Hu Tiehua was overjoyed by Li Chaofeng's rare compliment, nodding eagerly in response.
But then, the realization struck him—this little chef had known from the very beginning that the so-called Jiang Daxia intended to kill him. That must have been why he smeared that scent on Jiang's robe.
Which meant… this tiger's den wasn't randomly chosen. It had been a planned battlefield all along.
As expected, the jianghu was full of deception and betrayal.
Even when dealing with a youth, one couldn't afford to let down their guard.
Hu Tiehua sighed inwardly, then turned to look at Jiang Biehe.
No—he should now call him by his true name: Jiang Qin.
That name, "Jiang Qin," was unknown to the world before Jiang Feng's death. But afterward, it became infamous across the land.
The legendary nobleman Jiang Feng had been betrayed by his own page boy. His entire family was slaughtered. And the number one swordsman under heaven, Yan Nantian, was tricked by that same servant into entering the Valley of Evil—only to meet his demise.
Even someone like Li Chaofeng, who used to kill chickens and butcher fish in far-off Annam, had heard that tale—let alone a jianghu drifter like Hu Tiehua.
Hu Tiehua had grown up in the Iron-Blooded Banner Sect and had long admired Yan Nantian. So when he heard the name "Jiang Qin," he momentarily lost his composure. His mastery of qinggong faltered, and he stepped on a dry twig.
As for why there were dry twigs beneath his feet—well, high-level qinggong was never about dainty cat-like steps or avoiding debris. Real qinggong was about treading where ordinary folk couldn't, not magically avoiding every leaf and branch.
Hu Tiehua truly hadn't expected that, just a few years later, Jiang Qin would resurface under a new identity, posing as a respected hero of Jiangnan—and that he himself had once shared a banquet table with this man.
Jiang Biehe—no, Jiang Qin—had been stunned when Li Chaofeng uttered his true name. He had no idea how his cover had been blown.
His appearance had changed dramatically over the years. He even grew a short beard to alter his face further. Even Yan Nantian himself might not recognize him, let alone a youth he had never met before.
Thinking back on every moment he'd shared with the boy, Jiang Qin grew increasingly confused. But with his life hanging by a thread, he didn't argue. He merely asked calmly:
"May I ask, Brother Li… when exactly did you see through my identity?"
Li Chaofeng folded his arms and replied flatly, "If I hadn't known from the beginning who you were, why would I have stepped forward to claim such a big piece of trouble?"
Jiang Biehe was dazed for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"From the beginning… haha! So that's what it was."
Recalling how Li Chaofeng had never believed a word he said, always maintaining a wary distance, Jiang Qin finally understood.
Who would trust the words of a man who had sold out his master—especially when that master was the legendary, kind-hearted Jiang Feng?
Jiang Qin's face filled with regret. "But I still don't understand. The name 'Jiang Qin' may be known throughout the jianghu, but few know what he looks like. How did you recognize me?"
Li Chaofeng, of course, wasn't about to admit he had recognized the name Jiang Biehe from the very beginning. He casually brushed the question aside.
"Oh, haven't you heard the saying? 'If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it in the first place.'"
As Li Chaofeng spoke, Hu Tiehua burst into laughter and clapped his hands in agreement.
"Well said! 'If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it.' Jiang Qin, you wretched scoundrel, what's happening to you today is nothing but karmic retribution!"
"Karmic retribution… Karmic retribution…"
Jiang Qin was momentarily stunned by the words, then suddenly broke into wild laughter. Clutching his forehead, he laughed and laughed—until his voice died down and his eyes widened with rage.
"If I believed in karma," he sneered, "why would I have betrayed my master in the first place?"
"It's not karma. It's just… rotten luck!"
Then he lifted his head and glared at the sky, face twisted in resentment.
"The heavens gave me a life of misfortune. I fought back… and still lost. That's all there is to it!"
With those words, Jiang Qin—blade still lodged in his skull—gasped heavily for air, and strangely, there was a hint of pride on his face.
That he dared to curse the heavens even on the verge of death left Hu Tiehua in awkward silence. Li Chaofeng simply rolled his eyes.
If there truly were heavens, then surely they were cruel.
Not to Jiang Qin—but to ordinary people.
After all, Jiang Qin, as Jiang Feng's page, had lived a life a hundred times better than most commoners.
Yet even that wasn't enough for him. And instead of working harder, his ambition was to outdo the heavens… in cruelty.
Something about that made Li Chaofeng uncomfortable. He no longer wanted Jiang Qin to die too easily.
Resting his chin on his hand, Li Chaofeng squatted in front of him once more, half-smiling. Seeing fear flicker in Jiang Qin's eyes, he pressed on with a chilling question.
"Since you think Heaven gave you a raw deal, let me ask—if you die here today, is that Heaven's fault?"
And as if worried Jiang Qin wouldn't follow his meaning, Li Chaofeng gestured with his hands and explained:
"Think about it. If you had been just a little less petty, and spared my life… would you be dying in this stinking hole right now?"
"So, what—you're saying Heaven personally sent you to kill me?"
Jiang Qin fell silent, unable to respond.
Hu Tiehua, too, felt a pang of shame. He regretted staying silent moments before, and now found himself disgusted.
This was nothing more than a villain who got what he deserved. So what if he died with a hint of tragic flair?
He was still the same coward who sold out his master for a better life.
Now that Jiang Qin's spirit was crushed, Li Chaofeng's smirk deepened. He no longer cared what the man thought.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward the reeking brute beside him, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
Don't be fooled by how easily he took Jiang Biehe down—Jiang's martial arts were top-tier in the jianghu.
And yet this burly man had tailed Jiang Biehe all the way from the city gate without being noticed.
His qinggong must be formidable.
So the question now was...
Who exactly was he?Some nameless nobody?
Gu Long is not Jin Yong.Though his heroes may also be central characters, they are rarely invincible. That's why the world of Gu Long is filled with mysterious, nameless experts hidden in the shadows.
Just as Li Chaofeng was about to ask the burly man's name, Jiang Biehe suddenly spoke.
"I practiced Yan Nantian's Marital Garment Divine Art."
"!!!"
Li Chaofeng's eyes narrowed slightly at these words, a faint alertness flashing through his gaze. Hu Tiehua, on the other hand, looked utterly stunned.
Martial Way of Zen. Marital Garment Divine Art.
Just those eight words alone were enough to declare that this technique belonged to the realm of divine-level martial arts.
But what shocked Hu Tiehua most was that the Marital Garment Divine Art had once belonged to the Iron-Blooded Banner Sect—the very sect he was born into. It had been lost to the jianghu many years ago.
The burly man's expression showed a hint of temptation, but before he could speak, Li Chaofeng's tone suddenly turned stern.
"At this point, you should understand one thing clearly—I don't care what kind of technique you have."
None of the three present were fools.
Had Li Chaofeng been unaware of the eavesdropper at the cave entrance, it could have been argued that he truly revealed Jiang Qin's identity in pursuit of a rare and powerful martial art.
But from the very start, Li Chaofeng had known someone was listening outside the cave. Which meant the only reason he had exposed Jiang Qin's identity... was to ensure the news would reach the jianghu:
Jiang Qin is dead.
As for who killed him—so long as the eavesdropper didn't want Li Chaofeng to know they'd been there, they wouldn't say a word about the "Little Chef God" being the killer.
Marital Garment Divine Art?
Whether Jiang Qin could even write it down was questionable. And even if he could, Li Chaofeng wouldn't dare to cultivate it.
Seeking death doesn't look like that!
In truth, had Hu Tiehua not stepped on that dry branch and disrupted the performance, Li Chaofeng's original plan would've played out differently:
The "Little Chef God" would have subjected Jiang Qin to an utterly humiliating verbal execution, crushing his dignity, until he died from shame and fury.
And thus, the Marital Garment Divine Art would have been lost forever.
Yet now, Jiang Biehe was grinning smugly.
"You may not care—but others will. Won't they?"
The flicker of desire in the burly man's eyes at the mention of the divine technique brought Jiang Qin a moment of pleasure.
What delighted him was this:
So long as the burly man wanted the Marital Garment Divine Art, he would have to stop the Little Chef from pulling the blade out of Jiang Qin's head.
From the city gates to this hidden cave, the man had followed Jiang Qin unnoticed. His qinggong was undoubtedly superior.
And Li Chaofeng? He didn't know any qinggong at all!
Hahahaha!