Chapter 1191: [Wish] (Part 1)

Hu Xiaotian was born with an extremely strong curiosity, naturally nodding repeatedly, but he didn't want Yan Nujiao to follow him into danger again, and whispered: "It's better that I go up alone to scout the situation; you just stay here and wait for me."

Yan Nujiao knew that with her internal injury, following him would just be a burden, so she nodded and said: "You also need to be extra careful."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll go and come back quickly." He employed the Golden Spider Eight Steps to climb up the wall, but when he reached the top he found a stone slab covering it; he pushed hard, but it didn't budge. He felt around and discovered the slab was covered with patterns, presumably a lock mechanism of some sort; he had no skill to unlock it, so he could only return and tell Yan Nujiao the situation above.

After hearing him, Yan Nujiao had him carry her up to take a look. Hu Xiaotian brought Yan Nujiao back to beneath the stone slab. Yan Nujiao illuminated the patterns on the slab with the Night Pearl and whispered: "There is a hidden mechanism here, a secret family transmission; solving it should not be difficult." She reached out and rearranged the patterns; not long after, the stone slab slid silently to one side, revealing an opening above.

Hu Xiaotian carried Yan Nujiao up and found themselves in a hidden armory, filled with all kinds of weapons. It turned out Yan Tianlu had a hobby of collecting weapons, gathering them from various channels, and his collection was quite rich. Not long after they climbed up, the stone slab moved back into place, the floor smooth as before, showing no trace of change.

This hidden armory was huge; Hu Xiaotian was drawn in by the dazzling array of treasures, looking at this, touching that, and clicking his tongue in amazement: "No wonder the old fox wouldn't let us follow him up—there are so many treasures hidden here, he's not just an old fox, he's an old miser!"

Yan Nujiao couldn't help laughing. Hu Xiaotian took down a long sword from the weapon rack; it felt quite heavy in his hand. Although he had brought a soft sword, it was hardly suitable for performing the Slay Heaven Seven Sword, so this long sword had substantial heft. He drew the long sword from the black shark-skin scabbard and felt a chilling coldness blast his face; the blade was narrower than usual, more like a Japanese sword but without its curve, the back broad and the edge extremely thin. The blade was covered with fish-scale-like patterns. Hu Xiaotian swung it once in his hand, feeling quite satisfied, and took it for himself.

Yan Nujiao said from the side: "Try this inner armor!"

Hu Xiaotian walked over, only to see Yan Nujiao holding a piece of multicolored hide armor. He smiled and said: "Is this treasure armor?"

Yan Nujiao said: "If I'm not mistaken, this inner armor is made from the hide of a Seven-Star Sea Snake; it's not only light and thin but also impervious to blades and spears."

"Impervious to blades and spears?" Hu Xiaotian took it, examined it, then handed it to Yan Nujiao and said: "Put it on!"

Yan Nujiao said: "I already have a piece of armor; there's no need for two, you should wear it. Easy to dodge a visible spear, hard to guard against hidden arrows—it's said the father and son of the Luoying Palace Tang clan have arrived on Python Flood Island; with armor you can also guard against their covert arrows."

Hu Xiaotian knew she made sense, so he took off his outer shirt and put on the armor. The Seven-Star Sea Snake hide armor was indeed extremely light, thin, and soft. He secretly thought, "Can such thin armor really block blades and spears?" Whatever, it's Yan Nujiao's good intention; wearing it is better than nothing. He also picked out a monocular, which is quite useful for navigation.

Yan Nujiao also picked out a repeating crossbow and a curved blade. The treasures in this hidden armory were truly too many; if they tried to pick carefully, they might not finish even a whole day. Both were thinking about rescuing people; once they found suitable weapons they immediately left. The armory's door was also sealed with a lock, but as a family-secret, it posed no obstacle for Yan Nujiao. She opened the door, and before stepping out saw two openings ahead. Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed: Yan Tianlu's becoming master of Python Flood Island was no accident; who knows how many secrets he still hides.

Yan Nujiao gazed at the two passages ahead and felt a bit troubled, whispering: "Which way should we actually go?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Never mind that, men left, women right—you go left, I'll go right."

Yan Nujiao shook her head and whispered: "I don't want to be separated from you."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "Just teasing you; then it's husband leads, wife follows—I'll go wherever, you'll go wherever."

Although Yan Nujiao knew Hu Xiaotian was taking advantage of her, her heart felt sweetly pleased. Hu Xiaotian chose the left opening; the two went forward, and not far out they encountered a stone door. Yan Nujiao unlocked the lock, they continued onward, passing three stone doors in succession. Ahead lay uneven rocky terrain; they walked hand in hand, but after a few steps they sensed something amiss. Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw thousands of bats hanging from the cave wall. Yan Nujiao, using the light of the Night Pearl, also saw the scene above and let out a startled cry, hastily covering her mouth.

Hu Xiaotian made a silencing gesture toward her, realizing the bats were likely all asleep and had no intention of attacking. The two tiptoed forward, but before they had taken a few steps, the bats on the ceiling surged toward them like a tide. Yan Nujiao, who feared bats most, shrieked and fled forward without regard for anything.

Hu Xiaotian helplessly shook his head; as the saying goes, birds of the same forest fly apart when disaster strikes. He took a leap and instantly reached Yan Nujiao's side; relying on this girl's running speed, it was impossible to shake off the bats. Yan Nujiao felt herself being lifted by Hu Xiaotian, who moved as swift as a rabbit's start and a falcon's drop, his steps lightning fast; even so, they could not escape the omnipresent bats. Hu Xiaotian ran while trembling, tapped his toe, leapt forward, and the cave mouth lay ahead. He carried Yan Nujiao out through the swarm of bats, thinking they finally had a chance to escape the bat encirclement, but only after rushing out did he hear the roar of towering waves—the exit of this bat cave was actually a hundred-foot cliff facing the sea. Hu Xiaotian and Yan Nujiao both lowered their heads to look down, seeing furious waves and sky‑high white surf; before Yan Nujiao could regain her senses, their bodies plunged straight down toward the sea surface.

Yan Nujiao let out a involuntary cry, and Hu Xiaotian also shouted—it was all too sudden; that old coot Yan Tianlu actually set up such a mechanism, damn it!

Although Hu Xiaotian possessed the Art of Soaring, it ultimately cannot oppose gravity, especially since he was still holding someone; together they experienced double the gravitational pull. Hu Xiaotian wasn't afraid of falling into the sea, but Yan Nujiao couldn't swim and had no idea what lay below; now everything was left to fate.

Just as they were preparing to face the fate of another high‑dive, a huge black shadow appeared beneath them. Hu Xiaotian focused his gaze and saw it was the very flying owl whose feathers he had plucked; his heart sank—oh no! When it rains, it pours; even drinking cold water when unlucky gets stuck in your teeth—could this flying owl be taking advantage of their peril to throw stones into the well and seek revenge?

The flying owl spread its wings, resembling a floating island in the sky. Hu Xiaotian had no choice; worst case, he would repeat his trick and pluck all its feathers clean. He took a breath, sent his dantian qi outward to neutralize force, and gently landed on the owl's back. The owl showed no aggressive behavior toward them.

The bat flock followed like a shadow, already trailing them, when the flying owl suddenly let out a earth‑shaking cry that frightened the bats into ceasing their attack and scattering in flight. The owl flapped its wings and rose upward.

Yan Nujiao didn't know whether the flying owl was friend or foe; seeing it rise higher and higher, her heart fluttered with fear. She clung tightly to Hu Xiaotian, burying her forehead in his embrace, unwilling to look again, secretly thinking that even if she were dashed to death there would be nothing to regret, after all being able to stay together with her beloved.

Hu Xiaotian had already seen that the flying owl meant no harm; he reached out and gently stroked its neck, but the owl misinterpreted his intent, snapping its head around, eyes wide with vigilance, fixed on Hu Xiaotian, thinking he wanted to pluck its feathers again. Hu Xiaotian laughed and raised both hands: "Old brother, don't misunderstand—I have no intention of plucking your feathers; you're quite the stand‑up guy, actually knowing how to repay kindness." He surmised that the owl's rescue of them in the nick of time stemmed from his having saved it from Luo Qianfu's bird‑catching net.

I had thought the flying owl had long since fled, but I didn't expect it to still be lingering near Python Flood Island; presumably it wanted revenge. If that's the case, this flying owl can also be considered one who distinguishes gratitude from grudge.

The flying owl carried the two to the cliff's top, found a spot, Hu Xiaotian patted its neck and pointed to the ground; the owl actually understood his meaning, sought a deserted place, and landed silently.

Hu Xiaotian jumped down first, then caught Yan Nujiao as she leapt from the owl's back. He bowed to the flying owl and said: "Thanks for the rescue, old brother; I still have pressing matters, we'll meet again." As he prepared to leave, he didn't expect the owl to seize his sleeve in its beak.

Hu Xiaotian turned to the owl, seeing its eyes seemed to glisten with tears, full of plea, and said: "You have something you want from me?"

The flying owl could not speak, merely gripping his sleeve and refusing to let go.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Is it that you're reluctant to part with me?"

The flying owl still would not release him.

"Could it be that you want me to help you take revenge? Fine, I will definitely kill Luo Qianfu to avenge you!"

The flying owl still refused to let go.

Yan Nujiao also noticed the flying owl was quite spirited; surely it had something to ask Hu Xiaotian for help. She whispered: "Think about it, what else could its wish be?"

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile: "I don't understand bird language, how would I know what it's thinking?" He glanced around and suddenly realized they were near the Flying Fish Cave; it dawned on him that the flying owl wouldn't have brought them here for no reason—perhaps it wanted him to help find the corpses of its deceased companions. He said: "Are you wanting me to look for your relatives?"

Uh, it's the last day; seeing that even tenth place can't hold on, Zhangyu is getting fewer votes and feels embarrassed to start a single chapter. Brothers and sisters, Lao Zhangyu has it rough—I really don't want to be the eleventh placer. Please throw your monthly tickets my way! (To be continued~^~)