Chapter 1271

Eunuch Dong said: "Actually she dotes on you the most; the principle that an innocent man is blamed for possessing a jade—Your Highness, you should know this without me having to say it."

Xue Shengjing said: "Yes!"

At that moment, another eunuch's figure appeared outside the door of Ju Bao Zhai; he was the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Palace, Rong Changhai. Eunuch Dong obviously did not want to deal with him, and he actually turned and left just like that. Rong Changhai also came over to salute Xue Shengjing. Seeing Eunuch Dong's retreating back, he couldn't help but laugh and say: "Eunuch Dong, what's wrong with you? We just arrived, and he left—could he be avoiding us?"

Xue Shengjing laughed: "It must be because he saw you become Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Palace and feels uneasy."

Rong Changhai covered his mouth and laughed with a somewhat coquettish charm of a young woman. Seeing no one around, he lowered his voice and said to Xue Shengjing: "The late emperor left a decree; Your Majesty's move against you this time likely stems from this."

Xue Shengjing's heart sank. If what Rong Changhai said is true, then his situation is very troublesome; the crisis he faces has not completely disappeared despite the resolution with Bohai State. The late emperor's decree! He had never heard of this before. He had thought he had kept it hidden from his imperial brother's eyes, but he never expected that, even on his deathbed, the late emperor still could not forget to eliminate him. It seems the late emperor never truly felt at ease about him.

Xue Shengjing said: "Does the old man know?"

Rong Changhai shook his head: "I'm not sure; we haven't yet found out who passed this decree to His Majesty."

A twitch crossed Xue Shengjing's lip: "Investigate! I must have this looked into thoroughly; I will absolutely not spare him!"

Flying Eagle soared across the Lan sky, Hu Xiaotian sat on its back, looking down at the endless blue sea, clear skies for thousands of miles, sunlight bathing him unhindered. Two white lights flashed behind him—those were the Snow Eagles desperately chasing the Flying Eagle's silhouette. Everything was so beautiful; although this trip to Bohai did not see Huo Xiaoru, Hu Xiaotian still gained much: not only did he resolve Xue Shengjing's crisis, but he also reached a tacit understanding with Bohai King Yan Dongsheng and the Island Lord of the Python Flood, Yan Tianlu, making them realize that to survive beside the two great powers, they must unite.

For Hu Xiaotian, this alliance is even more important; it's equivalent to him opening a passage from the Yong River basin to the Eastern Sea, thereafter he can control the maritime rights of this region and gradually control the transport of benefits between Da Yong and Dakang.

The Flying Eagle finally slowed its speed; two Snow Eagles came to its left and right, and Xia Zhangming appeared on Hu Xiaotian's right. They expressed amazement at the Flying Eagle's astonishing flight speed and endurance.

During this time, following Xia Zhangming, Hu Xiaotian had learned many ways to communicate with birds. He recalled that the owner of Luoying Palace, Tang Jiu Cheng, also had a gray eagle, and curiously asked: "Could Tang Jiu Cheng also be a Beast Tamer?"

Although Xia Zhangming had never personally seen Tang Jiu Cheng riding an eagle in flight, from Hu Xiaotian's description he could make a rough judgment and nodded: "There are not a few who understand beast taming techniques in the world. Ordinary ones can train chickens, dogs, cattle, and horses for farming and labor; the advanced can drive wild beasts and birds of prey, fight in groups, and go into battle to kill enemies. Yet among them there are three major schools: one is the poison masters who raise and cultivate venomous insects, represented by the Wuxian Sect and the Variegated Gate; another is the Hundred Beasts School, which mainly drives ferocious beasts; and the third is our own school, which mainly drives flying birds. Among these three schools, the Wuxian Sect is the strongest in power and the most vicious in means; the Hundred Beasts School is skilled at driving wolves, bears, tigers, and leopards, but its sect is located in Tianxiang State, and its disciples rarely appear in the Central Plains."

After hearing Xia Zhangming finish, Hu Xiaotian's understanding of this deepened a bit; it seemed the most low-key among them was the sect Xia Zhangming belonged to. He suddenly thought of the Feather Demon Li Chang'an and wondered where this senior brother of Xia Zhangming had gone. He had wanted to ask, but upon the words reaching his lips he changed his mind, after all it involved the secrets of another's sect—why bother?

Xia Zhangming sighed: "Lately there's been no news of my senior brother; I don't know where he is now."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Mr. Li's martial arts are superb, and he is exceptionally wise; even if he encounters trouble, he can handle it."

Xia Zhangming said: "My senior brother was injured and lost his right arm; his martial arts have greatly deteriorated."

Hu Xiaotian recalled that Li Chang'an had been ambushed outside Dongliang Jun; since Xia Zhangming brought it up himself, he asked: "What grudge does your senior brother have with the Beast Demon Yan Huyiao?"

Xia Zhangming said: "Yan Huyiao is a master of the Hundred Beasts School; as for his feud with my senior brother, I'm not entirely clear, but I know he was ordered by the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau to hunt down my senior brother—perhaps it's due to a grudge between my senior brother and Hong Beimo."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, then suddenly felt a strange itch all over his body; he couldn't help but reach into his chest and scratch a few times, but the more he scratched, the itchier it got. Fortunately, they had arrived at a midway rest stop. He piloted the Flying Eagle and landed on a tiny islet in the middle of the sea.

The strange itch on his body grew stronger; Hu Xiaotian excused himself to relieve himself, went behind the bushes, took off his upper garment, and saw that his skin had turned red; looking at his arms, they were actually covered with blood-red meridian patterns. Hu Xiaotian was greatly alarmed; he hurriedly sat down, held his breath and regulated his qi. After circulating his internal energy through one cycle, he found nothing abnormal inside, but his skin became ever itchier.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian not return for a long while, Xia Zhangming came over to check. Seeing Hu Xiaotian sitting bare-chested on the ground, his body covered with blood-red meridian patterns, he was greatly startled and exclaimed: "My lord, what on earth has happened to you?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head; he also couldn't figure out why. At that moment, a black poisonous scorpion crawled up to his side; at a distance of about three feet, it immediately turned and fled. Seeing how fearful the scorpion was of him, Hu Xiaotian recalled that he had once swallowed the inner dan of the Five-Colored Spider King, and he told Xia Zhangming about this. Previously he had thought that swallowing the Five-Colored Spider King's inner dan had left his body unchanged, but he never expected that after so many days there would finally be a reaction.

Xia Zhangming said: "That must be the cause; I've also heard of the Five-Colored Spider King—it's said to be one of the five most poisonous things in the world. I never expected my lord to have such an encounter."

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile: "What encounter? If it hadn't been a desperate situation back then, I would never have swallowed that thing no matter what; I originally thought it wouldn't be digested, but now it seems I have fully absorbed it."

Xia Zhangming also didn't know how to detoxify; he scratched his head and said: "What can we do about this?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I can't take it anymore; I'm itching unbearably—I'll take a cold shower first!" He no longer cared about decorum, ran to the seaside, stripped naked, and jumped in with a splash. Although it was early spring, the seawater was still freezing to the bone, but compared to the deep‑bone itch, this cold was nothing.

However, upon entering the seawater, the icy water stimulated him, and a warm current naturally arose in his Dantian Qi Sea to oppose the external cold—this is the body's natural response. The warm current flowed along his meridians, quickly spreading throughout his body, and the itch began to lessen as the qi circulated.

Xia Zhangming worried that Hu Xiaotian might have come to harm, went to the seaside to look, but saw Hu Xiaotian completely submerged in the seawater; the area of water around his body actually began to rise with thin wisps of steam. Knowing Hu Xiaotian was cultivating, he did not dare disturb him, sat on the shore, and waited a full hour before seeing Hu Xiaotian walk ashore naked. Strangely, the red vein patterns covering his body had completely disappeared.

Hu Xiaotian shouted loudly: "Refreshing, refreshing!" Having just endured that inhuman torment, his body returned to normal sensation; the comfort and delight were indescribable.

Seeing that Hu Xiaotian was fine, Xia Zhangming finally relaxed, but from then on, every two hours Hu Xiaotian's itch would flare up; each time, he had to jump into the sea to cultivate and resist it, which greatly slowed their progress.

After a day and night of torment, the frequency of Hu Xiaotian's itch outbreaks began to decrease, from every two hours to every four hours. By the third day, when they reached the vicinity of the Yong River's mouth, Hu Xiaotian had not experienced a single outbreak from morning departure to afternoon, and he believed this was because his cultivation was gradually neutralizing the toxin in his body.

They decided to press on; according to their current pace, they should reach Dongliang Jun by evening. The whole day passed without an outbreak, but just as they were about to arrive at Dongliang Jun, Hu Xiaotian's itch flared up again. To avoid this, they kept flying along the Yong River; Hu Xiaotian jumped into the river for a freshwater wash, but this time he discovered that his skin was beginning to peel. Days of sea wind and scorching sun had bronzed his complexion, while the peeled parts were pure white and delicate. He scrubbed and washed for over an hour, and by the time he left the Yong River, he had gone from a blackened lump to a handsome youth with a jade‑like face.

Xia Zhangming gazed at Hu Xiaotian's present appearance and clicked his tongue in wonder.

Hu Xiaotian raised both hands, looked at his pallid hands in the moonlight, and sighed: "I'm practically as white as a young maiden now!"

Xia Zhangming laughed: "Looking like this, you're even more handsome and suave!"

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile: "I've literally shed a layer of skin; if I rub any more, the flesh will come out."

Xia Zhangming said: "Miss Qin's medical skills are superb; my lord, you should go see her first when you return—perhaps she can help clear up your doubts."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It only flared up today; perhaps starting tomorrow it will happen once every two days."

Xia Zhangming said: "My lord, a fortunate person naturally enjoys heavenly favor; I believe that inner dan will not harm your body." (To be continued~^~)