Chapter 1297

Hu Xiaotian said: "The purpose of teaching me martial arts was merely to facilitate his escape." Looking at Li Yuncong before him, Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed; these two brothers' hearts are equally vicious—Li Yuncong once framed his elder brother, and Bu Wu used the same means to harm him; one disregarded brotherly affection, the other ignored master-disciple bond—both are equally heartless and unrighteous.

Li Yuncong did not continue to ask about Bu Wu's matter, then coughed and said: "Wasn't it said that your wedding day is May 16? Why have you sneaked into Kangdu so early?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Lord Li ought to know the Emperor's urgency in marrying me to the princess."

Li Yuncong nodded and said: "The Emperor must regret sending you to Dongliang Jun; he never expected you to establish yourself in the Yongjiang River basin so quickly—that shows you have some ability; anyone else would likely have lost Dongliang Jun long ago, let alone seize Da Yong's Dongluo Storage." His single eye suddenly brightened, openly showing his admiration for Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Emperor intends to keep me in Kangdu forever!"

Li Yuncong laughed eerily and said: "Since you see everything so clearly, why still risk coming back? Enjoying yourself as master in Dongliang Jun isn't pleasant enough? Why bother returning to Kangdu for a mere woman?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If I do not come, it would be tantamount to tearing up my Marriage Pact with the princess; the Emperor could then accuse me before the world of contempt for the court and intent to rebel, leaving me without justification, and he would have grounds to send troops against me."

Li Yuncong said: "So it's just for an empty reputation?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's not merely for an empty reputation; since I dare come, I have confidence I can leave safely."

Li Yuncong said: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles; your early arrival here is precisely to discern how he will deal with you and to thwart all his schemes before the wedding."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Indeed, that is my thinking. However, without Lord Li's help, I will surely accomplish nothing."

Li Yuncong gave him a sideways glance and said: "Why should we help you?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "We have a master-disciple bond!"

Li Yuncong curled his lip in disdain; this reason alone hardly moves him.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Underground thirty li from the imperial mausoleum, walls of bronze and iron have already been erected; does Lord Li know of this?"

Li Yuncong perked up at the mention of the mausoleum, lowering his voice: "You intend to dig a secret passage underground into the mausoleum?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "I originally had that plan; the Emperor poured all that wealth into the mausoleum. I can't help wondering what he could possibly be aiming for by spending so much on a tomb."

Li Yuncong said: "This mausoleum was personally designed and overseen by Hong Beimo; when Long Yelin drove the Emperor from the throne, the mausoleum once had a Locking Dragon Stone fall. Because the treasury was empty, Long Yelin once had designs on the mausoleum. It is said that beneath the Huangling Digong nine treasure vaults have already been completed, containing the wealth Dakang has accumulated over decades; for this reason Long Yelin specially summoned top craftsmen and mechanism engineers to try to open the Locking Dragon Stone, but ultimately came away empty-handed. Hong Beimo's mechanisms are not something just anyone can solve. Only after the Emperor successfully regained the throne did Hong Beimo open the Locking Dragon Stone, and the mausoleum's construction then resumed. The Emperor's merits rank low among Dakang's emperors throughout history. Yet the mausoleum's scale is said to be first. I have heard that around the mausoleum underground there are nine encircling walls, among which three are subterranean rivers; the walls are of bronze and iron, the rivers are made of poured mercury. This is merely the tip of the iceberg; Hong Beimo poured his lifetime's learning into the mausoleum's design, seeking infallibility, so that once the mausoleum is completed, not even a fly could enter."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What exactly lies within the mausoleum?"

Li Yuncong shook his head and said: "Perhaps only Hong Beimo knows the answer to this; from our view, even the Emperor may not be clear. Hong Beimo said this mausoleum is a tomb of eternal life; after the Emperor's death, his remains placed within can remain undecayed for ten thousand years, awaiting the next rebirth."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "Absurd, such a lowly lie could actually deceive the Emperor."

Li Yuncong said: "Perhaps the Emperor does not actually believe this; Hong Beimo's words are merely to deceive the world, and as for what he tells the Emperor, we won't know."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why does Lord Li favor the mausoleum so?"

Li Yuncong said: "What could move the Emperor's heart, after decades of unwavering investment, must be only the two words 'eternal life'; I believe the mausoleum's interior certainly hides a secret related to eternal life." He sighed deeply: "I have spent my life hiding and fleeing, not living happily; I have been obsessed with martial arts, aiming to become the world's greatest master, but only as I approached the end of my years did I realize that what I once deemed important is not important at all, and even falls short of what I have sacrificed."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: Li Yuncong must be speaking from experience; before becoming a eunuch, it is said he had considerable means, and to escape the pursuit of Tianlong Temple he concealed his name and even castrated himself; surely he regrets it—could the mausoleum contain something that would let him regain his manhood? Or perhaps a secret to return to youth, achieve eternal life?

Li Yuncong said: "The Dan Ding Chapter of Qiankun Opening Things must be what he hid in there."

Hu Xiaotian had little interest in the Qiankun Opening Things; he lowered his voice: "Lord Li, rest assured, I will certainly keep my promise."

Li Yuncong said: "I have no interest in the mausoleum's wealth either; once I obtain what I want, I will return everything else." Although he is capable, he is ultimately isolated; to achieve his goal he must borrow Hu Xiaotian's strength. From the current situation, his bet has paid off, and Hu Xiaotian is stronger than he anticipated.

Hu Xiaotian said: "If the Emperor wants to deal with me, he must rely on Hong Beimo's power; having Hong Beimo oversee the renovation of the Prince Consort's residence, he likely laid mechanisms there in advance."

Li Yuncong said: "We have also heard of this; we originally thought that, given Yongyang Princess's stern nature, she would surely refuse Hong Beimo to do this, but unexpectedly she agreed."

Hu Xiaotian also found this somewhat unusual; Qiqi not only agreed to Hong Beimo's construction of the Prince Consort's residence, but also used the pretext of delivering a message to him to send Huo Shengnan away, apparently clearing out the people he had placed beside her; perhaps Qiqi has other plans.

Li Yuncong said meaningfully: "If the Yongyang Princess is doing this under pressure from the Emperor, that's fine; but if she has her own plans, such as reaching a tacit understanding with the Emperor..."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "That should be difficult."

Li Yuncong said: "And what about Hong Beimo?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: "This is also what I worry about most."

Li Yuncong said: "Recently, Hong Beimo's visits to the palace have not been frequent; this year he has entered the palace five times, two of which were to the Lingxiao Palace on Piaomiao Mountain."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows.

Li Yuncong said: "It is said he went to check the Lingxiao Palace's restoration, but we know the Lingxiao Palace has already been restored, which makes one unable not to suspect."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why doesn't Lord Li go take a look?"

Li Yuncong shook his head and said: "This person Hong Beimo is someone we cannot afford to provoke."

Hu Xiaotian said: "So you've left all the chances to provoke him to me."

Li Yuncong chuckled and said: "With so many people in the palace, it's no wonder you stand out; little whiskers, you're truly formidable!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I would like to stay in the palace for a while; could Lord Li make arrangements for me?"

Li Yuncong said: "To hide in the wild is minor concealment; to hide in the court is major concealment. A true master of concealment dwells within the palace; the more dangerous the place, the safer it actually is—you truly have extraordinary courage." He paused, then added: "Your insight is also extraordinary."

He pointed at the screen, indicating Hu Xiaotian should hide behind it, then Li Yuncong opened the door and said: "Little Dezi, come in; we have something to ask you."

Soon Little Dezi entered, respectfully saying: "Sir Eunuch, what are your orders?"

Li Yuncong waved his hand, signaling him to close the door, then said: "How do you think we treat you?"

Little Dezi said: "Sir Eunuch, your kindness to me is En ru shan……"

Li Yuncong sighed and said: "Then why have you betrayed me?" He suddenly thrust his palm forward, striking the air; though his palm did not touch Little Dezi, an invisible force entered his body, Little Dezi made no sound, his body shrank and collapsed, his eyes rolled up and he died.

Hu Xiaotian saw Li Yuncong actually strike and kill someone; he secretly sighed at his ruthlessness while also admiring his martial skill. Stepping from behind the screen, he secretly wondered: could Li Yuncong be having him impersonate Little Dezi? But they bear no resemblance; although he has learned the art of changing appearance, he ultimately cannot use this technique to make himself look like another person.

Li Yuncong unhurriedly walked to Little Dezi's side, bent down, extended his hand, and actually peeled the face mask from his face—this Little Dezi was also using disguise. Li Yuncong said: "This person is an agent of the Heavenly Secrets Bureau; Hong Beimo had him infiltrate the palace, lurking in the Cangshu Lou, to monitor our daily activities; we had long seen through his true appearance, but had never exposed him. Now that you intend to stay in the palace for a while, this is a perfect opportunity to use his identity; he ought to be a top operative of the Heavenly Secrets Bureau's Fox Group, a natural eunuch." He clicked his tongue and sighed: "He is born to be a good eunuch material, a pity he does not walk the proper path."

Hu Xiaotian took the mask and put it on; observing Little Dezi's physique, he found it much slighter than his own, and could only use Tendon Changing Bone Shifting to make up the difference; however, for Hu Xiaotian this is no difficulty.

Two updates delivered; tonight there's a banquet, that's all for now, please cast more Monthly Tickets so Zhangyu has the motivation to release an Extra Chapter tomorrow! (To be continued~^~)