Top-tier

Fang Yunhua again?

This was already the second time tonight that Chu Liuxiang had heard someone mention him.

It was perfectly normal for Red One Point in the Central Plains to bring him up. They were both swordsmen, after all, and both had crossed blades with Chu Liuxiang, so asking him for an assessment and a comparison was only natural.

But why would Wuhua mention him? The supposed treasure theft was clearly just an opening gambit; the key lay in the second half of what he had said.

Until now, the impression Wuhua had left on Chu Liuxiang as a refined, reclusive ascetic had far outweighed his identity as a martial artist.

Besides, Wuhua was a monk. He hardly seemed to belong in the same picture as Fang Yunhua, whose romantic scandals flew thick and fast.

Puzzled though he was, Chu Liuxiang knew this was an opportunity to sound him out.

If he raised certain questions himself, he might expose his suspicions. But by following Wuhua's lead, he might glean something unexpected from his words without disturbing the grass and startling the snake.

"Master, do you also think I would steal treasures from Mount Hua?"

Chu Liuxiang sounded deeply aggrieved as he posed the question, carefully avoiding any mention of Fang Yunhua. He wanted to probe further into what Wuhua was really interested in discussing.

Naturally, Wuhua did not believe he would do anything that so flagrantly broke the rules.

Indeed, the supposed treasure theft was not the issue. The trouble lay in Chu Liuxiang, the Thief Marshal, targeting Mount Hua, one of the seven great martial sects.

That would violate an unwritten rule of the martial world, tacitly agreed upon by both sides.

At his core, the Thief Marshal was still a thief and robber. This was hardly a righteous side profession, yet whenever the spectators of the world mentioned Chu Liuxiang's name, not one failed to give him a thumbs-up.

Robbing the rich to help the poor might have been one factor. The many people in the martial world who owed Fragrant Marshal Chu a favor were another.

More importantly, Chu Liuxiang possessed extraordinary abilities and observed the rule of never stealing from martial sects. That was why the major sects did not secretly turn public opinion against him.

Besides, the Thief Marshal's main occupation was detective work, and he had enthusiastically involved himself in several major cases. No one in the martial world could guarantee they would never need Fragrant Marshal Chu's help someday.

That was how he had built such an excellent reputation.

Consider Bai Zhantang, the Thief Saint, another grand patriarch among thieves. His legs went weak at the mere mention of the Six Fan Gates. If he met one of the Four Great Divine Constables, he might shake like a sieve on the spot.

Chu Liuxiang, on the other hand, chatted and laughed freely with Ying Wanli, the greatest divine constable under heaven. During the Blood Sea Fragrance storyline, he had even teased him about whether he wanted to retrieve the White Jade Beauty, only for Ying Wanli to reply with a humble, ingratiating smile.

[Even if this old man had all the courage under heaven, I would never dare ask Fragrant Marshal Chu to hand anything over.]

Now that Wuhua had brought this matter up before Chu Liuxiang, it seemed to amount to a friendly warning between friends.

His next remark, however, put Chu Liuxiang on his guard.

"That Amorous Young Master seems quite adept at manipulating public opinion. Though I do not know what happened between you and him, Brother Chu, once this rumor spreads widely, it will have some rather unfavorable consequences for you."

"Master, you seem particularly interested in Young Hero Fang?"

Chu Liuxiang gazed intently at Wuhua. He was already beginning to feel certain that Wuhua's real concern had nothing to do with his supposedly stealing treasures from Mount Hua!

Wuhua merely smiled serenely and said,

"Some time ago, Young Master Ding, who had been betrothed since childhood to Zuo Mingzhu of Cup-Tossing Manor, came to my Putian Shaolin Temple to pour out his grievances. That prompted me to pay a little more attention to this man.

"I must admit that the Amorous Young Master's methods are truly exceptional. The Jade Immortal Doll was universally known as an obedient daughter, yet who could have imagined that she would venture into the martial world just once and happen to meet the Amorous Young Master?

"Afterward, it was as though someone had put a gu curse on her. The very first thing she did upon returning to the Zuo family manor was demand that Second Master Zuo break off her engagement. She even threatened to take her own life.

"Come to think of it, Brother Chu, you are a close friend of Second Master Zuo. Surely you know something of this matter."

Chu Liuxiang began rubbing his nose helplessly.

Second Master Zuo had indeed influenced his initial suspicions of Fang Yunhua. Like Chu Liuxiang, he was a man who knew better than anyone how to enjoy life. He sought no marquisate, only lasting happiness, and thus called himself "Light Marquis."

The three things Second Master Zuo took the greatest pride in throughout his life were enough to describe the relationship between the two men.

The first was having a friend like Chu Liuxiang. He often said he would sooner have his left hand cut off than lose Chu Liuxiang's friendship.

The third, and the one Second Master Zuo was proudest of all, was having the cleverest, prettiest, and most obedient darling daughter.

Second Master Zuo had no son, but he had never regretted it, for he believed his daughter was ten times better than two hundred other people's sons put together.

And Zuo Mingzhu truly had never disappointed her father. From childhood to adulthood, she had scarcely ever fallen ill, much less caused any trouble. Even after coming of age, she remained just as adorable and obedient as she had been at two.

Though her martial arts were not particularly outstanding, she could already be counted among the best women fighters. After two excursions into the outside world, she had earned a resounding title: "Jade Immortal Doll."

Everyone knew that at least half the acclaim she received from the martial world came out of respect for Second Master Zuo, but he himself did not mind in the slightest.

Besides, she did not have much time to practice martial arts. Not only did she have to play chess and drink with her father, she also played the zither, arranged flowers, composed lyrics, and recited poetry for him-whatever she did, she did for her father, because there was not yet a second man in her life. (That is exactly how the original put it. Reading it now, it does seem a little seriously deranged...)

In short, Miss Zuo was precisely the sort of obedient daughter every father dreamed of. Second Master Zuo had almost never had to worry about her.

Unfortunately, the rebellious phase was something that could only be delayed. In the original story, Zuo Mingzhu had pulled off an elaborate "returning to life in another's corpse" stunt, putting Second Master Zuo through such torment that he hardly knew whether he was in heaven or hell.

The situation was better now. Unlike in the original, where Zuo Mingzhu had fallen for Xue Bin, the second young master of Xue Family Manor, Cup-Tossing Manor's enemy, Mount Hua was at least a respected orthodox sect. As for Fang Yunhua... he was certainly famous, too.

After all this upheaval, with his darling little padded jacket of a daughter on the verge of threatening him with death, what could Second Master Zuo do? He could only watch through his tears as Fang Yunhua, that top-tier blond punk, parked his Ghost Fire scooter outside his front door.

At this moment, Chu Liuxiang was not worried about the peculiar relationship between his dear old friend and his new friend Fang Yunhua.

He had realized that Wuhua's expansion of the topic carried a malicious intent, continually steering his attention toward Fang Yunhua!