The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Wu Kang immediately chimed in, "I believe that the Pingxi Prince's estate should be integrated into the great cause of the Righteous Alliance to achieve greater things and play a more important role! I would appreciate it if my grandmaster could make a decision regarding the new title."

“What great cause does the Righteous Alliance have? It’s just making some minor contributions to the order of the martial world… But speaking of titles, if you ask me, we should rise from where we fell, so how about… we call ourselves ‘King of Mountains and Seas’?” Chu Luren suggested.

Wu Kang didn't really want the world to remember the Shanhaiguan and Yipianshi incident, but since Chu Luren brought it up, Wu Kang quickly agreed, saying, "Thank you, Grandmaster Uncle, for bestowing this name upon me!"

"I'm just offering a small suggestion... Did Wu Sangui also hand over the matter of the Mongol envoy to you?" Chu Luren asked.

“That’s right. My father also told me about the residence and contact method of the Mongol envoy, Khantemo. My grandmaster thinks… should I kill the envoy or let him go?” Wu Kang deliberately avoided mentioning the cooperation.

After all, his father's reputation is just that bad.

"Why not cooperate? If Wu Sangui had been able to 'break his promise' and drive the Qing troops back beyond the Great Wall, he wouldn't have ended up with his current reputation," Chu Luren said directly.

If Wu Sangui had succeeded in his assassination attempt, the world would have only praised him for his courage and resourcefulness.

“This…” Wu Kang still seemed hesitant.

He naturally understood the principle that cooperation would benefit both sides, but he was worried about what people would think of this, given the precedent of Wu Sangui's affair. Also, he was worried that his grandmaster was deliberately testing him.

"Who is this Hantemo? Is he Kublai Khan's envoy?" Chu Luren asked in turn.

Wu Kang immediately replied, "It's an envoy from the Prince of Ruyang's residence! After making a plan with him, the Prince of Ruyang will use this as leverage to request Kublai Khan to send troops."

"The Prince of Ruyang's residence... You'll come with me to see him in a bit. I know the Prince of Ruyang's residence well," Chu Luren said confidently.

Seeing that his grandmaster had already said so, Wu Kang finally agreed with peace of mind.

It was better to arrive sooner rather than later. In the morning, Wu Kang led the Chu Lu people to Xunhan Tiemo.

However, on the way, Chu Luren also felt that he had been a bit reckless—he was indeed very familiar with the Ruyang Prince's Mansion, but... the only one he was familiar with was Zhao Min!

After Yaoyue broke through her barrier, he released her and went to find Wan Chunliu himself. Later, Chu Luren managed to get Wan Chunliu to help him, but he did not seek Zhao Min's "redemption" again.

Besides Zhao Min, Chu Luren only knows the Xuanming Elders, whom he injured internally, A Da, A Er, and A San, whose bones he broke, and the undercover agent, the Bitter Monk...

Chu Luren can't even tell who's who among those random extras from the Eight Heroes of Famous Arrows!

With Huang Rong not around, Chu Luren was at a loss for what to do...

But having already reached the door, Chu Luren couldn't back down. He could only hope that the Bitter Monk would be helpful and infiltrate the place!

With Wu Sangui's warrant, Wu Kang was able to enter smoothly and meet Hantemo.

Upon entering the mansion, Chu Luren felt that this Hantemo should be able to communicate—the courtyard arranged by Wu Sangui for the envoy of the Ruyang Prince's mansion was quite elegant.

Moreover, it was clear that these Mongols lived in very particular conditions; even before entering the main hall, Chu Luren noticed that tea had already been prepared inside…

Clearly, this is a Mongolian who loves Chinese culture!

Once led into the main hall, Chu Luren noticed that Hantemo and his party were approaching from behind, which put his mind at ease.

Hantemo...

Chu Luren didn't recognize him, but several people following behind Hantemo recognized him!

One of them was Princess Zhao Min, who had a life-or-death relationship with Chu Luren (meaning "she had been threatened with her life").

However, she was dressed in men's clothing at the time, and was accompanied by Ada and Kuthu, who were also dressed as attendants. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were Hantemo's personal guards.

Seeing his grandmaster sitting calmly, sipping Mongolian tea, seemingly confident of success, Wu Kang couldn't help but think even more highly of his grandmaster...

Wu Kang had initially thought that his grandmaster uncle was only respected in the martial arts world and didn't know much about the affairs of the imperial court, but now it seemed that he was the one who was more reserved.

When Khantemo entered, he was the image of a burly Mongolian man—if it weren't for Zhao Min, the Chu Lu people might have thought this big man was out of place in this environment...

"Why did the King of Pingxi send you to talk to us?" Hantemo asked forcefully.

babble-

Chu Luren leisurely sipped his tea. Behind him, A'da was already on high alert. Ku Toutuo also looked very serious, but there was something strange flashing in his eyes.

Zhao Min looked annoyed and pouted...

“My father is retiring to enjoy his old age. From today onwards, I will inherit the Pingxi Prince’s Mansion and will soon change my title to ‘Mountain and Sea Prince’. The alliance with your esteemed family will remain the same, but we need to discuss the specifics further.” Wu Kang said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Enjoying a peaceful old age? You?" Hantemo looked at Wu Kang with suspicion.

babble-

Chu Luren was still drinking tea, which puzzled Wu Kang. Did his grandmaster really understand negotiation?

Just as Hantemo looked at Chu Luren, about to lash out, Chu Luren said, "You can talk to my disciple, I... I'll talk to your princess."

Hantemo was shocked upon hearing this and was about to slam his fist on the table when Zhao Min said, "You can talk to his grand-disciple here... Alliance Leader Chu, it's been a long time?"

Chapter 1021 Unexpected Changes

Wei Xiaobao also noticed the commotion at the Divine Dragon Cult yesterday, and secretly hoped that the Prince of Pingxi's Mansion and the Divine Dragon Cult would perish together.

However, the commotion lasted from evening until midnight, and seeing that things had calmed down, Wei Xiaobao became somewhat impatient.

The next morning, Wei Xiaobao wanted to find out some information, but he was worried about exposing himself, so he refrained from doing so and only sent someone to observe the reaction of the Prince of Pingxi's mansion.

The Prince of Pingxi's residence was indeed very calm. Wei Xiaobao sent experts from the Green Wood Hall to gather information, but everything remained the same, though outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense...

The only unusual thing they noticed was that important figures from the Prince of Pingxi's mansion, such as Xia Guoxiang, Hu Guozhu, Guo Shitu, Ma Bao, and Wu Qi, were being summoned to the mansion one after another.

Wei Xiaobao became even more convinced that Wu Kang's incident was likely due to his removal from the position of heir apparent. Wu Sangui only had one son, Wu Kang, and his other sons were adopted sons and nephews. If Wu Kang was removed from the position, would Wu Sangui no longer rebel?

I might have done Xiao Xuanzi a great service again!

But Wei Xiaobao also had a vague feeling that something was not quite right...

It wasn't until evening, when the setting sun was just beginning to turn golden, that Xia Guoxiang, leading the troops of the Prince of Pingxi's mansion, surrounded the princess's residence. Only then did Wei Xiaobao fully realize that something was wrong.

"General Xia, what are you doing? If we disturb the princess's presence, we'll all be in trouble!" Wei Xiaobao quickly pretended not to know anything and even tried to get closer to her.

"Hmph! Lord Wei, you know what you've done! Take them all down, and kill any who resist!" Xia Guoxiang showed no sign of wavering at this moment.

Wei Xiaobao sensed something was wrong and quickly changed his tune: "General Xia, you are the Prince of Pingxi's son-in-law, not his son... I'm afraid the blame for disturbing the princess won't fall on the heir..."

Unlike Wanyan Honglie in the original work, Wu Sangui did take concubines, and this was before he met Bao Xiruo, so he just didn't have a son.

Xia Guoxiang was his son-in-law and the second most important person in the Prince of Pingxi's mansion.

The core figures of the Prince of Pingxi's mansion, apart from Wu Sangui's nephew, were either his son-in-law or his adopted son.

"Wei Xiaobao, you don't need to sow discord between me and my brother-in-law." Wu Kang strode in with an air of authority, his bodyguards making way for him.

Princess Jianning was then carried out in a light gauze sedan chair. Upon seeing this, she immediately said, "Your Highness, what are you doing? Quickly withdraw the troops!"

Wu Kang had already mastered the art of communicating with Princess Jianning, and he directly and sternly said, "Shut up! If you marry into the Wu family, what right do you have to speak? If you don't want to marry, then get back to Manjing yourself!"

"How dare you! What did you say?" Another guard was so shocked he almost jumped up.

His rudeness to the princess was secondary; what did Wu Kang just call the capital? The entire capital?

“Back then, my father was worried that the rebels would enter the capital, so he brought Dorgon to the capital to defend the emperor. Who would have thought that the treacherous Dorgon would betray his promise and seize the land of the Han people? My father endured humiliation and hardship, and that is how we have waited for this day. Whenever he thinks of the fate of the late emperor's orphans, my father is heartbroken and blames himself for being deceived by Dorgon!

"The Tartar emperor has bullied my brothers, humiliated my sisters, and seized my land. Today, my father has decided to become a monk to chant scriptures and pray for the late emperor. He has instructed me, my two brothers-in-law, my sworn brother, and my cousin to uphold the nation, overthrow the Qing, and revive the Han!"

Wu Kang has already revealed his hand directly.

Without Wu Sangui, the Pingxi Prince's Mansion... no, the Shanhai Army not only had the support of the Righteous Alliance, but also made contact with the Xiangyang garrison and the Mongol Yuan Ruyang Prince's Mansion.

Wu Kang recalled that he was still at Hantemo's place... ever since he went to the back hall with the princess of Ruyang Prince's Mansion and had not come out. Wu Kang's respect for his grandmaster was like a surging river.

Given the current situation, Wu Kang naturally had to take advantage of Wu Sangui's decision to become a monk and immediately make his plans clear. Even if he wasn't fully prepared, he couldn't miss this opportunity—after all, the Chu Lu people wouldn't give Wu Sangui any more time, and he had to set off immediately.

Wei Xiaobao never expected that the old tortoise would be so righteous, directly becoming a monk to vindicate the Prince of Pingxi's mansion.

Or is it that... Wu Kang is so capable, but the old tortoise has sidelined him?

"Hahahaha..." Wei Xiaobao, indecisive in the face of trouble, first laughed a few times, then said, "Young Master, I never imagined you were so capable, actually forcing the Prince to abdicate and yield the throne to a worthy successor..."

"You don't need to sow discord anymore. My brother-in-law met with my father last night, and he already knows that you intended to frame me. The Holy Maiden of the Divine Dragon Sect also has something to ask you! Seize them all!" Wu Kang said, waving his hand.

"You audacious traitor! How dare you rebel and defy your superiors..."

The commander of the imperial guards who followed Wei Xiaobao had just opened his mouth when Ouyang Feng struck him with a palm and sent him flying. It was clear that he was not going to survive.

The guards had just drawn their swords when they were met with a hail of arrows—Knowing full well that these were the elite of the Vanguard Cavalry, Prime Minister Xia was well prepared, with several layers of crossbowmen surrounding him!

After the elite cavalry, tasked with guarding the area, left behind several layers of corpses, a few of Wei Xiaobao's "personal guards" suddenly displayed extraordinary prowess...

Although they weren't much stronger, they were at least third-rate. They all used their own weapons to knock down the arrows aimed at Wei Xiaobao and retreated into the house along with the others.

Ouyang Feng charged straight in, quickly shaking off the others with a few moves, and grabbed at Wei Xiaobao!

Originally, this grab would have been a firm grip—with Ouyang Feng's internal strength, even if it was grabbed at the chest and seemed impossible to exert force on, it would not have been easily torn apart.

However, Wei Xiaobao was wearing a protective armor. Although he was gripped painfully, Shuang'er pulled him away from behind, while Shuang'er herself tried her best to stop Ouyang Feng...

The difference was too great, like an egg hitting a rock. Ouyang Feng, confident in his status as a grandmaster, let the acupoints be struck, and used the recoil to seal Shuang'er's acupoints!

Furthermore, since Ouyang Feng had failed to strike Wei Xiaobao, who was just an "ordinary person," he was too ashamed to continue and was successfully forced back into the hall behind him.

However, at this time, the Pingxi Prince's Mansion... no, it should be said that the Shanhai Army had also attacked from the rear!

The elite cavalry was caught off guard and attacked without warning. No one expected that the Prince of Pingxi's mansion would launch a direct assault with powerful bows and crossbows!

After retreating into the main hall, Wei Xiaobao found that there were only about a hundred brothers around him, the outside was filled with the smell of blood, and the windows were splattered with blood everywhere.

Wei Xiaobao's eyes immediately turned red. These were all Wei Xiaobao's soldiers who had been killed—a point often overlooked due to the "style" of the story... Wei Xiaobao held military power in the Qing court!

Moreover, Shuang'er was just captured by the other side, and her fate is currently unknown...

However, no matter how deep his hatred was, it was useless now, as he could see scattered firelight outside!

"Oh no! Wu Kang is going to use fire arrows!" Guan Anji exclaimed.

Upon seeing this, Wei Xiaobao immediately shouted, "Stop! Wu Kang, the princess is still here!"

After calling out to Wei Xiaobao, he himself felt helpless—did Wu Kang still care about the Qing Dynasty's princess?

Wu Kang sneered from outside, but just then, he suddenly heard his grandmaster's voice...

Chapter 1022 Exposing

Wei Xiaobao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one outside continued to set fires after he mentioned the princess.

At the same time, they found themselves in a dilemma...

The fat man, Qian Laoben, gritted his teeth and whispered to Wei Xiaobao, "Wei... 'Lord,' perhaps we should... tell them the truth!"