The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

……

Instead of trying to make peace, the righteous warriors of the Righteous Alliance drew their swords at each other—who doesn't have one or two enemies?

Let alone external threats, even within the Righteous Alliance itself, if no one keeps them in check and they gather together to kill each other, the bloodshed could be devastating...

The Righteous Alliance already had a large number of members, and now the chaos was intensified with shouting, cursing, and drawing swords, prompting those around them to also draw their weapons, either to protect themselves or to be incited to "avenge their grievances and settle their scores."

The chaos inside was so great that there were thousands of people outside who didn't know what had happened. They thought a fight had broken out inside, and that people with grudges against each other were ready to fight.

Chu Luren remained calm and collected, acting as if it had nothing to do with him, but Shaolin dared not ignore it—otherwise, not only would there be a river of blood in front of the Great Buddha Hall today, but also... if things really got out of control on this scale, would there be any reason not to set fires after the killings?

A centuries-old temple is about to be destroyed in an instant!

Xuan Ci quickly mustered all his strength and said, "Amitabha! Today we are all here for the Lion-Slaying Assembly and the Knife-Slaying Assembly. Whoever you are, since you have come openly and honestly, you should be treated as guests. But if you have grudges, they should not be settled today! Otherwise, wouldn't you be ridiculed by the world!"

"That's right, if we make a move now, how will we save face?"

"What do you think this place is? Everyone should give Shaolin some face..."

Indeed, even if Yun Zhonghe and Ye Erniang were here, no one had previously called for their deaths—because they were here openly to participate in the Lion Slaying Assembly!

Although people in the martial arts world are quick to settle scores and seek revenge, they are also very particular about the occasion; otherwise, no major martial arts tournament could be held.

Even among the righteous, there are many who harbor mutual hatred. Take the "Turtle-Killing Gathering" for example. If everyone were to act without restraint, Wu Sangui would probably be laughing himself to death—a group of martial arts practitioners discussing how to kill him, and then... dying together.

Back then, Tian Boguang also dared to go to Hengshan City when Liu Zhengfeng retired from his criminal life—but he didn't dare to kidnap anyone, and instead obediently went to a brothel.

In the original work, when Ding Chunqiu and the Four Evils appeared at Shaolin, no one made a move. However, when Qiao Feng arrived, someone did make a move. There are only three reasons for this: first, the distinction between Chinese and barbarians can be used as an excuse to break the rules; second, Qiao Feng brought fewer people; and third... everyone knows that Shaolin, the host, has a grudge against Qiao Feng and will not speak up to stop him!

In the original story, Qiao Feng himself managed to control the situation, but now... with the Righteous Alliance stirring things up, Shaolin had to swallow their anger. Although they held a grudge against Qiao Feng for the hatred of Xuan Ku and the others, they had no choice but to speak up at this moment!

Even so, because the Righteous Alliance ignored him, it seemed that Xuan Ci was about to lose control of the situation.

Fortunately, Chu Luren, a pillar of the martial arts world, stepped forward and said, "Ahem, let's all give Shaolin some face and postpone our personal vendettas."

Chapter 780 Admission

Upon hearing Chu Luren speak, the members of the Righteous Alliance fell silent, and the situation was brought under control.

In the original work, when Shaolin met Qiao Feng, they secretly ordered the formation to prevent him from leaving alive. However, now that the Righteous Alliance has caused such a disturbance, Shaolin does not dare to act rashly. Otherwise, even though the Righteous Alliance only accounts for one or two tenths of the people inside and outside the temple, they could turn this place into a large-scale Jianghu revenge killing scene in no time.

At this moment, Xuanji shouted at Qiao Feng, "Qiao Feng! We shouldn't make things difficult for you at the Lion-Slaying Assembly today, but the matter of your killing of Senior Brother Xuanku is not yet settled, so the Lion-Slaying Assembly does not welcome you. Go down the mountain!"

"My master Xuanku has been incredibly kind to me. I have said that I did not kill them, and I did not kill them. Whether you monks believe it or not, I am here today not for any lion-slaying gathering or butchering ceremony, but to ask you, Xuanci, is it you who led the attack on my parents at Shanhaiguan? Were you the mastermind behind the deaths of Master Zhiguang, my master, and others?" Qiao Feng asked Xuanci directly.

Thanks to Chu Luren's advice, fewer people died, and the Tan family, including the Tan couple, survived.

The elderly couple who adopted Qiao Feng are still alive. Before Qiao Feng went up the mountain, he took A'Zhu to meet the two elders. At first, they were a little scared, after all, they had heard the Shaolin master talk about Qiao Feng’s many evil deeds and told them to be careful. But when they saw their adopted son’s sincerity, they finally believed Qiao Feng. When they saw their daughter-in-law, their fear turned to joy.

The two elders were used to living at the foot of Jiulian Mountain and did not agree to go north with Qiao Feng...

Unlike in the original work, at this point, under the guidance of his second brother, Qiao Feng clearly suspected that Xuan Ci was the ringleader, but he did not suspect that it was Xuan Ci himself who killed Master Zhiguang and others.

After all, if the abbot of Shaolin Temple had been away from the temple for a long time, there would definitely be word of it in the martial arts world. At most, Qiao Feng would suspect that he had instructed others to do so!

"How dare you!"

"Stop talking nonsense..."

"Amitabha Buddha, Qiao Feng, haven't you committed enough sins?"

"Hehe, what's your hurry? Your abbot just doesn't dare to answer directly!"

"There has been no response for so long, I think they are guilty."

“A monk who lies will go to the eighteenth level of hell after death. Say something!”

Hearing Qiao Feng's direct question, many Shaolin disciples and lay disciples were filled with resentment. However, the Righteous Alliance members joined in the commotion without any prompting, putting Xuan Ci in a difficult position.

"Abbot Xuanci, you wrote the letter to Wang Jiantong, didn't you? Don't try to be cryptic today. Explain yourself clearly in front of our friends in the martial world!" Chu Luren pressed him again.

Moreover, this time Chu Luren didn't say anything. He simply pointed out the similarity in the handwriting from the Infinite Life Sutra.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xuan Ci remained silent, and the others couldn't argue much either. Although there were quite a few lay disciples of Shaolin or relatives of Shaolin members present, not fewer than the Righteous Alliance members, they really couldn't compete in a heated argument...

More importantly, people gradually noticed that many of the senior monks of the Xuan generation had put their hands together, closed their eyes, and remained silent, causing the people of the Northern Shaolin Temple to frown and look at their fellow disciples from the Southern Shaolin Temple.

Indeed, Xuanci had already confessed this matter to some of his fellow eminent monks.

In the original work, Xuan Du also told Qiao Feng that the "leader" had promised that if he wanted revenge, the "leader" would close his eyes and wait for death without resisting, but only hoped that he would not commit any more killings.

Qiao Feng agreed to their request, but no one mentioned who the "leader" was, nor did Xuan Ci offer his death as atonement...

Xuanci finally spoke, saying, "Amitabha, it was indeed this humble monk who... to prevent the Shaolin martial arts from being leaked, invited fellow practitioners to ambush and kill... your father and mother outside Shanhaiguan."

This statement sparked a flurry of discussion among many people in the martial arts world. After all, the story had been circulating for so long, and quite a few people privately believed that this so-called "leader" was utterly irresponsible and a coward.

Of course, if that's all there is to it, Xuan Ci will at most be ridiculed, and no one will think there's anything wrong with what he did.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Feng angrily retorted, "Did you see the will left by my father? Stealing Shaolin martial arts? Xuanci, I respect you as a great monk, yet you still have such shamelessness? My parents were returning to the Central Plains to visit relatives and celebrate my maternal grandfather's birthday. They were just the three of us, including me, an infant. My mother was an ordinary person who didn't know martial arts, yet you brought dozens of martial arts experts and killed my mother right away. And you still have the nerve to spread rumors?"

Upon hearing Qiao Feng's words, everyone's gazes toward Xuan Ci, Tan Gong, and Tan Po became strange.

A woman who has just given birth to an ordinary baby doesn't seem like she's here to steal a secret manual, does she?

Xuan Ci had no choice but to say, “That’s right. I was indeed misled by what others said back then, so… later I brought you back to Shaolin and entrusted you to the Qiao couple to raise. I also asked my junior brother Xuan Ku to teach you.”

Chu Luren then added, "He even wrote to Wang Jiantong, telling him that my elder brother is not to be trusted... Hey! We don't know what the rules are for the Beggars' Sect leader. My elder brother was tested and rewarded with merits, and Wang Jiantong couldn't suppress him even if he wanted to. That's how he became the leader. Now, who is this guy who just appeared out of nowhere? Can someone become the leader just because they have high martial arts skills?"

Qiao Feng and Chu Luren's meddling not only caused Shaolin to suffer criticism, but also made the Beggars' Sect somewhat disliked.

While they maintained their own distinctions regarding the relationship between the Chinese and the barbarians, they didn't complain much about Qiao Feng's situation. However... this reveals their true nature; they harbored contempt for him.

"Damn it, that old bald monk Xuanci is no good!" Yue Laosan said angrily.

"Shut up!" Ye Erniang said, her voice trembling slightly, as if suppressing some kind of emotion.

"I... never mind, as the older brother, I won't stoop to my third sister's level." Yue Laosan originally wanted to retort, but seeing that she was not in a good mood, he didn't say anything more.

"Xuanci! You take responsibility for your actions. Today you stepped forward and fought with me, so I'll consider you a real man!" Qiao Feng said, pointing at Xuanci.

"Wait a minute!"

"One must not be disrespectful to the abbot..."

"Set up the formation!"

While the hundreds of monks at Shaolin Temple were in a state of chaos, a figure dressed in monk's robes, wearing a mask, and carrying a young, ugly monk appeared and leaped from behind the main hall to the top of the main hall.

Everyone was shocked and wondered what was going on.

"who?"

"Could they be Qiao Feng's accomplices?"

"Ah! It's Xu Zhu..."

"Quickly release these disciples of our temple!"

The nameless monk laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Shaolin is lively today! Let me reveal a big secret! Ye Erniang, look who this is!"

As the masked monk spoke, he stripped the young monk of his clothes and threw them directly from the roof toward Ye Erniang.

Xu Zhu's martial arts skills were mediocre, otherwise he wouldn't have been left behind. At this moment, he was flailing his limbs wildly in the air and had forgotten how to exert force in the air.

"It's Ye San Niang!" Yue Lao San emphasized as he stepped forward and caught the ugly monk in the chest. "What's so interesting about a little bald monk?" He looked at the monk with some confusion and then prepared to throw him on the ground.

"Ouch!" Xu Zhu cried out in pain.

Suddenly, Ye Erniang noticed the nine incense scars on his back, and with a glare, she kicked Yue Laosan aside and took the ugly monk with her.

Xu Zhu was suddenly stripped naked and then held by a female benefactor, and he immediately struggled.

But then, Ye Erniang groaned with a mixture of sorrow and joy, "My son... my son, you're still alive! It's your mother! I'm your mother!"

Chapter 781 Come at me if you have a problem!

"Female benefactor! What are you saying? Release this humble monk at once..." Xu Zhu was completely bewildered.

“My son… my poor son! That evil man took him away back then, and I thought I would never see you again… You have these incense scars on your body and on your buttocks, don’t you?” Ye Erniang said, her heart aching.

Yue Laosan then suddenly realized: "Oh? So all these years, Third Sister, you've been taking other people's children away to play with? And when you got tired of playing with them, you would deliberately put them in different people's homes... It turns out it's because your own child was taken away."

This is consistent with what Ye Erniang did in the revised edition...

Although it was a traumatic experience, it also revealed the good and evil of human nature—some people lose their own children and then spend their entire lives helping others find their children, but Ye Erniang's child was stolen, yet she went around stealing other people's children for fun.

"You...you are really my mother?" Xu Zhu was both surprised and delighted. Being simple-minded, he didn't know how to react.

Even though he knew the person in front of him was not a good person, and although his features were delicate upon closer inspection, he had three bloody scars on each cheek, making him look quite ferocious, Xu Zhu was still happy to find out that he had a mother.

The scar on her back was exposed, but she was still wearing her pants. If she wasn't her own mother, how would this female benefactor know about the scar on her buttocks?

"That's right, I never imagined... all these years... you've been in Shaolin!" Ye Erniang said sadly, stroking Xuzhu's face repeatedly, as if afraid it was all a dream.

Ye Erniang disregarded everything else, but Yue Laosan suddenly realized what was happening and pointed at the man in the monk's robes, asking, "Hey! Who are you? How do you know this is my nephew? Old man, if you're right, I'll thank you. If you're wrong... your grandpa Yue will twist your head off!"

Yue Laosan naturally had the mindset of a villain—if you hadn't stolen the child, how would you know whose it was?

However, this time the monk in the robes was not wrongly accused, and he didn't try to hide it, directly shouting, "Hahaha! That's right, it was I who took your child away back then, and left six bloody marks on your face!"

"You old bastard! Just you wait!" Yue Laosan said, about to use his internal energy to jump onto the roof, but he was stopped by Chu Luren with a clever move when they were only a few feet apart.

“Silly disciple, you are no match for him,” Chu Luren said, rolling his eyes.

Although the old man didn't show any skill, how could Chu Luren not know his identity?

"I... well, we can't just let it go like this!" Yue Laosan said, still "shyly" unwilling to look at Chu Luren.

"Ah! Old benefactor! Why did you harm my mother? But... but now that you've spoken out, you must have already shown remorse. Apologize to my mother, and Buddha will forgive you," Xu Zhu shouted to the old man in monk's robes.

“Buddha? I have never believed in Buddha! Ye Erniang, you and I have no grudges against each other, but tell me, who is the father of your good son?” the monk in robes questioned.

Everyone could tell that the old man had a grudge against the child's father...

"Mom, who exactly is my father? Is he still... alive?" Xu Zhu asked hurriedly.

"I...I can't say..."

"Ye Erniang, you were originally a good girl, gentle, beautiful, dignified and virtuous! But when you were eighteen, you were seduced by a man with high martial arts skills and great status, lost your virginity to him, and gave birth to this child, didn't you?" The man in the monk's robes told the story in detail.

Qin Hongmian, Ruan Xingzhu, Li Qingluo... three pairs of eyes were already piercing Duan Zhengchun beside them.

Ye Erniang remained motionless at first, then said in a panic, "No, he didn't seduce me! I seduced him."