Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 145 Princess, Pirate, and Butterfly
What story does The Legend of the New Moon tell?
And what does this story have to do with Jiao Lin? Why would this seasoned veteran stage a self-inflicted injury to deceive Chu Liuxiang?
This is a long story, but it can also be told in a short way.

In short, you can think of Lao Jiao as an older version of Meng Xinghun. Although he is now old and useless and can't even hold a sword properly, he was probably quite dashing when he was young. So he hooked up with a very remarkable woman, who is now not only powerful but also influential, and can be considered a thorn in the side of the imperial court in the martial arts world.

The imperial court appointed a woman named 'Ms. Du' to oversee the martial arts world along the coast. However, on the high seas, there was a great pirate nicknamed 'King Shi'. This guy was the epitome of being both cunning and strong. Although he roamed the seven seas and possessed extremely strong martial arts skills, he usually dressed like an ordinary fisherman.

Because he had too many enemies, in order to protect himself, he found six people who looked almost exactly like him to act together.

These six doubles not only looked exactly like him, but also acted in the same way. They had also learned Shi Tianwang's martial arts and had all mastered them to an extremely high level, each comparable to a top master in the martial arts world.

These stand-ins can even sleep with Stephen Chow's wife and share some of his power.

To outsiders, these seven people are just one person, with almost no difference between them.

Apart from Shi Tianwang himself, no one else can tell who the real Shi Tianwang is.

This King Shi hid on an isolated island overseas, allowing his men to plunder the coast, causing immense destruction and killing countless innocent civilians. He even stationed troops to threaten the imperial court, forcing it to submit to them in order to plunder vast amounts of wealth.

Therefore, the imperial court could no longer tolerate it and planned to outwardly grant amnesty to Prince Shi, but secretly eliminate him.

Mr. Du was in charge of implementing this plan.

So what exactly is the connection between this matter and Jiao Lin?
Don't worry! We'll explain this in detail now!

Jiao Lin and Mr. Du have a daughter who was bestowed the title of Princess Jade Sword by the imperial court. On the surface, Princess Jade Sword was arranged to marry Shi Tianwang and be granted his protection, but secretly her mission was to kill Shi Tianwang on their wedding night and eliminate the great threat to the coast.

After all, no matter how generous the real King Shi is, he would never give up his first night with the beautiful princess to someone else.

It can be said that Princess Jade Sword was doomed to die!

Because if she carried out the assassination plan, she would be brutally killed by the enraged pirates, regardless of whether it succeeded or failed.

The noodle stall owner and his wife were Mr. Du's subordinates. They didn't want to see Mr. Du sacrifice his daughter to get rid of Shi Tianwang, so they secretly recruited famous assassins from the martial arts world, wanting to try to assassinate Shi Tianwang.

Their assassination plot, though seemingly secretive, was actually crude. Although the assassins they recruited were all skilled fighters in the martial arts world, if Shi Tianwang were so easy to kill, he wouldn't have given Mr. Du such a headache and made such a heart-wrenching plan.

Jiao Lin, being a seasoned veteran and extremely knowledgeable about Mr. Du, combined with the information he gathered from the martial arts world, made a fairly accurate assessment of the situation. Knowing he was powerless to stop Mr. Du's plan or to kill Shi Tianwang in place of his daughter, he ultimately decided to lure Chu Liuxiang into the scheme and use this master thief to break the deadlock.

This can be considered the greatest attempt and effort that this down-on-his-luck assassin father could make for his daughter.

After all, the noodle stall owner and his wife were unaware of the relationship between Jiao Lin and Mr. Du. If Chu Liuxiang chose to stand by and do nothing, Jiao Lin would be silenced, and his death would be meaningless and worthless.

Of course, following the original trajectory, Chu Liuxiang would still have entered the game, but he still couldn't find the real King Shi. In the end, Princess Yujian married into Tianwang Island and met the real King Shi.

No one knows how she killed the highly skilled martial artist Shi Tianwang, but she did indeed complete her mission.

After Shi Tianwang's death, his pirates were scattered and could no longer pose a great threat to the imperial court and the southeastern coast. Most of the remaining forces were wiped out by Mr. Du and the righteous martial arts practitioners. The few remaining ones were insignificant and not enough to cause any great harm or influence.

It can be said that Princess Jade Sword is one of the few women in the ancient martial arts world who truly possesses a sense of national responsibility and is not obsessed with narrow-minded personal love or self-pity. She has a life of luxury and did not have to agree to Mr. Du's mission, which was bound to end in death. Alternatively, she could have found a substitute to marry King Shi in her place, but she still went without hesitation.

Even Chu Liuxiang's astonishing charm couldn't stop her from turning back.

Although she is far less outstanding and memorable than Su Rongrong and Song Tian'er, who are the confidantes around Chu Liuxiang, her righteousness and sacrifice are still touching.

"Oh? Do you know why Jiao Lin came to see me?" Chu Liuxiang looked at Cha Nan in surprise. He didn't ask who Cha Nan's master was, nor did he ask why Cha Nan insisted on having his three-masted ship, because in Chu Liuxiang's opinion, these were not important matters. He always put his friends' affairs before his own.

“I know a little, but I have a better way!” Cha Nan said.

He still needed to demonstrate some skill, otherwise he wouldn't be able to gain Jiao Lin's trust.

This is a big deal, and Jiao Lin didn't just agree to help because he said so.

He's not Chu Liuxiang!
"What method?" Jiao Lin asked again, his concern clouding his judgment. Only now did Jiao Lin truly examine Cha Nan closely.

He had to admit that this was a handsome young man who was no less attractive than he was in his youth.

"Who is the real King Shi is not important!"

"The important thing is that someone has to kill King Shi!" Cha Nan said, looking at Jiao Lin.

Chu Liuxiang was initially bewildered, but then he finally understood.

He didn't know much and was being gradually drawn into the situation, but he had extensive connections in the martial arts world. When Cha Nan mentioned the name "King Shi," he already had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, only missing the "Jade Sword Princess" part.

Jiao Lin was puzzled as to why Cha Nan said it didn't matter who the real 'King Shi' was.

If it doesn't matter who the real King Shi is, then what is the most important thing?
"You don't need to overthink it. Just convey my message to Mr. Du; she knows what I mean."

“She will come to see me too!” Cha Nan said, then turned to Chu Liuxiang and said, “Sorry… I took a few more steps than you. If I win, remember to give me the boat.”

"I seem to remember that I didn't agree to your request!" Chu Liuxiang said, touching his nose.

“But I know that Chu Xiangshuai won’t really refuse his friend, even if he knows it will put him in a difficult position,” Cha Nan said with a smile.

Chu Liuxiang was speechless, because Cha Nan was absolutely right.

Even though Hu Tiehua still needs to be rescued, he still chooses to lend a hand to Jiao Lin.

"Go find your friend up in the tree first!" "Once you've met up with your friend, I don't mind if you both come and compete with me!"

"Anyway, remember this... I won, I want your ship!" Cha Nan made a gesture of invitation, appearing very confident.

Looking at the confidently smiling young man, Chu Liuxiang suddenly realized he no longer expected to find out the young man's identity so quickly.

He found the young man pleasing to the eye, somewhat resembling his younger self.

Sunny, confident, and full of energy for everything.

“Alright! Then it’s a deal!” Chu Liuxiang said, without even considering what price this young man would have to pay if he lost.

He has never been the kind of person who is petty or calculating.

He's even more generous with friends.

Now, he considers Cha Nan a friend!
······
Chu Liuxiang's friend in the tree was, of course, Hu Tiehua.

And the tree wasn't an ordinary tree; it was the doghouse he and Hu Tiehua had agreed upon... a kind of safe house.

When one of them climbs a tree and is chased back to the doghouse, it means that one of them is in real danger.

Because Hu Tiehua was in danger, even though Jiao Lin and Cha Nan were shrouded in mystery, Chu Liuxiang still chose to go to the doghouse to find Hu Tiehua first.

However... Hu Tiehua did not die, and seemed to be unharmed.

When Chu Liuxiang saw Hu Tiehua, Hu Tiehua was not in any danger at all, and was far more carefree and frivolous than most people in the world.

The mountain is still the same mountain, and the tree is still the same tree.

Amidst this misty cloudscape and verdant mountain scenery, nothing seems to have changed.

But the doghouse in the tree has changed.

Its appearance may not have changed, because it was built with the finest wood and two pairs of the most skillful hands, so it remains unchanged after years of wind and rain.

But it has changed now.

No one in the world would consider this place a doghouse anymore.

Even if it's a den, whether it's a cozy nest or a paradise, it's definitely not a doghouse.

Hu Tiehua certainly didn't look like a stray dog ​​being chased with nowhere to run.

This place should have originally contained only a small wooden table, two tattered straw mats, a few empty wine jars, and a hu Tiehua (a type of wood carving).

But now everything has changed.

It's as if a deity once came here, and after flying over Dongting Lake, he stopped by and touched everything here with a finger that could turn iron into gold.

Suddenly, two tattered straw mats transformed into a room full of the softest, warmest, and most expensive fur in the world.

Those empty wine jars made of dry mud suddenly turned into white jade and gold goblets, and were filled with fine wines that had flown in from all over the world.

The once disheveled, bearded Hu Tiehua has now become five people: one man and four women.

Of course, all women can make men lose their minds, women who can keep them up at night after just one glance. One is petite and exquisite, one is gentle and sweet, one is healthy and strong, and one is so delicate that she can hardly bear the weight of clothes.

The man was certainly a man worthy of these beautiful women. He was tall, strong, and mature, with his hair neatly combed and his beard cleanly shaved. He looked like a completely different person from Hu Tiehua, who often didn't shave, wash his face, or change his clothes for a month or two.

Unfortunately, Chu Liuxiang immediately recognized that these two completely different people were actually the same person.

Even if Hu Tiehua were burned to ashes, Chu Liuxiang could still recognize him at a glance.

How did this person become like this? How did this place become like this?

Chu Liuxiang felt that the things he had been encountering lately were becoming more and more interesting!
He touched his nose again, somewhat relieved that it was blocked, otherwise he would have smelled the pervasive scent of perfume and other unspeakable odors in the doghouse.

He even thought they should move to a different doghouse!

Of course, Hu Tiehua wasn't just fooling Chu Liuxiang; he was genuinely in danger.

The four women, who appeared to be as beautiful as flowers, were actually assassins.

They were coercing Hu Tiehua, merely to warn Chu Liuxiang not to meddle in other people's business.

At the same time, Cha Nan also met Jiao Lin's old flame... Mr. Du!

This is another very charming "older woman". If Huang Rong is an old Rolls-Royce, with time accumulating understated elegance and wisdom, then Mr. Du is like an old Faraday, classic and mature, yet still revealing a hint of danger and passion.

Mr. Du and Jiao Lin used to look quite well-matched standing together.

But now, they only look like a master and an old servant!

(End of this chapter)