https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-673-Chu-Liuxiang-s-Shock-and-Doubt/12811349/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-675-A-Continuous-Adventure-in-The-Legend-of-Chu-Liuxiang-/12811359/
Chapter 674: Leaving the Great Desert
Chapter 674: Leaving the Great Desert
On the other side, a group of beggars had already arrived at the camp, placing Wu Hua under surveillance and preparing to send him back to the Central Plains to honor Ren Ci’s spirit.
The King of Kucha was reorganizing the Kucha troops who had surrendered, preparing to return home.
Jin Banhua and Princess Pipa were strolling through the camp.
"Come back to the Kingdom of Kucha with me! It’s the largest oasis in this great desert, with sweet mare’s milk and crisp honeydews," Princess Pipa said expectantly.
Jin Banhua turned and glared at her, "I’ve been kind to you, spending both money and effort, working tirelessly to save you from your troubles, and now you actually want to take me all the way back to the capital of Kucha?"
"You’re being too greedy and unreasonable!" Jin Banhua exclaimed.
Princess Pipa was stunned for a moment before she wished she could bite Jin Banhua’s arm.
"You big jerk! I know you don’t want to marry me, but you can’t even come back home with me?" Princess Pipa shouted, "Are you planning to deny everything after having your way with me?"
"Are you still thinking about your mistresses in the capital, eager to get back to them?" Princess Pipa said resentfully.
"Don’t say things without thinking. We are mistresses," Jin Banhua immediately waved his hand, "Mistresses have feelings, but I only have mutual interests with them!"
Princess Pipa, "..."
"Besides, after this battle, even if Kucha isn’t crippled, it’s still severely weakened and has a lot to deal with," Jin Banhua said coolly, "You don’t want to have just quelled a rebellion and then be conquered by another country, do you?"
"What does that have to do with you coming back to the capital with me?" Princess Pipa asked.
"If a merchant caravan from the capital suddenly sets up shop in the capital of Kucha and trades widely with the Western Regions, wouldn’t your father’s position be a bit more secure?" Jin Banhua raised an eyebrow and asked.
Princess Pipa fell silent.
Although she rarely involved herself in state affairs, she wasn’t a clueless golden bird. She knew the importance of a trade center.
Even if it meant hiring mercenaries through trade benefits, it could deter other countries and stabilize the rule of the King of Kucha.
"You...,"
Princess Pipa didn’t even ask if Jin Banhua would follow the merchant caravan. Given his nature, how could he possibly spend a lot of time on the slow journey of a caravan?
"Once I help my father stabilize the capital and the merchant caravan arrives from the capital, I’ll go to the Central Plains to find you!" Princess Pipa said.
Jin Banhua smiled, "I’ll treat you to the most famous soy milk in the capital!"
...
A night of passion, and they parted at dawn.
The next morning, General Qing escorted the King of Kucha and his daughter back to the capital, while the rest of the group left the Great Desert and arrived at the nearest city.
Jin Banhua wrote a letter, instructing Liao Gang and Ye Jin to take it back to the capital. As for himself...
"Chu Liuxiang hasn’t returned the White Jade Beauty to me yet. If he doesn’t come out, I’ll take the three beauties around him as compensation. Tell my father that my martial arts are unmatched, and I’m safe!"
Jin Banhua had already killed the notorious Stone Goddess, and Liao Gang and Ye Jin had fully recognized his combat prowess. They returned to the capital without any doubts.
Ji Bingyan drank a toast with the group and returned to Lanzhou.
Unlike Chu Liuxiang and Hu Tiefeng, he was no longer a wanderer but a man with a family, with two beauties, Ban Bing and Ying Yan, waiting for him at home.
Yi Dianhong and Qu Wu Rong stayed behind.
"Aren’t you going back to the capital?" Yi Dianhong asked, glancing at Qu Wu Rong’s wrist.
Jin Banhua raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you know how many masters I've studied under and how many skills I've learned? The craft of the ingenious blacksmith is something I mastered long ago!"
"Really?" Crimson Red glared at Jin Banhua.
Then he watched as Jin Banhua borrowed a blacksmith's shop and spent just an afternoon crafting a black iron hand.
He attached the hand to Qu Wurong’s arm, complete with several intricate mechanisms that controlled the steel wires connecting the iron hand's fingers, allowing it to make various movements like clenching into a fist, forming a claw, or standing upright.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Chu Liuxiang's eyes gleamed, while Hu Tiefeng was amazed. "You can actually make something so intricate? I think even Old Stinkbug would be hard-pressed to match that!"
Chu Liuxiang also had a pair of skilled hands. In the great desert, when they encountered the hidden mechanisms crafted by Shi Guanyin, Chu Liuxiang could replicate them.
Chu Liuxiang smiled slightly and said, with a hint of meaning, "Brother Jin is not only dexterous but also very clever. I wouldn't have been able to come up with something like this."
"Exactly!" Jin Banhua said proudly. "Not only am I clever, but I'm also kind-hearted, especially towards girls. I am the perfect match for the three of them."
Chu Liuxiang's face froze.
He was becoming increasingly suspicious of Jin Banhua, but also increasingly unable to understand him.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but want to test Jin Banhua, to see if what Ji Bingyan and Hu Tiefeng said was true.
When Qu Wurong was fitted with the iron hand crafted by Jin Banhua, she quickly mastered its use. Combined with the swift and deadly martial arts techniques taught by Shi Guanyin...
"Whoa—"
Jin Banhua sucked in a breath and patted Crimson Red on the shoulder. "Brother Red, you don't have to be so serious all the time. Smile more and provide more emotional support to Qu Wurong. If you make her angry, I'm afraid you'll be the one suffering from domestic violence."
Crimson Red glared at Jin Banhua. "What are you talking about! She's not that kind of person!"
Jin Banhua took a step back and said weakly, "If that's true, why are you so upset? Are you feeling guilty?"
Crimson Red's eyes widened. He was clearly denying Jin Banhua's slander of Qu Wurong.
He couldn't help but clench his fists. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat Jin Banhua and Qu Wurong had truly been helped by him, he would have drawn his sword against Jin Banhua right then and there.
"Are you regretting it now?" Jin Banhua raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect you to be such a hot-headed one, getting angry when you can't win. You were the same at Daming Lake, and now in the great desert."
Jin Banhua spoke seriously to Qu Wurong. "If he makes you angry in the future, don't hesitate to hit him. Don't worry, if you break that iron hand, I'll make a new one for you!"
Hu Tiefeng laughed heartily. "If she breaks that iron hand, I wonder if Red Brother will still be okay?"
Jin Banhua raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he'll enjoy it? I once met a swordsman who loved being whipped by others."
Then Crimson Red and Qu Wurong left.
Qiu Lingsu shook his head and laughed. "Even if you don't need their gratitude, you don't have to deliberately provoke them, do you?"
Jin Banhua blinked. "But I was telling the truth!"
Qiu Lingsu smiled and looked back at the group of Beggar Sect members waiting nearby. "We're leaving tomorrow, so let's gather one last time tonight and drink until we pass out."
Hu Tiefeng laughed loudly. "Great! Great!"
Qiu Lingsu smiled gently, his eyes soft and hidden, and glanced at Jin Banhua.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
