The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Besides symbolizing that he was only representing himself in seeking revenge against Yu Canghai and had nothing to do with the Huashan Sect, it was also because things were indeed not peaceful when he was in Fuzhou before.

After Chu Luren left Fuzhou, Yue Buqun arrived in Fuzhou, and then the situation became chaotic.

First, someone from the Songshan Sect was killed. Then, the injured Linghu Chong was discovered and became the prime suspect. When Yue Buqun was about to purge the sect, Ning Zhongze intervened and strongly reprimanded Linghu Chong, telling him that "running away when beaten" was the proper way to show filial piety, allowing him to escape...

Then Lin Pingzhi set a trap, "handing over" the Evil-Repelling Kasaya to Lao Denuo, and a conflict broke out between Yue Buqun and his daughter. In the end, Lao Denuo disappeared. Yue Buqun promised the Songshan Sect that he would definitely bring Linghu Chong to the Five Mountains Assembly next year, whether he was dead or alive!

When Lin Pingzhi told Chu Luren about it, he seemed a little dazed, because he was not sure whether the Evil-Repelling Kasaya had been sent back to Songshan by Laodenuo.

He felt his plan was quite ingenious: first, he pretended to be a great castrator in front of Laudenau, and then he feigned an accident, claiming his robe had been stolen...

However, after Laudenau entered Lin Pingzhi's room that day, Yue Buqun happened to come looking for him as well, and the two bumped into each other. Moreover... when the two left, Lin Pingzhi did not notice any sign that anyone was wearing a cassock.

However, the cassock he had left on his bed was indeed gone.

Logically, Laudenau went in first, so... Laudenau must have taken it with him, right?

Afterwards, Lin Pingzhi bid farewell to his friends at Zhenyuan Escort Agency and Yue Lingshan, and came to Sichuan alone. Yue Lingshan was forbidden from leaving by Yue Buqun because of a conflict with him or because it was related to Lin Pingzhi. Lin Pingzhi also did not want Yue Lingshan to get involved in his revenge.

As for the former, he had already completed the escort mission of the coffin, but recently he had negotiated a bigger deal, helping someone deliver a batch of goods to the Qing court, so this was just a side trip on his way back...

"Forget it, it's already been given away anyway. Whoever is lucky enough to get it... let fate decide!" Chu Luren said, trying to comfort Lin Pingzhi when he saw his distressed expression.

Then they got down to business. Chu Luren asked seriously, "Are you ready to go to Qingcheng Sect for revenge? If it's just a one-on-one fight with Yu Canghai, I won't interfere!"

"Brother Chu, rest assured! Since I have come here for revenge, I will naturally avenge this great grudge with my own hands! Brother Chu, you only need to help me deter the other hypocrites," Lin Pingzhi said firmly.

“Alright, then write the challenge and send it directly to Qingcheng. Yu Canghai will definitely have no face to refuse it. As for others... we won't let them affect your duel,” Chu Luren said confidently.

Sending a formal invitation would save a lot of trouble. Yu Canghai would definitely not back down, and once he himself agreed to the duel, no one could persuade him otherwise without getting past Chu Luren's objection!

Lin Pingzhi originally wanted to arrange the meeting for the next morning, and Chu Luren even suspected that if he hadn't arrived in Chengdu in the afternoon, he probably would have wanted to arrange it for the evening directly.

Despite Chu Luren's advice and dissuasion, Lin Pingzhi decided to reschedule for seven days later—the sixth day of the sixth lunar month…

Chapter 423 Going to Qingcheng

Yu Canghai received a challenge from Lin Pingzhi, which aroused great anger among the Qingcheng Sect members.

Just as Chu Luren had predicted, Yu Canghai was absolutely not going to back down at this point. Instead, he made a big show of inviting many martial arts practitioners from Sichuan who were able to arrive in time to witness the event on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month.

In Yu Canghai's view, Lin Pingzhi was easy to deal with, but if Chu Taisui were to shamelessly attack after defeating Lin Pingzhi, things would likely not end well.

Although Yu Canghai had fought Chu Luren to a standstill back then, now that Chu Luren's reputation has grown, especially since Yu Canghai has other sources of information, he knows that he is no longer a match for Chu Taisui. In fact, if the other party is determined, he may have a hard time protecting himself in the Qingcheng Sect!

Therefore, Yu Canghai invited like-minded people to come to the Qingcheng Sect to witness this—there was a challenge, and if Chu Luren forced his way in, he would surely be despised.

Chu Luren didn't care about the comings and goings of the Qingcheng Sect. The only thing that mattered to him was that early on the morning of the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, he heard that Abbess Miejue had also arrived in Qingcheng!

Lin Pingzhi was somewhat worried after hearing this, after all, Abbess Miejue's reputation was much greater than Yue Buqun's, and her status in the righteous path was comparable to Zuo Lengchan's... especially in Sichuan.

In addition, Hua Wuque was also invited to Qingcheng, but Chu Luren didn't take it to heart—in his opinion, Hua Wuque just wanted to give Xiaoyuer some time to escape, so he accepted the invitation.

As for Nan Murong... although she was also in Chengdu Prefecture, because of Chu Luren, the Qingcheng Sect pretended not to see her. However, Chu Luren did not ask her to go to Qingcheng with him, since this matter had nothing to do with Murong Jiu.

Murong Jiu definitely didn't want to do something that would offend so many people!

"Take good care of Wanqing and Azi for me..." Chu Luren instructed Murong Jiu early in the morning.

As for the task of taking care of Murong Jiu, Chu Luren had already entrusted it to Mu Wanqing last night!

“They can take care of themselves, so I’ll go too,” Murong Jiu said expressionlessly.

"Huh? The Qingcheng Sect didn't invite you, did they?" Chu Luren was taken aback upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Murong Jiu glared at him fiercely before saying, "I mean... I'll go with you!"

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Luren guessed, "You've already given up on the reputation of the Sichuan martial arts world? But actually, it's not necessary. Even if the old nun Miejue dares to cause trouble, I can completely control the situation."

Regardless of how despicable Yu Canghai's actions at the Fuwei Escort Agency were, he was indeed a highly respected and upright figure in Sichuan. If he were to support Lin Pingzhi now, and Lin Pingzhi were to actually kill Yu Canghai, Lin Pingzhi's reputation in Sichuan would certainly suffer a significant decline.

Chu Luren didn't care, after all, he was a "heroic warrior, a pillar of the martial world," upright and honest...

But Murong Jiu shouldn't be indifferent, right?

"I... then I'll go help Yu Canghai, okay? Humph!" Murong Jiu said angrily.

"No, no, no, help me, help me!" Chu Luren hurriedly pleaded.

Lin Pingzhi stood to the side, completely bewildered—it hadn't been this obvious back in Fuzhou… This “Southern Murong” just seemed a bit strange.

Around noon, Chu Luren and his group appeared at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain. Along the way, they could see Qingcheng disciples glaring at them, with one every ten steps or so, as if they were lining the road to "welcome" them.

However, the three were completely unaffected and walked step by step to the gate of the Qingcheng Sect. At this time, many leaders of major sects in Sichuan and veterans of the martial arts world were already there to greet them.

"Lord Chu is really hard to invite. I can't leave today, but I must attend the banquet later."

"Indeed, Master Chu has been away from Sichuan for a long time. It's not easy for him to come all this way. If we don't treat him well, wouldn't the martial arts world of Sichuan be ridiculed?"

"Young Master Murong, do you still remember your old friend? Hahaha."

"Back in Emei... cough cough, my good-for-nothing nephew, it was all thanks to the chivalrous Chu who stepped in to help."

The old folks were all well aware of the principle of "not hitting a smiling face," but the two of them not only ignored Chu Luren but also showed a hint of dislike on their faces.

One of them was Abbess Miejue, and the other was a middle-aged man whom Chu Luren did not recognize, but judging from his hands, he was likely a member of the Tang Clan. After mastering the "Traceless Heart Sutra," Chu Luren was also very sensitive to the hands that launched hidden weapons.

Although Chu Luren thought he had saved Emei, the old nun Miejue was clearly not grateful. And the Tang Clan... the "murderer" who was killed by Chu Luren before was from the Tang Clan!

Later, Murong Jiu also revealed the man's identity and, under the guise of exchanging pleasantries, reminded Chu Luren that it was none other than Tang Yun, the Grand Steward of the Tang Clan!

The head of the Tang Clan is the "Grandma" of each generation. However, the Grandma of each generation rarely sees outsiders. This generation of Grandma seems to be quite old and has little presence. It has always been the Grand Steward who makes the decisions outside.

Of course, neither Extinction nor Tang Yun openly showed any hostility towards the Chu Lu people.

Firstly, everyone says that Chu Luren revealed the conspiracy behind the Emei treasure, and at most, the cloth he took later is suspicious. If Abbess Miejue were to investigate even Chu Luren, what about the others? This would incur public wrath...

Secondly, Tang Chuan was killed by Chu Luren's finger force because he dared to disturb the coffin of the Emei patriarch. If Tang Yun dares to bring this up, Miejue will be the first to fight him to the death!

Chu Luren and Murong Jiu had already agreed that upon their arrival, they would "first be courteous, then resort to force"—Murong Jiu was in charge of "first being courteous."

"Alright! This time, Brother Lin has come to avenge his parents. Any old farewells or new friends can wait until after we've killed Yu Canghai!" Chu Luren rudely interrupted Murong Jiu's "first courtesy."

Murong Jiu glanced at him helplessly, then looked like she had no other choice.

Extinction spoke for the first time: "Hmph! The Qingcheng Sect is a major righteous sect in Sichuan, and Sect Leader Yu is also a highly skilled righteous person. Does Chu Taisui think he can kill whomever he wants just because he has been granted an imperial title by the court?"

Lin Pingzhi then stepped forward: "Abbess Miejue! You said Yu Canghai is the leader of the righteous path in Shu. Could it be that his killing of my entire family is the work of the righteous path in Shu?"

The others pretended not to see or hear anything, and they didn't want to take the blame or make any deadly enemies for Yu Canghai's sake.

However, Miejue lost face immediately after being challenged by a young man: "Absurd! I have already verified that you killed Sect Leader Yu's beloved son first, which led to the death of your entire family!"

Mentioning this matter, Lin Pingzhi became even more indignant: "That Yu Renyan molested a woman in Fuzhou. I stepped forward to fight him with a sword. He was not skilled enough. What did I do wrong?"

That's absolutely right. If it were the government, there would be a saying that the crime didn't warrant death or that it was manslaughter. But in the martial arts world, if you molested a woman and were killed by someone with a sword, then you can only blame yourself for your bad character and your poor martial arts skills!

Before Extinction could speak, someone else said, "That's right! To actually harass a woman? Alas, if I had seen it, I would have rid the women of the world of this scourge... I never imagined it would all start with this. If only I had known..."

That's right, it was Hua Wuque, who was now looking indignant, as if to say, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have accepted the invitation."

Chapter 424 Hua Wuque: I have something to say!

When people talked about the massacre of the Fuwei Escort Agency or that Yu Canghai was a righteous master, Hua Wuque was unmoved, dismissing it as just another foolish commotion in the martial arts world. But when they started talking about Yu Renyan's scandalous affair with a woman, Hua Wuque immediately perked up...

The scene became somewhat awkward, and many people secretly resented Miejue: Why did you bring this up when the people from Yihua Palace are here?

Upon seeing the trio again, Miejue couldn't help but recall the disturbance of the ancestral tomb, which fueled her anger. She roared, "If Sect Leader Yu is to be retaliated against, does that mean I deserve to be retaliated against for killing so many members of the Demonic Sect?"

In Extinction's view, how can killing someone for the sake of righteousness be considered evil? Even killing someone for the sake of righteousness will be met with retribution... How can such a morally corrupt thing happen!

Chu Luren looked at her in surprise upon hearing this, and said strangely, "So, Abbess Miejue's grudge against the Ming Cult is also because of the secret manual? I thought it was because Gu Hongzi, who was 'very close' to you back then, died of anger after being outmatched by Yang Xiao in a martial arts contest, and that's why you've always held a grudge..."

"You!" When Miejue heard Chu Luren mention Gu Hongzi, she was first taken aback, clearly not expecting this at all. Then, she was so angry that her vision blurred, as if a sun had appeared in front of her.

For so many years, no one dared to mention this matter in front of her, and no one dared to question why she was targeting the Ming Cult...

Even in the chronicles of major events in the martial arts world, the section on "Yang Xiao's Battle Against Gu Hongzi" was deleted only after Extinction threatened and yielded to practical interests.

Back then, Miejue and her senior brother Gu Hongzi were "very close friends". Gu Hongzi was young and impetuous, so he borrowed the Heaven Sword from Miejue and went to fight Yang Xiao, who was very famous at the time.

Yang Xiao is not only young, but also... has a temperament that easily offends people, as you can tell from Huang Yaoshi's attitude towards him!

However, Yang Xiao became the Left Envoy of the Ming Cult at a young age and even defeated Huang Yaoshi. He can be regarded as a model of early success in the martial arts world before the rise of Chu Luren.

Even with the Heaven-Slaying Sword in hand, Gu Hongzi was still no match for Yang Xiao. After being knocked to the ground and having the Heaven-Slaying Sword taken from him, he was then subjected to Yang Xiao's favorite trash talk segment.

Yang Xiao not only mocked Gu Hongzi, but also the Heaven-Slaying Sword. Afterward, he threw the sword back to Gu Hongzi, as if he disdained to take it.

Afterwards, Gu Hongzi became increasingly angry and resentful, and died on his way back to Emei to return the sword. As a result, the Yitian Sword remained in the hands of the government for a period of time before being recovered by Miejue...

Logically speaking, Gu Hongzi's death was indeed Yang Xiao's fault. This guy always liked to spout trash talk after winning when he was young!

Ultimately, it was Gu Hongzi who challenged Yang Xiao, and Yang Xiao didn't take the Heaven Sword. Apart from trash talk, he handled the matter fairly well. It's just that Gu Hongzi's mental fortitude was too poor.

This is why Miejue came to hate the Ming Cult...

However, no one usually dares to talk about this, after all... Gu Hongzi, judging from his Taoist name, is a Taoist priest. To exterminate a nun and to be so "unwavering" in taking revenge on the Ming Cult for the sake of a Taoist senior brother, this is really not a good thing to hear!

But the Chu Lu people didn't care about all that—if you, the Extinction People, don't know how to be polite, then I'll say whatever I want.

“Brother Chu, what you said is wrong!” A young voice angrily interrupted Chu Luren.

When Chu Luren saw that it was Hua Wuque, he immediately... felt that he would say something even more unpleasant.

really……

"Although it is indeed Daoist Gu Hongzi's fault that he was so infatuated with Abbess Miejue, he was so preoccupied with winning or losing that he abandoned her and passed away... But no matter what, Brother Chu should not blame such a pitiful person as Abbess Miejue for this!" Hua Wuque said righteously.

"You...you make a good point." Chu Luren also understood. Hua Wuque was already like this, so why couldn't he just go along with him?

"You, you, you all..." Miejue felt as if two suns had appeared before her eyes.

At the same time, the Heaven-Slaying Sword in Miejue's hand was already trembling wildly in its scabbard, and it looked like it was about to be unsheathed by the surge of sword energy.

Behind Miejue were three lay followers, three Buddhist followers, and six disciples, all of whom gripped their sword hilts—but Chu Luren did not see Zhou Zhiruo.

After leaving Emei, Chu Luren reflected on whether handing the handkerchief to Zhou Zhiruo was rash...

Given his ruthless nature, would he really put the handkerchief back?

Thinking back to Zhou Zhiruo's resolute expression at the time, Chu Luren was also a little worried that this might harm her. Now that she was not here, he wondered whether Zhou Zhiruo was being punished for this or whether she did not come with Miejue in order to have the opportunity to go to the mausoleum alone.

When they were besieging everyone in the mausoleum, Zhou Zhiruo was always by Miejue's side. She should have been highly valued. There's no reason why she's not with them now.