The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

After all, his original plan was to frame Guo Juxia for colluding with the Mongol Yuan dynasty, and then have the Dragon Guard Manor save Xiangyang from danger.

Although this would cause most of the heroes of Xiangyang to disperse, there would still be some left, which could be subdued later.

Especially after learning that Jinlun had captured Guo Juxia's two daughters, Zhao Wushi had even more reason to frame Guo Juxia—to leak some secrets of Xiangyang for the sake of his daughters' safety...

This would both convince people and damage Guo Juxia's reputation, thus subtly resolving the crisis in Xiangyang after Guo Juxia's death, and even further enhancing the prestige of the Dragon Guard Manor.

Zhao Wushi had even planned that he would have the Eastern Depot's military supervisor in Xiangyang seize on Duan Tianya and Shangguan Haitang's weaknesses, allowing Cao Zhengchun to gain the upper hand first, thus demonstrating weakness to the enemy.

He had already prepared the evidence of Lü Wende and Lü Wenhuan's crimes, and he was not afraid that they would not submit in the future!

Under these circumstances, he naturally wouldn't spare Guo Juxia's life; otherwise, if the news leaked, it would be a huge blow to himself.

I never imagined that I would need to use Guo Juxia to threaten Madam Guo so she wouldn't go mad...

After he drained Guo Juxia dry, he casually handed him over to Murong Fu—"he" was originally a dirty worker, so naturally he knew about these things.

The reason for doing it "casually" was to test the waters and see what Murong Fu would do next.

Afterwards, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami reported that he had followed Murong Fu and witnessed Murong Fu taking Guo Juxia outside the city, slashing his face, and then throwing him into West Lake, leaving him to die...

Although the leak of Wang Chongyang's matter last time made Zhao Wushi somewhat skeptical of Yagyu Tajima no Mori, both of them said so, so how could it be false?

However, Zhao Wushi still overlooked something...

Chu Luren unexpectedly interfered, preventing the plot to frame Guo Juxia from succeeding!

Moreover, he anticipated that Madam Guo would not abandon Xiangyang. Even if she failed to frame Guo Juxia, he believed that Madam Guo would choose to leave with her children and would not do what Wu Sangui did.

However, no one expected that Madam Guo would be so resolute!

The Dragon Guard Manor received the news even earlier, but there was little Zhao Wushi could do...

After all, even if you knew in advance that a mutiny had broken out in Xiangyang, you couldn't stop it. Zhao Wushi could only pretend to be innocent to the end—anyway, there was a double in Lin'an, so no one could prove that he had been to Xiangyang!

Of course, as a loyal and courageous general, Zhao Wushi would not simply claim innocence. Instead, he would bravely shoulder the responsibility and ask the emperor to punish him in order to quell the "misunderstanding" among the soldiers on the front lines.

That idiot Cao Zhengchun will definitely take this opportunity to make trouble for me, and then I can play the victim—Zhao Wushi has already started planning the next round of schemes.

Guo Juxia, representing the extreme of Yang; Wang Chongyang, representing the extreme of stability; Jinlun, representing the extreme of agitation; Aobai, representing the extreme of strength; Baisun, representing the extreme of turbidity...

Zhao Wushi has already absorbed five top masters, and with the help of the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi in the Qingcheng Sect, he has secretly trained thirty-six Heavenly Generals and seventy-two Earthly Fiends to create the "Ultimate Softness"!

It's laughable that they thought they were really setting up some kind of formation...

Although the Four Ghosts of Xiangxi had broken down the "Phantom Divine Skill" into pieces and only used its essence to train the methods of formation and application, training two or three hundred people in the Qingcheng Sect, they could not withstand Zhao Wushi's absorption of all 108 of the most elite secret agents, leaving only some useless people with limited martial arts skills.

In this way, not only was the "Ultimate Softness" achieved, but Zhao Wushi was also able to imitate 80% of the "Phantom Divine Skill" and... was able to break the "Phantom Divine Skill"!

Once the time is right, Zhao Wushi will replace these "backup options" with the right ones one by one!

Now only the "extreme of Yin" and the "extreme of Qing" are missing...

The latter goes without saying. Since ancient times, the martial arts world has regarded the "purest" skills as the most "pure" ones. His old rival, Cao Zhengchun, had mastered the "Tiangang Boy Skill" to a high degree. If he didn't absorb it, Shenhou would feel he was doing himself a disservice.

The former is more troublesome...

Originally, Zhao Wushi's target was Dongfang Bubai. Starting ten years ago, he gradually set his sights on her. But now that she has reached the Heavenly Gate Realm, Zhao Wushi has to find a "backup" to break through to first.

But there hasn't been a suitable candidate yet...

Later, he secretly captured Yue Buqun alive—in terms of skill, Yue Buqun was still too inexperienced, and his mastery of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique was not yet complete.

However, its value lies in its transformation of the pure "Purple Cloud Skill" into the "Evil-Repelling Sword Technique"—the stronger the strike, the more refined and sinister it becomes afterward...

Therefore, Zhao Wushi has been cultivating him for the past two years, hoping that he can reach a point where he can barely be a "backup plan" as soon as possible.

Once he completely feigns weakness and exposes Cao Zhengchun, he can seize control of the Eastern Depot and Cao Zhengchun's power, becoming the strongest emperor in history...

As for Chu Luren, who always ruins his plans, he is indeed a headache. Fortunately, it won't be long before that guy goes to Xia Ke Island and may not be able to come back!

Of course, Zhao Wushi had already made up his mind that if he didn't return, he would personally go out to sea and kill him after he became invincible...

Chapter 935 Maintaining Peace in the Martial World

The matter of Xiangyang was settled overnight.

Lady Guo, dressed in general's armor, met with the generals at the governor's mansion and reneged on the matter of Xiangyang.

The city was changed, but the flag was not; it was nominally a military remonstrance, not an uprising.

The brothers Lü Wende and Lü Wenhuan were placed under house arrest. Other rebelling generals were dealt with by Madam Guo according to the circumstances: some were detained, some were persuaded, and some were killed!

Chu Luren also discovered that all the generals who were killed on the spot were not killed simply for "resisting a mutiny," but for other crimes as well.

Drawing salaries without working and exploiting soldiers were the least serious offenses; there were also those who secretly traded with the Mongols—and these were only the crimes that Madam Guo already knew about.

Some even committed acts of cruelty against the people, which were only discovered during subsequent investigations!

One by one, they were dragged to the city gate and beheaded in broad daylight. After their crimes were announced, the ordinary soldiers were actually overjoyed.

Meanwhile, the eunuchs supervising the army were all beheaded, which was even more gratifying...

Of course, Madam Guo did not forget to fill the ranks of junior officers with the chivalrous men of Xiangyang and the righteous men of the Righteous Alliance, and incorporate them into the garrison. For some mid-to-high-ranking generals and those who could not be replaced by Jianghu people immediately, Madam Guo also won them over while arranging "personal soldiers" for them.

The situation in Xiangyang was quickly brought under control, and a memorial to the court was submitted in the names of Lü Wende and Lü Wenhuan.

Guo Juxia was already very popular with the soldiers and civilians in Xiangyang, and the soldiers and civilians in Xiangyang generally had a lot of resentment towards the imperial court.

After this matter was exposed and publicized, it became a daily ritual for Madam Guo to appease the soldiers and civilians of Xiangyang. Otherwise, someone might have actually volunteered to go to the capital to punish the traitor!

Shangguan Haitang was unable to leave Xiangyang because she had to take care of Duan Tianya, who was seriously injured earlier. At first, she was only helpless—why did even Madam Guo believe Chu Taisui's words? Did she not recognize her own husband?

However, after Duan Tianya gave her a hint, Shangguan Haitang realized that Madam Guo couldn't possibly mistake Guo Juxia, and besides, Madam Guo was known for her strategic acumen. Since she could be convinced, it meant...

Shangguan Haitang broke out in a cold sweat at her own guess and couldn't help but ask, "Big brother! You...you mean our godfather..."

“I don’t know. I just noticed some strange things when I was investigating the Giant Whale Gang. Also… Gang Leader Li Zhengkai was killed by ‘God of Slaughter’s One-Slash Slash. My godfather suspects it was Liu Sheng Piaoxu who did it. But based on my understanding of the Shinkage-ryu, that slash should have been done by a man!”

"The only ones capable of using this move are Yagyu Tajima-no-kami and his daughter. If Yagyu Tajima-no-kami faked his death before, then the reason why Yagyu Hyouse stayed by Chu Taisui's side would seem strange..." Duan Tianya said in silence.

Shangguan Haitang had always felt that among the three secret agents, she was the most meticulous, her eldest brother was too taciturn, and her second brother was just a simple-minded younger brother...

However, Shangguan Haitang suddenly realized that she was the one who wasn't thinking straight!

Duan Tianya was injured while fighting against Yin Kexi on behalf of the Song Dynasty. Madam Guo naturally did not make things difficult for him. Instead, she stopped the other Xiangyang heroes who, in their grief and anger, wanted to kill the secret agents of the Dragon Guard Manor as a sacrifice to the flag.

In order to investigate this matter, Shangguan Haitang volunteered to act as a mediator between the Xiangyang garrison and the imperial court, and to return to the capital to investigate the matter.

Although Madam Guo had little hope, she still agreed and let him go...

Chu Luren, on the other hand, "rested" in Xiangyang for more than half a month, and only left after ensuring that there was no trouble in the city.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, we are going to Xia Ke Island for congee. Xia Ke Island is located somewhere in the South China Sea. We boarded the ship in Leizhou on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. With only one month left, Chu Luren is about to set off.

Although he arrived a bit early, Chu Luren estimated that if he had arrived too late, the chaos in Leizhou might have been even greater than in Xiangyang!

After all, there will definitely be many people who will be sending him off, from the Ming Cult to the Lingjiu Palace, from the Xingxiu to the Xiaoyao Sect, from Dali to the Ancient Tomb...

Moreover, it should be noted that Xiuyu Valley, with its spring-like climate all year round, is located in the Yazhou area of ​​Hainan Island, which faces Leizhou across the sea.

Therefore, Yazhou, Qiongzhou, and Leizhou are all places where the disciples of Yihua Palace are most active.

Since Yaoyue and Lianxing are not currently in the Yihua Palace, there is a possibility that some misunderstandings might arise.

Of course, Chu Luren didn't think that Yaoyue and Lianxing were incompetent in teaching their subordinates. Chu Luren believed that the ladies of Yihua Palace were all reasonable and understanding. However, he couldn't stand that some people in the martial arts world took pleasure in spreading rumors about him, the leader of the Chu Alliance!

What if some of the sisters from the Yihua Palace believe it and it leads to conflict?

Adhering to the spirit of "If you can't sweep one's own room, how can you sweep the world?", Chu Luren rushed to Leizhou ahead of time to maintain peace in the martial arts world.

Moreover, the journey from Xiangyang to Leizhou is quite long, a full six thousand li, not as short as traveling from the Great Snow Mountain to Xiangyang; it's practically ten thousand li...

Of course, it was all within the territory of the Song court. Although there were many mountains and forests along the way, it was still easier to travel than the Great Snow Mountain. On the fifth day of the eleventh month, the Chu Lu people arrived in Leizhou.

Along the way, the Chu people had already noticed that the surrounding area was gradually becoming a mixed bag of people.

The heroes who went to drink porridge naturally couldn't leave alone, so their disciples and followers saw them off properly.

Having already arrived in Leizhou, these chivalrous heroes, even if they were just putting on an act, were going to have some porridge. Each one of them was full of heroic spirit...

Moreover, although not all the people who came were evil, a large portion of them were indeed "reputable and righteous" people who were spared from being dealt cards because of the chivalrous list. Naturally, the concentration of evil and vicious people among those who were dealt cards was high!

After contemplating certain death or at least the possibility of never returning, what will these people do?

If this place weren't protected by the Yihua Palace, chaos would have already broken out...

We're already about to drink porridge, so what's there to be afraid of?

Well, the Yihua Palace doesn't hold back either. Drinking and causing trouble, smashing shops and fighting are allowed, but those who harass women or commit indecent assault will be killed without being buried, and their bodies will be hung on the city gate as a deterrent!

Even the two palace masters of Yihua Palace on Xia Ke Island dare not provoke them, let alone these people.

Moreover, Yaoyue extracted the "Transplanting Flowers and Replacing Jade" move from the Mingyu Gong and widely taught it to ordinary disciples, which made the average level of the Yihua Palace disciples extremely high.

If Hua Wuque's two maids were to challenge the leaders of the Five Mountains Sword Sects one-on-one, they would likely win three, lose one, and draw one.

Even if the other palace maids were weaker, there were plenty of third-rate ones. Some of the older maids were comparable to the heads of Lingjiu Palace or the abbots of Shaolin Temple.

The lousy fish and shrimp were no match for them. Not only were renowned masters unwilling to stoop to the level of women, but they also dared not act rashly, lest they incur the wrath of those two crazy women, which would be no laughing matter.

There's always a difference between dying early and dying late, and what if he can come back? Besides, even if he can't come back, shouldn't he think about his disciples? If he really didn't care about his disciples, why bother going to drink porridge?

In short, everyone became much more restrained after entering Leizhou.

However, Chu Luren was particularly troubled...

Many members of the Righteous Alliance who hadn't made it to Xiangyang came to bid farewell to their leader. However, during their conversation with the sisters from the Yihua Palace, several misunderstandings arose, and Chu Luren has already received several "complaints." Now, Chu Luren is even avoiding people from the Righteous Alliance...

Chapter 936 Internal Conflicts

"I shed blood at the Southern Shaolin Temple, and I rendered meritorious service to the Righteous Alliance! I demand to see the Alliance Leader!"

"Alright! Stop arguing! Who told you to go around trying to get close to the girls from the Flower Palace with that lewd look on your face? You deserve it! If it were me, it wouldn't just be a matter of two teeth, I'd break your legs!"

Lord Huo of Blue Shark Island, with a bruised and swollen face, complained to everyone about the unfair treatment he had received—"We are all members of the Righteous Alliance. What's wrong with me going over to check on the girls from the Flower Palace and chatting with them?"

As a result, they were immediately scolded by Granny Yu. Although the people from the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands were not nominally subordinates of Lingjiu Palace, they still felt uneasy when they saw the people from Lingjiu Palace and quickly shut up listlessly.

"Little Huo, why do you like the disciples of Yihua Palace so much? Our Lingjiu Palace also has pretty girls, but I don't see you coming up to chat them up." Fu Minyi pouted.

"Grandma, how could I dare?" Island Master Huo said with a forced smile.

"Hmph! If you're too scared, then stay put and don't cause trouble for the alliance leader!"