A player on Mount Hua starts by obtaining the Prism color entry.

Fenglai Tower, top-floor private room.

"Jin Jiuling arrived in Baoding Prefecture, saying it was to apprehend the Plum Blossom Thief."

Lu Xiaofeng curled his lip indifferently, seemingly looking down on his former friend.

The renowned top detective had actually committed a crime himself and even provoked him. Although Lu Xiaofeng wasn't so righteous as to be wicked, he couldn't stand such a hypocritical woman.

If someone is thoroughly evil, completely wicked, he actually admires a true villain even more.

Lu Ming yawned, completely unconcerned about these matters. The important thing was to hold the martial arts contest to find a husband and return to Mount Hua to marry his senior sister as soon as possible.

"Really? Didn't you say that if the Embroidered Thief case couldn't be solved, he would be demoted?"

When the topic turned to officialdom, Li Xunhuan had something to say: "He's already a deputy head constable now. No matter how furious the emperor is, he won't kill him. There are unsolved cases every day. If the people handling the cases are executed, then no one will investigate anymore."

The officialdom is different from the martial arts world; it's not about fighting and killing, but about the combination of interests.

Chu Liuxiang remained silent, instead quietly picking up his wine cup: "I've met Cheng Buyou. He was probably instigated by the Songshan Sect to frame the Huashan Sect. As for the Plum Blossom Thief, he used the Western Region martial art, the Plum Blossom Hand."

Lu Ming asked curiously, "The Heavenly Plum Blossom Hand of the Free and Unfettered Sect?"

"No, it has nothing to do with the Free and Unfettered Sect. Stealing their martial arts without permission will get you hunted down. That Heavenly Mountain Child Granny is far more terrifying than the Flower Shifting Palace!"

As soon as Chu Liuxiang finished speaking, Lu Xiaofeng nodded in deep agreement, seemingly having witnessed his prowess firsthand.

As everyone was discussing the details of the Plum Blossom Thief, they suddenly heard a commotion outside.

A figure moved swiftly in the distance, while others on horseback chased after it in the street: "Plum Blossom Thief, don't run!"

The four of them stood up together and used their lightness skills to give chase, moving so fast that they couldn't even see the figures below.

Moments later, the Plum Blossom Thief had approached the city gate. Seeing that he was about to be caught, he took out a poison pill from his pocket and threw it out.

Bang! A cloud of poisonous mist filled the air, followed by a chuckle: "Those who can't catch me, just wait until I kill the most beautiful woman!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a flash of sword light appeared, and the Plum Blossom Thief, who had been laughing wildly just moments before, collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

It wasn't that I was surprised to be killed, but that I was surprised to be killed by my own people.

The newcomer turned around, dressed in fine silk, with thick eyebrows and a square face: "Lu Xiaofeng, I knew you'd come to join the fun."

Jin Jiuling, the top constable of the Six Doors!

Li Xunhuan frowned. He hadn't made a move just now; he was only thinking about capturing the enemy alive.

Seemingly sensing his doubt, Jin Jiuling sheathed his sword and laughed, "He's not the Plum Blossom Bandit, but Liao Kai, a flower thief who fled from the Central Plains. These kinds of nominal crimes are countless. This time, we've come to Baoding Prefecture to capture the Plum Blossom Bandit, so we need Li Tanhua's help."

We're all smart people, so we won't play mind games.

"Since we're here to catch a thief, and with Constable Jin's reputation so widespread, we're sure to capture him easily this time."

"Haha, then thank you for your kind words, Li Tanhua. Last time, even with Lu Xiaofeng's help, we couldn't solve the case. This time, we will definitely do our best."

Once the top constable no longer cares about his reputation, he becomes truly terrifying after turning to the dark side.

Lu Xiaofeng chuckled, feeling extremely frustrated. The thief was right in front of him, yet he couldn't expose him, which was very unpleasant.

Lu Ming looked at this scene with a strange expression. According to his personality, he didn't care about evidence or not, he would talk to his purple sword energy first.

This is what procedural justice, which is bound by evidence, is like, and it is precisely because of this that good people feel aggrieved while bad people go unpunished.

What does this have to do with him? Just don't participate in the martial arts contest to find a husband.

Just as he was about to leave, Jin Jiuling suddenly spoke up provocatively: "Lu Xiaofeng, you lost the bet last time. Do you dare to bet again this time and see who catches the Plum Blossom Bandit first?"

Lu Xiaofeng put his hands on his hips and snorted, "Let's compete then, but I'm afraid the thief will cry 'stop thief!'"

"Haha, then let's see who has the best skills."

Lu Ming muttered to himself, "What's the prize?"

There's no prize involved; it's just a matter of pride. It sounds strange, but for a stubborn person, it's all about fighting for their principles.

The four returned to Yunlai Restaurant, where the atmosphere was somewhat somber, a far cry from the previous laughter and chatter.

Chu Liuxiang and Li Xunhuan spoke in hushed tones, nodding occasionally as they exchanged clues and made deductions.

After a moment, Li Xunhuan coughed lightly: "Brother Lu, I wonder if you would be interested in participating in the martial arts contest to find a husband?"

Lu Mingzheng ate his chicken leg without a care in the world, picked up his wine glass and took a swig: "No interest. You should hurry up and close the case of the Golden Lion Escort Agency and announce the murderer. I have a senior sister at home waiting to marry me, and there are people in the Emei Sect waiting for me. I really don't have time."

We're all friends, so there's no need to hide these things. True friends don't need to lie, but they don't need to tell everything either; concealing some information appropriately isn't considered lying.

Li Xunhuan nodded with great satisfaction. The man was exceptionally handsome, with a face like jade. He possessed profound internal strength and superb swordsmanship. He also knew medicine, and more importantly, he was sincere—a person he could entrust his cousin Lin Shiyin to.

"Do me a favor, how about winning the martial arts contest to find a husband? To be honest, I have intelligence. The Plum Blossom Bandit is going to target my cousin. I injured him once, and his father colluded with the Mongols, causing the defeat at the front lines. As a result, his entire family was executed. He's here for revenge."

"If Brother Lu is willing to accept this, I will reiterate my previous statement: Li Yuan will be given as part of my cousin's dowry. Regardless of whether Brother Lu helps or not, I will have the case of the Golden Lion Escort Agency announced tomorrow."

Looking into those incredibly sincere eyes, Lu Ming turned and smiled, "Where are Lu Xiaoji and Lao Xiang?"

They call you by your nickname as soon as we meet, does that mean we're very close?

That's certainly true. True friendship is like water, pure and simple. If they weren't recognized, these two wouldn't be here. Anyone drinking together here must be a friend.

Lu Xiaofeng thought of Xue Bing and immediately shook his head: "No, no, no, there's a tigress at home."

Chu Liuxiang's expression changed, and he said with a wry smile, "Same here, I have three heads at home."

Lu Ming picked up his glass and clinked it with theirs: "My condolences."

Condolences? Condolences my ass!

Lu Xiaofeng and Chu Liuxiang couldn't help but twitch their lips; if you can't speak, you don't have to.

Lu Ming poured himself a glass and raised it again: "Alright, you trust me, since you've already asked, I'll definitely help you."

"However, I need you to write a letter to my master to avoid being punished when I return. Also, if my senior sister finds out I married first, she'll use the Jade Maiden Nineteen Swords to stab me eighty-one times. Brother Li, you don't want anything to happen to your future cousin-in-law, do you?"

Li Xunhuan: ...

That sounds very strange!

"No problem, I can help you. Is there anything else you need?"

Lu Ming's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Show me your treasured martial arts techniques during this time. Right now, I only know two sword techniques and one palm technique; I don't know any others. The Huashan Sword Technique and the Hunyuan Palm are both beginner-level martial arts; learning more of them will be beneficial for me."

Li Xunhuan nodded: "No problem. I don't have many martial arts manuals in my collection, so feel free to look at them. If you need to learn how to throw knives, I can teach you that too."

"No thanks. It's good to know your own limitations. I'll just learn some basic techniques. The Little Li Flying Dagger, the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger, and the Finger Flicking Skill are still too advanced for me."

The three exchanged a smile. This Lu Ming was indeed reliable and an interesting person.

Lu Xiaofeng tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp: "Boy, when your moves have intent and momentum, you will be a peerless master."