Chapter 1179

Luo Qianfu sighed and said, "All right!"

Lu Qingyuan clasped his fist and smiled: "I'll take my leave first; if the weather is fine tomorrow, I'll change my itinerary."

After everyone left, Luo Qianfu summoned a few subordinates. Tonight, casualties in Flying Fish Cave were heavy; Luo Qianfu ordered Yang Yuan and Hu Xiaotian to go dispose of the bodies. The so‑called disposal was not burial but carrying the corpses into Flying Fish Cave and throwing them straight into the sea to feed the sharks.

Hu Xiaotian originally planned to wait until the situation stabilized before killing Luo Qianfu, but having just heard from Lu Qingyuan about the Yan siblings, he couldn't help wondering whether these Yan siblings were those Yan siblings. He therefore put aside his intention to kill Luo Qianfu for now, planning to see them tomorrow and decide then.

Yang Yuan and Hu Xiaotian could be considered brothers in misfortune. After they cleaned up the bodies, they returned to the Stone Chamber to rest. Yang Yuan was utterly exhausted, took off his clothes and flopped onto the bed, sighing grimly, "I almost died today."

Hu Xiaotian deliberately spoke resentfully: "The Fifth Lord doesn't care at all about our lives or deaths."

Yang Yuan jumped up from the bed with a start, nervously went to the door to listen, and lowered his voice: "Sanxi, you mustn't talk nonsense; if the Fifth Lord hears this, he'll surely throw you into the sea to feed the fish."

Hearing him call him Sanxi, Hu Xiaotian stared for a moment, almost forgetting that detail. He then sighed and said, "Elder Brother Yang, do you have a change of clothes? This set is completely soaked and stained with blood."

Yang Yuan nodded, perhaps feeling a kinship through shared fate that made him feel close to this newcomer, Wang Sanxi. He opened the chest in the corner, took out a set of clothes, handed it to Hu Xiaotian, and said with feeling, "So many brothers died tonight, but there are still plenty of clothes left. This set should fit you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "But I'm filthy and stinky; I need to wash before changing!"

Yang Yuan gave a wry smile: "You're really particular about your comfort; I can tell you used to be a young master. Come with me!" He opened the door, led Hu Xiaotian winding this way and that, and arrived at a pool. Pointing at it, he said, "It's a bit cold, but it'll do for a wash."

Having no harmful intent but needing to be wary, Hu Xiaotian was highly alert, fearing the pool might hide some monster of this person, so he deliberately asked, "Elder Brother Yang, aren't you washing?"

Yang Yuan replied, "I don't have your many fussiness; I'm exhausted, I'll go back to sleep. When you return, be careful opening the door."

Hu Xiaotian nodded. After Yang Yuan left, he reached into the pool to probe, convinced no man‑eating monster lurked there, then stripped and entered the pool. The fresh water came from a crack in the cliff above, likely rain seeping through a fissure in the rock. Hu Xiaotian washed off the mud and blood stains, changed into dry clothes, and walked back to the temporary Stone Chamber. Passing the iron cage that held the flying eagle, he saw it was now empty and felt a pang of regret—if he had acted sooner, perhaps he could have saved the eagle's life. He blamed Luo Qianfu's viciousness; all he could hope now was that the escaped eagle would be safe and never return, for otherwise Luo Qianfu's cruelty might devise some new way to deal with it.

Tiptoeing back to the Stone Chamber, he saw Yang Yuan already sound asleep. This Stone Chamber had been the lodgings of Luo Qianfu's men; with so many dead tonight, many bunks were vacant. Hu Xiaotian found a spot, lay down, tossed and turned for half the night, grew tired, and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

In his dream, a vast ocean appeared, winds raged, waves towered; the twenty warships that had accompanied him to conquer the Python‑Flood Island struggled in the tempest. He heard the soldiers' mournful cries, saw the warships overturned, saw the men, to save themselves, shove the cannons into the sea. Hu Xiaotian bolted upright, drenched in cold sweat.

When he realized he was dreaming, a bitter smile touched his lips; he lifted his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead, heard Yang Yuan's steady snoring nearby, quietly opened the door and stepped out, just in time to see someone approaching from afar shouting, "Hey! Where's Yang Yuan? Get him up quick—the Fifth Lord has important business with him!"

Hu Xiaotian then went inside and woke Yang Yuan. Yang Yuan rubbed his sleepy eyes, heard that Luo Qianfu was looking for him, hurried over, returned shortly with a brighter expression, and whispered to Hu Xiaotian, "Sanxi, good news—the Fifth Lord wants us to guide guests at the Crystal Palace. No hard labor today; I suggested we go together. How about that? Am I looking out for you enough?"

Hu Xiaotian thanked him repeatedly, secretly glad that he wouldn't have to work too hard to meet the Yan siblings. Outside, the hurricane was not only as bad as last night but seemed even stronger; in such foul weather the fleet could not come to attack the island. Recalling last night's nightmare, he felt uneasy, hoping the fleet would find shelter soon. This sudden storm had completely scrambled his plans; he must readjust everything. Before the storm abates, he will face a lone‑army struggle, yet he feels no fear—only a different kind of excitement.

After a simple breakfast, Yang Yuan led Hu Xiaotian to the Listening Waves Pavilion to guide visitors. The rain had stopped, but the wind had grown much stronger. Walking against the wind made each step arduous, and the temperature had dropped sharply; the cold wind seemed to pierce every gap in his clothes. Yang Yuan shivered uncontrollably and complained, "If I'd known it would be like this, I'd rather have stayed in Flying Fish Cave doing hard labor."

Hu Xiaotian was unfamiliar with the island's roads; although the sky was still overcast, he could already make out the outlines of the buildings. He seized the chance to question Yang Yuan, pumping him for information, and silently memorized the location of the prison, resolving to infiltrate it tonight.

Yang Yuan certainly hadn't expected that this new attendant beside him was an aspiring infiltrator; because of last night's ordeal, he actually felt much closer to Hu Xiaotian, as if they could speak openly about anything—almost a "ask and you shall answer" relationship.

Arriving at the Listening Waves Pavilion, Yang Yuan knocked and announced themselves, but they were not admitted. While the pavilion's guard went to report, they had to wait outside honestly. Yang Yuan's nose turned red from the cold; he stamped his feet for warmth and cursed, "What a snobbish attitude—just a gate‑keeping dog, acting high and mighty when their status isn't any better than ours."

Hu Xiaotian heard his complaint and couldn't help chuckling; he advised softly, "When you're under someone else's eaves, how can you not lower your head? Elder Brother Yang, the Listening Waves Pavilion isn't our Flying Fish Cave, and besides, the island lord's relatives are naturally of higher rank."

Yang Yuan said, "These gatekeepers aren't the Yan siblings' men; they're all retainers of the Sixth Lord."

Hu Xiaotian deliberately remarked, "Who let the Sixth Lord gain favor?"

Upon hearing that, Yang Yuan fell silent, sighed, and said, "In terms of power, few on the island can rival the Sixth Lord."

They stood in the cold wind outside the pavilion's gate for a full half hour before someone emerged. Yang Yuan was freezing, his nose running clear mucus; he regretted bitterly, "If I'd known this was such a miserable task, I wouldn't have come for anything." Looking at Hu Xiaotian standing honestly nearby, he inwardly sighed, "This guy is indeed honest—I was planning to look out for him, but instead I've dragged him into trouble." Still, the boy seemed more tolerant of the cold than he was.

Lu Qingyuan's hearty laugh came from inside: "Young Master Yan, Miss Yan, please come this way!"

A familiar voice replied, "Sixth Lord, you're too kind!"

Hearing that voice, Hu Xiaotian could tell without doubt that the comer was Yan Boguang; there was no need to ask— the young lady must be Yan Nujiao. Thinking of this, a warm current rose from his heart. Although he and Yan Nujiao didn't share much emotional foundation, they had already been physically intimate, making their bond quite extraordinary. Undeniably, his impression of Yan Nujiao is still favorable—not just because of her beauty and figure, but chiefly her character: she acts unlike her lawless brother, principled and caring. The reason he became entangled with her in the first place was ultimately to save her useless brother, Yan Boguang—though Yan Boguang likely knows nothing of this.

Hu Xiaotian secretly mused, it seems the bandit chief of Xichuan's Heavenly Wolf Mountain, Yan Kui, and the island's lord, Yan Tianlu, both hail from Bohai State; perhaps they, too, were once princes forced into exile while fighting for the throne.

Lu Qingyuan stepped out first; Yang Yuan and Hu Xiaotian hurriedly bowed in salute. Yang Yuan's teeth chattered from the cold as he stammered, "Your humble servant Yang Yuan pays respects… to the Sixth Lord…"

Hu Xiaotian also said, "Your humble servant Wang Sanxi pays respects to the Sixth Lord," deliberately not disguising his natural voice.

The lady in white fox fur, Yan Nujiao, hearing his voice, involuntarily turned her lovely eyes toward Hu Xiaotian, filled with astonishment. Since parting with him in Xichuan, she had sworn never to see him again, burying their affair deep in her heart and trying to forget his name. She thought she could manage it, but after leaving, she realized that ever since that night, Hu Xiaotian had left a deep imprint in her body, haunting her dreams; countless midnight awakenings brought his face to mind. Thus, hearing that familiar voice, she immediately thought of him.

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