The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

The first "Ah!" is surprise. This guy cheated on Alliance Leader Chu?

The second "Ah" was a sound of surprise; he actually addressed his master as "Grand Princess"?

"There is no Grand Princess here, Murong the spy is joking!" Jiu Nan's expression froze, realizing that the Dragon Guard Manor had discovered her background.

"The Grand Princess was the legitimate princess of the royal family before they migrated south. She was of the same generation as my adoptive father, so naturally she was the 'Grand Princess'," Murong Fu said with great certainty.

“Monks have long since lost their homes and have no seniority.” Jiunan did not acknowledge this identity.

"After learning of the Grand Princess's identity, my godfather has been keeping a close eye on her. I urge the Grand Princess to visit the Dragon Guard Manor. The Divine Marquis requests your presence." Murong Fu spoke with an air of determination to achieve his goal.

He's got the villainous vibes to his name...

Moreover, it's the main characters who turn against the enemy, making them especially hated.

"A person from beyond the borders is not worthy of the invitation of the Divine Marquis!" Jiu Nan said, already gathering his true energy and secretly becoming vigilant.

"Heh, then please come to the Divine Marquis's residence to recite some scriptures," Murong Fu said flippantly, and simply followed suit, addressing her as "Master."

Clearly, her task was to invite Abbess Jiunan to the Divine Marquis's Mansion, regardless of her own wishes!

After all, Jiu Nan is not only the Grand Princess, but also the legitimate successor of the former Song Dynasty. For what Shen Hou needs to do afterward, she is a living "legal and rational proof." Although it is not a decisive proof, "recognition by the former Song royal family" is at least a relatively important prestige asset.

Just as the tension between the two was growing, and Jiu Nan was becoming increasingly uncertain...

"Hey, Prince Consort Murong, I'm not trying to criticize you, but as a prince consort, you have to uphold male virtues! How could you meet with a strange woman alone in the middle of the night?"

Chu Luren stepped out from the side...

Upon hearing this, Murong Jiu's face darkened. He wanted to ask, "What were you doing following that woman in the middle of the night?"

Then he saw Chu Luren wink at him, his back to the others…

What are you talking about! I haven't settled the score with you for what happened yesterday!

Seeing Murong Jiu's anger flare up, Chu Luren inwardly praised—Murong Jiu's acting skills are getting better and better! It's like she really wants to hit me...

Chapter 820 Inquiry

Twenty miles away from the scene of the turtle-killing competition, amidst a barrage of special effects, Chu Luren and Murong Jiu exchanged a few blows.

However, after only a few moves, Murong Jiu's eyes revealed a struggle—Little Jiu Jiu was online, not allowed to hit her big brother.

"Hmph!" Murong Jiu had no choice but to disassemble it first and then put it back.

The master and disciple Jiu Nan did not find it abrupt. It was obvious that neither of them could do anything to the other, so it was normal for them to temporarily reconcile and stop fighting.

"Wait for me a moment," Chu Luren and Murong Jiu lip-synced.

Murong Jiu sneered, "It seems the nun doesn't appreciate kindness. What a pity!" After saying that, she turned and left. After taking a few steps, she seemed to still be angry and turned back, saying, "But whether it's the Grand Princess or the nun, they shouldn't be entangled with some shady men, right? And with two disciples with them, huh."

"You!" Ake grabbed the hilt of her sword when she heard him criticize her master and even use foul language.

However, Jiu Nan raised her only arm to stop her—Murong Fu's martial arts were no weaker than Chu Tai Sui's, and since they were not related, there was no reason for them to risk their lives for them; it was better to avoid them for now.

Jiu Nan's martial arts skills are actually quite strong; she would be considered a rare master in the martial arts world. However, because she is dedicated to assassinating the king, she is not well-known.

Despite being only one-armed, even at his peak, Zuo Lengchan's chances of winning against Jiu Nan were uncertain.

"Thank you very much, Alliance Leader Chu, for saving my two disciples. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet, and today you've come to my rescue again. I am truly grateful," Jiu Nan said, bowing with one hand in a Buddhist gesture.

Jiu Nan's politeness was tinged with distance, after all... she hadn't sensed Chu Luren's approach before either!

Adding to that Murong Fu's final provocation...

Of course, Jiu Nan was more inclined to speculate that Chu Tai Sui had come for his disciple.

A decade or so ago, "A-Jiu" was stunningly beautiful in palace attire and ethereal as a country girl. But now, more than a decade later...

Jiu Nan knew perfectly well that no matter how she thought about it, it was definitely aimed at her disciple, after all... that fox spirit's daughter!

However, as a tool for revenge, Jiu Nan did not want A Ke to be targeted by others, so she kept her distance.

Fortunately, Jiu Nan did not have any ill feelings towards Chu Tai Sui from other perspectives, especially since Wu Sangui was so eager to arrest Chu Tai Sui, which made Jiu Nan appreciate him even more.

“Master Jiunan, you are too kind. This Dragon Guard Manor is particularly despicable. Since your identity has been exposed, if you do not wish to cooperate with the Dragon Guard Manor, it would be best to leave the territory of the Song Dynasty,” Chu Luren sincerely advised.

Upon hearing that Chu Luren had indeed discovered her identity and had clearly been waiting nearby, Jiu Nan became even more wary.

"Thank you for the reminder, Alliance Leader Chu."

Jiu Nan had prepared for the worst. If Chu Tai Sui insisted on pestering her, she would find an excuse to keep A Ke here!

However, Chu Luren only gave a few words of advice before clasping his hands in farewell. This made Jiu Nan think more highly of him, feeling that although Chu Taisui had taken a liking to Ake, fortunately he did not pester her.

Little did they know, Chu Luren was actually in a hurry to see Murong Jiu; "rescuing" them was just a side effect...

Moreover, if I had to say what I'm really interested in, it would be Jiu Nan—the interest lies in "Divine Speed ​​and Hundred Transformations" and the profound internal strength she gained through her extraordinary encounters.

However, he was only interested; he had important business to attend to, so Chu Luren naturally wanted to find Murong Jiu first.

Leaving aside Jiu Nan's inner turmoil, as she battled wits with thin air, Chu Lu Ren had already caught up with Murong Jiu...

Upon noticing this, Murong Jiu, without saying a word, once again used the fan bone as a finger, unleashing the fossilized true energy through the Canhe Finger technique, and pointed it at Chu Luren.

Chu Luren quickly activated the Qiankun Wuji Gong, diverting his energy to the side. A large tree, as thick as a person's embrace, was merely grazed, yet it not only shattered into pieces, but also caused a grayish-white color to appear around it—the matter itself was not altered, but its structure had been affected.

"There's no one around," Chu Luren quickly reminded him.

"Hmph!" Murong Jiu rolled her eyes at him, then took a few steps back and asked in a deliberately distant manner, "Why is Alliance Leader Chu coming to see me instead of accompanying your good elder brother and good sworn brother?"

If someone saw what "Murong Fu" looked like at this moment, they could probably conjure up hundreds of thousands of words of BL (Boys' Love) fanfiction...

"You...are you angry?" Chu Luren realized only then.

Murong Jiu:! ! !

After taking a few deep breaths, Murong Jiu managed to calm down—for now, the important matter should take precedence.

"What brings you here specifically?"

Murong Jiu was able to calm down because Chu Luren came looking for her so quickly. If Chu Luren really did come with that expired princess and her pretty apprentice, Murong Jiu would probably be tempted to go back and kill them.

"What has Lao Shen been doing lately? Do you know what's going on with Duan Hefei's escort silver?" Chu Luren asked, voicing his earlier doubts.

Murong Jiu frowned upon hearing this, and then said, "Last month, through the Hulong Manor's channels, the Xiangxi Escort Alliance mainly escorted several shipments of Wanqian Merchants, expanding their escort agencies and routes to Jiangnan, and neglected matters in Hunan."

Yes, that makes sense.

Escorting a shipment to Hefei was simply a way to make a fortune and gain a reputation.

As for the escorting of thousands of merchants in Jiangnan, with Murong Jiu as the boss behind them, it's clear that there's been a clear collusion between officials and businessmen, and the protective umbrella is in place. They're just waiting to expand their influence, so naturally, they'll focus their main efforts here.

Chu Luren waited for a while, and seeing that she didn't seem to be interested in sharing the profits, he had no choice but to continue asking, "Do you sense that the Dragon Guard Manor is involved in this matter in any way? Is there any intention to deliberately divert the Xiangxi Escort Agency?"

"It's hard to say," Murong Jiu said vaguely.

However, Chu Luren already understood—there were still some, but it was mostly Murong Jiu's own will.

"Will there be any trouble if we can't bring Jiunan back?" Chu Luren asked with concern.

"We weren't even sure if we'd run into her anyway, so we just said someone stopped us because they were lustful," Murong Jiu said sarcastically.

"Dog God Marquis asked me to go to Lin'an, did you know about this?" Chu Luren asked another question.

Murong Jiu frowned, then said, "It might be to save his old flame. Twenty years ago, when one of his old flames was dying, he used Tianxiang cardamom to keep her alive. A few months ago, the coffin made of thousand-year-old black ice began to melt, and he hurriedly went to find a second Tianxiang cardamom. It seems he made some gains at the Eastern Depot."

The Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom is a very strange thing. If you eat one, it can keep you alive even if you have a serious injury, but you will fall into a deep sleep and never wake up. If you eat a second one, you will wake up, but you will only have a year to live. Only if you eat a third one can you be completely cured.

Su Xin must have eaten one, and then the Divine Marquis used a coffin made of thousand-year-old mystic ice to slow down her metabolism and maintain her life force...

Judging from Murong Jiu's words, it seems that the ice coffin melted, and the Divine Marquis had no choice but to give Su Xin the second Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom obtained from the Eastern Depot.

Chapter 821 On the Road

"The millennium-old ice has melted?" Chu Luren muttered in puzzlement.

"The millennium-old ice is not a natural creation; it is likely the companion of some divine beast. It's not surprising that the heavenly gate is wide open now, and there are some anomalies." Murong Jiu was quite open-minded.

At present, it is not apparent that Shenhou has any conspiracy, and... given Shenhou's feelings for Suxin in the original work, Chu Luren also feels that he is unlikely to cause any trouble regarding Suxin's treatment!

“Alright, then I’ll go to Lin’an with you.” Chu Luren nodded.

"What benefits did he promise you?" Murong Jiu looked at Chu Luren with suspicion. Based on Murong Jiu's understanding of him, Chu Luren should be the type who "harms the Marquis without benefiting himself".

"The Divine Wisdom Ultimate Pill," Chu Luren honestly replied.

Murong Jiu muttered to herself for a moment, then realized what kind of pill it was, snorted coldly, and left.

Chu Luren felt that Murong Jiu had been particularly irritable lately; he figured that unless he slew the Crimson Dragon, he would always have a few days like this...

When Chu Luren returned to the "Turtle Killing Conference," most of the people had already dispersed, with only one or two percent remaining, each forming their own groups and discussing their plans.

After picking up Huang Rong, Chu Luren did not see anyone else, including his grand-nephew Wu Kang, and went straight back to Xinghua Prefecture.

During this time, Chu Luren also asked Huang Rong for her opinion on the "Turtle-Killing Assembly," but Huang Rong...

"It's too complicated to explain, you don't need to worry about it. I'll ask Yu Yan and Boss Wu to take care of what needs to be done." Huang Rong had completely sidelined Chu Luren.

The Chu Lu people naturally handed over all their tokens obediently...

The next morning, Chu Luren traveled alone with two secret agents from the Dragon Guard Manor, without any other companions, and they traveled day and night!

Even the four great retainers of the Murong clan couldn't handle it, and in the end only Shangguan Haitang, Murong Jiu, and Chu Luren traveled together.

As for Shen Laoshi... no, it should be Wan Sanqian, he was the only one who could keep up with more than enough.

And it's not just about simply following...

On the morning of the third day of the sixth lunar month, Chu Luren and his two companions set off and arrived in Fuzhou by evening—they didn't even ride horses, relying entirely on their light-footed skills to travel!

However, as soon as the three entered the city and were about to go to the inn to rest, several servants came running over while chanting greetings, saying that they were inviting Shangguan Haitang to a "banquet".

Shangguan Haitang initially thought it was some old acquaintance from the local area, or even suspected that it might be an enemy, since most people wouldn't know the whereabouts of her group.

When they arrived at the restaurant that had been booked, they found Wan Sanqian waiting there!

"Brother Shen... Wan? What are you doing here?" Haitang was a little confused. Wasn't she saying goodbye in Xinghua Prefecture this morning? How come Wan Sanqian, who doesn't know martial arts, was one step ahead of her even though she was rushing at full speed?

Now that Wan Sanqian had revealed his identity, he no longer dressed as a traveling merchant, but instead wore a brocade robe and exuded an air of nobility.

"Upon learning that you were coming, Haitang, I thought of the long journey ahead and, naturally, I came as the wind carried me here." Wan Sanqian uttered a series of idealistic remarks about "I can teleport for you."

"Hehe." Haitang couldn't help but chuckle twice, echoing, "Brother Wan is indeed a true friend." She emphasized the word "friend."