Chapter 14 The fourteenth round of the desert

Ji Bingyan frowned and said, "The two invitations were written in the same handwriting. As expected, Shi Guanyin's henchmen have already entered the King of Kucha's side..." Hu Tiehua moved: "Who do you think will be her party member?" Ji Bingyan sighed, and said: "Everyone is a possibility, maybe it's the golden armored warrior under his tent, maybe his concubine Ji, maybe it's their father and daughter themselves." Hu Tiehua stared blankly for a while, then said with a wry smile: "Don't think about me, it doesn't matter if I'm a son-in-law or not, if you want to leave, let's go now!"

Chu Liuxiang smiled slightly, and said: "If a few black words written on this white paper can scare us away, even if we can survive, it's meaningless to be human." Hu Tiehua's eyes lit up, she was gearing up, and said loudly: "This is what Chu Liuxiang said, we should fight her anyway." Chu Liuxiang said in a deep voice: "Now, since she is determined to come to us, we don't need to be in a hurry, we simply wait here for her, you will marry you tomorrow, and three days later we will still follow the original plan of King Kucha The plan is to exchange those pearls and white jades for her Star of Bliss..."

Ji Bingyan said coldly: "Do you think she will really change?" Chu Liuxiang smiled and said, "Of course she won't change." Hu Tiehua couldn't help asking: "Since she doesn't know how to change, why does she do it again?" Chu Liuxiang said slowly: "King Qiuci casually gave you that cat's eye, but he values ​​the star of bliss more than his life. This star of bliss obviously has a secret value. Is it?" Hu Tiehua said: "Not bad." Chu Liuxiang said: "Shi Guanyin did this naturally to find out what is the value of this star of bliss? How much is the value?..."

Ji Bingyan suddenly interjected: "Since the King of Kucha regards this star of bliss so highly, how can he entrust the 'Five Tigers of the Peng Family' to send it away?" Chu Liuxiang mused, "Maybe it wasn't sent away, but brought by the 'Five Tigers of the Peng Family'." Ji Bingyan frowned and said, "Could it be that the 'Star of Bliss' is not with the King of Kucha at all, but in the hands of someone in the pass. Now the King of Kucha desperately needs it, so someone sent it?" Chu Liuxiang said: "This is naturally possible, isn't it?"

Ji Bingyan said: "That's even more wrong, such a precious thing, how could King Qiuci let it fall into the hands of others? Since that person has already obtained such a precious thing, how can he be willing to send it back? " Chu Liuxiang sighed for a long time, and said: "There are naturally some secrets that are not known to outsiders. This secret may really only be known by the King of Kucha, and it is useless for us to guess, but I think..." He continued with a smile: "When it is necessary, the King of Kucha may speak out by himself." After such a day, even if they had a lot of things on their minds, as long as they closed their eyes, they would fall asleep in a daze.

I don't know how long I've been asleep, when I suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound from the sleeves of my clothes, a person rushed into the tent like flying, it was Situ Meteor, the Central Plains thief. His lightness kung fu is really not weak, and he thought that the people in the tent must be sleeping soundly, but he didn't know that he just rushed in and found himself surrounded by people. People like Chu Liuxiang seem to never really fall asleep. Ji Bingyan said coldly: "Your Excellency left without saying goodbye, and came without warning, isn't it too mysterious?"

While wiping his sweat, Situ Liuxing forced a smile and said, "It is true that I have something urgent to tell you, but I hope you three will forgive me for trespassing." Ji Bingyan stared at him quietly for a long while before her expression softened. Hu Tiehua laughed and said: "What's your urgent matter, sit down and talk slowly!" Situ Liuxing said: "I left without saying goodbye last night. I really followed that 'killer ruthless' Du Huan secretly. I always feel that this person has ulterior motives and must have conspiracy." Hu Tiehua smiled and said: "After all, he is an old Jianghu, and his vision is really good."

Situ Liuxing said: "He seemed to be in a hurry. I followed him all the way, and he didn't notice it at all. He just hurried northward. After walking for more than half an hour, he found a black tent behind a sand dune." Ji Bingyan stared brightly, and said with a sneer, "Not to mention the others in the tent, but only the 'black monkey' Sun Kong, with martial arts like yours, if you want to spy secretly, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for you to come back alive." Situ Liuxing smiled wryly and said, "Of course I know that there must be many masters in that tent, so how dare you be careless, seeing Du Huan walk in, I don't know what to do, but at this moment, I suddenly saw a fast horse running towards me. He bent his bow and set an arrow, and shot it into the tent with a whoosh, and the horse galloped away without stopping."

Ji Bingyan sneered and said: "Based on Sun Houzi's hearing, this horse should have heard it when it was a hundred feet away. How could he be allowed to gallop to the tent? How could he be allowed to bend his bow and set an arrow?" Situ Liuxing said: "That horse seems to be a precious dragon breed, and there is no shoe on the horse's hoof. It walks on the sand, but it lands silently. It is not inferior to the first-class light kung fu masters." Hu Tiehua glanced at Chu Liuxiang and said with a smile, "This horse is probably similar to your black pearl."

Chu Liuxiang smiled and said, "Above the desert, Honda Liangju... Your Excellency, please continue." Situ Liuxing said: "The galloping horse passed by, and three people shot out of the tent like arrows, and they chased after them. I know that if I don't take the risk at this time, I will have no chance in the future." Ji Bingyan said coldly: "Your Excellency is quite courageous." Situ Liuxing said: "I quietly walked around to the tent, because there are also a few horses surrounded there, the neighing of the horses can cover up some of my actions."

Hu Tiehua clapped his palms and said with a smile: "Sure enough, you are worthy of being a famous thief in the Central Plains, and you are really seasoned in your actions." Situ Liuxing blushed, and continued: "I'm lying down on the ground, quietly opened the tent, and saw that besides Du Huan, there were two nobles from Kucha with gold crowns and brocade robes, and a Han with a sullen face." Ji Bingyan glanced at Chu Liuxiang, Chu Liuxiang frowned and said, "Could it be that there are Han Chinese involved in this rebellion in Kucha?" Situ Liuxing said: "The three of them took down the arrow that came in from the table, and there was a note on the arrow. The Kucha man looked at it, and he must have understood Chinese, but he couldn't recognize Chinese characters, so he took it The note was given to the old Han man with a gloomy face, and he was asked to read the words on the note." Hu Tiehua smiled and said: "If it weren't for that, you wouldn't know what was written on it. It seems that you are lucky." Situ Liuxing said: "I can only hear the old man chanting aloud: "The Star of Ultimate Bliss is already in my hand. If you want to get this thing, you can give it to me with five thousand taels of gold, five hundred pearls, and fifty jade discs." Go straight fifty miles northeast and exchange it with me. If you are not sincere, this thing will return to the hands of King Kucha.'” Halfway through his reading, the three of Chu Liuxiang were all moved by it. Hu Tiehua said loudly: "Good boy, both sides want to do business. Could it be that this star of bliss belongs to the country of Kucha..." Ji Bingyan immediately interrupted him, and said coldly: "What did the two Kucha people say after hearing this?" Situ Liuxing said: "Their faces immediately changed drastically. At this moment, the three people who went out to chase people had returned. Not only did the people in the tent not mention this matter, they quietly hid the note." Hu Tiehua said: "Has the chaser caught up?" Situ Liuxing smiled, and said: "I didn't chase after him. One of them, who looked like a monkey, kept yelling, saying that the horse must be a ghost horse, otherwise he would have caught up with him with his eyes closed." Hu Tiehua laughed and said: "Sun Houzi claims to be a master of lightness kungfu, but this time he fell on a horse in a fight, so he will naturally go crazy." Situ Liuxing said: "I know this person must be an expert, and I was worried for fear of being discovered by him. Fortunately, after they discussed for a while, this Sun Hou brought Du Huan and three others to assassinate." Ji Bingyan said coldly: "Since your Excellency knew they were coming to assassinate, why didn't you come to the police?" Situ Liuxing smiled and said: "I know that there are three of them here, even if they have ten times more people, they will never succeed, so I want to stay there and ask why this star of bliss is so valuable?" Hu Tiehua laughed and said, "Unexpectedly, you think highly of us." Situ Liuxing said: "After the four people left, the two Kucha people immediately argued with the Han man. One said that he should immediately prepare pearls and jade to trade with that man, but the other said that the conditions were too harsh. The value of the Star of Bliss may not really be that much, you should wait and see to avoid being fooled." Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan looked at each other, although they didn't say anything, they already knew the three of them in their hearts, and they didn't know the secret of the Bliss Star until now, so they were worried about gains and losses and struggled endlessly.If you want to exchange it, you are afraid of being fooled, and if you don't exchange it, you are afraid that it will really be very beneficial to King Qiuci. Situ Liuxing continued: "I was just wondering why these people value such a mere gem, but at this moment, someone patted me lightly on the shoulder." Speaking of this, his face showed fear, as if the lingering fear was still there, he wiped the sweat from his brow, then continued with a long sigh: "I have debuted since I was young, although my martial arts are not very high, but I can do it well." In this business, eyes and ears must be exceptionally sharp, who would have known that this person was behind me, but I didn't even know his shadow." Chu Liuxiang was moved and said: "I didn't expect that besides Sun Kong, there is such a master here." Situ Liuxing said: "At that time, I was really shocked. When I turned around, the man was already more than ten feet away, and he was waving at me. I knew I couldn't go, so I had to bite the bullet and walk over... " With cold sweat dripping from his head, he continued with a wry smile: "When I see this person's face, I will know that my life was indeed taken back." Ji Bingyan said: "How do you say that?" Situ Liuxing sighed, and said: "If this person hadn't met me once, he would never be alive to meet you again at this moment." Hu Tiehua said: "He let you go like this?" Situ Liuxing said: "To tell you the truth, two years ago when I was working on a case in Luoyang, I met this man unfortunately. Fortunately, I did it to save the lives of a family of orphans and widows, so he let him go." For me, this person acts strangely, as long as he lets you off once, even if you offend him after that, he will never hurt you at all." Hu Tiehua clapped his hands and said: "This kid is really a good guy." Ji Bingyan frowned and said, "Could this person also be invited by the rebels in Qiuci to be an assassin?" Situ Liuxing sighed, "Exactly!" Ji Bingyan was moved and said: "Who is he?" Situ Liuxing bowed his head and said: "I have made a solemn oath that I will never tell his name. I can only tell the three of you that he will come to assassinate him before tonight. Pay extra attention!" Ji Bingyan sternly said: "Since he has been kind to you, why did you come to call the police on us?" Situ Liuxing sighed: "A year ago, my brother got a fortune by accident. My brother wanted to wash his hands and retire, but unexpectedly, Nan Gongling, the leader of the beggar gang at that time, found out about this. He not only looted the property, but also He also chopped up my brother's body with knives, although I know who did it, but...but..." He rubbed his eyes and continued sadly: "But my martial arts is not Nangong Ling's opponent. If you want to publicize this matter, the beggar gang is in full swing. Who in the world will believe my words?" Chu Liuxiang sighed: "That's right, Nangong Ling was in urgent need of money at that time, if there was a huge fortune that could be obtained, he would indeed make it out of it by any means." Situ Liuxing said: "This bloody enmity, I thought there was no hope of retaliation, but this time Chu Xiangshuai single-handedly exposed Nangong Ling's conspiracy, it is like snowing this deep enmity, now The incident shocked the world, and no one knew about it, and I am even more grateful to Chu Xiangshuai, I only hate that Chu Xiangshuai is as handsome as a dragon, and I have never had the chance to thank him for his great kindness in person." He suddenly raised his head, fixed his eyes on Chu Liuxiang, and said respectfully: "I also know that Xiangshuai plays in the world and doesn't want to show his behavior to others, but I am confident that I am not blind and can recognize real people." As he spoke, he fell to the ground respectfully. Chu Liuxiang quickly helped him up, and said with a smile, "Whether I am Chu Liuxiang or not, I am very grateful for your kindness." Situ Liuxing smiled sadly, and said: "Today's matter, both parties are my benefactors, I really don't have the face to stay here again, I hope the three of you can understand my difficulties." He bowed again and said: "I will take my leave here, I hope there will be a period later..." Before the words were finished, the person turned around and hurried away. After a long time, Hu Tiehua sighed, and said: "If others have been in the Jianghu for ten years, their enemies will be all over the world, but Chu Liuxiang will meet people who want to repay their favor everywhere. From this point of view, it is better to kill fewer people after all. it is good." But Ji Bingyan frowned and said: "Situ Liuxing already knows that you are Chu Liuxiang, so he still wants you to pay special attention to that person. It can be seen that in his mind, this person's martial arts are not inferior to yours." Hu Tiehua said with emotion: "That's right. Over the years, we have never met anyone who can compete with Chu Liuxiang. If he really comes today, we really want to play with him." Chu Liuxiang smiled and said: "Don't forget, today is your wedding day, no matter how many people come, Ji Bingyan and I will follow, you can enter the bridal chamber safely!" Hu Tiehua rubbed his nose and smiled, "If too many people come, you should let me have a good time, right?" Ji Bingyan smiled leisurely: "You have such a bride, are you afraid it won't be enough for you?" Just as Hu Tiehua was about to pick up a pillow and throw it over, there were already five or six people holding high crowns and auspicious clothes. They bowed in and said with a smile: "The wedding ceremony is ready, so please ask the son-in-law to change into the auspicious clothes and prepare to salute .” Chu Liuxiang laughed and said, "Everyone's hands and feet are really fast." Hu Tiehua stared at the tall hat, her eyes were straightened. After staring for a while, she suddenly raised her hands, fell down on the bed, and shouted: "If you really want me to wear this hat, you might as well give me a knife!" But no matter what kind of hat you wear, it's much better than being stabbed. Hu Tiehua finally put on the high hat and put on the auspicious clothes. He looked in the mirror and suddenly felt that his appearance was not as ugly as he imagined. The bride is also dressed in a high crown and auspicious clothes, and a red scarf covers her face. Looking at the red scarf, Hu Tiehua secretly felt complacent, and said with a secret smile: "You can't make fun of me again today, right?" The tent, which was already very gorgeous, was even more grandly and magnificently arranged today. King Kucha's face was flushed, and his princess was still missing. Perhaps it was because the princess did not come out, so there was no woman in the tent. The bride saluted in a hurry and was immediately helped to the back. It turned out that this was the wedding custom of the Kucha Kingdom. Even in their homeland, female guests were not allowed to show up at the wedding, and after the bride entered the bridal chamber, the groom had to stay outside, waiting for others to drink.Above the desert, the cold wind is like a knife. If the shepherds do not have a few catties of burning knives in their arms to keep out the cold, they will hardly be able to travel. Here everyone regards booze as a beauty, the more the bridegroom drinks, the more beautiful the wedding is, so in the end ten of the ten grooms were carried into the bridal chamber. This time it happened to be Hu Tiehua's heart. What he feared most in his life was that he would have no wine, and someone poured him wine, which was exactly what he wanted. I saw four naked men carrying a delicious roasted camel in. King Qiuci cut open the camel's belly with a silver knife in his hand. There is actually a roast lamb in the camel's belly. There is also a roast chicken in the belly of the lamb. This is the most solemn and rich feast in the imperial palace above the desert. King Qiuci cut open the chicken belly, picked out an egg soaked in fat with a silver knife, stroked his beard and laughed loudly: "This egg is the most auspicious. Only distinguished guests can taste it, and the auspicious date of the wedding ceremony today is even more extraordinary, the distinguished guest who eats this auspicious egg will not only have good luck, but also he will definitely be the groom next time." Chu Liuxiang was just feeling funny, but King Qiuci had strode up to him, picked the auspicious egg on his plate, raised his hand and shouted: "Everyone hasn't offered a toast to today's most distinguished guest! " There was sudden cheers and thunderous applause, Chu Liuxiang just picked up the egg with a smile, when he suddenly noticed that the tip of the silver knife in the palm of King Kucha turned black under the light. He was taken aback secretly, but his face remained calm. Others thought he had eaten the egg, but in fact the egg was already in his sleeve. Ji Bingyan sighed softly and said: "Things in the world are really amazing, Xiao Hu actually became the son-in-law of a country, do you want it?" Chu Liuxiang smiled and said: "This wild horse has finally got the bridle, we should really be happy for him, but...you and I have to be extra careful tonight, don't get drunk." Ji Bingyan suddenly smiled and said, "Do you see what this is?" He quietly stuffed a piece of paper into Chu Liuxiang's palm, the paper was full of greasy, and the handwriting was somewhat blurred, and it was written impressively: Chu Liuxiang was stunned again. Ji Bingyan smiled lightly: "Although this person's writing is not as smooth and elegant as yours, his tone is really similar to yours. It's just that what he wants is someone else's head, and he is much more ruthless than you." Chu Liuxiang said in a deep voice, "Where did you get this note?" Ji Bingyan said: "It was inserted on the roasted camel. Just now when I went out, I happened to see it and touched it halfway." Although he said it lightly, but if he hadn't been careful and paid attention to everything, how could he have noticed such a small thing in such a chaotic scene?How can such a small note be seen by "coincidence" on the huge roasted camel? Chu Liuxiang smiled wryly and said: "Fortunately, you saw it. If it fell into the hands of this prince, he might faint from fright again immediately. Wouldn't it be a disappointment?" Ji Bingyan said coldly: "It's rare for Xiao Hu to get married. If you and I can't let him enter the bridal chamber happily, it's better to buy a rope and hang himself." Chu Liuxiang said in a deep voice: "Even if this person doesn't come, there must be a lot of dangers today, you and I should not take things too lightly, let alone the food and drinks brought by others." Ji Bingyan stared at him for a long while with bright eyes, then suddenly frowned and asked, "Could it be that the auspicious egg is poisonous?" Before Chu Liuxiang could speak, seven or eight people had already come to toast. Ji Bingyan said in a deep voice: "I'm still guarding outside, come out and meet me when you can escape." He hurried out without a drop of alcohol, but Hu Tiehua was already blushing from drinking and his neck was thick.He is really lucky to have friends like Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan. If a person has such good fortune as him, it doesn't matter if he drinks a few more glasses at any time.