The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Xiao Guizi couldn't help but remind them, "Gentlemen... Daoist priests, it should be 'the capital,' not 'the whole capital.'"

For the Manchus, the capital was simply the capital, and the term "Manchu capital" was essentially a blatant expression of their dissatisfaction with the Manchu people, who were considered a foreign race.

The world is not yet unified. In other places, it's not a big deal to talk about it, but we're almost in the capital, so we have to be careful of being watched by all sides!

"I understand, I understand, lead the way quickly." Chu Luren said, putting on the Taoist robe from his bundle and tying his hair into a Taoist bun.

At this time, none of the four Chu Luren had shaved their heads, which made them quite conspicuous in Manchu territory, especially as they approached the capital—it was difficult to find a man in the capital who hadn't shaved his head!

Furthermore, those who refuse to shave their heads without a valid reason are prohibited from entering.

Taoist priests and Buddhist monks are among the few professions that can openly not shave their heads, and the hairstyles of Buddhist monks are already shaved to the extreme...

Of course, only Taoist priests and monks with Qing Dynasty ordination certificates had this privilege. Even in Beijing, Taoist priests who did not shave their heads were not very popular.

Especially with Qiao Feng's temperament and physique, wearing a Taoist robe, he looks even more like a Taoist bandit than Tianmen Daoren, the leader of the Taishan Sect!

but……

Chu Lu and his three companions did not come alone; they also had "Little Gui" as an inside agent!

Not only were the ordination certificates genuine, but the guards at the city gate were all acquaintances of Xiao Gui Zi. They were too busy currying favor with this favorite of the emperor. In addition, Xiao Gui Zi introduced them as "Taoist priests found for the emperor," and had even changed their address to "Taoist priests" beforehand. Naturally, they were allowed to enter without any hindrance.

Xiao Guizi didn't forget to leave some money for "brothers to drink tea"—people may be trying to curry favor with him, but he still had to get along well with these "kids" so that they would be easier to use in the future. It would be a fool to take advantage of their flattery for free!

"Little Guizi" understood this principle from a young age...

"It seems that Eunuch Gui is still a favorite of Emperor Kangxi?" Qiao Feng said with some dissatisfaction after avoiding the crowd.

Xiao Gui Zi had even tried to play the victim with him before!

Looking at it now, it seems he wasn't very comfortable being a "lackey."

Xiao Guizi probably had a prepared speech in mind, and immediately began to recount his pure friendship with the young emperor. This fellow's eloquence was somewhat reminiscent of Xiao Yu'er's, although he wasn't as natural as Xiao Yu'er. However, through various descriptions, he consistently created an image of Kangxi as a "bullied innocent white lotus" in the minds of his listeners.

He already had some understanding of Qiao Feng's personality, and knew that this would make Qiao Feng feel sympathy and less resistant.

but……

"You, a mere servant, don't feel sorry for yourself, but instead feel sorry for your master who lives a life of luxury?"

Xiao Guizi had clearly forgotten about Chu Luren!

“This… Although I am a servant, at least I can vent my emotions whenever I have a spare moment, whether I want to cry or laugh. But Xiao Xuanzi is oppressed by Ao Bai every day, and he also suffers from headaches from secretly relying on Ao Bai for civil and military affairs. He has no free time and can't do anything he wants. Behind his back, he is also cursed as a tyrant by people who don't know the truth…”

To get closer to him, Xiao Guizi even called him by the nickname "Xiao Xuanzi" in front of outsiders—he usually knew how to keep his distance and would never mention it to outsiders, but now there was a reason, so it was an exception.

As for feeling sorry for the young emperor... this "Little Gui Zi" is not really stupid, and he doesn't mean it sincerely. He just wants to see if he can fool Qiao Feng into thinking he's stupid.

"Third brother, who do you think is more pitiful, Zhuang Yuncheng or the young emperor?" Chu Luren asked Duan Yu, who was standing to the side.

Although Duan Yu was sentimental and had just felt some sympathy for the thirteen-year-old emperor after what Xiao Gui Zi said, when Chu Lu Ren asked him a question, his "great wisdom" mind naturally broke through the fog and said: "Mr. Zhuang was only writing history truthfully, yet his entire family was executed. Naturally, Mr. Zhuang's family is more pitiful."

The Qing Dynasty, a period of great political upheaval, also experienced the Zhuang family literary inquisition, but it occurred in Shanxi. Furthermore, because the Qing court itself was not yet stable and the country was not yet unified, it did not involve as many people as in previous historical cases; only the Zhuang and Zhu families were exterminated…

This matter was undoubtedly orchestrated by Ao Bai, and if the current circumstances were not unfavorable, Ao Bai could have used this opportunity to commit a tragedy that would affect the entire nation.

Kangxi was only nine years old that year. It might be true that it had nothing to do with him, but to compare Kangxi's misfortune with that of the Zhuang family is just nonsense...

Chapter 447 The Capital

Xiao Guizi was also helpless, because someone always caused trouble at crucial moments, which prevented him from gaining much sympathy for Xiao Xuanzi.

Fortunately, Qiao Feng genuinely wanted to eliminate Ao Bai—from the perspective of the Song people, whether Ao Bai lived or died should be viewed from two perspectives.

Whether a "Qing court with discord between the emperor and his ministers" or a "Qing court with a young emperor, a state in turmoil, and a collapsing pillar" was more beneficial to the Song court is a question that is difficult for anyone to answer at this time.

However... most people would definitely choose the latter, since no one would respect a thirteen-year-old kid, while Ao Bai is truly capable of fighting!

For the Han Chinese people within the Qing territory, however, this issue did not cause any hesitation or doubt—it was true that if Aobai died a day earlier, things would be slightly better, after all, he was the vanguard of the court who strongly advocated maintaining the attitude of a conqueror.

Moreover, with Ao Bai's downfall, it is obvious to the naked eye that the young emperor will inevitably overturn and rebuild Ao Bai's administrative program, and the previous strictness will be greatly reduced.

Qiao Feng is neither a Han Chinese nor can he accept his Manchu identity, but he can do things that benefit the people without hesitation.

Not to mention, he and Ao Bai have a long-standing feud!

After initially struggling with the decision, Qiao Feng realized that the only reason he hesitated and didn't want to eliminate Ao Bai was because he was worried that others would suspect that he had been colluding with the Qing court.

It was only after understanding this that Qiao Feng stopped worrying—how could a man refrain from doing what he should do because of the opinions of some petty and despicable people?

For the people of Chulu, Ao Bai was naturally a worthy enemy to be killed. Even the Song court thought so. Duan Tianya had previously been in contact with Xiao Guizi, and according to Xiao Guizi, Duan Tianya was in the capital at that time.

This was somewhat unexpected for Chu Luren—he originally thought that, given the Marquis's cunning and shrewdness, he would be eager to keep Ao Bai alive so that he could kill more Han people and fight with the young emperor more every day!

On the one hand, this exacerbated the discontent among the northerners, and on the other hand, it weakened the Qing court's power...

Now it seems that the Marquis of Shenhou did not think that way?

Was his vision too narrow, or did he have ulterior motives? In any case, Chu Luren believed that the Marquis's purpose was definitely not as simple as his brother's.

As for whether Kangxi would become dissolute after Ao Bai's death?

Chu Luren isn't worried about that for now, after all, in the vast world of martial arts, the foundations of all the countries are what they are—none of them are very strong!

If it were enough to rely solely on the wisdom and prowess of an emperor, then Kublai Khan, after ruling the Mongol Yuan dynasty for so long, would have already swept across the world...

Moreover, Kangxi's advantage lies more in his long reign, while Chu Luren is least afraid of being delayed.

It's true that martial arts masters are no match for the imperial army, but...

After Master Zhang knocked on the Heavenly Gate, Chu Luren clearly felt that it was much easier to comprehend "momentum". It is likely that many masters who are stuck at the bottleneck will gradually make further progress.

Moreover, this is only the first Heavenly Gate that has been opened. There are still four more Heavenly Gates waiting: Heart, Body, Qi, Technique, and Power. It is hard to say what the situation will be when all five Heavenly Gates are broken!

Even the Chu Lu people felt...

Once one cultivates one's mind, body, energy, skills, and momentum to the threshold of the Heavenly Gate, one can shake the established conclusion that "individual bravery cannot contend with an army."

Putting aside other things, if Gu Santong knew the Three-Part Returning Qi or cultivated the Yihua Palace's "Mingyu Gong" to the ninth level, then after transforming, his infinite internal energy would be enough to ignore swords, spears, arrows, and stones and fight his way in and out of the army, right?

Instead of worrying about the thirteen-year-old Qing emperor, Chu Luren was more concerned about his own Divine Marquis...

According to Gu Santong, Zhao Wushi's power could never be perfected and he could never knock on the Heavenly Gate because of the flaws in the "Absorption Technique"... But Chu Luren forgot to ask one more question - after others knock on the Heavenly Gate, could he break through?

"Reverends, please rest at this inn for now! I will come again tomorrow to invite you to the palace to perform the ritual." Xiao Guizi led the four to the inn.

As for why the Taoist priest, who was invited by the young emperor, could only stay at an inn, that's a different story.

Chu Luren didn't ask; if he did, he'd just start playing the victim again!

Fortunately, the inn has been booked out, and there are no outsiders inside except for Qiao Feng and his group, as well as experts from Wudang, Southern Shaolin, and other sects who arrived earlier, and even... people from the Song court!

When Chu Luren saw Duan Tianya, he felt even more strange—what on earth was Shenhou up to? Why not just sit back and watch the show while the dogs fight?

Why did they specifically send someone to get involved?

What if Ao Bai doesn't fall, or the young emperor tries to make someone else take the blame?

Although Duan Tianya is nominally a "well-known secret agent" and his official identity can be denied at any time, wouldn't he feel heartbroken to lose a capable adopted son for no reason?

When the four entered the backyard of the inn, they found a group of people already discussing something. Upon seeing the four, many people showed expressions of surprise.

"Qiao... so the great hero really has come? I hope we can work together again this time!"

"Young Master Murong, we meet again."

"Amitabha, it's been a long time since I last met you, Benefactor Chu. I haven't yet thanked you for your help with the matter at Emei."

"And this gentleman is..."

Qiao Feng and Murong Jiu had traveled in the north before and had many "friends" on the surface, so it's not surprising that they were recognized.

In contrast, Chu Luren rarely traveled within the Qing court's territory. At this time, he was wearing a Taoist robe and had put away his suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument). People who had never seen him before would not recognize him.

However, the number of experts present was small, but their quality was very high, so Chu Luren did recognize a few of them, and they all recognized him!

As for Duan Yu... he spent his days traveling and enjoying the scenery, and was not well-known in the martial arts world.

"I never expected that Hero Chu would also come to lend a hand. He truly deserves to be called a 'hero among heroes and a pillar of the martial world'!" Duan Tianya didn't know if it was sarcasm or not, but while greeting Chu Luren, he also reminded the others of his identity.

As for Duan Yu...

Duan Tianya could now recognize the prince of Dali, but he didn't want to call him out directly.

Although Dali and the Qing Dynasty are not adjacent, and there is nothing to fear, and Dali has offended the Qing Dynasty for more than just this one thing, Dali is still an ally of the Song Dynasty. If Duan Yu doesn't introduce himself, Duan Tianya won't cause any trouble.

"Chu Taisui? I've heard so much about you. I am Liu Chengfeng, one of the few true Taoists here." A Taoist with a long beard responded and greeted Chu Luren.

"So you are the great hero Liu, known as the 'Gentle Cloud Sword'. I have long admired you," Chu Luren replied in return.

Liu Chengfeng, the third of the Four Wonders of the South, is the sworn brother of Shui Dai, the "Cold Moon Sword". He is also known as the "Gentle Cloud Sword". Both of them are from Wudang. Although Liu Chengfeng did not enter the true lineage of Wudang because he already had skills when he joined the sect, he was not a lay disciple. His swordsmanship was even more advanced than Shui Dai's.

Clearly, the one representing Wudang here is this Master Liu; Mo Shenggu and Yin Liting are not present.

Similarly, those from the Southern Shaolin Temple were not high-ranking monks of the Xuan generation, but three lay disciples who appeared to possess superb external martial arts skills—and they were all bald, perhaps having recently left the secular world.

Besides Wudang and Southern Shaolin, there were also several other masters from major sects, some of whom were not affiliated with the Qing court, some were highly skilled lone wolves, and some were genuinely siding with the young emperor and were preparing to take a gamble...

Chapter 448 I Will Uphold Justice

In this small inn, Chu Luren saw several familiar faces besides Duan Tianya. Even if he didn't recognize the others, he was at least familiar with their origins...

For example, the Venerable Shenshan of Qingliang Temple on Mount Wutai actually came in person—combined with the plot in the original work where Emperor Shunzhi became a monk and lived in seclusion at Qingliang Temple, Chu Luren became increasingly suspicious that this Venerable Shenshan was secretly a staunch supporter of the Qing Emperor!

For example, Qiu Qianren, the eldest disciple of the Iron Palm Clan... Although Qiu Qianren didn't come in person, he sent a capable disciple. Considering Qiu Qianzhang's elaborate scheme at Guiyun Manor, Chu Luren also felt that they had ulterior motives...

For example, Yu Zhenzi, a disgraced disciple of the Iron Sword Sect and Wu Sangui's retainer—this shameless scoundrel—had a strange look in his eyes when he saw Chu Luren, and Chu Luren glared at him fiercely.

For example, two of the Five Elders of Kongtong arrived—others only thought that the Kongtong Sect truly lived up to its reputation as a prestigious sect, being responsible and righteous. However, Chu Luren thought that Hai Dafu, the old eunuch loyal to Emperor Shunzhi in the original work, was secretly from the Kongtong Sect! Could there be something going on...?

……

Chu Luren could also see that the people who came here either had a very pure purpose and had little to do with the Qing court, but came to kill Ao Bai; or they were people like Shen Shan who seemed to be siding with the young emperor; or they were people like the Iron Palm Gang and Yu Zhenzi who had other purposes.

There was no openly anti-Qing faction, otherwise even the young emperor wouldn't trust them.

Of course, there are also a few lone wolves who are not afraid of death in their pursuit of fame!

On the way, Chu Luren heard from Xiao Guizi that the young emperor had previously recruited several lone wolves to join forces with Suksaha's trusted assassins, intending to ambush and kill Ao Bai during the autumn hunt.

The result was, of course, failure; otherwise, none of this would have happened...

Besides Qiao Feng, Chu Luren, Murong Jiu, and Duan Yu, there were only seventeen people present—the weakest of whom could exchange dozens of blows with Yue Buqun.