Chapter 1295

Baobao sighed and said, "You can walk this road, I can certainly walk it too—could it be that it belongs to your family?"

Huo Shengnan nodded, she urged her mount to move aside: "Miss, please go first!"

Baobao urged her mount forward slowly, and as she passed Huo Shengnan's side, she spoke in a voice only the two could hear: "Hu Xiaotian, even if you turned to ashes I could still recognize you!" As she spoke, she raised her hand to grab Huo Shengnan's face, for Baobao had decided the person before her was Hu Xiaotian in disguise.

Huo Shengnan had been on guard against Baobao; the moment Baobao moved, she reacted instantly, striking like the wind with a palm chop at Baobao's wrist, aiming for her pulse point.

Baobao's movement was also incredibly swift; she flipped her wrist and clashed palms with Huo Shengnan, with a "pa!" sound, her delicate body shuddered—her internal strength was obviously no match for Huo Shengnan's. Using the force of Huo Shengnan's palm, she somersaulted backward repeatedly and landed on the right roof ridge, looking down at Huo Shengnan below, she gritted her teeth and said, "Kid! Are you denying me after turning hostile?" She shook her right hand, sending several points of cold light straight at Huo Shengnan's mount.

Huo Shengnan couldn't help but frown; even now she didn't understand why Baobao was convinced she was Hu Xiaotian. She drew the azure-steel sword at her waist, leapt into the air, and blocked those points of cold light midway. With a lift and a thrust, she landed on the roof ridge opposite Baobao, coldly staring at her and said, "Miss, you have mistaken the person—I am Huang Feihong, not Hu Xiaotian at all!"

Baobao gave a hollow cold laugh and said, "Who are you fooling?" In her right hand she now held a brilliant silver whip; she whipped it hard, like a silver snake, aiming to wrap around Huo Shengnan's waist.

Huo Shengnan had no mind to linger in battle; she whistled, and her mount galloped north along the Heavenly Street. Dodging Baobao's whip, Huo Shengnan ran along the roof ridge, leaping and jumping as if on level ground.

Baobao shouted angrily, "Where are you going?" She pursued relentlessly behind, waving her silver whip back and forth, yet none struck its target, hitting the fine tiles of the roof instead, sending debris flying. Seeing she could not catch Huo Shengnan, Baobao seemed to harden her heart, pulling from her waist a seven-star repeating crossbow—one of the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau's deadliest weapons, personally designed by Hong Beimo, with an astonishing rate of fire, so much so that even a top-tier master would not dare be careless. She shouted, "If you dare to run again, I won't hold back!"

Huo Shengnan used the reflection on her sword blade to see the situation behind her, her heart sank, she stopped and turned to face Baobao, saying, "I've told you before—I'm not the person you're looking for; why do you keep pressing me so hard?"

Baobao raised the seven-star repeating crossbow, aiming at Huo Shengnan's chest, and said, "Take another step and I'll let a volley of arrows pierce your heart!"

Huo Shengnan, being pestered relentlessly, felt anger rise, and coldly said, "What can a mere seven-star repeating crossbow do to me?"

Baobao gave a cold snort, aimed the seven-star repeating crossbow at the opponent's right shoulder and fired. Her aim was not to kill, but merely to frighten.

Huo Shengnan's archery was top-notch. After obtaining the Sun-Shooting True Classic, Huo Xiaotian learned from it the method of dispersing one's skill, while Huo Shengnan gained even greater benefit—her internal strength increased manifold. Moreover, she learned the Falling Cherry Palace archery technique from the book, and has now reached the state of controlling arrows with qi. Simply from Baobao's gaze and the direction of the crossbow bolt, one could tell her attack would not harm her in the slightest.

At the instant Baobao pulled the trigger, Huo Shengnan had already taken down the longbow on her back, instantly completing the motion of drawing, nocking, aiming, and shooting; before Baobao could react, the arrowhead had already struck her cloak, piercing through from the hair bun atop her head.

Baobao let out a startled scream, reaching up to touch her head; fortunately Huo Shengnan showed mercy—if that arrow had been half an inch lower, it would likely have pierced her forehead. Baobao broke out in a cold sweat, and looking up, she saw Huo Shengnan already leapt from the roof, landed on her horseback, and rode off gallantly. Watching Huo Shengnan's figure gradually disappear in the rain, Baobao stomped her feet in fury and gritted her teeth, shouting, "You brat, thinking I can't really smell you out!"

Huo Shengnan was certain she had shaken off Baobao, and only then returned to her residence in the Water Well Alley. Huo Xiaotian was indeed staying home honestly, practicing his exercises and regulating his breath. Upon hearing Huo Shengnan recount the encounter with Baobao and how she had been pestered, Huo Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh.

Huo Shengnan said, "Really strange—why is she convinced I'm Hu Xiaotian in disguise? Unless she's a dog's nose, able to smell you out…" As she said this, she happened to meet Huo Xiaotian's ambiguous gaze, and finally understood; her cheeks flushed, she twisted Huo Xiaotian's ear and said, "It's all because of you, you rascal!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do you know why couples come to look alike?"

Huo Shengnan shook her head.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Once a couple has actually been together, since it can make a woman pregnant and give birth, changing one's appearance is also a matter of course." Saying this, he suddenly thought of a problem: there have been several beauties with whom he has actually been intimate, yet each time he took no precautions, and yet to this day he has never seen anyone's belly swell. Could it really be such a coincidence that all those beauties suffer from infertility? Or perhaps each time it was during a safe period? The more likely explanation is his own issue—maybe he should, when he has free time, design a microscope to check the viability of a certain aspect of himself.

Huo Shengnan saw this fellow drifting off in thought, and again grabbed his ear, saying, "Hey, what are you thinking about? Has your soul been snatched away by that Baobao?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "I wasn't thinking of anything; your comment actually reminded me—although I've changed my appearance, I haven't paid attention to masking my own scent. Encountering someone like Baobao with a keen sense of smell will surely expose me." He once had a life-and-death struggle in Wanghai City with the Old Monster of Bei Ze; that old monster, relying on his superhuman sense of smell, had created many dangers for him. If he hadn't beforehand grasped the inner dan of the Five-Colored Spider King, his life might not have been saved.

Huo Shengnan said, "Kangdu is not Dongliang Jun; here the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau's spies are everywhere, and Hong Beimo has many skilled followers. You don't want to expose your whereabouts prematurely, do you?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Of course not."

Huo Shengnan said, "You'd better not get too close to Baobao either, after all she is Hong Beimo's adopted daughter."

Hu Xiaotian wasn't worried that Baobao would betray him, but Huo Shengnan's reminder was correct—getting too close to Baobao makes it easy for the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau's people to notice.

Only then did Huo Shengnan remember to hand over Qiqi's letter to Huo Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian pried open the wax seal, drew out the letter paper, unfolded it—and found it was a blank sheet. Huo Shengnan, seeing not a single character on it, was also startled and exclaimed in disbelief, "She actually had me travel all this way just to deliver a blank sheet of paper?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Qiqi isn't simple; having you deliver the letter to Dongliang Jun is likely her way of using this opportunity to get you out of the way."

Huo Shengnan said, "Why would she want to sideline me? Could it be that she suspects me?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "You are my man; I left you in the Shen Ce Fu to protect Qiqi, and also to command the Shen Ce Fu and direct operations here. Any movement in Kangdu, you would promptly report to me. Qiqi has always understood this; it seems she intends to take some action against the Shen Ce Fu, and by sidelining you she can act without restraint."

Huo Shengnan, hearing Huo Xiaotian say that, recalled Qiqi's earlier words and thought his speculation quite plausible. She remembered that before leaving, Qiqi had told her that in their hearts there was only ever one master—Hu Xiaotian. But what exactly does Qiqi intend to do? Huo Xiaotian has already decided to return to Kangdu and marry her; shouldn't she be wholeheartedly thinking of Hu Xiaotian? Could there be some other scheme deep in her heart? Huo Shengnan suddenly had a bad premonition; she shook her head, trying to dispel the feeling from her heart.

Hu Xiaotian said, "This letter, you must send it away."

Huo Shengnan said, "I've just seen you, and you're already telling me to leave?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "Leaving is merely to throw people off the scent; I'm not actually sending you to Dongliang Jun. You only need to create the appearance of having left Kangdu, make a roundabout trip and come back—just don't show up in your true guise."

Huo Shengnan said, "You're deliberately sidelining me so you can shack up with Baobao."

Hu Xiaotian really felt a mix of laughter and tears—how could that be? He would never ruin his grand plan for the sake of personal romance; he put his arms around Huo Shengnan's fragrant shoulders and said, "I don't have that kind of energy—just you, General Huo, is already more than I can bear."

Huo Shengnan spat and said, "It's you who makes me unable to bear it—people still… still have a faint ache even now…"

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing, realizing that Huo Shengnan truly knows how to look out for him and understands how to satisfy his vanity.

In fact, what Huo Shengnan said was true; she leaned into Huo Xiaotian's embrace and said, "I really can't bear to part with you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Once I return to Dongliang Jun, let us thereafter live together, never to part again—okay?"

Huo Shengnan nodded with a smile, but then sighed and said, "After you marry the princess, where will there be any room for me in your heart?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "That's wrong—all of them are my wives, no distinction of rank."

Huo Shengnan said, "That's what you said—no regrets later."

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed, himself being affectionate everywhere, with so many lovely confidantes; it seems that in the future wanting to keep things even-handed won't be easy—he must straighten his thinking and train his body; straightening his thinking means treating all of them impartially, and training his body is even more necessary, for without a strong physique how could he cope with so many lovely confidantes? In the past he envied others who embraced left and right, enjoying the blessings of many women, but when it truly came to him he realized this lifestyle is extremely draining on one's stamina. Fortunately, his inner strength is ample, his body is sturdy; even General Huo's robust physique yields to him before his very eyes, and the other little girls—hehe…

Huo Shengnan had no idea he was thinking of all those sordid matters; she whispered, "I'm still worried about the Yongyang Princess—I always feel her behavior is a bit odd. Come to think of it, her recent relationship with Hong Beimo seems to have improved a lot."

Hu Xiaotian said, "It's not that Hong Beimo was ordered to rebuild the Prince Consort's Mansion, our bridal chamber; some interaction between him and Qiqi is also normal."

Two updates delivered, seeking monthly tickets! (To be continued…~^~)