Chu Liuxiang

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Chu Liuxiang (楚留香)
Alias(es)	Thief Marshal; Fragrant Marshal; Fragrant Thief; Commander Chu 3 4 7 29
Disguised Identities	Jin Ban Hua; Zhang Xiaolin 3 18
Gender	Male
Age	Approximately twenty-eight, according to the narration’s estimate; five or six years older than Fang Yunhua 4
Occupation/Role	Celebrated thief, martial artist, and investigator of the Heavenly One Divine Water case 3 4
Status	Alive at his last documented appearance 46
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 2; revealed as the visitor impersonating Jin Ban Hua in Chapter 3 2 3

Background / History

Established Reputation

Chu Liuxiang was already a celebrated master for many years before stealing Jin Ban Hua’s White Jade Beauty. Although Mount Hua’s disciples initially regard him and Fang Yunhua as figures from different generations, their actual age difference is modest 4.

He steals from wealthy households rather than martial sects and uses the proceeds to aid impoverished families, orphans, and widows. His sale of the White Jade Beauty funds disaster relief, earning public praise while leaving Jin Ban Hua furious over the humiliation 7 15 18.

Meeting Fang Yunhua

Five corpses drifting down a river draw Chu into an investigation involving the stolen Heavenly One Divine Water. Gong Nanyan gives him one month to uncover the truth. The suicide of a pregnant Divine Water Palace disciple leads him to suspect that an exceptionally persuasive womanizer manipulated her; Fang Yunhua’s reputation makes him an early suspect 3.

Chu impersonates Jin Ban Hua to approach Fang at Mount Hua, but Fang quickly exposes him and demands a duel. Their spar ends with Fang’s sword near Chu’s brow and Chu’s folding fan against Fang’s Shanzhong Acupoint. Chu’s guidance helps Fang grasp the deeper essence of the Thirteen Forms of the Clear Wind 3 4.

Their subsequent conversation turns suspicion into friendship. Chu accepts Fang’s innocence and agrees to redeem the White Jade Beauty for three times its estimated value, with the money supporting charitable relief. Fang also proposes Wuhua as a suspect and warns that a defeated friend might exploit Chu’s compassion by feigning suicide 6 7 8.

Investigating Wuhua

After leaving Mount Hua, Chu sends Su Rongrong to investigate the Divine Water Palace while he follows the murder victims’ connections. During this work, Red One Point recognizes him despite his Zhang Xiaolin disguise and becomes an ardent admirer. The killer’s repeated demands for a duel nevertheless obstruct the investigation 17 18 19.

Su Rongrong observes that the evidence against Fang also fits Wuhua, whose monastic status could allow him into the palace without arousing suspicion. Wuhua’s attempts to redirect attention toward Fang—and his knowledge of the palace disciple’s death—deepen Chu’s doubts 18 21 22.

At the abandoned Black Robe Nunnery, a dying nun’s testimony brings Chu close to certainty about Wuhua’s guilt. Black Pearl then helps identify Qiu Lingsu as Ren Ci’s widow and conveys her appeal for rescue, advancing the investigation after a crucial letter is destroyed during another fight with Red One Point 29 30.

Qiu Lingsu and Nangong Ling

Su Rongrong confirms that Wuhua visited the Divine Water Palace. Chu subsequently reaches Qiu Lingsu, who explains Nangong Ling’s origins, Ren Ci’s murder, and the mysterious accomplice behind the victims’ deaths. Chu identifies that mastermind as Wuhua, but cannot prevent Qiu from throwing herself off a cliff 36 37.

Returning to Jinan, Chu discovers that Mount Hua and its allies have dismantled Nangong Ling’s criminal faction. He recognizes Fang’s coordination behind the campaign and realizes that his own investigation has become part of a larger strategy 37.

Chu confronts Nangong Ling and demonstrates his martial superiority through seven palm exchanges. Nangong then leads him to a boat, drinks poisoned wine, and dies refusing to believe that Wuhua—his brother—has betrayed him 38 39.

Wuhua’s Defeat and the Aftermath

At Putian Shaolin, Chu finds Wuhua already contained by the monastery and cooperating authorities. Wuhua leaves with him, then admits his family ties and his murder of Nangong Ling. Chu defeats him but intends to leave him for lawful judgment rather than kill him 40 41.

When Wuhua apparently dies, Chu recognizes the deception because of Fang’s earlier warning. Wuhua revives and escapes using an eye-irritating smoke bomb, but other fighters block his route 41 42 44.

Chu reconciles with Fang after learning how extensively Fang manipulated events. Entrusted with Wuhua’s diary, he chooses to destroy it to protect the women whose lives could be ruined by its publication. He later witnesses Fang kill Wuhua and accepts Southern Shaolin’s assurances of friendship and assistance in connection with his discretion over the notebook 43 45 46.

Appearance

Chu has a handsome face described as almost rivaling Fang Yunhua’s 3.

• Clothing: Wears snow-white robes during the Mount Hua duel 3.
• Accessories: Carries a jade pendant, wineskin, and folding fan 3 4.
• Habitual gesture: Frequently rubs his nose, particularly when embarrassed or placed in an awkward conversation 6 7 18.

Personality

Chu is courteous, patient, and strongly committed to avoiding killing. He has never personally killed anyone and prefers submitting offenders to lawful judgment—even when the offender is a friend who has betrayed him. His restraint extends to protecting Red One Point from suicide and deliberately taking Black Pearl’s lash to shield her from a hidden weapon 8 19 29 41.

Friendship is both his greatest loyalty and a vulnerability. He initially resists suspecting Wuhua, feels responsible for Hu Tiehua’s treatment of Gao Yanan, and grieves Nangong Ling despite knowing his crimes. Nevertheless, accumulating evidence eventually overrides his desire to believe in his friends 6 18 29 39.

His compassion is practical rather than blindly reckless. When Red One Point loses control, Chu abandons their standoff and uses the lake to subdue him safely. He also recognizes attempts to exploit his reputation, withholds unproven accusations, and remains alert to concealed motives 19 20 31 40.

He enjoys praise and romantic company but tries to preserve women’s dignity when refusing their advances. The rumor naming him one of the martial world’s three foremost “dream lovers” creates unwanted attention that he handles carefully rather than dismissively 7 18 22.

Abilities & Skills

Lightness Arts

Chu’s signature Fragrance-Stepping Moon is described as one of the three finest lightness arts across Gu Long’s novels 14.

• Evades Fang’s sword attacks through aerial movement and the footwork Swallow Skims the Water Three Times 3.
• Uses sleeve ribbons attached to a roof beam to maneuver through a barrage of wooden spikes 3.
• His personal style is difficult to imitate because of his unusual breathing method 14.
• Exceptional opponents can still escape him through unfamiliar techniques, smoke, and interference; Wuhua repeatedly does so 19 29 42.

Pore Breathing and Aquatic Combat

From childhood, Chu cultivated an internal art that allows him to breathe through his body’s pores rather than his nose. This physiology contributes to his distinctive martial style 14.

• Lures Red One Point underwater, seals his acupoints, and throws him ashore with ease 20.
• Fang’s ranking treats the aquatic “Sea King” version of Chu as T0-tier; this is an environmental advantage, not a documented cultivation breakthrough 20 33.
• The narration cites his underwater victory over the Demoness of the Emerald Sea from the original storyline as an illustration of this advantage, not an event already completed in this adaptation 20.

Precision and Nonlethal Combat

Chu combines finely controlled force, acupoint manipulation, and improvised defenses to neutralize opponents without killing them 3 4.

• Redirects flying wooden spikes with his sleeve and blows others aside before they touch him 3.
• Seals Fang’s follow-up sword variations with a finger flick, then softens the accumulated force in his sword arm by touching the Yanggu Acupoint 4.
• Throws a curtain of wine whose droplets intercept individual porcelain fragments 4.
• Withstands Red One Point’s 144 killing moves without counterattacking 18.
• Defeats Wuhua in direct combat while intending to preserve him for judgment 41.

Poison Resistance

Chu possesses extraordinary poison resistance, repeatedly surviving poisoned smoke and assassination attempts 19 29.

• His instincts make genuinely lethal poison difficult to administer; Wuhua hesitates to poison a shared meal because Chu may avoid it 36.
• Resistance does not prevent every secondary effect: Wuhua’s eye irritant temporarily blinds him with tears and enables an escape 42.

Disguise and Investigation

Chu is an accomplished disguiser and an observant investigator who distinguishes suspicion from proof 3 18 40.

• Uses Jin Ban Hua’s identity to gain access to Fang and Zhang Xiaolin’s identity during his later inquiries 3 18.
• Reads killing intent and, through his understanding of martial intent, infers aspects of an opponent’s character from combat 3 4.
• Connects testimony, suspicious timing, conversational slips, and family history to reconstruct Wuhua and Nangong Ling’s conspiracy 22 36 39.
• Identifies the techniques responsible for Wuhua’s injuries, including Tiannan’s Arhat Fist and Dai Duxing’s distinctive kick 44.

Equipment / Items

• Folding fan — Used to threaten Fang’s Shanzhong Acupoint at the end of their spar 4.
• Wineskin — Supplies the wine used to intercept flying porcelain fragments 4.
• Sleeve ribbons — Anchor to a roof beam during aerial evasions 3.
• Disguise mask — Removed when his impersonation of Jin Ban Hua is exposed 3.
• Thousand-Mile Mirror — Given to him by Fang after Fang admits using it to watch his confrontation with Wuhua 43.
• Treasure Ship — His place of rest and the location where he discusses the investigation with Su Rongrong 3 18.
• Black Pearl’s Thousand-Mile Steed — Borrowed for urgent travel; the horse can return to its owner 36 39.

Relationships

• Fang Yunhua — An initial suspect who becomes a valued friend. Their friendship survives Fang’s manipulation, though Chu explicitly warns him not to repeat it 4 7 43 46.
• Su Rongrong — Devoted companion and investigative partner. Her reasoning challenges his trust in Wuhua, and her palace inquiries supply decisive evidence 18 36.
• Hu Tiehua — Old friend whose abandoned promise to Gao Yanan leaves Chu embarrassed and willing to help make amends 6.
• Red One Point / One Red Dot — Killer and obsessive admirer whom Chu repeatedly subdues without killing. Despite disrupting the case, he eventually supplies useful intelligence 18 19 29 37.
• Black Pearl — Investigative ally who supplies information about Qiu Lingsu and lends him her horse. Chu initially protects her despite her aggression 29 30 39.
• Wuhua — Once a treasured friend, later exposed as the case’s mastermind. Chu defeats him and detects his staged death but remains distressed by his eventual execution 41 43 46.
• Nangong Ling — Friend turned conspirator. Chu seeks answers rather than revenge and mourns him even after receiving his dying curse 30 38 39.
• Qiu Lingsu — Crucial witness whose testimony resolves much of the conspiracy. Her suicide leaves Chu grieving and determined to confront Nangong Ling 36 37.
• Second Master Zuo — Close friend who considers Chu’s friendship more valuable than his own left hand 21.
• Southern Shaolin — Offers lasting friendship, favors, and assistance after Chu destroys Wuhua’s compromising notebook and agrees to discretion 46.

Notable Quotes

“You may have said you wanted to kill me, but there isn't a trace of killing intent in that sword.” 3

“I believe you.”
— Accepting Fang Yunhua’s declaration of innocence 7

“Don't let there be a next time.”
— Reconciling with Fang after discovering his manipulation 43