The last question

Chu Liuxiang's feelings were complicated as he watched Wuhua die with his eyes still open.

But he said nothing, because he knew all too well that everyone present had wanted this outcome.

Shangguan Cangxing went without saying. He was plainly in league with Fang Yunhua, and Wuhua's merciless rebuttals and mockery just now had earned him the resentment of this formidable expert, who seemed rather petty.

As for Dai Duxing, good man though he might be now, he had been a famously ruthless figure before joining the Beggar Gang. He certainly had no magnanimity to spare for the mastermind who had thrown the Beggar Gang into such turmoil.

And as for Master Tiannan...

"Benefactor Fang, I'll take the body with me." Master Tiannan, who had remained very quiet throughout, stepped forward and hoisted Wuhua's corpse onto his shoulder. "Sorry for the trouble, but please remember what you promised Southern Shaolin."

What promise?

While Chu Liuxiang was pondering this, Fang Yunhua cast him a look of... goodwill?

"I gave that thing to him. After all, it was intimately connected to the case he was investigating (Wuhua's seduction of a Divine Water Palace Disciple). If he hadn't learned the whole truth beforehand, things might have turned out just like they did this time.

"And he was the one who burned that notebook just now."

By now, the fight between Wuhua and Fang Yunhua had swept away every trace of the black ash on the ground.

After a moment's silence, Master Tiannan nodded, then turned his gaze toward Chu Liuxiang, who had a growing sense of foreboding.

"Benefactor Chu, a word in private."

By the time Chu Liuxiang returned, rubbing his nose with a wry smile, Master Tiannan had already set off for Southern Shaolin with Wuhua's corpse.

"You dragged me into this on purpose?" Once again, Fang Yunhua had made Chu Liuxiang laugh in exasperation.

Clearly, only a few of Southern Shaolin's senior figures, Fang Yunhua, and Chu Liuxiang knew the contents of that notebook. Since the scandal could give someone a certain hold over Southern Shaolin, anyone who knew about it without belonging to Southern Shaolin would also shoulder some risk.

Put plainly, Southern Shaolin would now treat Fang and Chu with respect while privately worrying that they might spread the story. That was why Master Tiannan had just made Chu Liuxiang several weighty promises. Well versed in the ways of the world, Chu Liuxiang had naturally had little choice but to nod and accept.

"This was compensation for you." Fang Yunhua wore an innocent expression.

"You compensated me with Southern Shaolin's promises?" Chu Liuxiang laughed in exasperation again.

"Well, did you accept them?"

Chu Liuxiang fell silent.

Could he have refused under those circumstances? Still, he had no real regrets. Without reading that notebook, he would never have known his old friend's true face.

"Tell me, what did he promise you?"

"Some favors, some assistance, and most importantly, that I would be Southern Shaolin's friend forever."

Chu Liuxiang made no attempt to conceal anything. Besides, he knew Fang Yunhua must have received far more.

After hearing his answer, Fang Yunhua inwardly curled his lip. Such empty promises would only work on a pretend independent cultivator like Chu Liuxiang, who refused to reveal the sect behind him.

Using the notebook's contents, he had directly obtained three bottles of Lesser Restoration Pills and one Greater Restoration Pill from Southern Shaolin. These were valuable medicines that could aid cultivation and increase his internal power.

Moreover, the Greater Restoration Pill, which could only be refined once every twenty years, could heal most injuries.

He planned to have Withered Plum examine them carefully once he returned to Mount Hua, then start taking the pills to cultivate.

The four of them were now walking toward Putian City.

Dai Duxing remained silent along the way. He truly had nothing to say to the others. Although he knew Mount Hua had sound reasons for putting the Beggar Gang through all this, people always had their own loyalties, and he would always stand with the Beggar Gang.

Naturally, when facing Fang Yunhua-the mastermind behind the mastermind-he could hardly help showing a little resentment.

His attitude toward Chu Liuxiang was much the same. Whether or not Fang Yunhua had used him, he had indeed served as the ideal accomplice throughout this affair. This was nothing like the original storyline, where the matter had been raised high only to be set down gently.

The Beggar Gang was now half crippled, which made him feel even worse. Yet after witnessing Fang Yunhua's current strength, his restless heart had settled down. All he wanted was to find Ying Wanli as soon as possible, issue a public clarification, and bring this storm to an end.

Naturally, Chu Liuxiang noticed Dai Duxing's behavior.

He moved closer to Fang Yunhua and began speaking in a low voice.

"You really put me through the wringer this time."

"Don't dump every pot of blame on my head. Think about it: weren't you the one who volunteered to investigate this case? Then wouldn't the investigation have led to this outcome anyway? Unless you could stand by and let Nangong Ling and Wuhua keep stirring up wind and rain. So look at your own part in it."

Chu Liuxiang fell silent. He was a reasonable man, and after hearing Fang Yunhua's words and reconsidering the matter, he did feel that blaming everything on Fang Yunhua had been somewhat excessive.

After all, Fang Yunhua had only been seeking revenge for his sect.

"Brother Fang, I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."

Shangguan Cangxing, who had been quietly watching the two whisper together, rolled his eyes so hard they nearly flew out of his head. He had unexpectedly discovered that Chu Liuxiang was exactly as the damned rumors described: a genuine gentleman who held no double standards and corrected his mistakes when he recognized them.

That was truly rare in the martial world.

"By the way, Brother Fang, there's one more thing."

"Go ahead."

Fang Yunhua was exceedingly tolerant of Chu Liuxiang. After all, he was his good friend.

"It concerns those four men. Nangong Ling originally wanted to get money out of Ximen Qian, Zuo Youzheng, Spirit Vulture, and Zhamuhe. But according to Madam Ren, once he heard Wuhua's suggestion, he immediately and decisively provoked the four into killing one another.

"Yet in the end, he apparently didn't get a single coin. Why was that?"

At this point, Fang Yunhua had to admire Chu Liuxiang's perceptiveness. He did know the answer: Wuhua's true target had been Zhamuhe, the King of the Desert. He and Stone Guanyin had already laid their plans in the Western Regions and were preparing to seize the Kucha Kingdom outright.

In fact, this matter was also one of the important bargaining chips Fang Yunhua would hold going forward.

He did not want to brush Chu Liuxiang off, nor did he want to lie to him, so he gave him a great big smile.

That sent Chu Liuxiang retreating several steps.

To Chu Liuxiang, Fang Yunhua's smile practically overflowed with malice. He remembered that the first time he had seen it was apparently when Fang Yunhua proposed that little game, "If I were Wuhua."

Poor, innocent fool that he had once been, he had actually believed it was only a game.

"Fine! I understand! I won't ask about this anymore, and don't you come up with another strange little prophecy game!"

Seeing Fang Yunhua look as though he wanted to speak but was holding back, Chu Liuxiang hurriedly stopped him from continuing.

But when they reached the outskirts of the city, Chu Liuxiang could no longer suppress his curiosity and began asking questions again.

"How did you guess Wuhua would target Mount Hua in the end?"

"Because he only had two points of attack: me or Mount Hua." Fang Yunhua was willing enough to answer this question. When he first met Shangguan Cangxing at that Tea House, he had already realized that as Mount Hua's actions grew bolder, Wuhua would guess that he was quietly plotting behind the scenes.

Although he had never considered Wuhua a lifelong rival, he would never underestimate his intelligence or ability.

It was just that Wuhua had too few outside forces to draw upon, and he had never escaped the bonds of the martial world's invisible cage.

"Then how did you deal with it? Getting back to Mount Hua from Putian now would take at least ten-odd days, even traveling by both land and water. Would you make it in time?"

"Take a guess~"