The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Old Man Qin: ...

"Pfft." Qin Nanqin couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly turned her body around with a blush on her face and began to pour tea.

Chu Luren guessed that she was probably happy because Magistrate Qiao was dead!

This little girl really holds a grudge.

Not only Chu Luren, but also Murong Jiu was curious after hearing about it, not to mention A Zi.

They all wanted to wait for the bird to come out...

Sure enough, just before dawn, a loud "cooing" sound suddenly appeared. The sound was so loud that one might mistake it for something enormous—somewhat like the "Manggu Toad" that ended up in Duan Yu's belly.

When the Qin family grandfather and grandson heard this, they were only worried. However, Chu Luren and Murong Jiu's expressions changed slightly. Mu Wanqing and Azi, especially Azi, both showed signs of pain.

That cry was clearly capable of affecting the internal energy of a master of internal martial arts!

However, for experts like Chu Luren and Murong Jiu, the effect was minimal; they could only sense that something was going on. But for Mu Wanqing, the effect was more pronounced; she felt a tightness in her chest and was agitated.

As for Azi...

This cry seems to be exceptionally effective against poison techniques!

Chu Luren simulated the "Myriad Transformations True Qi" and indeed felt that the symptoms were much more pronounced.

Of course, given Chu Luren's level of internal energy, it still didn't have much effect—Chu Luren couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, meaning that the shout probably wouldn't do any good for Ding Chunqiu either.

“It’s this bird,” Qin Nanqin said quickly.

"I'll go take a look. Brother Murong, could you please keep an eye on Wanqing and Azi for me?" Chu Luren instructed.

Actually, no extra care is needed; the noise is at most a "disturbance," not a "harm."

Following the direction of the sound, Chu Luren used his movement technique to stealthily fly low over the trees...

"Huh?" Chu Luren let out a soft "huh".

Before even seeing the strange bird, Chu Luren spotted some uninvited guests. Although he didn't recognize these people, he recognized their clothes—they were from White Camel Manor!

A group of white camel snake slaves are releasing snakes nearby...

At this moment, the snake formation was becoming increasingly uncontrollable, with venomous snakes thrashing and writhing all over the ground. An ordinary person would likely feel extremely uncomfortable seeing this.

The snake slaves were blowing whistles and sprinkling medicine, appearing quite anxious. It seemed they hadn't come prepared, but had simply caught the appearance of this strange bird.

Just then, a ball of "fire" fell from the sky and landed in the snake formation. With two more "cooing" sounds, the snakes immediately stopped their restlessness and stood still in place!

Chu Luren looked closely and saw that it was not a firelight at all, but a small bird that was completely red and had not a single stray feather.

This bird isn't very big, about a size larger than a crow, and its beak is extremely long, about half a foot long.

Just as Old Man Qin said, this bird was extremely fast, even faster than Chu Luren had imagined, probably almost catching up with the Cloud Crane.

"Coo-coo!" This firebird may not look very big, but its cry is surprisingly loud.

Moreover, when it made that call, the surrounding snakes and venomous snakes fell silent as if trembling in fear, completely losing their usual domineering nature. When it made another call, the snakes swarmed and rolled in chaos, like white waves.

However, the situation calmed down after a short while. Then, the four largest vipers swam out on their own, rolled over, and lay on their backs, looking as if they had resigned themselves to their fate...

The firebird flew low and swooped down, simultaneously extending its beak and striking the snake's belly with the precision and speed of a judge's pen. In the blink of an eye, four snake gallbladders were gone!

The snake slaves, in their haste, began to curse and swear incessantly. Chu Luren also noticed that some of the snake slaves took out bows and arrows and hidden weapons, clearly not intending to let the firebird feast on them.

Chapter 361 Without a Trace

Seeing this strange bird so easily devour the gallbladders of four large snakes, and still not satisfied, and with the snake formation no longer effective, even these once-majestic venomous snakes now "docilely" waiting to be eaten in its presence...

Although these snake slaves were all annoyed by its cries, they had no choice but to take action—otherwise, if too many snakes died in the snake formation, how would they explain it to the master and young master?

The leader first threw a silver dart at the firebird, but Chu Luren had been watching from the shadows and wouldn't let them hurt the strange bird he had his eye on.

In the blink of an eye, two dark figures, roughly the same size as the silver dart, met it at an even faster speed. However, the sound they made was not of metal colliding, but rather like the sound of leather being struck.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that these were not hidden weapons at all, but rather two leaves. Moreover, it was already November, and even in the south, these leaves were tattered and withered, having fallen to the ground long ago!

Seeing that these withered leaves could be used as projectiles to silently knock down his white camel shuttle, the snake slave leader knew that this was a dangerous opponent...

Upon witnessing this scene, the Firebird realized that someone had launched a sneak attack, and someone else had intervened to help.

He then glared at the side that had fired the silver dart, before turning his head to nod in the direction of Chu Luren, presumably to express his gratitude.

"Who are you, sir, joking with us juniors? We are subordinates of Master Ouyang of White Camel Manor. We have come to your esteemed place but failed to recognize your greatness. We have not paid our respects to you. Please, for the sake of Master Ouyang, show some mercy!" The snake slave in the lead spoke fluent Mandarin.

But Chu Luren showed no intention of showing himself...

He wanted to see more of the firebird's power—of course, not himself, otherwise... after all, the bird couldn't possibly be a match for a master like Chu Luren.

These snake slaves already regarded the bird as a hidden master being kept by someone, and they were very anxious about it.

If the snake formation is effective, even martial arts masters can hold them off.

However, the snake formation is now completely suppressed, especially since the snakes are all "fixed" here. If they were to escape, Ouyang Feng would probably kill them without anyone else even having to lift a finger.

"Coo coo!" The firebird seemed to be angry and immediately cried out again, and four more of the largest snakes in the snake formation crawled out.

Seeing that the hidden master ignored them, and that the strange bird was about to eat more, choosing only the largest pieces, the white camel snake servants, thinking of Master Ouyang's punishment, couldn't sit still any longer...

They threw hidden weapons at the firebird, and some even drew their bows and arrows.

This time, the firebird was prepared, and Chu Luren wanted to see its performance, so he didn't make a move. Suddenly, the bird spread its wings and flew extremely fast. With one flap of its wings, it knocked down the hidden weapons that were coming at him. With another lift of its wings, it deflected two more darts...

Before the hidden weapons could arrive, the firebird was truly like a ball of fire, moving as fast as an arrow and turning very nimbly. In the blink of an eye, it "charged into the enemy formation," like a judge's pen, its long beak swishing and pecking. A scream was heard, and someone had already had their eyeball pecked out!

Judging from its skills, Chu Luren knew it wouldn't stand a chance against him, but against someone like Yun Zhonghe, it might actually be evenly matched.

However, this bird doesn't seem to be very strong; it relies more on speed and skill...

Just then, a bluish-purple light appeared—someone had used a sulfur arrow!

After being shot, the sulfur on the arrow will be ignited by friction.

Originally, the arrow was not as fast as a hidden weapon, but the firebird cooed and seemed to be very happy to deliberately go forward. Then it caught the arrow with its bare hands... no, with its bare claws, and threw it into the dry branches and leaves on the side, and lit a small campfire!

While everyone was still puzzled, they saw the bird willingly disappear into the flames, as if taking a bath, stretching its wings and preening its feathers with its beak...

Seeing the firebird's extraordinary nature and hearing their companions' heart-wrenching screams, the snake slaves became increasingly tense. Forgetting about the hidden experts, they all pulled out their weapons and threw them at the firebird, which was happily washing itself in the campfire.

Chu Luren was delighted at the sight, thinking that this bird was perfect for taming—having multiple "Cloud Cranes" as helpers wasn't very useful, but they were quite useful as cool little props... and he could even try "dual cultivation"!

I've decided on you, you little tool bird!

The firebird suddenly sensed something and couldn't help but shudder.

With a flick of his wrist, Chu Luren channeled his inner force, sending countless fallen leaves swirling out to meet the White Camel Mountain hidden weapons from all directions. After a series of awkward, muffled collisions, the hidden weapons fell to the ground.

The leading snake slave seemed to remember something and exclaimed in surprise, "You... could you be... the legendary Master Wuchen? What a magnificent display of 'Scattering Flowers and Gold Coins'! This junior has truly broadened my horizons! Today... today I offended you, Master. Upon returning, I will confess and apologize to Master Ouyang..."

Clearly, it was this skill with hidden weapons that made the other party have such an extraordinary association. In fact, Chu Luren's skill with hidden weapons was not yet at the level of Young Master Wuhen, but this comparison was beyond the reach of these snake slaves!

Upon seeing this scene, I instinctively thought it was the most famous move of the Unmarked Young Master, "Scattering Flowers and Money from the Sky".

"That's a good way to address you as 'Young Master,' but the title is wrong." Chu Luren disdained to impersonate the Unmarked Young Master, and White Camel Manor was not someone he couldn't afford to offend now.

At this moment, he walked out in a generous manner. Upon seeing Chu Luren's appearance, the snake slave in the lead was taken aback. Was the Wuhen Gongzi not always dressed in white, and was said to have severe mysophobia and never put his feet on the ground? Did he need four maids to carry him in a sedan chair?

Although the Unmarked Young Master is elusive and one of the most mysterious figures on the Heavenly Ranking, despite being ranked twelfth, there are few records of him making a move. However, some rumors do exist.

From any angle, Chu Luren's appearance is vastly different from the legendary Wuhen Gongzi!

Then, upon seeing the suona at Chu Luren's waist, a chill ran down his spine. Although he hadn't gone to Peach Blossom Island with Ouyang Feng, how could he not recognize Chu Luren, the Red and White Tai Sui who made his master hesitate to act and caused the young master to suffer in silence?

"Chu...Chu Tai Sui?" The snake slave couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Chu Luren's face darkened as he said, "Why is Young Master Wuhen a 'young master,' while I am relegated to the status of a mere tyrant?"

"This young master? Is that how you should refer to yourself?"

No one dared to utter a word of complaint, and the leading snake slave hurriedly said, "No, no, no, how can Young Master Wuhen, ranked twelfth on the Heavenly Ranking, compare to you, ranked second on the Heavenly Ranking? In my humble opinion..."

Just as Chu Luren was about to hear how he was going to flatter him, he suddenly noticed a strange noise.

However, by the time they reacted, it was too late. The leader of the snake slaves let out a scream and then "flew" up, floating in mid-air.

If you look closely, you can see that there are two thin threads that have pierced through his collarbone, hanging him from the tree branch. Someone has used superb concealed weapon skills to instantly pierce his collarbone with a thin needle with thread attached, and the momentum has also lifted him up...

The snake slave clutched his shoulders and screamed in agony, but it did nothing to attract Chu Luren's attention.

At this moment, Chu Luren stared intently at the direction from which the flying needles came. He saw four figures in flowing white robes carrying a pale white-gold sedan chair, moving swiftly as they approached.

While the other snake slaves were still in shock, a gentle and soothing voice came from behind...

"In the eyes of White Camel Manor, how does this young master compare to Young Master Chu?"

Chapter 362 Be Careful of Your Bird

Chu Luren watched the spectacle with a silly grin—how could someone be so unlucky? He had just been trying to flatter Wuhen Gongzi by putting him down, and now he'd run into the very person in question?

The people of White Camel Manor have already bowed down in devotion...

"I was unaware of the presence of Young Master Wuhen, please forgive me!"

"Young Master Wuhen is extraordinary and refined; killing such a vulgar person as myself would dirty your hands..."

“My master, Ouyang, often mentions to us servants that whether in the Central Plains or the Western Regions, when it comes to the skill of hidden weapons, Young Master Wuhen is truly the best in the world.”

……

Several of them who could speak Chinese began to flatter the Young Master Wuhen.

Of course, Chu Luren wasn't just watching the show; he also became wary—it was highly likely that the appearance of the Unmarked Young Master was not a coincidence.

It wasn't for the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of White Camel Manor, but for the Chu Deer people!

As Shangguan Haitang's master, Wuhen Gongzi likely has a close relationship with the Dragon Guard Manor. Furthermore, Zhao Wushi's previous act of handing over the "Wuhen Heart Sutra" and "Wuhen Ten Explanations" to Chu Luren has provided Wuhen Gongzi with an excellent excuse to cause trouble.

Whether the Master of No Trace was actively seeking trouble or was acting on someone else's behalf, it is not surprising.

At this moment, Chu Luren also stared at "Young Master Wuhen". His true appearance was still not clear, but the white and gold sedan chair looked more like a palanquin. With the white and gold gauze curtains on all sides, one could vaguely see the figure inside, who seemed to be gently waving a paper fan...

really!

"Paper fan" is "young master", and "young master" is "paper fan". The paper fan is the key!

Actually, Chu Luren had some suspicions before, but since he already had a suona and a jar on his waist, hanging anything else would be too cumbersome, ruin the aesthetics, and easily leave a salty fish smell on the fan...