Chapter 1035

The sunshine in Xizhou is fine, yet even standing in the sun cannot dispel the gloom on Huoge's face; they dispatched nearly a hundred warriors, including two Soul Capturing masters, but Huoge's party was cut down by more than half by Hu Xiaotian's group. Although losing so many warriors is secondary, DuoJi's death is a major loss for him. Eye soul-capturing is the highest realm of Soul Capturing masters; even a Soul Capturing master of Shajia's caliber would not exceed ten, and the only one truly willing to serve him is DuoJi alone. Huoge realized he had underestimated the enemy; Hu Xiaotian has undergone a complete transformation since they first met, and this change is not limited to martial arts.

Three full days have passed since Li Tianheng was assassinated, and even today, as his son-in-law, Huoge has not gotten a chance to visit him, which makes him feel somewhat unusual. Could it be that Li Tianheng already knows about the conspiracy between him and Xue Shengjing? If that is truly the case, it would be very bad; the Xichuan side will surely take early precautions.

A warrior approached Huoge and whispered, "Report to Your Highness, the Prince Yan of Da Yong has arrived."

Huoge nodded and said, "Please!" He frowned tightly and added, "Please have him meet me at the Qinshui Pavilion."

The Qinshui Pavilion is a waterside gazebo inside the inn, located west of the pond, with half of its structure built over the water. Huoge likes water; born in Shajia, he is accustomed to the winds and sands of the vast desert and rarely gets to see such clear mountains and beautiful waters, let alone living by the water, which is a luxury.

Xue Shengjing always walks with a slow, sluggish step because he cannot control his mouth; his belly keeps growing with age, and he often cannot help but mock himself, to the point that even when urinating he can no longer see his little brother. Xue Shengjing stopped in the middle of the Nine-Curve Long Bridge, one hand holding the rail, the other supporting his belly, looking from afar like a pregnant woman. He took a few breaths, lifted his head, and gazed at the vicious sun.

Only then did Huoge step out of the Qinshui Pavilion, go outside and greet with a chuckle, "Big Brother has arrived; little brother failed to welcome you properly, please don't take offense, Big Brother!"

Xue Shengjing laughed, "Why bother with false pleasantries between us brothers? As long as elder brother knows what's on your mind, that's enough." There was meaning behind the words, clearly implying that Huoge harbored dissatisfaction toward him in his heart.

Huoge indeed felt uneasy, having sent so many people. Earlier he had also sought Xue Shengjing's opinion; Xue Shengjing not only agreed with his practice of killing to silence, but also voluntarily offered to assist Huoge. Huoge had expected Xue Shengjing to send strong reinforcements, but he never imagined that only one person would be sent, and that person had no effect whatsoever on the overall situation.

Actually this isn't Xue Shengjing's fault; often he doesn't care about numbers. However, the Blade Demon FengXingyun clearly did not play a decisive role, disappointing Xue Shengjing's expectations.

After entering the Qinshui Pavilion, Xue Shengjing took out his white handkerchief and kept wiping sweat, sighing, "It's really hot; the weather in Xichuan is unbearable. Tomorrow I will head back to my residence."

Huoge felt no surprise at all; Xue Shengjing had originally come to Xizhou under the pretense of celebrating a birthday, and there is no banquet in the world that never ends, let alone this time they parted unhappily. Huoge said, "Big Brother, you don't plan to stay a few more days, do you?"

Xue Shengjing sighed, "Xichuan is not peaceful either; I originally planned to leave right after the birthday feast. I didn't expect General Li's assassination to happen. Now I hear his condition has turned from critical to stable, and I can relax; I will hurry back to my country. There are many other matters waiting for me to attend to."

Huoge nodded.

Xue Shengjing twirled his small eyes and said, "Brother, have you seen General Li yet?"

Huoge shook his head, his expression showing some embarrassment; as a son-in-law, he still hasn't seen his injured father-in-law, which seems somewhat unreasonable, and even outsiders can tell that this father-in-law and son-in-law are not as harmonious as they claim to the outside world.

Xue Shengjing said, "It is said that General Li personally ordered the Dakang envoy to be allowed to leave freely, and even gave them a pass token."

Huoge felt as if pricked by a thorn; Xue Shengjing was basically bringing up the sore point, and he forced a smile: "When two countries are at war, they do not harm envoys; General Li's approach is not improper at all."

Xue Shengjing nodded and said, "But I always feel this is letting the tiger return to the mountain; this little brother of ours is not simple."

Huoge said, "A fine bird chooses the tree to roost in; even if a person possesses great talent, if he does not encounter a wise ruler, it is hard for him to achieve anything."

Xue Shengjing gave a sly, evil laugh at Huoge's words: "Your words hit the mark; facing a foolish monarch like Long Xuan'en, even if one possessed heavenly abilities, it would be difficult to put them to use."

Huoge finally could not tolerate Xue Shengjing's roundabout way of speaking and spoke directly: "Big Brother, aren't you worried that he will spread what he hears?"

Xue Shengjing slowly shook his head and said, "Nobody is a fool; everyone sees the importance of the Domain Lan Country. Even if everyone knew our affairs, what is there to fear?"

Huoge's expression turned astonished; if Xue Shengjing is not afraid of the matter being exposed, why did he earlier agree to my idea of killing to silence? Isn't that equivalent to exposing myself to Li Tianheng's gaze? Making Xichuan wary of Shajia? This is simply a self-damaging, pointless act!

Xue Shengjing smiled and patted Huoge's hand on the back, saying, "Brother, don't take offense; I too have just realized this principle. In the Northern Country's winter, thousands of miles are frozen in ice, myriad miles of snow drift; if you are interested, why not come to Yongdu for a gathering?"

Huoge nodded and said, "Brother, I've taken note!"

After leaving LiuJiaoCheng, Hu Xiaotian's group encountered no further pursuit or blockade and smoothly arrived at Xiezhou. Relying on the pass token given by Li Tianheng, entry into Xiezhou was also unimpeded. They chose to stay at the best Heavenly Star Inn in Xiezhou, planning to rest for a night before departing Xiezhou, taking the route through Pengyin Mountain to enter Dakang territory.

Another reason for choosing the Heavenly Star Inn is that Hu Xiaotian is very curious about the Ring Color Pavilion; it is not far from here, and he wants to take this opportunity to go to the Ring Color Pavilion to investigate.

After dinner, Hu Xiaotian went alone to the vicinity of the Ring Color Pavilion; upon arriving at its gate he discovered that the formerly bustling entrance, once filled with carriages and horses, was now deserted. The once-famous establishment in Xichuan had actually closed its doors. He asked a nearby resident and learned that the Ring Color Pavilion had been shut down a year ago and remained closed to this day; nobody knows why it closed.

Hu Xiaotian walked around the walls of the Ring Color Pavilion, thinking to himself that both the Ring Color Pavilion and Zhong Xiang Lou belong to the Wuxian Sect; they likely existed to gather intelligence. After Li Tianheng became independent, the Ring Color Pavilion had fulfilled its historical mission, so there was no longer any need for its existence.

Finding a secluded, unoccupied corner, Hu Xiaotian lightly leapt up, climbed onto the wall, flipped into the back courtyard of the Ring Color Pavilion; the place where he landed was precisely the Back Garden. The once exquisite Back Garden, long neglected, had become overgrown with weeds, the paths covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves, which rustled underfoot.

The red lanterns hanging in the corridor had long been damaged; under the bleak moonlight, the whole courtyard appeared ever more desolate.

Hu Xiaotian walked through the Ring Color Pavilion from memory, searching, and came to the small building at the center of the back courtyard; he went up the stairs. This should be the owner's quarters; the door was not locked. He pushed it open, and moonlight poured in silently from behind like water, soon filling the room. The first thing that caught his eye was a guqin. Hu Xiaotian seemed to see Xi Yan sitting here playing the guqin and singing. He really could not understand why Xi Yan would devote herself to the Wuxian Sect, and why the Wuxian Sect, the number one evil cult in the martial world, would spare no effort in supporting Li Tianheng.

The west side is the bedroom, the east side the study. Hu Xiaotian found no trace of Xi Yan anywhere. He sat cross-legged beside the ancient zither, lifted the red silk covering it, and lightly plucked a string with his finger.

Plunk! The zither's note rang out in the silent night, startling a flock of crows outside the window; they fluttered their wings and flew off into the night sky, the echo lingering long before fading.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, and then he heard someone else sigh just like him.

Hu Xiaotian could tell that the second sigh was definitely not an echo of his own; the sound came from behind him, and judging by the distance the sound traveled, it should be no more than three feet away, yet he felt nothing. Cold sweat trickled down his back. Since he was facing the door and window, it would be impossible for someone to enter the room unnoticed and appear behind him; therefore, the person must have been hiding here before he entered the room, and yet he detected nothing. With his current cultivation, there are hardly anyone in the present age who could achieve that.

Hu Xiaotian reminded himself to stay completely calm and said in a steady voice, "Since you've come, why don't you dare to show yourself?"

There was no sound behind him; Hu Xiaotian slowly turned his head, only to see emptiness behind. Could it really be his hallucination? He bit his lip, and suddenly the zither string gave a Plunk! Hu Xiaotian jerked his head back—his hands had already left the ancient zither, making it impossible to pluck the string, yet before him there was not even a hint of a shadow. He broke out in a cold sweat all over; he had never encountered anything so bizarre in his life. Could this place truly be haunted? Hu Xiaotian, a lifelong atheist, did not believe ghosts existed in this world; surely there was an expert lying in wait nearby. He sprang to his feet; aside from him, there was only a shadow on the ground. He clenched his fists, certain that the opponent's martial arts far surpassed his own, and with his present perception he could not detect the enemy's presence. Hu Xiaotian shouted, "Sneaking and hiding, what kind of hero is that? Show yourself openly if you have the guts!"

"Heroes? All the heroes in this world are short-lived ghosts!" The voice reverberated around Hu Xiaotian; this short sentence actually shifted among four different directions. Hu Xiaotian followed the sound, yet still could not see the opponent's silhouette.

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