The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

There were still some left, those who were truly lacking in skill and didn't want to embarrass themselves—some had already brazenly shown off their lightness skills, ending up in the sea. So, in the end, they were ferried back and forth in small boats several times until everyone who had received a token was on board…

Chapter 945 At Sea

In the sea breeze, Chu Luren stood with his hands behind his back at the bow of the ship, as if the large ship were his own personal vessel...

The disciples and sailors of Xia Ke Island were all angry but dared not speak out—they had already gotten used to it.

Before setting sail, Huang Rong reminded herself to stand at the bow of the ship more often to increase her intimidation effect—the Chu Lu people didn't understand the principle behind it.

Of course, Huang Rong didn't really know what kind of intimidation striking a pose at the bow of the ship could offer, but she did know that the sea breeze and the blazing sun could help Chu Luren's skin tone recover to a more pleasing level more quickly...

Just then, Chu Luren heard a series of light footsteps. Without turning around, Chu Luren knew who it was.

For some reason, Zhou Zhiruo became increasingly attentive to him on the boat, almost acting as his maid, which made Chu Luren somewhat uncomfortable.

"Brother Chu, it's time to eat," Zhou Zhiruo said softly as she approached.

"Zhiruo, I've told you so many times not to be so polite, you can eat first," Chu Luren said helplessly.

"I'm glad Brother Chu doesn't find me annoying," Zhou Zhiruo immediately shook her head.

When the two returned to the cabin, the crowd of heroes all made way for Chu Luren. After Chu Luren sat down, only his acquaintances were around him.

Nine out of ten people in the martial arts world felt that they had no chance of returning alive, so naturally they were all in a bad mood.

Planning to fight the people from Xia Ke Dao is a fairly normal reaction.

Those who have broken down a bit are already showing signs of wanting to take revenge on society—and for them, this ship is now the entirety of "society".

As a result, armed clashes became commonplace...

The people from Xia Ke Island would only suppress those who wanted to die together or attack other Xia Ke Island disciples. If there were any grudges between people in the martial arts world, they would even make room for them to settle their own disputes!

Anyway, there are a few smaller boats around to provide backup, so even if someone sinks this boat, there's no need to worry about having nowhere to land or dying together.

We've been at sea for six days, and our crew has dwindled by 10%...

This is the one with the fewest casualties compared to the previous three!

The original estimate for the two officials responsible for rewarding good and punishing evil was 30%.

The main reason for the reduction in casualties, at least half of it, lies with the Chu Lu people!

The ship was already a mixed bag, and naturally there were many who disliked him as the leader of the Righteous Alliance.

Especially now, all the demons and monsters of the Righteous Alliance are gone—except for a few people like Lin Pingzhi, the other Righteous Alliance titles have been taken over by Chu Luren.

However, those who actually came to cause him trouble are now basically dealt with swiftly and decisively.

Well, it's possible that the righteous warriors of the Righteous Alliance are too conspicuous, making them forget that Chu Luren is a master they can't even reach!

As a result, the Chu Lu people's deterrent power increased, and to a certain extent, they also suppressed the deterioration of the situation on the ship.

"Brother Chu, have some fish." Zhou Zhiruo took the initiative to serve food to Chu Luren, and noticed that Lin Pingzhi and the others were also stunned.

So the Emei Sect Leader is so familiar with Brother Chu?

"Hmm?" Chu Luren was stunned for a moment after tasting it.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhiruo blushed and said, "Doesn't it have some of Sister Rong's charm? But it's still far from it..."

"This is... Zhiruo, you made this? How can I accept such praise?" Chu Luren could also taste it; the flavor had some of Huang Rong's cooking skills.

Of course, it's still far from perfect, but the style is very similar!

It turns out that Huang Rong and Zhou Zhiruo were very close because Huang Rong was teaching Zhou Zhiruo how to cook.

Chu Luren couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he had a feeling that things might not be as simple as they seemed...

"I'm glad Brother Chu doesn't mind. I secretly tried it for several days before I dared to serve it, so as not to embarrass Sister Rong." Zhou Zhiruo lowered her head somewhat shyly.

"As expected of the leader of the Righteous Alliance, even overseas, the Emei Sect Leader personally cooks for him? Ha."

A somewhat harsh, sarcastic voice rang out, and Lin Pingzhi and those close to Chu Luren all showed resentment, but they restrained themselves from engaging in conflict.

Looking in the direction of the voice, they saw that the person who spoke was none other than Nan Murong, who was "mortal enemies" with the Chu Lu people!

Logically, the two island lords of Longmu Island should have accepted the conditions of the Divine Marquis twenty years ago, and should not have forced the imperial court to come to the island.

However, when Murong Fu accepted the contract, he was not yet a member of the Dragon Guard Manor. Since he had already accepted the contract, there was naturally no question of "returning the contract and going back on his word".

Of course, many people think that if Murong Fu really regrets it, with the Dragon Guard Manor protecting him, it won't be a big problem...

That was indeed the case. However, this yellow-skinned secret agent also had other missions to undertake for the Divine Marquis, and in addition, he himself was willing to make this trip!

Basically, all the martial arts figures who disliked Chu Luren rallied around Nan Murong...

Yes, that's another reason why there were relatively few casualties during this voyage.

In the past, the casualties were huge, mostly due to the chaotic fighting. But now that they are clearly divided into two groups, each group can control its subordinates and it is not so easy for conflicts to break out!

Right now, the two sides are exchanging glances that could have sparked a fierce exchange, but neither side has actually made a move.

"What? Is the princess too precious to cook? Brother Murong, why are you so resentful? Perhaps you've suffered some injustice." Chu Luren retorted without backing down.

"What Her Highness is capable of is none of your concern, Brother Chu," Murong Jiu said with a cold smile as he glanced at Zhou Zhiruo.

To outsiders, it seemed that the two, now bitter enemies, were mocking each other over their "old grudges." Only Zhou Zhiruo felt a little awkward—the way Nan Murong was looking at her at this moment should have been either sarcastic or flirtatious, and on the surface, that seemed to be the case, but... she just felt something was off.

"Ha! I don't concern myself with such trivial matters... Since Brother Murong is so magnanimous, then I'll toast you!" Chu Luren said, flicking the back of his hand slightly across the wine cup.

The wine cup, filled with wine, flew like a solid cannonball, hurtling towards Murong Jiu, who was several feet away, with a whooshing sound. Several people passing by were even knocked over by the shock.

Murong Jiu, seemingly with a casual grab, caught the wine cup steadily without spilling any wine, demonstrating his skill in "shifting stars and changing constellations".

After taking a sip, Murong Jiu smiled at Chu Luren and said, "Thank you for the wine, Brother Chu. Here's the cup back!" With that, he casually tossed the cup, which then spun rapidly and slowly flew toward Chu Luren.

The fierce, tearing wind along the way forced those around to take cover early.

Chu Luren neither dodged nor evaded, but directly accepted the attack...

To onlookers, it seemed that the two were filled with fighting spirit, and that if they were in another place, they would probably fight for three days and three nights.

Only the two of them can understand each other...

[You want to toast me? You're brave! Come to my room tonight!]

[Isn't that a bad idea? We almost got caught yesterday...]

Chapter 946 Xia Ke Island

Early in the morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, from the boat on Xia Ke Island, one could already see Xia Ke Island shrouded in mist.

Xia Ke Island, also known as Liang Yi Island, is surrounded by fog all year round, but it is said that the fog will dissipate when you get close to the island.

On the south side of the island, a snow-capped mountain stood tall, while on the north side, a volcano of similar height was still emitting faint smoke...

This extraordinary sight amazed the people of Chu.

However, others obviously didn't have such thoughts—seeing Xia Ke Island was like going to the underworld.

Of course, at this moment, everyone still had one last hope—Leader Chu/Secret Agent Murong, it's up to you!

What they didn't know was that these two had been engaged in a "silent" battle for three hundred rounds last night...

"Not bad, not bad," Chu Luren said, nodding slightly.

"What is Second Brother saying?" the bastard asked in confusion.

“Our Righteous Alliance’s full name is the Righteous and Righteous Alliance, and this place is also called ‘Knight Island’… It’s clear that it’s destined to be connected with our alliance!” Chu Luren said with great reason.

"I see." The bastard nodded, seemingly understanding.

Some people gossiped, "Hmph, this person doesn't seem scared, but who was it that played the suona for most of the night last night!" In order to curry favor with the secret agent Murong, they even looked at "Murong Fu" for approval.

"Hmm," Murong Jiu replied expressionlessly.

Nonsense! If we hadn't used the suona to cover it up, wouldn't our three hundred rounds of lovemaking last night have been exposed?

Recalling the sound of the suona horn that almost couldn't be drowned out last night, Murong Jiu used her internal energy to force back the blood rushing to her face...

Upon seeing Murong Jiu's cold expression, the two sides became tense once again.

Seeing that they were almost on the island, the two envoys of reward and punishment did not want to cause any more trouble. They quickly gave the other disciples of Xia Ke Island a look, and more than two hundred experts used their strength to wield the huge wooden oars. The treasure ship obviously accelerated, and it reached the shore two quarters of an hour later.

Sure enough, once they got closer, there was no longer any fog.

After landing on the island at the port, the martial arts heroes spontaneously split into two teams, one led by Chu Luren and the other by Murong Jiu.

Even those martial arts practitioners who initially had no intention of forming a group and were indifferent to the Righteous Alliance and the Dragon Guard Manor were now passively taking sides by following the crowd...

After all, 70% of the people have taken sides, leaving the remaining 30% in an awkward position. Even if Chu Luren and Murong Jiu don't say anything, they will still be bullied on their own.

At this point, the two groups, clearly divided, were roughly equal in number—after all, the Righteous Alliance and the Dragon Guard Manor were of similar reputation.

On the positive side, he embodies the spirit of righteousness in the martial arts world and the backbone of the imperial court; on the negative side, he is a troublemaker in the martial arts world and a lackey of the imperial court...

A few days ago, Murong Jiu privately asked Chu Luren to act negatively so that she could boost her popularity.

However, Chu Luren, representing the Righteous Alliance, refused to give in, even though it greatly angered Murong Jiu, who had the upper hand in the fierce battles at night for several days in a row. Chu Luren did not budge. Perhaps this is what a sense of responsibility is!

……

"It is an honor for you all to grace our humble island with your presence. Please allow my brother and I to show you the way," said the Good Samaritan with a smile.

"Don't wander around!" the magistrate said with a sour face, getting to the point.

Xia Ke Island was larger than Chu Luren had imagined. While the two envoys led the way, other disciples followed, and some even kept watch from behind. They were obviously worried that someone might wander off. After all, there were more than 500 people there, and if they really scattered like birds and beasts, it would be difficult for them to find them again in a short time.

"Huh? So there are outsiders on the island?" Chu Luren looked into the field beside him and saw figures working in the fields.

It was the twelfth lunar month, which is supposed to be the off-season for farming, but the temperature in the middle section of Xia Ke Island was pleasant enough to allow for cultivation.

Sensing the gaze of Chu Luren, Shang Shanshi could not ignore him and could only say, "These are not outsiders. Most of them are descendants of disciples on the island and live there."

In other words, the island is basically self-sufficient in its basic needs. Although there are some supplies that need to be purchased from the Central Plains, the scale is not significant. No wonder no one usually discovers the people from Xia Ke Island in the Central Plains.

"Do you have any grandsons?" Chu Luren asked curiously.

“We…are not yet married.” Yi Shangshan’s smile froze for a moment.

Xia Ke Island was larger than everyone had imagined, and even larger than Chu Luren had imagined. However, not long after, they saw their final destination—a huge, abruptly rising rock!

Just like Ayers Rock in Australia, it stretches for miles and is two or three hundred feet high. The surrounding rock walls are almost perpendicular to the ground, and at first glance, it seems to be a single piece of rock, so it looks very "abrupt", as if it was placed here by some supernatural... no, super martial arts power.