Chapter 1455

Sword-Washing Mountain Villa is located on Broad Platform Mountain. This hill is peculiarly shaped; although not high, its summit looks as if it has been sliced flat by a sword— to be precise, there is no peak at all, and Sword-Washing Mountain Villa is built on the level mountaintop.

The two climbed up from the northern foothills of Broad Platform Mountain, choosing a path without mountain trails or steps; the rocks were steep and trees grew thickly, but this posed no difficulty for them. They leapt and bounded, and soon reached the summit. Sword-Washing Mountain Villa was not as heavily guarded as they had expected, and the area around the villa was deserted.

The two climbed onto a large tree and gazed into the courtyard; the front yard was also empty, and the only lights in the whole villa were in the northwestern courtyard. They silently entered the villa and approached that northwestern small courtyard, but before they could hide, they heard the room door open.

The two quickly lay flat on top of the courtyard wall.

However, a middle-aged beggar walked out of the room, followed by a young scholar in green robes seeing him off. That scholar was the villa master of Sword-Washing Mountain Villa, Liang Buzhou, who said, 'Elder Xian, take your leave slowly.'

That middle-aged beggar was one of the Eight Guardian Law Elders of the Beggar Sect, Xian Nongjing.

Xian Nongjing said, 'Do not forget the matter of the day after tomorrow.'

Liang Buzhou smiled and said, 'Elder Xian, rest assured; as for important matters of the sect, I would never dare be negligent. At noon the day after tomorrow, I will promptly go to Happy Forest Stone Pavilion to meet the sect leader.'

Xian Nongjing clasped his fists and said, 'Then we shall meet again later!'

After they left, Hu Xiaotian whispered to Ji Feihua, 'This place doesn't look special at all.' He secretly wondered whether the information provided by Hu Wuwei was true— could Xu Lingkong possibly not be imprisoned here? Otherwise, why does the entire villa appear to be undefended?

Ji Feihua sent a voice transmission to him: 'One cannot judge things only by appearance; be patient and wait a bit longer.'

As soon as her words fell, a green light flashed in the distance. Looking closely, it was an old man riding a Blue Wolf the size of a calf, slowly approaching, with two more Blue Wolves following behind him, slightly smaller than the one he rode, yet still much larger than an ordinary Blue Wolf.

Hu Xiaotian whispered, 'Beast Tamer!'

Ji Feihua nodded, patted Hu Xiaotian's shoulder, and reminded him to concentrate and hold his breath, knowing that everyone has a bodily scent and that humans' sense of smell is obviously inferior to that of many animals. Although the Blue Wolves were still some distance away, it could not be ruled out that they might detect the two's body odor. Ji Feihua reminded Hu Xiaotian to use the Breath-Restraining Technique, which can halt breathing for a short time and seal the pores so that no scent escapes, thereby maximizing concealment of their whereabouts.

That old man should be on patrol duty, riding his Blue Wolf past right under the two's noses; the wolf beneath him lifted its head and snorted vigorously. It seemed to have detected something, but after a pause it continued forward.

Hu Xiaotian also secretly broke into a cold sweat; although he and Ji Feihua feared no expert's direct challenge, tonight their purpose was to scout the situation of Sword-Washing Mountain Villa, not to rescue anyone— if they startled the enemy, it would be bad.

After the old man entered the northeastern courtyard and a long time passed with no one emerging, Hu Xiaotian was about to speak when he heard a loud cry from the air. Looking up, he saw two night owls flying one after the other toward this side.

Ji Feihua sent a voice transmission to Hu Xiaotian: 'By staying still we can counter movement; they cannot see us.'

Hu Xiaotian thought that the night owls' eyes become even sharper at night, and from high above they look down, making the chance of spotting them quite high. However, besides following Ji Feihua's advice, there was no other countermeasure; he could only remain as still as a wooden statue.

Although night owls have keen vision in the darkness, they usually pay little attention to motionless objects; but if there is any movement, even a mouse, they can detect it immediately. Hu Xiaotian silently lamented that, had he known this situation would arise, he should have brought Xia Zhangming along, for with his Beast Taming ability he could certainly have turned the opposing wild beasts to his use, possibly finding clues from their language as to where Xu Lingkong was imprisoned.

After the two night owls circled above the villa twice, they also flew toward the northwestern courtyard. When the night owls flew away, Hu Xiaotian said to Ji Feihua, 'That courtyard over there seems problematic.'

Ji Feihua said, 'There should also be a Beast Tamer hiding there.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Does the Beggar Sect also have Beast Tamers?'

Ji Feihua said, 'Sects are not as strictly segregated as you imagine; the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom is not only the headquarters of the Beggar Sect but also the birthplace of the Hundred Beasts Gate, and many of the world's finest Beast Tamers come from this kingdom.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Could it be that the Beggar Sect and the Hundred Beasts Gate have already secretly formed an alliance?'

Ji Feihua shook her head and said, 'I actually don't know about that.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'There's an eighty to ninety percent chance that the northwestern courtyard has a problem; let's go take a look.'

Ji Feihua said, 'No need to rush; although the villa appears weakly defended on the surface, in fact it hides hidden mechanisms.' At that moment, someone else came out from the distance on patrol, this time riding a black tiger. The black tiger emitted a low, deep breathing sound from its throat, and seated upon it was a burly bald-headed man with his upper torso bare, muscles knotted like twisted ropes, and his eyes glowed with a greenish oily sheen.

Ji Feihua's brows furrowed as she recognized the Beast Tamer on the black tiger's back.

After that man rode the black tiger away, Ji Feihua made a gesture to Hu Xiaotian, and the two silently retreated from Sword-Washing Mountain Villa.

Having come all the way down to the foot of Broad Platform Mountain, Hu Xiaotian finally wondered aloud, 'Why retreat?' According to his thinking, they should have gone to investigate the northwestern courtyard of Sword-Washing Mountain Villa and then returned, but upon seeing that half-naked man astride a black tiger, Ji Feihua immediately decided to withdraw, and Hu Xiaotian guessed that the man's identity must be extraordinary.

Ji Feihua turned back to look toward Sword-Washing Mountain Villa and whispered, 'That man is Yan Hu Xiao! A top expert of the Hundred Beasts Gate, known as the Beast Demon!'

Hu Xiaotian was not unfamiliar with that name; he remembered that the Feather Demon Li Chang'an had once been pursued by the Beast Demon Yan Hu Xiao, and if it hadn't been by chance that he encountered himself, he would likely have lost his life at this man's hands.

Ji Feihua said, 'Yan Hu Xiao may not be the finest Beast Tamer in the world, but the three words "most cruel" absolutely apply to him. He is the most likely candidate to become the sect leader of the Hundred Beasts Gate, so he would never defect to the Beggar Sect; thus the Beggar Sect and the Hundred Beasts Gate must already have allied. In martial prowess we naturally need not fear him, but if we truly engage in combat, his command of wild beasts would be equivalent to commanding tens of thousands of troops, and then we would likely be outnumbered.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Not necessarily something to fear; although Yan Hu Xiao is formidable, Xia Zhangming's Beast Taming arts are probably even stronger than his.'

Ji Feihua frowned, knowing little about Hu Xiaotian's subordinates and unaware that he also possessed the excellent Beast Tamer Xia Zhangming; given her temperament, she temporarily refuses to cooperate with anyone besides Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Feihua, how about this: we wait until the day after tomorrow to come back. Earlier Liang Buzhou and that old beggar agreed to go to Happy Forest at noon the day after tomorrow, which will naturally weaken the villa's private forces. We can seize this opportunity to launch a full assault on Sword-Washing Mountain Villa, using Liang Yinghao to control those wild beasts, and in the shortest time we will kill Yan Hu Xiao and those few Beast Tamers.'

Ji Feihua said, 'Since your plan is so meticulous, carry it out as planned.'

Hu Xiaotian sensed there was more behind her words, smiled, and said, 'Without your help, I could not accomplish this.'

Ji Feihua said, 'This matter has nothing to do with me.'

Hu Xiaotian blinked in surprise, not knowing why she had suddenly changed her mind, but he quickly realized that Ji Feihua probably did not want to expose her identity, and he smiled, saying, 'Rest assured, I will not reveal anything about you.'

Ji Feihua shook her head and said, 'The one who just went to see Liang Buzhou was one of the Eight Guardian Law Elders of the Beggar Sect, Xian Nongjing; the person who could have him come personally to deliver the message should be the Beggar Sect's sect leader, Shangguan Tianhuo. Happy Forest and Sword-Washing Mountain Villa are not far apart; if something happens here, the Happy Forest side will immediately send people to rescue. Therefore our best plan is to split our forces into two routes.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You want to go to Happy Forest?'

Ji Feihua nodded and said, 'I will go to Happy Forest to create a disturbance and draw their attention; you seize the time to break through Sword-Washing Mountain Villa. If your subordinate is truly as formidable as you say, he should be able to control the beast herd, and purely in terms of martial skill, the Beast Demon Yan Hu Xiao is no match for you. This man has committed countless evils, is utterly wicked and vicious; against him you must show no mercy, remember to seize any opportunity to strike him down, lest you leave future troubles.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'But you going alone to Happy Forest, facing numerous experts of the Beggar Sect, if any mishap occurs, wouldn't that be troublesome?'

Ji Feihua smiled faintly and said, 'You had better worry about your own affairs.'

Returning to the Elegant Guest Abode, he found that Long Xi Yue's room still had its lights on, indicating she had not yet slept; at that moment, left waiting for his return, the feeling of being awaited was inexplicably warm. Hu Xiaotian came to the door and lightly knocked, whispering, 'Xi Yue, I'm back!'

After Hu Xiaotian and his companions deliberated, they decided that on the second day, Zhan Peng and Liang Yinghao would escort Long Xi Yue ahead to Redwood River, while Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming would stay behind to settle matters here before pursuing them later.

Long Xi Yue was unwilling in her heart, but she also knew that if she insisted on staying she would only distract his energy, and so she eventually agreed. At the moment of parting, she grasped Hu Xiaotian's big hand, reluctant to let go, and said, 'I now feel some regret.'

'What do you regret?'

'I should have listened to you and taken a boat back to Dongliang Jun first; then I wouldn't have distracted you so much and become your burden.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily and said, 'Who says you're my burden? I never said that.'

Long Xi Yue said, 'Although you didn't say it, your heart undoubtedly thinks that way.' Thinking of having to part from her beloved again, Long Xi Yue's heart naturally felt awful. (To be continued~^~)