"So, Young Master Chu, this little brat first knocked you out, then you were robbed, stripped naked, and tossed into the river?" On the deck, Song Tian'er pointed at Xiao Yu'er with a grin, looking over at the deeply embarrassed Chu Liuxiang. Su Rongrong and Li Hongxiu were trying not to laugh.
"This..." Chu Liuxiang started to speak, then stopped. His face turned bright red. He looked up at the sky, feeling the world's deep hostility toward him!
Xiao Yu'er rolled his eyes and protested with tears in his eyes, "Pretty sisters, don't listen to that bad man. I didn't knock him out! He fell over all by himself."
"Fell over all by himself? Hahahaha!" Su Rongrong and the others couldn't hold back their laughter.
"You rotten little brat, making things up!" Chu Liuxiang flew into a rage and reached for Xiao Yu'er, but the quick-witted boy darted away and raced over to Li Hongxiu, shouting as he ran.
"Look, sisters! Xiao Yu'er was right, wasn't he? He's so angry he's trying to kill me to silence me. Save me!"
"You can't escape, brat! My Lightness Skill is Number One Under Heaven!" Chu Liuxiang grew even angrier. His afterimages flickered as he lunged for Xiao Yu'er.
Seeing that things were turning against him, Xiao Yu'er hurried behind Song Tian'er and clung tightly to her. "Sister, save Xiao Yu'er! He's a bad man—he's trying to kill me..."
Song Tian'er giggled, shielding Xiao Yu'er behind her as she glared fiercely at Chu Liuxiang. Her expression made it clear: Look at you, all fierce and scary. Even children are hiding from you now.
"Tian'er, stop fooling around. This little brat's full of tricks!" Chu Liuxiang looked at Song Tian'er helplessly and urged her to move aside. He wanted to teach the little rascal who'd dared to knock him out a proper lesson.
Song Tian'er ignored him completely. Turning around, she stroked Xiao Yu'er's head and said gently, "Don't worry, Xiao Yu'er. I won't let that big bad wolf get you. I'll protect you..."
At that, Song Tian'er suddenly shrieked, her voice carrying across the river. She stared blankly at Xiao Yu'er, who was dashing away with a sly grin.
Her once lustrous black hair was now covered in a sticky, filthy liquid, and her pretty clothes were splattered with a strange, multicolored dye. A foul smell clung to her, too.
As if she'd gone mad, she screamed, "You little brat! I'll never let you get away with this!"
With that, Song Tian'er charged after Xiao Yu'er, determined to catch him. He was nimble enough to dodge her with ease, then looked back and pulled a face, as if mocking her foolishness.
And then... the chaos continued!
Su Rongrong and Li Hongxiu stared at the scene in a daze. Chu Liuxiang glanced at them with an expression that said, Didn't believe me, did you? This is what I was talking about.
In the cabin, Chu Liuxiang sat in a chair, looking grave as he faced Li Hongxiu. Suddenly, he asked, "Hongxiu, you know almost everything that happens in the martial world. Do you know anything about a man called Bai Yu Jing?"
"Bai Yu Jing? The man who stripped you?" Song Tian'er asked, full of curiosity.
"Can we please stop bringing that up?" Chu Liuxiang blushed and rubbed his nose.
Su Rongrong covered her mouth with a laugh and gave Chu Liuxiang a strange look.
"Haha... Anyone who could make you suffer so badly has certainly piqued my curiosity." Li Hongxiu was much more straightforward than Su Rongrong. She laughed out loud, making Chu Liuxiang even more uncomfortable.
He coughed twice, then continued in a solemn voice, "If I can help it, I hope I never run into him again. The feeling he gave me... was far too dangerous!"
Chu Liuxiang's expression was exceptionally serious. Li Hongxiu and the others stopped smiling and looked at him.
After a moment's thought, Li Hongxiu said, "Bai Yu Jing, male, known as the Longevity Sword. He's twenty-two years old. His origins are unknown; all anyone knows is that he appeared in the martial world when he was fourteen. He excels at swordsmanship and is one of the most famous swordsmen alive."
"He's extraordinarily mysterious. Though he's well known in the martial world, he's hardly ever fought in public and is always elusive. That's all I know about him." Li Hongxiu looked at Chu Liuxiang apologetically.
Chu Liuxiang reassured Li Hongxiu, then said with a trace of worry, "Sigh. If it were really that easy to learn about him, I wouldn't be so concerned."
Seeing the worried look on Chu Liuxiang's face, Su Rongrong said gently, "Although Bai Yu Jing belongs to neither the righteous nor the wicked, there's no word of him doing anything to endanger the world. Don't worry too much."
"I hope so." Chu Liuxiang nodded, then continued, "I'd heard stories about Bai Yu Jing before. They called him 'the man who couldn't die,' but I never took them seriously. After meeting him this time, I realized the stories in the martial world don't begin to do him justice."
"Is he really that powerful?" Song Tian'er asked curiously.
"Powerful doesn't begin to cover it! You all know my martial arts. There are countless experts in the world today, but I believe I'd rank among the top fifty, no matter how you count them. Yet facing Bai Yu Jing, I felt I couldn't withstand even one of his sword strikes. In a direct fight, I'd be dead within twenty moves." Chu Liuxiang's expression was more solemn than ever. "What's more frightening is that he gave me the feeling that he had none of the emotions of a human being. He was like an idol in a temple. No matter how many expressions it might wear, whether happy or angry, at its core it was just a cold, lifeless statue—cut off from everything in the Mortal World, Overlooking the Vastness and treating all living things like grass."
"It was a feeling I'd never had before. I don't know whether I was mistaken, but I hope I was. Otherwise, with his martial arts and that terrifying nature, the world may be in for great upheaval." Chu Liuxiang sighed deeply and gazed into the distant, boundless sky.
"Enough. Don't be like this. As I said, that's only your own impression, and you have no proof. Besides, even if Bai Yu Jing does evil, there are plenty of heroes in the world. You don't need to take it upon yourself to worry about him." Su Rongrong stepped forward to comfort him.
"Sigh. I hope so. I just can't shake the feeling that his attempt to rob me wasn't a coincidence. There must have been something behind it, but I can't figure out what..." Chu Liuxiang furrowed his brow and thought hard, but got nowhere. He couldn't understand He Heng's true intentions.
"Stop scaring yourself. Even if Bai Yu Jing has turned bandit, someone else will deal with him. Why are you worrying about it? Are you going to track him down and steal your clothes back?" Li Hongxiu teased Chu Liuxiang.
Chu Liuxiang gave a bitter smile, but a shadow lingered in his heart. He felt certain the matter wouldn't end so easily. Bai Yu Jing would appear again.
Just then, a sudden shriek came from the deck. It was Song Tian'er. Chu Liuxiang's eyes sharpened, and he hurried outside.
"Tian'er, are you all right?" The moment Chu Liuxiang reached the deck, he saw Song Tian'er standing there, trembling all over. He hurried to support her.
"What happened? Why are you so frightened?"
Song Tian'er shakily raised a finger and pointed beneath the boat. Her voice trembled. "T-there's a... a body!"
"What?" Chu Liuxiang's expression changed. He followed the direction of her finger and saw a corpse floating up, its face horribly contorted.
After finding the first corpse, Chu Liuxiang soon discovered a second, a third, a fourth, and a fifth. They were the Tianxing Gang leader Zuo Youzheng, the assassin-scholar Ximen Qian, Lingjiu Zi, one of the Three Swords of Hainan, the Desert King Zhamu He, and others—all renowned experts, dead in the same place. The case even involved Tianyi Divine Water. Everything had suddenly become complicated...
Then a disciple of the Divine Water Palace named Gong Nanyan came to him and demanded that he investigate the theft of Tianyi Divine Water—or else face the consequences.
Helpless, and being the sort of man who couldn't resist getting involved in other people's business, Chu Liuxiang set off on the path of a great detective with his little companion, Xiao Yu'er. And once he started, there was no stopping him.
The case was extraordinarily complex, shrouded in endless layers of mystery. But Chu Liuxiang was no ordinary man. In just a few days, he found a clue and followed it. After several twists and turns, much as he didn't want to believe it, the evidence pointed to the culprit: his close friend, the Wonderful Monk, Wu Hua.
Behind the seemingly perfect monk's façade was a despicable, shameless man who'd murdered his younger brother to save himself. Driven by ambition, he'd orchestrated the whole affair.
Under the cover of night, Chu Liuxiang fought Wu Hua in a Life and Death Battle on a narrow path. He emerged victorious and successfully captured Wu Hua.
Beneath the night sky, Wu Hua looked at Chu Liuxiang and asked calmly, "What do you want to do to me now?"
Chu Liuxiang's gaze was complicated. At last, he slowly replied, "I can only expose your secrets. I can't punish you, because I'm neither the law nor a god. I have no right to punish you."
Before you continue