The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Shaolin?" Qiao Feng looked slightly surprised.

The feeling wasn't so much surprise that Shaolin had managed to keep the Holy Maiden under control, but rather... it was as if there was something else related to Shaolin.

Seeing Chu Luren's confusion, Qiao Feng said, "That's quite a coincidence. My nephew recently wants to appoint Wei Xiaobao... that little brother you also know, to go to the Northern Shaolin Temple to become a monk in his place and pray for blessings."

At this point, Qiao Feng's face darkened. Although it was impossible for anyone to be eavesdropping, he still lowered his voice and said in a deep voice, "It is very likely that... that Shunzhi is still alive! Most likely, he has become a monk at Mount Wutai. Xiao Bao is probably going to Shaolin to get a seniority in the Chan sect so that it will be easier for him to do things at Mount Wutai later."

You can tell Qiao Feng's state just from how he's addressed...

Chu Luren always felt that since Kangxi always addressed him as "Imperial Nephew," the petty-minded Manchu emperor would eventually hold a grudge against him. However, it at least showed that Kangxi relied heavily on Qiao Feng to stabilize the situation, and that Qiao Feng felt a strong protective instinct towards him.

It's not surprising that he calls Wei Xiaobao "Little Bao" or "Little Brother"—given Wei Xiaobao's ability to make people happy, and the fact that he genuinely admires a great hero like Qiao Feng, it's perfectly normal for them to have a good relationship...

However, when it came to Shunzhi, he was called "that scoundrel," and this was only because Qiao Feng was somewhat mindful of his status; otherwise, he would have called him a dog thief. After all, Shunzhi was the ruler of Manchuria after entering the pass, and in terms of grievances and debts, Shunzhi had committed the most killings.

Qiao Feng wasn't actually willing. Why should Kangxi go looking for Shunzhi? That guy was a nuisance enough as long as he was alive. Since he wanted to become a monk, then let him become a monk for good! He could just pretend he didn't know…

However, since they were father and son, and the matter was still just a rumor, Qiao Feng couldn't say much.

"To become a monk on behalf of the emperor..." Chu Luren hadn't expected to run into this matter, and he weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

This has both advantages and disadvantages for the Chu Lu people.

Needless to say, the downside is that since there is the matter of the emperor becoming a monk, Qiao Feng cannot immediately accompany Chu Luren to Shaolin. Otherwise, he can't just announce the imperial decree while Prince Feng accompanies Chu Luren to make a scene, can he?

Even if Qiao Feng didn't go in name of the imperial court, he shouldn't have made such a fuss. Otherwise, what's the difference between that and directly slapping Kangxi in the face?

However, it's not without its advantages...

That means Chu Luren can use Wei Xiaobao's power to put pressure on Shaolin!

Kangxi's imperial edict did indeed order him to become a monk in his place, but Wei Xiaobao knew in his heart what the real mission was, and... Wei Xiaobao's bottom line was much lower than Qiao Feng's. If he were asked to cooperate in putting pressure on Shaolin, he would go even further without any psychological burden.

Aside from the fact that Wei Xiaobao cannot disobey the imperial decree or directly oppose Shaolin Temple, he has a lot of room to resort to underhanded tricks behind the scenes!

However, Wei Xiaobao and Chu Luren are not of one mind. Even if they help him, they won't do it wholeheartedly, and it's hard to say how much effort they will put in.

Of course, before that, Chu Luren had to go to the palace to meet Mao Dongzhu, that fake Empress Dowager, and see what really happened with Shunzhi!

In the original story, Mao Dongzhu's misfortune stemmed from his desire to seize the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra," which led to his confrontation with Wei Xiaobao and the exposure of Shunzhi's secrets. But now...

Mao Dongzhu has broken free from the control of the Divine Dragon Sect, and Wei Xiaobao is unaware of Hai Dafu's final investigation results, or how he exposed Shunzhi's affairs.

Chu Luren and Qiao Feng also mentioned the matter of the fake Empress Dowager, but Qiao Feng didn't know much. He had no idea how Kangxi learned about Shunzhi's affairs. He only learned about it from rumors circulating in the martial arts world.

As for Mao Dongzhu...

The Divine Dragon Cult did discover that her poison had been cured, but all the people sent by the Divine Dragon Cult after she sought help from Qiao Feng were dealt with by him!

When Mao Dongzhu was mentioned, Qiao Feng was still somewhat unhappy and didn't want to say much—in Qiao Feng's opinion, Mao Dongzhu should have faked his death and gotten lost long ago.

Considering she was forced into this situation, Qiao Feng didn't want to make things difficult for her, but he also disdained having someone impersonate the Empress Dowager to coordinate with him from within...

This was before Qiao Feng knew that the Empress Dowager was still alive; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have been able to stand by and watch her imprison an old woman.

Chapter 729 Another Book

Chu Luren quietly arrived at the Qing Dynasty palace and headed straight for the Cining Palace, only to hear some discordant voices.

"Ahem!" Chu Luren stood inside the palace, but the person behind the phoenix bed curtains was still so engrossed that he could only cough twice.

A round, fat man was so frightened that he rolled off the phoenix bed, glared at Chu Luren, but dared not say anything.

"Senior brother, you go outside and keep watch. I have something to say to the Grand Duke Jupiter." Mao Dongzhu said from behind the gauze curtain, wrapping herself up while sending the fat man away.

"Senior brother? Is he also a member of the Divine Dragon Sect? Does he not have the Leopard Embryo Tendon-Changing Pill on him?" Chu Luren asked upon hearing this.

“That’s right. Senior Brother is a protector of the Divine Dragon Sect, known as the Skinny Monk. Don’t be fooled by his current appearance. He used to be very slender. He became like this after taking the Leopard Embryo Tendon-Changing Pill once… Hong Antong sent him to monitor me. He had also taken the Leopard Embryo Tendon-Changing Pill, but I was able to counteract it.”

At this point, Mao Dongzhu hesitated for a moment, then opened the bed board and took out a scripture from a hidden compartment...

Seeing this, Chu Luren turned his back—although there was a gauze curtain between them, Chu Luren could still see clearly. At this moment, Mao Dongzhu activated the mechanism and was left completely naked.

She was used to being a libertine, and the skinny monk was just one of her lovers, the most stable one. At this moment, it was not necessarily that she was not seducing Chu Luren.

The reason why Qiao Feng disliked her was probably... partly due to her improper behavior!

Looking up, Mao Dongzhu saw that Chu Luren had turned away. She was a little disappointed, but she still put on her inner clothes first, not daring to offend Chu Taisui.

"Grand Duke Jupiter, this is a scripture with a blue banner that I obtained from other members of the Divine Dragon Sect. I have taken the ginseng root inside... but the map fragment is still there." Mao Dongzhu handed another scripture to Chu Luren.

As for the ginseng rootlets, they were probably used to detoxify the thin monk—Chu Luren already knew that the "Leopard Fetus Yi Jing Pill" could be used to detoxify through heavy tonification.

"Oh? How did you discover the hidden compartment in this scripture?" Chu Luren asked curiously.

"It was kept by the cult leader before, so naturally I had to keep it safe. Now that I've been rescued by Lord Tai Sui and am no longer subjected to the snake cult's wrath, I dare to study it myself," Mao Dongzhu said with a smile.

Chu Luren guessed that it was Xiao Hong's previous behavior in front of her that made her suspicious of the scriptures themselves, which led her to discover the hidden compartment in the cover!

The ginseng rootlets are a highly nourishing substance, more than enough to counteract the effects of a single or double dose of Leopard Fetus Divination Pill.

This must have been before she was exposed. The members of the Divine Dragon Cult in the capital still regarded her as the "head of the organization" and handed over the stolen scriptures to her.

However, Mao Dongzhu was also pragmatic—since she had studied the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra and even made a name for herself in it, Chu Luren would never believe that she had no ideas.

However, after the Chu Lu people appeared, Mao Dongzhu immediately handed over the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra" belonging to the Bordered Blue Banner...

After receiving the sutra, Chu Luren did not mention the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra further, but instead asked, "Does Emperor Kangxi know about Shunzhi's ordination at Mount Wutai?"

Upon hearing this, Mao Dongzhu said with a somewhat displeased expression, "That's right, it's those people from the Divine Dragon Sect! When they realized they couldn't do anything to me, they pieced together some things that the old sea turtle had investigated before his death, and fabricated some of them... I originally intended to silence them, but the fake eunuch that the old sea turtle found from somewhere also found out about this matter and even told the prince!"

Chu Luren understood immediately. It seemed that the Divine Dragon Sect wanted to take revenge on Mao Dongzhu by following Wei Xiaobao's lead to collect the "evidence" that Hai Dafu had found before his death. However, this only alerted Wei Xiaobao and made him learn the truth about Hai Dafu's case.

For Emperor Kangxi's safety, Wei Xiaobao, though knowing some of the evidence was fake, still informed the emperor of the matter since it was true...

Of course, neither Kangxi nor Wei Xiaobao knew that the "Empress Dowager" killed Consort Dong'e and Kangxi's birth mother, and could be considered the culprit behind Shunzhi's decision to become a monk. They did not know that the Empress Dowager was a fake.

Chu Luren still didn't mention the Empress Dowager, and Mao Dongzhu still believed that she had kept it a secret from everyone...

After leaving the palace, Chu Luren went directly to Wei Xiaobao's residence—a house that had been given to him by Prince Kang.

Kangxi didn't issue any secret edict; Wei Xiaobao already knew that he was to become a monk in place of the emperor and that he would be leaving tomorrow!

Although he understood the deeper meaning behind it, he was still unsure. What if the emperor forgot about him after he went to Mount Wutai? What if he was made to serve the old emperor forever? Wouldn't he then have to be a monk for the rest of his life?

At this moment, another young woman in the mansion was comforting him in a gentle tone. Even though Wei Xiaobao was being flirtatious, he only uttered a few coquettish words and didn't really get angry...

"My dear Shuang'er, maybe your good husband will only be able to become a frivolous monk in the future! Alas..." Wei Xiaobao said sadly.

"My lord is talking nonsense again. Shuang'er is just a servant girl," Shuang'er said shyly.

Just as the two were flirting, two dry coughs were heard coming in.

"Husband, be careful!" Shuang'er knew that Wei Xiaobao was hated by many people, so she quickly pretended to protect him.

Wei Xiaobao quickly replied, "Who...who is this hero? Why not show yourself?"

"Eunuch Gui is truly forgetful; he's forgotten his old friends so quickly." Chu Luren's words were accompanied by a surround sound effect from all directions.

Moreover, the sound filled the room with a great acoustic effect, but it didn't disturb anyone else in the mansion—Wei Xiaobao was now the deputy commander of the Plain Yellow Banner Cavalry Battalion, and he had personal guards in the mansion...

He couldn't quite place the voice at first, but the underworld sound effects, coupled with the address "Eunuch Gui," instantly made Wei Xiaobao realize the visitor's identity: "So it's Lord Chu? Come, come, Shuang'er, let me introduce you to a great hero, a great valiant, a great..."

Before Wei Xiaobao could finish speaking, Chu Luren's figure had already appeared "out of thin air" in the main seat.

Chu Luren looked at him with a half-smile, then glanced at the young woman beside him and guessed her identity—back when Ao Bai was drained of his life force by Shen Hou, he was likely killed by Wei Xiaobao's sneak attack... After all, judging from Xiao Hong's body language at the time, she was a lewd guy who was the one who launched the sneak attack!

"So you really are a fake eunuch. No wonder you refused to learn how to castrate yourself when I offered to teach you," Chu Luren said deliberately.

"I had my reasons at the time, which is why I kept it a secret. Please forgive me, Your Excellency." Wei Xiaobao tried to get closer to him.

After confirming that it was Chu Luren, Wei Xiaobao breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Qiao Feng treated him as a younger brother for the time being, and if there was no conflict of interest, Chu Taisui should not be able to harm him.

"What have I done to offend you? I've come here to ask you for a favor..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiaobao quickly replied, "You flatter me, Your Excellency! Everyone knows that you are a pillar of the martial world, a sturdy and invincible figure. If you need anything, I will do my best to help!"

Wei Xiaobao immediately put Chu Taisui on a pedestal, making it difficult for him to say anything that would cause him trouble.

Chapter 730 Thank you!

"The young emperor wants you to go to Shaolin, right? You're becoming a monk in place of the emperor, so you'll definitely be highly respected there... I have a friend who's trapped in Shaolin. You can cooperate with me and teach those bald monks a lesson! It's that simple, isn't it?" Chu Luren said kindly.

"How dare those bald monks from Shaolin be so bold? This is outrageous! They actually detained an innocent pilgrim, who is also a friend of Master Chu!" Wei Xiaobao looked indignant, but in reality, he wanted Chu Luren to explain clearly—your friend wasn't detained while offering incense at Shaolin, was he?

Chu Taisui's friend... Hmm, could it be someone who went to Shaolin Temple to steal martial arts skills and got detained?

“That’s right. The bald monks of Shaolin are full of talk about benevolence and morality. My friend went to Shaolin to seek medical treatment for her elderly father, but the people of Shaolin told her to spend thirty years in seclusion to repay their debt of gratitude.” Chu Luren was not lying at all.

"I see. I wonder who Chu's friend is..." Wei Xiaobao was also puzzled. Would Shaolin be so unreasonable?

“My friend is a young woman in her early twenties. She is usually very righteous, and countless people in the martial arts world give her a thumbs up when they talk about her.” Chu Luren still didn’t lie, but after a pause, he added, “However, her father has a bad temper. You should have heard of him. His surname is Ren and his given name is Woxing. My friend’s name is Yingying. People who know this name don’t shy away from it. People in the martial arts world often call her ‘Holy Maiden’.”

Wei Xiaobao: ...

Wei Xiaobao's smile immediately became forced—So it was the Holy Maiden and the former leader of the Demonic Sect who went to Shaolin to walk into their trap, but you made it sound like they were selling themselves to bury their fathers.

“Those damned bald monks… Now that I’m back, I don’t need them to rescue anyone. Just take Ren Woxing and Yingying with you and leave. But I’m worried that Shaolin Temple might take advantage of their numbers and deliberately refuse to release them, so I need your cooperation.”

"After all, the young emperor has now asked you to become a monk in place of the emperor. It's not convenient for my elder brother to go to Shaolin with me immediately to demand your release, lest you be unable to explain yourself. Don't you think so?" Chu Luren said very reasonably.

Wei Xiaobao: ...

I really appreciate it if you could be so considerate of me!

Wei Xiaobao smiled on the outside, but in his heart he was cursing – was Shaolin Temple easy to mess with?

After all, the Northern Shaolin Temple, though subservient to the Qing Dynasty, was not as humble as it was in "The Deer and the Cauldron"...

"Don't worry, Master Chu. After we get to Shaolin... I will definitely cooperate with you." Wei Xiaobao didn't dare to offend Chu Luren, so he had no choice but to agree.

However, he also emphasized that he was only "cooperating" with Chu Luren and would not take the lead or confront Shaolin on his own.

Chu Luren thought for a moment, then patted Wei Xiaobao on the shoulder: "Hey, you've had a hard time! I've never looked down on the people of the Heaven and Earth Society, but you, the leader of the Green Wood Hall, are quite a figure."

Wei Xiaobao's expression remained unchanged, but Chu Luren could clearly see that beads of sweat were rapidly forming on his forehead...

"What Greenwood Hall? What are you talking about, Master Chu? It's fine with me, but the Heaven and Earth Society and such... you can't just mention it in the capital, hehehe..." Wei Xiaobao chuckled dryly.

"There are more people in the Heaven and Earth Society who are disloyal, even disloyal, than you can imagine." Chu Luren was already certain, but he didn't insist on pointing it out to him. Instead, he reminded him of this.

Wei Xiaobao's grinning face remained unchanged, but his face had lost all color—was the secrecy surrounding his joining the Heaven and Earth Society really that poor?

Even Chu Tai Sui knows?