Chapter 1470

Long Xi Yue, a little beggar, two soldiers as fierce as wolves and tigers, and one unspecified person.

A little beggar, a six- or seven-year-old girl, and Long Xi Yue.

The soldier, seeing Long Xi Yue so beautiful, was also stunned; he stretched out his big hand to grab the little beggar, and Long Xi Yue said, "Stop, she's only a child—why bother giving her a hard time?"

At this moment, more than ten soldiers all gathered toward this side; the leading commander shouted fiercely: "I advise you not to cause trouble; the king has issued an order to expel all beggar gang disciples from the border; if you defy the order, you will be arrested just the same."

The little beggar wailed: "I… I'm not a beggar gang member…"

Hu Xiaotian walked over, not wanting to say more, and waved the jade dragon tablet in his hand before the commander's eyes; the commander clearly recognized the tablet, knowing it was a palace token, and, frightened, hastily lowered his head and cupped his fists: "I have eyes but no pearls; please, Sir, overlook my offense."

Hu Xiaotian waved his hand, signaling them to leave quickly.

That group indeed dared not continue to pester, taking the few beggars and leaving.

Long Xi Yue looked at the little beggar with some heartache; the fall had been hard, a big bump had risen on her forehead, and she spoke softly: "Does it hurt? Where are your family? Why are you begging along the way?"

The little beggar sobbed: "My father and mother don't want me anymore; I… just want a mouthful of food… I don't want to starve to death…"

Long Xi Yue's eyes reddened; she reached out, hugged the little beggar in her arms, and whispered: "Come with me, sister. Sister will take you to eat."

Hu Xiaotian knew Long Xi Yue loved cleanliness; seeing her embrace the beggar without any disgust, he admired her kindness all the more. The two brought the little beggar to a nearby restaurant; originally the waiter saw them coming and greeted them with a smiling face, but upon seeing the beggar, his smile vanished. He gave Hu Xiaotian a bitter smile and cupped his hands: "Sir, it's not that I don't want your business; I really dare not—there's an order from above that anyone who shelters beggars will be punished for harboring criminals, Sir. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Hu Xiaotian was about to argue with him, but Long Xi Yue softly said: "Forget it; nobody's easy—why make things hard for him?" Right then, at the roadside bun shop, she bought six large buns for the little beggar, who hadn't eaten for days. Seeing the buns, her eyes lit up; she didn't bother speaking, grabbed a bun and shoved it into her mouth, eating hastily. She choked, and Hu Xiaotian gave her his waterskin. She barely managed to swallow that mouthful. Though small, her appetite was not small; in a moment she devoured the six buns like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds, continually belching.

Long Xi Yue stroked her head full of pity and asked softly: "Are you still hungry?"

The little beggar shook her head.

Long Xi Yue said: "What's your name? Do you have any relatives left? Tell us, and maybe we can help you."

Having filled her stomach, the little beggar was no longer as frightened as before; she whispered: "I'm Xiao Ou; I have no family left—I've been separated from my parents for two years, I can't even remember where my home is, and I'm almost forgetting what my parents look like…" She then burst into tears.

Long Xi Yue glanced at Hu Xiaotian; he understood her intention and smiled: "Since you want to help her, let her come back with us first—Senior Qiao happens to need a companion, and having her show him the way would be good, essentially giving him a pair of eyes."

Hearing this, Long Xi Yue felt instantly reassured; Hu Xiaotian indeed understood her.

Upon hearing that a companion had been found for him, Qiao Fangzheng couldn't help but frown; being himself a dependent, he naturally couldn't complain. Though young, Xiao Ou, perhaps accustomed to the vicissitudes of a displaced life, was exceptionally perceptive and diligent; whenever Qiao Fangzheng had an idea, she would anticipate and act before he could order, and in just one day he found himself unable to part with this child.

After leaving Coconut Wind City and formally entering the Red Wood River region, this area features undulating mountains, rivers everywhere, dense forests, high temperatures, no winter, year‑long scorching heat, and abundant rainfall, causing them to march and halt; originally they planned to reach the heart of Red Wood River, Fire Tree City, in three days, but after five days they still hadn't arrived.

Since departing Lian Yun Mountain, Hu Xiaotian had lost contact with Ji Feihua; fortunately, they had not encountered any enemies along this stretch.

That evening, the party camped in the dense forest, seeking an open high ground; they had just pitched their tents when another rain fell—since entering Red Wood River, rain had become as routine as daily meals for them, and this was already the third rain of the day.

Hu Xiaotian entered Long Xi Yue's tent carrying a string of coconuts.

Long Xi Yue was wiping her wet hair and said to Hu Xiaotian: "The weather in Red Wood River is really stuffy and hot."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I've heard that entering Fire Tree City will make it cool and dry."

Long Xi Yue nodded and said: "I've read the geographical records of Red Wood River; heading toward Fire Tree City, the terrain keeps rising, the two‑hundred‑li radius around Fire Tree City is all plain, and that is the most prosperous part of Red Wood River—formerly the Protectorate General's office of the Tianxiang State was located there."

Hu Xiaotian took a dry towel and helped Long Xi Yue dry her hair; she shyly lowered her head, and seeing her jade‑white neck, he couldn't resist kissing the back of her neck, finding it insufficient, he sucked hard, leaving a lip mark on her neck. Seeing it in the bronze mirror, she blushed, grabbed his ear, and exclaimed: "You're hateful, so ruthless—how am I supposed to go out looking like this?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "The heat got the better of me, I couldn't hold back." Still thick‑skinned and wanting a bit more pleasure, he was stopped when Long Xi Yue pressed her hand against his chest and whispered: "Don't mess around—people are everywhere."

Hu Xiaotian also knew it was just a tent, with brothers outside; making noise would be overheard, so he smiled and pointed to his lips.

Long Xi Yue, bashful, leaned in and gave him a light kiss; only then did Hu Xiaotian withdraw, satisfied, but outside he saw Xiao Ou holding Qiao Fangzheng's hand under a big tree, the old and the young whispering something. The rain had lessened considerably; the forest rain comes and goes quickly, and Hu Xiaotian walked over to the two.

Qiao Fangzheng turned around first; his hearing was extremely sharp, naturally also because Hu Xiaotian had not deliberately concealed his movements.

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Why are you two not staying in the tent to avoid the rain, but out here doing what?"

Qiao Fangzheng said: "Is this the Dragon‑Locking Terrace?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'm not sure what place this is; after entering this forest I've started to feel confused—we've been trudging through these woods for four full days, and it seems we still need another day to get out."

Qiao Fangzheng said: "It should be the Dragon‑Locking Terrace; my feeling won't be wrong. Hu Xiaotian, have you seen a mountain that rises abruptly from flat ground, with a lone big tree on its summit?"

Hu Xiaotian looked around; everywhere were tall trees blocking the sky, and even if the place Qiao Fangzheng described existed, walking toward it we'd probably not notice.

Qiao Fangzheng looked quite anxious: "Is there? Is there?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "We haven't left the forest yet; maybe after we get out tomorrow we'll be able to see it."

Qiao Fangzheng said: "If we go out we'll miss it; Hu Xiaotian, your lightness skill is superb—find a big tree, climb up, and have a look."

Hu Xiaotian slapped the back of his own head—truly foolish, how could he have missed such a simple idea? Evidently he wasn't superior in everything. He smiled at Xiao Ou and said: "Xiao Ou, do you want to come up with me to take a look?"

Xiao Ou nodded; now she had washed off her grime and changed into clean clothes, a delicately carved jade‑like girl, utterly adorable, and quite favored in their party. Although Qiao Fangzheng appeared unenthusiastic toward her in public, in private he was very anxious about this girl, constantly holding her little hand—not only to have her lead the way, but also fearing she might get lost in the jungle.

Hu Xiaotian let Xiao Ou ride on his shoulders, leapt into the air; Xiao Ou let out a cheer—this child wasn't timid at all—and from behind came Qiao Fangzheng's concerned voice: "Don't frighten Xiao Ou!"

Hu Xiaotian carried Xiao Ou upward along the trunk, rising higher and higher, breaking through the canopy, only to see the clouds in the sky dispersing westward at a visible pace; a gorgeous seven‑colored rainbow spanned like a bridge between the azure‑washed heavens and the emerald forest, a flock of white egrets gracefully flew upward in the woods, the post‑rain scenery was matchlessly beautiful, and Hu Xiaotian truly wished he could bring Long Xi Yue up to see it.

Xiao Ou suddenly pointed to the north: "Big Brother Hu, look!" Actually she had originally called Hu Xiaotian "uncle," but because she addressed Long Xi Yue as "sister," Hu Xiaotian had her change it to "big brother."

Hu Xiaotian looked in the direction she pointed, but saw that indeed a mountain peak stood tall in the north, and on the peak stood a lone gazing‑at‑sky tree. Hu Xiaotian blinked his eyes, confirming he hadn't misseen, then after returning to the ground just now, he told Qiao Fangzheng what he had seen.

Qiao Fangzheng said in a low voice: "We must go there."

Hu Xiaotian had already guessed he would make such a request, and said in a low voice: "That mountain peak is roughly five or six li away by eye; although it doesn't look far, who knows what the road ahead is like? Moreover, it seems to be in the opposite direction from our route to Fire Tree City; going there and back will likely take up a lot of time, and we might not be able to reach Fire Tree City on schedule tomorrow." (To be continued~^~)