Chapter 1261: then title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list of named entities appearing in these lines

Zou Yong took a sip of tea: "Da Yong isn't up to Prince Yan, nor is it up to the Eldest Princess."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Even if Prince Yan falls and the Grand Princess dies, Bohai State may not have good days; with Xue Daohong's current strength, he probably still wouldn't dare move against Empress Jiang. If Empress Jiang pursues responsibility, do you think Xue Daohong would bear it? In the end, everything would be pushed onto Bohai State, whose only fate would be annihilation. If Bohai State is destroyed, wouldn't your plot to seize the throne be completely thwarted?"

Zou Yong looked at Hu Xiaotian, and in his heart he actually already somewhat agreed with his words.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Yan Dongsheng is not a fool; he also sees through the situation. The matters here have already reached Empress Jiang's ears. I'm not afraid to tell you, Li Chenzhou won't be jumping around for much longer."

Zou Yong said: "I originally thought Hu Cai Dong was a businessman, but I didn't expect you to still be a speaker who twists black and white."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I didn't come here to be a speaker; if business fails, we won't even have righteousness, and we'll turn against each other. Young Master Zou, don't blame me for not giving you face."

Zou Yong said: "Does Hu Cai Dong think he can threaten me?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "What people fear most is misjudging the situation; even the owner of Luoying Palace's archery I'm not afraid of, do you think I'd fear others?" His cold gaze made Zou Yong shiver.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Originally we could just stand by and watch the show comfortably; why must we actively get involved in trouble? Young Master Zou, help me with a small favor, and the matter of the Jinlin Guard being killed will be written off from now on."

Zou Yong heard him finally put forward a condition, his heart actually relaxed; he slowly nodded and said: "But please speak clearly."

Release Yan Boguang!

Zou Yong furrowed his brows tightly: "But..."

Hu Xiaotian had already stood up, there's no 'but', the current Zou Yong is no longer qualified to discuss terms with me; Hu Xiaotian's initiative to concede is mainly because he feels wary of Tang Jiu Cheng; if today's attacker were Tang Jiu Cheng, Hu Xiaotian could guarantee his own safe retreat, but could not guarantee Xue Lingjun remains unharmed; nobody wants to have such a level of opponent. As long as we let Zou Yong and them see the situation clearly, both sides temporarily set aside hostility. That is equivalent to dividing Li Chen Zhou's camp. This is draining the pot to remove the firewood; this open and covert struggle can basically secure victory.

After leaving Mirror Water Travel Estate, the sky unknown when began to drizzle; Bohai has no winter, its people have never even seen snow. Hu Xiaotian lifted his head to look at the overcast sky, then mounted his steed. The rain wasn't heavy; silvery drops fell on his face. The damp, cold wind seeped through his collar and cuffs into his body, but the awful weather didn't affect Hu Xiaotian's mood. Just now Zou Yong, although he didn't clearly promise to release Yan Boguang, from the depths of Zou Yong's eyes one could see his stance and defenses had loosened. Defeating Ban Shan Men, if we could also sway Luoying Palace's support for Li Chen Zhou, then this Bohai trip would basically be a victory; perhaps not long from now I could embark on the return journey.

Thinking of this, Hu Xiaotian's lips involuntarily curved into a knowing smile, but he had not yet seen Huo Xiaoru on this trip. Xue Shengjing convinced himself to come to Bohai State to resolve this crisis fundamentally because of Huo Xiaoru. Although Hu Xiaotian couldn't deny that coming to Bohai this time aligned with his own political interests, the original drive was still Huo Xiaoru. Recalling Huo Xiaoru in white clothes fluttering, solitary and alone, his heart heated. Closing his eyes, it seemed that graceful figure was right before him, yet no matter how hard he tried he couldn't see clearly; everything seemed merely a silhouette, untouchable.

The originally regular rain threads suddenly changed direction, not due to a shift in wind; Hu Xiaotian slowly opened his eyes, seeing straight ahead an old man standing there silently, hands behind his back, his deep eyes penetrating the rain threads and the gloomy air to land on his face; although the old man was not tall, he gave a feeling of standing tall between heaven and earth.

The owner of Luoying Palace, Tang Jiu Cheng, after all is a master of a school; such bearing is beyond ordinary people.

Hu Xiaotian reined his horse at a distance of about ten zhang from Tang Jiu Cheng, leading the horse over calmly and unhurriedly; this was not only caution, but also a kind of respect; anyone facing Tang Jiu Cheng as an opponent would not dare be careless.

Tang Jiu Cheng's killing intent remained strong, but Hu Xiaotian was calm and composed, smiling as he approached to within one zhang of Tang Jiu Cheng; if facing Tang Jingyu like that, the closer the distance, the more advantageous for me, since his strength lies in long-range attacks while I excel at close combat. However Tang Jiu Cheng is different; Tang Jiu Cheng has reached the point of condensing qi into arrows, enabling him to launch a lethal strike at any distance.

Although Hu Xiaotian felt heavy-hearted, he was not afraid; after each duel with a master, he would unconsciously achieve a breakthrough; he firmly believed that even if he could not defeat Tang Jiu Cheng, he still had some chance of escaping from the opponent's arrows.

Tang Jiu Cheng said: "Why do you always oppose us?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, seeming to have already given this owner of Luoying Palace a headache; otherwise he wouldn't have come in person.

Hu Xiaotian said: "When our interests clash, if we cannot find a mutually acceptable solution, then we can only end up in mutual destruction."

Tang Jiu Cheng's eyes narrowed, his powerful killing intent suddenly spreading outward: "Do you have that qualification?"

Despite the opponent's formidable aura, Hu Xiaotian not only did not retreat half a step, but instead stepped forward, smiling: "Challenging a senior may not yet qualify me, but I am still confident about some things."

Tang Jiu Cheng said: "Do you know what my purpose in coming is?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "I don't know, nor do I want to know; I only know that no matter what purpose the senior comes with, this time he will certainly not achieve his goal."

"How arrogant!" Tang Jiu Cheng spoke, and a short arrow had already slowly risen from behind him, the arrowhead floating in midair like an invisible hand holding it up, its icy glint aiming at Hu Xiaotian's brow.

Hu Xiaotian looked at that arrowhead full of mockery: "Senior, I've already seen your skill of controlling arrows with qi; let me learn what it means to condense qi into arrows."

Tang Jiu Cheng coldly said: "Don't think that mastering a few sword techniques lets you oppose me."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, then suddenly drew the Wind-Slashing blade from his waist like lightning, and with the speed of thunder before one can cover one's ears, he slashed toward Tang Jiu Cheng.

Tang Jiu Cheng never expected Hu Xiaotian to dare actively draw his blade against him; the arrowhead floating above his head instantly reacted, striking the incoming blade's edge with a clang, sparks flying; the short arrow was not knocked away by the blade, instead it flew sideways a distance, tracing an arc and shooting again at Hu Xiaotian from the side.

After Hu Xiaotian deflected the short arrow, his long blade changed from a slash to a thrust, the blade piercing toward Tang Jiu Cheng's chest with a swish.

Tang Jiu Cheng secretly applauded; this youth's inner strength is abundant, his moves decisive—no wonder Zou Yong lost to him. His feet suddenly slid back two zhang, both hands moving simultaneously, two beams of cold light shooting out to block Hu Xiaotian's attack line. Hu Xiaotian continuously waved the Wind-Slashing blade, colliding successively with the three arrowheads aimed at him. If it were ordinary shooting, Hu Xiaotian would have already knocked the arrowheads to the ground, but Tang Jiu Cheng's arrowheads remain under his control; although they change direction due to the blade's impact, they are not knocked to the ground, instead they immediately adjust in empty space and continue toward the target. Tang Jiu Cheng's skill of controlling arrows with qi has reached a miraculous level.

From afar, Hu Xiaotian seemed to be constantly contending with the three arrowheads, while Tang Jiu Cheng had already withdrawn and was watching from the sidelines; actually, those three arrowheads were always under Tang Jiu Cheng's control.

As the arrowheads' speed increased, Hu Xiaotian was momentarily thrown into panic; Tang Jiu Cheng sneered: "Kid, you're still far behind." He had already seen that Hu Xiaotian's surprise attack on him was likely meant to force him to reveal his condensing-qi-into-arrows skill; Tang Jiu Cheng thought to himself, dealing with you, controlling arrows with qi is already enough, no need to condense qi into arrows.

But Hu Xiaotian is the type who grows stronger against stronger opponents; after the initial panic, he shook his long blade, made an arc reverse cut, with a clang deflected one arrowhead; at that moment another arrowhead happened to come close, the trajectories of the two overlapped and collided; simultaneously, the third arrowhead arrived at his face, and Hu Xiaotian actually reached out with his left hand, gripping the arrow shaft; once he gripped it, the shaft's forward momentum stopped. This move seemed easy, but the friction between the high-speed shaft and his palm generated intense heat, causing a burning pain; if not for his astonishing inner strength, the speeding shaft would have broken free of his grasp and pierced his skull.

Tang Jiu Cheng shouted a heartfelt "good", yet seeing Hu Xiaotian simultaneously defuse the three arrowheads' shots, without waiting for his next reaction, he waved his right hand, sending an invisible blade to slash at him.

The Wind-Slashing blade moved through the air at astonishing speed, leaving afterimages along its body; powerful blade qi detached from the blade and surged straight forward.

Tang Jiu Cheng sensed the momentum of that blade from the air's fluctuations around him; he dared not be careless, retreated his body, then unleashed his right hand in midair, his index finger emitting a strand of invisible arrow qi; Hu Xiaotian ultimately forced him to reveal his condensing-qi-into-arrows ability.

Two strands of invisible killing intent collided in midair with a thud; in the void it was like a low thunder rolling; centered on the point of contact, mist and vapor surged outward; the two combatants' robes fluttered without wind, their beards and hair streaming backward.

Tang Jiu Cheng could hardly conceal the shock in his eyes; he never imagined Hu Xiaotian's inner strength could actually match his own; in fact, Hu Xiaotian had not yet fully unleashed the power of his internal arts.

After Hu Xiaotian finished that blade, he held his breath, not releasing it, smiling as he gazed at Tang Jiu Cheng. (To be continued~^~)