The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"We should at least visit Young Master Hua first. Regardless of whose side we're on, Young Master Hua is still someone else's... junior, right?"

"Hmph! You actually believe those rumors? That's the Palace Master of Yaoyue Palace, how could it be... But I've heard that it's true that Chu Taisui had a relationship with Young Master Hua in his early years."

"Shh... We're almost at the fork in the road. Let's see if Chu Taisui goes left or right... Huh? Why did we go past that?"

What's ahead?

then……

Chu Luren then went to the Qun, Yu, Yuan!

People in the martial arts world: ? ? ?

Chu Taisui, your addiction is too much!

At a time like this, you actually... Besides, it's so early in the morning, isn't it inappropriate to make these girls work overtime?

Half an hour later, Chu Luren, dressed impeccably, walked out.

Besides gathering information, Chu Luren made a point of washing up – even he was somewhat travel-worn after such a strenuous journey.

In the Qunyu Courtyard, Chu Luren obtained firsthand information.

The situation at the banquet that night is unclear, but Jiang Biehe did indeed call all the doctors in the city overnight, while Tie Wushuang, as if facing imminent disaster, hid in Diling Manor and dared not leave.

In the early hours of the morning, the servants of the household knocked on the doors of the pharmacies one by one, but after working for most of the day, they found nothing.

In the evening, Jiang Biehe stormed in, and after that... the Duan family guarded the gates of Diling Manor.

Later, everyone learned that Hua Wuque had been poisoned the night before, and there seemed to be some incriminating evidence pointing to Tie Wushuang.

Jiang Biehe initially refrained from immediately turning against Tie Wushuang due to Tie's influence in the Hunan martial arts world. Instead, he concealed the news, instructing Tie to return first but not to leave Changsha, and to wait until Hua Gongzi was revived before making any further moves. However…

The medicinal herbs that Hua Wuque needed had been bought up in advance and were eventually found in the Diling Manor!

This led to the current scene, where Duan Hefei, like a powerful dragon, forcefully suppressed the local bully and guarded the gate of Diling Manor.

Of course, for someone in the martial arts world, it's not difficult to sneak in and out unnoticed.

At this time, no one dared to visit Tie Wushuang, and Tie Wushuang dared not "escape," lest things become even more complicated later!

The Changsha Qunyu Academy did not investigate other matters in detail, as its capabilities were limited and it was also necessary to be careful not to alert the enemy.

However, the reason why the medicinal herbs were in Diling Manor was discovered by chance by Qunyu Courtyard—it was indeed the work of a retainer from Zhao Xiangling's residence. The retainer had bought up all the medicinal herbs a few days in advance, and... two days ago, he had a good time at prostitution and made a drunken slip of the tongue, and now he has disappeared without a trace!

This is why the Academy of Arts and Sciences knew...

Normally, this information should have already been obtained by Jiang Biehe and others. Without special orders, Qunyu Courtyard is just a secret intelligence point, and on the surface, it is just an ordinary brothel. It would not be hostile to anyone. Such a "slip of the tongue after drinking" should not be kept secret when asked by the Jiangnan hero.

However, since it involved Tie Wushuang and Yihua Palace, the manager here took the initiative to place the courtesan and several drinking companions who were present at the time under house arrest, keeping the matter a secret. Whether or not to tell others was up to Chu Luren!

Chu Luren guessed that Jiang Biehe was probably wondering why, out of the ordinary, a link in the evidence he had prepared had been kept secret...

However, Chu Luren ignored his puzzlement. Since Que'er had woken up and was out of danger, he decided to go and see his old friend first.

"Halt! This is where the criminal is hiding. We are here on orders... Ouch!"

The servants of the Duan family at the entrance of Diling Manor, who were not familiar with the martial world and did not recognize Chu Luren, arrogantly blocked his way, only to receive a solid slap in the face.

"Who do you think you are? Get lost! If I see another dog from Duan Hefei in my way, I'll cut off ten pounds of his fat and render oil from it!"

As Chu Luren spoke, he waved his hand and sent all eight burly men wielding sticks flying from the doorway.

The "Hefei" in Duan Hefei refers to Hefei County, the seat of Luzhou in Huainan Road, and also the central city of Huainan. It means that he was rich in Hefei and Huainan. However, he was indeed known for his obesity. Even when Wan Sanqian was next to him, he did not look fat.

The few servants who were only somewhat skilled in martial arts could fight no matter how badly they fought. The reason they were able to guard this gate was firstly because of the reputation of Duan Hefei and Huainan Trading Company, after all... money can move mountains; secondly because they had borrowed power. Now, who would be afraid of being considered an accomplice by Yihua Palace if they openly associated with Tie Wushuang?

These two points are useless to the Chu Lu people, so naturally the Chu Lu people can enter.

Of course, many people in the martial arts world who were watching the spectacle from afar either cheered and applauded in their hearts or felt disdain and jealousy, but they all remembered that Chu Taisui was indeed ruthless—no matter how much money Duan Hefei had, it couldn't stop Chu Taisui from breaking the rules and directly threatening to cut off his flesh.

They all believed that Chu Taisui would definitely keep his word, and that it would be best for Master Duan to lay low for a while.

However, apart from a very few people, everyone overlooked the fact that... the legendary "ruthless" Chu Tai Sui actually did not harm these servants.

Chu Luren banged on the door of Diling Manor. The servants inside cautiously opened it a crack. They were servants of the Zhao family, and they all knew that disaster was imminent, so they were all very cowardly.

Without waiting for an announcement, Chu Luren pushed open the door and went in, saying as he walked in, "I'm Old Tie's friend! Where is Old Tie?"

The servants breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led Chu Luren to the inner courtyard.

When Chu Luren saw Tie Wushuang again, he found that he looked much older and more haggard than he had six months ago...

Chapter 832 Mystery

When Chu Luren met Tie Wushuang, he was in a very bad state. He wasn't just filled with anxiety, but it was as if all his spirit had been drained away...

"The deer people are here? Alas, I am ashamed to face them, I am ashamed to face them!" Tie Wushuang looked like he didn't want to see anyone.

Tie Wushuang was usually happy when Chu Luren came to visit him, but he preferred it when the younger generation he had helped came to visit him. He even liked to invite down-on-their-luck comrades to his residence for a free meal, and then give them some silver when they left...

But it's very uncomfortable to be visited by a younger generation who are now living a life of great success when I'm down on my luck.

Moreover, recent events have dealt a heavy blow to Tie Wushuang—first, he mediated a dispute between two people in the镖联 (bodyguard alliance), but ended up poisoning both of them.

Then they came to mediate the matter between the two major trading companies, and the result... sigh!

In contrast, Tie Wushuang's two disciples were much more eager, and upon seeing this, they quickly said, "Alliance Leader Chu! My master must be innocent!"

“That’s right. My master has no grudge against Yihua Palace. He came here to mediate the dispute between Master Zhao and Duan Hefei. Why would he want to kill Hua Wuque?”

The two immediately sought help from Chu Luren...

Chu Luren recognized the two men and, after a closer look, realized that he did indeed know them.

One of them was Bai Qiong, who was the most outspoken one back then—the one who went to Hengshan City with Chu Luren, Shui Sheng, and Wang.

Another one is Liu Qin, the youngest son of Liu Zhengfeng, who became a disciple of Tie Wushuang after the Hengshan City incident. He owed Chu Luren a debt of gratitude. After Liu Zhengfeng's death, Tie Wushuang took him as a disciple to protect the Liu family from being harassed by outsiders.

"You bastard! What nonsense are you spouting in front of the guests?" Tie Wushuang was furious.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry... Shall we have a drink first?" Chu Luren pretended to be relaxed and first made a drinking gesture.

Afterwards, Chu Luren did not immediately discuss business with Tie Wushuang, but instead instructed his servants to prepare a banquet at his residence.

Zhao Xiangling was utterly terrified. After hearing that the visitor was Chu Luren, who held a very high position in the martial arts world and had a deep friendship with Yihua Palace, she was extremely attentive to him and naturally obeyed everything he said.

While Chu Luren and Tie Wushuang were feasting, Zhao Xiangling was also sitting at the table, diligently pouring wine—it was clear that this richest man in Hunan was quite different from Wan Sanqian, the richest man in Jiangnan and the number one tycoon in the world.

If it were Wan Sanqian instead, not only would he be more composed and have a better relationship with Shenhou, but he would also have the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi who serve him as their master, so he wouldn't be afraid of Yaoyue.

After all, apart from Chu Luren, no one else should know that Yaoyue is about to take that step. Even if she does, if the four ghosts of Xiangxi join forces and only seek to protect themselves, they might still have a chance...

After a few rounds of drinks, Chu Luren felt that Tie Wushuang was in better condition, so he asked, "Elder Tie, what exactly happened at the banquet a few days ago?"

"Alas, to be honest, even now, I am still completely baffled..." Tie Wushuang said bitterly, even questioning whether he was suitable to be the leader of the Hunan martial arts world.

Chu Luren wasn't in a hurry and just told him to speak slowly.

Tie Wushuang then showed a look of reminiscence and began to recount what had happened back then.

Previously, it was because Duan Hefei had set up his cloth and brocade business in Hunan that the Duan family's Yunnan cotton business impacted Zhao Xiangling's Sichuan cotton business, leading to constant conflicts between the two families, and they had even begun to hire people from the martial arts world to kill each other!

Moreover, Zhao Xiangling went even further, not only engaging in behind-the-scenes infighting but also setting fire to someone's shop in Changsha.

When Tie Wushuang found out, he also complained and tried to stop Zhao Xiangling, saying, "Wouldn't it be better if everyone worked together to make money?"

So the two families were brought together, and Duan Hefei also invited Jiang Biehe, a great swordsman from Jiangnan, who brought along his companion Hua Wuque.

At the banquet, Zhao Xiangling, Duan Hefei, Tie Wushuang, Jiang Biehe, and Hua Wuque were seated. Even Jiang Biehe's son, Jiang Yulang, was not seated.

The banquet was a round table for communal dining. To Tie Wushuang's left was Hua Wuque, and to his right was Zhao Xiangling...

Not long after, Hua Wuque began to show symptoms of poisoning!

He Lu and Lian Hua erupted on the spot, intending to take down everyone present. Just as a conflict was about to break out with Zhao Xiangling's retainers, Jiang Biehe and Tie Wushuang calmed the situation down. At the same time, they knew that the people of Yihua Palace were unreasonable, and if the culprit could not be found, they feared...

Fortunately, Tie Wushuang and Jiang Biehe also supported having the people from Yihua Palace search them. The two even took the lead in being searched, and as a result... they found Yama's Three Watches Powder on Tie Wushuang's body—a rare poison on the list of rare poisons in the martial arts world. It needs to be added to the wine in three separate doses to achieve the maximum effect!

Fortunately, Hua Wuque possessed profound internal strength, and Mingyu's true qi also had the effect of avoiding poison, which saved his life. Afterwards, he slowly took medicine to remove the root of the poison, and only woke up today.

"Yama's Midnight Powder? Is it powder?" Chu Luren asked to confirm.

“That’s right, the porcelain bottle they found on me back then was also this size.” Tie Wushuang said, gesturing as he spoke.

"Alliance Leader Chu! Someone must have planted this on Master to frame him!" Liu Qin said hurriedly.

"Qin'er! What kind of behavior is this? If you can't hold your temper, go back to your room and practice your skills!" Tie Wushuang scolded disapprovingly.

Clearly, Liu Qin's behavior made Tie Wushuang feel very ashamed—but it's understandable, as the Yihua Palace is definitely more adept at killing entire families than the Songshan Sect, and it's also much harder to stop them.

Liu Qin stood awkwardly to the side, not daring to say anything more.

"How much did Old Tie drink back then?" Chu Luren asked another question.

How could someone not even notice that such a large porcelain vase was being carried around their waist?

“Not enough.” Tie Wushuang immediately waved his hand, looking very confident.

Chu Luren: ...

"It's really not much, just three cups," Tie Wushuang emphasized again.

Three cups?

So... Hua Wuque had every cup of his drink poisoned?

Recalling his previous experience, Chu Luren specifically asked, "Did you check the wine pot back then?" Chu Luren was afraid it was the Mandarin Duck Revolving Pot again, and that the poison wasn't actually added at the time.

Tie Wushuang was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, not at the time, and later... I don't know, it was a banquet at the Duan family's villa."

Judging from Tie Wushuang's expression, it's clear that he and Zhao Xiangling brought back nothing but a black pot from their trip; they knew nothing else.

Tie Wushuang didn't ask Chu Luren whether he believed him or not. If Chu Luren didn't believe him, he wouldn't have come to him. He just asked worriedly, "Luren, what will Palace Master Yaoyue do when she finds out...?"

"It's alright, I..." Chu Luren had just spoken confidently when suddenly his Dao Embryo was affected by the Qi, and a mysterious feeling arose. Afterwards, his meridians instinctively interacted with the outside world and vibrated a bit.

Seeing Chu Luren suddenly look east and remain silent, Tie Wushuang asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"No...it's nothing. Yaoyue and I...who are we? Hehe...heh..." Chu Luren poured himself a drink to calm his nerves.

Chapter 833 Each to their own

Just as Chu Luren and Tie Wushuang were drinking, they suddenly felt... the Heavenly Gate open!