The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Wei Xiaobao was speechless and could only glare at Chu Luren with resentment.

Chapter 1024 The Reason

Wei Xiaobao has indeed never done anything to betray the Heaven and Earth Society—at least that's what he believes.

Wei Xiaobao never directly leaked the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Society. In fact, he always kept the fact that he was the "Master Wei" of the Heaven and Earth Society a secret from Emperor Kangxi.

However, he did indeed do many things for "Little Xuanzi", some of which directly extended the Qing Dynasty's fortunes!

Such behavior is currently inexplicable to him—it can probably only be explained if Wei Xiaobao saves the members of the Heaven and Earth Society when they are on the verge of death, and then reveals his true feelings.

Otherwise, if he claims to be just a "good friend and loyal friend," no one will buy it. In their eyes, Wei Xiaobao is more despicable and destructive than Feng Jizhong. They believe that Feng Jizhong is just a key member, while Wei Xiaobao is the leader.

"Feng Jizhong has harmed your Master Yin..."

Before Chu Luren could speak, Feng Jizhong hurriedly cried out, "Alliance Leader Chu, spare my life! I... I have other information! I also know about the fake Empress Dowager. She's not dead yet, she's just been imprisoned! We can definitely exchange Wei Xiaobao's life for the fake Empress Dowager... no, for the female righteous woman! I can go and discuss this matter with Emperor Kangxi!"

To save his life, Feng Jizhong had racked his brains—he knew exactly how much Emperor Kangxi "favored" Wei Xiaobao, and even after he revealed Wei Xiaobao's identity, Emperor Kangxi told him to keep it a secret and only help him monitor Wei Xiaobao.

Chu Luren was taken aback upon hearing this...

Actually, I didn't really want to exchange Wei Xiaobao for Mao Dongzhu, since Mao Dongzhu didn't have much contact with the Righteous Alliance later on. But if I said I wouldn't exchange her now, it would be a bit of a slap in my face.

Guan Anji was about to grab Feng Jizhong by the collar and strike him, but upon hearing what he said, he couldn't help but look at Chu Luren—after all, according to Chu Luren, the fake empress dowager was also an anti-Qing righteous person.

"The emperor is ruthless, and the real empress dowager hates her to the bone. Would she spare the life of someone impersonating the empress dowager?" Chu Luren asked further.

"There's more to it than meets the eye, but I've heard it's to force the Bordered Red Banner to reveal some kind of scripture..." Feng Jizhong wasn't entirely sure either.

Upon hearing this, Chu Luren and Long'er exchanged a glance—"The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra!"

It seems that after giving Chu Luren three copies, Mao Dongzhu got another one for himself.

"Has anything happened to the new banner lord of the Bordered Red Banner lately?" Chu Luren asked to confirm further.

“I know! After Prince Serguleng led the Plain White Banner to the border, he led the nobles of the Bordered Red Banner to seize the land left behind by the Plain White Banner within the border, which caused several conflicts. He was executed by the Empress Dowager’s decree... It was after this incident that the Empress Dowager fell seriously ill. After recovering, she was like a different person. Lord Wei should know what happened.”

Feng Jizhong, unlike his usual taciturn self, spoke freely and frankly, making Guan Anji and the others even more ashamed, feeling that they had lowered the dignity of the Heaven and Earth Society in front of the Righteous Alliance!

Upon hearing this, Chu Luren slowly nodded. Mao Dongzhu had actually promised Chu Luren that after killing Hechabo, he would also send over the scriptures of the Bordered Red Banner.

However, when Chu Luren heard the news that He Chabo had been executed by false imperial edict, he did not see the scriptures and thought that Mao Dongzhu had some other ideas and did not want to give the scriptures to him.

Because the Chu Lu people didn't care much about the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra" at the time, but instead wanted to maintain their connection with Mao Dongzhu, they didn't make a fuss about it!

In retrospect, it seems that Mao Dongzhu had not found the scriptures of the Bordered Red Banner at the time. He had just obtained them after killing the new banner leader not long ago, but soon found himself in trouble.

"Feng Jizhong, would Kangxi use Wei Xiaobao to replace the fake Empress Dowager? Would you be suitable?" Chu Luren asked deliberately.

Upon hearing this, Feng Jizhong shook his head repeatedly and said, "Kangxi greatly favors Lord Wei, while I... I am a follower of Ao Bai, so why would Kangxi do anything for me?"

Guan Anji and the others glared resentfully at the shameless Feng Jizhong, and then... also looked at Wei Xiaobao with anger at his lack of ambition.

Chu Luren nodded upon hearing this and said, "Master Guan, these two are supposed to be traitors of the Heaven and Earth Society, but since this concerns the safety of our alliance's infiltrators, our alliance will not hand them over to you! You can report this matter truthfully to Chen Jinnan."

Upon hearing this, Guan Anji's lips twitched, but he said nothing, only saying with shame, "It is our Heaven and Earth Society that has produced such an unworthy scoundrel, and I have failed my anti-Qing colleagues..."

Chu Luren grunted twice, then picked up the teacup but put it down without bringing it to his lips.

Guan Anji and the others could only watch Wei Xiaobao, sigh with regret, and then leave.

Wei Xiaobao looked dejected, realizing that even if he didn't die, his reputation was ruined...

He wasn't so concerned about his reputation, but the thought of being labeled a "traitor to the Heaven and Earth Society" and a "lackey of the Manchu Qing Dynasty" made him feel uneasy.

More importantly, he still doesn't know how to face "Little Xuanzi"!

In all honesty, it was only then that Wei Xiaobao realized that Xiao Xuanzi had actually taken notice of his identity as the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society...

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society left, and Feng Jizhong was taken away by Wu Kang. Only Chu Luren, Long'er, Wei Xiaobao, and... remained.

"Little girl, what are you still doing here?" Long'er asked Shuang'er.

Her disguise as a male bodyguard clearly did not fool Long'er.

"I am Xiao Bao's guard... What do you want to do to Xiao Bao?" Shuang'er looked around warily and helplessly, like a weak mother beast whose cubs were being threatened.

"Oh? How did you meet him? Now you should know that he is not a great hero, but a despicable villain who has sided with the Manchus and secretly persecuted anti-Qing righteous people. Are you sure you like this kind of person?" Long'er said these hurtful words as if nothing had happened.

"I..." Shuang'er wanted to say something, but didn't say it.

Just then, Wei Xiaobao suddenly stood up, pushed Shuang'er aside, and said, "Get out! Get out of here! I didn't kill Ao Bai at all. I was just fooling you idiots! I saw through you a long time ago... You're just a big hero who likes to kill Ao Bai and avenge your family... Heh, then go like Prince Feng and Chu Taisui! Get out of here!"

“Xiao Bao, you…” Shuang’er looked at Wei Xiao Bao in disbelief, then cried and covered her face as she left.

Long'er glanced at her back and said, "Hehe, I didn't expect you to have some courage. Fine... then I'll give you a little relief and cut you nine hundred and ninety-nine times!" His tone turned fierce as he finished speaking.

She could tell that Wei Xiaobao was deliberately trying to provoke the woman.

"Wait a minute," Chu Luren stopped Long'er.

Long'er glared at her angrily: "You really want to exchange him for that Mao Dongzhu? The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra with the Red Banner... can't we even get it ourselves?"

Chu Luren shook his head and said, "I had Wu Kang confirm that the scriptures of the Zhenglan Banner have been switched... Wei Xiaobao, our alliance is giving you a chance to live. Hand over five copies of the 'Forty-Two Chapters Sutra,' and our alliance promises to let you leave!"

"Five books?" Long'er raised her voice several notches, looking at Chu Luren incredulously, not understanding what he was talking about.

"Your grandpa... you want to ruin Xiao Xuanzi's empire? Hahaha... Don't even think about it!" Wei Xiaobao was unusually defiant for once, after all, he felt that if he handed it over, he would be doomed.

Chu Luren wasn't entirely sure about the one with the red flag, but the other four should all be in Wei Xiaobao's possession—just in case, let's assume they're all in his hands...

Chapter 1025 (Four Books)

"You're getting tough now? Very well!" Long'er said, her tone turning cold.

Long'er narrowed her eyes, seemingly considering how to make her move—of course, although Wei Xiaobao hadn't handed over the five copies of the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra," he still needed to exchange them for Mao Dongzhu, meaning it was at least related to one of the Bordered Red Banner's copies…

"Do you really think I would use you to exchange for Mao Dongzhu?" Chu Luren suddenly asked.

Wei Xiaobao was taken aback by what he heard, but Chu Luren continued, "You can rest assured, there's no need to worry about not being able to face the young emperor. I never intended to let you go back in the first place."

"Hmph... Kill me or torture me, just do it quickly!" Wei Xiaobao didn't know if Chu Luren was telling the truth, but he just stubbornly replied.

Long'er also laughed and said, "That's right, as long as Feng Jizhong takes the message back and stirs up trouble in the capital..."

“No, there’s absolutely no need to release Feng Jizhong,” Chu Luren interrupted.

Long'er was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Chu Luren with a puzzled expression—if they really wanted to force him, why keep Feng Jizhong around?

"The Heaven and Earth Society is just one branch of the Green Wood Hall, and there is at least one Qing Dynasty spy among them, I just don't know who it is yet... There's no need to release Feng Jizhong, this news can still get back to the capital today." Chu Luren also made sure to have Xiao Hong follow them.

In fact, Chu Luren wasn't entirely certain, because this second Qing Dynasty spy was likely developed later by Feng Jizhong, and wasn't a spy from the beginning.

Long'er didn't ask Chu Luren how he knew, assuming he had discovered something through the Righteous Alliance's information channels.

Wei Xiaobao was taken aback upon hearing this—so there was more than one real undercover agent beside me, this fake undercover agent?

Thinking back to the reactions of Guan Anji, Xuanzhen Daoren, and the others, Wei Xiaobao felt both angry and disheartened. He was angry because "you are the real traitors and spies, how could you be so enthusiastic in cursing me?" He was disheartened because... there were so many traitors in the Heaven and Earth Society, and his master... sigh!

"The Heaven and Earth Society is really interesting." Long'er chuckled, then looked at Wei Xiaobao with murderous intent in her eyes and said, "So, this person is already useless?"

Wei Xiaobao instinctively felt a chill run down his spine and hurriedly said, "I... I don't have five scriptures, but I do have four... You can't use the Emperor's scriptures anyway, I've already taken the pieces of sheepskin inside!"

Wei Xiaobao has already tacitly acknowledged that Chu Taisui and the demoness know the secret of the scriptures.

"But you weren't going to pay, were you?" Long'er said with a smile.

“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t hand it over. He never trusts anyone. He must have been carrying the broken sheepskin with him. I’ll have my grand-disciple dismantle the princess’s mansion. We’ll break every brick and every pillar. We’ll definitely find it!” Chu Luren said with great certainty.

What convinced him even more was that the Heavenly Spirit Embryo sensed that Wei Xiaobao did indeed become nervous after he finished speaking—indeed, he had hidden those pieces of sheepskin in a hidden compartment that he had casually pried out with the Divine Edge Dagger!

"Besides, if he had hidden those ginseng roots along with the scraps of sheepskin, Xiao Hong could have found them easily, saving us the trouble of dismantling the princess's residence," Chu Luren added immediately.

But just then, a shout suddenly came from outside...

Chu Luren's ears twitched, and he immediately frowned and said, "Let her in!"

The voice reached the ears of the Divine Dragon Sect disciples outside the door. Recognizing "that man's" voice, the disciples' expressions twisted, but they still obeyed and led the woman who had come again in, pointing her sword at her.

The newcomer was none other than Shuang'er, who had left not long ago!

At this moment, she walked in with a torch in one hand and a cloth bag in the other, and the cloth bag was about to be burned by the torch.

"Shuang'er! You..." Wei Xiaobao was taken aback when he saw the small cloth bag.

"Is this what you want? These are what Xiao Bao found in the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra!" Shuang'er said stubbornly, her voice trembling with tears.

Chu Luren immediately understood that Shuang'er had clearly feigned anger and left, but in reality, she had understood something about the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra" and thus found the scraps of sheepskin that Wei Xiaobao had hidden...

Wei Xiaobao hadn't expected that Shuang'er would actually dig these things out.

Because of some previous disagreements, Wei Xiaobao didn't even tell Shuang'er when he hid these things...

However, Shuang'er still managed to find Xiao Bao's "secret treasure" thanks to her understanding of him!

"Release Xiaobao, and you can have all these sheepskins! Otherwise, otherwise..." Shuang'er's voice trembled with tension and fear.

After all, Chu Tai Sui could take her life with just a flick of his finger, so she could only keep the bag as close to the torch as possible to avoid it being snatched away by Chu Lu Ren the moment they met.

“Not enough,” Chu Luren shook his head.

"Really! They're all here!" Shuang'er thought she hadn't found them all, so she quickly looked at Xiao Bao again.

“No, I mean a few fragments of scriptures can’t be exchanged for two lives. If you had left earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered with a woman like you, but now…” Chu Luren hesitated for a moment, then continued, “The Holy Maiden and I can’t stand it. Someone’s been playing us!”

As he spoke, Chu Luren revealed a hint of murderous intent.

"You can only exchange one life for this... Leave the sheepskin fragment here, and then leave on your own," Chu Luren said coldly.

Shuang'er gave Xiao Bao a bitter smile, then said to Chu Luren, "Alright! I'll use these to save his life!"

Seeing this, Wei Xiaobao panicked, but he quickly changed his words, saying, "No, that's right! A promise is a promise, and nothing can be taken back. Since Alliance Leader Chu has said so, then... these can be exchanged for my life!"

Shuang'er looked at him, a smile playing on her lips, her eyes reddening as she laughed. Then she nodded firmly to Chu Luren, tacitly agreeing to the plan.

Chu Luren curled his lip upon hearing this—if Wei Xiaobao really thought that way, he should have received the energy stored in the "Demonic Thought Battery".

Clearly, this was just an act, intended to disappoint Shuang'er, since the sheepskin was with her anyway.

"You! Don't you have a brain?" Wei Xiaobao looked at Shuang'er angrily.

"Since Alliance Leader Chu has agreed..." Shuang'er looked at Chu Luren, then gritted her teeth and threw the cloth bag at him.

It wasn't that she trusted Chu Luren that much, but... in just a short while, Shuang'er was already exhausted under immense pressure, and she even suspected that Chu Luren could have easily taken the bag from this distance.