Chapter 44: The Nameless Pawn

Chapter 44: The Nameless Pawn

Chu Liuxiang didn’t panic upon being exposed. He simply smiled and casually revealed his opponent’s identity in return.

"Who would’ve guessed the legendary Stone Guanyin, the ‘Stone Guanyin,’ is actually the queen of Kucha Kingdom? This secret alone would make everyone’s jaw drop."

Women with exceptional martial prowess were rare enough in the Martial World, let alone in the desert.

Stone Guanyin’s face flickered with pride before she replied nonchalantly, “This revelation could do more than drop jaws—it might kill certain people outright. Take, for instance, the King of Kucha… or that Qiu Ci princess who’s been exchanging flirtatious glances with you.”

Chu Liuxiang stiffened, scrutinizing her as his mind raced. “You’re not the Queen of Kucha?”

“Pfah!”

A silvery laugh rang out as Stone Guanyin peeled off her delicate, translucent mask, revealing her true face. Chu Liuxiang’s gaze locked onto her features, unable to look away.

Her beauty defied description.

Her eyes outshone the brightest stars; her brows curved like gentle spring hills.

Chu Liuxiang tried to smile but hesitated, fearing his expression might offend her. Instead, he stared, entranced, until a deep sigh escaped him.

Stone Guanyin relished his captivated stare. Leaning closer, her voice softened like silk. “Now that you’ve seen my face… are you disappointed?”

He exhaled again. “If I’d known such beauty hid behind the mask, I’d have let you kill me before leaving this bed.”

Earlier, Stone Guanyin hadn’t outright rejected him. When he’d half-climbed onto the bed, her smile had hinted at silent acceptance. Yet Chu Liuxiang, focused on securing the Paradise Star’s location, had left abruptly, provoking her wrath—even when she wore the Queen of Kucha’s guise, he’d glimpsed her unparalleled charm.

Feeling humiliated, Stone Guanyin had attacked, trapping him here before revealing her true self.

Now, hearing his playful words, she smiled again but remained skeptical. After all, she’d heard similar flattery from him while disguised as the queen.

Men’s sweet words often make women feel unique—until they realize the same man whispers them to others. Then comes doubt: Is my beauty superior? My charm greater? A thinking woman can’t surrender wholly to such honeyed lies.

But Chu Liuxiang was no ordinary rogue. He was a master at tailoring compliments to each woman’s essence, never repeating a phrase.

A remark so outrageous even Martial World braggarts would scoff made Stone Guanyin laugh aloud.

As her amusement faded, she pondered her next move.

Wuhua had tasked her to lure Chu Liuxiang here to uncover the Paradise Star’s secret. Only the King of Kucha knew this secret, so Wuhua’s plan was simple: gain the king’s trust, let him retrieve the Paradise Star, then convince Chu Liuxiang and his companions to excavate the royal treasure using it.

The king, alone and surrounded by her spies since Kucha’s rebellion, would have no choice but to rely on Chu Liuxiang’s group. All she needed was to expose their identities and whisper in the king’s ear—Paradise Star’s secret would fall into her hands.

But now… an unexpected twist.

Perfect plans always attract chaos.

Chu Liuxiang had uncovered her identity prematurely, learning she could seize the Paradise Star whenever she pleased. Worse, Wuhua had warned her Chu Liuxiang never followed scripts.

Still…

Stone Guanyin studied Chu Liuxiang, who remained entranced by her beauty. Her tone turned casual. “If you had to choose—me or Su Zhenrong—who would it be?”

His expression darkened, then softened into a wry smile. “A cruel choice, my lady. Any man would want both.”

“How greedy.”

Her laughter dazzled him anew. “Then tell me… do you still want the Paradise Star?”

He didn’t hesitate. “No treasure rivals you.”

“Haha!”

Stone Guanyin’s laughter melted into a whisper as she traced a finger across his chest. “But I want the Paradise Star. Not just the gem—its secret too. Can you get it for me… Thief Lord Chu Liuxiang?”

Her velvet voice brushed his ear, yet the title “Thief Lord” suddenly felt jarring. Not because it lacked prestige, but because its weight had let a woman ten times his equal kidnap his beloved companion and force him to steal a secret lodged in someone’s mind.

Chu Liuxiang frowned. “You’re the Queen of Kucha. If you don’t know the secret, how could I?”

She chuckled. “That’s your problem now, isn’t it?”

Black Pearl had taken Chu Liuxiang’s three maidservants—a fact many in the desert knew. But isolated from information, Chu Liuxiang had no way of knowing the truth. She needn’t lie; letting him assume she was responsible was effortless.

His brow furrowed deeper as Stone Guanyin retrieved the Paradise Star from beneath the bed, idly tossing it. “By the way… who’s that timid brat trailing you?”

Li Chaofeng’s reputation was formidable, but ranking tenth on the Weapons Chart made him insignificant to Stone Guanyin. Yet his alias irked her. Even a fake name like “Shi Tuo” (the “Four Tuo”) would’ve been better than the obvious deception.

She knew Huangfu Gao’s alias “Shi Tuo,” after all—he’d fled from her service. But Li Chaofeng? She only knew he shared a surname with the “Lord Li” mentioned by Ji Bingyan and Hu Tiehua’s “Little Brat.”

Why would a “Little Brat” hide his identity so brazenly? Why refuse even a plausible pseudonym?

Stone Guanyin didn’t care about Li Chaofeng himself, but if he’d stumbled onto her chessboard, she needed to know: was he a mere pawn… or a chariot?

Chu Liuxiang hesitated. Li Chaofeng’s strength and identity mattered little. What mattered was the Demon Sword Dragon Fang.

Baixiaosheng had hyped it for three years—a weapon capable of vaulting a second-rate martial artist into the Weapons Chart’s Tenth Rank.

The Weapons Chart was no idle list; it was the Money Gang’s recruitment criteria. Bring the Demon Sword Dragon Fang to them, and Shangguan Jinhong would gladly offer Li Chaofeng a prestigious position. Otherwise, why bother maintaining the Chart? No perks, just endless trouble.

Stone Guanyin wouldn’t steal Shangguan’s prospect, but she was curious about the sword’s appearance.

After a long pause, Chu Liuxiang relented. “He’s Li Chaofeng, the Tenth Rank on the Weapons Chart.”

He’d hoped to shield Li Chaofeng, but provoking Stone Guanyin’s curiosity about the Demon Sword Dragon Fang seemed safer than letting her probe deeper into his identity.

If she fixated on the sword, she’d detain Li Chaofeng first, then ask where he’d hidden it.

Stone Guanyian blinked, then laughed. “The Tenth Rank? That doomed kid Shangguan Jinhong’s been eyeing? Haha!”

Not even a pawn.

Chu Liuxiang sighed. Li Chaofeng’s reputation in the Martial World was split: lucky enough to catch Shangguan’s eye… and notoriously unlucky.

But Chu Liuxiang knew Li Chaofeng’s skills had earned him the Tenth Rank. Still, he kept silent—promoting Li Chaofeng to First Rank wouldn’t make Stone Guanyin care more.

After all, even the First Rank on the Weapons Chart didn’t equate to being the world’s strongest.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end