When Bandits Meet Bandits

"I heard you have a White Jade Beauty, exquisitely carved and of unparalleled beauty. I am greatly longing to see it. Tonight, at the stroke of midnight, I shall come to claim it. Knowing your refined taste, I trust you will not make my journey in vain."

This short note lay spread on the brightly lit marble tabletop. The candlelight, filtering through a pink gauze lampshade, cast a peculiar light purple hue on the pale blue paper, making the elegant handwriting appear even more graceful and free-spirited. The note was unsigned, but it carried the scent of tulips, a faint and poetic fragrance that was enough to identify its author.

The recipient of this note was Jin Banhua, a young master from a wealthy and influential family in the capital city. He sat by the table, his fair and delicate face, meticulously maintained, contorted in a grimace of pain as if he had been struck. His eyes were fixed on the note as if it were a summons from the King of Hell.

In the exquisite flower hall, three other people were present. One was a dignified and imposing elder with white hair and beard, who paced back and forth across the hall with his hands clasped behind his back. He had walked so many times that the distance covered could likely stretch from the capital city to Zhangjiakou.

Beside Jin Banhua sat another man, dressed in black, with prominent cheekbones and hawk-like, sinister, and fierce eyes. He sat with his hands resting lightly on a pair of steel judge's brushes placed on the table. His dry, slender, and bony fingers appeared to be forged from steel in the lamplight.

Both men wore grave expressions, their sharp gazes darting from the windows to the doors and back again incessantly.

The last person was a thin, short, bald old man dressed in simple clothes, who sat quietly in a corner with his eyes closed, resting. There was nothing remarkable about him, except for his ears, which were missing. In their place were a pair of gray artificial ears, made of an unknown material.

The elder in the brocade robe walked over to the table, abruptly picked up the note, and sneered, "What is this? An invitation? A IOU? With just this piece of paper, you intend to take away the most precious Jade Beauty among the Four Treasures of the Capital City..."

He slammed his hand heavily on the table and said sternly, "Chu Liuxiang! Chu Liuxiang! You think too little of the heroes of the Nine Cities."

Jin Banhua, his face etched with worry, mumbled, "But he has used this same kind of paper to take countless rare treasures. He said he would take something at midnight, and no one could preserve it until the hour of the Ox."

The man in black said coldly, "Oh, really?"

Jin Banhua sighed and said, "Last month, Young Marquis Qiu of Juanlianzi Hutong received a letter from him, saying he would come to take the Nine Dragon Cup, a family heirloom. The Marquis not only locked the cup in a secret room but also hired two top experts from the imperial court, 'Heavenly Palms' Quezi He and 'Plum Blossom Sword' Fang Huan, to guard the entrance. The security was airtight, yet when they opened the door after the appointed time... alas! The Nine Dragon Cup was still gone."

The man in black sneered, "Old escort leader Wan is neither Quezi He nor I, 'Life and Death Judge', am Fang Huan. Moreover..." He glanced at the bald old man and continued slowly, "With the renowned Elder Qian, feared by all thieves in the world, here, if the three of us cannot apprehend Chu Liuxiang, then perhaps no one else can."

The bald old man narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Brother Ximen, please don't flatter this old man. Since the battle of Yuntai, I have been useless. If a man who lives by his ears has them cut off, isn't he like a beggar who has lost his snake?"

If anyone else had suffered such a crushing defeat, even losing both ears, they would not only remain silent about it but would draw their swords and fight to the death if it were mentioned. Yet, he spoke with a smile, as if quite pleased.

The elder in the brocade robe was the chief escort leader of the Wansheng Escort Agency in the capital city, "Iron Palm Golden Dart" Wan Wudi. He stroked his long beard and laughed heartily, "Who in the martial arts world doesn't know that Bald Eagle's hearing is unparalleled? Although the battle of Yuntai was a minor defeat, who knows if it was a blessing in disguise? With these White Robe Divine Ears, your hearing is even better than before."

Bald Eagle shook his head and chuckled, "I'm old and useless. If I weren't eager to witness this marshal among thieves, this gentleman among ruffians, I would never have come out of seclusion."

Jin Banhua suddenly smiled and said, "I've heard from people in the martial arts world that Elder Qian can discern a person's gender, age, and identity just by hearing their breathing. Whoever's breathing falls into Elder Qian's ears can never escape him again, no matter where they flee. Elder Qian can track them down."

Bald Eagle's eyes narrowed to mere slits, and he smiled, "Rumors in the martial arts world always exaggerate."

Just then, the sound of the night watch drum faintly reached them on the evening breeze. Life and Death Judge suddenly stood up and said, "Midnight has arrived."

Jin Banhua rushed to a corner and lifted a meticulously painted scroll of a court lady, revealing a secret door. He opened it and saw that the purple sandalwood carved wooden box was still intact inside. He breathed a long sigh of relief and turned to smile, "I didn't expect your formidable reputations would actually scare Chu Liuxiang away."

Life and Death Judge threw his head back and laughed, "Chu Liuxiang, Chu Liuxiang, so you are also a..."

Suddenly, Bald Eagle let out a "Hush..." and Life and Death Judge's laughter stopped abruptly. A deep, captivating voice drifted in from outside the window, chuckling, "The Jade Beauty has been received. Chu Liuxiang is here to express his gratitude."

Wan Wudi lunged to the window and pushed it open with a palm strike. In the darkness outside, a tall figure stood, holding something about three feet long. In the moonlight, it appeared crystal clear and smooth. He was still chuckling, "I stole the treasure at the hour of the Monkey, and only came to thank you at midnight. My manners are lacking, please forgive me."

Jin Banhua's face had already turned ashen. He stammered, "Chase! Hurry and chase!"

Candlelight flickered, and the wind rustled. Life and Death Judge and Wan Wudi had already leaped out of the window.

Bald Eagle said in a deep voice, "Was that really the Jade Beauty?"

Jin Banhua stamped his foot and said, "I saw it clearly, there's no mistake."

As he stamped his foot, he leaped out as well. It turned out this young master of a noble family was also skilled in martial arts.

Bald Eagle, however, shook his head slightly and sneered, "Others might fall for your trick, but I... Hmph!"

He stared at the purple sandalwood box and walked towards it step by step.

Suddenly, a loud "clang" echoed from behind him, making him jump.

His White Robe Divine Ears were cast from silver and had a powerful sound-transmitting ability. This sudden loud noise almost ruptured his eardrums. He had always been proud of these divine ears, never imagining they had such a fatal drawback. Startled, he somersaulted in mid-air, his palms striking out in rapid succession. But there was no one behind him.

He heard another "clang" outside the window. Bald Eagle kicked backward and sprang out. Below the window, a "buzzing" sound continued, which turned out to be a bronze gong.

Bald Eagle's face immediately turned ashen, and he exclaimed, "This is bad!"

He turned and leaped back into the room like a madman. The purple sandalwood box was still intact. However, the curtain of the other window was fluttering.

Bald Eagle stood there, frozen like a stone, his expression incredibly strange, as if he didn't know whether to cry or laugh. He muttered, "Chu Liuxiang, Chu Liuxiang, you are indeed formidable, but don't get too smug. Your footsteps have fallen into my ears, and one day I will find you."

The sound of wind rustled behind him. Wan Wudi, Life and Death Judge, and Jin Banhua had all returned in succession. Wan Wudi was holding a three-foot-long carved jade beauty and said with a smile, "So that was a deception. This Jade Beauty is fake."

Life and Death Judge said, "Even though it's fake, it's still worth a few taels of silver. This is like trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice. The renowned Thief Marshal has also stumbled tonight."

Bald Eagle stared blankly at the purple sandalwood box and murmured, "This is fake, so where is the real one?"

Jin Banhua's expression changed again. He stammered, "The real... the real one is naturally in... in the box."

As he spoke, he rushed over and opened the box. There was no Jade Beauty inside. Jin Banhua cried out in alarm and fainted.

Wan Wudi went to look and saw another pale blue note inside the box, emitting the same faint and romantic fragrance. The same elegant handwriting read: "The young master accompanied flowers and lost his beauty, the Bandit Chief treads the moon and leaves fragrance."

"Grafting flowers onto plum trees, passing off the fake as the real! Exploiting their psychology... very clever! Chu Liuxiang... you're good."

Just after stealing the White Jade Beauty, Chu Liuxiang, who was speeding home, suddenly found a figure blocking his path ahead.

This was a very young man, around twenty years old, dressed in gray. His face was not handsome, but it was flawless, with sharp features and a sunny smile that immediately made a good impression.

However, from his deep eyes, Chu Liuxiang could discern a kind of obsessive determination. His not-so-tall frame exuded a vastness that encompassed the heavens and earth.

This was a very terrifying individual! This was Chu Liuxiang's first impression of him.

Thinking this, Chu Liuxiang clasped his hands respectfully and said, "May I know your name, friend? What are you waiting for me here for?"

"My name? I have quite a few, at least three or four... For now, you can call me... Bai Yu Jing!" He Heng looked sharply at the legendary Thief Marshal, sizing him up.

Chu Liuxiang's eyebrows were thick and long, exuding a rugged masculine charm, yet his clear eyes were exceptionally refined. His straight nose symbolized a strong, decisive, iron will, and his thin lips, curved upwards at the corners, appeared somewhat cold. However, when he smiled, his strength transformed into gentleness, and his coldness into compassion, like a warm spring breeze sweeping across the land...

Chu Liuxiang was indeed a standard handsome man, but that had nothing to do with He Heng. At this moment, he gave Chu Liuxiang a cold smile and said solemnly, "This road was opened by me, this tree was planted by me. If you want to pass, leave your valuables behind! I'm here today to... rob you!"

As he said this, He Heng felt it lacked impact, so he immediately raised the Longevity Sword in his hand and slashed it fiercely at a nearby boulder. In an instant, the stone split in two.

Thus, He Heng raised an eyebrow, looked at the stunned Chu Liuxiang, and shouted fiercely, "Quickly hand over everything valuable you have!!"

Chu Liuxiang's mood was complex, especially peculiar...

He was known as the Thief Marshal, the top figure among bandits. Today, he was actually being robbed. What... what should one do when a thief encounters a thief?