The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Cheng Lingsu doesn't need to impersonate Shi Wanzhen at all; she can simply appear as Cheng Lingsu and demonstrate her abilities. Even the Dragon Guard Manor will treat her with respect after that...

After all, Shi Wanzhen, the number one poison master in the world, only had a relationship of mutual benefit with the number one manor in the world, and was not considered one of their own!

However, Chu Luren shook his head and said, "No need! I will find a way to remove the poison from Senior Brother Wang's body. With my true energy, I should be able to forcefully remove the poison."

Chu Luren knows a great deal about various martial arts techniques for detoxification, poison removal, and poison avoidance...

“But you can’t gain the trust of the Dragon Guard Manor.” Li Mochou looked at Chu Luren with a puzzled expression.

Chu Luren simply shook his head without explaining why—Cheng Lingsu had no relation to him or Wang Chongyang, nor was she connected to the Ancient Tomb Quanzhen Sect. Chu Luren didn't want her to take such a risk!

If the Marquis finds out that she is working with him, she might not be able to leave the Dragon Guard Manor.

It was Shi Wanzhen who plotted against Wang Chongyang, and Cheng Lingsu felt responsible for it—that's one thing, but Chu Luren going along with it and letting her take the risk is another…

Moreover, the Chu Lu people were not without options.

Previously at Jiulian Mountain, although Chu Luren released Yagyu Tadashi, he did not agree to cooperate with Shenhou on the matter of Guihai Yidao. Instead, he made Yagyu swear an oath before the Yagyu family crest that he would never cause trouble for Yagyu Piaoxu.

and……

They also took the opportunity to leave a backup plan on him—planting a hidden Dao Embryo clone.

Because Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's martial arts skills are also quite high, if he was not willingly infected, the effects on him would definitely be felt immediately.

Therefore, the Dao embryo planted by the Chu Lu people remained completely dormant, serving only as a "marker".

Even so, Chu Luren dared not say that he would definitely not be discovered, but it was possible that he would not be discovered.

Two days ago, Yagyu Tajima, stationed in Luoyang, received Wang Chongyang. Chu Luren believed he could reach Huainan and Jiangnan faster than the Shinkage-ryu group that brought Wang Chongyang...

At that time, Chu Luren can play the role of Xiao Hong, and within a radius of dozens of miles, he can sense the existence of the Dao Embryo clone and kill it one step ahead!

Cheng Lingsu looked at Chu Luren with her clear, black-and-white eyes, and then teased, "Brother Chu, you don't need to show your character right now."

Chu Luren glared at her, then said to Li Mochou, "You go back to the Ancient Tomb first. I'll try my best to bring back Senior Brother Wang and the gifts I prepared for you before."

"A gift?" Li Mochou asked, puzzled.

"Well, it should be considered a gift..." Chu Luren hadn't forgotten the story of Li Mochou's master being beaten to death by an old madman back then.

Ouyang Feng hasn't gone mad yet, but... he does meet all the criteria to be the leader of the Four Spirits. Chu Luren had this intention when he cut off his head.

Although he didn't carry it with him, with so many professionals in the Righteous Alliance, they would naturally have a way to preserve it well. Later, Chu Luren could send it to the ancient tomb. If it really was him, it would be perfect for paying homage to Li Mochou and Xiaolongnu's master.

"Little Master, what about the 'Medicine King's Divine Scripture'?" Chu Luren teased Cheng Lingsu on purpose.

Cheng Lingsu rolled her eyes and said, "Brother Chu is so sincere about wanting to become my disciple, then... may I make a request?"

Chu Luren was taken aback when he heard this. He had only meant it as a joke. Of course, he would have no objection if he were to actually give him the "Medicine King's Divine Manual".

"What are the requirements?" Chu Luren asked immediately.

Let's do one good deed every day!

“Doing a good deed every day is good! I usually do a good deed every day…” Chu Luren was about to talk at length about his good deeds.

"No, no, let's start from when Brother Chu met your teacher! Write a good diary, and I'll check it next time we meet!" Cheng Lingsu said with a smile, though it was hard to tell how serious she was.

……

Chu Luren left overnight and headed towards Huainan. Li Mochou returned to the Ancient Tomb Sect—knowing she couldn't help, Li Mochou wouldn't deliberately cause trouble.

As for Cheng Lingsu...

Li Mochou looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "If Sister Lingsu has nowhere to go, you can come to the Ancient Tomb as a guest."

Both Lin Chaoying and Xiaolongnu are still poisoned...

“Alright, I do have some medicinal herbs to gather in Zhongnan Mountain, but I probably won’t stay for long.” Cheng Lingsu tentatively agreed to accompany him for a while.

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou became even more enthusiastic—it would be best if it didn't take too long, so she could ask him about toxicology without worrying about inviting trouble into her grave…

"Hey, Lingsu, you're new to the world, so you have to be careful of men. I learned that the hard way back then." Li Mochou started giving Cheng Lingsu a lesson on the way.

“Especially some men, they seem to want to deceive hearts, but actually... they just want the secret manual!” Li Mochou said with some resentment.

"Hehe, is Sister Li referring to Brother Chu? I think Brother Chu is indeed a good person, so it's not a big deal if he 'tricks' the secret manual away," Cheng Lingsu said with a smile.

Cheng Lingsu was indeed somewhat sincere. After all, the key to poison skills lies in self-control. The art of poison is extremely lethal and can easily make people cruel and numb. Chu Luren's martial arts skills were already very lethal, but Cheng Lingsu could still sense that he was not a numb person and would not treat others as nothing just because he possessed a weapon.

Li Mochou paused upon hearing this, suddenly realizing that it wasn't very convenient to be in the tomb lately...

Cheng Lingsu saw through Li Mochou's thoughts and added, "But you can trick them out of the secret manual, but you can't trick them out of anything else!"

Li Mochou then regained her enthusiasm.

Chapter 864 Taking Action

Chu Luren searched and searched, and had already reached Hefei, the capital of Luzhou, but still had not found any trace of Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.

As dusk approached, Chu Luren decided to first go into Hefei city to rest and also to inquire at Qunyu Academy to see if there was any other information.

However, as he was walking down the street, Chu Luren's Dao Embryo suddenly stirred—it reacted!

Those heavily accented Japanese people, like Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, actually dared to rest inside the castle? This was somewhat unexpected by Chu Luren.

Chu Luren originally thought that with Wang Chongyang, who was unable to move, and speaking with a strong Japanese accent, they would attract attention and wouldn't linger in crowded places.

Following his senses, Chu Luren discovered that he had gradually left the market town, and that the surrounding area was no longer an inn, but rather a series of grand mansions.

Chu Luren secretly concealed his tracks and eventually arrived at the estate of a wealthy family—the term "wealthy family" was an understatement.

Even more outrageous than the Diling Manor in Changsha, this grand mansion made Chu Luren wonder if the imperial palace in Lin'an was ever this big!

A large plaque with the character "段" (duan) on it stands in front of the main gate...

Even if it were Chu Luren's first time here, he would know what this place was—Duan Hefei's residence!

At this time, Duan Hefei was still on his way back to Hefei. After all, the incident in Changsha was only a little over a month ago. He didn't know martial arts and had that kind of build. It would be considered a miracle if he could make it back in three months!

However, the Dao Embryo's senses were indeed present within this mansion...

Chu Luren immediately realized that not only Wan Sanqian, but also Duan Hefei was connected with the Iron-Blooded Marquis.

With the help of people from Hefei, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and his group were indeed able to settle in Hefei without any problems.

Previously, the Chu Lu people thought that they would only take small paths or stay in places related to thousands of merchants, but they were misled!

Chu Luren scaled the wall and sneaked in. If he could steal Wang Chongyang out, Chu Luren wouldn't mind making him disappear without a trace.

This would not only avoid further direct conflict, but also... Yagyu Tajima-no-kami lost such a huge face for no reason, which would also create a rift between him and the God of War!

While stealthily infiltrating, Chu Luren focused wholeheartedly on guarding Mingyutai. Initially, it was as if he had a cheat code for the map, and things went very smoothly for him.

Midway through his journey, Chu Luren discovered Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and several members of the Shinkage-ryu school. However, he couldn't find any trace of his senior brother, Wang, so Chu Luren had no choice but to continue his search with these questions in mind.

What's the story behind Yagyu Tajima-no-kami?

Are we really this careless on our own turf?

Why don't you keep such an important "thing" by your side?

After searching all the way to the backyard, Chu Luren suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as he discovered an unexpected person—Zhao Wushi was actually there!

Zhao Wushi had two other people beside him. One was Wan Sanqian with a double chin, and the other was... a master of innate martial arts who was motionless, had his acupoints sealed, and was also poisoned—it was undoubtedly Wang Chongyang!

"Lord Shenhou, why don't we wait for Murong Fu and Shi Wanzhen to return first, so that our efforts won't be in vain due to poisoning?" Wan Sanqian advised Lord Shenhou.

“No need! Lin Chaoying hasn’t been caught, and Cao Zhengchun is pressuring us even more. We shouldn’t cause any more trouble… I’ve been exposed to countless poison-avoiding experts. No matter how potent the poison Shi Wanzhen used, it shouldn’t be without a chance to vomit. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just wait for Shi Wanzhen. Cough cough cough…” Shenhou coughed violently as he spoke.

"Hey, has Shenhou been too hasty lately? Is Baisun really alright?" Wan Sanqian asked worriedly.

"We fell for that old man's trick. I thought he was on his last legs, but I didn't expect he still had a wisp of Xuanming True Qi inside him. But it's just because he helped Suxin absorb the cold poison earlier, and it just so happens that it reacted with the Xuanming True Qi. He'll be fine after a few more days of rest." Shenhou had already made up his mind.

All losses?

Chu Luren initially thought the name sounded familiar, but when he heard "Xuanming True Qi," he realized that it was the master of the Xuanming Elders!

However, Bai has been missing for a long time. I never expected... Judging from what Shenhou said, he must have been imprisoned by the Dragon Guard Manor for a long time.

Nine times out of ten, Bai Sun's Xuanming True Qi was profound and insidious, and Zhao Wushi could not absorb it immediately. He had to "dry him up" before he dared to absorb it. However, even so, he was tricked by Bai Sun at the last moment.

Xuanming True Qi...

Nine times out of ten, it's extremely "turbid"!

Chu Luren silently counted the number of Zhao Wushi in his mind, while also realizing that things were not going well—if it were just Zhao Wushi, Chu Luren would consider slowly sneaking over to ambush him, but... if Wan Sanqian was also there, it meant that the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi were also there.

Mingyutai couldn't detect the four of them either. At their current distance, the other side probably hadn't noticed them, but if they continued to get closer, they would be discovered sooner or later.

After all, Chu Luren's infiltration wasn't true invisibility; to put it bluntly, it was just a smokescreen—there were always some angles from which he could be seen. If he didn't know which direction the "audience" was in, he simply couldn't "perform."

Moreover, with Zhao Wushi alone, the Chu Lu people had little chance of victory, and the four ghosts of Xiangxi, working together, were in some ways more troublesome than a single Divine Marquis!

However, seeing that Zhao Wushi was about to attack Wang Chongyang, Chu Luren had no choice but to bite the bullet and sneak over...

The moment Chu Luren realized that Wang Chongyang had disappeared and Zhao Wushi's aura had become complex and chaotic, he suddenly erupted, crashing into the courtyard. He formed a hand seal, and countless Buddhist figures appeared around him. He unleashed a move called "Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage" towards the room where Zhao Wushi and Wan Sanqian were.

Chu Luren also knows the "Absorption Technique" and understands its operating principle.

Zhao Wushi's cultivation method is undoubtedly the most powerful absorption technique—his body training is also a devouring body that matches the absorption technique. It can make the body of the person being absorbed temporarily merge with his own, completely plunder everything, and then expel it!

At this moment, Zhao Wushi was undoubtedly at his weakest, like a python that had just eaten a large meal...

They are not easily moved, and their counter-attack and defensive capabilities are greatly reduced.

If rescue is timely, the person who was inhaled will only suffer severe damage and will not die on the spot.

Inside the room, Wan Sanqian had just witnessed Zhao Wushi attacking the immobilized Wang Chongyang when Wang Chongyang directly merged into Zhao Wushi's body, causing Zhao Wushi's form to twist and contort...

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and bricks and stones flew off one wall of the house. The next moment, four phantom figures appeared, reassuring him, and blocked all the bricks and stones that were about to hit him and Shenhou.

However, at this moment, the Buddha's light that broke through the wall surged in unstoppable!

The primary objective of the Four Devils of Western Hunan was to protect Wan Sanqian, which gave Chu Luren an opportunity...

As Chu Luren charged in, he feinted with his finger strikes, which, like swimming fish, changed direction and flew towards Wan Sanqian, while he himself charged with all his might towards Zhao Wushi, whose "figure had changed".

Chapter 865 Encounter

Zhao Wushi was suppressing the backlash from absorbing Wang Chongyang's energy—because Wang Chongyang had been subdued, his direct resistance was not strong. However, the "Innate Skill" itself was an extremely stable skill that cultivated innate energy, making it difficult to "absorb" it. Moreover, Wang Chongyang possessed a strange poison that was indirectly implanted in Zhao Wushi's body.

Chu Luren suddenly appeared, each move aimed at killing, and Zhao Wushi was also extremely shocked.