The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"It's nothing, just be careful, I can finish it in one night." Dongfang Bubai turned and went to the room he had just booked, saying without looking back.

"Yaoyue! Stop fooling around, this is Manjing..."

"Master, Master, I'll fight for you too!"

"get out."

……

Two days later, early the next morning.

As expected, Dongfang Bubai had already pieced together the treasure map and sewed it together, with even the stitches being very neat.

Upon seeing this, Chu Luren couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of Sister Dongfang!"

"If it weren't so noisy, I wouldn't have stayed up all night." Dongfang Bubai gave him a lazy glance.

After mastering the Heavenly Mother Body, Dongfang Bubai seems to have gained an extra edge in meticulousness...

"Then let's set off today and go find my elder brother!" Chu Luren didn't plan to stay in Manjing for long.

"Eh? Aren't we going to wait for that Holy Maiden of the Divine Dragon Cult?" Dongfang Bubai said with some disappointment.

The Holy Maiden of the Divine Dragon Sect also went directly to Fengtian.

Chu Luren guessed that Sister Dongfang hadn't forgotten about causing her trouble!

After all, last time she joined forces with Wu Sangui, she almost caused Sister Dongfang to capsize in a ditch.

To this, Chu Lu Ren could only say...

"Don't worry, sister! I've already sent Wu Sangui to Tianlong Temple to become a monk. If you're still not satisfied, tell my third brother that he won't even be able to afford cornbread and will have to be in charge of watering vegetables!" Chu Luren said, patting his chest.

"What is your relationship with that Holy Maiden of the Divine Dragon Cult? How did she tell you about the Dragon Vein Divine Beast?" Dongfang Bubai suddenly narrowed his eyes, as if he had noticed something.

"It's alright!" Chu Luren could feel that Yaoyue was also looking at him from behind.

Dongfang remained silent, as did Yaoyue, so Chu Luren had no choice but to add, "She gave me a gift..."

Seeing that he couldn't handle the situation, Chu Luren gave a brief explanation. In any case, Chu Luren believed that he was acting uprightly and honestly, so there was nothing he couldn't say!

After Chu Luren finished telling the story of "the merit of the dragon delivering gifts", he specifically emphasized that he had sternly rejected the saintess's suggestion to "cultivate together" until she explained what "cultivation together" meant.

"Why are you calling her 'Saintess'? She doesn't have a name?" Yaoyue frowned slightly.

Dongfang Bubai looked at Chu Luren, who was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, Chu Luren said, "It seems to be called 'Long'er,' but that's probably not her real name. It's probably the title she's given after becoming a Holy Maiden... We can ask her for her specific name when we meet."

Chu Luren hadn't specifically asked that...

In any case, Chu Luren felt that since Sister Dongfang knew about the "gift-giving" matter, she probably wouldn't make things difficult for her at this time.

Afterwards, the group of five headed towards Fengtian.

As for the others, Chu Luren agreed to Fengtian.

When the group arrived at Yongping Prefecture, Chu Luren received news from Qunyu Courtyard that he had already contacted Yan Nantian. Now that Yan Nantian had recovered from his injuries, he was traveling around doing good deeds and had not deliberately hidden his whereabouts, so he was naturally easy to find.

Seeing that Yaoyue's expression was unusual, Chu Luren asked another question: "Is there anyone else with Master Yan?"

"No." The intelligence officer from the Qunyu Institute answered decisively, appearing very capable.

Whether it was her personal style or because Dongfang was there, the usual flirtatious and coquettish parts were completely omitted.

It seems that Xiaoyuer and Hua Wuque have separated from Yan Nantian, and there is no news about them in the martial arts world. After all, Xiaoyuer is not a person who seeks fame and fortune, and Hua Wuque... after no longer having the burden of being the successor of the Yihua Palace, is not the type to like to show off.

Seeing that Yaoyue did not respond, Chu Luren, in order to show his concern, added a sentence: "Pass on a message that if Xiaoyuer and Hua Wuque visit Qunyu Courtyard, be sure to report it in time."

After he finished speaking, he noticed that Yaoyue was glaring at him...

Chu Luren felt greatly wronged—what if the other party wanted to rent the horse?

On May 18th, Chu Luren and his party arrived in Fengtian.

After leaving Shanhaiguan, it became obvious that the land was vast and sparsely populated.

After all, the area inside Shanhaiguan Pass is basically the capital region, and it has never felt like a border since the previous dynasty, while the area outside the pass has always been sparsely populated.

The contrast is striking!

After the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, the Eight Banners became self-serving and corrupted at an unimaginable rate. They were basically ready to seize any opportunity to return to their hometowns at the slightest sign of trouble. At the same time, it was not an easy task for the emperor to send the Eight Banners back to guard their hometowns when there was no trouble.

After all, everyone thinks the Central Plains is a glamorous world, while their hometown is a harsh and cold place. In addition, the Eight Banners system itself is prone to forming cliques. They have just begun to enjoy wealth and luxury, so forcing any banner to return is not a good idea...

During the Shunzhi reign, the emperor had no choice but to order the relocation of people to the border areas, which led to many Han Chinese leaving the pass to cultivate the land.

However, two years ago, Kangxi felt that this was not a solution—his ancestral homeland was entirely inhabited by Han people, how could it be defended?

Even if you're thinking of making a quick buck and going back to your hometown, you still have a hometown to return to, right?

Moreover, the Russian Kingdom in the north has repeatedly raided the borders, and relying on the Han Eight Banners... we cannot be at ease!

So they ordered another lockdown, prohibiting any more migrants from leaving the pass to cultivate the land, in an attempt to control the number of Han Chinese people outside the pass...

Chapter 1030 Emerging from Seclusion

"Emperor Kangxi issued an edict prohibiting refugees from leaving the pass and limiting the number of Han people, but judging from this journey, there are still quite a few Han people," Chu Luren remarked.

I passed by several markets before, and they were all filled with people speaking Mandarin.

“The Manchus don’t farm, and more and more Han Chinese are tasting the benefits of the black soil. What’s the use of a ban?” Dongfang said, adding a few more words of reflection. Before the migration of people out of the pass, no one really thought that this place, which looked so cold and frozen, was actually very suitable for farming.

"Don't the Manchu officials care?" Lianxing asked doubtfully.

"Of course they care. Such an 'important' matter. As soon as they discover that refugees are secretly cultivating the land, officials immediately come and confiscate the land... and then rent it to the refugees! Unlike those who entered the pass, the officials who stayed behind only have this little bit of profit." Dongfang's tone was very sarcastic.

They exploited the displaced people who were cultivating the land, but enriched themselves... so the severity of this ban is self-evident.

Chu Luren looked at Dongfang curiously—her sister knows so much about this matter; it seems she has been thinking about the Manchus quite a bit before!

“The Russians in the north have been restless lately, but thankfully your elder brother has suddenly appeared and become the banner lord of the Plain White Banner, which has saved the young emperor a lot of trouble,” Dongfang added after noticing her brother looking at her.

In the midst of the grand political landscape, Emperor Kangxi had a better solution in this regard—the other banners didn't want to return, but Prince Feng was "of noble character" and had influence within the Plain White Banner, so Kangxi simply ordered the two White Banners to return to their ancestral homeland to guard it...

"Do the Rakshasa people know martial arts?" Chu Luren asked curiously.

"Yes, but I don't cultivate meridians." Sister Dongfang didn't say much more, but instead glared at him, as if to say, "Don't ask too many questions" and "Don't ask me anything I don't know."

So Chu Luren decisively changed the subject.

The closer we got to Fengtian City, the more harmonious the atmosphere among the people became. We could also hear some Manchu officials complaining that "Prince Feng once again swept the confiscated land back with a stroke of his pen"...

However, Chu Luren could sense that his elder brother still followed the same simple and brutal approach—separate management and treatment, not easily allowing Manchus to come into contact with Han Chinese settlements, and Han Chinese not entering Manchu areas, which was quite similar to the policies of the "Liao Kingdom" that did not exist in this world.

However, the nominal appointment of Han Chinese officials to govern the region is clearly not feasible at present, since this is the ancestral land of the Manchus, and Qiao Feng cannot ask the Manchu capital for instructions.

In reality, it was already a system where Manchus governed Manchus and Han people treated Han people according to the same system, resembling the rudiments of the Liao Dynasty's system of officials serving in the north and south.

The two White Banner nobles, who had been suppressed before, quickly recognized Qiao Feng. Moreover, within a year of his departure from the pass, the four major sects of Guandong had all submitted to him, which can be considered as "the will of the people". Only the Manchus who originally stayed behind were not very happy.

The four major sects of Guandong were not established for long. They were all established after the migration of Han people to the north. In reality, they were more like gangs, that is, organizations for Han people to band together.

Although they are called the four major sects, they are not actually the four largest. The sect outside the pass should be led by Tianlong Sect. However, the four sects together do indeed control most of the martial arts world in the Guandong region.

Dongfang specifically reminded him, "They say there are four major sects and the Heavenly Dragon Gate... but actually, there's another influential sect outside the Great Wall, somewhere in between." As he spoke, he glanced at Chu Luren.

Chu Luren was slightly taken aback before realizing: "The Divine Dragon Cult?"

“That’s right. The headquarters of the Divine Dragon Sect is overseas, but it has always infiltrated and eroded the Guandong region, especially after the migration of Han people to the north, which made it easier for them to operate,” Dongfang Bubai explained.

Well, Chu Luren thinks that the Sun Moon Cult, which is also in the north, is probably not quiet either, otherwise how would my sister know so much about it?

When they arrived outside Fengtian City, still a long way off, Qiao Feng, along with Duan Yu and Gou Zazhong, rode up to them – presumably they had been hunting outside the city for the past few days, waiting for the Chu Lu people to arrive.

"Hahaha, Second Brother has finally arrived!" Qiao Feng laughed as he came over and gave Chu Luren a hug.

It seems that Qiao Feng's mentality has gradually changed over the years. Although Qiao Feng was originally bold, he considered himself a Han Chinese and would restrain himself in terms of etiquette. He even carried a paper fan and would not hug anyone upon meeting them.

"Let's go! Let's go have a drink!" Qiao Feng said, leading Chu Luren and his group to a campsite instead of rushing into the city.

Under the open sky, several whole roasted lambs and several pots of lamb soup were being prepared—Qiao Feng's eighteen personal attendants were also there, busy preparing the food and wine.

Several women in white were guarding a tent in the corner, indicating that the Divine Dragon Cult had also arrived.

Chu Luren "heard" that the Holy Maiden was... tying her hair!

"Second brother, you don't usually eat much meat, but you don't have to hold back today!" Qiao Feng patted Chu Luren again.

Normally, Chu Luren would eat salted fish and drunken crabs to "mend his heaven," but it was okay to break the rules occasionally. Besides, after being "gifted," Chu Luren's aptitude had returned to normal.

Upon seeing this, Yaoyue frowned – she had been a vegetarian for a long time and couldn't stand the smell of meat, especially since mutton was particularly gamey, and the way it was being cooked was so unconventional.

If someone else had shown her this scene, Yaoyue would have frozen them all long ago—no one was allowed to eat them!

However, she restrained herself slightly at this moment, only looking at the food and wine prepared by Qiao Feng with an expression of utter disdain...

What should I do when my wife shows obvious disdain for my burly older brother when I introduce her to him for the first time? — Faced with this major family drama, Chu Luren looked to his sister for help.

However, Dongfang simply looked back with a smile...

Fortunately, just then, A'Zhu calmly walked over and said to Yao Yue and the others, "The men are going to drink, it'll smell terrible later, let's go eat over there." She completely ignored Yao Yue's aloof aura.

As the saying goes, "environment shapes character, and upbringing shapes physique." After serving as a princess for a long time, A'Zhu not only became more graceful in temperament but also more poised and elegant in her dealings with others.

"Sister-in-law, you're so thoughtful!" Chu Luren quickly complimented A Zhu.

"Pfft, that's not very thoughtful. I thought my second brother would bring a few other sisters!" A'Zhu smiled and subtly stabbed Chu Luren in the back.

"Isn't this important business? I didn't call for help." Chu Luren wasn't embarrassed at all; let whoever was embarrassed be embarrassed.

"Hmph." Murong Jiu waved her paper fan to the side.

She was the closest to A'Zhu, but they had a falling out a few years ago when they met Duan Zhengchun at Xiaojing Lake. Their next meeting was also awkward, since Murong Jiu was never one to hold a grudge.

"Young master, which way are you going?" A'Zhu just smiled and deliberately addressed her as "young master".

"Of course I have important matters to discuss with Prince Feng!" Murong Jiu still maintained his airs.

In fact, Chu Luren had already told Qiao Feng about Murong Jiu's gender in his previous letter—although the message couldn't be passed on openly to avoid it getting out, A'Zhu already knew the truth, so a little guidance was all it took to let Qiao Feng know.

After A'Zhu looked at Dongfang Bubai, the Great Master Dongfang smiled slightly and said, "I'll drink too."

Yaoyue and Lianxing had no interest in wine and meat. Looking at the food that Azhu had prepared, which was quite elegant and had the style of Jiangnan, they ignored Chu Luren.

They were purely interested in the dragon vein's divine beasts, but had little interest in the distribution of the dragon vein's true essence, so they naturally went to find some peace and quiet...