The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 5

20

"Eldest Senior Brother, his name is Hua Liuque, a notorious flower thief," Zhang Xiaoyuan nervously explained to Lu Zhaoming, "Various provinces have offered substantial rewards for his capture. If we apprehend him and turn him in, we'd have enough rice to eat for several lifetimes."

Hua Liuque, clutching his leg, shouted, "What notorious flower thief! At most, I'm just a wanderer!"

Lu Zhaoming glanced at him and said, "Shut up."

With sweat the size of beans beading on his forehead, Hua Liuque gritted his teeth and cursed, "It's a consensual thing! Why call me a flower thief — ah!"

Lu Zhaoming kicked precisely at his injured area. The force, not too strong, was nonetheless terrifying torture for someone with a broken leg.

"Too noisy," Lu Zhaoming said indifferently. "Silence."

Hua Liuque: "......"

Hua Liuque was always good at understanding the principle of knowing when to back down.

He fell silent.

It was deep into the night, and the commotion they caused had almost awakened all the inn's guests. While Zhang Xiaoyuan was asking an inn's attendant to report to the authorities, Wang Henian also came out of his room. He stood on the second floor, looked into the courtyard, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Zhaoming, what has happened?"

Lu Zhaoming pointed at Hua Liuque and simply said,"Flower thief."

Hua Liuque, upon hearing these words, felt a sense of injustice. He tried to defend himself, but before the words "I'm just" could escape his lips, he suddenly caught Lu Zhaoming's gaze. In an instant, he swallowed the rest of his words. Unable to match skills, he cautiously watched Lu Zhaoming, all the while holding his leg and muttering under his breath, "Flower thief? Pah!"

Seeing Lu Zhaoming only uttering these two words and nothing more, Zhang Xiaoyuan sighed inwardly. He bowed to Wang Henian on the second floor and said, "Master, he is Hua Liuque."

Wang Henian, more interested in worldly matters than Lu Zhaoming, had naturally heard of Hua Liuque's name. Hua Liuque had initially joined the martial arts world under Scattered Blossom Palace, but due to his frivolous nature and love for revelry, he was quickly expelled from the sect. Despite this, he showed great potential in martial arts. Although his fundamental skills were learned from the Scattered Blossom Palace, he had developed his own techniques over the years, making him a top-notch expert in lightness skills. While his raw combat skills might be slightly lacking, they were enough to rank him among the top two hundred.

After leaving the Scattered Blossom Palace, his actions became increasingly outrageous. Half a year ago, several women reported to the authorities accusing him of being a flower-plundering rogue. Consequently, he ended up on the wanted lists of various prefectures, with the rewards for his capture becoming more lucrative.

Zhang Xiaoyuan, hearing the backstory from Wang Henian, turned to look at Hua Liuque, whose face veil was torn off by Lu Zhaoming. There was only one thought in his mind.

Hua Liuque probably didn't fancy men.

Otherwise, with his fair and scholarly appearance, those rosy lips and white teeth... it seemed logical that he should be a senior disciple under Mei Leng'an's tutelage, right?

21

Hua Liuque lay on the ground, sweat beads the size of beans on his forehead, one leg aching to numbness. He had completely lost interest in speaking.

Wang Henian couldn't bear it. He descended the stairs, examined Hua Liuque's leg, and couldn't help but say to Lu Zhaoming, "Zhaoming, he's just a small thief. You were too harsh!"

Hua Liuque felt that Wang Henian seemed more reasonable, so he tried to defend himself, "You're wrongly accusing me! When have I ever been a flower thief?"

"It's a wanted order issued by the prefecture," Wang Henian patiently explained. "You should explain yourself to them."

Hua Liuque wanted to say more, but as soon as he saw Lu Zhaoming's icy expression, he voluntarily swallowed the rest of his words. He didn't want to offend this madman. What if this person kick him again after saying a few more words?

Wang Henian turned to Lu Zhaoming again, noticed the emptiness at Lu Zhaoming's waist, frowned, and then rambled, "Zhaoming, if you're chasing a thief, at least bring a sword. It's too dangerous! You're still accompanied by Xiaoyuan. What if something happens!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

He didn't just forget to bring a sword. He directly tossed the sword into the well.

Lu Zhaoming: "I brought it."

It seemed like he just remembered that he threw his sword into the courtyard well. Ignoring the onlookers and Wang Henian's furrowed brow, he grabbed a long bamboo pole from the courtyard, squatted by the well, and earnestly fished out his sword.

Wang Henian was extremely puzzled. "Xiaoyuan, what is your senior brother doing?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan, with a forced smile, said, "Fishing... fishing for the sword."

Wang Henian: "...Fishing for the sword?"

Wang Henian: "He threw the sword into the well?!"

22

Wang Henian felt extremely frustrated.

He sat by the stone table in the courtyard, eyes vacant, murmuring repeatedly. The only phrase he kept repeating was, "The child has grown up... the child has grown up..."

Beside him, She Shuyi felt very helpless while comforting him. Lu Zhaoming squatted by the well, fishing for his sword. Jiang Jianyu seemed to have just woken up just now, wrapped in a coat, rubbing his eyes while walking downstairs to see what was happening.

Only Zhang Xiaoyuan remained crouched beside Hua Liuque, earnestly watching the top of his head.

He found it a bit strange.

Despite Hua Liuque repeatedly emphasizing that he wasn't a flower thief, why did he come here late at night in stealthy attire? He must have his own purpose, right?

However, things evidently exceeded his expectations.

After a brief moment, another line of text appeared above Hua Liuque's head.

「Despite being amorous, the accusation of being a flower thief is a false claim.」

Huh?

「Once involved with around a dozen women, including well-known ladies and renowned female martial artists.」

「Shortly thereafter, he was busted, and following a few encounters, a trap was laid. This led to his downfall, becoming a notorious flower thief in the martial arts world.」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

These big sisters have done a splendid job!

It seemed he had been staring at Hua Liuque for too long. Unable to resist, Hua Liuque asked him, "What are you looking at?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "What are you doing here?"

Since Hua Liuque wasn't a flower thief, why was he sneaking into an inn wearing a dark attire in the middle of the night?

Zhang Xiaoyuan was full of doubt.

Now that Lu Zhaoming wasn't nearby, Hua Liuque, regaining his courage, rolled his eyes. "Mind your own business!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Hua Liuque's hand was unharmed. One hand protected his chest, while the other assumed a defensive posture, appearing extremely alarmed as he loudly exclaimed, "What are you trying to do!"

Lu Zhaoming finally pulled his sword out of the well, shook off the water, turned around, and noticed Hua Liuque's peculiar stance. He furrowed his brow slightly as he took a few steps over. Knowing that Hua Liuque feared Lu Zhaoming, Zhang Xiaoyuan spoke directly to him, "Eldest Senior Brother, he has something in his chest."

Hua Liuque: "......"

Without waiting for Lu Zhaoming to speak, Hua Liuque, wearing an expression of humiliation, voluntarily took the letter out of his sleeve.

"After reading... after reading, remember to give it back to me!" He looked both aggrieved and indignant. "I still need to send it out!"

23

The letter was crafted on excellent rice paper, adorned with faint peach blossom patterns and seemed to carry an extremely light fragrance.

Lu Zhaoming unfolded the letter, and Zhang Xiaoyuan, standing on his tiptoes, leaned in to take a look.

"Dearest Yan-niang, reading this letter is like meeting me in person."

Hua Liuque was beaming at him.

"This... this esteemed hero," Hua Liuque fawned, "could you return the letter to me, please?"

Lu Zhaoming: "The words reflect the person."

Hua Liuque chuckled. "Naturally! After all, this humble one is a renowned romantic hero in the martial arts world—"

Lu Zhaoming stuffed the letter back into the envelope, tossed it onto Hua Liuque's chest, and added, "Truly ugly."

Hua Liuque: "......"

......

24

"Where's the flower thief?" The girl's gaze swept across the courtyard and landed on Hua Liuque lying on the ground. She raised her delicate eyebrows and asked, "Are you the flower thief?"

The big wolfhound: "Woof woof woof woof woof!"

Hua Liuque: "I'm not a thie—"

The torchlight from the constables illuminated the girl's delicate face, causing Hua Liuque to pause. He forcibly altered the second half of his sentence.

Hua Liuque: "—Young Miss, have we met somewhere before?"

Finishing his words, he, still lying on the ground, flashed what he deemed a charming smile and fumbled to pull out an exquisite folding fan from his chest.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Was this person really sane?!

"I'm acting on Magistrate Qi's orders to apprehend you." The girl completely ignored Hua Liuque's words. With one hand on her hip and the other on the sword at her waist, she added, "If you have anything to say, save it for the county office."

DING.

Upon hearing this sound, Zhang Xiaoyuan nimbly looked at the top of the girl's head.

「Wen Tingting, the only daughter of the Grand General of Fast Cavalry, fled due to dissatisfaction with the arranged marriage to the son of the Prime Minister. She was currently residing in Fengji County, serving as the Chief Constable.」

His breath caught, and he shifted his gaze to the top of Wen Tingting's large wolfhound.

「Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, arf!」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Couldn't this martial arts world ever get better?

Why did it seem like even a dog looked stronger than him!