The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

However, this time Wu Kang didn't mention asking his grandmaster to be a witness, and Chu Luren also saw through his thoughts—Third Prince Zhao? Fifth Prince Zhao? Indeed, no one knew better than Jiu Nan who the real one was…

Of course they're all fake!

Wu Kang was a smart man, and he could naturally see that the people in the Mu and Zheng mansions all wanted to become emperor themselves, and that the former crown prince was just a pretext.

Jiu Nan seemed to be truly persuaded at this moment, and looked at Chu Lu Ren.

Chu Luren frowned almost imperceptibly, then said, "If you want to become a monk... I do have a good place for you."

Dali is a great place, and Tianlong Temple is lively!

"Don't even think about it!" Wu Sangui roared.

"Father!" Wu Kang tried to stop him again.

Wu Sangui glared at him, and seeing that Wu Kang did not back down at all, Wu Sangui sighed in vain.

Chu Luren estimated that Wu Kang's thoughts at this time were probably half and half: "to save Wu Sangui's life" and "I want to take over the position."

If Wu Sangui were to die directly, it would be difficult for him, as the heir apparent, to command respect. However, if Wu Sangui were to hand over power to him in an orderly manner and then "go into seclusion," Wu Kang would still be confident that he could take on the main responsibility.

"Master, Zicheng has already become a monk, and he feels very guilty towards the late emperor!" Chen Yuanyuan quickly pleaded for Li Zicheng again.

Looking at Chen Yuanyuan, Chu Luren always felt that she was the one who was building a harem...

"Enough! Yuanyuan, there's no need to say any more... Thank you, Abbess, for sparing my life at the hands of this great traitor. If you wish to avenge the late Emperor, then do it!" Li Zicheng was quite resolute and naturally refused to beg for mercy at this moment.

"Hmph, I've heard many people say that at the end of the previous dynasty, the people were suffering, and wherever the rebel army went, people flocked to them. That's why the rebel king was able to enter the capital so easily. Once he entered the capital, he was like a different person, ruining the great country... It's only right and proper for the people to hate him, but if you want to avenge the previous emperor, wouldn't you have to kill all the people in the world? And I wonder who you think the people who starved to death back then should seek revenge against, and who the displaced people who lost their families should seek revenge against?" Ake said, sticking out her neck.

Chen Yuanyuan never expected that Ake would say such a thing.

“You traitor, you…” Jiu Nan was so angry that she was about to take action on the spot.

"Ake!" Chen Yuanyuan rushed forward again, blocking Jiunan's way, and said, "Master, it's my fault for not giving birth to this daughter well. She's so ignorant..."

Chu Luren always felt that the mother and daughter were strange. After all, Ake grew up with Jiunan, so who did she take this "immature" attitude from?

“Kill me if you want! But let’s make this clear: killing me isn’t about cleaning up your own sect, and I’m not your disciple!” Ake said excitedly.

"You, you..." Jiu Nan was furious, but she also felt a little hesitant to do it.

She used Ake from beginning to end, and her feelings for her were not as strong as Yaoyue's feelings for Hua Wuque, but in the end she was much softer-hearted than Yaoyue...

"Get out! All of you, get out!" Jiu Nan forcefully stabbed her sword into the ground, and with the surge of sword energy, a crack large enough to fit a fist was carved out.

Chapter 1019 Bloodline Awakening

Jiu Nan was angered by A Ke and left. Chu Luren then looked at Wu Sangui and Li Zicheng and said, "You two, you must set off for Dali immediately before today, or I will take your lives at midnight!"

Chu Luren thought about it and was still worried that they would run away. He wasn't afraid that Wu Sangui would completely change his mind and continue to be the Prince of Pingxi, in which case he would eventually be able to find him. But what if they hid in some mountain valley?

Li Zicheng was able to hide until today; if it weren't for Chen Yuanyuan's reunion with Wu Sangui, who knows where he would still be hiding...

Suddenly, Chu Luren made his move, and before anyone could react, he had already put two pills into the mouths of the two people!

“Remember to report to Qunyu Academy every time you arrive in a new place, otherwise…” Chu Luren said coldly.

"You! A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated!" Li Zicheng said angrily.

"I mean... I want you to go and get the antidote. Have you ever heard of the Three Corpse Brain God Pill? What do you think it's for?" Chu Luren didn't understand why Li Zicheng was so excited when he heard about Qunyu Academy.

Isn't this something that's only been widely established in the last decade or so? You monk...

Chen Yuanyuan glanced at him, which made Li Zicheng feel uneasy.

The Three Corpse Brain God Pill is a "Gu poison," which is the least concealed—the pill contains Gu worms, making it easy to detect, and it is also easy to resist when you first take it.

The reason it works...

This is because those who take it are forced to take it and dare not resist on the spot. Once the worm enters the heart orifice, it becomes difficult to expel it.

Of course, controlling it with drugs or techniques like the Life and Death Talisman is not the right way. Once it is broken, it will definitely retaliate fiercely, especially the latter... which will also damage one's own character!

In her teaching, Sister Dongfang basically only used this Gu poison as a test. Except for those who were just entrusted with important tasks, the others had already been cured of the poison.

Chu Luren casually asked Sister Dongfang for a few pills, not for long-term use, but just for temporary needs.

"Remember that you two must keep an eye on each other. If either of you is missing, neither of you will get the antidote!" Chu Luren emphasized.

Well, Chu Luren meant well, hoping they could understand and support each other, and resolve their grievances... He didn't actually want to see the two of them go to a brothel together.

"Thank you so much, Master Chu! If it weren't for your intercession, my husband would surely have died today from the evil he sowed in the past!" Chen Yuanyuan bowed to Chu Luren.

"No need, I'm doing this for my own sake too," Chu Luren said, glancing at Wu Kang.

In this way, the "Pingxi Prince's Mansion" can be put to good use. Wu Kang received a look from Chu Luren and immediately smiled ingratiatingly.

In addition... Chu Luren really felt that Chen Yuanyuan was always sarcastic and even made a special sarcastic remark about Wu Sangui and Li Zicheng. In particular, Chu Luren wanted to ask, which one was she referring to as "husband"?

"And it was also Madam who saved herself." Chu Luren added meaningfully, and with a wave of his hand, an invisible force helped Chen Yuanyuan up.

Hearing Chu Luren's words, Chen Yuanyuan lowered her head and said, "Great Hero Chu, you saved our family's lives today..."

Just as Chu Luren couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly is this 'family'?", Chen Yuanyuan pulled Ake aside and said, "If you, Hero Chu, don't mind, Ake will be under your care from now on. I will serve you tea and water and take good care of you!"

Chu Luren curled her lips as she listened—she really thought too highly of herself. The other person hadn't even acknowledged her mother yet, and she was already making arrangements on her own.

In the original story, A'ke was betrothed to Wei Xiaobao, but how could A'ke accept it? Naturally, a big fight broke out, and the two parted on bad terms!

"I...you...I haven't even acknowledged you as my mother yet!" Ake blushed.

Chu Luren: ...

I have a feeling that something is subtly off.

"It doesn't matter whether you acknowledge me or not. Just remember to follow Master Chu from now on. You... are insightful. Don't be like your mother was when she was young, a fool." Chen Yuanyuan said, glancing meaningfully at Chu Luren.

Chu Luren paused for a moment upon seeing this, then chuckled and said, "Dali has a rich Buddhist tradition, would you like to go as well, Abbess?"

Chen Yuanyuan pursed her lips and shook her head: "Thank you for your kindness, Master Chu, but this humble nun only desires a peaceful life. It's best to cut ties with the past..."

The previous sentence referred to someone as "husband," or even more than one, but now it's "poor nun."

Afterwards, Chu Luren ignored the commotion outside and went inside to give a wink to the Holy Maiden of the Divine Dragon Sect, who was still sitting in the head seat pretending to be respectful.

Seeing this, Long'er got up and went with him to the back hall...

Ake kept turning her head to look, and even seemed to want to follow, but Chen Yuanyuan stopped her and said, "I didn't mean for you to follow me that closely!"

"What nonsense are you talking about..." Ake's face turned red again.

Li Zicheng looked dissatisfied and wanted to say a few sarcastic remarks to Chu Luren, but after being given a mournful look by Chen Yuanyuan, he was speechless.

……

"What's the deal with that Chen Yuanyuan?" Chu Luren asked curiously.

From the moment she asked for the Nine Difficulties, Chu Luren had a vague feeling that something was wrong—it seemed to be some kind of special mental state effect.

Influencing others directly through one's state of mind is far more sophisticated than ordinary spiritual guidance, much like Li Dazui's fierce aura, which can subtly affect people without them even realizing it!

However, Chu Luren had also observed carefully and concluded that Chen Yuanyuan indeed did not know martial arts...

To confirm this, Chu Luren even used his inner energy to invisibly penetrate her body as he helped her up from a distance—indeed, her meridians were blocked, and her muscles and bones showed no signs of being tempered; at most, she had practiced dance.

Knowing that this strange phenomenon might be related to the genetics of the divine beast, Chu Luren specifically asked Long'er about it.

"It must be her divine beast bloodline, which has begun to awaken." Long'er could only speculate.

She had witnessed everything that had just happened.

Of course, this guidance was subtle and gradual, and it was even meant to inspire Jiu Nan's good intentions rather than being a mere spell, so Chu Luren did not stop it.

After all, Chu Luren had wanted to comfort Jiu Nan and didn't want her to be forever trapped in hatred, so... he used A Ke's words to deliver a few sarcastic remarks.

Chu Luren's sonic skills were already unparalleled. Even if someone were standing right in front of him, there would be no more than a handful of people in the world who could detect his sonic transmission. And today, there should be none of them!

However, Chen Yuanyuan's last words made Chu Luren vaguely feel that she might have guessed something.

However, the two maintained a basic understanding and did not expose each other. Chen Yuanyuan also subtly told Chu Luren not to worry about her stirring up trouble. She had no choice in the first half of her life, and in the second half... she just wanted peace and quiet.

"What kind of divine beast's true essence is this inherited?" Chu Luren asked Long'er, then thought for a moment and confirmed, "Do you understand 'inheritance'?"

Long'er had indeed never heard of it, but... she could "interpret the meaning from the characters".

"I don't know. The ancestor only knew a few kinds of divine beasts," Long'er said, as expected.

There really isn't much systematic research or summary on this topic in the field...

Long'er then looked in the direction of the front hall and said, "It's a pity. If the Heavenly Gate had opened twenty years earlier, Chen Yuanyuan would not have been 'wrongfully accused'."

She specifically emphasized the word "wrongfully accused"...

Chen Yuanyuan was indeed wronged. People say she harmed the previous dynasty, the rebel leader Li Zicheng, and the world. But she herself thought that she had not done anything evil, nor had she uttered a single unkind word.

If we must call it a "mistake," then it is that I was born with such a face, and that I have spent half my life being swept up by the trends of the world, with no room for choice.

Long'er's meaning has two layers: if she awakens her divine beast bloodline sooner, her temperament and state of mind will undergo a transformation...

Perhaps she could manipulate the likes of Wu Sangui and Li Zicheng at will, and maybe even make a name for herself in history. But if she went too far... then it would truly be her own fault, and she wouldn't be considered "wronged."

Chapter 1020 Long Time No See

At daybreak, Wu Kang respectfully came to pay his respects to Chu Luren: "Grandmaster Uncle, my father and Li Zicheng have already set off... I am worried about their safety on the road, so I have sent someone to escort them."

The main reason is that Master Lingzhi doesn't dare to stay in Luoyang at all and is now taking the initiative to escort them.

They even brought up things like, "I'm also a Buddhist, so it'll be easier to talk to people in Dali..."

They completely forgot that ever since Kumārajīva "visited" Tianlong Temple in Dali, he had developed a dislike for Tantric lamas!

"Hmm." Chu Luren simply responded with a hum, which was just the most basic response.

As for Master Lingzhi... hehe.

"Grandmaster Uncle, Father... Father has handed over the royal palace to me, and our intention is to no longer call him the 'Prince of Pingxi' of the Qing court. Let me figure out a title myself, and then we will not ask the Qing court for permission, but directly raise the banner of rebellion!" Wu Kang also felt that it was a real pity that his father's decision to become a monk was not used to raise the banner of rebellion.

The biggest shortcoming of the Prince of Pingxi's Mansion in raising the banner of rebellion has always been Wu Sangui's personal stain—the Han people also despise him!

Now, Wu Sangui, in order to "repent," has directly become a monk, praying for blessings in front of the late emperor's tablet every day, and ordering his son to send troops to drive out the Tartars... Isn't this enough sincerity?

This can completely negate most of the previous bad reputation!

"The phrase 'rising up in rebellion' refers to starting from scratch. Your family is so wealthy and powerful, do you even need to 'rise up in rebellion'?" Chu Luren said, emphasizing the importance of proper diction.