Moving toward Each Other

Wuhua began with the recent rumors, leading him to suspect that Fang Yunhua intended to use him as a stepping stone to fame, and had also crossed certain unspoken lines between him and the major martial arts sects.

Then he shifted the topic to his good friend Zuo Qinghou.

Through a concrete example, he hinted that Fang Yunhua possessed exceptional skill at dealing with innocent, worldly-inexperienced girls. It was easy to extend that implication to the suicide of the Divine Water Palace Disciple he had initially been investigating.

Everything seemed like idle conversation, yet he was digging pits all the while, deepening his suspicions of Fang Yunhua.

But after leaving Mount Hua, he had returned to the Treasure Ship and had a lengthy discussion with Su Rongrong.

They had agreed that Fang Yunhua's reputation actually made it impossible for him to seduce female disciples in the Divine Water Palace. His notoriety as a womanizer was simply too widespread. Unless the Demoness of the Emerald Sea had completely lost her mind, she would never let a rat into her own granary.

As for the possibility of Fang Yunhua sneaking into the Divine Water Palace... after sparring with him, Chu Liuxiang was certain that his abysmal lightness skill was nowhere near sufficient.

Now Wuhua was deliberately making Fang Yunhua seem more suspicious, while dropping what appeared to be artful hints. This inevitably deepened Chu Liuxiang's suspicions of the Wonderful Monk himself.

There was, however, one thing he still could not understand.

Why Fang Yunhua?

"Master, you seem to have something against this Amorous Young Master. Aren't the Seven Great Schools supposed to be branches of the same tree? Besides, the three of us do enjoy a certain renown in the martial world."

"Autumn Clouds, Spring Blossoms, the Fragrant Thief, the Peerless Monk?" Wuhua shook his head slightly, and Chu Liuxiang clearly saw a flash of revulsion deeper than darkness in those limpid eyes-a negative emotion that went beyond mere revulsion.

It was more like... hatred?

"I am a monk. Being yoked together under these romantic epithets causes me considerable trouble. And this may well be another of that Amorous Young Master's schemes."

Chu Liuxiang rubbed his nose. He did not particularly care about such things. After all, he was rather amorous himself.

Wuhua clearly knew when to quit while he was ahead. Or rather, repeatedly taking aim at Fang Yunhua would undermine the refined bearing he had cultivated, which would only arouse the Thief Marshal's suspicions. He let out a quiet sigh.

"On such a lovely night, talking of nothing but worldly matters does rather let down this clear breeze and bright moon."

Chu Liuxiang also understood that the important subjects had been touched upon, and would go no further.

He had gained quite a bit himself. First, his suspicions of Wuhua had deepened another degree.

The other man had pointed out, with impeccable timing, that Fang Yunhua had a way with girls. It was truly difficult not to think of the pregnant Divine Water Palace Disciple who had still tried to protect her lover. Very few people actually knew about that incident. Deliberately dropping a hint like this was itself a revelation that he, too, knew the details.

Furthermore, Wuhua seemed to have a serious grievance against Fang Yunhua. If he merely wanted to frame him, there was no need to act so eagerly. It was precisely because he harbored certain negative feelings toward Fang Yunhua that even Chu Liuxiang could not fathom.

Those feelings had made the Wonderful Monk somewhat too hasty in the way he presented the matter, allowing Chu Liuxiang to catch a flaw.

This inevitably brought Chu Liuxiang back to the crucial question he could not make sense of.

What was Wuhua's purpose in doing all this?

Still, he believed the truth was already very close.

Then Chu Liuxiang adjusted his own frame of mind, as though they still shared the spotless, unblemished friendship they once had.

"I am a worldly man to begin with, especially at this moment. Other than these worldly matters, nothing interests me at all."

Chu Liuxiang suddenly rose to his feet and laughed.

"If you want to discuss Zen or play chess, I'll come find you once my business is done. And I promise I'll be perfectly dry."

Amid his laughter, he leaped into the water without raising so much as a splash.

Wuhua answered with a smile as well.

"Be sure not to forget our appointment to discuss Zen and play chess."

Chu Liuxiang poked his head above the water. "Anyone who could forget an appointment with Wuhua must be an idiot."

Wuhua watched him glide away like a swimming fish, but his gaze grew gloomier.

He had already realized that he had been a little too impatient just now.

His feelings toward Chu Liuxiang were complicated: he regarded him as both a dear friend and an enemy, the only person in the world capable of matching him. Thus, when some of Chu Liuxiang's actions overturned his previous understanding, he wanted to steer everything back onto a course he could control.

"Fortunately, I am a monk. Even if I have a rather poor opinion of a man who leaves romantic attachments everywhere, that should hardly be remarkable. A pity I really cannot spare the time lately. This Fragrant Marshal Chu has certainly chosen the right moment to become a blade that must be broken first..."

After swimming back to shore, Chu Liuxiang picked up One Red Dot, found a tall tree, and settled him securely between its branches. Then he swept down to the ground, waved, and said with a smile:

"Let's part here. You'll wake up in another hour. I know you would never want me to see what a sorry state you're in when you wake."

He strode off into the city, turning things over in his mind along the way. Unlike in the original plot, where his thoughts had been a tangled mess, this time he had already singled out the likeliest mastermind. All that remained was to investigate why the man had done all this.

And whether an even larger conspiracy existed.

At the same time, he was hardly in good spirits. He had only met Wuhua three times before: on the first occasion, they had drunk together for three days and nights; on the second, they had played chess for five days and nights; on the third, they had discussed Buddhism for seven days and nights.

To Chu Liuxiang, these were all precious memories.

He believed Wuhua truly regarded him as a friend. But friendship was one thing, and greater schemes and ambitions were another. Sometimes, friendship was not worth a single coin.

"And his feelings toward Brother Fang... no matter how I look at it, he doesn't merely disapprove of his conduct. After all, I'm hardly any better."

At this thought, Chu Liuxiang rubbed his nose again. Perhaps another trip to Mount Hua would uncover some clues. But he had yet to sort out the matter at hand, especially since he had just discovered the important clue of the letters.

Then he suddenly remembered the game Fang Yunhua had played with him: "If I were Wuhua"...

This brought a significant realization dimly into focus. Fang Yunhua's apparent suspicions of Wuhua had supposedly arisen because the three of them occupied the top three spots among the lovers women of the martial world dreamed of having.

But Fang Yunhua had repeatedly brought up Wuhua, just as Wuhua had repeatedly brought up Fang Yunhua moments ago. Could that also count as a perfectly timed instance of... moving toward each other?

A flash of inspiration shot through Chu Liuxiang's mind!

There was something wrong with their relationship! It was certainly not as simple as two men who had never met and only knew each other by reputation!

What concerned him even more was the seemingly joking suggestion of how a feigned death could be used to manipulate him, Fragrant Marshal Chu. It felt all the more like a prophecy intended to awaken him to the danger beforehand.

By now, dawn had broken. Sunlight spilled over Fragrant Marshal Chu, drying his sodden clothes.

Yet he felt not a trace of warmth. He only felt as though a pair of eyes were quietly watching him from the shadows, and at some point, a cold sweat had broken out across his back.