsider's mind at ease a moment earlier.

"Well... that's fine. But once you get to Leigu Mountain, just pay your respects to Senior Wuyazi first. There's no need to make a big show of it before I arrive, lest Ding Chunqiu become desperate. My brother's Dragon Subduing Divine Might is naturally beyond what Old Monster Ding can withstand. However, it's easier to dodge a spear in the open than to guard against an arrow in the dark. Let's wait until I get there, find a way to lure him out, and then, once we're ready, deal with him again!" Chu Luren instructed.

"Did you bring your grandmother's secret manual?" Chu Luren asked again, still worried. This was something that was crucial to gaining Su Xinghe's trust; otherwise, Su Xinghe might not have recognized Wang Yuyan immediately, given that he hadn't seen his master's wife for so long.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan blushed and nodded—but she had made up her mind that unless absolutely necessary, there was no need to show the hand-drawn version of the "Northern Darkness Divine Art"!

Chapter 357 Watch me bring them good fortune!

Due to an "unexpected event," Chu Luren had already lingered at Xiaojing Lake for three days before finally setting off again, heading south towards Fuzhou.

Wang Yuyan followed A'Zhu and Qiao Feng northward to Leigu Mountain, while Chu Luren brought along A'Zi as well.

The group consisted of four people, appearing to be two men and two women, traveling southwest from Jiaxing...

By the time they reached the Xinzhou area, it was already late November. The fact that the treasure map of the Southern Heavenly Treasure had fallen into the hands of Chu Taisui had already spread to some extent in the martial arts world, especially in Jiangnan. Almost everyone with ears who wanted to inquire about this matter already knew about it.

Chu Luren never bothered to conceal his identity wherever he went, but after more than half a month, he still hadn't seen any evil experts come to deliver him!

Chu Luren did see some ordinary highway robbers.

However, every time he tried to follow up after his act of divine justice and contribute to the security of the Song Dynasty's roads... and incidentally add a small fund for robbing the rich to help the poor, Murong Jiu couldn't stand it anymore and stopped him.

You're already second on the Heavenly Ranking, can't you be a little more profound?

The Chu Lu people were initially indignant about this deep-rooted habit of "respecting one's status," but after Murong Jiu threw out several thousand taels of silver, the Chu Lu people calmed down a bit and stopped wandering around the mountains and valleys.

"This is all Jiangnan West Road territory, how come all the evil sect masters are dead?" Chu Luren cursed.

“Chu Luren, there seems to be a house ahead. It’s getting dark, and we probably won’t make it to the city. Why don’t you go and ask if we can find a place to stay?” In private, Mu Wanqing always called him by his given name, but in front of outsiders, she would call him “Brother Chu.”

"That's strange, there doesn't seem to be any farmland around here..." Chu Luren looked at the few dilapidated houses next to the stream not far away with a puzzled expression.

"Hehehe, is the mighty Lord Chu afraid of mountain spirits and wild ghosts?" Azi deliberately mocked.

"Mountain spirits and ghosts? You know what, once in Hengshan City, in the middle of nowhere, I happened to meet a girl in red." Chu Luren embellished the ghost story.

Ah Zi was still a young girl. She had seen many villains but never any evil spirits, so she was genuinely frightened.

"Azi, don't listen to him trying to scare you. Last time he said, 'Look how pretty that girl is...'" Mu Wanqing said, pouting.

Chu Luren was also looking for lodging here, but as he approached, he could faintly hear a woman crying coming from inside the house!

Mu Wanqing fell silent immediately...

"Why don't you go and see if he's handsome this time, Young Master Chu?" Murong Jiu said deliberately.

"Let's see! I want to see which little devil dares to mess with me!" Chu Luren didn't believe in ghosts, but this eerie atmosphere... it was probably some evil sect master who had set up a trap here.

After so long, finally a group of people have shown their faces, and the Chu Lu people have been itching to get involved.

It's almost dark, and you're crying in front of me?

Alright, let's make the Tai Sui look good too!

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

Chu Luren first performed a piece called "Carrying the Bridal Sedan Chair" to bring good luck to these demons and monsters.

Before they could finish playing a short tune, an old man burst out of the house carrying an iron fork, shouting hoarsely, "You corrupt official! There's no snake, and no granddaughter either! If you want to force me to marry her, all I have left is this old man's life!"

Chu Luren: ...

To be honest, under Chu Luren's overwhelming sound effects, no matter how hard the old man shouted, it was completely drowned out. However, if Chu Luren could hear it, Murong Jiu's internal energy could definitely hear it as well.

This is really awkward...

The background music stopped too...

Judging from the old man's appearance, he didn't seem to know martial arts. Moreover, judging from his words, it was clear that a corrupt official was trying to abduct a woman. Chu Luren's boasting was quite fitting, and he was immediately taken as someone who had come to snatch a woman!

Chu Luren awkwardly tucked the suona back into his waistband, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, sir. I am new to your esteemed place. As darkness was approaching, I played a few notes on the suona to bolster my courage and that of my companions. I did not expect to disturb you. Please forgive me."

As he spoke, he didn't forget to include Mu Wanqing and Murong Jiu, who were traveling with him.

In the dim light, the old man looked around carefully and was a little confused—good heavens, just now, judging from the sound of the suona, it sounded like there were two suona bands, how come there was only one person? Was he too nervous and misheard?

Judging from Chu Luren's attire as a wandering swordsman, along with the two young girls and the young gentleman behind him... this group certainly doesn't look like county officials at all.

Although it was getting late and playing the suona to bolster one's courage seemed rather odd, the old man quickly dropped the iron fork after realizing the misunderstanding, returned the greeting, and said, "This old man is talking nonsense, please don't take offense. If you've missed your lodging, there are no other houses nearby. If you don't mind, you can come in for a cup of tea and rest."

Seeing this, Chu Luren and his group also wanted to stay overnight—although there certainly weren't enough beds, having a shelter from the wind and rain was better than just finding some shade under a tree.

Besides, the old man I just saw seemed to be in some kind of trouble...

Chu Luren, who travels the world, always helps those in distress and is eager to inquire about things.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir," Chu Luren replied.

The four men tied up their horses and went inside. There they saw a young woman with red eyes, boiling water and making tea. She had obviously heard the commotion outside and was preparing to entertain their guests.

This girl has delicate features, especially between her brows, where there's a hint of ruthlessness. It's not surprising that she caught the eye of some corrupt official.

"Thank you so much, young lady. You don't need to be so kind. I feel at home wherever I am," Chu Luren said simply.

The woman found his words amusing and couldn't help but chuckle. However, because she had just been choking up, she quickly turned away and wiped her nose with her laughter. When she turned back, her face was flushed.

Seeing that his granddaughter was finally a little happier, the old man felt a little better, but he was still worried.

Chu Luren was quite blunt and asked directly, "Old man, I just heard you talking about corrupt officials and snakes. What exactly happened?"

"Well... it's my own business, so I won't go into it. If anyone from the county comes later, you should leave through the back door first," the old man said with a worried expression.

"I, Chu Luren, never use back channels!" Chu Luren was very sensitive.

Lately, there have been quite a few people saying he got in through connections, especially in taverns frequented by people from the martial arts world...

Old man: ? ? ?

"Ahem, what I mean is, as you can see, sir, we are all people of the martial world. The troubles of ordinary people... especially corrupt officials and powerful gentry who harm people, and ordinary folk being bullied by them, are not something we are afraid of. If there is anything, sir, please speak frankly. If you can help us, then help us; if you can't, then we'll just walk away. Why are you afraid of us reporting to the authorities?" Chu Luren realized that the other party was not mocking him for using connections, so he quickly spoke in a gentle and soft voice.

Chapter 358 The Snake Catcher's Tale

Under the guidance of Chu Luren, a sincere and steadfast "hero of chivalry and pillar of the martial world," the old man finally recounted his difficult situation in detail...

It turns out that this old man and his family really had a hard life!

The old man's surname was Qin. His family was originally from Guangnan East Road. Although they lived in poverty, they managed to make a living. However, due to the oppression of the local gentry, they had no choice but to move east to Jiangnan West Road.

These days, for ordinary people, the saying "a person is less valuable away from home" makes sense.

No one would willingly leave their hometown unless they were truly desperate to survive.

Jiangnan West Road was slightly better – it used to be a barren land with a sparse population. Later, the Manchu and Mongol Yuan dynasties moved south, and the Song dynasty moved south. Naturally, Jiangnan West Road became a key area for reclamation. It was more inclusive, and the imperial court encouraged the relocated people to come and cultivate the land.

Originally, this old man and his family had settled in Fengzhuo County, in the eastern part of Jiangnan West Road, intending to put down roots there.

But their good fortune didn't last long. At that time, Jiangnan West Road was teeming with snakes, insects, and poisonous miasma. It was not a place to stay. The old man Qin's son and daughter-in-law, who were also the parents of the young girl Qin Nanqin, died from snake bites!

This grandfather and grandson were indeed stubborn and ruthless. In their grief, they traveled thousands of miles to Guangnan West Road, learned snake-catching skills, and returned to kill snakes to avenge their family while also making a living.

Later, they encountered local tyrants and bullies. The wild lands allocated by the imperial court were all vacated by the Qin family after they painstakingly cultivated them, but they ended up owing them money in a muddled way.

Fortunately, the grandfather and grandson were skilled at catching snakes. There was a shortage of everything here, but venomous snakes were plentiful. By catching snakes and making snake bile wine, the grandfather and grandson managed to make a living.

However, this good fortune didn't last long. Just when Old Man Qin saw that his granddaughter was growing up and wanted to save money to find her a good family, the county magistrate was replaced!

The new Mr. Joe is quite strange; he doesn't like anything else but poisonous snakes.

After learning about this old man Qin in the county, they came to buy from him. At first, it was fine, at least they had to spend money. Old man Qin and his granddaughter only had to do more work and take some risks.

However, less than a year later, the new official became the old master and had many less scruples. He thought to himself, "The merchants in the city usually give me tributes, so why should I, a snake catcher, be so unfilial?"

Let's not even mention the word "buy," consider this venomous snake as a tribute!

Thus, the grandfather and grandson were given an additional quota for snakes to pay each year...

Unfortunately, for some reason this year, the number of poisonous snakes in the forest has decreased, and no matter what they do, they can't catch enough. Meanwhile, Magistrate Qiao, from who knows where, heard that Old Man Qin's granddaughter was beautiful, and his evil thoughts grew even stronger.

A few days ago, someone came and informed Old Man Qin that if he couldn't deliver the snake, his granddaughter would have to pay off the debt!

Well, it's another "debt" that I somehow ended up in.

"Outrageous!" Mu Wanqing gritted her teeth as she listened, and when she saw the old man getting to the heart of the matter, she couldn't hold back any longer and slammed her hand on the table.

As Mu Wanqing spoke, she patted Chu Luren, who was sitting steadily, and said, "Let's go, we'll go and kill that corrupt official tonight!"

"No, no, you mustn't! Although you gentlemen are people of the martial arts world, it is said that Master Qiao is also related to some martial arts sect. Moreover... killing officials is tantamount to rebellion!" Old Man Qin hurriedly advised.

Indeed, killing a properly appointed county magistrate has far greater consequences and impact than killing a subordinate general who has not yet taken office.

"What does Old Man Qin plan to do now?" Chu Luren asked noncommittally.

"Sigh, I'm thinking, if that old man Qiao pushes too far, let Qin'er go back to Guangdong on her own. I... I'll fight him to the death!" Old Man Qin said through gritted teeth.

"Grandpa! I won't go, I won't go!" Qin Nanqin said hurriedly, and started sobbing again.

Azi's eyes lit up and she said, "Sister Nanqin, I'll teach you! If that corrupt official wants to take you as a concubine, then let him. When you enter the bridal chamber, hide a snake on your body and press its fangs against his neck... If that's still not enough, take the poison sac of a bamboo viper, mix it with arsenic, deer blood... and put it into the well water in his mansion..."

When Qin Nanqin saw this little girl, whose eyes were full of innocence and whose mouth was smiling, yet who uttered such terrible words, she couldn't help but feel a chill.

I just felt that this younger girl was probably more terrifying than the other one who seemed to have a bad temper.

"Azi! Don't teach others nonsense." Mu Wanqing pushed her, and Azi finally shut up listlessly.

Chu Luren stared at Qin Nanqin and asked, "Are poisonous snakes scary?"

"It's scary if you don't know how to catch them, but it's not scary if you do," Qin Nanqin said, wiping away her tears.