Chapter 45: The Unpredictability of Life

Chapter 45: The Unpredictability of Life

On the oasis grasslands, Hu Tiehua and Peng Yi Hu remained locked in a tense standoff with the King of Kucha. They couldn’t fathom why the king had offered such a lavish reward.

Stone Guanyin’s ransom demand had been steep: 5,000 taels of gold, 500 pearls, and 50 jade discs. While exorbitant, the fee for securing the transaction didn’t need to match the ransom’s value. Even a tenth of that sum would have lured countless top-tier martial artists—men like Hu Tiehua, who, after all, had mouths to feed.

Yet here the king was, offering a payment rivaling the ransom itself. The timing only deepened the mystery: Stone Guanyin had just announced her capture of Chu Liuxiang, and now the king was showering them with gifts? Even Li Chaofeng, who knew the broader plot, was baffled.

Hu Tiehua voiced the group’s skepticism. “Your Majesty’s generosity is overwhelming, but surely the fee for this task is… excessive?”

The king chuckled. “Not at all! Master Hua’s skills yesterday were nothing short of breathtaking. The Paradise Star must be retrieved without fail. Even if I doubled this sum, I’d still consider it a bargain.”

Hu Tiehua hesitated, then smirked. “Such generosity must come with strings attached, I presume?”

The king’s gaze flickered toward Li Chaofeng, noting his calm demeanor before nodding. “Indeed. I only ask that your two companions remain here while you retrieve the Paradise Star.”

Hu Tiehua threw his head back in laughter, shaking his head as he glanced at Ji Bingyan and Li Chaofeng’s silent forms. “Forgive my bluntness, but I’ve heard a saying: Meat not yet in your belly isn’t truly on your plate. How can I trust you’ll let us leave unharmed once the Star is in your hands?”

The king’s smile widened. “Peng’s men may accompany you out of the camp. I’ll entrust them with a token. Retrieve the Paradise Star, and you’ll reclaim your ransom—and your freedom.”

In the martial world, a token was standard for such transactions. Without it, the Peng family couldn’t risk delivering the ransom to the wrong hands. After all, with face-changing masks rampant, the Pengs couldn’t very well tear off every client’s skin to verify their identity.

The king’s plan was simple: Peng Yi Hu would depart with the ransom, while the token remained with him. Once Hu Tiehua returned the Paradise Star, the two would exchange goods.

The group exchanged stunned glances. None had expected the king to pay double for the Star. But why?

No one questioned how the king had deduced Hu Tiehua’s party wasn’t aligned with Peng’s seven tigers. The distinction was obvious to anyone with eyes: Hu Tiehua’s trio had never sat with the Peng clan during feasts, nor shared their quarters. More tellingly, the king knew only five tigers had arrived to escort the Star—not seven.

By sending Peng Yi Hu as the courier, the king had also eliminated any chance of betrayal. Once the Star was in his possession, the Peng family would inevitably learn of it. And the Pengs’ reputation ensured that, token or not, Peng Yi Hu would deliver the ransom to Hu Tiehua’s allies. Here, Peng Yi Hu wasn’t merely a bodyguard—he was a living guarantee.

Though minor players in the desert, the Pengs were titans in Shanxi. Their Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade technique, a brutal, unyielding sword art, had dominated the martial world for decades. Each of the Seven Tigers was a first-tier martial artist. Decades ago, Peng Tianhou had carved a legendary path through the Yellow River region with his blade alone.

The Pengs’ quiet integrity made their word unassailable. Peng Yi Hu nodded subtly to Hu Tiehua, finding no deceit in the king’s scheme. If he’d dared escort the Paradise Star to Kucha, returning with the ransom would be trivial. No one would risk provoking the Pengs over mere gold and jewels.

Yet Hu Tiehua’s confusion deepened. Ji Bingyan frowned alongside him, while Li Chaofeng’s brow furrowed. The king had little motive to kill Hu Tiehua—whether the Paradise Star’s secret remained hidden or not. If the secret survived, Hu Tiehua was a useful pawn; if exposed, he was irrelevant.

Li Chaofeng could only think: Why?

He might have slapped himself had he known the truth—the king had mistaken Li Chaofeng for royalty.

Li Chaofeng, infamous in the Weapons Chart for his ill luck, had spent years hiding his identity. Yet his arrogance—refusing to adopt even a pseudonym, insisting on “Master Li” in his seaside tavern—had betrayed him. In the desert, even Chu Liuxiang had taken a false name, while Li Chaofeng’s stubborn pride remained.

To the king, this aloofness, coupled with Hu Tiehua’s protective vigilance and Ji Bingyan’s deference (always glancing to Li before meals), screamed royal bearing.

Hu Tiehua guarded Li out of obligation—he’d invited him into this peril. Ji Bingyan watched Li’s plate out of habit, trusting Li’s hyper-sensitive senses to detect poison. But to the king, these were the acts of a retainer and a servant.

Stone Guanyin nearly burst into laughter at the irony. A man of no consequence, mistaken for a prince! And even if Hu and Ji’s identities were exposed, Li’s “royal” facade would remain intact—so long as he refused to name himself.

The world’s twists never ceased.

Stone Guanyin, feigning reverence, cemented the king’s delusion. Then, she spirited away Chu Liuxiang, who was still puzzling over how to complete her original mission.

Chu Liuxiang, initially hired by Stone Guanyin, had unwittingly become a pawn in her new scheme—one far more controlled than the unpredictable Chu.

Now, Chu Liuxiang was merely a hostage.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end