Chapter 1468

Long Xi Yue's nose tingled, tears gushed forth like a broken dam. She didn't bother with the crowd outside, and couldn't wait for Hu Xiaotian to enter the room; she flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly, her pretty face pressed against his solid chest—all her earlier worry and panic vanished instantly.

Zhan Peng's group all tactfully turned away; when the lord shows affection, they'd better turn a blind eye.

Hu Xiaotian actually felt a bit embarrassed, softly reminding Long Xi Yue: "The brothers are all here."

Long Xi Yue then came to her senses, her face flushed red with shame, like a startled fawn she fled back into the room, and together with Hu Xiaotian they were locked outside the door.

Hu Xiaotian knew she was thin-skinned, couldn't help laughing, turned to face the crowd, clasped his fists and said: "Thanks, brothers!" Seeing each person bearing wounds of varying severity, all stained with blood, Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of emotion; without these brothers' help, Long Xi Yue would surely run into trouble again.

In the early morning Hu Xiaotian did not rush to set off, but together with his subordinates first came to the foot of Lianyun Mountain, burying the bodies of the twelve brothers who had sacrificed the previous night; the Xichuan side also gained no advantage in this bloody battle. Hu Xiaotian carved a line of large characters on the boulder before the grave with his dagger: "Grave of the Twelve Righteous Warriors," and personally engraved each of their names upon it.

After finishing, together with Long Xi Yue they respectfully kowtowed three times before the grave; seeing this, everyone's blood boiled, feeling that if they could receive such generous treatment from their lord, even death would be worth it.

Hu Xiaotian said to Liang Yinghao: "After returning, treat well the families of all the brothers—their parents and wives—I will provide for them."

Liang Yinghao clasped his fists and said: "Thank you, my lord!"

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: "It's you who should be thanked; if not for you risking your lives to protect Xi Yue, we might already be separated by life and death." He grasped Long Xi Yue's hand.

Long Xi Yue nodded and said: "When I go to Dongliang Jun, I will personally visit each of their families."

Hu Xiaotian looked at Long Xi Yue with relief. Though she was kind and gentle, deep down she possessed her own strength and magnanimity; most rare was her sense of propriety, knowing how to handle these matters, her words and deeds winning the genuine admiration of rough fellows like Zhan Peng and Liang Yinghao.

Hu Xiaotian also learned of Long Xi Yue's defeat of Xu Mubai; he naturally wouldn't believe that her hastily learned sword technique could possess such great power. He deduced that a master must be assisting from behind, and after consideration the only person likely to lend a hand was Ji Feihua; since after Happy Forest she has never appeared, it seems she does not wish to confront Long Xi Yue directly. Although Hu Xiaotian would like to meet her and ask directly, Ji Feihua is always elusive—if she does not initiate contact, he has no way to find her.

However, in Hu Xiaotian's mind Ji Feihua has always been a strong presence, needing no protection from him; he believes Ji Feihua can take care of herself at any time. Long Xi Yue is different. She views the world too optimistically, and even after repeated setbacks she does not change her original intention; yet now it seems kindness is not necessarily a bad thing. Zeng Xiaorou is undoubtedly a spy; she used the suffering‑tactic to infiltrate his inner circle from South Jin Island, likely a piece deliberately placed by Xu Mubai beside him.

Now, looking back, Hu Xiaotian cannot help but feel a lingering fear. If Zeng Xiaorou had wanted to harm Long Xi Yue, she would likely have succeeded already; why did she ultimately choose to leave? Perhaps her mission did not include killing, or perhaps Long Xi Yue's kindness caused her to abandon harming her; the true circumstances may be known only to herself.

Five days later they arrived at Coconut Wind City, the northwestern stronghold of Tianxiang Kingdom and the gateway to Redwood Chuan; Xia Zhangming and Qiao Fangzheng also reached there that day, and after the group reunited Hu Xiaotian summoned Xia Zhangming alone to a room and related in detail what had happened along the way.

Xia Zhangming listened, his expression dim; he and Zeng Xiaorou had secretly developed feelings along the way, though they never openly confessed, yet each had understood the other's heart. He had thought he had finally found his ideal other half, only to face the reality that she was a spy. Xia Zhangming sighed: "It's all my fault for poor judgment, letting the princess be frightened."

Hu Xiaotian knew his heart was not at ease, and he patted his shoulder to comfort him: "This isn't your fault; I was the one who saved people, I was the one who decided to let her board the ship and travel with us, and I was the one deceived by her suffering‑tactic."

Xia Zhangming said: "My lord, rest assured; if I encounter her, I will show no mercy."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Zhangming, to be frank, this affair leaves me with lingering fear yet also a sense of fortune; if Zeng Xiaorou truly intended to harm the princess, she would have had ample opportunity along the way, so why did she ultimately choose to spare her? Jiao Bao was stabbed by her once, yet with his martial skill he showed no reaction, proving her martial ability is not weak—if she wanted to kill Jiao Bao it would be effortless—but the stab avoided vital spots, suggesting perhaps she did not wish to cause more bloodshed."

Xia Zhangming thought Hu Xiaotian's words were merely meant to make himself feel better, and he whispered: "My lord, no need to console me; from now on she is my enemy."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Zhangming, if you ever get the chance to meet her, you should still ask for clarification; some things cannot be concealed, and I can see that she does have feelings for you."

Having said that, Hu Xiaotian decided to give him a chance to be alone and calm, stepped outside, and happened to see Long Xi Yue sitting in the courtyard chatting with Qiao Fangzheng; Hu Xiaotian wondered, Qiao Fangzheng's temperament is wayward, his mood unpredictable, like a wild beast—what common ground could Long Xi Yue possibly have with him?

Seeing Hu Xiaotian approach, Long Xi Yue smiled, rose, and went back inside.

Qiao Fangzheng recognized Hu Xiaotian by the sound of his footsteps, smiled, and said: "Benefactor has arrived, please sit!"

Hu Xiaotian sat down with a smile: "Senior, there's no need for such formality; I dare not accept the title of benefactor."

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Why be insincere? Since you saved me, I naturally owe you a debt and will call you benefactor." He paused, then added: "The princess is truly kind; you ought to treat her well in the future."

Only then did Hu Xiaotian notice a bottle of loquat syrup placed before Qiao Fangzheng; it was Long Xi Yue who, hearing his constant coughing, had specially sent him a bottle of medicine. Long Xi Yue is indeed thoughtful, and even more rare is her compassion: seeing Qiao Fangzheng so old and blind, she felt deep sympathy and genuinely wanted to help him.

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's rare to have someone praise you; apparently you're just taking advantage of others' leniency."

Qiao Fangzheng sighed: "These days truly kind people are growing ever rarer; everyone is blinded by greed, for the sake of power they resort to deceit and trickery, committing all manner of vile and shameful acts." As he spoke his emotions flared again, his chest heaving.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Everyone is like this; why should you, senior, hold a grudge?" His gaze fell on Qiao Fangzheng's shoulders, where he saw two bulges still present—these were the two iron rings that had originally been bound around his clavicle and never removed; now that he had the time, he could help Qiao Fangzheng take them off.

Qiao Fangzheng said: "I can't see anything now; even if an enemy stood before me, I couldn't make out his appearance. Benefactor, I gratefully accept the great kindness you showed me in saving my life; I have no way to repay it, and I cannot bear to deceive you. If your maternal grandfather is indeed Xu Lingkong, then in our sect his name is Xu Sansheng, the chief transmission elder of our Beggar Sect. I told you before that he has died, though I never saw it myself; I only know that he and the Daoist Kongkong of Wuji Guan made an appointment to duel at the summit of the Snow Peak on Dark Yin Mountain, they fought fiercely for three days and three nights, and in the end both disappeared in an avalanche. The Beggar Sect sent many people to search, but all they found was one of his shoes at the avalanche site."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows; he had always believed his maternal grandfather could not have died so easily, given that even with his martial arts he should have been able to escape an avalanche—why would Qiao Fangzheng say he had died?

Qiao Fangzheng said: "The person who went to look for your maternal grandfather at that time was the current sect leader, Shangguan Tianhuo; he was the one who found that shoe, and from the avalanche site they also found another supreme treasure."

Upon hearing the words "treasure", Hu Xiaotian's spirits lifted; he secretly thought that the only thing these beggars could call a supreme treasure was the Green Bamboo Staff.

As he had expected, Qiao Fangzheng said: "Green Bamboo Staff!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Isn't the Green Bamboo Staff a token that only the sect leader may possess? My maternal grandfather was merely a transmission elder—why would he have the Green Bamboo Staff?"

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Because he went to Dark Yin Mountain this time precisely to look for the Green Bamboo Staff; the former sect leader of the Beggar Sect was killed by Daoist Kongkong."

Hu Xiaotian had no interest in the internal affairs of the Beggar Sect; he only cared about his maternal grandfather's whereabouts. Since what Qiao Fangzheng said differed greatly from what he had learned, he couldn't help but wonder: "Why does Tong Tiejiang now claim that my maternal grandfather was trapped by them?"

Qiao Fangzheng said: "The Beggar Sect is the greatest sect under heaven; if news of the sect leader's murder were to spread, it would surely cause an uproar within the sect. The Beggar Sect has long been divided into the clean-clothed and filthy-clothed factions, and such a split could very well happen. After our discussion, we decided to temporarily keep the news of the sect leader's death under wraps, and only after we found the Green Bamboo Staff and selected a successor would we announce it publicly. Later, your maternal grandfather somehow learned that the sect leader had been harmed by Daoist Kongkong, so he went to seek vengeance and demanded the sect's treasure, the Green Bamboo Staff; that led to that earth-shaking duel. It was likely their duel that triggered the avalanche, and neither of them escaped that calamity—they both perished in the avalanche."

Hu Xiaotian said: "In other words, you haven't found a body, so you can't necessarily prove that my maternal grandfather has met with disaster?" (To be continued~^~)