Chapter 673: Chu Liuxiang's Shock and Doubt
Chapter 673: Chu Liuxiang's Shock and Doubt
“Old stinkbug, you’re finally back!” Hu Tiefen called out.
Seeing that everyone was safe, Chu Liuxiang let out a sigh of relief. “Good to see you all are fine. I guess I wasn’t too late.”
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Liao Gang and Ye Jin exchanged glances, their expressions strange.
Ji Bingyan stepped aside, revealing the body of Shi Guanyin. “Is this who you’re talking about?”
Chu Liuxiang’s eyebrows shot up, but Wu Hua’s face suddenly turned pale.
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” Wu Hua screamed, “How could you possibly be a match for her?”
Hu Tiefen laughed heartily. “Why wouldn’t we be a match for her? Isn’t this her body?”
Chu Liuxiang, recognizing the clothes on Shi Guanyin, which were the same as the princess’s, asked, “So this is Shi Guanyin?”
Ji Bingyan asked, “Wu Hua told you?”
Chu Liuxiang nodded, then shook his head. “He told me Shi Guanyin was with you, so I figured it out.”
Chu Liuxiang’s keen eyes noticed the sword wounds on Shi Guanyin’s body, but he knew that Zhongyuan Yidianhong alone could never have taken her down.
“It seems you all worked together quite well. Even Shi Guanyin couldn’t stand against you,” Chu Liuxiang said, his mood relaxed as he teased them.
Everyone exchanged glances, trying to hold back their laughter, while Yidianhong and the others blushed.
Ji Bingyan sighed. “You’re wrong about that.”
Hu Tiefen added, “The three of us together couldn’t defeat Shi Guanyin.”
Yidianhong said calmly, “Jin Banhua was telling the truth.”
Chu Liuxiang blinked, looking at Jin Banhua, a bit confused. “What truth?”
Jin Banhua laughed, waving his long sword. “Of course, I spent ten years in the capital, studying under renowned masters. My martial arts are now heaven-shaking, and my sword skills can move the gods to tears. A mere Shi Guanyin is nothing to me. I can easily make her kneel!”
Qiu Lingsu covered her mouth with her sleeve, Princess Pipa laughed until she bent over, and even Qu Wu Rong couldn’t help but smile.
Yidianhong looked down, Ji Bingyan facepalmed, and Hu Tiefen was speechless.
Though they were embarrassed, they all nodded in agreement.
Yidianhong said, “That’s right.”
Ji Bingyan added, “Shi Guanyin was no match for Jin Banhua.”
Hu Tiefen said, “She didn’t even last fifty moves.”
Chu Liuxiang: ???
“Are you all joking? Do you take me for a fool?” Wu Hua didn’t believe it, his voice harsh. “What underhanded methods did you use to ambush her? You’re hiding the truth and using this idiot from the capital as a scapegoat?”
Everyone looked at Wu Hua with a mix of sympathy and pity.
The last person who called Jin Banhua an idiotic playboy was now a pile of bones.
Jin Banhua pointed at Wu Hua. “Isn’t this the guy who stole the Heavenly Water from the Divine Water Palace and gave it to Nangong Ling to kill Chief Ren?”
“That’s right!” Qiu Lingsu’s eyes flashed with cold light.
Chu Liuxiang sighed. “Wu Hua has committed grave sins in the Central Plains. I made a mistake before, and now, if we capture him, we will send him back to the Central Plains for a fair trial.”
Qiu Lingsu nodded. “Thank you, Master Chu.”
Wu Hua was furious. “Chu Liuxiang, you’re stronger than me. You can do whatever you want to me, but why are you handing me over to these stinking beggars to humiliate me? I…”
“Aren’t you also a monk who collects alms everywhere?” Jin Banhua asked. “What’s the difference between you and a beggar?”
Wu Hua sneered. “Truly a playboy, equating a high monk’s teachings with a beggar’s plea for money.”
“Isn’t it the same whether you preach for money or a beggar sings for coins? Both of you are providing emotional value, so what’s the difference?” Jin Banhua continued to press.
Hua Wu’s face contorted with rage. “How can they be the same?”
Jin Banhua pointed at Chu Liuxiang. “You’re different from him. You sell your smiles for money, while he breaks into homes and steals. Isn’t it reasonable that a monk like you can’t match a strong thief?”
Hua Wu glared at Jin Banhua, his eyes burning with a desire to tear him apart.
“Ouch, you don’t like that, do you? Keep staring at me, and I’ll hand you over to the Divine Water Palace!” Jin Banhua taunted. “I heard you killed one of their disciples?”
Hua Wu’s face turned from red to white, his eyes darting around as if he really couldn’t bear to look at Jin Banhua anymore.
The crowd couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and Chu Liuxiang shook his head in disappointment.
Hua Wu had let him down too much.
...
“What?”
Inside the tent, Chu Liuxiang was stunned by the stories told by Hu Tiehua and the others.
“Jin Banhua knows the Shaolin Divine Fist, Flowing Cloud Sleeves, Whirling Wind Willow Sword, and the Thirteen Gentle Breezes?” Chu Liuxiang’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible!”
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either,” Ji Bingyan said casually.
“But his Shaolin Divine Fist and Flowing Cloud Sleeves are definitely stronger than those of the Shaolin elders and the Wudang patriarchs. I once met the previous generation’s Xiangjiang Swordsman, and compared to Jin Banhua, his Whirling Wind Willow Sword is like a mere firewood stick,” Hu Tiehua added.
Hu Tiehua was once known as the Xiangjiang Thief, so he had indeed met the Xiangjiang Swordsman.
As Chu Liuxiang listened, it felt like he was hearing a myth.
But he had no reason to doubt the words of Ji Bingyan and Hu Tiehua.
They had already proven the prowess of Shi Guanyin, yet she had fallen to Jin Banhua’s sword.
This wealthy young man was actually one of the top martial artists in the world?
Chu Liuxiang replayed all the moments he had spent with Jin Banhua in his mind. Apart from his mysterious confidence and boldness, he couldn’t find any other suspicious points.
More importantly, if his martial arts were so high, how had he let Chu Liuxiang steal the jade beauty that day?
Was it intentional?
If so, what was his purpose?
Could it be that getting close to him was one of his goals?
Chu Liuxiang recalled Jin Banhua’s words, feeling a chill run down his spine. “His target couldn’t be Rongrong and the others, could it?”
Ji Bingyan and Hu Tiehua looked at Chu Liuxiang with strange expressions.
“If his target was Su Rongrong and the others, he would have achieved it on your ship. He wouldn’t have let Heizhenzhu take them to the desert,” Ji Bingyan analyzed. “It’s not like Heizhenzhu’s martial arts are stronger than his, right?”
Chu Liuxiang chuckled bitterly. “But he did say he wanted to use Rongrong and the others to settle a debt.”
Hu Tiehua waved his hand dismissively. “I think you’re overthinking it. Jin Banhua is just a wealthy young master with exceptional talent who hasn’t walked the martial path. He was just making a joke, and you took it seriously?”
Ji Bingyan and Chu Liuxiang exchanged odd glances.
“What are you looking at!” Hu Tiehua snapped. “You both overthink things. One of you rushed to the desert because he thought Heizhenzhu had kidnapped Su Rongrong and the others, and the other claims to be calm and wise but hasn’t guessed anything right since entering the desert!”
“On the contrary!” Hu Tiehua patted his chest. “I’ve never been wrong about people!”
Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan looked at each other, unsure what to say.
Ji Bingyan blinked, hesitating. “Maybe Hu’s right?”
Chu Liuxiang could only fall silent.
(End of Chapter)
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