The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Hey, Lao Cheng, you've come at just the right time. I just finished eating," Chu Luren said as he saw him.

"Brother Lu, that's not fair. Do you think I'm someone who just comes here to freeload? It's just that several masters from the Southern Shaolin Temple have arrived, and they even brought a copy of the 'Infinite Life Sutra' made by all the high monks of the temple. But at the Taichang Temple, it seems that the monks had a conflict with the eunuchs, and they almost came to blows." Cheng Shifei revealed the gossip mysteriously.

Unlike the Chu Lu people, the Southern Shaolin also represented the Chan (Zen) school of Buddhism. They were summoned to the capital for the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration and were received by the Taichang Temple, which was in charge of sacrificial rites. People from Wudang, Quanzhen, and other sects who came to offer their birthday wishes were also received at the Taichang Temple's office.

Unlike Chu Luren, who only has the official reputation of a great hero but doesn't provide food and lodging... he either stays at an inn or secretly spends the night in the palace.

Upon hearing that the Shaolin people had clashed with the eunuch, Chu Luren became interested. After telling Huang Rong and the others, he and Cheng Shifei went to watch the spectacle.

As for the willow catkins drifting...

Stay and continue your "battle of wits" with Huang Rong and Lianxing!

When Chu Luren arrived at the Taichang Temple's office, with Commander Cheng clearing the way, he easily slipped in. There he saw two groups of people facing off.

One of them was an old acquaintance of Chu Luren, Xuan Nan, the head of the Bodhidharma Academy of the Southern Shaolin Temple, and Xuan Ji, the head of the Discipline Academy. The other was a middle-aged man dressed as a Confucian scholar.

Calling him a member of the eunuch faction is not entirely accurate; to be precise, he was a despicable person who sided with the eunuch faction!

This person's name was Luo Jusheng. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and was the "Chuanlu," which meant he was the top-ranked candidate in the second class, ranking fourth only after the Zhuangyuan (first-place scholar), Bangyan (second-place scholar), and Tanhua (third-place scholar).

Although this person is not young, even though he has taken special care to maintain his appearance, he still looks like a middle-aged man, and in reality he is probably no younger than Yue Buqun.

However, being able to rank fourth in a subject proves his talent, and... this person also has considerable martial arts skills!

Before he was even officially appointed, Luo Jusheng couldn't wait to join Cao Zhengchun. In terms of both knowledge and martial arts, he was among the best of those who "willingly degenerated" and joined the Eastern Depot. Therefore, he was highly valued by Cao Zhengchun and treated Cao as a brother without any distinction of rank.

There were officials in the court who secretly flattered the eunuch faction, but it was quite abrupt that Luo Jusheng, a scholar who ranked fourth in the imperial examination, would so openly and blatantly pledge allegiance to the eunuch faction.

Therefore, his reputation... is predictable!

Chu Luren also knew that in the world's number one ranking, this person was a traitor of the same generation as the Shaolin abbot...

His confrontation with the Southern Shaolin Temple now seems to be a deliberate provocation!

"Your temple uses such scriptures as birthday gifts? How laughable!" Luo Jusheng had just finished quoting scriptures and debating with Xuan Nan and Xuan Ji Chan, leaving the two speechless and demonstrating that the birthday gifts from the Southern Shaolin Temple were devoid of sincerity and had no effect of praying for blessings.

It's indeed hard to refute this, since using the Amitabha Sutra to wish someone a long life is just like eating an apple on Christmas Eve—it's purely for good luck without delving into deeper meanings, and it's unreasonable to take it too seriously.

Luo Jusheng, however, was well-versed in Buddhist principles, and when he got serious, he was particularly difficult for the two masters of the Xuan generation to handle.

Chu Luren watched with amusement for quite a while...

"Brother Lu, that copy of the Amitabha Sutra by the high monk, was it you who suggested to the princess that it be given to Shaolin?" Cheng Shifei whispered.

Chu Luren glared at him: "Don't talk nonsense. What does this have to do with me and the princess!"

That's right. In the end, Yunluo was just "hinting" that the gift was actually given by the Southern Shaolin Temple.

Moreover, the Southern Shaolin Temple couldn't let the princess and the empress dowager take the blame, so they had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

"Amitabha! The Emperor and Empress Dowager are naturally the most blessed people, given their benevolent rule. Why should Shaolin need to pray for them? This 'Infinite Life Sutra' offered as a birthday gift is merely a token of our temple's goodwill. It is enough that the Empress Dowager appreciates this sentiment. Why should Mr. Luo argue so much? Since Mr. Luo cannot see our temple's goodwill, please return the 'Infinite Life Sutra'." Seeing that he could not win the argument, Xuan Nan resorted to shameless tactics.

Seeing Xuan Nan reach out to ask for it, Luo Jusheng handed over the box containing the Amitabha Sutra. However, as soon as Xuan Nan touched it, he immediately felt a surge of pure internal energy pressing towards him...

Chapter 555 Guilty Heart

Inside the Taichang Temple, Xuan Nan and Luo Jusheng each gripped a corner of a sutra box, engaging in a contest of internal strength. The surrounding dust and fallen leaves were blown up, and those with inferior martial arts skills could no longer stand around!

Logically speaking, if they were to simply clash with their internal forces, the scripture box and the scriptures would likely be the first to be pulverized. However, when Luo Jusheng's internal forces clashed, he deliberately held back, protecting the scripture box. After all, it was a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager, and Xuan Nan had no choice but to accept the attack because of this...

The officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, while anxious, had already stepped aside. Normally, they would not bother with these martial arts practitioners fighting to the death, but now... they did not want anything to happen at this juncture, especially in their own government office!

Unfortunately, the people from other Taoist and Buddhist sects who were watching the spectacle did not intend to intervene. The people from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could not help but plead with them, but they could only explain that it was difficult for outsiders to intervene in such a stalemate of internal forces. Not only would it be easy for both sides to be injured, but now... it would also be easy to ruin the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration!

After all, those sent by other Taoist and Buddhist sects were mostly people who were more proficient in their sect's doctrines. The ones from Wudang were not the Seven Heroes of Wudang, and the ones from Quanzhen were not the Seven Masters of Quanzhen... So Chu Luren was relatively unfamiliar with them, and their martial arts skills were just average.

Xuan Nan's kasaya fluttered without wind, and his expression grew increasingly solemn, while Luo Jusheng seemed to be caressed by a spring breeze, even with a slight smile. If he weren't somewhat slick and oily-faced, and if he hadn't cultivated an air of authority rather than a dignified appearance, he might have truly possessed the demeanor of a master!

Judging from this performance alone, it is clear that Luo Jusheng has a significant advantage over the head of the Bodhidharma Academy of the Southern Shaolin Temple.

Xuan Nan had no way to express his bitterness. He never expected that this newly appointed old scholar would have such profound inner strength. Apart from a few senior uncles and elders of the Du generation who had been living in seclusion in the back mountain for many years, even Abbot Xuan Ci would probably have a hard time getting along with him.

and……

To Xuan Nan's astonishment, this person's internal energy was clearly the authentic "Damo Internal Energy"!

Logically speaking, even in Shaolin Temple, this is a profound internal skill that can only be studied in the Bodhidharma Academy. How could an outsider have learned it?

wrong!

Considering this person's profound understanding of Buddhist principles, Xuan Nan had already guessed that this person was likely not an "outsider," but a "traitor"...

For a time, even with Xuan Nan's composure, he felt a surge of resentment towards the Northern Shaolin Temple—first it was Yuan Zhen, and now Luo Jusheng has appeared. Can't you guys give us a break?

However, upon further reflection, Xuan Nan also felt somewhat guilty.

After all, the Southern Shaolin Temple has caused quite a few troubles, such as... the matter of the "leading brother" is still not clear.

On the contrary, before he and his junior brother Xuanji set off, Abbot Xuanci had a deep talk with them, which seemed to be a way of explaining his "future affairs". He said in a cryptic way that if a major change occurred in the future, Xuanji would not be able to inherit the position of abbot.

Although they didn't admit it directly, Xuan Nan and Xuan Ji already had some vague suspicions...

After all, there are only so many people who can be the "leader" if you choose from the Southern Shaolin Temple. And considering the timeline back then... it's not hard to guess!

However, since Xuan Ci didn't say it outright, they pretended not to know for the time being. But... it's easy to deceive others, but hard to deceive yourself!

Upon realizing this, Xuan Nan's mind went blank, and he immediately lost his balance, causing the sutra box to shatter violently.

Just then, amidst the heavy ghostly aura, a figure suddenly appeared between the two. In the instant that the scroll inside was about to shatter under the clash of internal forces, it grabbed it in the nick of time, and then twisted its wrist...

As the scroll swayed, both Xuan Nan and Luo Jusheng were thrown backward as if struck by a heavy blow.

The seemingly fragile scriptures remained unharmed amidst the turbulent flow of their internal energy.

"Master Xuannan is getting old, how come he can't even handle the Empress Dowager's birthday gift?" Chu Luren reprimanded him lightly.

Indeed, the person who seized the scroll at this moment was none other than Chu Luren, who had activated his evil-repelling true energy and moved from stillness to extreme motion with unpredictable movements!

After seizing the scriptures, Chu Luren secretly channeled the power of the Returning to Emptiness technique, causing the two men's internal energy to rebound against themselves. As a result, the scriptures remained unharmed, but the men were instead thrown away by the internal force.

If it were an ordinary person from the martial arts world, and they were to sneak in to watch the commotion, the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would definitely chase them away. However, upon recognizing that they were from Chulu, everyone pretended not to see them for the time being.

It's like the Eastern Depot's people appearing in places they shouldn't be, and nobody dares to do anything about it...

Chu Luren then naturally opened the scroll in his hand and looked at it—mainly at the beginning and the end. If the abbot wanted to write it, it should be in one of these two places, right?

However, after reading it, Chu Luren's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Not to mention the beginning and the end, throughout the entire piece, the different handwriting is mostly full and rounded, each one appearing compassionate and peaceful, completely different from the "leader's" thin and dog-chewed handwriting!

"This is the copy of the Infinite Life Sutra made by your esteemed monks? Not bad, not bad, very thoughtful!" Chu Luren said with a stern face.

He didn't directly ask the other party whether Xuan Ci had written it.

Whether Xuan Ci didn't write anything at all or deliberately forged the handwriting, it was clear that the old man was already feeling guilty, and Chu Luren wouldn't get any results no matter how much he asked.

Since Xuanci was intentionally on guard, he probably already guessed that someone was taking the opportunity to test the "high monks" of the Southern Shaolin Temple.

"Thank you, Benefactor Chu." After catching his breath, Xuan Nan stepped forward and took the scroll.

Although there had been many disagreements before, now that the Chu Lu people had preserved the scriptures, Xuan Nan was naturally unwilling to lose his composure.

"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Luo's internal energy seems to be from the Shaolin Zen lineage?" Chu Luren turned to look at Luo Jusheng.

Luo Jusheng paused for a moment, then said arrogantly, "Does this have anything to do with Young Master Chu?"

Although his martial arts skills were inferior to Chu Luren's, he considered himself a newly appointed Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), so he was not afraid of Chu Luren.

Chu Luren's revelation of this point put both sides in an awkward position. The Southern Shaolin Temple didn't know anything about Luo Jusheng, but it was always a disgrace for Shaolin to have a traitor. Luo Jusheng, on the other hand, didn't want his identity as a Shaolin traitor exposed for no reason. He had previously acted arrogantly towards the Southern Shaolin Temple, confident that they wouldn't reveal it...

Seeing Luo Jusheng's tough stance, Chu Luren immediately softened: "Not at all, it has nothing to do with me. I just noticed that Mr. Luo's Zen internal strength is excellent and his fingers are thick. I wondered if you might be skilled in the 'Vajra Finger' technique. I originally wanted to ask if you were active near Wudang seven years ago. Since Mr. Luo is unwilling to say, then let's pretend I didn't ask."

Luo Jusheng: !!!

When Luo Jusheng noticed that the Wudang people were looking at him, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood!

What a huge black pot!

He immediately dropped his previous arrogance, his face trembling as he said, "Seven years ago, I, Luo, was..."

"Mr. Luo, there's no need to explain anything. I'm no longer curious."

"No, no, no! I must let Young Master Chu know that seven years ago I was still in Persia, and my wife can testify to that!"

Chapter 556 My Heart Aches

The farce at Taichang Temple resulted in a loss of face for Southern Shaolin, and Luo Jusheng was even suspected by Wudang. It can be said that no one benefited.

Similarly, Chu Luren didn't obtain any handwriting evidence from Xuan Ci either. However... Chu Luren wasn't unprepared for this. Did Xuan Ci think he could hide his handwriting? Chu Luren was prepared to show him how naive he was!

As the Empress Dowager's birthday drew ever closer, the night before, Chu Luren finally met the person he longed to see.

"I'm heartbroken, do you know that?" Chu Luren looked at Hu Guinan, who was about to steal the treasure, with a pained expression.

Hu Guinan: ...

I'm even more heartbroken! You've got your eye on me again?

It's not surprising that Hu Guinan is here. Chu Luren was already 80% sure that he wouldn't miss the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet—after all, many "common people" prepare real gold and silver treasures as birthday gifts.

How could the world's number one thief not be tempted?

"Sigh, I originally wanted to teach you to abandon evil and do good, which is why I took away your Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad..." Chu Luren was full of guilt.

Hu Guinan blinked his beady eyes, thinking to himself: Are you going to give it back to me?

"I never expected you to do such a thing again. How... how are you going to make up for the guilt in my heart?" Chu Luren's face was full of anger.

Hu Guinan: ? ? ?

"Master Chu, I really don't have anything on me that you would be satisfied with." Hu Guinan was so moved that he almost cried.

"Your stealthy movements are so sinful, I can't even bear to watch you for a second..." Chu Luren said with a look of disgust, then added, "It would be great if you could change it."

Hu Guinan's eyes darted around, and he said with a sob in his voice, "If Master Chu could help me revise this 'Turtle Walking Step,' it would be my honor."

"Okay, you don't need to recite it to me now. Just send it to my inn later along with the Shaolin 'Infinite Life Sutra' that you stole." Chu Luren nodded.

"Huh?" Hu Guinan exclaimed instinctively.

The Infinite Life Sutra?

That thing is worthless. Stealing it would incur the wrath of Shaolin and attract the attention of the imperial court. Who would be so foolish as to steal that?