Chapter 1269

Prince of Bohai showed a look of disappointment, after all his original intention was to take the opportunity to let Hu Xiaotian teach Zhou Yong a lesson, to give Zhou Yong an embarrassing moment, but now it has turned into a showdown between Hu Xiaotian and Li Chenzhou.

Fu Yanshou made a gesture with his eyes, and two palace attendants brought up the wooden swords.

Xue Lingjun also said: "General Li and Hu Dafu are both masters; their swordsmanship has reached the point of effortless control, so there's no need to use wooden swords—replace them with ordinary blue-steel swords!"

Hu Xiaotian grinned, showing his teeth; Xue Lingjun could naturally feel the chilling coldness in his teeth, and she couldn't help but purse her cherry lips, returning a charming smile.

"No compensation for killing someone in a pitfall!" Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, since it's hard to dismount a tiger, the only option is to face the battle head-on.

Two palace attendants had exchanged the blue-steel swords, each presenting one to the two combatants; Li Chenzhou took one of the swords, smiling and said: "Hu Cai Dong, we're just performing a sword dance to entertain the guests—let's stop at a touch."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Of course!" Since Li Chenzhou was in tacit agreement, this became much easier; we'll just go through a couple of moves casually to get by.

Li Chenzhou said: "Swords have no eyes; injuries are inevitable. To avoid hurting each other, why don't we compare only techniques and not use internal energy?"

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed this sly fellow, knowing his internal energy was inferior to his own, so he took the initiative to suggest comparing only techniques and not internal energy—he was playing to his strengths and hiding his weaknesses; for him, his strength lay in internal energy, and if he voluntarily gave up that advantage, relying solely on technique would probably make it hard to defeat Li Chenzhou, but with so many people watching, he couldn't very well say he wanted to fight with his life on the line using internal energy; Hu Xiaotian nodded with a smile.

Xue Lingjun said: "You two had better show some real skill; don't let Your Majesty laugh at us for having no talent in Da Yong!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Princess, rest assured, we will surely give it our all."

The two clasped fists in salute, then each stepped back three paces. Hu Xiaotian slowly drew his sharp sword; the blue-steel sword, as soon as it left the scabbard, felt a piercing chill. At a glance one could see it was a rare fine sword. Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, the Prince of Bohai was no good thing—letting you change to a real sword, yet not to a treasure sword; now, as soon as they touch, wouldn't it just leave a wound? After a moment's thought, what does the life or death of him and Li Chenzhou have to do with the Prince of Bohai? The sword contest was proposed by Xue Lingjun; she merely helped provide the props.

Li Chenzhou smiled and reminded Hu Xiaotian: "Hu Cai Dong, don't forget—we agreed to stop at a touch!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "General Li, be careful!" As he spoke, his right hand twitched slightly, and the blue-steel sword in his hand swished—stabbing toward Li Chenzhou's throat. At the moment Hu Xiaotian struck, Li Chenzhou had already thrust his sword forward; the two swords crossed in midair, emitting a sharp clang! Indeed, neither had used internal energy.

Both sides' first offense and defense were meant to probe; after confirming the opponent had indeed not used internal energy, each had a sense of the other's measure. Hu Xiaotian's sword light flickered like a winding spirit snake, its trajectory mysterious and agile.

Li Chenzhou's attack speed was extremely slow; no matter how light and changeable Hu Xiaotian's swordsmanship was, he remained as steady as a rock—if he didn't move, he didn't move; but once he did, he could block Hu Xiaotian's sword moves.

Laymen watch the excitement, insiders watch the technique; the sword duel between Hu Xiaotian and Li Chenzhou, judging by the spectacle, is not as splendid and dangerous as the two beautiful swordswomen's earlier bout, but those who truly understand know that their sword techniques emphasize practical combat, and only when it comes to a life‑and‑death fight do such methods prove effective.

They exchanged blows back and forth for over twenty moves, and the arena was filled with continuous applause.

Li Chenzhou, however, suddenly shifted from an initial defensive stance to an offensive one; with a flick of the blade he launched a move that seemed clumsy yet ingenious. The move was plain and unremarkable, yet Hu Xiaotian watched it in astonishment—for the technique Li Chenzhou used was actually a form of the Seven Slays of Heaven Sword. Hu Xiaotian flipped his wrist to block it, his heart filled with wonder, for the Seven Slays of Heaven Sword was clearly something only he knew—how had Li Chenzhou come by it?

The swords crossed, and Hu Xiaotian instantly sensed a hidden force transmitting from the opponent's blade; he stepped back two paces in succession, glaring at Li Chenzhou. This man is truly hateful—clearly he was the one who proposed that neither side use internal energy, yet he went back on his word and actually used internal energy in that very move.

Li Chenzhou, however, acted as if nothing had happened; seeing Hu Xiaotian retreat, he did not rush to attack, smiling and asked: "Hu Cai Dong, are you going to admit defeat?"

Hu Xiaotian snorted coldly: "Do you have that kind of ability?" He twisted his body and lunged forward again, launching a Golden Snake Wild Dance thrust straight at Li Chenzhou; Li Chenzhou stepped forward, swinging his sword to meet it, and at the instant the swords met, Li Chenzhou's body unexpectedly shifted sideways.

A buzz rang in Hu Xiaotian's head as he suddenly grasped Li Chenzhou's motive—this fellow was trying to use a self‑injury ruse. Hu Xiaotian wanted to withdraw his sword, but it was already too late; the blue‑steel sword in his hand pierced Li Chenzhou's right chest, only to meet an obstacle: Li Chenzhou wore armor beneath his outer robe, so an ordinary blade could not pierce it, yet his body lurched upward as if struck by a heavy blow, flying back over two zhang before crashing heavily to the ground, his body slamming into a long table on the opposite side, sending food and drink scattering everywhere, the scene a mess of overturned cups and plates.

Li Chenzhou spat out a mouthful of fresh blood with a puff!, one hand clutching his chest, the other propping himself up on his sword; his handsome face showed extreme anguish as he cried out: "You… you actually used… internal energy to hurt someone…"

Hu Xiaotian had fully understood his tricks: first, he used a move from the Seven Slays of Heaven Sword to draw Hu Xiaotian's attention; because Li Chenzhou had used internal energy, Hu Xiaotian then unleashed a killing technique from the Spirit Snake Nine Swords; Li Chenzhou deliberately stepped forward to meet the blade, using his own internal energy to shock his viscera, framing Hu Xiaotian for it—this whole series of tricks was seamless, each link interlocking perfectly.

Although Hu Xiaotian was shrewd, he had not anticipated Li Chenzhou's plan; in this situation he too could not defend himself with a hundred mouths, for the injured party was Li Chenzhou, and even if he accused the fellow of cheating, probably few onlookers would believe him.

Most of the banquet attendees looked at Hu Xiaotian with contempt; although on the surface Hu Xiaotian had won, he had broken his promise by being the first to use internal energy—what difference does that make from scheming against others?

Although Xue Lingjun didn't know exactly what had happened, deep down she wished Hu Xiaotian would go up and slash Li Chenzhou to death with a single sword.

Hu Xiaotian's reaction was also remarkably quick; he threw his blue‑steel sword to the ground, clasped his fists, and said: "I got carried away in the killing and forgot my agreement with General Li—this match was actually my loss!" A true man can bend and stretch; admitting defeat in public is nothing to be ashamed of. He strode up to Li Chenzhou, reached out to help him up, and whispered via voice transmission: "General Li, doing this is rather underhanded, isn't it?"

Li Chenzhou took advantage of the inattentive moment and replied in kind via voice transmission: "All's fair in war and deception; everyone knows your motives."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, "What motive do I have?" Then, after a moment's reflection, he realized Li Chenzhou must have believed that Xue Lingjun and he were colluding, seeking an opportunity to eliminate him, which is why he first staged this self‑injury ploy; this man's mind is meticulous—he's trying to seize a chance to escape.

The Prince of Bohai hurriedly summoned an imperial physician, after all Li Chenzhou was an envoy of Da Yong and a favorite before the Da Yong emperor; if anything happened to him on Bohai territory, the Prince would also have to bear responsibility.

Li Chenzhou took the opportunity to make his excuses and leave the table.

Xue Lingjun secretly sighed in regret; today's affair not only failed to achieve her wish, but instead left Hu Xiaotian looking disheveled and embarrassed, and everyone saw that he had won by illicitly using internal energy, breaking his promise—an unworthy victory.

That night Xue Lingjun did not return to the Garden of Knowing Spring with Hu Xiaotian; instead, she accepted an invitation from Yan Dongqing to go to her mansion, saying they would hold a candle‑lit night talk.

Hu Xiaotian had suffered a secret loss; as he was preparing to return alone to the Garden of Knowing Spring, the palace steward Fu Yanshou quietly approached him, not to chat but to have him follow, for the Prince of Bohai, Yan Dongsheng, wanted to see him.

Hu Xiaotian had originally wanted to meet Yan Dongsheng alone, but tonight's plans had all been disrupted by Li Chenzhou; he hadn't expected Yan Dongsheng to summon him voluntarily, which was exactly what he wished for, so he followed Fu Yanshou to the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Yan Dongsheng had actually left earlier; he had already been at the Hall of Diligent Governance for half an hour.

Hu Xiaotian respectfully said: "Commoner Hu Dafu pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Yan Dongsheng nodded and said: "No need for formalities!"

Hu Xiaotian had no intention of performing a great salute at all; he simply smiled and lifted his head.

Yan Dongsheng waved his hand, signaling Fu Yanshou and the other palace attendants to withdraw, then said: "Sir Hu, now that things have come to this, do you still intend to conceal your identity?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "Who I am—does it matter that much to Your Majesty?"

Yan Dongsheng stepped forward slowly, scrutinizing him closely, and said in a low voice: "Actually, Li Chenzhou has already revealed your identity to me—you are Hu Xiaotian, right?"

Hu Xiaotian neither affirmed nor denied; he whispered: "Your Majesty summoned me—do you have something that must be said in private?"

Yan Dongsheng said: "At tonight's banquet, was it Xue Lingjun's intention to let you take the opportunity to eliminate Li Chenzhou?" (To be continued~^~)

Yan Dongsheng said: "At tonight's banquet, does Xue Lingjun want you to take the opportunity to get rid of Li Chen Zhou?" (To be continued~^~)