Chapter 1387

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "There is only one prince consort; what use is joining forces?" Actually, even if He Erdan didn't say it, from tonight's situation he could already draw that conclusion.

He Erdan said: "Hu Elder Brother, your words are mistaken. This time, those who came to apply for the position of prince consort number ten thousand. Although there is no doubt that we will enter the final selection, even so we must face over a hundred opponents. If we join forces, we can easily sweep aside the other opponents and stand out."

Hu Xiaotian said: "In the end, won't we still have to decide a winner between us?"

He Erdan said: "But at least our chances are much greater than others'."

Hu Xiaotian gave a slight smile. This He Erdan has a rugged appearance, but his thoughts are meticulous; his intellect is in no way inferior to that of his twelfth royal brother, Huoge. To say that these princes of Shajia are truly out of the ordinary is no wonder they have swept across the Western Barbarians in the past decade or so, reclaimed the surrounding tribes, and become true hegemons of the border wilderness.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: He Erdan's proposal entails no loss for him at present; if he were to go it alone, he would surely be isolated by others, and even a person of great ability could not contend with so many alliances; moreover, the so-called alliance is merely a stopgap measure, so tentatively agreeing to it does no harm, and he nodded.

He Erdan seeing his agreement, his heart swelled with joy; ahead lay the Liuhua River that runs east-west through Piaoxiang City. The two spurred their horses onto the arched bridge; beneath the bridge, countless small boats shuttled through the river's center. On the boats were many tourists taking night cruises to admire Piaoxiang City's nightscape, and many boats had small tables set up, where talented scholars and beauties sat on the decks drinking and making merry, their laughter mingling with the sounds of strings and bamboo, echoing endlessly over the river with the night breeze.

Hu Xiaotian gazed at everything before him, feeling as if he were in an ancient water town of Jiangnan. Just as they reached the highest point of the arched bridge, a cold arrow suddenly shot from a small boat, whistling like wind and lightning toward He Erdan's throat.

Hu Xiaotian was on the left side; he detected the attack at once. In a panic he warned: "Be careful!"

He Erdan's reaction speed exceeded Hu Xiaotian's imagination; he reached out and, bare-handed, seized the incoming cold arrow. The arrow shaft was gripped tightly in his hand, still trembling, as if alive.

"Someone's been killed!" accompanied by a terrified scream, the whole bridgehead instantly fell into chaos. The passing crowd scattered like headless flies, separating Hu Xiaotian and He Erdan from the group behind them.

Daharu roared: "Make way! Make way!" He tried to approach He Erdan from the front to protect him, but the chaotic crowd blocked him, preventing him from joining He Erdan for a while.

Zhanpeng leapt from his horse's back, tapping the rail with his toes alternately; as he ran, he had already taken down his long bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at the boat that had launched the attack, and shot an arrow.

Inside the boat, an arrow was likewise shot out; the two feathered arrows collided in midair, producing a crisp "ding!" and sparks flew everywhere. Zhanpeng, having shot one arrow, immediately swapped in another; in a short time he had fired five consecutive arrows. The small boat drifted downstream with astonishing speed. After Zhanpeng finished his five arrows, the boat disappeared beneath the arched bridge. As the boat's prow emerged from under the bridge, Zhanpeng swooped down like a great bird, and while airborne he fired three more arrows into the boat, yet encountered no return fire.

Zhanpeng's feet landed steadily on the deck. Using the tip of the arrowhead, he pushed aside the cabin curtain, only to find the cabin empty; the assassin must have fled in time while the boat passed under the bridge, using the bridge as cover.

Hu Xiaotian was not the target of the attackers, nor was he distracted by the situation on the river; he kept his attention on the surroundings. In the chaotic crowd, a gray shadow suddenly leapt up, blade flashing, and slashed straight at He Erdan's face.

He Erdan, facing danger without fear, not only did not retreat but instead clamped his legs against the horse's belly, urging his mount forward to meet the opponent. He slapped straight at the blade's edge with his left hand, while his right hand clenched into a fist and delivered a plain Black Tiger Heart-Piercing strike toward the opponent's chest. Though his technique was simple and unadorned, it emphasized effectiveness: his left hand accurately struck the opponent's blade, and his right fist seized the opening to punch through, landing with a "bang!" on the opponent's chest. The gray-clad man, after taking the punch, recoiled swiftly, instantly disappearing into the crowd—quick to come and go, balanced in offense and defense, evidently a well-planned move.

Hu Xiaotian, seeing He Erdan's move, clicked his tongue in amazement; he never expected that this Shajia prince's martial arts could be so profound.

"Master, be careful!" Zhanpeng's voice rang out over the river, issuing a warning while continuously shooting toward the bridge arches.

Hu Xiaotian already felt a tremor coming from beneath the arched bridge, followed by the sound of stone beams breaking. Amid the terrified cries of the crowd, the bridge's deck snapped in the middle, and dozens of people on it screamed as they fell into the river.

As Hu Xiaotian's body began to sink, he leapt up in that instant, swooping toward the direction where Zhanpeng was, landing lightly like a falling leaf on the boat's prow. Turning back, he saw that dozens of people had already fallen into the river. Shajia's prince He Erdan was not spared either; although his fist technique was astonishing and his horsemanship first-rate, his lightness skill was lacking. When the bridge collapsed, he had no time to escape the danger and fell into the river together with the others on the deck.

As soon as He Erdan hit the water, a pair of arms from behind seized his throat, and underwater someone grabbed his ankle, dragging him downward. He Erdan, who could not swim, panicked immediately after falling in, choked on two mouthfuls of water, his heart filled with dread, silently thinking his life was over.

At that moment, a figure drifted toward He Erdan like a floating cloud, while at the same time a rope was thrown toward him. It turned out that the National Master Jia Luo and Hu Xiaotian had both acted simultaneously; Hu Xiaotian, seeing the peril, tossed the boat's mooring rope toward He Erdan, whereas Jia Luo launched himself directly from the shore.

He Erdan reached out and grabbed the rope Hu Xiaotian had thrown. The man behind him, seeing He Erdan trying to break free, raised a dagger to stab his neck. Before the dagger could fall, a bead shot forth like a cannonball and pierced the man's skull—this was Jia Luo snapping the Buddhist beads in his hand, sending more than a dozen beads flying simultaneously; the beads struck down the two men assaulting He Erdan on the spot. He Erdan seized the rope, and Hu Xiaotian gave a sharp jerk, allowing He Erdan to use the momentum to launch himself from the water, dripping wet onto the small boat. He Erdan, still shaken, looked toward the river surface and saw that where he had just fallen, several corpses now lay. Of course, the two who had attacked him were among them, but the others were merely because they had been too close to He Erdan at the moment; Jia Luo judged they might threaten his safety and therefore struck them down as well. Though this person was a Buddhist disciple, his strike was extremely cold-blooded and vicious.

A unit swiftly arrived at the southern bank, composed entirely of female warriors who drew their bows and nocked arrows, surrounding the scene. One shouted sternly: "Do not panic; everyone, stay put where you are!"

Hu Xiaotian heard this call, and his heart jolted; he lifted his head to look for the speaker, but because the crowd was too mixed, he could not spot the target.

After the female warriors arrived, the situation was quickly brought under control; the remaining assassins ought to have retreated when facing difficulty and launched no further assault. Zhanpeng brought the boat to shore, and Hu Xiaotian and He Erdan jumped ashore.

As soon as they stepped ashore, the group of beautiful female warriors surrounded them, bows aimed, commanding: "Drop your weapons on the ground and raise your hands."

He Erdan, looking like a soaked chicken, felt utterly dismayed; seeing the female warriors aiming their bows at him, he could not help but flare up in anger: "I am the prince of Shajia Kingdom, a honored guest of your Tianxiang Country; why don't you go capture the assassins instead of surrounding us?"

At this moment, Daharu and the National Master Jia Luo, among others, also came forward; Daharu raised his twin hammers and shouted indiscriminately: "Who dares to be rude to my lord?"

Hu Xiaotian worried that the two sides might clash due to a misunderstanding, and he shouted loudly: "Everyone, calm down; don't misunderstand!"

The female warriors suddenly parted, and a heroic female general rode out from the ranks on a vermilion horse, stepping forward slowly. She wore a golden helmet, and her specially made golden light armor was not bulky at all, but rather perfectly complemented her slender figure.

Her skin was as smooth as snow, her eyebrows long and delicate, slanting into her temples; her eyes were clear and deep, yet they conveyed an aloof coldness and pride that made them hard to approach.

When Hu Xiaotian saw this female general, his whole body felt as if struck by lightning; he froze there, his heart pounding uncontrollably. The figure before him was none other than Murong Feiyan. In fact, he had already heard her voice earlier, but had not been able to locate her in the crowd; now, seeing her clearly, he could almost instantly recognize that the female general before him was undoubtedly Murong Feiyan.

Hu Xiaotian forcibly suppressed the urge to rush forward and recognize her; Murong Feiyan is now the deputy commander of the Phoenix Feather Guard. What happened during her time away? Judging from her current situation, she ought to have long since gained her freedom, so why hasn't she come to find me?

Murong Feiyan's gaze swept across Hu Xiaotian's face without lingering, which left him feeling a bit disappointed and at the same time bewildered. After such a long separation, could it be that he fails to stir even the slightest ripple in her heart? How could she possibly have forgotten him? Or is she merely pretending not to know him? If the latter, her acting skills are truly extraordinary. Yet, knowing her fiery nature—she has always been clear-cut in love and hate—he naturally believes she would not conceal her true feelings so deeply.

After verifying He Erdan's identity, Murong Feiyan waved her hand, signaling everyone to clear a path and let them go.

Hu Xiaotian approached Murong Feiyan, his gaze unabashed as he fixed his eyes on her face.

Murong Feiyan visibly frowned, her displeasure evident, and she coldly asked Hu Xiaotian: "Do you want to stay?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I feel I have seen this young lady before; may I ask your esteemed name?"

Murong Feiyan gave a cold snort: "Don't you find this pick-up line rather cliché?" (To be continued~^~)