Chapter 1435

Wang Qiezhi was still shaken, now utterly unable to explain; fortunately Ying Tianhong came over and said to everyone, "There's no need for suspicion, this matter concerns none of you. Shangguan Yun Chong is a treacherous villain who dared to seize the king, and Tang Jingyu is related to the assassination attempt on Prince Fu."

After hearing this, everyone finally understood why a martial arts display had erupted at the banquet. Though astonished, they also felt strange, not knowing what grudge these two held against the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom to resort to such vicious means. Curiosity aside, nobody wanted to meddle in such trivial affairs, so when Ying Tianhong agreed to let them go, they all dispersed, not wanting to stay another moment.

When Wang Qiezhi had someone swap the wine of Shangguan Yun Chong and Tang Jingyu, he had already received the news that the king had been rescued, found in the cellar of the Hall of Wealth and Nobility; this information had also been leaked. Upon learning of the king's rescue, Wang Qiezhi acted, considering that Shangguan Yun Chong and Tang Jingyu were highly skilled, he hoped to first stun them then strike, but he still underestimated their abilities. Tang Jingyu, being vigilant, detected something wrong with the wine, while Shangguan Yun Chong was even more formidable—drinking the drugged wine had no effect on him. Despite being surrounded, he still managed to escape.

If it weren't for Hu Xiaotian's intervention at the critical moment, casualties would have been far worse, and even Wang Qiezhi's life might not have been spared. Thus, after calming down, the first thing Wang Qiezhi did was express his gratitude to Hu Xiaotian, whose lifesaving grace he owed. He clasped his fists and said, "Young Master Hu, your great kindness and virtue are unforgettable to me."

Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly and said, "It was just a small effort, Sir Wang, why stand on ceremony? We're old friends—I could hardly watch you fall into danger and do nothing." At that moment others began to disperse, and Hu Xiaotian also bade farewell to Wang Qiezhi. Scarcely had he left the Office of State Ceremonies when he saw a cavalry detachment galloping toward them, led by the Grand Eunuch of the Palace, Zhou Desheng, who shouted loudly, "Young Master Hu, please stay! Young Master Hu, please stay!"

Hu Xiaotian not only did not stay, he swung onto his horse and told Ying Peng and Zhao Wusheng, who had been waiting outside, "Let's go!"

The two understood each other without words. They spurred their horses toward the Verdant Garden, while Zhou Desheng pursued them desperately from behind. Finally, at the next street corner, another detachment blocked their path, and Zhou Desheng arrived, panting, "Young Master Hu… Young Master…"

Hu Xiaotian stared coldly at Zhou Desheng and asked, "Grand Eunuch Zhou, what business do you have with me?"

Zhou Desheng glanced to both sides; his attendants sensibly stepped aside. He dismounted and said, "Young Master Hu, may we step aside to talk?"

Hu Xiaotian also dismounted. Zhou Desheng, confident the surroundings were clear, lowered his voice and said, "Please, Young Master Hu, accompany us into the palace."

Hu Xiaotian regarded Zhou Desheng warily: "Grand Eunuch Zhou, what do you mean?"

Zhou Desheng gave a bitter smile: "Young Master Hu, we harbor no ill intent."

"It would be best if you spoke plainly, Grand Eunuch."

Zhou Desheng, helpless, could only nod. He lowered his voice: "The king has been wounded; even the imperial physicians are at a loss, which is why we have come to invite you, Young Master Hu."

Hu Xiaotian's heart also gave a start; it seemed his medical reputation had spread far, even reaching the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, which must be connected to Hu Buwei. He asked quietly, "Is it an external injury or poisoning?" He had, in fact, heard clearly that Yang Longjing had been injured—how could he be injured?

Zhou Desheng wore a bitter expression: "Both, and the situation is far from optimistic."

Hu Xiaotian's mood grew heavy as well. The whole affair was his own scheme; in the original plan Yang Longjing was to be poisoned, then he would step forward to detoxify and use the opportunity to make demands of Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao, but an external wound was not part of his plan—it appears the rescue operation went awry.

"What exactly happened?"

Zhou Desheng sighed. After receiving the news, they went to the Hall of Wealth and Nobility to rescue the king, but during the rescue they clashed with the beggar gang's sentinels. The Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's king, Yang Longjing, was accidentally struck by a cold arrow, piercing his left chest—a situation most perilous.

Hu Xiaotian silently lamented—indeed, man's plans pale before heaven's; Yang Longjing's injury was indeed beyond his expectation. After a brief consideration, he made a swift decision: he ordered Ying Peng to return at once to the Verdant Garden to deliver his surgical instruments to the palace, while he himself set off for the palace together with Zhou Desheng.

Shangguan Yun Chong fled the Office of State Ceremonies, avoiding main roads and choosing obscure alleys to evade the officials' dragnet. He dared not return to the Hall of Wealth and Nobility, hiding east and west until he finally left the bustling downtown and reached a dilapidated City God Temple west of the city.

The night was dark, clouds blanketing the sky; Shangguan Yun Chong had never felt so wretched. Even now he could not fathom why the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom had suddenly turned against him. Thinking calmly, he recalled the two major events that had recently occurred in the kingdom and wondered if they were the cause—but that made no sense, as he had nothing to do with either.

Just as Shangguan Yun Chong was puzzling over this, he suddenly sensed something ahead. He lifted his head and saw, on the roof of the City God Temple's main hall, a Lan-clad person wearing a silver mask gazing silently in his direction.

Shangguan Yun Chong felt a chill run through him. He asked himself how, though his martial prowess stood out among his peers, he had failed to notice the opponent's approach at such close range. He pressed his lips together, secretly regulating his breath, striving to restore his inner strength to its peak as quickly as possible. After being entangled and beaten by Hu Xiaotian at the Office of State Ceremonies, his internal energy had been severely depleted, and it could not recover to normal in a short time.

The Lan-clad person nodded to him, tapped lightly on the eaves with the tip of a foot, and drifted toward him like a ghost.

Shangguan Yun Chong retreated three steps, then planted his right heel firmly on the ground, his body springing upward until he was level with the opponent, and he threw a punch downward.

The Lan-clad person's right hand shot out from the sleeve, a Lan-colored light pillar bursting forth, its blade shifting at an uncanny angle to slash at Shangguan Yun Chong's arm.

Shangguan Yun Chong gasped in shock—he had never seen such a weapon. He tried to dodge, but the blade instantly extended three feet, cleaving his right shoulder; a scorching smell filled the air as he staggered back, only to see his right arm severed at the root. His panic was indescribable; even more terrifying than the opponent's unfathomable sword technique was the weapon in his hand.

The Lan-clad person did not press the attack; the light blade vanished from his hand. He stared coldly at Shangguan Yun Chong, the silver mask revealing no expression: "Go tell your father to give him seven days to resign as gang chief."

Yang Longjing's injury was indeed extremely perilous: an arrow struck his left chest, piercing the left lung, the arrowhead skimming past the ascending aorta; a slight deviation would have hit the aorta, making salvation impossible even for a deity.

After administering emergency hemostasis, Hu Xiaotian prepared to begin the surgery proper. Yang Longjing had lost a great deal of blood; hearing that Hu Buwei was in the palace, he had someone summon him. In fact, Hu Xiaotian understood that it must have been Hu Buwei who had Zhou Desheng call for him, since when the imperial physicians were at a loss, only Hu Buwei would have thought of him—and only he could comprehend Hu Xiaotian's medical skill.

Hu Xiaotian's purpose in summoning Hu Buwei was to have him donate blood, for in his view Hu Buwei was Yang Longjing's father, making a blood-type match between father and son highly likely. Having already learned blood-typing from Qin Yutong, Hu Xiaotian knew that when he told Hu Buwei he wanted him to give Yang Longjing a transfusion, the latter would have no objection.

To be cautious, Hu Xiaotian still drew a small amount of Hu Buwei's blood for typing, which surprised him: Hu Buwei's blood type was completely different from Yang Longjing's, and their blood showed an agglutination reaction—meaning Hu Buwei's blood could not be used at all. This startled Hu Xiaotian greatly; could it be that Hu Buwei was not Yang Longjing's biological father? Or perhaps Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao had secretly cuckolded him without his knowledge? This was indeed intriguing; according to the typing results, Hu Buwei and Yang Longjing could absolutely not be father and son. Hu Xiaotian did not spell it out, but immediately selected several Guards from the palace whose blood types matched, to transfuse Yang Longjing. Hu Buwei, not versed in medicine, heard that his own blood was unusable and felt no suspicion.

Seeing Hu Buwei's anxious expression, Hu Xiaotian silently sighed, "Ignorance truly is frightful. Old Hu, old Hu, after going full circle you've still been cuckolded—Yang Longjing is not your biological son at all, how sad, how lamentable!"

Yet there was something even more astonishing that left Hu Xiaotian stunned. Out of curiosity, he mixed his own blood with Hu Buwei's for a typing test and found their blood incompatible—meaning they too could not be father and son. This discovery nearly made him swallow his tongue in disbelief. Could it be that neither of his two sons was Hu Buwei's biological offspring? That a crafty old fox like him would have been given two green hats in succession? Then he thought of his mother, Xu Fengyi, who surely was not such a woman; she loved Hu Buwei deeply and would never betray him. So who truly is his father? Does Hu Buwei really understand these matters? Given his shrewdness, it seems impossible for him to be repeatedly deceived—or perhaps he simply lacks the capacity to procreate? Could Hu Buwei have long known that he shares no blood relation with him? No wonder he treats him so callously.

This time Hu Xiaotian finally understood what 'heavenly thunder rolling' means; at least one thing comforted him: even if Xu Fengyi and Hu Buwei were siblings, they had no relation, so at least he was not the product of a close-kin marriage. He supposed his mother too had been deceived; recalling her dying words, she must have believed he was her and Hu Buwei's son—could it be that she herself did not know who his true father was? This really is puzzling. (To be continued~^~)