Chapter 1381: [Throwing Stones to Scout the Road] (Part 1)

Everyone also noticed the situation was bad, and they all scattered in all directions. Seeing everyone leave him, the young man suddenly let out a strange cry, raised his iron sword and chased after the nearest person to kill him. That person didn't expect him to attack, couldn't dodge in time, and was struck on the shoulder by his sword, blood spraying everywhere. The young man then thrust another sword toward his chest, clearly intending to kill him.

Zhao Wusheng was closest to the two; he leapt into the air, drew his waist sword, blocked the young man's path, his saber clashed with the opponent's iron sword, and Zhao Wusheng also felt his arm go numb, never expecting the opponent's strength to be so great.

The young man's spirit was controlled by the foreign monk, killing intent filled his mind, his iron sword came at Zhao Wusheng like a sudden storm; Zhao Wusheng and his martial arts should be roughly equal, but he suffered because the opponent showed no mercy, while Zhao Wusheng only wanted to stop him, never intending to kill him, so after the exchange he ended up completely at a disadvantage.

Hu Xiaotian seized the opportunity and suddenly let out a loud roar; this roar is called the Startling Soul Howl, one of the methods in the Soul-Capturing Treasure Classic for dispelling a bewildered state, personally taught to him by Weisa, originally prepared just in case, in case he ever met a soul-capturer to help companions break free of their bewilderment; he never expected it to be used today.

Hu Xiaotian's inner energy was extremely strong; this Startling Soul Howl made everyone's ears buzz, and the young man, shaken by it, suddenly froze in place, the half‑thrust iron sword in his hand also stopping.

Zhao Wusheng took the chance to jump out of the fight, but saw the young man's face full of bewilderment, though the heavy killing intent from earlier seemed to have lessened somewhat.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Hey friend, wake up!"

The young man blinked his eyes, his consciousness slowly returning; seeing his iron sword stained red with blood, he couldn't recall anything that had happened after being fixed by the foreign monk's gaze, and he broke out in a cold sweat, murmuring: "I... what did I do?"

Herdan had walked some distance before realizing Hu Xiaotian hadn't followed. Turning his head, he heard a earth‑shaking loud roar. Beside him, the National Teacher Garuda, whose eyes had been narrowed, suddenly widened, shooting out two beams of chilling light that pierced the heart.

Kangtu said: "Master, someone has ruined my grand plan."

Garuda nodded, his gaze instantly dimming, and he said in a low voice: "He's not ordinary." He sighed inwardly. No wonder his junior brother DuoJi lost to him.

Hu Xiaotian gave some Golden Trauma Medicine to the innocent injured martial artist; the ragged‑clothed young man also felt deep remorse, after clarifying the whole situation he came over to thank Hu Xiaotian, his name being Xie Tianqiong. This trip to Tianxiang Kingdom was not to apply for the prince consort position but to look for relatives. Hu Xiaotian saw that his swordsmanship was outstanding, likely having been trained by a master, though he found it strange that Xie Tianqiong would voluntarily step forward to challenge the Shajia people. Xie Tianqiong, because Hu Xiaotian had just helped him and did not conceal it, said he was a subject of Nanyue Kingdom, living in its southwestern border; later, when the Shajia invaded and destroyed his homeland, killing his kin, and Nanyue could not protect its people, Xie Tianqiong wandered everywhere, visiting famous masters to learn martial arts and swordsmanship. Today, on the road, he encountered the Shajia envoy, unable to suppress his hatred, he rushed forward to challenge them, never expecting that among their forces there was a soul‑capturer. Not only did he fail to vent his anger, he almost fell into their scheme; if Hu Xiaotian hadn't promptly awakened him, he would have committed a grave mistake.

Hearing that Hu Xiaotian and his group were also heading to Piaoxiang City, Xie Tianqiong voluntarily offered to travel together with them.

Hu Xiaotian saw his thoughts; Xie Tianqiong should not be reckless, the earlier setback must have frightened him, and if they encountered a Shajia soul‑capturer on the way again, they might not be so lucky this time. Hu Xiaotian didn't point it out, and besides he greatly admired his martial arts, so he happily agreed to his request.

Hu Xiaotian deliberately slowed their pace to avoid running into Herdan and the others again, which would cause unnecessary trouble. However, with the Shajia people clearing the way ahead, they encountered no further obstacles, and by the time night fell they had arrived at Piaoxiang City.

Piaoxiang City is the capital of Tianxiang Kingdom and its largest city; for nearly a hundred years it has been known as the most prosperous place in the southeast, due to its unique geographic location it has become a gathering place for overseas merchants, and recently, because of the prince‑consort recruitment, it has again become the focus of the world. To prevent lawless persons from sneaking in, the city's entry inspections are much stricter than usual.

When Hu Xiaotian and his group reached the city gate, it was just about to close; they managed to slip in with the last batch. Hu Xiaotian did not raise the banner of Prince Fu Yang Longyue, since his sworn brotherhood with the prince was highly secret, and he did not want to expose their relationship prematurely.

Because of the prince‑consort recruitment, guests have been pouring in from all over the world, and the inns of Piaoxiang City, big and small, are basically full. Ordinary folk have also spotted this once‑in‑a‑lifetime business opportunity, renting out their own rooms to temporarily lodge visitors; even so, the whole city remains in a state of rooms being extremely hard to find.

Xie Tianqiong said to Hu Xiaotian: "Sir Hu, if you don't mind, please come stay at my friend's place for a while."

Hu Xiaotian had actually arranged beforehand for Zhan Peng and Liang Yinghao and the others to come prepare lodgings, so naturally he wouldn't lack a place to stay. He smiled and said: "Brother Xie, to be frank, I also have friends in Piaoxiang City and need not worry about lodging; why don't you come with me?"

Hearing that, Xie Tianqiong could only accept, clasping his fists in farewell: "If that's the case, Tianqiong bids you farewell; Sir Hu, if you ever need me, just go to the Dong Family Manor beside the West City Land Temple—once there you'll naturally be able to contact me."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and bade him farewell.

After Xie Tianqiong left, Zhao Wusheng said: "My lord, the manor that Zhan Peng and the others bought is in the West City."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "What place?"

"Cuiyuan!"

Cuiyuan Garden had once been the private villa of a Tianxiang Kingdom merchant; after his family fell on hard times he sold it cheaply. When Prince Fu Yang Longyue learned of this, it happened that Hu Xiaotian had sent Zhan Peng and the others to Piaoxiang City to arrange lodging, so Yang Longyue arranged people to mediate and secure the garden for them at an extremely low price.

During this period Zhan Peng and Liang Yinghao had already renovated the place and hired many servants. They also expected Hu Xiaotian to arrive in these two days, but they thought he would come by boat via the inner river, so they stood guard at the dock each day; they never expected that Hu Xiaotian, delayed by traveling the inner river, would simply come overland first.

When Hu Xiaotian and his party arrived at Cuiyuan Garden, Zhan Peng had not yet returned from the port; Liang Yinghao, hearing they had come, rushed out delighted, laughing: "Young master, we guessed you'd arrive these two days." Noticing Zhan Peng wasn't with them, he wondered aloud: "How come? Zhan Peng didn't come with you?" After asking, he learned Hu Xiaotian had come overland, and Liang Yinghao quickly arranged someone to go to the port and call Zhan Peng back.

Accompanied by Liang Yinghao, Hu Xiaotian entered Cuiyuan Garden; he found the residence not particularly large, but its arrangement was exquisite and elegant, with a distinct southern flavor. Liang Yinghao had already prepared hot water; Hu Xiaotian bathed and changed clothes, and Zhan Peng had also arrived.

After being apart for several months, meeting again in a foreign land was also a great joy.

By now the food and drink were ready; after everyone sat down, Hu Xiaotian sighed: "The weather here is truly scorching—just after bathing I'm already drenched in sweat."

Zhan Peng said: "After the start of autumn it's already much better; the previous two days were so hot they were brutal. We two brothers wish we could grow wings under our ribs and fly back to Dongliang Jun—our summer there is far more bearable."

Liang Yinghao said: "Today is a bit unusual, but after the start of autumn the temperature drops day by day; at least at night we can finally sleep soundly."

Hu Xiaotian raised his cup before him and said: "Thank you for your hard work, two elder brothers!"

Zhan Peng and Liang Yinghao replied: "It's not really hardship; actually, our lord gave us a pleasant assignment. Although Tianxiang Kingdom is hot, its scenery, food, and beauties are all outstanding, so we brothers have also found leisure amid our duties, enjoying ourselves for several months."

Zhao Wusheng laughed heartily: "You two are sensible fellows; if you stayed in Dongliang Jun, you'd have to drill under the sun every day, and you'd probably get sunburned to peeling."

Everyone laughed together again.

Zhan Peng said: "Wasn't Xia Zhangming supposed to come along too? Why haven't we seen him?"

Zhao Wusheng said: "Zhangming came with the fleet; he's now busy keeping company with beauties and has no time for us."

That remark aroused the curiosity of Liang Yinghao and Zhan Peng, and they both began to ask questions.

Hu Xiaotian secretly amused, it seems curiosity is universal. The group clinked cups, and Hu Xiaotian briefly recounted their experiences on the way here, then inquired about Prince Fu Yang Longyue.

Zhan Peng said: "Following our lord's orders, after we escorted the prince back we ceased contact with him; aside from helping us purchase this Cuiyuan Garden, the prince never initiated contact with us."

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "His position in the Tianxiang Kingdom court is very delicate, and his going to Dongliang Jun is also highly secret; the fewer people who know about our relationship, the better."

Liang Yinghao said: "These past two days people have been coming to Piaoxiang City nonstop, most of them applying for the prince‑consort position; it's said that just the number of applicants for this recruitment has already exceeded seven thousand, with the deadline on August fifteenth. Given the current trend, surpassing ten thousand applicants should be no problem; Tianxiang Kingdom's selection of a prince consort this time can be described as the largest in scale from ancient times to the present, a true one‑in‑ten‑thousands pick."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Long Xuanjiao isn't just selecting a prince consort; she's trying to pick from among them an ally most beneficial to herself!"

Zhan Peng said: "I've heard that not only have the royal houses of all nations sent representatives, but also the major sects and clans from across the world have sent delegates."

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