The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Lu Liding became even more convinced that this "old madman" was Li Mochou's accomplice.

Although he knew he was no match for his opponent in martial arts, Lu Liding still took out his knife. He, his wife, and the farmhand A'gen mustered their courage and went to check on their brother and sister-in-law's grave. They were furious when they found that not only had the tombstone been pushed over, but the coffin had also been dug up and opened.

Just then, a young man and woman walked over...

The woman was beautiful and dignified, while the man... looked like a wandering swordsman, and a very strange one at that!

Swords are one thing, but why is there a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) on his waist?

What's that jar over there?

A suona horn... could it be an urn containing ashes?

"Could you be Master Lu from Lu Manor? I am but a wanderer from the martial world, new to your esteemed land. May I ask if I may stay for a few days?" Chu Luren spoke in a tone that suggested he was taking advantage of a wealthy man.

Although Lu Manor is not as large and wealthy as Tie Wushuang's, it does have a tradition of welcoming travelers from the martial arts world, and at least staying for a day or two is welcome.

But now, Lu Liding said with a worried look, "My friend has come at an inopportune time. I have an enemy here, the infamous Red Serpent Witch. After today, the fate of her entire family will be unknown. Since you are also a person of the martial arts world, I will not keep you any longer."

"An enemy? Ha! Then my arrival is just in time." Chu Luren seemed rather relieved.

Lu Liding didn't react for a moment. After all, he could only be considered a half-martial arts person and a marginal figure in the martial arts world. He wouldn't subscribe to and check the chivalry list every period. He was naturally familiar with the real famous heroes, but he didn't know much about Chu Luren, who had only recently emerged.

……

After all, even in the latest issue in July, Chu Luren only rose to fifty-fifth on the Earth Ranking...

Chu Luren felt that, in terms of martial arts alone, his ranking was still too low.

The main reason for the positive reception was the rescue of the Beggars' Sect by Tianning Temple.

However, Qiao Feng was demoted to eleventh on the Heavenly Ranking. The official reason was quite valid. After losing his position as the leader of the Beggars' Sect, Qiao Feng, as a lone hero, naturally had a much lower efficiency and strength in his chivalrous deeds.

Moreover, the incident in Xingzilin also made it onto the list of chivalrous deeds—the number one manor in the world is really efficient. It was something that happened five days ago when the new issue was published, but it was already spread to all the prefectures and counties of the Song court five days later!

Half a month later, it is likely that the virus will spread to most parts of Guanzhong, Guandong, and Hebei.

As a result, almost the entire martial arts world knew about the "suspicious" aspects of Qiao Feng's background.

What angered the Chu Lu people the most was that Yu Canghai was ranked eighteenth on the Earthly Ranking...

When Yu Canghai first debuted, he was on the list of top-ranked celebrities, but after the hype died down, he stayed in the Qingcheng Sect and didn't move around much, so he was removed from the list. This time, he was suddenly brought back up, but without any new achievements to be listed!

It was clearly back in Hengshan City that Chu Luren exposed the Fuwei Escort Agency's affairs, causing its reputation to be questioned. Now, they deliberately put him back on the Earth Ranking, subtly suggesting that they were advocating for him.

Of course, the massacre of the Fuwei Escort Agency was not included in his chivalrous deeds; it merely indicated that the authorities still regarded him as a righteous hero...

It's unclear whether it was some kind of tacit understanding between Shenhou and Yu Canghai, or whether someone in the number one manor in the world had accepted a bribe from Yu Canghai.

……

Just then, Lu Liding turned his attention to the suona on Chu Luren's waist, and A'gen, who was standing next to him, said angrily, "How rude of you! Do you think my master is easy to talk to?"

However, they misunderstood Chu Luren—the man wasn't even dead yet, and you, a suona player, were already volunteering?

Lu Liding, however, was good-natured. He gave a wry smile and said, "Sigh, I was just afraid of dragging you into this. If you want to come... then come!"

Chu Luren also realized that the other party seemed to have a subtle misunderstanding, but since the goal had been achieved, he didn't explain further.

Before coming to Jiangnan, Chu Luren wasn't very confident about facing Li Mochou.

Based on information from various sources in the martial arts world, Li Mochou's martial arts skills are probably comparable to those of Mu Gaofeng, and she is weaker than most sect leaders.

Furthermore, we must consider that Li Mochou is still very "young". When she fell in love with Lu Zhanyuan, she was less than twenty years old, and now she is only around thirty years old. She is still in the period of rapid improvement of her strength!

However, after his trip to Mantuo Manor and learning the Dragon Capturing and Crane Controlling techniques from Qiao Feng, Chu Luren's martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds. Even without sudden enlightenment, he could be considered a "master". Especially now that he can simulate the True Qi of the Toad, he is not afraid of Li Mochou, who is from both the Five Poisons Sect and the Ancient Tomb Sect.

Moreover, after fusing the Dragon Crane Great Capture, there are still quite a few fusion fragments left. At crucial moments, Chu Luren can even have an epiphany—"Isn't this a sure thing for me?"

Chu Luren maintained his confidence all the way back to the manor with Lu Liding...

As luck would have it, a mother and her two children also wanted to stay the night. The woman was plain-looking and her clothes were not expensive, but they were very clean and tidy, so she looked like she came from a good family. The two boys were about eleven or twelve years old and looked very robust.

Lu Liding lacked discernment and couldn't tell that the woman knew martial arts. He assumed she was just an ordinary person and agreed without hesitation.

The reason I didn't want Chu Luren involved was mainly because he was carrying a sword and looked like a martial arts expert. If it were an ordinary person... they would probably just be frightened. After all, nine palm prints had already been left, and that female demon wouldn't kill ordinary people who stayed overnight without reason.

Chu Luren realized that the woman knew martial arts, but that wasn't the point. The point was... another group of people came to "visit" at that moment.

The leader was a young man, who was accompanied by six or seven burly farmhands. They exuded the aura of a fierce outlaw. Moreover, Chu Luren recognized the leader!

It was Lu Guanying, whom I had met once at Tingxiang Pavilion...

"Second Uncle, I heard that the female demon Li Mochou has come to cause trouble, so I've come to lend a hand!" Lu Guanying said magnanimously upon seeing Lu Liding.

Later, Lu Guanying realized that the man behind his second uncle looked familiar!

Chu Luren didn't care about Lu Guanying, since he was no match for him in terms of martial arts. Instead, he suddenly remembered that if Lu Guanying could "intervene," Li Mochou might not be able to avoid having any help.

just in case……

Chapter 102 My Teammates vs. Other People's Teammates

"Master Chu... what are you doing here?" Lu Guanying hesitated for a moment, but still addressed him as "Master Chu".

After all, "young hero" gives people a sense of being a junior. Given Chu Luren's age, it's more appropriate to address him as a senior expert. However, Lu Guanying is young and has seen Chu Luren in action, so he naturally calls him "great hero".

“When I was in Dali, Master Benxiang entrusted me to come to Luzhuang in Jiaxing on the sixteenth of August. Since I had nothing else to do, I came.” Chu Luren did not explicitly say that he would help, nor did he presumptuously say things like “I’ll protect Luzhuang”.

Seeing Lu Guanying, Chu Luren became genuinely worried. Firstly, he thought that Li Mochou might also be there to help, and secondly...

In the original work, the tragedy at Lu Village was caused by a large group of top martial arts masters, including Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Huang Yaoshi, and Ouyang Feng, passing by. This forced Li Mochou to retreat, saving at least two children and allowing the "little beggar" Yang Guo to be adopted by Guo Jing.

However, now...

Guo Jing and Huang Rong had no reputation in the martial arts world. Moreover, considering Master Yideng's age, Huang Rong was at most a novice, Lu Guanying was indeed still young and didn't even know that his father was a disciple of the Eastern Heretic. Ouyang Feng was not insane.

As for Guo Juxia and his wife, who were guarding Xiangyang, there was even less reason for them to "forcefully pass by".

"Who are you and Master Lu?" Chu Luren asked curiously.

“My father and Master Lu are distant relatives. Hearing that the female demon Li Mochou would come to cause trouble and had already left her bloody handprint, he came to lend a hand.” Lu Guanying was giving Lu Liding face.

What provocation? They've come to kill your whole family! Help? More like rescue...

However, Lu Guanying was still too young and impetuous. He probably hadn't learned his lesson from the last time at Tingxiang Pavilion. Chu Luren didn't think he could protect anyone under Li Mochou's control.

"So it's you, Master Chu! I, Lu, have been blind to your greatness. Please forgive me..."

Upon seeing his cousin Lu Guanying, the head of Taihu Lake, speak so highly of this seemingly young man of the same age, Lu Liding was astonished and repeatedly apologized.

"Thank you for your help, Master Chu! With Master Chu here, that vixen will definitely not dare to act recklessly!" Lu Guanying confidently gave Chu Luren a boost of confidence.

Originally, Lu Guanying was indeed unsure of himself, after all, the name of the Crimson Serpent Witch was quite terrifying in the martial arts world. However, upon seeing that Chu Luren was also there, the term "female demon" immediately became the more contemptible "demoness".

Just as Chu Luren was about to express some modesty, a soft, sweet voice, but with a hint of ruthlessness, came from afar: "Hehehe, which great hero is so disdainful of this 'witch'?"

At the same time, the sound of sleeves tearing through the air could be heard more than once, growing louder as it approached...

At first, the laughter seemed very distant, but when the word "hero" was mentioned, four different figures appeared to approach in two separate groups. Before the words were even finished, they were already right in front of them!

On one side were three women, one of whom was dressed in a plain white Taoist robe. She had a charming demeanor, bright eyes and white teeth, and fair skin. She was a stunning beauty. If you didn't know, you could easily believe that she was eighteen or nineteen years old.

On the left was a person dressed in tattered beggar's clothes, holding a bamboo cane, but without the beggar's bag. Her face was rugged and uneven, looking like she had suffered from severe boils. Her face was extremely ugly, but one could vaguely make out that she was a middle-aged woman.

The person on the right is also dressed in a tattered black dress, but at least it is clean. However, his face is black and yellow with obvious scars, indicating that he has also suffered external injuries and disfigurement. He also looks to be middle-aged.

The white-robed Taoist nun fits the image of Li Mochou in the legends of the martial arts world, and it was she who spoke earlier. However, judging from their ages, these two are definitely not Hong Lingbo, the disciple that Li Mochou was with at this time in the original work.

As for the other person, he arrived at the same time as the three women, but kept a distance from them, and... even Lu Liding could tell that this person had the best lightness skill among the four!

While gently waving a paper fan, he strolled leisurely, seemingly taking care of the other three with his light-footed skills.

Seeing that it was a young man in flowing white robes, and that Chu Luren recognized him—the only one Chu Luren recognized among the three random accomplices—it was already giving him a headache.

It was Hua Wuque, the only true disciple of the Yihua Palace, who Chu Luren felt had little chance of winning even in his enlightened state, among those on the Earth Ranking!

In the latest ranking of chivalry, Hua Wuque has risen straight to ninth place on the Earthly Ranking...

This ranking was achieved purely based on martial arts skills, even though being "born into the Yihua Palace" gave him negative points, and his actions were not compatible with the values ​​of the Song court and the code of the martial arts world. He was only a tiny bit away from being completely excluded as a "heretical sect".

"Young Master Chu, Miss Li has already been betrayed by Lu Zhanyuan, which is extremely pitiful. Since you consider yourself a chivalrous person, why do you bully a weak woman?" Hua Wuque angrily accused.

Chu Luren: ...

A weak woman? It's Li Mochou coming to kill the whole family now, isn't it?

If someone else said this, they would either be genuinely deceived and unaware of the truth, or they would be deliberately trying to confuse the public. But Hua Wuque... even after he truly understood the situation, he still believed it to be true!

"It is true that Fairy Li was wronged by Mr. Lu, but... the dead are gone. Even if Fairy Li has any lingering resentment, we can just dig up her grave and whip her corpse. Why take it out on others?" Chu Luren did not speak up for Lu Zhanyuan, and even addressed her as "Fairy" in a somewhat submissive manner.

Lu Liding did have something to say, most likely a defiant statement of "I'd rather die than submit," at least he wouldn't be happy for his brother to be whipped on the corpse. However, Chu Luren secretly sent a finger strike to seal his speech point, preventing him from speaking.

Lu Guanying also realized that something was wrong, and he and the burly men he was with became even more vigilant. Of course, any one of the four men on the other side would probably be more than they could handle!

"Lu Zhanyuan is dead?" Hua Wuque asked in surprise, clearly having just learned of this as well.

“That’s right, he died three years ago, and his grave was dug up during the day today.” Chu Luren could actually guess that the “madman” who dug up the grave was Wu Santong, not Li Mochou.

"Yes, he actually died..." Li Mochou said in a daze, but in her daze, seven parts were melancholy and three parts were deep hatred.

"Alas, this is even more regrettable!" Hua Wuque sighed in regret, once again lamenting that the other party had died too young.

However, Hua Wuque had no intention of making a move at this point, after all... Lu Liding was not a heartless person!

“If he were still alive, as long as he begged me to divorce that slut He Yuanjun, I wouldn’t mind letting your family go. But now… blame your brother for ‘escaping’!” Li Mochou looked at Lu Liding with deep hatred, at that vaguely familiar face.

Perhaps they wanted to see a resemblance to Lu Zhanyuan in his face?

"Li family girl, you're still so easy to fool! I told you long ago, none of these scoundrels are any good!" the ugly beggar woman said hatefully.

"That's not quite right, Young Master Hua. The old beggar woman didn't say anything about you... There's nothing for you to do here, so we won't see you off." The woman in black seemed somewhat worried that Hua Wuque might turn against her.

"I wonder what grudge you two have against the Lu family?" Lu Guanying couldn't help but ask at this moment.

"The Lu family? Feud? Heh, such a heartless person deserves to be killed by everyone. When you chivalrous heroes act, do you also have enemies?" the ugly beggar woman mocked.

"May I ask your honorable names, ladies?" Chu Luren addressed them very politely as "ladies."

"Girl? What a beautiful word... I dare not accept it. I'm just an annoying old woman from Kucaoling, Xiong'er Mountain."

"The red peonies by the bridge, blooming year after year, for whom do they bloom... Hehe, I do share the same surname as that heartless woman from the Lu family, but she's from the north, and I'm from the southwest, so we're not even from the same clan!"

Chapter 103 The Women's Avengers Alliance