Chapter 1397

Hu Xiaotian believed Hu Buwei was not exaggerating; given his relationship with Long Xuanjiao, achieving this was not difficult, and the reason he had come to ask for help was precisely because he had seen this.

Hu Buwei said: "I will help you become a prince consort; what are you prepared to do for me?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart gave a start; he obviously hadn't expected Hu Buwei to be so pragmatic; no matter how they are now, after all they are father and son, it was unexpected that Hu Buwei would outright propose a trade. But on second thought, Hu Buwei always acts with a clear mind; any decision he makes is carefully considered, and he would never do anything without benefit.

Hu Xiaotian said: "What do you want me to do for you?"

Hu Buwei said: "I want you to help me find something."

"What thing?"

Hu Buwei turned and walked toward the study: "Come with me!"

The study was very small, only about one zhang square, just enough to fit a desk and a chair; Hu Buwei didn't even invite Hu Xiaotian to sit, merely taking out a scroll and handing it to him.

Hu Xiaotian unfolded the scroll, only to see a blue skull drawn on it, and his heart involuntarily jumped; how could Hu Buwei know that he had once seen this skull? Had his secret infiltration of Dragon Ling Victory Scene already been discovered? He feigned ignorance, saying: "What is this? Could it be a skull?"

Hu Buwei nodded and said: "It is a crystal skull, about twice the size of an ordinary skull, entirely blue and transparent."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "I've never seen one before; who would be so bored as to carve something like this?"

Hu Buwei said: "Help me retrieve the skull, and I will help you become a prince consort; moreover..." He paused, then added: "I can also help you take Murong Feiyan away!"

Regardless of how sincere Hu Buwei's words are, Hu Xiaotian cannot deny their allure to him; if he truly had this skull in his hand, he might actually consider exchanging it with Hu Buwei. Too bad the skull is probably already in Qiqi's hands. However, since Hu Buwei asked him to look for it, it likely isn't the one Qiqi has; according to what Ji Feihua said earlier, there should be two skulls, so perhaps the one Hu Buwei refers to is the other one. If that's the case, it would be a pleasant surprise, equivalent to Hu Buwei inadvertently revealing an extremely valuable secret.

Hu Xiaotian said: "At least give me some clues. In this vast sea of people, I'm unfamiliar with this place; where am I supposed to look for the skull? I can't just dig up every grave in Piaoxiang City."

Hu Buwei said: "Of course I'll give you clues; I suspect the skull is hidden in the Qingxuan Temple."

"Where is the Qingxuan Temple?" Hu Xiaotian was quite puzzled; although he had been in Tiangxiang State for a while, he had not paid attention to matters outside the plan.

Hu Buwei said: "The Qingxuan Temple is where the empress dowager once cultivated; the head of the Qingxuan Temple is Su Yujin. You should have heard of this name, right?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You mean Murong Feiyan's master?"

Hu Buwei smiled and nodded: "Exactly; Murong Feiyan now goes by the name Rong Feiyan and has become the deputy commander of the Phoenix Feather Guard."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why do you want to hand her over to Su Yujin?"

Hu Buwei shook his head and said: "Actually, I never intended to keep her in Tiangxiang State." He sighed, glanced at Hu Xiaotian, and continued: "I know how you view me now; even if we cannot become father and son, I never thought of becoming your enemy. Otherwise I wouldn't have let your men leave on their own; Murong Feiyan is of no use to me, and I know your relationship with her—she simply refuses to leave."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Has she lost her memory?"

Hu Buwei thought for a moment and then said: "I haven't paid much attention to her affairs. I only know that Su Yujin took a liking to her and accepted her as a disciple. This must be suspicious; although I find it strange, I'm not in a position to investigate the cause. Su Yujin and the empress dowager have a relationship of both teacher and friend, and the empress dowager trusts her greatly."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but sneer: "Could it be that she trusts her even more than she trusts you?"

Hu Buwei's face showed an embarrassed expression. Although his relationship with Long Xuanjiao was already a secret known to many, being pointed out by his son to his face still made him feel hot in the face. He did not answer Hu Xiaotian's question: "Su Yujin is highly skilled in martial arts, extraordinarily wise; she is one of the few formidable people I have ever seen in my life."

Hu Xiaotian's heart then began to take notice; since Hu Buwei could give Su Yujin such high praise, it proves this woman is quite extraordinary—just how formidable could she be? Without saying more, could she be on par with Ji Feihua and Hong Beimo? Hu Buwei would not mention this woman for no reason; this Su Yujin must have a close connection with that transparent skull.

As expected, Hu Buwei said: "I suspect this skull is in Su Yujin's hands."

Hu Xiaotian privately wondered; according to his knowledge, the battle of Heaven and Man took place outside Kangdu City at Qixia Lake, and both skulls should have ended up in Dakang's hands, so how did they end up in Tiangxiang State? Hu Xiaotian said: "Even if a skull were made entirely of crystal, it wouldn't be particularly precious; why must it be retrieved?"

Hu Buwei said: "You don't need to worry about these matters; just remember to retrieve the skull, and once you hand it over to me, I will arrange your marriage to Princess Yingyue, make you the prince consort of Tiangxiang State, and I will also help you settle the matter of Murong Feiyan."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Just relying on these clues seems insufficient."

Hu Buwei smiled faintly, took out a map of the Qingxuan Temple from the drawer, and said: "Here is a topographical map of the Qingxuan Temple; basically there will be no omissions. Besides, it also shows where the temple's daoist nuns cultivate and their usual activity times and locations; you need to study it carefully."

Hu Xiaotian put away the map, but did not hurry to leave, and softly said: "We've finished discussing the terms; now let's talk about some private matters."

Hu Buwei's heart sank; he did not want to talk about the past with Hu Xiaotian, shook his head and said: "There's no need to bring up the past; it's better to focus on the present."

Hu Xiaotian said: "My maternal grandfather might be under the control of the Beggar Sect..."

Before he could finish, Hu Buwei interrupted: "He is not your maternal grandfather; his affairs have nothing to do with our interests. I have tasked you with something, and you must not let any outsider know about it, otherwise..."

The smile on Hu Xiaotian's face vanished instantly; he stared at Hu Buwei without fear and said: "Otherwise what?"

Hu Buwei sighed and said: "Why must you force me to say things that hurt our father-son feelings..."

This time, however, it was Hu Xiaotian who interrupted his words: "You are not my father; there is not the slightest connection between us!"

Hu Buwei's expression showed no surprise, nor any shock; his feelings seemed already numb, and he slowly nodded, saying: "It's best if you think that way; it seems I haven't misjudged you."

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed; since Hu Buwei could so readily abandon Xu Fengyi, he must have already seen through familial bonds, and would not care about the life or death of Xu Lingkong; although Xu Fengyi's words on her deathbed were all true, what she knew might not be the facts, and given Hu Buwei's scheming, killing Xu Fengyi might be part of his plan. Looking at Hu Buwei's hypocritical face, Hu Xiaotian felt a deep loathing he could not put into words; the kind and benevolent Xu Fengyi died resentfully, while the sinister and crafty Hu Buwei lived colorfully. Hu Xiaotian whispered: "You are now also a grand emperor emeritus; I cannot aspire to that."

Even at this moment, Hu Buwei could remain calm, without anger, and even without any expression; he slowly sat down in his chair, looked out the window at the warm sunlight, and softly said: "There are things you will never understand; do this thing well, and we will each get what we need."

Nothing is more sorrowful than a dead heart. Before seeing Hu Buwei, Hu Xiaotian had once fantasized that this former father would feel guilty because of his actions; but only after meeting him in person did he realize that Hu Buwei's ruthlessness far exceeded his imagination. The conditions Hu Buwei proposed made Hu Xiaotian begin to sense a possibility: Hu Buwei's identity is not ordinary; otherwise why would he go to such lengths to obtain this blue skull? Perhaps he and Chu Fufeng and Hong Beimo are fundamentally the same kind of people. If so, then Hu Buwei's understanding of the world would far surpass his own imagination, and for a son who had been an idiot for sixteen years to suddenly become a genius, there would certainly be his own explanation.

Hu Xiaotian's failure to be selected was a surprise to everyone; even his opponents thought this must have been the empress dowager targeting him, after all, given Hu Xiaotian's strength and background, it would have been quite normal for him to ultimately be selected as prince consort.

Hu Xiaotian showed no disappointment over this; upon hearing the news, he did not choose to immediately head home, but instead began to fully enjoy everything in Piaoxiang City, which includes the magnificent southern scenery and, of course, exotic beauty and charm.

A small boat drifted leisurely in the center of Xiannv Lake; the water was as still as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, hills, and forests. After Mid-Autumn, the colors of the plants began to become vivid and varied—there were fiery reds, rose pinks, brilliant yellows, and jade-like greens—pleasing to the eye and refreshing to the spirit.

On the vast Xiannv Lake there was only this little flat-bottomed boat; it was tranquil and peaceful, moving very slowly, and only when the wind rose did the boat's stern stir up a series of ripples like fish tails.

Hu Xiaotian lay on his back in the small boat, hands behind his head, gazing at the azure sky; his whole body felt so comfortable he was about to fall asleep.

In the bamboo grove to the south, a patch of red cloud suddenly drifted up; amidst the sea of green, a single red point was especially striking. That red cloud floated slowly onto the water's surface, yet it was a woman in red robes, her sleeves fluttering, her bearing limitless, her tender white feet bare, her right toe lightly touching the water, drifting like a floating cloud, crossing a distance of several dozen zhang, as if a falling leaf landed silently and without trace on the boat's prow.

The woman in red fixed her clear, icy eyes on the drowsy Hu Xiaotian; soon, like a spring breeze melting snow, she softly said: "Little bearded fellow, you do know how to enjoy yourself."

At month's end, if you don't cast your Monthly Ticket they'll expire; better to liquidate and vote for Zhangyu. Heads-up: tomorrow will be Four more, so feel free to look down on me—whether you believe it or not, I've already written thirteen thousand today! (To be continued~^~)