Chapter 1186

Yan Nujiao felt a wave of dizziness seeing the scene below, quickly closed her eyes, realizing their lives hung by a thread; if Hu Xiaotian's judgment slipped even slightly, both would fall into the huge maw of the shark pack. Hu Xiaotian made several successive leaps, the firelight ahead drawing nearer; he saw clearly that a reef three zhang square rose above the water ahead, a bonfire burning on it, beside which stood a tall, sturdy figure with glinting tiger eyes; seeing this perilous scene, he shouted loudly, 'Come up!'

Hu Xiaotian lifted his leg and kicked a shark that had leapt out of the water into the air, then leapt himself, performing two consecutive somersaults mid-air and landing steadily on the reef. A vicious shark followed him up onto the reef, opening its mouth to bite, but the person on the reef raised his fist and slammed it hard into the shark's head; the man's strength was astonishing, with one punch he smashed the shark's brains out, it tumbled and fell into the seawater, immediately being devoured by its vicious companions.

But then he heard Yan Nujiao exclaim with delight: "Uncle!"

The person on the reef was also overjoyed: "Nujiao! Is it really you?"

Hu Xiaotian then realized that the person in this underground water cave was actually the chief of Mangjiao Island, Yan Tianlu; seeing Yan Tianlu covered in bloodstains and his face full of fatigue, he wondered how the mighty chief of Mangjiao Island had ended up in such a state.

Hu Xiaotian untied the bindings and set Yan Nujiao down; Yan Nujiao also noticed her uncle's poor condition, rushed over to support his arm, and asked anxiously: "Uncle, uncle, what's wrong with you?"

Yan Tianlu's recent punch aggravated his injury; he took a breath and said, "It's fine, I was ambushed by a petty villain!" His tiger eyes full of wariness fixed on Hu Xiaotian as he asked, "Who are you?"

Yan Nujiao glanced at Hu Xiaotian and then said: "He... he is your subordinate."

Yan Tianlu shook his head; if he hadn't seen Hu Xiaotian's skill just now, he might have believed his niece's words, but having seen Hu Xiaotian leaping and darting among the sharks, he refused to believe Hu Xiaotian was his subordinate. He said coldly: "In my impression, no one on Mangjiao Island possesses such lightness skill. Who exactly are you? Quickly state your true identity; if you dare utter even half a lie, I will take your life!" Although he was in a predicament, the island lord's authority remained.

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily and said dismissively: "Anyone can say that, but given your current condition, chief, do you really think you have that ability?"

Yan Tianlu understood that the other party had already seen his injury was serious, yet his expression showed no fear; he sneered, "You don't realize whose territory this is?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I see, it seems Chief Yan has grown tired of staying on land and has chosen to enjoy life in this underground water cave. Truly admirable."

"Um..." Yan Tianlu's old face flushed instantly; trying to intimidate the opponent with his island lord's status was clearly impossible.

Yan Nujiao nearby suddenly turned away and vomited, because seeing the sharks fighting over their companions on the sea surface made her nauseous. Hu Xiaotian hurried forward, patted her back, and asked concernedly: "Nujiao, are you alright?"

Yan Tianlu was no fool; having seen much of the world, he could tell at a glance that the relationship between the two was unusual, yet in his impression, his niece had not been accompanied by this person when she came to Mangjiao Island—truly strange; where exactly did he come from?

Yan Nujiao took a breath and said: "It's fine, I'm okay. Uncle, he's my friend. You don't need to worry."

Yan Tianlu's expression eased somewhat.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Chief Yan, perhaps you should temporarily set aside your hostility; regardless of whether you like it or not, we are now all in the same boat. If we continue to oppose each other, we might all be trapped here, so let's set aside our prejudices and first think of a way to escape."

Yan Tianlu did not respond to him.

Hu Xiaotian took out a Soul-Returning Pill from his bosom and handed it to Yan Tianlu, saying: "This is a Soul-Returning Pill; it can help you heal your internal injuries." He did this to show his sincerity.

Yan Tianlu looked at Yan Nujiao, who gave him a slight nod to indicate Hu Xiaotian meant no harm; he then accepted the Soul-Returning Pill, put it in his mouth, silently walked to the side, sat cross-legged by the fire, and began to circulate his qi to heal his injuries. After a while, white vapor rose from his head like a steamer.

Hu Xiaotian and Yan Nujiao did not dare disturb him; they also sat by the fire, quietly drying their clothes. Yan Nujiao, feeling cold and drowsy, unconsciously leaned on Hu Xiaotian's shoulder and dozed off. Hu Xiaotian, however, dared not be careless in the slightest, remaining vigilant and watching Yan Tianlu.

Yan Tianlu slowly opened his eyes; their gazes met, and the hostility in his eyes had faded. He whispered: "How did you get here?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You should ask your good brother Luo Qianfu what he hid inside the Crystal Palace, and why Tang Jingyu of the Falling Cherry Palace is in there."

Yan Tianlu's expression instantly flared with anger; it wasn't because of Hu Xiaotian's words, but because he recalled how his brothers had schemed against him just earlier.

Seeing his expression and considering his current situation, Hu Xiaotian had already guessed the gist of it and said with a smile: "It looks like you were also set up; tell me, was it your good brother Luo Qianfu who designed this?"

Yan Tianlu snapped: "What does it have to do with you?"

His voice startled Yan Nujiao, who thought they were about to clash again, and she hurriedly urged: "Everyone, calm down; now is not the time for fighting."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Nujiao, don't worry; I won't stoop to the level of an old man."

Yan Tianlu barked: "Hey! Brat, who are you calling an old man?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You've got a beard big enough, yet your temper is so fierce; no wonder—if it were me, I'd be angry too, after being screwed over by my brothers like this."

Yan Tianlu sprang to his feet, pointed at Hu Xiaotian's nose, and roared: "Brat, I'll throw you into the sea right now to feed the sharks."

"Who's afraid of whom?" Hu Xiaotian refused to back down.

Yan Nujiao also sprang up in alarm: "Don't—" but a pain shot through her chest, aggravating her internal injury; she covered her chest, her face turning pale as she sank down. Yan Tianlu and Hu Xiaotian rushed over, each supporting one of her arms, and asked anxiously: "Nujiao, are you alright?"

Yan Nujiao sighed: "It's fine; I was shot by an arrow from Tang Jingyu, but luckily I have my armor to protect me."

Yan Tianlu gritted his teeth: "I and the Falling Cherry Palace cannot coexist."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Tang Jingyu could infiltrate the Crystal Palace and set up a maze inside; without an insider from Mangjiao Island, that would be utterly impossible. To repel external threats, one must first secure the interior; before seeking revenge on the Falling Cherry Palace, you should really think about cleaning house."

Yan Tianlu, struck where it hurt by Hu Xiaotian's words, couldn't help but sigh: "I was careless..." His expression darkened, and he silently sat back in his original spot.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Your downfall probably isn't just Luo Qianfu's doing; Lu Qingyuan left midway with an excuse, and he's likely one of the plotters as well."

Yan Tianlu snapped: "Brat, just who are you? How do you know all this so clearly?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Who I am isn't important; your nephew Yan Boguang was taken by Tang Jingyu, and we must rescue him as soon as possible."

Yan Nujiao said: "Uncle, you must have a way to save him, right?"

Yan Tianlu nodded to comfort her: "I'll take care of everything!" But saying that is easy; given his current condition, not to mention rescuing others, even self-preservation is a problem.

Hu Xiaotian naturally didn't believe him and sighed: "Saying something and doing it are two different matters."

Yan Tianlu snapped: "Brat, why do you always oppose me?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although I don't know what's happening outside, the fact that you've been forced here shows that the situation on Mangjiao Island is no longer under your control."

Yan Tianlu, having his true situation exposed by Hu Xiaotian, couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "I never expected them to treat me this way, actually inviting the lord of the Falling Cherry Palace, Tang Jiu-cheng, to come out of retirement to scheme against me!"

Upon hearing that Tang Jiu-cheng had also come to Mangjiao Island, Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; although he had never met Tang Jiu-cheng, he had witnessed Tang Jingyu's archery, which had reached the level of shooting arrows to ride qi, so Tang Jiu-cheng's skill must be even more unfathomable—no wonder Yan Tianlu suffered such a miserable defeat.

Yan Tianlu no longer concealed anything and recounted from beginning to end how he had come to this state.

After hearing that, although Hu Xiaotian and Yan Tianlu had previously been adversaries, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy; in just one day, the lord of Mangjiao Island had fallen to become a frightened fugitive with no peace, which was indeed lamentable, but recalling Yan Tianlu's past conduct, the sympathy he had just felt vanished instantly, and he said softly: "Chief Yan, your enemies are probably not limited to the Falling Cherry Palace, are they?"

Yan Tianlu asked: "What do you mean?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Mangjiao Island is still imprisoning over a thousand of Dakang's navy troops; Chief Yan, you surely know about this, right?"

Yan Nujiao blinked her beautiful eyes; only now did she realize Hu Xiaotian's true purpose for coming, and she couldn't help but start to worry—Hu Xiaotian must have come to rescue Dakang's navy, which would make him an enemy rather than a friend to her uncle.

Yan Tianlu looked at Hu Xiaotian and suddenly burst out laughing; he nodded and said: "You've come to rescue people?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Is that not allowed?"

Yan Tianlu said: "Those troops come from Dongliang Jun; they are Hu Xiaotian's subordinates, so it seems you were sent by him on a commission."

Yan Nujiao thought to herself, he is not merely acting on a commission—he is essentially Hu Xiaotian himself.

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "You have no grudge against Dongliang Jun, so why did you attack the troops? Who provoked the feud?"

Yan Tianlu pursed his lips and sighed: "Now I finally understand—Lu Qingyuan harbors wolfish ambitions; he deliberately helped me stir up trouble. It's a shame that I actually believed his lies and attacked the merchant fleet of Zhongyang."

From his tone, Hu Xiaotian inferred that he and Hu Zhongyang were old acquaintances; he had long been curious about the source of Hu Zhongyang's wealth, and it now seemed that Hu Zhongyang had close ties with Mangjiao Island.

Hu Xiaotian said: "We might as well make a deal."

Near the end of the month, please vote for a few monthly tickets! I'll go type, and there will be another update tonight. (To be continued~^~)