Chapter 24 Chapter 24

Hu Tiehua said tragically: "Man died for money, and birds died for food, but this...why bother?" The man in white said leisurely, "Are you scared?" Hu Tiehua stared and said, "What am I afraid of?" The man in white said, "Of course I'm afraid I'll kill you." Hu Tiehua laughed loudly and said, "Do you think I look like a person who is afraid of death?" The man in white said: "I see that although you appear to be a hero on the outside, you are still a little scared in your heart." She didn't listen to Hu Tiehua's answer anymore, she turned around and clapped her hands, and several big men jumped off the "ghost ship" immediately, and carried all the jewelry on the camel.

Hu Tiehua said loudly: "Hey! Don't forget, these things are used to exchange the 'Star of Bliss' with you." The man in white turned around and said, "Do you want to bring the Star of Bliss back?" Hu Tiehua said: "Of course I want to take it back." The man in white sneered, "Why do you think I won't kill you?" Hu Tiehua said loudly: "I have to take the Star of Bliss back even if I die." The man in white said coldly: "That's strange, how can a dead person take things back?" Hu Tiehua's eyes widened and he could no longer speak.

When Hu Tiehua was waiting to die, he never dreamed that Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan would be watching him nearby—Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan were actually on the ghost ship more than ten feet away. They had been moved from another boat to this one because Shi Guanyin wanted to "take good care of them", but they did not see Shi Guanyin. Hu Tiehua thought that the person in white was Shi Guanyin, but in fact she was just a disciple of Shi Guanyin, and Shi Guanyin had already left. Her whereabouts are really secretive, not only is she always coming and going in a hurry, but no one will ever know where she came from and where she is going.

Now, Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan are in this cabin, and they are sitting on the hatchway, and they can see Hu Tiehua through the curtain. But of course they couldn't move, and they didn't dare to call loudly, because they knew that Hu Tiehua couldn't save them, and the man in white also said to them: "If you call loudly, it will be useless at all, but Hu Tiehua will die quickly." That’s all, so it’s better for you to keep your mouth shut.” In fact, she didn't need to say this at all, Chu Liuxiang knew it very well. But they didn't keep their mouths shut. Seeing Hu Tiehua like this, they really felt a little discouraged.

Chu Liuxiang couldn't help sighing: "Depending on the situation, he's afraid that he was injured by alcohol again." Ji Bingyan said: "It would be a strange thing if he didn't die from the wine." Yidianhong said: "But he is very good, he is not afraid of death." Ji Bingyan sneered and said, "Is it good not to be afraid of death? Idiots and idiots are not afraid of death." Yidianhong said coldly: "Being not afraid of death is better than being afraid of death." Chu Liuxiang smiled and said, "What are you two arguing about, he will definitely not die this time."

Ji Bingyan said: "Why do you think others dare not kill him?" He said these words almost at the same time as the man in white. Not only did they say the same sentence, but their tone of voice was also similar. Chu Liuxiang said: "If she kills Xiao Hu, who will she ask to bring back the star of bliss?" He heard what the man in white said outside, and smiled again: "Did you hear that? Dead people can't bring things back." Ji Bingyan said: "How do you know she wants Xiao Hu to take things back?" Chu Liuxiang smiled slightly, and said: "If no one brings back the Star of Bliss, how can we trick that foolish prince into telling the secret?"

Even though Ji Bingyan still had some disbelief in Chu Liuxiang's words, he had no choice but to believe it now, because at this moment he saw the man in white walking back. Hu Tiehua is still alive. Chu Liuxiang sighed, and murmured: "I hope that foolish prince will not be so foolish as to tell the secret, otherwise he will not only die himself, I'm afraid Xiao Hu will also die with him." Ji Bingyan couldn't help asking: "Why?" Chu Liuxiang said: "Now Shi Guanyin probably knows that she can't make King Qiuci tell the secret, but she thinks that King Qiuci might tell Xiao Hu, because King Qiuci might ask Xiao Hu for help. Now that she thinks Xiao Hu is very useful, she is naturally reluctant to kill him."

Ji Bingyan stopped talking, but she was also praying silently in her heart: "I hope that the King of Kucha will not tell the secret." The man in white left, and so did the boat. Only then did Hu Tiehua start to get scared. He really didn't even believe that he could survive. "Stone Guanyin" really had no reason not to kill him. But Shi Guanyin didn't kill him, not only didn't kill him, but actually kept the star of bliss—is Shi Guanyin such a trustworthy person? Hu Tiehua really didn't believe it, but he had to believe it. As the night got deeper and the chill became heavier, Hu Tiehua shivered from the cold.

Now although the medicine has gradually worn off and he is able to walk gradually, his body is still soft and the camel has already been frightened away. Hu Tiehua knew that she would never be able to walk back through the fifty miles of desert. During the day, when he has strength, it is still a question of whether he can walk back, not to mention that the night is so deep at this moment, and his strength has almost completely disappeared. The "star of bliss" is in his arms, and he can't take risks. At last he couldn't stand the cold, so he looked around for some thorns and bushes, found a hidden shelter among the rocks, and lit a fire.

There is also an advantage in the desert, that is, it is very easy to make a fire, because the plants that grow in the desert must be very dry. Hu Tiehua murmured to himself: "I'm afraid this is the only benefit..." His voice suddenly stopped, he stood up slowly, squatted down again, stared straight at a stone in front of him, even if he was facing a naked beauty, he would not be so interesting to watch. But it's just a weathered rock. The flames flickered, and so did his eyes. It turned out that the stone was actually dyed with some black and yellow pigments, and there were a few drops of solidified gelatin, like high-quality cowhide glue.

These are not strange things, but it is strange to find these things in the most remote and hidden corners in this remote desert. What's more, after all, he is also an old Jianghu. Although he himself does not know how to disguise himself, he can see that these things are used for disguise. What kind of person would come to this kind of place to disguise himself? Chu Liuxiang will always carry these things with her. Hu Tiehua let out a long breath, and murmured: "So the old bug came here, but how do you know why he has to change his appearance? Look at the colors he uses are yellow and black. Could it be that he is being chased by women? So disguise yourself as an ugly monster?" Thinking of this, he couldn't help laughing himself. But the matter was not ridiculous at all, Chu Liuxiang must be in danger, otherwise he would not need to change his disguise, not to mention that after changing his disguise, there would be no news. Hu Tiehua frowned, and moved the stone. The stone was dead and he couldn't move it, but he didn't give up, and moved another stone. The rock was moved away by him, and the sand underneath was very loose. He dug it with his hands, and it didn't take long to dig out a large bag of things that surprised and delighted him. In the bundle was a silk scarf with the word "Qu" embroidered on the corner, and a small wooden bottle, which gave off a faint aroma of tulips when the bottle was uncorked. "Brave Commander Ye Liuxiang", Chu Liuxiang used to carry this fragrance all the time. In addition, there is a black pearl, a pair of judge pens, a bag of gold beads, a large bunch of keys, an emerald snuff bottle, and a small silver knife. The strangest thing is that there are bright red women's night shoes embroidered with Bingdilian, and a pink woman's bellyband embroidered with peonies in this package. Hu Tiehua smiled and said: "The small wooden vase, the black pearl and the silk scarf belonged to the old bug, but who is the word 'qu' embroidered on the scarf? Could it be...could it be...is it the maiden name of the amorous princess? ?... Ha! The old bug is really good at it, and with three or two strokes, the girl gave him all the promises." The judge's pens are shining, this pair of judge's pens is not only heavier than those usually seen in martial arts, but also extremely exquisitely crafted. Hu Tiehua said again: "The judge's pen, snuff bottle, key, silver knife and gold beads must belong to that dead rooster. He is a real mother-in-law who must be like a woman. He even carries the keys with him. Is he afraid that others will wait for him?" After leaving, open the door of his room and steal his things—hehe! It seems that he should change his name and call him Cheapskate." He has never brought a key himself, so seeing someone else bring a key, he finds it ridiculous. Thinking that Chu Liuxiang finally found Ji Bingyan, he is even happier. He clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Since these two people have gathered together, they can hold the sky even if the sky falls, why should I worry about them?" But whose red night shoes and embroidered bellyband belonged to it? Hu Tiehua frowned and said: "Could it be that the old bug has found a newcomer? But even so, he wouldn't want someone's bellyband! How could the old bug become so nasty?" He pulled up his apron and smelled it, stuck out his tongue, and said with a smile: "It smells so good." He suddenly felt that the fragrance was very familiar, and immediately thought of the scene of tricking two beautiful ladies out of Ji Bingyan's house that night. It turned out that Ji Bingyan had been hiding his beloved Ji's personal belongings on her body all the time, as a way of comforting her - Hu Tiehua couldn't help laughing, and said: "It turns out that our pious Mr. Ji is still a passionate seed!" Suddenly someone said: "It's better to be passionate than ruthless, isn't it?" "Passionate is better than ruthless", what a beautiful and affectionate sentence, it is even more ecstasy when these words are uttered by a clear and melodious voice like a yellow warbler. But Hu Tiehua was taken aback when he heard this sentence right here and now, and lost his voice: "Who?" The voice of the white-clothed man just now was also very charming, but when he killed someone, he was not at all charming. Hu Tiehua only felt that such a voice was more terrible than a broken gong. That delicate voice laughed and said: "How did the dignified hero Hu become so timid?" Following the voice, a person came out from behind the rock, and it turned out to be Princess Pipa. Hu Tiehua breathed a sigh of relief, and said with a wry smile: "So it's you, you're not at home playing the pipa, what are you doing here?" Princess Pipa said quietly: "If you don't have a bosom friend to appreciate the pipa, it's better not to play it well." Hu Tiehua said: "If you don't play the pipa, don't you have anything else to do?" Princess Pipa glared at him and said, "Don't you think I'm just out for fun? Don't I want to sleep at home at this time? But the princess said to me: 'Although that Hu Zhuangshi is very capable, it's a pity that he is an idiot. Maybe someone will be fooled, you'd better go and take care of it!' So I had to come." If Hu Tiehua hadn't been fooled by others, maybe he wouldn't be too angry, but he was really fooled, and he seemed to have been exposed after hearing this. Before Princess Pipa finished speaking, his face was already red with anger, and he said with a thick neck, "I'm an idiot, what are you? An embroidered pillow?" Princess Pipa said calmly: "You don't need to show your power to me, I didn't say this, if you are not convinced, won't you go to settle accounts with the person who said this?" She smiled and said: "I'm afraid that when you see her, you won't even be able to speak." Hu Tiehua was so angry that she couldn't even speak. Princess Pipa said again: "But I walked westward, but I didn't find you all the time. After many rounds in the cold night, I saw a fire here. I was afraid it was someone else, so I asked others to wait far away. People came quietly." Hu Tiehua said loudly: "You don't need to explain, anyway, I know you have this problem, every time you come to see people secretly." Princess Pipa also said loudly: "You don't need to show your power to me all the time. Is there something about me that offends you?" Hu Tiehua said: "Yes!" Princess Pipa stared at him for a while, then suddenly smiled, and said softly: "Even if I didn't marry you, you don't have to be angry when you see me!" Hu Tiehua's face turned red again, and her neck became thicker again. Princess Pipa said sweetly: "If you always treat me like this, it proves that you still love me secretly, so you will be angry because I don't marry you, and you will be jealous of that old bug." Hu Tiehua stared at her, and suddenly burst out laughing, saying: "If a woman like you really marries me, I'm not going to be so mad at you." Princess Pipa twitched her lips and said, "If you can't eat grapes, just say the grapes are sour. It's really useless." The story of "sour grapes" was originally a fable of their countries in the Western Regions. Hu Tiehua didn't understand it at all, so he wasn't angry. It's just that he wanted to tell the story of exchanging the "star of bliss" back, so he didn't say it now. Yes, I wanted to leave immediately, but I will not leave now. Princess Pipa didn't ask or leave, but sat down on the rock, took out a silver wine bottle from her arms, used the bottle cap as a wine glass, poured herself a drink, and murmured: "In such a cold day, if If you don't drink a glass of wine to keep out the cold, I'm afraid you will freeze to a dead fish." Hu Tiehua also murmured, and murmured: "If someone wants to piss me off with wine, it would be a big mistake. I just fell for the trick of drinking, and now I almost get a headache when I see wine." Even though he said so, in fact his head didn't hurt at all, but his heart itched badly, and his stomach full of wine crawled up again. But just had an argument with someone, how dare you ask him for a drink? Hu Tiehua could only hold back, deliberately not to look at her. Not only did Princess Pipa gulp loudly, but she couldn't help muttering: "This wine is really good. Once you drink it, your whole body will feel warm." Hu Tiehua couldn't help but said loudly: "It's really unruly for a girl to drink so much drinking at home." Princess Pipa said sweetly: "I just want to have no rules, so that I can make people with rules die." Hu Tiehua was about to die of anger, rolled his eyes, and suddenly saw the silk scarf, his eyes lit up immediately, picked up the silk scarf, unfolded it in front of the fire, and murmured: "This rag is good for blowing your nose." Before she finished speaking, Princess Pipa jumped up and rushed over, shouting: "You... where did you get this handkerchief?" Hu Tiehua smiled leisurely: "I picked it up." Princess Pipa said tremblingly, "Quick...give it back to me quickly." Hu Tiehua said: "Give it back to you? Why do you want to give it back to you? Could it be yours?" This time it was Princess Pipa who blushed and said, "Yes... so what if it's mine?" Hu Tiehua said: "This is strange." Princess Pipa said: "What's so strange?" Hu Tiehua said: "I clearly heard that old bug say: 'That hag is so sentimental, she thought I would keep this rag well!' Are you that hag?" Princess Pipa's eyes were red, and she stomped her feet and said, "Fart! You...you are not human at all." Hu Tiehua said leisurely: "Why do you show your power to me? I didn't say this. If you are not convinced, wouldn't you go to the person who said this?" He laughed and said, "I'm afraid that when you really see that person, you won't even be able to speak." Princess Pipa suddenly fell to the ground and burst into tears. Hu Tiehua was stunned instead. He was just trying to anger her, but seeing that she was really sad, Hu Tiehua walked over and said with a smile: "You must not be sad, I just lied to you." Princess Pipa just covered her face and cried bitterly, ignoring him. Hu Tiehua said: "It's my fault, I'm damned, that old bug didn't say you were a 'half' at all, let alone that you were self-indulgent, it's all my bastard's nonsense." Princess Pipa cried bitterly: "But he... why did he throw away the things I gave him?" Hu Tiehua said: "This is only because..." Hu Tiehua almost broke his tongue before finally explaining the matter clearly. He sighed, and said again: "Now, it doesn't matter how you scold me, I just ask you not to cry anymore, okay?" Princess Pipa rubbed her eyes and said, "If you admit that you are a super bastard, I won't cry." Hu Tiehua smiled wryly and said: "Didn't I admit it long ago... Sigh!" Princess Pipa bit her lip and said, "Since you admit it, why are you still sighing? Are you not willing?" Hu Tiehua rubbed her nose, and murmured: "I am willing to admit that I am a big bastard. Is that okay... Ha! The mistake is that I am a man. A man calls a woman an asshole, and a woman calls a man a big idiot. It doesn't matter, because women can cry, which is not easy for men to learn." Princess Pipa stared and said, "What did you say? Say it again." Hu Tiehua smiled bitterly: "I... I said that men are all bastards, and women are all good... they are all good people." Princess Pipa smiled and said, "That's pretty much the same." She smiled and stuffed the wine bottle into Hu Tiehua's hand, but when her eyes turned to the pile of things, the smile disappeared immediately, and her face became heavy.