Chapter 1061: [Re-Exploring the Waters] (Part 2)

Hu Xiaotian did not go to the Bureau of Gardens; although the Bureau of Gardens was his base in the palace, after all, with many people and mixed eyes, his frequent comings and goings to the wine cellar would inevitably arouse suspicion. Now Hu Xiaotian is no longer the timid little eunuch he once was; every move of his draws attention.

The entrance to the secret passage was not only the wine cellar; there was also another entrance behind the statue of the Wen Sage on the sixth floor of the Cangshuge. In the past, Hu Xiaotian might have had to weigh it, but now that he and Li Yuncong have reached cooperation, there is naturally no need to worry.

Li Yuncong saw Hu Xiaotian go and return, found it a bit strange, asked him, and then learned that Hu Xiaotian wanted to borrow the secret passage of the Cangshuge.

Li Yuncong thought this fellow wanted to use the secret passage to sneak into Zilan Palace at night to steal fragrance and jade, sighing inwardly; sure enough, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, a rat's son knows how to dig holes. This kid is bolder and more flirtatious than his father.

Li Yuncong accompanied Hu Xiaotian to the sixth floor of the Cangshuge. Hu Xiaotian recalled that before Li Yuncong he had been utterly powerless, and now he feared Li Yuncong might not find it so easy to deal with him. Hu Xiaotian looked around the Cangshuge, suddenly recalled something, and smiled: 'Eunuch Li, years ago you had me look for the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing; is that sutra still in the Cangshuge?'

Li Yuncong said: 'There is no such sutra in the Cangshuge.'

Hu Xiaotian then asked: 'What about the Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram?' Li Yuncong had once suspected, because of Hu Xiaotian's drawn anatomical diagram, that the Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram had fallen into his hands; back then he had almost killed Hu Xiaotian, so Hu Xiaotian had always harbored doubts, which is why he raised this question.

Li Yuncong said: 'The Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram was stolen seven years ago.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'You must have seen its contents; why not tell me what exactly is depicted?' Anyway, it was still early before his appointment with Qiqi, so he could conveniently pump Li Yuncong for some information.

Li Yuncong sighed and said: 'Actually, all the precious books in the Cangshuge have copies; the Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram is no exception. The copies were originally drawn by hand by the Zajia; two years ago the original Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram was stolen, and at the same time the unfinished copy that the Zajia had not yet completed was also lost, indicating the thieves came prepared.'

Hu Xiaotian suddenly had a brainwave and whispered: 'Could it be that the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing and that Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram disappeared at the same time?' Li Yuncong had previously told him that the Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram was lost seven years ago. It now seemed false; actually, the diagram was lost not long ago, which, when calculated, was around the time he entered the palace.

Li Yuncong nodded and said: 'That's right; it was also from that time that the Zajia discovered this hidden passage behind the Wen Sage statue.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: This underground passage beneath the palace can no longer be called a secret—Li Yuncong knows, Ji Feihua knows, Qiqi knows, Quan De'an also knows—but who was the first to discover this secret? According to Li Yuncong's account, two years ago someone entered through this passage and stole two classics.

Li Yuncong said: 'The Zajia thought it over; only a few could have done this, so they investigated each one. After a period of inquiry, they finally narrowed the biggest suspicion to one person.'

Hu Xiaotian asked: 'Who?'

Li Yuncong said: 'Liu Yuzhang!'

Hearing this, Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted. Li Yuncong's answer surprised him at first, but upon reflection it made sense: Liu Yuzhang had headed the Bureau of Gardens for years, knowing everything about it intimately—Hu Xiaotian himself could discover the secret in the wine cellar. Why couldn't Liu Yuzhang? It was only that Liu Yuzhang had shown him some care when he first entered the palace. It was precisely Liu Yuzhang's favor and promotion that let Hu Xiaotian stand out in the Bureau of Gardens, and Liu Yuzhang had also shielded him from many unnecessary troubles. When Liu Yuzhang was beaten to death by Ji Feihua, Hu Xiaotian felt great sorrow and thus vowed to avenge him.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'But Eunuch Liu is already dead.'

Li Yuncong laughed wickedly: 'We eunuchs, to hold any position in the palace, must possess extraordinary means and scheming; Liu Yuzhang is no different. Why would he treat you so kindly? Knowing full well Ji Feihua's overwhelming power, why would he seek death by opposing her? You don't understand him, but the Zajia does.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed; Li Yuncong spoke with such certainty that it seemed Liu Yuzhang was indeed related to the theft of the two classics. Still, no matter what, Liu Yuzhang had treated him well. Back then, after being gravely wounded by Ji Feihua and unable to endure the torment, Liu Yuzhang begged Hu Xiaotian to kill him, which Hu Xiaotian did with a dagger. He was sure—he had examined the corpse—and Liu Yuzhang was indeed dead.

Li Yuncong said: 'It would have been easy for Liu Yuzhang to escape, but to vanish without anyone knowing and without arousing suspicion is difficult. A month after his supposed death, the Zajia, growing more doubtful, personally went to the Eunuchs' Tomb.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly drew a cold breath, having a faint premonition of something.

Li Yuncong said: 'The Zajia dug up his grave—guess what?'

Hu Xiaotian whispered: 'No remains inside?'

Li Yuncong nodded: 'You guessed right—Liu Yuzhang never died; he used this as a ruse to slip out of the palace under heaven's nose. At the time, if he hadn't fled, the Zajia would surely have taken his life.'

Hu Xiaotian stood there dazed for a while before sighing: 'But back then he was struck by Ji Feihua's Heartbreak Palm; to spare him torment, I even personally stabbed him in the chest.'

Li Yuncong said: 'What you see with your own eyes isn't necessarily fact. Although Ji Feihua is supremely intelligent and highly skilled in martial arts, Liu Yuzhang, daring to use this method to flee the palace, must have exceptional courage and strategy. After being struck by her palm, he begged you to end his life—on the surface it seems reasonable, but perhaps he feared Ji Feihua would discover his disguise; a top expert can protect his pulse with inner energy, so even ten stabs might not kill him.'

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile and shook his head; he had always considered himself clever, yet among these old foxes, in their contests of wit and tactics, he ultimately ended up being used. Although he could not confirm that everything Li Yuncong said was factual, based on his feeling there should be no deceit; Liu Yuzhang willingly taking such a risk to take the Ten Thousand Phenomena Diagram and the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing must mean they are extremely important.

What could make these eunuchs exhaust their schemes and brave such great risks is certainly not mere power, status, and wealth—unless it could restore them to male bodies or lead them to the path of longevity.

Li Yuncong said: 'If it weren't for Long Yelin's usurpation of power, Liu Yuzhang would never have escaped the Zajia's grasp.'

Hu Xiaotian asked: 'Are those two classics related to the Qiankun Kaiwu?'

Li Yuncong shook his head: 'Apart from the diagrams, the Zajia cannot recognize the text at all.' He sighed, his expression showing considerable dejection.

Hu Xiaotian walked toward the Wen Sage statue, gathered his inner strength, pushed the seated statue with both arms, slowly moving it aside to reveal the cavity below—he previously lacked such strength. Li Yuncong watched Hu Xiaotian with interest; this boy could now push a three-thousand-catty seated statue, showing his martial arts progress over the past year, though it remains unclear how he controls the heterogeneous true qi within his body—could the Bodhi No-Mind Chan Technique he taught him actually be effective?

Hu Xiaotian clasped his hands toward Li Yuncong and said: 'Eunuch Li, I'm leaving; tell everyone I'll stay tonight in the Cangshuge to keep you company by candlelight.'

Li Yuncong smiled faintly: 'Young people must learn restraint; otherwise, playing with fire could bring endless trouble.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly chuckled; this old turtle really thought he was using his hole to go to Zilan Palace and Qiqi**? Anyway, there was no need to explain; he leapt up from the underground cavern, and as his feet landed he felt a boom! from above—it was Li Yuncong resealing the entrance with the Wen Sage statue, plunging the whole passage into instant darkness.

Hu Xiaotian paid it no mind; he had long cultivated a pair of night eyes, so even in pitch-black depths he could still see the fine details of his surroundings. Following the familiar route, he arrived at the wine cellar of the Bureau of Gardens. Li Yuncong's earlier remarks reminded Hu Xiaotian of something: before Ji Feihua had taken Liu Yuzhang away, the latter had once stuffed a paper wad into his hand; Hu Xiaotian had kept that wad in the wine cellar. Back then he could not make out what was written on it, so he returned to its hiding place, retrieved it, unfolded it, and found it covered in dense characters—though he could not read them, nor did he know Liu Yuzhang's purpose in leaving it; now it seemed Liu Yuzhang must have had a deeper meaning.

Hu Xiaotian put the paper wad away, rested a while in the wine cellar, then punctually arrived before midnight at the passage leading to Zilan Palace's well. Qiqi arrived as promised; upon entering the passage she took out the Night Pearl to illuminate it, saw Hu Xiaotian already waiting, and broke into a sweet smile, saying softly: 'You're pretty punctual!'

Seeing her dressed in a red warrior outfit, Hu Xiaotian shook his head: 'So flamboyant—aren't you afraid someone will mistake you for an aerial bandit and arrest you?'

Qiqi said: 'No one dares enter the inner court of Zilan Palace.' She then added: 'Eunuch Quan is guarding it.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: Quan De'an is indeed loyal to Qiqi, but I don't know his background. Recalling his earlier conversation with Li Yuncong, the few senior eunuchs in this palace are each more sinister and terrifying than the last; Quan De'an is certainly no ordinary figure—let's hope the little girl isn't being used.

Qiqi tossed Hu Xiaotian a set of water gear, still a product of Lu the Master from the Heavenly Workshop; Hu Xiaotian went to a corner to change into it. Upon emerging, he saw Qiqi had already taken off her outer warrior garb; the water gear clung tightly, outlining her curves—upon closer look, even her chest's 'airfield' seemed to have a slight rise and fall.

Monthly tickets are dismal; Old Zhangyu has fainted from crying on the ground—brothers and sisters, cast a monthly ticket! (To be continued~^~)