The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Knowing that Chu Luren was inquiring about Ao Bai's martial arts skills, Wei Xiaobao told Chu Luren about some of the information he had gathered.

The most important of these was that the concubines that Ao Bai seized after entering the pass were all young virgins, and... the sons were not his own.

If Ao Bai doesn't have some kind of congenital problem, then he must have practiced some special martial arts!

However, Ao Bai heard it differently, thinking that the emperor had distributed his wives and concubines to the Han people who were besieging him.

“Look at you, you’re doing something wrong. Aren’t the Jurchens a fishing and hunting people? Hunting dogs are your good friends, so why are you using ‘dog’ as a vulgar word when cursing people like the Han people?” Chu Luren corrected Ao Bai’s behavior of abandoning his ethnic culture.

"I'll kill you! I will definitely kill you, and then kill your elder brother and the young emperor." Ao Bai was almost driven mad with rage.

"Tsk tsk, it's because you're so irritable that the young emperor thinks you, a man without an heir, are going to rebel." Chu Luren clicked his tongue.

This is somewhat like killing someone by attacking their spirit. After all, Ao Bai was merely abusing his power, which is different from rebelling. However, what Chu Luren said made it seem as if he deserved to be wronged.

Of course, from the perspective of the Han people, he certainly "deserved" it.

"Ah!" Ao Bai shouted angrily, but unfortunately, he was now silenced by a pressure point, so he had no deterrent effect.

"Alright, Junior Guardian Ao, let me ask you a question on behalf of the Emperor: are you missing something from the two scriptures in your house?" Chu Luren finally got to the point.

"Scriptures? Hahaha... So you wanted to find the Manchu dragon vein? Dog... This little emperor, worse than a pig or a dog, would make you come to ask me? Hahaha... I didn't expect that this secret would actually be known by you, a Han Chinese? Very good, very good..." Ao Bai immediately saw through Chu Luren's insincere lies.

"Would Young Master Ao be willing to explain what this is all about?"

As Chu Luren spoke, he took out the blade of grass...

Chapter 470 Heaven and Earth Society

"Hahaha... Dig! Dig! Dig it off! So that this emperor, who is worse than a pig or a dog, will never be an emperor again, his descendants! Hahaha!" Amidst Ao Bai's loud laughter, Chu Luren left the prison cell.

"Grand Duke Jupiter, have you finished your business?" Wei Xiaobao asked respectfully, with a hint of curiosity.

He only heard Ao Bai's voice coming from inside when Chu Luren came out. Although he didn't know what he was talking about, hearing "never to be emperor again" sent a chill down his spine...

Wei Xiaobao, who grew up in a brothel, is mercenary and profit-driven. He has no concept of "loyalty" to either the Qing court or the previous dynasty, but he values ​​"righteousness" very much—not in any grand sense of justice or righteousness, but simply in his personal sense of justice.

Although there is a distinction between ruler and subject, under Hai Dafu's tutelage, Wei Xiaobao has come to understand that "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger," but deep down he still remembers that "Xiao Xuanzi" is his friend.

The thought that his favoritism might jeopardize Xiao Xuanzi's throne naturally made Wei Xiaobao nervous.

However, Chu Luren clearly had no intention of explaining, and even... made no attempt to win over Wei Xiaobao or help him in any way.

Actually, Wei Xiaobao did try to eavesdrop, but even when he stood in front of the door, he couldn't hear any voices inside.

Guihai Yidao had even better hearing, but after he calmed his mind, all he could hear was the sound of sword energy cutting through the air, as if someone had used the Heartless Slash to cut out from inside. Instinctively, he took a small step back—and immediately realized that Chu Luren was using sonic manipulation to interfere, so he did not continue trying.

"Brother Dao, then... please go ahead." Wei Xiaobao said, inviting Guihai Yidao inside.

Just as Guihai Yidao stepped inside and was about to close the door, Chu Luren secretly used a finger to knock on the iron door, preventing it from closing.

Gui Haiyi glanced at Chu Luren, but Chu Luren ignored him and offered no explanation, as if he wasn't the one who had secretly pointed the finger at him just now!

Guihai Yidao stared at Chu Luren for a while, then said nothing and didn't close the door again...

Indeed, Guihai Yidao had just been thinking that once he entered, he would interrogate Ao Bai about what Chu Luren had asked him, and besides... Guihai Yidao himself didn't intend to kill Ao Bai!

However, Chu Luren had already given a subtle warning, so Guihai Yidao had no choice but to abandon his previous objective.

Wei Xiaobao, oblivious to the tension between the two, was still anxiously trying to figure out how to get Chu Luren to talk when Chu Luren suddenly spoke up: "Your name is Wei Xiaobao?"

Chu Luren had heard Guihai Yidao call him that before...

"Ah...ah! Yes, I was actually kidnapped into the palace by that Hai Dafu. Actually...I wasn't a eunuch at all, nor was I their servant! But this matter is a matter of life and death, so I kept it from you, Your Majesty!" Wei Xiaobao said through gritted teeth.

Chu Luren looked at him with some surprise, thinking to himself: Is it really necessary to tell me that you're not a real eunuch?

And...did you have a fight with Xiao Xuanzi? Why do you look so unhappy?

Chu Luren quickly realized that this rascal had probably heard Ao Bai's last few words and was worried that he might be a threat to the young emperor, so... he wanted to lure him in and win him over so he could get information out of him.

Chu Luren ignored him and simply said casually, "Oh, then you'd better run away as soon as possible."

Wei Xiaobao was taken aback by Chu Luren's coldness, but he was at a loss for what to do at the moment.

In fact, Chu Luren had already cured him of the poison before dawn, without using it to threaten him, which moved Wei Xiaobao somewhat—of course, he also understood that this was less a matter of trust and more a matter of the Red and White Tai Sui's confidence in his own strength!

Meanwhile, sounds of fighting could be heard from inside the cell...

Logically speaking, when Ao Bai was still in full power, Gui Hai Yi Dao was no match for him. But now Ao Bai only has 30% of his strength and is locked up. It shouldn't be difficult for Gui Hai Yi Dao to kill him. However, Ao Bai is not entirely without the ability to fight back.

But just then, Chu Luren suddenly heard something and turned to look in the direction of the entrance.

Just as Wei Xiaobao was about to ask a question, he heard the sound of the door being broken down and several screams rang out—a dozen or so men in black, of different builds and armed with different weapons, had killed the guards outside and forced their way in.

Just as he was about to kill the eunuch and the guard and force his way into the cell, Chu Luren snorted coldly, spread his arms to block, and at the same time, his Dragon Turtle Force surged forth like a giant wave, rushing towards him at a wide angle...

Because the force of the palm strike was dispersed, no one was seriously injured. However, more than a dozen martial arts experts were all pushed backward by the force of the palm strike, and the weaker ones fell backward and rolled over.

"What kind of people are you all from? Don't you even need to say hello before you start messing with each other?" Chu Luren asked coldly.

Only then did everyone realize that although this person was dressed as a guard, he had not shaved his head, and even... his hair was slightly reddish!

"So it's Chu Taisui? Do you still remember me, Feng?" Feng Jizhong asked at this moment.

"Oh? So it's the Heaven and Earth Society... Are they trying to rescue Ao Bai?" Chu Luren said sarcastically.

"Lord Chu is joking. This scoundrel Ao Bai killed our Qingmu Hall's Master Yin. We have come here to seek revenge, and we hope Lord Chu will grant us this favor!" Another masked man in black, who was vaguely seen as the leader, stepped forward and said.

At the same time, they also heard the sounds of fighting coming from inside the cell.

"Oh, I just came to ask Ao Bai something. There's someone among them who has a grudge against Ao Bai. As long as you don't release the Ao Bai we captured, I won't interfere. If you just want to take advantage of the situation and kill the Ao Bai we captured, I'll just pretend I didn't see it," Chu Luren said kindly.

The other party felt a pang of resentment upon hearing this, but they also knew how to refute it—indeed, this move smacked of taking advantage of others…

Moreover, it's one thing to take advantage of the Qing court's internal strife, but Ao Bai was captured by other martial arts practitioners, so taking advantage of him seems rather dishonest.

However, the leader of the Qingmu Hall, Yin, was killed by Ao Bai. All the brothers in the hall were holding their breath and even made a vow in front of Yin's memorial tablet that whoever killed Ao Bai would become the leader of the Qingmu Hall!

So even if it's a bit underhanded, they still have to come...

This also shows that there was a lack of unity within the Heaven and Earth Society. The Heaven and Earth Society was supposedly an anti-Qing organization established by Chen Jinnan, a subordinate of Prince Zheng. The five inner halls were all staff members of Prince Zheng's family who served as incense masters and organized small groups of righteous armies in various places, while the five outer halls were mainly responsible for recruiting heroes from all walks of life.

But if we really have to follow the rules, then the heads of the five outer halls must be appointed by Chen Jinnan from the Prince Zheng's residence.

However, in reality, the martial arts figures of the Outer Five Halls are naturally much more ambitious than ordinary family retainers. They usually recommend their own leaders, and Chen Jinnan does not object.

This time, Aoki-do went even further and set the rules themselves first...

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Chu. My Heaven and Earth Society's Green Wood Hall will remember this favor!" The leader bowed to Chu Luren, then gave a wink and led his brothers into the prison cell.

Naturally, no one paid much attention to the little eunuch hiding behind Chu Luren...

Chapter 471 Battle in the Prison

"Ah! What are you doing?"

"He's one of Ao Bai's men!"

"Hmph, it's all your fault for causing trouble!"

"You bastard, it's clearly you..."

"Brother Xu, don't argue with him, killing Ao Bai is the priority!"

……

Not long after the members of the Heaven and Earth Society entered, chaos broke out in the cell, and... Chu Luren heard the sound of chains breaking!

That's not surprising. Chu Luren was already certain that Guihai Yidao couldn't have come for revenge, and his goal was unlikely to be killing Ao Bai. If Shenhou, that simpleton, not only thought that Ao Bai's death was the worst thing for the Qing court, but also... couldn't even see that the young emperor would definitely kill Ao Bai, and actually sent two secret agents to ensure that Ao Bai was killed, then Chu Luren really had to doubt his intelligence.

Chu Luren knew that Shenhou was only good at seizing power and fighting among himself, but completely incompetent in governing. After all, in the original work, he had the bizarre operation of using "evidence" to control the border generals. However, Chu Luren didn't quite believe that he was that stupid!

As expected, Guihai Yidao had other purposes. Just now, it must have been his "Heartless Slash" that severed the iron chains binding Ao Bai.

As for the others...

Chu Luren wasn't targeting anyone in particular, but he felt that there wasn't a single person in the Qingmu Hall who could break the chains!

Wei Xiaobao nervously tried to peek inside, but Chu Luren grabbed him and pulled him aside to hide.

Before he could ask anything, another group of people rushed in. This time, Wei Xiaobao recognized them—remnants of the Black Hawk team! They hadn't even changed their clothes…

"Grandpa Tai Sui, Grandpa Tai Sui, it's the Black Hawk Team! The leader is Tie Hu, Ao Bai's confidant. They must be here to save Ao Bai!" Wei Xiaobao whispered hurriedly.

The Black Hawk team members, clearly not paying attention to their surroundings, rushed straight into the cell.

"Don't worry, the Heaven and Earth Society members, and a guy surnamed Dao, are inside. It won't be easy for them to rescue people." Chu Luren looked like he was about to watch the show.

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiaobao became anxious and also looked at Chu Luren strangely—you really didn't realize that this guy, let's just assume he's surnamed Dao, isn't here to kill Ao Bai at all?

Thinking that Ao Bai might escape, Wei Xiaobao couldn't sit still anymore. After all, if Ao Bai escaped, the first person he wouldn't let go of would be Xiao Xuanzi, and the second would be him, Wei Xiaobao!

Not to mention their past conflicts, Ao Bai had actually seen the two of them in the Imperial Household Department's storeroom...

"Your Excellency, please wait a moment, I'll go in and take a look!" Seeing that Chu Luren was just watching the show, Wei Xiaobao gritted his teeth, pulled out his dagger, and quietly went inside.

Chu Luren wasn't in a hurry, that's for sure. Even if Ao Bai were rescued by his confidants, at most the Bordered Yellow Banner would rebel...

The children of the Plain White Banner had been bullied for a long time, and now they were all simmering with resentment. If they had a chance to beat up the Bordered Yellow Banner, they would definitely pounce on them!

If the Plain White Banner were to quell the rebellion, they might have a chance to control the entire capital in one fell swoop...

Can the act of serving the emperor be considered a rebellion?

Even if things didn't go so smoothly, Chu Luren wasn't worried about anything—Ao Bai's target for revenge was definitely not the martial arts practitioners who besieged him.

Of course, the Chu people wouldn't actively help Ao Bai escape. Firstly, it might not be that easy, and secondly... if a civil war really broke out, it would definitely be the common people who suffered.

Removing Ao Bai was an act of righteousness, which didn't require much consideration, but letting Ao Bai out would incite a civil war, and that's a bit of a convoluted logic...

Although it might hasten the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, Chu Luren was, after all, just an ordinary江湖人士 (jianghu person, a person who walks the martial arts world), and he did not feel that he had the right to decide whether the people should suffer a long or short time. He was not an ambitious person and would not really gamble with the sacrifice of the Qing Dynasty and its people.

But watching the fun is still an option!

If the Black Hawks really rescue Ao Bai, then it will have nothing to do with the Chu Lu people.

A chaotic fight broke out in the cell. The still-weak Ao Bai was fighting with the Black Hawk Gang, the Heaven and Earth Society, and Gui Hai Yi Dao, the most skilled martial artist, was fighting with his own group...

At the same time, the Kang Prince's residence had also reacted. There was a commotion of footsteps outside, indicating that countless guards and even soldiers had surrounded them.

Just then, Tie Hu wanted to protect Ao Bai and get out first, but when he got close to the cell door, Wei Xiaobao, who was pretending to be dead along with several corpses that had died in the fight, suddenly launched a sneak attack. He was about to stab Ao Bai in the waist with a dagger, but Gui Hai swept it away with a blade of energy!

"My friend, the emperor's men are here! We have to fight our way out!" Tie Hu shouted to Gui Haiyidao upon seeing this.