Chapter 1039

At this moment, Xiong Tianba and a few others also heard the news and rushed over. Xiong Tianba was the type who loved to see chaos; knowing he had missed a fight, he anxiously clenched his fists: "How could I just give them money for free, eat white rice? What's the big deal? Just beat them into submission."

Hu Xiaotian glared at him, and Xiong Tianba finally kept his mouth shut.

Seeing the crowded onlookers in the bustling market, Hu Xiaotian feared causing unnecessary trouble, so he brought Liu Kuohai back to the inn. Upon arriving at Hu Xiaotian's room, Liu Kuohai fell to his knees with a thud: "Sir Hu, my father died a horrible death!"

Hu Xiaotian knew Liu Kuohai very well. His father, Liu Danggui, ran a small pharmacy in Azure Cloud, which could be considered a well-off family. Liu Danggui was honest and sincere, generous and kind, enjoying a good reputation locally. It was hard to understand why such a person would meet misfortune. Hu Xiaotian quickly helped Liu Kuohai up and comforted him: "Kuohai, don't rush; tell me anything you need, and I will certainly help you with all my strength."

Liu Kuohai nodded with tears in his eyes. After Hu Xiaotian left Azure Cloud, the situation in Xichuan suddenly changed. Liu Kuohai was a restless sort; hearing that Hu Xiaotian had run into trouble in the capital, he wanted to go to Kangdu to rescue him. However, because his father threatened to die if he left, he stayed. Not long after, he heard that Hu Xiaotian had turned danger into safety and was being reused in the capital, so Liu Kuohai again wanted to go to Kangdu to join him. Liu Danggui, with great effort, persuaded him to stay. Originally Liu Kuohai had planned to serve his father until old age in Azure Cloud, marry, have children, and live out his life peacefully, but he never expected that Wan Ting Chang would return so soon.

Wan Ting Chang returned even more arrogant, exploiting his neighbors and bullying the populace. Liu Kuohai could not stand it and confronted him, but Wan Ting Chang bore a grudge, framing Liu Kuohai for colluding with bandits. He had the authorities arrest him, and then, taking advantage of the dead of night, he set fire to and burned down the Hall of Spring Return. Liu Kuohai's father, together with the hall's staff, were all burned to death. The fire spread to the neighboring Fulai Inn, and the innkeeper Su Guangju and his wife also perished innocently.

Upon hearing this, Liu Kuohai was overcome with grief. He seized an opportunity, escaped from prison, and went to the Wan family to take revenge, only to find that the Wan family had already relocated en masse. After great effort he learned their whereabouts: originally, the bandit Yan Kui of Heavenly Wolf Mountain, after being pacified by Xichuan, had behaved himself for a while, but soon, dissatisfied with Xichuan's unfair treatment of him, he grew resentful. He rallied his old followers and returned to Heavenly Wolf Mountain, this time also abducting many government clerks and villagers, making his forces even stronger than before. With more people on the mountain, naturally they needed more supplies, and Yan Kui's extortion of the surrounding area grew worse. The Wan family also became the first target of his extortion.

Wan Boping could no longer tolerate the harassment, so he decided to relocate his family eastward, with all of them going to Xiezhou to seek refuge with his brother-in-law, the prefect of Xiezhou, Yang Daoquan. Liu Kuohai, after learning the Wan family's whereabouts, pursued them all the way. However, by the midpoint his travel funds were exhausted, and he could only endure hunger and starvation, begging along the route. Xiezhou was nothing like Azure Cloud; it was far larger than he had imagined—more than ten times bigger. After arriving, he searched for three days but still could not locate the Wan family's residence. Starving to the point he could bear it no longer, he then enacted the scene just seen of eating a free meal. Truly, a hero won't die for lack of a penny. After recounting his ordeal, Liu Kuohai felt both grief and shame: grief over the loss of his family and home, shame that he had not avenged his father but instead had fallen to the point of scavenging for food and being chased.

Hu Xiaotian, when he first arrived in Azure Cloud, stayed at the Fulai Inn. He had a deep friendship with Su Guangju, and Liu Danggui was also an old acquaintance. Upon hearing that these honest villagers had met such misfortune, Hu Xiaotian also felt sorrow welling up, and he angrily said: "The Wan father and son are truly scoundrels. Kuohai, rest assured—I will help you avenge this!"

Beside him, Xiong Tianba also felt righteous indignation, gnashing his teeth: "Uncle, count me in too. This kind of villain who exploits the countryside and treats lives as trash—I, Xiong Tianba, will certainly not let them off."

Yang Lingqi also came from Azure Cloud; he had long heard of the Wan family's misdeeds, and he felt deep sympathy for Liu Kuohai's fate, but he was much calmer than Xiong Tianba, giving Hu Xiaotian a subtle glance. Hu Xiaotian understood that he wanted to speak privately, so he had Xiong Tianba first arrange for Liu Kuohai to rest.

After the surrounding people had left, Yang Lingqi then said: "Lord, this area is still under the Li clan's control. We barely escaped from Xizhou with our lives; at a time like this, it's best not to stir up trouble."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Brother Lingqi, I understand your point, but a man must have principles in establishing himself in the world. When I first arrived in Azure Cloud, those villagers helped me wholeheartedly. Now they have been harmed by villains; if I do not stand up for them, my conscience will never be at ease."

Yang Lingqi saw Hu Xiaotian's resolute gaze and already knew he had made up his mind, sighing: "Lord, since your intention is set, I have nothing more to say."

Hu Xiaotian thought it wouldn't be hard to find where the Wan family was staying, since Wan Boping's family had come to Xiezhou specifically to rely on his brother-in-law Yang Daoquan; approaching Yang Daoquan should yield clues. Indeed, as Hu Xiaotian expected, that afternoon Tang Tieshin and Liang Yinghao returned with news: the Wan family was indeed residing within Xiezhou city, having just arrived and still looking for a suitable residence and property; for the time being they were staying in a villa south of the city belonging to Yang Daoquan.

To be safe, Hu Xiaotian had Liang Yinghao and Tang Tieshin escort Yang Lingqi and Weisa ahead of time to leave Xiezhou, agreeing to meet at noon the next day at the foot of Mount Pengyin in Sanhezhen. He and Xiong Tianba stayed behind to accompany Liu Kuohai that night in seeking revenge against the Wan family. The reason for this choice was mainly that Xiong Tianba is unruly by nature; only Hu Xiaotian can keep him in check, and moreover, for such a lively event, if he couldn't join in, he would surely feel dissatisfied. Liang Yinghao is steady and decisive, able to see the big picture, so entrusting him with the escort duty is more reliable.

At dusk, the three had already reached the place where the Wan family resided, hiding in a nearby deserted, uninhabited dwelling. Only at midnight did they leave their hiding spot and approach the villa's exterior. Having previously scouted the general situation, they chose to infiltrate at the northwest corner of the villa. Liu Kuohai, eager for revenge, was the first to climb the wall. Xiong Tianba, not wanting to be outdone, shouldered two large hammers and still managed to leap over five feet high, gripping the wall's top with both hands; with a little effort, he sat astride the wall. The two turned to look at Hu Xiaotian, who tapped his toes and soared more than three zhang into the air, then spread his arms like a great bird, gliding straight down to land on the opposite roof, making no sound whatsoever.

The two stared, dumbfounded, then felt a surge of envy. Xiong Tianba secretly thought, "Someday, no matter how much coaxing or pressure, I'll get Third Uncle to teach me this skill." Liu Kuohai felt both envy and excitement, secretly resolving that after today's revenge, he would follow Hu Xiaotian to the ends of the earth, willing to sacrifice his life to repay today's kindness.

All three were dressed in black with their faces covered; Hu Xiaotian also had them smear charcoal on their faces as a precaution. Hu Xiaotian stood on the roof, observing the surroundings. Seeing lights approaching from afar, it turned out to be two guards—one wielding a knife, the other holding a lamp—on patrol.

Hu Xiaotian gestured to the two, indicating they should hide in the grass and temporarily avoid making any noise.

Soon the two night‑patrol guards reached their hiding spot. Xiong Tianba and Liu Kuohai burst out from the grass like two tigers, moving in unison—one covered the opponent's mouth, the other wrapped an arm around the shoulder, and with a sharp twist they snapped the neck with a crack.

Although Hu Xiaotian hadn't intended to exterminate the Wan family, he hadn't expected these two to act so swiftly. They were a perfect pair—fearless brutes—leaving no survivors; otherwise he could have asked where Wan Ting Chang lived and saved himself the trouble of searching everywhere.

Hu Xiaotian led the way, leaping over eaves and walls to scout ahead, while Xiong Tianba and Liu Kuohai followed closely below, acting on his signals. Liu Kuohai had actually come tonight resolved to slaughter every member of the Wan family, and Xiong Tianba, naturally bloodthirsty, would not spare any effort to kill an extra person. After passing through two courtyards they fortunately encountered no night patrols; otherwise they would not have escaped the duo's lethal hands.

Upon entering the inner court, Hu Xiaotian immediately saw light glowing in the east wing. He gestured to the two to stay put, then moved along the roof to above the east wing, sliding down following the roof's slope, hooked his feet to the eaves, inverted himself in a golden‑hook pose against the west window, moistened the paper with saliva, poked a tiny hole, and peered through—inside sat a woman. Hu Xiaotian saw clearly that it was Wan Ting Chang's wife, Li Xiangzhi, whose life he had once saved; of course he remembered her well.

Hu Xiaotian secretly rejoiced—he hadn't expected to find Wan Ting Chang's residence so easily.

At that moment a black shadow furtively approached from the distance. Hu Xiaotian started slightly, looked up, and saw the person moving stealthily, glancing left and right as he walked, coming to the east wing's door and even pinching his throat to imitate a cat's meow.

Hu Xiaotian gazed by moonlight and discovered that the figure was not Wan Ting Chang but his brother Wan Ting Sheng. He immediately understood what had happened: earlier, the Wan family's second son, Wan Ting Sheng, had intended to insult Le Yao, but Hu Xiaotian had encountered him, knocked him unconscious, and although he saved his life, Wan Ting Sheng consequently suffered amnesia. Now it appears his amnesia has healed—not only healed, but he has forgotten the pain of his scar, and he has actually … with his older brother's wife **. The Wan family is truly chaotic to the extreme.

Li Xiangzhi rose and opened the door, but Wan Ting Sheng deliberately hid. As she looked left and right, Wan Ting Sheng suddenly lunged out, startling Li Xiangzhi; before she could cry out, he grabbed her in an embrace and kissed her mouth, the two tumbling into the room and shutting the door behind them.

Li Xiangzhi finally managed to break free, whispering angrily: "Dead ghost, aren't you afraid of being seen?"

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