Chapter 1028: [All in One Net] (Part 1)

Li Tianheng indeed kept his promise: not only did he allow Hu Xiaotian's group to leave freely, but he also gave Hu Xiaotian a pass arrow; with this arrow they could travel unhindered within Xichuan. At the time the sun rose in the east, Hu Xiaotian's group had already left the east gate of Xizhou; just as they stepped out of the gate, they heard a sudden rush of horse hooves from behind. Turning around, they saw a squad of black-armored cavalry galloping swiftly to chase them.

Hu Xiaotian's group immediately became alert; Xiong Tianba took down the two large hammers hanging from his saddle, and if they had come to kill, he would be the first to charge forward and fight them to the death.

Hu Xiaotian's eyesight was sharp; he saw that the leader was none other than the Twelfth Prince of Shajia, Huoge, and calmly said, "Don't panic, I'll handle this." Although Li Tianheng had agreed to let them leave, this time their departing party had an extra person, Weisa. To be safe, Tang Tiexin and Liang Yinghao modified the vehicle, letting Weisa hide in the interlayer at the bottom of the vehicle, so as not to be discovered.

Hu Xiaotian turned his horse's head, rode the little gray slowly forward, and stopped when they were ten zhang away. He clasped his fists and shouted loudly, "I thought it was someone else; it turns out it's my elder brother who has come!"

Huoge laughed heartily. Beside him stood a black-armored warrior who was tall and thin, with a sallow complexion, high nose and deep-set eyes; his pair of blue eyes had a deep, unfathomable glint. Beneath his eagle nose grew two swooping mustaches shaped like an "eight", and his lips were extremely thin, as if cut by a knife. Hu Xiaotian could tell at a glance that this man was the soul-controller who had sneak-attacked him that night; he hurriedly avoided the man's gaze, letting his eyes fall on Huoge's face.

Huoge said, "Brother, why are you leaving in such a hurry? You didn't even say a word before leaving—do you not consider me your brother at all?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "How could that be, brother? I'm in a rush to return to Kangdu to make my report, so I didn't have time to say goodbye. I hope my elder brother will understand my predicament and not treat me like an ordinary sibling." He secretly remained wary. How did Huoge know he had left? He had used Li Tianheng's pass arrow at the gate and faced no questioning or hindrance; logically Li Tianheng wouldn't have leaked the news to him. Could it be that someone from Li Tianheng's entourage let the information slip?

Huoge said, "Brother, don't worry. Your father-in-law has already said that when two countries are at war, envoys are not to be harmed, and he has also ordered that no trouble be given to any foreign delegations."

Hu Xiaotian asked, "How is the Grand Marshal's injury?" He asked this on purpose, intending to find out whether Huoge knew Li Tianheng's true condition.

Huoge sighed and said, "It's said his life is not in danger, but he's still recuperating in the Marshal's residence; I haven't even been allowed to visit him."

Hu Xiaotian nodded. If what Huoge said was true, then it seemed Huoge had not seen Li Tianheng, meaning the news did not come from Li Tianheng himself; it was most likely someone close to Li Tianheng who leaked it. Hu Xiaotian asked, "Elder brother, how did you learn of my departure?"

Huoge said, "After the assassination attempt at the birthday banquet. The whole of Xizhou city was in a state of panic; I first heard that this matter might be related to you, which worried me greatly, then I heard that it had nothing to do with you, and the Grand Marshal issued an order not to disturb any delegations because of this. Only then did I put my mind at ease and start inquiring about your whereabouts everywhere. I even went to the Xuan Ning Relay Station several times, but I didn't find you—not even your followers. So I stationed my men at the four gates of Xizhou, waiting to report immediately if they spotted you. Heaven does not betray those who are sincere; in the end I still managed to find you, brother."

Hu Xiaotian didn't believe his explanation and laughed, saying, "I was also worried about being misunderstood. So I found a secluded place to hide. Upon learning that the Grand Marshal had no suspicions of us and agreed to let the delegation leave freely, I then departed. Thank you, elder brother, for your concern; this kindness I will keep in my heart. But today I cannot stay longer, lest I invite trouble."

Huoge chuckled and said, "Understood, understood!" He reached out to the side; his attendant handed him a wineskin. Huoge pulled the stopper, tilted his head back and drank half, then passed it to Hu Xiaotian, saying, "Brother, the road to Kangdu is long and far; as your elder brother, I offer you this wineskin of water and wine as a farewell gift."

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed, "The Shajia people really don't care about hygiene—you're practically forcing me to drink your saliva!" But he didn't disdain it; he took the wineskin Huoge handed him, drank two sips, then returned it to Huoge, secretly calculating that since Huoge dared to drink first, the wine was nine times out of ten not poisoned, and besides, his own physique was extraordinary, so even if the wine contained poison it wouldn't harm him. Hu Xiaotian clasped his fists toward Huoge and said, "Elder brother, please stay; I'm leaving now!"

Huoge returned the fist salute: "Take care, brother!"

Hu Xiaotian reined his horse around and galloped toward his own convoy.

Huoge sat on his horse, watching Hu Xiaotian's group recede into the distance; the smile on his face gradually faded, and he whispered, "DuoJi!"

The black-armored warrior beside him placed his right hand over his chest and bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, Prince!"

Huoge said, "Do you recognize him?"

DuoJi's deep blue eyes flashed with a hint of cold light: "Your Highness, I dare to assert that it was he who abducted Weisa that night!"

Huoge said, "His appearance is completely different—how can you be so certain?"

DuoJi said, "A person's appearance can be changed, but the gaze cannot be feigned; moreover, he dare not meet my eyes head‑on, which clearly shows he harbors great wariness toward me."

Huoge slowly nodded and said, "You know what to do, then?"

DuoJi said, "Your Highness, please rest assured!"

After Hu Xiaotian returned to the group, he immediately ordered everyone to hurry forward without delay; they raced along the official road, with Liang Yinghao and Xiong Tianba flanking him on the left and right. Xiong Tianba said, "Third Uncle, why are we rushing so? Are you worried about pursuers?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Those who come harbor ill intent, while those with good intentions do not come; I suspect his farewell gesture this time has an ulterior motive."

Xiong Tianba exclaimed with heroic fervor, "If they dare to catch up, I'll smash their heads like watermelons!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "They wouldn't dare act near Xizhou; better to avoid trouble than invite it, so we should try our best to shake them off."

At noon, they had already left Xizhou by a hundred li. Hu Xiaotian worried that Weisa, hidden in the vehicle's underside, could not endure the long journey's jolts, so he had everyone stop for a brief rest, and sent Xiong Tianba back to scout for any pursuers.

After confirming that no one was around, they finally released Weisa from the interlayer beneath the vehicle. Having endured the journey's jolts, her bones felt as if they would fall apart, but at last she could free herself from confinement and once again follow at her master's side; the joy in her heart made her forget the hardship of the jolts.

Yang Lingqi came up to Hu Xiaotian and whispered, "My lord, are you worried that the Shajia people will be adverse to us?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the fact that I took Weisa away has already been exposed."

Yang Lingqi asked, "How can you tell? When you went to rescue her, weren't you in disguise?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The Shajia person beside Huoge is very formidable—he is a Shajia soul-controller who can control minds through gaze. Just now I deliberately avoided his eyes, which already revealed a flaw."

Yang Lingqi asked, "Do you think they would spare no expense to hunt you down just for a female slave?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "Huoge is the sort who is rough on the outside but meticulous within, outwardly foolish yet inwardly wise. Don't look at his rough and unrestrained exterior—his mind is deep. What he truly worries about is that I might have overheard the conversation between him and Xue Shengjing that night; to ensure their secret does not leak, he will spare no effort to eliminate me."

Yang Lingqi drew a sharp breath of cold air; Hu Xiaotian was right—if Huoge believed Hu Xiaotian had overheard the two countries' secret plot, then silencing him could not be ruled out. Even if Xichuan were not involved, just the band of warriors Huoge had brought earlier already outnumbered them ten to one, so they would surely face a fierce battle. However, Huoge would likely not dare to openly encircle and annihilate them. Yang Lingqi said, "If we flee quickly, perhaps we can still shake them off."

At this moment Xiong Tianba came to report; he had gone back five li and seen no one pursuing them. Perhaps their speed had been so great that they had already shaken off the Shajia people, or perhaps Huoge had not sent anyone to pursue them.

At this time Weisa came over to bring water to the few of them; she always regarded herself as a maidservant, and having just gained freedom, she did not forget to attend to her master.

Hu Xiaotian took the waterskin and drank a sip; Weisa's delicate nostrils twitched slightly, and she whispered, "My lord, have you drunk Thousand-mile Fragrance?"

Hu Xiaotian blinked in surprise: "What?" Suddenly recalling the wine Huoge had just offered him, he wondered whether that wine truly contained poison.

Weisa said, "Thousand-mile Fragrance is a special wine brewed by the Shajia people; after drinking it, the body emits a faint fragrance that often takes several days to dissipate, and ordinary people cannot detect this scent."

Hu Xiaotian lowered his head to sniff; of course he could smell nothing himself, and Xiong Tianba also leaned in curiously to sniff, saying, "It just smells like ordinary wine—nothing special!"

Weisa added, "When the Shajia people pasture their livestock, they often sprinkle some of this on the cattle and sheep; any animal that has been marked with Thousand-mile Fragrance can be tracked down by herding dogs no matter how far it wanders."

Xiong Tianba could no longer contain his laughter, bursting out: "Third Uncle! Third Uncle, it seems those Shajia people are treating you like cattle and sheep to be herded!"

The others did not laugh; what Weisa had revealed was no laughing matter. By drinking Thousand-mile Fragrance, Hu Xiaotian had effectively left a trail for the Shajia people to follow—in other words, Huoge had not abandoned his pursuit of them. Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, "Huoge, Huoge, don't let me run into you again."

All eyes turned to Hu Xiaotian, awaiting his decision. He had Liang Yinghao fetch a map, for having taken Thousand-mile Fragrance, shaking off the Shajia's tracking seemed impossible; according to Weisa, unless one waits for the scent to fade naturally, washing or masking cannot eliminate it.

Hu Xiaotian stretched out his hand and drew a circle on the map: "Since they are determined to track us, we cannot avoid them; not far ahead lies LiuJiaoCheng, where we will wait. As soon as they arrive, we will net them all in one sweep!" Hu Xiaotian clenched his fist and hammered it onto the map. (To be continued~^~)