Chapter 1309: 【Return to the Original Owner】(Lower)

The news of Ji Feihua's reappearance in the palace, under Hong Beimo's orders, did not spread. After hiding in Dragon Spirit Winning Scenery for a day and night, Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan left Yaochi under the cover of night. The secret passage showed no signs of anyone entering. Hu Xiaotian specially went to the tunnel leading to Zilan Palace to check; the collapsed part remained unchanged. It seemed the palace had not launched a large-scale search because of his killing of Li Yan. Hu Xiaotian inevitably felt disappointed.

After careful thought, he still decided to return to the Cangshuge, wondering if Li Yuncong had already left.

Bringing Xi Yan, the two came to the Cangshuge via the secret passage. Hu Xiaotian moved the sage statue blocking the entrance, then climbed up. Although he and Xi Yan had been together day and night during this period, he somehow offended her, and no matter what he said, she ignored him.

Xi Yan silently watched Hu Xiaotian move the sage statue back to its original place, then changed into Xiao Dezhi's attire and said to her: "Wait here for me; I'll go out to gather information first."

When Hu Xiaotian reached the door, Xi Yan finally couldn't help but say: "Be careful!"

Hu Xiaotian turned and smiled at her, pulled open the door and stepped out, arriving at Li Yuncong's room, only to find the light on inside. He wondered secretly: Could Li Yuncong not have left the palace? Full of curiosity, he tiptoed toward Li Yuncong's room. After a few steps, he heard faint footsteps behind him. Assuming it was Xi Yan following again, he suddenly turned around, only to see a figure flash into the darkness.

Hu Xiaotian stared intently; the person extended a hand from the shadows and made a gesture before him. Hu Xiaotian interpreted it as some signal, after all, the Xiao Dezhi he played was a spy of the Heaven's Secret Bureau. Could the follower behind be coming to the Cangshuge to meet him?

Hu Xiaotian looked around. Confirming no one noticed, he slowly approached. When he got close, he saw a delicate-featured little eunuch standing in the shadows. That eunuch's face was extremely familiar to Hu Xiaotian—clearly it was Baobao in disguise.

Hu Xiaotian didn't expect this girl to have infiltrated the palace too. But thinking about it, it was quite normal: Baobao was the head of the Fox Division of the Heaven's Secret Bureau, and the Xiao Dezhi he was impersonating was a member of that division.

Hu Xiaotian suddenly recalled that before entering the palace, Huo Shengnan had been tailed by Baobao, and they had clashed fiercely on Tian Street. Baobao's nose was very keen; she could smell his scent on Huo Shengnan. Perhaps she could also detect something from his own body.

Baobao made another gesture toward him. Hu Xiaotian silently cursed: this gesture surely hid a trick. He had originally wanted to conceal his identity, but facing Baobao's gesture, he didn't know how to respond, so he merely imitated her and made the same gesture.

Baobao's eyes instantly filled with suspicion; she slightly raised her right hand. Hu Xiaotian was extremely alert. He immediately realized she sensed something wrong and was about to launch a sneak attack. Before Hu Xiaotian could act, Baobao's body went limp and collapsed.

It was Li Yuncong who had ghost‑like emerged from behind, tapped her acupoint, and the box in Baobao's right hand fell to the ground. Hu Xiaotian looked closely—it was the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle. This showed Baobao had not seen through his true identity.

Li Yuncong gave Hu Xiaotian a meaningful glance, said nothing, then retreated back into the darkness, apparently intending to leave the messy situation for Hu Xiaotian to handle himself.

Hu Xiaotian lifted Baobao, picked up the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle and kept it safe. Although Baobao couldn't move her body, her eyeballs still rolled. Hu Xiaotian leaned close to her ear and asked: "Could it be you can't smell my scent?"

Baobao couldn't speak, but hearing his voice she finally knew the person before her was Hu Xiaotian. Her eye sockets reddened, and she burst into tears, pattering down. Hu Xiaotian couldn't bear to see a woman cry; he sighed softly and said: "It's not that I don't want you, but under the current circumstances it's really inconvenient to meet you. Can you understand that in your heart?"

Baobao blinked her eyes, using this to tell Hu Xiaotian she understood.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'll unseal your acupoint now!" He reached out and tapped her, but there was no response. Li Yuncong's unique acupoint sealing technique was not something he could break. Hu Xiaotian felt helpless, just about to go look for Li Yuncong for help.

Yet Baobao suddenly regained freedom. After her limbs moved freely, the first thing she did was throw her arms around Hu Xiaotian, bury herself in his embrace, and her delicate body trembled with excitement in his arms. Seeing her reaction, Hu Xiaotian felt her deep longing for him and softly comforted: "I am always thinking of you."

Baobao leaned close to his ear and whispered: "Be careful—Hong Beimo and the Yongyang Princess seem to be plotting something big." After saying that, she immediately released Hu Xiaotian and left the Cangshuge without looking back.

Hu Xiaotian watched Baobao's retreating back, still feeling her body warmth, but she was already gone. Her words echoed in his ears: "Hong Beimo and the Yongyang Princess are plotting something big!" So they had already begun to cooperate? What scheme was Qiqi hatching? Could she also be plotting against him?

Li Yuncong's figure re‑emerged from the shadows, his face grim as he said to Hu Xiaotian: "Women's kindness—you aren't afraid she'll expose your whereabouts to Hong Beimo?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: He wasn't afraid; he didn't believe Baobao would betray him.

Li Yuncong walked slowly toward his own room. Although Baobao was the head of the Heaven's Secret Bureau's Fox Division, wanting to sneak into the Cangshuge, she could hardly escape his notice. Li Yuncong had not wanted to act, but seeing Baobao about to use the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle to ambush Hu Xiaotian, he intervened just in fact. Actually, even if he hadn't acted, Hu Xiaotian's current martial skill could have dodged it.

The two entered the room, and Hu Xiaotian smiled broadly: "I thought you had already left, Grandpa."

Li Yuncong shook his head: "I haven't had time to leave yet; Mu Rongzhan brought people to patrol. If we left now, it would be like shouting 'there's no silver here'—and I heard Ji Feihua has returned."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Grandpa, your information is indeed well‑informed."

Li Yuncong said: "Mu Rongzhan privately told us that, so we know it's definitely your tricks. Don't think this can create chaos in the palace, stir up wind and waves. Everyone who has seen Ji Feihua appear is already dead; Hong Beimo and Mu Rongzhan have reached a tacit understanding, and this matter will not be made public."

Hu Xiaotian felt his plans come to nothing and was naturally a bit downcast. He whispered: "But did Mu Rongzhan also tell Grandpa?"

Li Yuncong said: "Someone not only impersonated Ji Feihua, but also impersonated Mu Rongzhan, and moreover…" He paused, then continued: "You may not know that today a major event shook the court and the populace occurred in the palace."

Hu Xiaotian frowned slightly; Li Yuncong's use of the phrase "shook the court and the populace" showed how important this matter was.

"What matter?"

"The secret you discovered is no longer a secret. The emperor has publicly announced the affair of Long Tingzhen and even restored his title. The Yongyang Princess voluntarily resigned her position, returning the current Yongyang Prince's Mansion and the God‑Strategy Mansion entirely to Long Tingzhen."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian's scalp tightened. He hadn't expected Long Xuan'en to react so quickly. Compared to Long Tingzhen regaining his title, what truly worried Hu Xiaotian was Qiqi. Though young, she had always been eager for power; for the Dakang throne, aligning with Hong Beimo was quite possible.

Li Yuncong said: "We plan to seal the lower secret passage. The palace will only grow more unsettled; you'd better leave early to avoid unnecessary trouble that would harm both yourself and others."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Grandpa Li, don't worry; I will leave the palace as soon as possible and will certainly not implicate you."

Li Yuncong opened his blind eye a slit, speaking slowly: "We are not afraid of you implicating us."

Hu Xiaotian said: "If Grandpa Li isn't afraid, could you help me with one more thing?"

Li Yuncong thought he was asking to be escorted out of the palace, and replied casually: "Tomorrow morning we will go out to buy supplies; on the way I'll bring you along."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'd like to ask Grandpa Li to bring in another person and send him into the secret passage."

Li Yuncong almost thought he had misheard, stared wide‑eyed at his single eye, and exclaimed in disbelief: "That passage has already been leaked; you still want to do something in there?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Grandpa Li only needs to help me with this small favor; the rest I will handle myself."

Li Yuncong sighed: "Alright, we'll help you once more."

Hu Xiaotian added: "By the way, Grandpa Li, you are well versed in Dakang history. In your impression, during the Ji Feng seventeenth year, could a heavenly fire assaulting people have occurred near Kangdu?"

Li Yuncong frowned, thought hard, then replied: "The official histories do record this incident, but only in a single sentence—details unclear, location unclear. Why are you asking about this?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Just a casual question, nothing important."

Hu Xiaotian returned to the place where Xi Yan was hiding, only to find she had vanished without a trace, and that handle had also been taken by her. He felt rather helpless; he had long known Xi Yan's actions were fickle, yet they had reached a cooperation agreement, and he had hoped this collaboration would last longer. He never expected her to stage a silent departure so quickly.

However, Xi Yan left him a mask of Ji Feihua—this cooperation could not be said to be a total loss. Hu Xiaotian didn't worry about Xi Yan's safety; she was strange and spirited, skilled at disguise, and possessed a myriad of ever‑changing poisonous techniques. Unless she met someone like Bu Wu, a heaven‑defying perverse master, she should be fine. Moreover, since she could infiltrate the palace, she naturally had a way out.

Two updates delivered. The homepage features a 2015 Forbes Year‑End Gala officially opened; click it to see the annual popularity writers ranking—each reader has one vote. Brothers and sisters, go in, find Zhangyu, click on the bald one, and vote for Zhangyu! (To be continued~^~)