The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"However, his feigned death may not be successful. After that blow, even if he is rescued, his chances of survival are fifty-fifty," Lianxing added.

Well, if you really died, it obviously can't be considered a "successful faked death".

Huang Rong then said with a glint in her eye, "Brother Chu, it seems that Liu Sheng Piaoxu is determined to follow you."

Huang Rong had clearly realized the purpose of the other party's "conspiracy"—if it was just to fake the death of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, then it was far too grand.

After all, Chu Luren wasn't even watching him. Going to such lengths to fake his death in front of Chu Luren was just a bit too self-important.

Given Liu Sheng Piaoxu's previous behavior, Huang Rong could easily guess that she wanted to take the opportunity to stay by Chu Luren's side, but a series of unexpected events had occurred.

Upon hearing this, Lianxing raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, then said in a delicate voice, "Chu Lang, should I go and take care of her?"

"No, wait. The Japanese are fine, but they might be backed by Iron-Blooded Marquis! He's remotely controlling Liu Sheng Piaoxu to infiltrate my side, so he might already have some suspicions. It would be good to... use her to dispel the Marquis's suspicions." Chu Luren immediately stopped Lianxing.

Lianxing bit her lip silently, lowered her head and remained silent for a long time, seemingly considering something.

While Huang Rong continued to analyze for Chu Luren what to be careful about when using "spies" to transmit false information, Lianxing raised her head and said, "Chu Lang, why don't I go find my sister, and you... well, you should go find your sworn sister first, and we can get rid of Iron-Blooded Marquis first?"

Chu Luren: ...

After Lianxing said that, Chu Luren was actually tempted.

But it was only for a moment!

Whether Dongfang Bubai would be willing to take on such a big responsibility is another matter. Even if they waited for Murong Jiu to arrive in Lin'an and the five of them acted together, they might not have a chance. Zhao Wushi was no ordinary lone traveler in the martial world. He had countless experts in the Dragon Guard Manor and was also a master of self-preservation. He might not have any plans.

Moreover, once the attack on Iron-Blooded Marquis is launched, there's no turning back. If it fails, it will essentially mean saying goodbye to the Song Dynasty's territory...

Therefore, Chu Luren ultimately shook his head repeatedly and gave up this tempting idea.

Chapter 553 Patch

"Miss Yagyu, please accept my condolences." Chu Luren looked at Yagyu Piaoxu kneeling before the memorial tablet and offered a word of comfort with a face full of sympathy.

"Thank you for helping my father with his funeral arrangements, Young Master Chu. I will take his ashes back to my hometown. From now on... I wish you peace and safety." Liu Sheng Piaoxu seemed to be forcing herself not to blame Chu Luren.

For a moment, Chu Luren was also a little confused about this routine—should he stay by my side or not?

Could it be that she and Duan Tianya were treated differently? Had Rongrong guessed wrong too?

"Well, I also wish Miss Liusheng a safe journey." Chu Luren did not try to stop her, since there was no reason to do so.

However, after careful consideration, Chu Luren realized that not only were his reasons insufficient, but Liu Sheng Piaoxu's reasons were also not very sufficient—one cannot force someone to be a "spy," can one?

Now, even the willow catkins lack a reason to stay...

Chu Luren even put himself in her shoes and thought about how to make her have a more compelling reason to stay.

For example, if you suffer an injury that requires the assistance of "Yuan Gui Qi Gong" to recover, and then ask Liu Sheng Piaoxu for help?

This was a bit difficult for Chu Luren, since he couldn't even imagine what kind of injury would be so severe that even his "Ice Toad Divine Illumination True Qi" couldn't heal it—wouldn't that mean he was doomed?

No matter how you look at it, the healing ability of "Yuan Gui Qi Gong" is not as good as your own "Bing Chan Shen Zhao Zhen Qi"!

Instead, they used Liu Sheng Piaoxu's injuries to heal them?

Unfortunately, the "Ice Toad Divine Illumination True Qi" doesn't require practicing while naked...

This is probably the trouble of the strong!

Remembering Huang Rong's earlier warning, Chu Luren decided to let things take their course.

The other party will definitely take the initiative to find a solution, and if you cooperate too much, you will only leave too much of a trace.

Liu Sheng Piaoxu packed her bags, picked up her father's urn, and prepared to leave...

"Wait a minute..." Chu Luren still tried to persuade her to leave.

"Young Master Chu... is there anything else?" Liu Sheng Piaoxu first showed an expectant look, but it was gone in a flash, and then she immediately lowered her head.

"You..." Chu Luren hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

"Young Master Chu, there's no need to see me off any further!" Liu Sheng Piaoxu gritted her teeth, revealing a resolute expression.

"Wait!" Chu Luren revealed a look of determination, as if he had made up his mind to speak.

After a drawn-out, melodramatic eye contact between the two...

"You took the wrong one, the one over there is... cough cough, you can take this one with you now." Chu Luren said awkwardly as he handed her the other jar.

Liu Shengpiaoxu:......

Sending you a jar of salted fish to eat on the road is fine, but even if it's fake, please at least take the jar that's supposedly your father's ashes with you!

Liu Sheng Piaoxu probably didn't like salted fish, and in the end only took away that jar of ashes, whose identity was unknown.

Lianxing also came out at this time. After all, according to the "setting", it was Nongyue who killed Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, so she did not appear in front of Yagyu Hyousu before, so as not to provoke her.

"They left? Rongrong guessed wrong?" Lianxing asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I don't know. Keep an eye on her for me. I feel like she won't give up so easily. If she really goes to sea, then forget it." Chu Luren said with a frown.

The reason for asking Lianxing to keep watch is that as long as Lianxing concentrates and locks onto the target, she can "listen" from two or three miles away without having to get close.

In fact, let alone going out to sea, Lianxing returned in just half a day.

"How is it? Is there any news?" Chu Luren estimated that if Liu Sheng Piaoxu really gave up and really went all out to travel, it would take at least two or three days before they could set sail.

Lianxing said somewhat unhappily, "Well, that wretched maid didn't give up after all. Although I don't know what lies she'll come up with, after she went to meet another group of Japanese, she left behind fake ashes and then got slapped by them..."

I can't understand their language, but before she attacked, the other Japanese people all seemed to be obeying her orders. They deliberately took the slap, then returned to Lin'an, cried near the inn, but refused to come closer. There must be some conspiracy involved!

Because it was nearby, Lianxing had already returned.

Just then, Lianxing's expression shifted slightly, and she said, "She has found a reason to see you normally."

Perhaps feeling that coming back to find Chu Luren directly would be too deliberate, Liu Sheng Piaoxu did not go to find Chu Luren after returning to Lin'an. Instead, she... cried pitifully two streets away from the inn.

It even attracted the attention of the troublemakers on the street!

When Chu Luren was helping with the burial of "Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami," he asked Cheng Shifei for help and had the Imperial Guards run errands. That's why Cheng Shifei knew that this Japanese woman had a relationship with Chu Luren.

Upon seeing her crying not far from the inn where Chu Luren was staying, Cheng Shifei naturally went up to inquire. Liu Sheng Piaoxu said nothing and then seemed about to leave. Cheng Shifei then went to the inn to inform Chu Luren.

In this way, it would be much more logical for Chu Luren to take the initiative to find her. Unfortunately... she didn't know that "Nongyue" had heard all of this!

"Brother Lu, come out for a moment." Cheng Shifei saw that Nongyue was right next to him and, with great insight, wanted to call Chu Luren out for a private talk.

Chu Luren cooperated and asked after coming out, "What's wrong?"

Cheng Shifei indeed told Chu Luren about seeing "that Japanese girl" crying nearby.

Chu Luren, also worried, went to search for her, chasing her all the way to the city gate before finally finding Liu Sheng Piaoxu about to leave again!

"Piaoxu! Wait, what happened to you?" Chu Luren looked at her face. She really went all out with this self-inflicted injury; it was still swollen.

No wonder Cheng Shifei looked at me strangely before!

"It's nothing, Young Master Chu, I..." Liu Sheng Piaoxu turned her head away, seemingly not wanting Chu Luren to see her.

"Where are your father's ashes?" Chu Luren decided to ask anyway. If she had forgotten to take them, then she deserved to fail the mission.

At this moment, Liu Sheng Piaoxu suddenly turned around, hugged Chu Luren tightly, pressed her face against his chest, and burst into tears: "Waaah... It's all my fault! They... they all blame me for bringing you there, they even said I killed my father, and that I colluded with our enemies... They even said I'm shameless... Waaah... I can't go back now, Young Master Chu... What should I do? Am I a bad girl...?"

Chu Luren finally understood that she was supposed to portray herself as a pitiful woman who was hated by the other disciples of the Shin-Yin-ryu sect, suspected of colluding with enemies, refused to let her attend her father's funeral, and was even insulted and blamed. She was homeless and instinctively wanted to find her, but was unwilling to actually see her!

At this point, Liu Sheng Piaoxu finally patched up the last piece of this overly bumpy plan, giving herself a good reason to rely on Chu Luren...

"Don't cry, it's okay! These people ran away quickly before, and now they can blame you? You wait, I'll go find them right now and get your father's ashes back!" Chu Luren looked like he was "a righteous person who can't sit idly by."

"No! Young Master Chu, please don't go... let them go..."

Chapter 554 Conflict

Chu Luren brought the helpless, weak, and pitiful Liu Sheng Piaoxu back to the inn.

After all, Liu Sheng Piaoxu was homeless. Not only had her father died, but the other disciples of the Shin-Kage-ryu school were also taking their anger out on her. It was only natural that the upright Chu Luren could not sit idly by.

"This is Rongrong, one of my best friends. If you have anything to say, you can talk to her if you'd like. This is Liusheng Piaoxu, she's... a friend of mine." Chu Luren pretended to be a little embarrassed as he introduced Huang Rong to Liusheng Piaoxu.

As for playing with the moon...

Considering that she had just killed Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, Chu Shika-in thoughtfully prevented them from meeting.

"Sister Rongrong," Liu Sheng Piaoxu called out, her head bowed.

"Hmm." Huang Rong's reaction was not very enthusiastic; she even asked with a hint of suspicion, "Have you Japanese already abandoned your plans? Did you frame Guo Jing because you were cooperating with the Mongols?"

Liu Sheng Piaoxu nodded with red eyes. Chu Luren interrupted, "Alright, Rongrong, let's not talk about serious matters for now. Since the Japanese have already left, there's no need to mention it anymore."

Seeing this, Huang Rong said helplessly, "Alright, then I'll go make a few dishes to welcome Piaoxu in a bit."

It perfectly portrays the scene where the kind but ignorant male protagonist is completely unprepared, while the witty and perceptive female protagonist is helpless.

During dinner, "Nongyue" also came out and met Liusheng Piaoxu, though they didn't speak.

Liu Sheng Piaoxu acted with extreme caution, but... this food is really delicious!

It wasn't until they were almost finished eating, having remained silent the entire time, that Huang Rong finally spoke up: "Shouldn't we try to inform the Marquis about the matter with the Japanese?"

"Why would I notify him? I told you long ago, don't be fooled by his sanctimonious appearance, he's actually a scoundrel!" Chu Luren said disdainfully.

Liu Sheng Piaoxu secretly memorized Chu Luren's words, while pretending to be embarrassed—after all, Huang Rong was talking about the Japanese.

"No matter how bad Shenhou is in the martial arts world, we still need him to fight against the eunuch faction. Moreover, we might have to rely on the Dragon Guard Manor to clear things up in the end regarding Guo Juxia's matter," Huang Rong said helplessly.

Chu Luren was still indignant, but he didn't say anything more.

If Shenhou knew that Chu Luren's assessment of him was merely "resisting the eunuch faction," he would certainly feel much more at ease with him afterward—after all, that was exactly how Shenhou had acted.

Judging from this, Chu Luren did indeed question the character of Tie Dan Shenhou because of some of Gu Santong's words.

Iron-Blooded Marquis could tolerate this level of questioning and rudeness for the time being, and would naturally retaliate easily once he accomplished something "great".

"What are you planning to do next, Miss Liu Sheng?" Huang Rong asked Liu Sheng Piaoxu.

"I...I don't know," Liu Sheng Piaoxu said weakly and helplessly.

Seeing this, Huang Rong's eyes lit up and she said, "If you have nowhere to go, how about staying in Lin'an with me from now on?"

Previously, Liu Sheng Piaoxu had already learned about Huang Rong from the intelligence reports, understanding her resourcefulness and guessing that she wanted to keep her by her side to keep an eye on her. However, she still weakly said, "Alright..."

Just then, Cheng Shifei suddenly arrived at the inn, shouting that he was looking for Chu Luren. The innkeeper and waiter obviously did not dare to offend Commander Cheng.