Chapter 1385

Zhu Ba heard his decisive refusal, couldn't help furrowing his brow, and said in a low voice: "Our chief said that if you, young master, are willing to see this through, then when you later attack Dakang, our Beggars' Sect will give you full support." This is no ordinary gift; when Hu Xiaotian first secured Dongliang Jun, the Beggars' Sect sent only two thousand men to help, while all Beggars' Sect disciples worldwide number over a million. If we could obtain the full backing of the world's top sect, retaking Dakang and conquering its entire territory would not be difficult.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Please thank your chief for his kindness, but I still cannot agree to this."

Zhu Ba sighed: "Actually, even if you insist, you may not have a chance of victory."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Since I have no chance of winning, why must Master Zhu urge me to withdraw?"

Zhu Ba said: "It's not me urging you to withdraw, but the old master; forget it, since you refuse, let's pretend I never came." He rose to take his leave; although Hu Xiaotian sincerely asked him to stay for a drink, Zhu Ba clearly had no mood for it.

Hu Xiaotian personally saw Zhu Ba to the outer gate; although they hadn't settled terms, they had after all made acquaintance, and there was no discord between Hu Xiaotian and Zhu Ba. Before departing, Zhu Ba earnestly told Hu Xiaotian: "Chief Shangguan dotes on his young chief; whatever the young chief wishes, he will spare no effort to fulfill it. Since your mind is made up, I won't press you further—I only hope that when you meet our young chief, you will still bear in mind our old friendship."

Hu Xiaotian knew Zhu Ba was subtly warning him to avoid conflict with their young chief as much as possible, and smiled: "Master Zhu, rest assured, I will pay attention to this."

Zhu Ba clasped his fist and turned to leave. Hu Xiaotian stood at the gate watching him go, secretly amused; the Beggars' Sect was really worrying needlessly. Besides himself, there were other candidates for the prince-consort position; even if he withdrew, they might not necessarily choose their young chief.

At that moment Hu Xiaotian saw a person in the distance looking at him; he raised his gaze and recognized the swordsman Xie Tianqiong whom he had met on the road, so he broke into a smile.

Xie Tianqiong confirmed that the person standing before Cuiyuan's gate was Hu Xiaotian. He walked over, both surprised and delighted: "Benefactor, it really is you."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "We really are fated to meet."

Xie Tianqiong glanced at the Cuiyuan behind Hu Xiaotian and asked: "Do you live here?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded.

Xie Tianqiong said: "No wonder you didn't want to go stay at Dong's Manor; it turns out you reside in Cuiyuan, which is one of the finest residences in the western city."

Hu Xiaotian invited: "Brother Xie, if you have time, please come in for a sit."

Xie Tianqiong shook his head: "No, I still have matters to attend; I'll visit another day." He cupped his hands toward Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian saw he had urgent business and did not detain him. Just then Zhao Wusheng also came out from inside, happened to see Xie Tianqiong's retreating back, and said: "My lord, that isn't—"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, but his eyes fixed on a gray-clad rider who had just galloped past the gate on horseback. He said softly: "Someone is following him."

Zhao Wusheng said: "Why don't I go after him to check?"

Hu Xiaotian pondered a moment, then said lowly: "Be careful!"

Having received the order of Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao, Prince Fu Yang Longyue could finally openly receive the guests who had come to Tianxiang State; on the night of August 13th he held a banquet at the Fu Prince's mansion to welcome and cleanse over ten of the most honored personages. These included the nineteenth prince of Shajia State, He'erdan; the Seventh Prince of Da Yong, Xue Daoming; the Sixth Prince of Nan Yue, Hong Yingtai; the Junior General of Xichuan, Li Honghan; and even the distant northern black barbarians sent their Eighth Prince, Wanyan Tianyue. Among martial world figures were the Beggars' Sect's young chief, Shangguan Yun Chong; the Young Master of Luoying Palace, Tang Jingyu; and the representative of the Jinling Xu family, Xu Mubai—all were on the invitation list. Hu Xiaotian was naturally among the invited guests.

Hu Xiaotian arrived late, swaying in gracefully; seeing the guests already seated, most were familiar to him, which was no surprise—after all, famous young heroes with names are few in the world, and tonight's attendees were precisely the most outstanding among them. Although Tianxiang State's prince-consort selection appeared grand, most attendees were merely there to fill numbers, and the final choice would still be made from among these dozen or so individuals.

Prince Fu Yang Longyue personally came to the gate to greet him, smiling: "Master Hu, you're late!"

Hu Xiaotian apologetically smiled: "I was delayed by some matters, sorry sorry!" In fact he did it on purpose.

Prince Fu Yang Longyue led him to his seat and arranged for him to sit with Xu Mubai; this arrangement was surely pre-planned, and Hu Xiaotian's relationship with Xu Mubai was no longer a secret.

Hu Xiaotian smiled at Xu Mubai: "Cousin, I didn't expect we'd meet so soon."

Xu Mubai laughed: "I thought we wouldn't reunite until Mid-Autumn night, brothers." He interacted with others neither too distant nor too intimate, striking just the right balance—neither making people feel alienated nor overly close.

Hu Xiaotian glanced around the crowd; most of them he knew, but Shangguan Yun Chong he was seeing for the first time—because this morning Zhu Ba had turned into persuading him to give up, Hu Xiaotian had paid special attention to this young chief of the Beggars' Sect. Shangguan Yun Chong, though born in the Beggars' Sect, bore no trace of a beggar's air in his attire; if one didn't know his background, one would surely think him a pampered rich scion. He had been seated beside the Young Master of Luoying Palace, Tang Jingyu; the two appeared long acquainted, conversing happily. As Hu Xiaotian sized up Shangguan Yun Chong,

Now Hu Xiaotian simply did not regard Tang Jingyu as worthy of notice; neither Tang Jingyu himself nor his Luoying Palace had the standing to be his opponent.

Xu Mubai noticed where Hu Xiaotian's gaze was directed, and in a low voice introduced their identities to him; when he came to Shangguan Yun Chong he especially emphasized: "Shangguan Yun Chong is the youngest Nine‑Bag disciple in the history of the Beggars' Sect; his father, Shangguan Tianhuo, is the newly elected sect chief; Shangguan Yun Chong is hailed as an unparalleled martial arts genius, having followed the sect's transmission elder Qiao Fangzheng since childhood, and by sixteen he had mastered all martial arts secrets except the Dog‑Beating Staff technique."

Hu Xiaotian said: "That really is a genius." He still harbored a doubt: what role his maternal grandfather played in the Beggars' Sect? Previously he had once thought his grandfather was the sect chief, but now it seemed not; yet his grandfather's status in the sect was weighty, otherwise he could not have commanded Zhu Ba to lead two thousand Beggars' Sect experts to Dongliang Jun to assist him.

Xu Mubai said: "How could it be otherwise? Ten years ago the three transmission elders were framed; Shangguan Yun Chong risked his life to save them. At the point of death, knowing they could not escape, the three elders transferred their entire lifelong inner power to him. Shangguan Yun Chong absorbed the inner force of three supreme masters; his inner force's profundity is unmatched in the Beggars' Sect, and even if one looks across the world, few can rival him in inner strength."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, "Exaggerating others' spirit destroys one's own prestige." Shangguan Yun Chong merely absorbed the inner force of three transmission elders, whereas he himself had absorbed the inner force of countless masters; before him, no one could deserve the words 'profound inner force.' Yet he also had a flaw: though his inner force was matchlessly strong, he could not effectively deploy it. If one likened his Dantian Qi Sea to a reservoir, the meridians conveying inner force were like rivers; the width of the rivers determined the flow rate, and his meridians limited his inner force output. Although his meridians kept strengthening, they still could not bear the peak output of his own inner force. Thus when facing a true inner‑force master, even if his inner force exceeded the opponent's, he might not gain the upper hand in outward display.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I heard my grandfather was a member of the Beggars' Sect." He said this deliberately for Xu Mubai to hear.

Xu Mubai's gaze showed a hint of bewilderment: "I've never heard of that; grandmother said he disappeared many years ago and is probably dead."

Hu Xiaotian naturally knew Xu Lingkong was still alive, but seeing Xu Mubai's appearance it seemed he had had no contact with Xu Lingkong; he also couldn't be bothered to tell him the truth, and said lowly: "Looks like this time there really are plenty of rivals."

Xu Mubai gave a faint smile and said lowly: "Younger cousin, rest assured, I will help you." This statement amounted to saying he would not compete with Hu Xiaotian; on the contrary, he would assist from the sidelines.

Although Hu Xiaotian needed no one's help, he could not ignore his cousin's goodwill, and put on a show of profound gratitude: "Thank you, cousin!"

Xu Mubai smiled: "We brothers are as close as limbs; why bother with such polite words?"

Yet Hu Xiaotian did not therefore lower his guard against Xu Mubai; given the old lady Xu's deep scheming, she would never send a naive grandson to represent the Xu family in Tianxiang State. Though Xu Mubai appears aloof and unworldly, who knows he isn't feigning innocence to devour his opponent? After all, he comes as the Xu family's representative; he cannot abandon his mission for the sake of supposed familial affection.

Prince Fu Yang Longyue raised his cup and said: "All present are honored guests of Tianxiang State; originally the king intended to come in person to receive you, but because Mid‑Autumn approaches and state affairs are busy, the king cannot spare time, so he has me act in his stead. Here I, on behalf of the Tianxiang king and empress dowager, offer three cups to the distant honored guests; I, Longyue, will drink first as a sign of respect!" He was quite hearty, lifted the Golden Goblet and drained it in one gulp.

Everyone likewise lifted their Golden Goblets and drank.

After the three cups were finished, Prince Fu Yang Longyue, using his own status, offered two more cups to everyone. He could drink astonishing amounts, but not everyone present could hold their liquor; the Sixth Prince of Nan Yue, Hong Yingtai, had a low tolerance, forcing down three cups with difficulty, and the remaining two he simply could not swallow no matter what. He was shy, and besides, his homeland Nan Yue was a small state—compared to great powers like Da Yong or the black barbarians, or even Tianxiang State, its strength was far inferior; otherwise Redwood River would not have been overrun by Tianxiang's hegemony. He did not drink those two tribute cups, nor dare speak more, thinking no one had noticed him, and just muddled through. (To be continued~^~)