Chapter 1249

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "If we join forces, we certainly have a chance to kill him; as long as we eliminate the Old Monster of Bei Ze, the Banlan Sect will collapse on its own, leaving only the Luoying Palace—surely they cannot stir up any trouble!"

Yan Tianlu said: "In that case, we will have to postpone the time to rescue Boguang."

Hu Xiaotian said: "We must rescue him, but we absolutely cannot take risks."

"Nujiao has already heard that they plan to publicly execute Boguang; she must be brought into our plan."

Hu Xiaotian frowned upon hearing this; he and Yan Tianlu had previously agreed to keep this from Yan Nujiao, yet the secret still leaked.

Yan Tianlu gave a wry smile and said: "It was Xue Lingjun who deliberately leaked the information to her."

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed Xue Lingjun for meddling, while realizing that, as the eldest princess of Da Yong, she could not possibly obey his commands completely; cooperating with him was a reluctant decision made out of circumstance.

Yan Tianlu whispered: "Could there be any changes on Xue Lingjun's side?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "Given her current situation, besides cooperating with us, she likely has no other choice."

Yan Tianlu said: "Wouldn't releasing her make her hard to control?" According to Yan Tianlu's original intention, it would be best to keep Xue Lingjun in his hands.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Li Chen Zhou will appear soon; on our side, only Xue Lingjun can directly restrain him."

Yan Tianlu said: "Just as you say, Hu Xiaotian, I now finally understand how you manage to survive in the cracks between the two great powers of Da Yong and Dakang, and even carve out a territory for yourself—truly, heroes emerge from youth; I admire you, I admire you!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "When it comes to surviving in the cracks, no one can compare to you, old sir. Dominating the Mang Jiao Island and ruling the Eastern Sea for decades, to this day no one can shake your position."

Yan Tianlu said: "How do I hear you mocking me? Are you saying I've been holed up in Mang Jiao Island for decades?"

According to the original plan of Bohai King Yan Dongsheng, he intended to publicly execute his cousin Yan Boguang as a warning; releasing the news early was meant to let the pirates of Mang Jiao Island, led by Yan Tianlu, know that if they dared to raid the execution site, the ambush forces stationed there could capture Yan Tianlu and his men in one sweep. Yan Boguang was merely a bait, but the disappearance of Da Yong's eldest princess Xue Lingjun and his own sister Yan Dongqing has already disrupted his plan.

These past few days, although Yan Dongsheng showed no unusual behavior, his heart has not had a moment of peace. After his private talk with Hu Xiaotian, Yan Dongsheng began to realize the reality that he was being used. Even if he helps Emperor Xue Daohong find the evidence of Xue Shengjing's crimes and eliminates Xue Lingjun, in the end he would gain nothing. Moreover, the current Da Yong emperor, Xue Daohong, may not be able to secure his throne. His current actions could very well become grounds for future blame. If Xue Daohong ultimately fails, then he, as an accomplice, might be the first to bear responsibility. Should the Da Yong side become enraged, they might truly annihilate Bohai.

Yan Dongsheng is not a fool; it's just that his hatred for Mang Jiao Island has blinded his eyes. After calming down, he realizes that while Mang Jiao Island gives him a headache, it is not fatal; the long-exiled Yan Tianlu attempting to seize his throne is virtually impossible. However, if he relies too heavily on Da Yong, inviting the wolf into the house could very well doom the Yan clan's realm.

Yan Dongsheng originally wanted to use the matter of Xue Lingjun to find fault with Zou Yong, but before he could summon Zou Yong, the Empress Dowager already came to his door and hinted. If he dared to punish Zou Yong, the Empress Dowager's side would not stand idly by; although Yan Dongsheng was dissatisfied, he also did not dare to openly break with the Empress Dowager, so he merely summoned Zou Yong and gave him a stern scolding.

Zou Yong did not take Yan Dongsheng's scolding to heart; seeing that Yan Dongsheng indeed did not punish him for this, he inferred that the Empress Dowager's words had taken effect, and grew increasingly bold, he said to Yan Dongsheng: "Your Majesty is wise; I admit my handling of this matter was inadequate, but I dare guarantee with my life that I have no connection whatsoever to the disappearance of Princess Xue Lingjun."

Yan Dongsheng snorted coldly: "Clearly it was you who made the appointment; Princess Xue Lingjun encountered trouble on her way to the meeting, and the Jinlin Guard demanding you produce her is perfectly normal."

Zou Yong said: "Your Majesty, after carefully recalling the course of events, I find there is much suspicion; that day it was not I who initiated the meeting with Princess Xue Lingjun, but she who invited me; as for the princess's side, it was also she who initiated the invitation; I will say something I perhaps shouldn't, but this incident very likely involves Princess Xue Lingjun."

Yan Dongsheng said: "Are you saying the whole affair is a play directed and performed by Princess Xue Lingjun herself? Heh, how could a high-ranking princess of Da Yong be so bored, just for fun?"

Zou Yong said: "Your Majesty, according to my knowledge, her former lover Hu Dafu is actually an impostor; his true identity is none other than Hu Xiaotian, the lord of Dongliang Jun."

Although Yan Dongsheng had already had an in-depth discussion with Hu Xiaotian, hearing this news still shocked him greatly; he exclaimed in disbelief: "Could he be the future consort of the Yongyang Princess of Dakang?"

"That's him!" Zou Yong said through gritted teeth.

Yan Dongsheng said: "No, I have personally seen him produce the Empress Dowager Jiang's Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Order of Da Yong."

"Princess Xue Lingjun could be handed over to him!"

Yan Dongsheng fell silent.

Zou Yong said: "Your Majesty, if you give it careful thought, you will see that Hu Xiaotian, Xue Lingjun, and Yan Tianlu have likely joined forces; this disappearance incident is probably nine out of ten their joint scheme."

Yan Dongsheng whispered: "I fear you also lack solid evidence."

Zou Yong said: "Although we have none now, we will soon; their purpose in abducting the princess is nothing other than to rescue Yan Boguang..."

At this moment, the Grand Steward of the Palace, Fu Yanshou, hurried in, approached Yan Dongsheng anxiously, whispered a few words in his ear, then handed him a letter. Yan Dongsheng looked at the letter, fuming, exclaimed: "How outrageous! These bandits are simply too arrogant!"

He raised the letter in his hand toward Zou Yong and said: "That old scoundrel Yan Tianlu has indeed captured Da Yong's Princess Xue Lingjun and my sister, intending to exchange their lives for Yan Boguang!"

Zou Yong said: "Your Majesty, this is exactly as I predicted."

Yan Dongsheng gritted his teeth and said: "I swear I will not be a man if I do not kill Yan Tianlu!" After saying that, he sighed: "But the urgent priority is to rescue the two princesses; Yan Boguang's death is insignificant, yet we cannot let his fate endanger the lives of the two princesses."

Zou Yong nodded and said: "Yan Boguang's worthless life certainly cannot be compared to that of the princesses, Your Majesty; although this seems passive, for us it is the best opportunity to eliminate Yan Tianlu."

Yan Dongsheng said: "Speak your mind, whatever you have in mind."

Zou Yong said: "Your Majesty, we can use this opportunity to gather our forces and, after completing the hostage exchange, wipe them all out."

Yan Dongsheng said: "You say it easily, but Yan Tianlu is no ordinary man, extremely cunning; in the letter he already proposed that the place and time be set by him—how can we arrange things on our side in time? If he senses any disturbance, he will surely cancel the exchange; then what shall we do?"

Zou Yong said: "Your Majesty, do not worry; I will handle the arrangements."

Yan Dongsheng looked at Zou Yong half-believing, half-doubting: "Zou Yong, you won't let me down this time, will you?"

Zou Yong said: "I will do my utmost."

Yan Dongsheng coldly said: "I don't want you to merely do your best; I want you to guarantee absolute success—make sure you rescue Princess Xue Lingjun and my sister safely."

Zou Yong's willingness to volunteer for this task comes entirely from his confidence in his father and the Old Monster of Bei Ze, two great masters; the Old Monster of Bei Ze has long harbored a deep hatred for Hu Xiaotian, so in this hostage exchange Hu Xiaotian is unlikely to appear, but Yan Tianlu will almost certainly come in person; once we eliminate Yan Tianlu, dealing with Hu Xiaotian will be easy.

As Yan Dongsheng said, Yan Tianlu is indeed cunning; he kept changing the venue for the hostage exchange until finally setting it for the hai hour of that day at Huanghuagang.

At the same time that the Old Monster of Bei Ze, Tang Jiu Cheng, and others were escorting Yan Boguang to Huanghuagang, Hu Xiaotian and Yan Tianlu secretly launched their operation against the Tianxing Yuan.

The moonlight was like frost; two streaks of white light flashed across the night sky, a huge black shadow silently following behind. The two white lights were two high-speed flying snow eagles; Xia Zhangming rode on one, while Yan Tianlu rode on the other. Usually calm and composed, his face now showed unusual tension; having lived so many years, riding an eagle in flight was his first time, and now he finally understood why Hu Xiaotian could reach Bohai State in such a short time.

Hu Xiaotian rode on the vulture; after not seeing each other for days, he and the vulture seemed especially close; the vulture's neck feathers had fully grown out, no longer the appearance of a bald vulture, mighty and imposing, aura radiating; Hu Xiaotian gently stroked its neck and laughed: "Its appearance now looks much better."

Xia Zhangming ahead slowed his pace; the snow eagle and the vulture flew side by side; now the snow eagle and the vulture have grown accustomed to each other's presence, the snow eagle no longer fears the vulture as before, and they have developed a tacit friendship.

Xia Zhangming said: "My lord, ahead is the Tianxing Yuan; I have carefully observed the terrain here— the Old Monster of Bei Ze resides on the central earthen mound, where there ought to be a dirt cave, his place for refining poisons."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Never mind his three-seven-twenty-one; we'll turn back and set the entire Tianxing Yuan ablaze."

Xia Zhangming said: "There are roughly two hundred disciples inside the Tianxing Yuan; are the two of you enough?"

From the side came Yan Tianlu's laughter: "Even if the Old Monster of Bei Ze comes, I'm not afraid, let alone his disciples—come one, kill one; come two, kill a pair!" Recently Yan Tianlu has also been holding in a bellyful of fire; today finally comes the time for counterattack; although the action hasn't started yet, he is already brimming with killing intent. (To be continued~^~)