Chapter 1189

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's not too late to mend the fence after losing the sheep; as long as we first enter the prison, meet up with my subordinates, we have a chance to turn the tide."

Yan Tianlu remained silent; Hu Xiaotian thought he was hesitating and whispered: "With just our three strengths we cannot oppose them. Although you are the island lord and many on the island respect you, Lu Qingyuan has spread rumors of your death far and wide, even fabricated a corpse so lifelike people come to view it. Even if you step forward now, few may believe you are real. Spears are easy to dodge, hidden arrows hard to guard against; the people of Luoying Palace may not have left either. Our only hope is to first rescue my subordinates, gain reinforcements, then rely on the prison's high walls to launch a counterattack."

Yan Tianlu said: "What if they refuse to believe my identity?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Take it step by step; you've already fallen to this situation, how much worse could it get? Rather than sit and wait for death, let's join hands and fight with our backs to the wall."

Yan Nujiao softly said: "Uncle, I think Mr. Hu is right."

Yan Tianlu shook his head, the girl looked outward, indeed it is the indestructible truth, he as an outsider sees clearly, he has already seen that his niece and Hu Xiaotian have developed feelings, Yan Tianlu said: "Go, then let's head to the prison."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Is there a secret passage to sneak in?"

"What?" Yan Tianlu looked somewhat startled.

"A secret passage! Do you think you can just swagger in? Old man, aren't you senile?" Hu Xiaotian felt both amused and exasperated; given Yan Tianlu's intellect, it's no wonder he lost in the Bohai Kingdom's power struggle. Strange, how did this guy even become island lord and gain followers?

Yan Tianlu chuckled: "Of course we need to swagger in."

Hu Xiaotian thought: "This guy's brain is truly hopeless; isn't he afraid of exposure? Even if others don't recognize his current appearance, they wouldn't just let them walk in."

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's contempt, Yan Tianlu lifted his head, full of arrogance, and said: "Who am I? I am the lord of Mangjiao Island!"

"You need to add a prefix; the realm has already changed hands." Hu Xiaotian took the opportunity to rub salt in the wound.

Yan Tianlu actually gave a hehe laugh, pulled out a black iron token from his waist, and waved it in front of Hu Xiaotian's eyes.

Hu Xiaotian leaned in for a look, and saw the three large characters "Jiaolong Token" written on it. Only then did he understand Yan Tianlu's meaning; apparently this guy was overconfident, assuming others were fools, but it turned out he himself had not thought things through.

Yan Tianlu felt proud, secretly thinking: "This brat actually dares to look down on me; I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice! Do you know what 'old ginger is spicy' means?"

Hu Xiaotian pretended to be clueless: "What use is this token?"

Yan Tianlu said: "With this token, one can move freely on Mangjiao Island."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The island lord is dead. Is the token still useful?"

Yan Tianlu knew this guy was deliberately angering him, he grinned: "Lu Qingyuan probably didn't think of this so early." He tossed the Jiaolong Token to Hu Xiaotian and said: "Go! Let's interrogate your subordinates."

Still with Yan Tianlu leading the way, the three arrived before the prison. Hu Xiaotian never imagined, before sneaking onto Mangjiao Island, that he would enter the prison in this manner—swaggering in, and personally guided by Island Lord Yan Tianlu himself.

Tonight, most of Mangjiao Island's forces went to the Hall of Righteous Gathering to pay respects; with the wind and rain, the prison gate was locked tight. No one was on guard outside. Hu Xiaotian came to the gate and knocked heavily. After a while, a small window opened in the gate, revealing a vigilant face, which said in a low voice: "Who comes at this late hour?"

Hu Xiaotian showed the Jiaolong Token in his hand to the guard: "The Sixth Lord sent me to interrogate Hu Zhongyang!" The reason he appeared himself was because Yan Tianlu's conduct attracted attention on Mangjiao Island, and they feared being identified.

The guard examined the Jiaolong Token, of course seeing no flaw, closed the small window, and slowly opened the gate. Hu Xiaotian stepped in first, with Yan Tianlu and Yan Nujiao closely following.

Upon entering the second courtyard, the guard glanced at Hu Xiaotian and said: "I've never seen you before."

Hu Xiaotian gave a cold snort: "What's your status? I'm a person close to the Sixth Lord; if you're so curious, why not go ask the Sixth Lord directly?" The guard, after being scolded by Hu Xiaotian, obviously felt embarrassed.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Where's Ma Xihao? Is he slacking off, sleeping?" Ma Xihao was the head of this prison.

The guard, hearing Hu Xiaotian address their leader by name, became even more fearful and respectful: "Lord Ma went to the Hall of Righteous Gathering to pay respects; he probably won't return tonight."

Hu Xiaotian disdainfully said: "I only know there are six lords on Mangjiao Island; when did a Lord Ma appear?"

The guard was completely cowed by Hu Xiaotian's aura, feeling uneasy, afraid to offend him and having no energy to doubt his identity. Passing through the third courtyard, Hu Xiaotian quietly noted that almost each courtyard had dozens of pirates stationed, the walls were high and wide, with five-zhang-high towers on each level, covering nearly every angle outside the prison, and each tower had four archers constantly patrolling day and night.

The prison was built against a mountain rock; entering its main gate is actually entering the mouth of a cave. The cave, after artificial chiseling, has smooth, neat walls. Along this long passageway, at intervals there are fish-oil lamps, made from whale oil from the sea, which can burn for a long time without going out. Guards are strictly stationed at every turn; after walking a fifty-zhang-long passageway, one finally enters the prison area.

This prison is far more heavily guarded than Hu Xiaotian imagined; if he had followed his original plan to sneak in, it would be nearly impossible. As the saying goes, "a loss may be a blessing." If not for this sudden storm, how would he have met Yan Tianlu?

Using the Jiaolong Token, the three of them smoothly entered the prison zone.

The head of the internal prison area, Yuan Dusheng, came to pay respects. After verifying the Jiaolong Token in Hu Xiaotian's hand, he respectfully said: "I don't know what orders you have for this visit."

Hu Xiaotian said solemnly: "You probably don't know yet, but Mangjiao Island has now elected the Sixth Lord as our new island lord; the Sixth Lord publicly swore to avenge the former lord. Based on our information, the lord's death likely involves Hu Zhongyang, so we have been ordered to interrogate Hu Zhongyang."

Hu Xiaotian's words sounded reasonable; Yuan Dusheng, unaware it was a ruse, upon seeing the Jiaolong Token as if the island lord himself had come, immediately led Hu Xiaotian's group to the cell holding Hu Zhongyang.

Hu Zhongyang was asleep; hearing the commotion outside, he hastily sat up and shouted: "I want to see the island lord! You've imprisoned me here, preventing me from seeing the island lord—what does this mean?"

Hu Xiaotian already knew that Hu Zhongyang and Yan Tianlu had been acquainted for a long time, likely cooperating for years; as for why the conflict arose, Yan Tianlu sent men to attack Hu Zhongyang's caravan and imprison him here—only the parties involved know the reason.

Hu Xiaotian waved his hand, signaling Yuan Dusheng to open the cell door, then turned slightly aside and said: "You all step back for now; I have a few questions to ask him alone."

Yan Tianlu and Yan Nujiao in unison said: "Yes!" Then they made a gesturing motion, indicating Yuan Dusheng and others should leave quickly. Yuan Dusheng had no suspicion, and reminded: "This person has a foul and stubborn temper; all he does is demand to see the island lord, refusing to say anything else."

After everyone around had left, Hu Xiaotian squatted down in front of Hu Zhongyang.

Hu Zhongyang's hands and feet were shackled, his hair disheveled, his face covered in filth, obviously having endured much torment; in the dim light he blankly looked at Hu Xiaotian and said: "I want to see the island lord; I never intended to betray Mangjiao Island—why does he treat me this way?"

Hu Xiaotian deliberately said: "The island lord was killed by treacherous villains, alas he has died!"

"What?" Hu Zhongyang exclaimed in shock, shaking his head vigorously: "You're lying; the island lord's martial arts are unparalleled—how could he be killed by treacherous villains?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why would I lie to you? Not only was the island lord killed, but the third chief was also assassinated; otherwise, why would we be wearing mourning clothes?"

Only then did Hu Zhongyang notice Hu Xiaotian's attire; realizing what he said was likely true, his nose soured and tears rolled from his tiger eyes as he lamented sorrowfully: "Island lord… you died unjustly!"

Outside, Yan Tianlu, who was on watch duty, hearing Hu Zhongyang weep for him in the prison, couldn't help but feel moved. He had ordered the attack on Hu Zhongyang's caravan because Lu Qingyuan advised him that Hu Zhongyang's trip to the Bohai Kingdom for trade was a pretense; his real purpose was to assist the Dongliang Jun side in contacting the Bohai Kingdom to discuss a joint campaign to exterminate Mangjiao Island. Yan Tianlu believed this, and given that Hu Zhongyang's route deliberately avoided Mangjiao Island and was escorted by Dongliang Jun warships, he decided to send men to attack, wiping out Hu Zhongyang's fleet and capturing thousands.

In fact, Yan Tianlu had previously considered meeting Hu Zhongyang face to face to ask why he betrayed him, but he hadn't yet had the chance to interrogate Hu Zhongyang when such a dramatic upheaval occurred on the island; now even he himself has been driven out by a cabal of traitors, who even publicly announced his death. Thinking of this, Yan Tianlu feels deeply moved.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The island lord treated you like this, yet I never expected you would still weep for him."

Hu Zhongyang choked up: "The island lord gave me a chance to rise; without his patronage, I, Hu Zhongyang, would never have gotten anywhere."

Hu Xiaotian sneered: "Since the island lord showed you such great kindness, why did you betray him and take refuge with me?"

Hu Zhongyang said: "I never betrayed the island lord, nor have I ever taken refuge with Hu Xiaotian; it's just that Dongliang Jun concerns my vital interests, and I helped him only because of mutual benefit."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You borrowed warships and marines from me—could it be that you intended to act against my Mangjiao Island?" (To be continued~^~)