The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Just then, Wang Yuyan's stomach rumbled. Seeing Chu Luren looking over, she felt embarrassed. Chu Luren took the initiative to say, "Are you hungry? Let's go out and find a restaurant."

"No need for extravagance, we can eat at the inn," Wang Yuyan said shyly.

"No, these kinds of inns usually don't have much food; they mostly serve 'hero' set meals' or something like that," Chu Luren shook his head first.

"What is the 'Hero's Package'?" Wang Yuyan asked curiously.

“Each shop is a little different, but the main items are half a pound of braised beef and a pot of liquor... and most of them don’t have prices clearly marked, they just wait for tips, it’s really outrageous!” Chu Luren has been traveling around the world for almost a year and has been to quite a few places, so he naturally knows these things.

Regardless of whether it's black or not, Wang Yuyan wasn't interested in braised beef, especially the idea of ​​drinking it with strong liquor, which was something she couldn't accept.

So he followed Chu Luren out into the streets, looking for a restaurant...

Looking left and right, I realized that Wuxi has quite a lot of delicious food. I was just about to find a popular restaurant to try when I suddenly noticed that the street was bustling with people, as if something exciting was happening.

"Huh? Why are so many people gathered at the restaurant up ahead?" Wang Yuyan seemed a little excited, but she tried her best to suppress it and appear calm.

She usually stays at Mantuo Villa, under the strict control of her mother. She has only been out a handful of times in her life. Wang Yuyan actually "loves" excitement.

However, under her mother's discipline, Wang Yuyan felt that showing excitement at this time would seem frivolous, so she suppressed her true nature.

“Then let’s go take a look,” Chu Luren said naturally.

Although a large crowd had gathered, as long as Chu Luren tapped the shoulder of the person in front of him with the hilt of his sword, kind people would always make way for him and Wang Yuyan, making Chu Luren admire the high quality of the people of Wuxi!

Upon arriving at the front, one could see that the waiters and manager of the restaurant were all beaming with joy, and a faint aroma of wine wafted from upstairs.

However, Wang Yuyan wrinkled her nose when she smelled it, finding the stench of alcohol unbearable.

Chu Luren felt this scene looked familiar, so he called out, "Shopkeeper, did you break a wine vat?"

"No, no, but two live wine vats came upstairs, and they've already gone down dozens of kilograms." The shopkeeper was clearly in a good mood because he had sold some wine.

Moreover, these two "living wine jars" are known for drinking from one bowl and smashing the other, clearly indicating they're江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) people. This has significantly boosted the kiln's economy, and the manager has already decided to add two coins to each bowl when it comes to compensation later...

"But what kind of wine is this? It smells really strong." Chu Luren made some guesses, while Wang Yuyan was already thinking of leaving.

"I'm so sorry, if you two guests can't stand the smell, you'll have to go next door today," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

Just then, Chu Luren also vaguely heard the sounds of laughter and conversation upstairs... as well as the sound of bowls being smashed.

"It looks like Brother Duan. Shall we go up and take a look?" Chu Luren asked Wang Yuyan.

"Young Master Duan is such a heavy drinker? Fine..." Wang Yuyan frowned, but still agreed.

After Chu Luren entered, he specifically looked at the floor and found no water stains—it seems that the so-called Six Meridian Divine Sword forcing out wine should be forcing out the aroma of wine, not actually forcing out the wine itself, which is consistent with Chu Luren's understanding of the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

And look at Duan Yu, his face is flushed, he really does seem a bit drunk...

Based on Chu Luren's understanding of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, even if Duan Yu was not proficient in using it and it was sometimes effective and sometimes not in combat, it should be easy to force out someone's drunkenness.

In other words, Duan Yu deliberately got a little drunk, but not completely drunk; he just forced himself to keep the big man opposite him company!

In the original story, Duan Yu was at Tingxiang Water Pavilion when he was humiliated by Bao Butong. Before parting ways, he only heard Wang Yuyan, Abi, and Azhu talking about how their young master and cousin cared for Murong Fu. So he left the pavilion feeling very bitter and came to Wuxi, which was when he was in the worst mood.

But now things are different. Not only do he have two more younger sisters, but he has also reunited with his dear good brother Chu Luren. He should be in a great mood!

Why get drunk instead?

Chu Luren thought about it carefully and realized—yes, when you're in a bad mood, it's naturally not good to drown your sorrows in alcohol, but now that you're in a good mood, it's okay to get drunk...that must be it!

Seeing Duan Yu's completely drunk state, Wang Yuyan wanted to pretend she didn't recognize him, but Duan Yu saw her first and immediately called out, "Sister! Your brother is here!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan frowned deeply, thinking to herself that he was indeed quite drunk.

The burly man, who had been sitting opposite Duan Yu with his back to the two of them, turned around and saw Chu Luren and Wang Yuyan.

Chu Luren then got a clear look at the big man's face: thick eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose, a wide mouth, a square face, weathered and worn, and extremely imposing in his gaze...

"So you're this young master's good friend. Are you here to help? Hahaha, no problem, no problem, let's not talk about that." The big man said, making a toasting gesture to Chu Luren and Wang Yuyan, and then drank the bowl in one gulp.

Chu Luren felt that he had probably misunderstood something...

Upon seeing the burly man, Wang Yuyan made some connections and made a point of observing his movements!

Wang Yuyan was not originally interested in the affairs of the martial arts world, but after hearing "Murong in the South and Qiao Feng in the North" so often, she couldn't help but pay attention to this Beggar Clan leader who was as famous as her cousin. She had also read about his deeds on the list of chivalrous heroes.

Of course, relying on the portraits on the chivalrous list as evidence to identify people is somewhat of a stretch; it can only give a general impression of their demeanor.

However, Wang Yuyan, being a master of rhetoric and possessing extensive theoretical knowledge, managed to discern traces of the "Dragon Claw Hand" and "Demon-Subduing Palm" from the burly man's movements...

Qiao Feng was a lay disciple of the Southern Shaolin Temple. The Shaolin Dragon Claw Hand was one of the Seventy-Two Arts he learned. Moreover, because Qiao Feng was not an ordinary lay disciple, he also had his own master in Shaolin, Master Xuanku, who was of the same generation as Abbot Xuanci of the Southern Shaolin Temple. Master Xuanku consulted with the abbot and the Bodhidharma Academy and taught Qiao Feng the Demon Subduing Palm. Therefore, Qiao Feng knew two of the Seventy-Two Arts.

Of course, Qiao Feng is most famous for the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms," a true transmission of the Beggars' Sect. However, the information on the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms in the Langhuan Jade Cave is incomplete, and Wang Yuyan doesn't know much about it. But these two Shaolin kung fu techniques that Qiao Feng used to build his foundation revealed his true abilities.

Chapter Seventy-Four: Qiao Feng of the North

“This great hero is from the Beggars’ Sect…” Wang Yuyan had just started to speak when she was interrupted by the burly man.

“Hey! It’s no fun to talk about it now, let’s drink first.” Qiao Feng interrupted. He didn’t have Wang Yuyan’s extensive knowledge of martial arts. Although he had a good eye, he could only tell that Duan Yu’s internal skills were profound. Given his age, he directly mistook him for Murong Fu.

"Young Queen Wang Yuyan greets... Great Hero." Upon hearing Qiao Feng's words, Wang Yuyan did not reveal his identity, but simply introduced herself.

After all, the Beggars' Sect's Vice Leader Ma had recently died, and he died from his own throat-locking grappling technique. The Beggars' Sect was currently dissatisfied with the Murong Clan, and Wang Yuyan felt she should offer an explanation.

Upon hearing the surname Wang, Qiao Feng thought for a moment and said, "So it's the Wang family from the Mantuo Manor in Suzhou. Good eye, good eye."

Chu Luren felt that Qiao Feng's subtle misunderstandings had increased...

Indeed, Qiao Feng had done his homework recently and knew that the Murong family and the Wang family were related by marriage. Duan Yu had just called her "sister," which made Qiao Feng even more convinced that he was right.

Of course, at this point, Qiao Feng was not actually sure whether Murong Fu was the murderer.

Seeing how generous "Murong Fu" was, the doubts in my heart faded a bit...

“Brother, let’s ignore them… Let them do whatever they want, lest they be blamed later… My father did the same thing back then…” Duan Yu, drunk, pulled Qiao Feng over, seemingly ignoring Chu Luren.

"Ahem, if you're drunk, brother, let's stop here for now." Qiao Feng indicated that he didn't want to hear Murong Bo's gossip.

Just then, a middle-aged beggar came up and whispered something to Qiao Feng.

Qiao Feng frowned slightly upon hearing this, and simply told the group to leave without making a sound. Chu Luren, standing to the side, was also slightly puzzled—could it be that something was "still" going to happen to the Beggars' Clan?

Logically speaking, since the Liao Dynasty has already fallen, even if Qiao Feng really is a member of the Khitan Xiao clan, it shouldn't matter, right?

"Alas, it seems we can only drink this much today... Young Master Murong, I have some matters to discuss in the Apricot Grove today. Do you have anything to explain?" Qiao Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute to Duan Yu.

"Young Master Murong? Where is he?" Duan Yu looked around upon hearing this.

Qiao Feng was annoyed that this person was still pretending to be stupid, but then he heard Wang Yuyan say, "He's not my cousin! He was just drunk and calling me that!" As she spoke, she glared at Duan Yu with dissatisfaction, assuming that Qiao Feng had misunderstood because of Duan Yu's way of addressing him.

"Ah? My apologies, my apologies. Could this be the young master Murong?" Qiao Feng was also taken aback upon hearing this, and then looked at Chu Luren beside Wang Yuyan.

"Chief Qiao, you've made a mistake. I'm just a nobody in the martial world..." Chu Luren cupped his hands in greeting to Qiao Feng.

Qiao Feng hesitated for a moment before realizing what was happening: "So it was Brother Chu who helped the Duan family in Dali and Liu Zhengfeng in Sanxiang. My apologies." He then awkwardly drank another cup.

Chu Luren also realized that the things he did in Hengshan had spread so widely, it seemed that Songshan must have its eyes on him!

Duan Yu, now somewhat sober, immediately expelled the alcohol from his breath upon hearing that they were getting down to business, and explained in the same manner: "So this gentleman is the famous Qiao Feng of the North, Chief Qiao? It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Duan Yu, from Dali."

"So you're from the Duan family of Dali, no wonder... I underestimated the heroes of the world, I'll punish myself with three more bowls!" Qiao Feng said, downing three more bowls.

It's quite normal for the Duan family members to be with Chu Luren; it seems Wang Yuyan's presence was merely a coincidence.

"It was just a misunderstanding, but Chief Qiao, please don't casually call others Murong Fu in the future. It's hard to hear, and don't drink with this cheating brat." Chu Luren looked disgusted at being mistaken for Murong Fu.

Wang Yuyan secretly rolled her eyes at him upon hearing this, assuming that Chu Luren was dissatisfied with what happened at Tingxiang Pavilion, and did not say anything more to complain.

"Playing dirty?" Qiao Feng looked at Duan Yu in confusion upon hearing this. Indeed, Duan Yu seemed to have suddenly sobered up.

Upon hearing this, Duan Yu said with embarrassment, "Brother Chu has exposed my secrets again. Brother Qiao, please forgive me... You really drank those dozens of bowls. I have a low alcohol tolerance, so I cheated a little."

Hearing about Duan Yu's ability to force out the smell of alcohol, Qiao Feng was not annoyed. Instead, he exclaimed, "I once heard my master say that the Duan family of Dali has a unique skill that can kill people with 'invisible sword energy.' I didn't know if it was true or not, but seeing it today, I can see that it is indeed true!"

Chu Luren was at least ranked seventy-one on the Earthly Ranking, while Duan Yu couldn't be found on any of the four rankings, yet he possessed such martial arts skills, which made Qiao Feng marvel at the vastness of the world.

"It's fate that we met. Yu Yan and I will also join a table. Brother Qiao won't object, will he?" Chu Luren was also somewhat interested in what would happen next.

"That's wonderful. To be able to make friends with Brother Duan and Brother Chu is truly a great joy for me today." Qiao Feng is upright and honest, and now is the most glorious and open time of his life. Although Wang Yuyan is a cousin of the Murong family, he does not care about sitting at the same table with her at this moment.

Similarly, although Wang Yuyan disliked the strong smell of alcohol that Duan Yu had created here, she was also eager to find out Qiao Feng's thoughts because of the "misunderstanding" between the Murong family and the Beggars' Sect.

At this moment, Chu Luren, acting as the guardian, thoughtfully opened the surrounding windows.

Now that the matter was out in the open, Qiao Feng explained the previous mistake of identifying someone else—because more than two months ago, Ma Dayuan, the deputy leader of the Southern Beggars' Clan, died, and he died from Qiao Feng's signature move, "Throat Locking Grappling Hand."

Therefore, Qiao Feng has recently become somewhat sensitive to people who resemble Murong Fu.

Wang Yuyan wanted to say a few words on behalf of Murong Fu, but was immediately interrupted by Chu Luren: "In recent months, Murong Fu has not been to Mantuo Manor, and you only left the manor a few days ago... This matter is of great importance. Do not make promises for others without being sure of the outcome!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan knew that Chu Luren's words made sense, but she still looked at him pitifully a few times.

"Eat your food!" Chu Luren said, putting more food on her plate, intending for her to just listen without saying anything. However, Wang Yuyan blushed, unsure whether to refuse or continue eating.

"Actually, I also think there must be more to this story... Brother Ma has been stationed in Luoyang for the past few years to facilitate communication between the Beggars' Sects of the North and South, but he died a violent death more than two months ago. I went to Luoyang to investigate before, and after considering all the information from various parties, I found no connection between Brother Ma and Young Master Murong. I don't understand the key to this either." Qiao Feng also did not conclude that Murong Fu was the murderer based solely on the fatal wound to his throat; he was still hesitant.

After all, the chokehold grappling technique isn't some mysterious skill. Crushing someone's throat in one swift motion isn't something you can only do by practicing the chokehold grappling technique.

However, this matter had nothing to do with Duan Yu and Chu Luren, and Wang Yuyan had cousins ​​with the Murong family, so Qiao Feng did not elaborate and then just drank with Duan Yu and Chu Luren.

Chapter Seventy-Five: The Dolphin Running Method

Duan Yu and Qiao Feng are really compatible!

As they talked and found themselves getting along better, the two, though not formally becoming sworn brothers, began addressing each other as elder brother and younger brother.

"I vaguely heard from your subordinate that someone has challenged you to a duel tonight? I wonder if I could watch the show?" Duan Yu brought up the matter that the Beggar Clan disciple had just reported, and volunteered to help Qiao Feng.

In terms of internal martial arts skills, Duan Yu was already superior to Chu Luren, and he was also closer, so Chu Luren didn't hear anything, but Duan Yu heard it clearly.

“Well… if you wish to come, it’s not impossible. To be honest, you two do have some grudges against this enemy, but this time they’re targeting the Beggars’ Clan. You two don’t need to get involved; you can just watch from the sidelines,” Qiao Feng said after a moment’s hesitation.

"Oh? Who is he? Could he be a Tibetan monk?" Duan Yu asked again when he heard that it was related to him.

"It has nothing to do with Tibet. It's someone from the Western Xia First-Class Hall. They issued a challenge to our Southern Beggar Clan a month ago, and the duel is set for tonight." Qiao Feng didn't keep it a secret.

Chu Luren then understood that Qiao Feng's normal plan for today was to first meet with several elders of the Southern Beggars' Sect in Wuxi, then go to the Dayi Branch in Xingzilin outside the city. While the main elders and branch leaders of the Southern Beggars' Sect were present, and elders from the Northern Beggars' Sect were also there to witness the meeting, they would first discuss the matter of Murong Fu, and then go to Huishan in the evening for the duel with Yipintang.

"The people from Yipintang have actually arrived in Jiangnan? Have they informed the number one manor in the world?" Chu Luren asked in surprise.

Logically speaking, the Western Xia was founded in Longyou, which was adjacent to the Bashu region controlled by the Song court. In addition, the Hetao, Guanzhong, and even Hexi and the Western Regions were already under the control of the Mongol Yuan. The Western Xia wanted to expand but dared not attack the Mongol Yuan. However, it always thought of moving south to Bashu.

At this time, the Yipintang, controlled by the Western Xia government, came to cause trouble for the Southern Beggars' Gang. The Number One Manor under Heaven should also have a responsibility to take action!