The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"That scoundrel only cares about his own reputation and future, completely disregarding how miserable your situation is, a young woman who is unmarried and has a child..."

Ye Erniang repeatedly said, "No, no! He took care of me. He gave me a lot of money and made good arrangements for my life in the second half of my life! He is a good man. He has always treated me very well. It was my own fault for not wanting to burden him... He is a good man." Her words were still full of warmth and longing for the lover who had abandoned her.

The hatred she felt for having her child taken away had long since brewed into a monster called resentment, devouring her heart. However, her longing for her former lover did not diminish in the slightest because of her suffering or the passing of time.

Although everyone present despised her character, they couldn't help but feel pity for Ye Erniang when they saw her like this...

Many people looked towards a certain prince of the Dali Duan family!

Even among Dali's personal guards, some couldn't help but turn around, only to be kicked by Chu Wanli before turning back.

At the age of eighteen, she was seduced by a man with high martial arts skills and great status... Who else could it be?

"Sister Wanqing, could it be... that ugly monk is our brother?"

"Doesn't look like that old guy?"

"If Ye Erniang didn't have the bloodstains on her face, she would look... quite like that guy's aesthetic."

Azi and Mu Wanqing have already begun to use visual inspection to analyze the situation from a biological perspective.

Duan Zhengchun couldn't help but sigh: This...this is me? But why do I have no recollection of it at all? Or was Ye Erniang in disguise? Ying'er, Quan Quan, Xiao Shiliu? Ke'er, Sister Lin, Xuanxuan? Who could it be...?

Hiss—I even gave him silver? I never give silver!

Ah, it must be Ye Erniang saying that to protect my reputation...

The monk in the robes moved swiftly, appearing from the main hall before the mother and child, and continued to press, "The child's father is right here. Why don't you point him out?"

"No, no... I can't..." Ye Erniang was already struggling under the pressure and was starting to go crazy.

Upon seeing this, Duan Zhengchun could no longer restrain himself. He gathered his strength in his dantian and shouted, "Enough!"

Monk in robes and Ye Erniang: ? ? ?

Chu Luren: ...

"Judging from your skills, you are also a master. Why are you picking on a woman?" Duan Zhengchun said, striding out.

Gu Ducheng, Fu Sigui, and the other four guards, along with several experts from Dali, including Ba Tianshi, were worried about Duan Zhengchun's safety and quickly surrounded him. Duan Yu also hurriedly followed – if a real fight broke out, Duan Yu would probably be the only one who could help.

Duan Zhengchun took off his robe and first covered the barely clothed Xu Zhu with it. Then he squeezed Xu Zhu's shoulder hard, patted Ye Erniang, and nodded to them with a face full of guilt.

Before Ye Erniang could react, he stepped in front of the mother and son and said, "I, Duan, have wronged many people while traveling the martial world, but I don't know where I offended you. As Master Qiao said, one should take responsibility for one's own actions! If you want to kill or torture me, or seek revenge, come find me, Duan! What kind of skill is it to bully orphans and weak mothers?"

Duan Zhengchun, his face radiating righteousness, thought to himself: Since she has already been implicated in this situation, even if my reputation is ruined before all the heroes of the world, I, Duan, will not treat her unfairly in the slightest. But... but... why can't I remember her at all? I looked closely just now but still couldn't recognize her...

The monk was speechless for a moment. Chu Luren, who was also observing Xuan Ci, noticed that Xuan Ci tried to speak several times, but... he was stopped by Uncle Duan's words and couldn't say anything at all!

Chapter 782 Father and Son Reunited

Duan Zhengchun's body trembled and his eyes widened, stunning the monk in his robes, who remained speechless for a long time.

"What grudge do we have? You may speak plainly!" Duan Zhengchun rebuked.

"Amitabha..." After carefully organizing his thoughts, Xuan Ci first uttered a Buddhist chant, interrupting Duan Zhengchun's interrogation.

Duan Zhengchun, thinking Xuanci was trying to mediate, coldly said, "Master, there's no need for further persuasion! I, Duan, will pay for the sins I've committed today; otherwise, what face will I have left..."

"Second Aunt, you've suffered so much these past years." Xuan Ci didn't know how to tell Duan Zhengchun about this, so she could only greet her second aunt from the side.

Duan Zhengchun: ? ? ?

Hearing Xuan Ci refer to Duan Zhengchun's mistress as "Second Mother" in such an inappropriate manner, the group of martial arts practitioners were taken aback, then quickly realized, could it be...?

“You…you shouldn’t have said that…I’m not suffering! It’s your suffering that you can’t express that’s real suffering!” Ye Erniang collapsed to the ground when she saw that Xuan Ci had already spoken.

Chu Luren felt that Ye Erniang was being manipulated by Xuan Ci.

In this way, everyone present could see that Ye Erniang's lover was not Duan Zhengchun, but... Abbot Xuanci?

Why did Duan Zhengchun step forward?

Huh? Where's Duan Zhengchun? Oh... He's slowly backing away, trying his best to avoid looking awkward.

However, he was surrounded by dozens of Dali soldiers and guards. At this moment, a large group of people retreating would be extremely conspicuous!

“Since you create karma, you will reap the consequences… Xuzhu, come here.” When Xuanci looked at Xuzhu, his eyes flashed with guilt and love.

“Abbot…” Xu Zhu was also stunned. He was a third-generation Shaolin disciple. He could only be considered to know and respect the abbot. He did not have as deep an impression of Xuan Du as he did of his grand-uncle Xuan Du. Xuan Du was kind to him because Xu Zhu had served as his servant in gathering and delivering herbs.

"You have been in the temple for twenty-four years, and I never knew that you were my son..." Before Xuanci stepped forward, he had asked Huilun, who was the first to recognize Xuzhu and was Xuzhu's master, about Xuzhu's general condition. Now he knew.

Otherwise, among the hundreds or thousands of monks at Shaolin Temple, even a third-generation disciple like Xuanci might not be able to recall his Dharma name. At most, he might think that the ugly monk looked familiar, since there aren't many monks this ugly!

After Xuan Ci fully admitted it, the onlookers were filled with a variety of reactions, including astonishment, shock, contempt, anger, fear, and pity, which were difficult to describe.

Chu Luren suddenly realized that if Hua Wuque were here, he might be the first to seek revenge on Xuan Ci. However, it was a pity that Hua Wuque was not here at the moment. It seemed that something had happened in Sanxiang, and even Jiang Biehe was not here.

"What grudge do you have against Xuanci? You'll have to wait your turn!" Qiao Feng shouted at the monk in robes, clearly displeased.

I was afraid he would steal my enemy's thunder, and also...

Although Qiao Feng hated Xuan Ci, he also despised the man's actions—since you have such high martial arts skills and a grudge against Xuan Ci, why not just kill him with one palm? What kind of man bullies a weak mother and young child?

Xuanci looked at the man in monk's robes, his eyes also filled with confusion...

In his youth, he was hot-blooded and certainly offended many people, but... there probably aren't many who would hate him to this extent, especially given his martial arts skills...

The monk in the robes looked at Qiao Feng with deep emotion, his eyes... which made Xuan Ci feel somewhat familiar.

"My grudges against him? What does it matter if they come first or last? He was the one who killed my wife and prevented my child from being reunited with me..."

Upon hearing the monk's words, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves. If someone had previously accused Xuan Ci in this way, they might not have believed it, but now, nine out of ten people considered Xuan Ci a despicable person.

Qiao Feng felt some sympathy after hearing his words, but for some reason, he also felt that the way the man looked at him was very strange!

"Xuanci! Back then, you said you were going to steal Shaolin martial arts, and you joined forces with dozens of masters from the Central Plains to kill my wife who didn't know martial arts... You wronged me! Fine! Then I, Aisin Gioro Yuanshan, will go all the way!"

You've wronged me, so I'll show you! For the past thirty years, I've been hiding in Shaolin Temple, reading through all your martial arts manuals! Eminent monks of Shaolin Temple, if you have the guts, kill me! Otherwise, Shaolin martial arts will not only flow into our Great Qing Dynasty, but everyone in the martial arts world will have a share!

Now that our Great Qing has marched south, it will be too late for you to ambush us outside the Great Wall! Hahaha... Weren't you worried that we would learn your worthless secret manuals and invade the Central Plains in the future? What have you done now? Hahaha..." Yuanshan laughed, laughing so hard that he almost passed out.

As it turns out, the Manchu conquest of the south had little to do with whether or not Shaolin martial arts existed!

Qiao Feng was stunned. Looking at the man in monk's robes, he hesitated and said, "You...you said...you are..."

Yuanshan ripped off the mask and threw it away, revealing a man in his sixties or seventies, who was in good spirits but covered in dust and frost. He looked about five or six parts similar to Qiao Feng.

"You are... my father? You're still alive?" Qiao Feng rushed forward in surprise, recognizing the old man.

Chu Luren sighed inwardly. The two pairs of fathers and sons had finally recognized each other. On the other hand…

Given the lively atmosphere and the fact that it had effectively drawn everyone's attention, Duan Zhengchun finally retreated back into the crowd. Faced with the teasing and sarcasm from Li Qingluo and the other two, he could only manage a forced laugh.

And Duan Yu...

He had already stood beside his younger sisters, having parted ways with his father long ago.

“Back then, my martial arts were taught by Han people, and I swore never to harm Han people. But that day, when I witnessed your mother being hacked and slashed by these Central Plains people in the carriage, I was filled with rage. I killed most of the people present. When I came to my senses, I was completely despondent. Without even gathering my strength, I jumped off the cliff…”

Who knew fate would spare me from this fate! An old tree caught me, and after my wounds healed, I, your father, no longer sought death, but instead hid in Shaolin! Feng'er, tell me, shouldn't we avenge this?"

"The hatred for killing one's mother is irreconcilable! Moreover, Xuanci, you killed my mother back then, which could be attributed to being deceived, but to cover up your crimes, you killed Master Zhiguang and my mentor Xuanku. You are truly depraved and insane..."

When Xuan Ci heard the accusations, he finally understood where this retribution came from. However, he put his palms together and said to Qiao Feng, "Amitabha, what happened back then was indeed what I deserved. Today... you two can do whatever you want with me, but Master Zhiguang and Junior Brother Xuanku were definitely not harmed by me."

Lao Yuanshan didn't wrong him, and said directly, "Hahaha, son, you're wrong. The Shan family father and son in Taishan refused to reveal the mastermind and even framed you, so I went to their door and killed them and burned down the Shan family village."

"That old bald monk Zhiguang was so frightened by me that he drank poison and committed suicide in front of you. As for the bald monk Xuanku... I don't know who killed him. But in this filthy place of Shaolin, there are probably more than a handful of people who know what happened back then, but they all pretend not to know. It's basically a bandit's den, so why bother silencing them?"

Chu Luren was taken aback when he heard this, and immediately realized that Xuan Ku had not died at the hands of Yuanshan. After all, the situation was different from the original story. When Qiao Feng was in his most miserable state, he was instructed by Chu Luren to disguise himself and rush back to the south. When he went to Shaolin Temple at night, his father was still in the north and had not been able to return. Therefore, Xuan Ku was not dead at that time.

It was after the Heroes' Gathering at Juxian Manor that Xuanku was killed, and Shaolin strongly advocated questioning Qiao Feng.

Chu Luren had initially thought that it might also be the work of the old man from Yuanshan, but now it seemed that was not the case—thinking about it, if it really was him, he would most likely have also targeted the Qiao couple…

However, as he said, logically speaking, it shouldn't be Xuan Ci who did it. Could it be...?

Chu Luren then spoke up and asked, "Did Master Xuanku die by his own ultimate technique?"

Xuanji from the Disciplinary Hall then twitched his face and said, "No! Senior Brother Xuanku was skilled in the Demon-Subduing Palm, but he was killed by the fierce palm force."

Well, Chu Luren thought it was Murong Bo...

However, onlookers now looked at Chu Taisui and Nan Murong with increasingly subtle and mocking expressions—as expected, these two had turned on each other! Chu Taisui had no shame, trying to frame someone...

Chapter 783 Unsolved Case

When Xuanji and Xuannan went to Juxianzhuang, a manor owned by Chu Luren, Xuanku was still alive. Later, when Chu Luren rescued Murong Jiu, who had gone mad from practicing qi cultivation, and was preparing to go south to Fuzhou to meet Xiaolinzi, he heard that Xuanku had died and that Shaolin suspected Qiao Feng.

However, it was only a suspicion, because Shaolin had been unlucky ever since and was constantly in a bad position in the public opinion of the martial arts world, so they did nothing.

At this moment, Duan Zhengchun showed true loyalty—even though he was trying to hide and didn't want to be discovered, and even though he was alone, upon hearing about the standoff between Qiao Feng, Chu Luren, and Shaolin, and after hearing Shaolin's detailed account of Xuanku's death, Duan Zhengchun spoke up again…

“Less than half a month before Master Xuanku died, I saw… well, Feng’er at Little Mirror Lake. After that, Feng’er and A’Zhu stayed with me at Little Mirror Lake for more than ten days. Chu Luren was also there in the first few days!” Duan Zhengchun directly exposed this matter.

If Chu Luren said this, probably few people would believe it.

However, once Duan Zhengchun spoke, no one questioned either the reputation of the Dali Duan family or his status as the Prince of Zhennan in Dali.

Everyone knows that the Mu family, a former Song dynasty exiled force, was secretly funded by Dali. What motive would the Prince of Zhennan have to help Qiao Feng give false testimony...?

Now, what needs to be explained is why Duan Zhengchun called Feng'er?

In fact, Duan Zhengchun himself felt a little uncomfortable calling him that. When they first met, he still addressed him as Brother Feng. After all, the two were only a dozen years apart in age. As a prince of the Dali Duan family, although he was essentially a playboy, Duan Zhengchun got married quite early after Duan Zhengming devoted himself to Buddhism and martial arts and did not marry or have children.

Qiao Feng got married in his early thirties, which is relatively early among the heroes. However, he was more playful than Duan Zhengchun, and A'Zhu was Duan Zhengchun's "current" eldest daughter.

Faced with everyone's questioning gaze, Duan Zhengchun did not hide anything and said frankly, "A'Zhu is my daughter who has been lost for many years."

These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion.

"Princess Feng is a princess of Dali? Could it be that the Qing court and Dali have some secret connection?"

"Bullshit! The princess has been missing since she was a child. Besides, I know that she was raised in the Murong family. Now that Murong Fu has become a secret agent, how can it not be that the Song court and the Qing court have some kind of secret connection?"

"But...aren't they father-in-law and son-in-law? Is that even believable?"

"What's so unbelievable about it? I believe in the century-old reputation of the Duan family of Dali!"

"That's right, how responsible was Prince Duan just now? He stepped forward even though it had nothing to do with him!"

"It was so sincere that even he probably believed it."