The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Young Master Hua, look at this beautiful lady. She won't make a move in a moment, but swords have no eyes. Could you help me protect her?" Chu Luren said shamelessly.

Hua Wuque hesitated upon hearing this—I don’t think that’s why I came here?

I just glanced at Wang Yuyan...

Yes, a woman, alive—within the category of those who need protection!

"Okay." Hua Wuque nodded reluctantly.

At the same time, Chu Luren secretly transmitted his voice to Wang Yuyan: Yuyan, if I can't hold on for a while, you should immediately bang your head on the ground and pretend that you would never live without me!

Wang Yuyan: ……

Chapter 105 Battle of Luzhuang

“Spider bites ant swallows, lower ribs... Azure waves and clear shadows, curl left leg... Hmm? Sect Leader Mei’s fist technique has some shadow of the Ding family’s Golden Dragon Whip Technique? Be careful of your lower body!” Wang Yuyan stood behind Hua Wuque, constantly analyzing the moves of the three opponents.

To reduce some of the pressure on Chu Luren and the Wu family couple!

Wang Yuyan had also been specially trained by Chu Luren, so now when she gives instructions, she won't be distracted by saying things like "Brother Chu, be careful" or "Oh no, don't." The battle situation is unpredictable and opportunities are fleeting, so she only says what's important.

“Miss Wang…” Hua Wuque looked at her helplessly.

Didn't we agree not to interfere?

So you didn't actually interfere, but you've been talking non-stop!

Originally, Hua Wuque wanted to remain neutral, but now... what's the difference between protecting Wang Yuyan and protecting Chu Luren's "support"?

However, leaving Wang Yuyan in danger does not align with his values.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Chu Luren was clearly at a disadvantage against Li Mochou and He Hongyao, and that both of them had mastered poison skills, the situation was not good. She gritted her teeth and said, "If Brother Chu dies, I... I will not live on alone either." As she spoke, she was filled with shame.

"Ah? Miss Wang, you mustn't do that! Well... alright, if things don't go smoothly later, I will step in to save Young Master Chu, but afterwards you must not stop Fairy Li and the others again," Hua Wuque said urgently.

Chu Luren had also anticipated the boy's "feminism," and as long as Wang Yuyan threatened to commit suicide for love, Hua Wuque would have no choice but to take action.

It would be the same if it were Li Mochou...

If Chu Luren gains an advantage and has the opportunity to harm Li Mochou, Hua Wuque will definitely not stand idly by.

Therefore, Chu Luren did not rush to achieve enlightenment, but simply fought Li Mochou and He Hongyao in his normal state.

Chu Luren couldn't tell whether He Hongyao or Mei Fanggu was stronger, but He Hongyao came from the Five Poisons Sect, so her martial arts were definitely more dangerous. Therefore, Chu Luren asked the Wu family couple to stop Mei Fanggu, while he fought He Hongyao and Li Mochou!

If it were only Li Mochou, Chu Luren would be evenly matched with her, and with the poison resistance of the Toad True Qi, he would be fully confident of winning after dragging out three hundred moves.

However, He Hongyao's martial arts skills were no less than Li Mochou's—of course, He Hongyao was ten years older than Li Mochou, and the difference between the two would become apparent in a few years.

At this time, Li Mochou had just acquired the martial arts of the Five Poisons Sect, and in the original work, she was making great strides in her skills. She had not yet become like she would several years later, when she was stuck in a bottleneck in her martial arts and began to covet the Ancient Tomb Sect's "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra"...

When Chu Luren fights two against one, the situation is naturally fraught with danger. When three people are evenly matched, a fight between two against one usually ends in a hundred moves or even less.

However, the two encountered Chu Luren, which was considered bad luck. The Zhuha True Qi... even if it was just "pseudo-Zhuha True Qi", could reduce the threat of the Five Poisons Sect's poison skills by three or four parts.

Chu Luren's entire body surged with true energy, but he didn't draw his sword. He relied entirely on his hand skills to exchange blows with the two "girls".

Li Mochou also did not draw any weapons, only occasionally using her whisk as a weapon. However, what Chu Luren needed to pay the most attention to was her "Red Serpent Palm" - a unique skill created by Li Mochou based on the "Five Poisons Palm" and combined with the martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect!

With a single palm strike, the palm turned crimson, surrounded by a bluish tinge. Each time he channeled his power, the resulting palm wind carried a sweet, metallic scent…

In the vast martial arts world, most of the more advanced poison techniques involve truly cultivating poisonous internal energy. When practicing these techniques, various poisons are added to make the internal energy inherently poisonous, rather than simply using poison techniques.

Li Mochou's Red Serpent Palm was naturally the same.

In terms of projecting true energy, it is not only incomparable to long-range techniques such as "Dancing with the Universe" and "Six Meridians Divine Sword," but it is also inferior to ordinary superior palm techniques.

Her palm strike was concealed and barely visible, essentially contained within the palm itself. However... even Chu Luren, who was fully activating his Vermilion Toad True Qi, dared not let her strike him firmly!

Chu Luren could ignore ordinary poisonous palm strikes, but if he were truly struck at close range by the Crimson Serpent Palm, he would likely suffer serious injury.

He Hongyao initially used a bamboo cane, intending to teach Chu Luren a lesson. After thirty moves, seeing that she couldn't defeat a junior even when fighting two against one, her face became even uglier, and she directly swung out the jade-scaled soft whip coiled at her waist!

The whip moved like a snake's shadow, and the "snake tongue" it emitted was also highly poisonous true energy...

Chu Luren could only use the technique "Flower in Full Bloom" to retain the weakness of the whip's shadow when he fully focused his true energy on his hands, and then lightly tap the soft whip at its seven-inch mark to weaken its strength.

Within a hundred moves, Chu Luren was completely at a disadvantage. At the same time... Luzhuang was already ablaze, appearing exceptionally red against the night sky.

Lu Liding was innocent, but he couldn't abandon his family business either. However, Lu Guanying knew that if he hesitated any longer, it wouldn't just be about the house!

Chu Luren was powerless to force Li Mochou to retreat—in his normal state, Chu Luren and Li Mochou's martial arts skills were similar, and even if he had an epiphany, he could at most fight three against one...

Even if someone's martial arts skills are a level below others, if the strong fighter doesn't have a martial art that excels in group battles, three weak fighters working together can easily close the gap.

Not to mention that the time for enlightenment is limited, and the Wu family couple are already on the verge of defeat, the most important thing is that if Chu Luren gains a big advantage, Hua Wuque will definitely take sides!

In this situation, if Li Mochou is not allowed to vent her anger, Chu Luren will be powerless to help her.

Let alone Chu Luren, even if I were here, facing Li Mochou from "ten years later" one-on-one, I could at most force her to retreat, but I would never be able to force her to make an oath.

Seeing the fire at Lu Village, Li Mochou's expression grew even angrier, but her resentment had actually lessened by a third...

In terms of her entanglement with Lu Zhanyuan, "Lu Manor" was no less significant than "Lu Liding." Seeing her old friend's former residence vanish in a fire, Li Mochou was far from relieved, but she had vented her anger for a moment, while also feeling somewhat melancholy.

On the surface, she was even more furious with Chu Luren. With a flick of her left hand, several silvery-white rays of light could be vaguely seen flowing on the skin of Li Mochou's forearm under her plain white Taoist robe. These rays of light faintly resembled meridians, spreading to her palm and fingertips. Then... two silver needles that shimmered with white light slid out from Li Mochou's sleeve and shot out in the direction of her fingers!

It was the Ice Soul Silver Needle, a unique hidden weapon technique of the Ancient Tomb Sect.

The silver needles are usually hidden in the sleeve. They are small and have openwork patterns, unlike larger darts. Without special means of exerting force, they are difficult to be effective.

Common needle-type concealed weapons are mostly launched via mechanisms...

However, the Ancient Tomb Sect's Ice Soul Silver Needles use a special technique to accelerate the flow of Qi along with the Jade Maiden's True Qi, making their power and speed formidable.

After Li Mochou practiced the Five Poisons Sect's kung fu, she could even poison the silver needles with her true qi. However... Chu Luren had performed well before, especially since he had instructed Lu Guanying to burn down the house. Therefore, Li Mochou only shot ordinary Ice Soul Silver Needles, but she aimed them at his heart!

Based on Chu Luren's previous display of skill, Li Mochou felt that there was a high chance that she would miss the shot. At most, she would dodge slightly and hit his left chest at the Zuoyingchuang acupoint, which would give him a hard time.

As for the one or two out of ten shots hitting the heart? That's just bad luck! Do you really think Li Mochou is a pushover?

Meanwhile, Lu Guanying led Lu Liding and his family away from Lu Village at top speed, setting a fire before leaving as Chu Luren had instructed...

Lu Liding knew that this time they were fortunate to have a master who intervened, but he was still somewhat depressed about the Lu Manor being reduced to ashes.

"Uncle, don't even think about it. If it weren't for Master Chu, this time it wouldn't have been solved by just one manor!"

"Sigh, I understand. I just hope this ordeal is over," Lu Liding sighed.

"If that demon... cough, Miss Li doesn't come after us, then Uncle will just need to find a new place to live in the future." As the chief of the bandits on Taihu Lake, Lu Guanying naturally understood the "unspoken rules" involved.

Lu Liding: ...

So it turns out that not only the houses, but the land itself is also considered useless?

Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly came: "Hmph! Burning down your own house when you meet an enemy... Is this what your father taught you?"

"Who?" Lu Guanying suddenly pulled on the reins.

A figure in green robes suddenly appeared, perched on a tree branch not far away...

Chapter 106 Changing the Pulse with the I Ching

When Li Mochou's Ice Soul Needle shot at him, the Jade Scale Whip also lashed out at his lower body. Although the Kunyou Void could exert force at ever-changing angles and seemed unrestrained by gravity, it still had limitations when using force from thin air. In the heat of the moment, Chu Luren could not perform the Iron Bridge while jumping up and down at the same time, and could only twist his body to the side...

Chu Luren felt a sharp pain in the upper left chest, near the shoulder, and knew he had been stabbed. He immediately circulated his Zhuha True Qi there, but to his relief, it was only a slight numbness, obviously not a serious poison.

However, Li Mochou sneered and stepped forward to try to wrap her whisk around Chu Luren's left arm, but Chu Luren brushed it away again with "Flowers in Full Bloom Are Worth Plucking," and then retreated.

"Huh?" Li Mochou looked surprised upon seeing this.

Chu Luren was initially stunned, thinking that Li Mochou's move was far below her usual standard; otherwise, she could have pressed her advantage. It was only when he saw Li Mochou's expression that he realized what was happening…

"Thank you for your mercy, Miss Li. My technique can change the meridians and pulses, so ordinary acupoint striking methods are ineffective. Please excuse my poor performance." Chu Luren said politely, while pulling out the silver needle that had pierced him.

Indeed, Chu Luren realized that Li Mochou probably thought she had stabbed his left Yingchuang acupoint and judged that half of his body should be weak and numb at this moment.

Li Mochou, standing a dozen steps away, looked at Chu Luren with a fluctuating expression. Meanwhile, the Wu couple had already been subdued by Mei Fanggu, their pressure points forcibly sealed, and thrown aside.

Seeing Li Mochou lost in thought, He Hongyao couldn't help but stop holding her soft whip.

"The I Ching changes the pulse? The I Ching changes the pulse..." Li Mochou muttered a few words, but no one could hear her clearly.

"Where did you learn your martial arts skills?" Li Mochou asked coldly.

Fortunately, it wasn't a misunderstanding. Chu Luren was a descendant of the villain who had chased her back then—after all, their martial arts styles were quite different.

It is true that both of them possess the ability to change pulses using the I Ching, which is why the misunderstanding between her, her master, and her junior sister occurred back then.

"This... is half inherited from a hidden sect and half from my own enlightenment," Chu Luren said truthfully.

Indeed, the Free and Unfettered Sect is a reclusive sect, and indeed, the "Minor Chaos Skill" was something that Chu Luren comprehended on his own, that is, it was the result of integration.

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou's gaze towards Chu Luren became complex, occasionally showing a hint of anticipation, but in the blink of an eye, it turned into a ruthless and ferocious expression.

Chu Luren roughly guessed that Li Mochou's various emotions were not directed at herself, but rather stemmed from her reflections on the past after the "failure to strike acupoints".

He Hongyao sighed and said, "Sister Li, what does a dog of a man matter? He can be killed at any other time, but our own sect is our 'root'..."

He Hongyao also knew something about Li Mochou's affairs and knew the root cause of her falling out with her own sect!

He Hongyao had actually heard of the martial arts that could "change the meridians and pulses," but the Ancient Tomb Sect had been living in seclusion for too long, and Li Mochou's master was just Lin Chaoying's maid. Not only did she think that Lin Chaoying was "anti-male" and determined to live in seclusion, but she also had no knowledge, so she concluded that Li Mochou was the one who harmed her.

When He Hongyao stole the three treasures of the sect, she was obsessed with Xia Xueyi, as if she were possessed, and she thought she would do anything for him.

However, her elder brother, the former leader, was angered to death by Xia Xueyi, and Lan Fenghuang pardoned her after taking over. This made He Hongyao still very fond of the Five Poisons Sect, so she naturally offered some words of advice.

Being an outer elder of the Five Poisons Sect is like joining a gang; it doesn't affect which sect one belongs to.

"Hmph! I don't belong to any sect!" Li Mochou said angrily.

After spending some time with her, He Hongyao could tell that Li Mochou was just being coy and reluctant to admit her feelings. Her ugly face, bruised and uneven from snake venom, kept giving winks to the Taoist girl hiding to the side.

The girl looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in an apricot-yellow Taoist robe that seemed to suggest maturity, creating a striking contrast—she was none other than Hong Lingbo, a disciple of Li Mochou. When her entire family was hunted down and killed by enemies when she was young, she was rescued by Li Mochou and taken in as her disciple…

However, because of her own experiences, Li Mochou didn't trust the so-called "master-disciple relationship." She only taught Hong Lingbo the basics and never gave her serious guidance, just thinking it would be more convenient to have someone to serve her...

Naturally, Hong Lingbo's martial arts skills were also mediocre at this time, probably not even as good as Wu San Niangzi. She did not make a move just now. After following her master and the two seniors, she did not make a move, but hid to the side.

When Senior He winked at him, he was startled, but he understood what Senior He meant.

“Master, didn’t you always say that Grandmaster… cough, that ‘old codger’ always favors Uncle, and Uncle always pretends to be pure and innocent? Why don’t we invite Young Master Chu… Young Master Chu back with us this time, and once we prove that they wronged Master back then, we can humiliate them properly!” Hong Lingbo had been with Li Mochou for a long time and understood her master.

He both persuaded Li Mochou and gave her a way out...