Chapter 1022

In the rooster's dawn-crowing, dawn arrived quietly; Hu Xiaotian slowly opened his eyes. Last night he hadn't slept well; as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw countless eerie Lan-colored eyeballs drifting in his mind, like a nightmare that wouldn't fade. The power of the soul-capturing technique was far beyond what Hu Xiaotian had expected. With no choice, he sat in meditation, using the Bodhi No-Mind Zen taught by Li Yuncong to gather his spirit and calm his breath. This secret Zen method of the Heaven Dragon Temple is profound and marvelous, and indeed it worked wonders.

The injured ribs no longer hurt; the ointment Yan Nujiao gave him seems very effective. Hu Xiaotian carefully moved his arm, stepped outside, and just saw Yan Nujiao coming out of the neighboring room, smiling at him and saying: "She's still asleep; I believe she'll regain her senses when she wakes up."

Hu Xiaotian saw her weary face, guessed that Yan Nujiao surely hadn't slept last night, and said affectionately: "You've worked hard; go rest quickly."

Yan Nujiao nodded. Just then, Yan Boguang's voice rang out: "Move aside, move aside! I want to see my sister." It turned out Yan Boguang had come looking for his sister, but Xiong Tianba blocked him outside, waving his fists and shouting: "If you keep shouting, I'll beat you!"

Hu Xiaotian stopped Xiong Tianba, letting him allow Yan Boguang to come in. Accompanying Yan Boguang were two others, one of whom was actually Hu Jinniu. Seeing this paternal cousin safely escape from Qingyun Mountain Villa, Hu Xiaotian also felt greatly relieved, after all they are of the same lineage; he didn't want Hu Jinniu to come to harm. From their few encounters, Hu Xiaotian saw that although Hu Jinniu was in the bandits' camp, his conscience remained intact; with proper guidance, he might turn from evil to good. Although Hu Jinniu recognized Hu Xiaotian, in front of Yan Boguang he couldn't acknowledge him, merely pretending not to know him.

Yan Boguang hurried to his sister's side, grabbed her arm, and said: "Nujiao, where did you go all night? Are you alright? Has anyone bullied you?"

Yan Nujiao glanced at Hu Xiaotian, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said: "Brother, don't mess around; I'm helping to save people."

Yan Boguang nodded: "All good, all good." As he spoke, he glanced at Hu Xiaotian. Perhaps because his subordinates kept arriving to join him, Yan Boguang's gaze at Hu Xiaotian was no longer as fearful as before; he now had confidence.

Yan Nujiao, fearing a conflict between the two, urged: "Brother, let's go back."

Only then did Yan Boguang withdraw his gaze and leave with his sister.

Xiong Tianba watched their retreating backs and angrily said: "Damn it, even the horse bandits dare to be so arrogant; I really want to give them a good beating."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Xiong Tianba. Now we're all in the same boat; we should join forces to overcome the crisis and try to avoid conflict."

From behind came Yang Lingqi's voice: "Not bad!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Mr. Yang, are you up?"

Yang Lingqi said: "I've been up for a while; Liang Yinghao and Tang Tiexin went out to scout, and they should be back now." As he spoke, Liang Yinghao and Tang Tiexin returned one after another. To Hu Xiaotian's surprise, the Xichuan side had not launched a large-scale manhunt for them; Liang Yinghao had specially gone to check the Xuan Ning Inn, which was unguarded and showed no sign of the expected heavy troops surrounding it.

Hu Xiaotian wondered: "Could it be that Li Tianheng has no plans to target us?"

Yang Lingqi said: "Our presence doesn't greatly affect the overall situation, so he doesn't need to pour much effort into chasing us. Either way, this is a good thing—at least it will be easier for us to escape."

Tang Tiexin said: "The garrison guarding the city has decreased greatly today. The common folk's mood is also very calm; on the surface, Xizhou seems no different from usual."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Looks like I was overthinking it."

Yang Lingqi said: "Master, should we keep waiting here or leave as soon as possible?"

Hu Xiaotian paced a few steps and said: "Yinghao, Tianba, you two are to keep watch on the bandits of Tianlang Mountain; they are mixed in quality, and although we're all in the same boat, it's hard to guarantee none of them will have divided loyalties."

Yes!

Yang Lingqi nodded; he also worried about this.

Hu Xiaotian added: "Tiexin, go procure wagons and travel gear, making preparations for our departure."

Tang Tiexin clasped his fists in acknowledgment.

Hu Xiaotian said to Yang Lingqi: "Before we leave, there's someone I must see."

Yang Lingqi asked: "Who?"

Zhang Ziqian!

Zhang Ziqian's residence lies in the east of Xizhou city; he had only just returned home at dawn. As Li Tianheng's chief strategist, Zhang Ziqian enjoys extremely tight protection from the Xichuan side, with twenty armed guards accompanying him whenever he goes out.

After arriving home, Zhang Ziqian did not rush to rest but went straight to his study, where he gazed at the map of Dakang's territory hanging on the wall, his eyes shining with excitement. His greatest ambition in life has been to assist a wise lord in contending for the world; Li Tianheng is skilled in conquest and battle, yet his temperament is somewhat indecisive. Earlier, Zhang Ziqian had already urged Li Tianheng to proclaim himself king, but Li Tianheng had always hesitated. Were it not for this rebellion coming to light, Li Tianheng might never have resolved to sever ties with Dakang.

Zhang Ziqian's gaze fell on Xichuan's position; by occupying Xichuan's advantages, resting and recuperating, consolidating their base, once the time is ripe they could lead an army eastward to unify Dakang, allowing Li Tianheng to become the true hegemon of Dakang.

A lazy voice came from behind: "Mr. Zhang, are you contemplating the grand plan to pacify the nation? Helping Li Tianheng overthrow the Long dynasty's rule?"

Zhang Ziqian's spine straightened noticeably, his whole body tensing. He recognized Hu Xiaotian's voice, but had no idea how Hu Xiaotian had sneaked into his study. He did not turn around; after a moment, he reached out to stroke the beard on his chin and smiled: "Ah, it's Brother Hu—what a rare visitor. You graced my humble abode without even giving me notice; I should have come out to greet you." Having said that, he slowly turned around.

Hu Xiaotian sat in the grand chair, smiling narrowly at Zhang Ziqian: "Mr. Zhang, do you intend to bring sword-and-axe men to greet me?"

Zhang Ziqian chuckled: "Where does that come from, Brother Hu? I mean you no harm, and even the Grand Marshal never thought of targeting you. Your sudden departure left us bewildered, and we don't know where we fell short in hospitality; please forgive any shortcomings."

Hu Xiaotian secretly admired him; Zhang Ziqian was indeed no ordinary man, remaining composed in the face of danger without showing the slightest panic.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Mr. Zhang is Xichuan's foremost strategist, the left and right hand of the Grand Marshal; Li Tianheng raised troops and established himself, carving out a domain, and in this affair Mr. Zhang's contributions are paramount."

Zhang Ziqian smiled: "I dare not claim such merit; how could the world's great trends be swayed by me, a weak scholar who can't even truss a chicken?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If you were to meet with misfortune, wouldn't the Grand Marshal lose an arm?"

Zhang Ziqian caught Hu Xiaotian's implication; far from being afraid, he stepped forward, sat beside Hu Xiaotian, and whispered: "Brother Hu, do you want to kill me?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly: "Mr. Zhang, you're not afraid?" He drew a dagger from his waist and thrust it forcefully into the sandalwood tea table; the dagger sounded 'duo!' as it sank deep into the table. Zhang Ziqian's heart jolted, but his expression remained as still as an ancient well, and he said calmly: "What good would killing me do you?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Bringing back your head might earn me a reward from the Emperor."

Zhang Ziqian said: "If the Emperor truly wanted to reward you, why would he send you on a mission to Xichuan? You're so clever; surely you've realized the Emperor's true intentions by now?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If you don't tell me, I really wouldn't understand."

Zhang Ziqian smiled: "Brother Hu, you should have heard that Xichuan generals Lin Zefeng and Zhao Yanjing, etc., have been inciting their subordinates, corrupting military morale, and plotting rebellion."

When one wants to frame someone, there's never a shortage of pretexts.

Zhang Ziqian said: "This matter has basically been clarified; according to several testimonies, the court secretly contacted them, offering high office and generous salaries, intending to eliminate the Grand Marshal. You probably wouldn't expect that they also wanted to kill you, and the Emperor has issued a death order against your party."

Seeing Hu Xiaotian unmoved, Zhang Ziqian sighed: "Brother Hu, don't you still understand? The Emperor is desperate to escape his predicament, so he spares no effort to take back Xichuan, hoping to use Xichuan's grain to relieve Dakang's famine." He shook his head, rose, and walked toward the map: "Xichuan's territory is less than one-seventh of Dakang's; although Xichuan hasn't suffered the disaster, its grain reserves are utterly insufficient to save Dakang from famine. Even if Xichuan gave everything to help, it would end in futile effort, not only failing to save Dakang but also plunging all of Xichuan's people into fire and water."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Mr. Zhang, why bother with all these excuses? Saying all this is merely to absolve Li Tianheng of rebellion."

Zhang Ziqian said: "Brother Hu, have you considered how Dakang fell into its present state? Natural disaster?" He shook his head: "It is entirely man-made calamity; the Emperor is dim-witted, these years he has imposed harsh taxes and levies, fleeced the people, employed villains, and harmed the loyal. Even if Xichuan submitted, even if it could ease Dakang's famine today, what then? Should another disaster strike, who would we hope to save? Dakang's corrupt system is deeply entrenched and hard to reverse; unless we fundamentally overturn heaven and earth, Dakang's people will never know peace." Zhang Ziqian's emotions grew agitated: "You think I don't understand the principle of loyalty to the ruler and love for the country, but Dakang is not the Long family's private realm; if the ruler does not love the people, what right does he have to demand their loyalty? The Grand Marshal drawing a line with Dakang is, in truth, a decision made out of utter helplessness; do you think he doesn't know this will earn him eternal condemnation? The Grand Marshal sacrifices his own reputation to protect the people of one region of Xichuan."

Hu Xiaotian remained expressionless; although Zhang Ziqian spoke with fervor, he still could not shake off his original motive of serving the Li family's interests, and Hu Xiaotian did not believe their actions were motivated by righteousness. He whispered: "Where is Prince Zhou?"

Third Update delivered, still missing two chapters; the recent slowdown is not due to hoarding drafts—up to now not a single word has been saved. All aspects are being adjusted; hope everyone understands! (To be continued~^~)