Chapter 1441

Ji Feihua made a silencing gesture toward him, only then discovering that Hu Xiaotian's face was already covered with a mask; this guy really is meticulous in his actions, but it also shows he's guilty as a thief—clearly he has the skill to change his appearance, yet he went to this extra trouble.

The two hid in the treetops, neither speaking, and after waiting about half an hour, Ji Feihua lightly tapped his shoulder, then took the lead in soaring toward the Abundant Celebration Treasure Pavilion, her toes lightly touching the wall as her body rose, landing on the roof of the three‑story pavilion in the rear courtyard.

Although Hu Xiaotian's movement technique was not as light and graceful as Ji Feihua's, he landed without making the slightest sound.

The small building had no lights lit, yet voices came from inside. Hu Xiaotian pressed his ear to the eaves, listened closely, and faintly heard a man and a woman speaking inside. The man's voice seemed somewhat familiar; upon reflection, his heart jolted—it sounded like his sworn second brother, Xiao Tianmu. Hu Xiaotian instinctively clenched his fists. Being betrayed by his sworn brothers Xiao Tianmu and Zhou Mo working together was one of the most painful experiences of his life, and to this day he still dwells on it.

At that moment the room fell silent; not long after came the sound of someone descending the stairs, followed by the soft click of the door opening. A woman stepped out, and by moonlight Hu Xiaotian recognized her as his young aunt, Xu Fengmei.

As Xu Fengmei's figure just appeared in the courtyard, two people entered through the gate, approached her, and clasped their fists in salute. The elder respectfully said, "Manager, following your orders we have already escorted him safely out of the city."

The other person lifted the hood from his head, and Hu Xiaotian stared wide‑eyed, hardly able to believe his eyes—it was Zhu Ba.

Xu Fengmei said, "Has the old master spoken?"

Zhu Ba replied, "Reporting to the manager, he is extremely stubborn and refuses to say anything."

Xu Fengmei coldly said, "Everyone has a weakness; he is no exception!"

Hu Xiaotian vaguely guessed that the "old master" Xu Fengmei referred to must be Xu Lingkong; it appears Xu Lingkong's disappearance was not solely the Beggars' Sect's doing but also involved the Xu family to a considerable degree—no wonder Hu Buwei would know where he was imprisoned. This made Hu Xiaotian increasingly puzzled. What exactly is the relationship between the Xu family and the Beggars' Sect?

Xu Fengmei said, "Just who is responsible for the affairs of the Hall of Wealth and Honor?"

Zhu Ba said, "We haven't figured it out either, but I can guarantee that the king's disappearance has nothing to do with the young sect leader."

Xu Fengmei said, "Someone is using this incident to point the finger at the Beggars' Sect; after this, the court will surely launch a major crackdown on the sect—I see trouble ahead for you."

Zhu Ba said, "If we find out who is behind this, we will certainly not let them off lightly."

Xu Fengmei said, "You should first consider what your future course will be; the old master's side needs tighter defenses. Make sure nothing goes wrong!"

"Yes!"

After Xu Fengmei waited for the two to leave, she turned and went back into the small building.

Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua crouched silently on the eaves, listening to the movements inside.

Xiao Tianmu heard Xu Fengmei enter and said softly, "Master, how is the situation?"

Xu Fengmei sighed softly and said, "Shangguan Yun Chong has had one of his arms cut off."

Xiao Tianmu said, "It was Hu Xiaotian who did it!"

Xu Fengmei said, "It cannot be confirmed; at that time he should have been in the palace."

Xiao Tianmu said, "His adoptive father should have already revealed the old master's affair to him."

Xu Fengmei fell silent for a moment before saying, "Shangguan Tianhuo may be a bit arrogant, but he has remained largely loyal to our Xu family; why would your adoptive father want to eliminate him so swiftly?"

Xiao Tianmu said, "I, his disciple, am not entirely clear either."

Xu Fengmei said, "I am increasingly unable to understand him; perhaps he is merely using the Xu family."

Xiao Tianmu said, "His adoptive father keeps many things hidden in his heart; he seems not very interested in contending for the world."

Xu Fengmei said, "Tell him about my meeting with the Beggars' Sect and see how he reacts."

After Ji Feihua left the small building a second time, Hu Xiaotian and she also slipped away quietly. Leaving the Abundant Celebration Manor behind, Ji Feihua arrived at a white‑walled, blue‑tiled compound and, familiar with the place, vaulted over its wall.

Hu Xiaotian followed her into the compound, only to see Ji Feihua unlock the door and go inside; it turned out to be her temporary lodging in Fragrant Drift City.

Upon entering the room, Ji Feihua lit the candle on the windowsill; Hu Xiaotian looked by its light and saw the room was empty except for a straw mat on the floor. He couldn't help laughing: "You live here? Where do you sleep at night?"

Ji Feihua pointed to the straw mat.

Hu Xiaotian said, "When guests come, there isn't even a place to sit."

Ji Feihua laughed, took a vermilion‑red wine gourd from the corner, pulled out the stopper, took a sip herself, then tossed the gourd to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian caught it in one hand, took a big gulp, smacked his lips, and said, "Good liquor! At last there's something to drink!"

Ji Feihua said, "I severed Shangguan Yun Chong's right arm, then tailed him and discovered he had actually found members of the Xu family; it was the Xu family who arranged his departure from Fragrant Drift City."

Hu Xiaotian sincerely sighed, "Still, your martial prowess is formidable—I fought him for over thirty rounds without a clear winner."

Ji Feihua tossed the light sword to him, saying, "It's not just thanks to the sword's advantage; besides, you had already drained much of his inner strength in your earlier clash, otherwise I wouldn't have taken him down so easily."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Really unexpected—the Beggars' Sect and the Xu family have been secretly in contact; Xiao Tianmu is both Hu Buwei's adopted son and Xu Fengmei's disciple, indicating his relationship with Xu Fengmei is even closer, to the point of playing double‑agent!"

Ji Feihua said, "Hu Buwei cooperates with the Xu family, the Xu family cooperates with the Beggars' Sect, and yet Hu Buwei and the Beggars' Sect are at odds, so he provided clues hoping to use you against the sect—truly a tangled web. He never imagined you would come up with the 'drain the pond to catch the fish' stratagem, daringly kidnapping Yang Longjing to frame Shangguan Yun Chong."

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly, "It's not that I didn't have your help; without you, I couldn't have accomplished this great feat alone."

Ji Feihua sighed, "Our household could never think of such a vicious scheme!" Unconsciously she slipped into saying "our household" again.

Hu Xiaotian and she locked eyes, and both burst out laughing.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Although the final outcome didn't deviate much, there were still quite a few surprises—first, Prince Fu Yang Longyue, whose assassination was not in my calculations."

Ji Feihua said, "Yang Longjing's disappearance has already prompted the Tianxiang Kingdom's royal household to prepare for the worst; even if Yang Longjing cannot be safely rescued, Long Xuanjiao would never allow Prince Fu to ascend the throne—she has long wanted to eliminate Yang Longyue, but she restrained herself out of deference to the kingdom's senior ministers. This time she fortunately had a suitable opportunity, and most people will assume that Yang Longjing's disappearance and Yang Longyue's assassination were the work of the same faction."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, noting that court intrigue works this way—no room for hesitation or mercy. Although Yang Longyue was his sworn brother, their starting points were their own interests; in the matter of Yang Longjing's disappearance, Yang Longyue was informed and wished to see Yang Longjing dead, which best served his own benefit, but that did not serve Hu Xiaotian's interest. Had Yang Longyue not suffered this assassination, perhaps their conflict over Yang Longjing would have intensified, and he would never agree to Hu Xiaotian first capturing then releasing Yang Longjing.

Earlier Hu Xiaotian had instructed Ji Feihua to poison Yang Longjing's body, intending to use the antidote to become his benefactor; however, the resistance of the Beggars' Sect disciples guarding the Fuguitang caused the rescue operation to go awry, and Yang Longjing's injury nearly ruined all his careful planning.

Ji Feihua sighed, "Man proposes, heaven disposes—I never expected Yang Longjing to be accidentally wounded; yet, by a twist of fate, you thereby saved the lives of him and his mother, and now you are the benefactor of the entire Tianxiang Kingdom."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "Perhaps many people actually wished them dead; by curing them I don't know how many I've disappointed."

Ji Feihua said, "Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this is Hu Buwei."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, "Long Xuanjiao has lost some of her memories, and in doing so she has forgotten Hu Buwei."

Ji Feihua blinked her eyes, feeling the matter utterly unbelievable; after a moment's thought she said, "Impossible! Perhaps she is pretending."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Whether true or false, this proves Long Xuanjiao has become wary of Hu Buwei; through this incident perhaps we can see his true nature. In order to achieve his own aims, no one in this world is beyond sacrifice." He walked to the sole straw mat, sat cross‑legged, his face suffused with a contented expression: "Hu Buwei's mood now is surely not good; he first proposed the Sword‑Washing Mountain Villa affair, stirring up my conflict with the Beggars' Sect, intending merely to have me deal with the Shangguan Tianhuo father and son, perhaps not even aiming at the entire sect—but now the Beggars' Sect has become the public enemy of the Tianxiang Kingdom. Even Long Xuanjiao has forgotten him; from now on his days will likely not be easy."

Ji Feihua said, "Don't underestimate him—the Tianxiang Kingdom's finest naval forces are under his command, and his confidants have already infiltrated every level of the kingdom's power structure."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I feel his ambition is not to seize the world; perhaps, like Hong Beimo, all he truly desires is that Skull." He rotated the hilt of the light sword, and a Lan‑colored light blade appeared before his eyes, illuminating his resolute visage.

Ji Feihua said, "What are your plans?"

Hu Xiaotian reactivated the light sword's off switch: "Once matters here are settled, I will enter Xichuan via the Redwood River, then follow this route back to Dongliang Jun."

Ji Feihua said, "You spurn the near for the far—it seems you are determined to obtain this dowry of the Tianxiang Kingdom!" (To be continued~^~)