Sinister Intentions

Well, Chu Liuxiang had now become a second Lu Xiaofeng.

After all, Nangong Ling was clearly trying to exploit Chu Liuxiang's reputation.

And Chu Liuxiang soon guessed the sinister intentions behind his proposal.

If he agreed, his character would compel him to meet Qiu Lingsu first. That would give the other side a chance to lay an ambush along the way-to arrange an assassination somewhere that would hamper his abilities. In short, his safety would be difficult to guarantee.

At the same time, they would also have accounted for the possibility of the assassination failing. Even then, after Chu Liuxiang met Qiu Lingsu, they could still use his reputation and connections to clear Nangong Ling's name.

Moreover, now that the two men at the table knew he had met Black Pearl, they probably realized that Chu Liuxiang had already uncovered at least something of the vital lead that was Qiu Lingsu. Even if Nangong Ling had not brought her up now, he would have tried every means possible to get Nangong Ling to take him to meet this Madam Ren.

Thus, the present situation could be described as a desperate gamble: stepping into the jaws of death to find a path to survival.

Calling it a gamble was not quite accurate, however. Qiu Lingsu was under their control, and Chu Liuxiang could be absolutely certain of one thing: Nangong Ling would never give him a chance to speak with her alone. Nor could he be sure whether Qiu Lingsu herself was their accomplice.

But none of that stopped Chu Liuxiang from choosing to nod in agreement.

Because once he knew where Qiu Lingsu was, he could find other ways to uncover the truth. Besides, judging by the storm of public opinion sweeping through the martial world, even Nangong Ling, leader of the World's Greatest Gang, was finding it a headache.

Even if Nangong Ling devoted a great deal of attention to him, some of his energy would inevitably be diverted elsewhere. That, too, was an opportunity.

Then there was Wuhua.

"Will you be coming with us, Master? I trust Brother Nangong. As our friend, shouldn't you also lend him a hand at a time like this?"

Chu Liuxiang looked at Wuhua with a smile, and Wuhua smiled back.

Yet beneath the surface, an air of confrontation had already arisen between them.

"I trust Brother Chu. I have some matters to attend to over the next few days, so I will leave it to you to visit Madam Ren on my behalf. Once you have confirmed that she is safe and well, I will join you in issuing a statement to clear Brother Nangong's name."

"I see."

That settles it! That bastard Wuhua will definitely try to assassinate me on the road!

Chu Liuxiang then shifted his gaze to Nangong Ling. He smiled and nodded, receiving a grateful look in return.

He also believed that, during the journey ahead, Wuhua-who already had several attempts on his life under his belt-would genuinely be hoping for his death. Nangong Ling, however, might still prefer him alive, so that he could attest to his innocence.

Ever since Nangong Ling became the Beggar Gang's leader and began resorting to any means necessary to consolidate his power-even recruiting villains like White Jade Demon-Chu Liuxiang had realized how much his old friend valued power and position.

Thus, rather than eliminating the threat he posed, the most important thing was to use him to sweep away the current damage to Nangong Ling's reputation.

This also allowed Chu Liuxiang to confirm two things.

First, Nangong Ling would not openly fall out with him for the time being. That also meant he could not deploy the Beggar Gang's forces against him.

Second, Nangong Ling did not have sufficient control over the Beggar Gang. After all, the Beggar Gang were the true experts at manipulating public opinion. Even with gossip about them circulating throughout the martial world, they should still have been capable of dampening the discussion somewhat.

Yet Nangong Ling had instead begun grasping at him like a desperate patient trying any doctor he could find. So this situation was not as dangerous as Chu Liuxiang had initially imagined.

Once the matter was settled, the three began freely discussing their past experiences. The heavy atmosphere of flashing blades and drawn swords that had briefly surfaced dissipated completely-until Wuhua brought up that man again!

"According to my investigation, this wave of rumors first spread from the northwest into the Capital City, then rapidly fanned out across the land from that foremost city of the realm. As it happens, I also discovered a coincidence. The Amorous Young Master has recently caused quite a stir in the Capital City.

"And it concerns Fragrant Marshal Chu as well."

"Me?" Chu Liuxiang blinked. He felt that he would need to pay closer attention to Fang Yunhua's movements in the future.

Although he had no evidence, his instincts told him that the trouble Nangong Ling was currently having with public opinion was very likely the Amorous Young Master's handiwork. After speaking with Wuhua a few days earlier and vaguely discerning that there might be a private grudge between the two men, he had begun looking into the matter.

He had started seriously analyzing Fang Yunhua's past.

And he had to admit that Wuhua's assessment was correct: the man was indeed adept at manipulating public opinion. First, he used his own advantages to link himself with one well-born heroine or young lady after another, thereby drawing everyone's attention to himself.

Then he used that attention to bolster Mount Hua's reputation, while continuing to generate romantic rumors that kept him in the spotlight.

This had allowed Fang Yunhua, who had no particularly impressive achievements in combat, to blaze a different trail. Through the influence of his romantic reputation, he had managed to tie his name to both the Fragrant Marshal and Wuhua, the Wondrous Monk.

Chu Liuxiang had no objection to that. After all, he really was a man of many affections. The only one displeased was probably Wuhua, whose public image overlapped with Fang Yunhua's.

And considering the subtle relationship between those two, perhaps this, too, had been an early move by the Amorous Young Master against Wuhua.

At that moment, Wuhua spoke again.

"It concerns the White Jade Beauty. The White Jade Beauty you previously took, Fragrant Marshal, has now returned to Jin Ban Hua's hands. I hear this is the first time something you stole has ever been returned to its original owner."

"Ah, that was a transaction I made with Young Hero Fang," Chu Liuxiang said candidly. "He paid three times the White Jade Beauty's value, after all. What difference does it make who I sell it to?"

He then glanced at Nangong Ling. Perhaps he was imagining things, but for a fleeting instant, Nangong Ling seemed to have looked envious. Envious of what? That he had money? Or that Fang Yunhua had money?

Surely the mighty leader of the Beggar Gang couldn't be that pathetic.

Yet according to certain analyses of the original plotline, Nangong Ling had been so poor that he lost his sense. After becoming gang leader, he needed to win over the senior members to strengthen his control over the gang, and that inevitably cost money. The Beggar Gang might have consisted of beggars, but even they were divided into Clean Clothes and Dirty Clothes.

The former mostly handled business dealings and negotiations on formal occasions. And as the world's largest gang, they certainly lived up to the saying "a vast household with vast holdings."

But precisely because he had only recently taken office, whenever Nangong Ling tried to draw on their financial resources, he met with refusals and delays under every conceivable pretext. All along, he had been paying out of his own private coffers to entertain the senior members.

And how much money could he possibly have had!

No wonder he had been driven to employ someone as universally reviled as White Jade Demon Beggar, and to use Qiu Lingsu to scheme against the Four Great Experts, hoping to squeeze gold out of the four of them.

At that moment, Wuhua had no attention to spare for his wretched younger brother, who was practically bubbling over with sour envy.

Just as Chu Liuxiang had already identified Wuhua as one of the murderers, Wuhua had also confirmed that this former friend was no longer quite so sincere toward him. Chu Liuxiang had very likely glimpsed something of the true face he had kept hidden all this time.

So he needed to say something.

"Brother Chu, did you know that Mount Hua has recently begun making frequent moves?"