Chapter 1524

Hu Xiaotian stayed at Lanzhai Stronghold for seven days, using those seven days, Xia Zhangming and several of his subordinates' bodies just happened to recover.

Yan Kui did not stay long at Lanzhai Stronghold; he left the day after arriving, but not long after his departure, Yan Boguang arrived under escort of his subordinates; this time he came to see Hu Xiaotian for illness, and even his own sister Yan Nujiao did not know what illness Yan Boguang had. In short, the matter was mysterious; Hu Xiaotian never let her get involved the whole way, let alone let her assist, and he and Xia Zhangming spent half a day performing a minor surgery on Yan Boguang.

As for the surgery's content, everyone involved kept it deeply secret; Hu Xiaotian had once tampered with Yan Boguang's body while at Azure Cloud, at that time he severed the blood supply to Yan Boguang's corpus cavernosum, ligated the internal arterial branches, making it impossible for him to be a man thereafter. He had severed the corpus cavernosum artery and a bulbourethral artery on the ventral side of the urethra; now what needs to be done is to repair those previously severed arteries. Hu Xiaotian's reason for performing the reconstructive surgery on Yan Boguang is not merely because this fellow is his brother-in-law, but because Yan Boguang has genuinely turned over a new leaf recently, with few misdeeds left.

The reconstructive surgery went very smoothly; this day it was time to remove the sutures. After Hu Xiaotian removed the sutures for Yan Boguang, Yan Boguang satisfiedly looked at his reborn little treasure; this time Hu Xiaotian not only helped him with the vascular repair surgery, but also incidentally helped him cut off the overly long foreskin. Yan Boguang clicked his tongue in praise: "Brother-in-law, your medical skill is truly unmatched under heaven; it really feels more pleasing than before."

Hu Xiaotian really laughed and cried; this brother-in-law is also a shameless fellow.

He patted Yan Boguang's shoulder and said: "Life is but a short hundred years; the good times here are even shorter, so cherish them while you can, and never again do things that harm heaven and reason."

Yan Boguang pulled up his pants, sighed, and said: "Brother-in-law, tell me the truth—did you tamper with me back then?" He's not a fool; he knows the principle that to undo a bell you need the one who tied it. Hu Xiaotian so easily helped him resolve a problem that had troubled him for years, proving that Hu Xiaotian is most likely involved in this matter.

Hu Xiaotian said: "How could I be that scheming? Besides, you are Nujiao's brother; I would harm no one, not even you."

Yan Boguang nodded, but immediately felt Hu Xiaotian's words were evasive: "When you treated my illness, you didn't even know Nujiao yet, did you?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's been so long; bringing it up again is meaningless; what matters is that you're well now."

Yan Boguang still wanted to press further, but just then Yan Nujiao came over and knocked on the door. Hu Xiaotian took the chance to slip out; this brother-in-law really is quite talkative.

Yan Nujiao took Hu Xiaotian's hand to a secluded spot and whispered: "What are you and my brother up to? Acting sneaky?" These past few days she had been very curious about what was going on between the two of them; Hu Xiaotian wore a wicked grin and finally leaned in to whisper the truth to her ear. Yan Nujiao blushed all over and spat: "I don't want to hear, I don't want to hear!" Women are like that—obviously curious as heaven, yet once they hear the truth they still want to act all prim and proper.

Seeing her bashful, flushed face, Hu Xiaotian felt a heat rise in his chest and whispered low: "We seem to have not done that… for a while."

Yan Nujiao gave him a sideways glance, her brows and eyes full of charm, and whispered: "All you think about is this kind of thing; aren't you worried you might get her pregnant?" She herself couldn't bring herself to go on.

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily, yet deep down he felt a bit ashamed. What could be the reason? It seems I need to find a way to properly check my sperm viability; could it be that I have some problem?

While the two were being affectionate here, a troop entered Lanzhai Stronghold. Yan Nujiao went over and saw that it was the Heavenly Wolf Mountain forces, led by the seventh chief Huang Youfan; she smiled and said: "Seventh Uncle, how do you have time to come?"

Huang Youfan sighed and said: "The stronghold chief sent me to escort you back to Heavenly Wolf Mountain."

Seeing his grim expression, Yan Nujiao sensed something major was happening and whispered: "What's the matter?"

Huang Youfan glanced at Hu Xiaotian; although Hu Xiaotian and Yan Nujiao were de facto husband and wife, this matter had not been made public, so it was natural for Huang Youfan to be wary of him. Yan Nujiao said: "It's fine, Master Hu is one of us."

Hearing those three words "one of us," Hu Xiaotian felt warm inside; although Yan Nujiao came from a rustic background, she handles affairs with a clear mind and understands reason.

Huang Youfan said: "Xichuan's Li Tianheng has gathered sixty thousand troops, encamping in Red Valley and Azure Cloud, forming battle lines; this is certainly not past mere bluster, they likely intend to attack us. If they lead their troops into the mountains, Lanzhai Stronghold will naturally be the first to bear the brunt; the stronghold chief has ordered everyone here to relocate to Longdragon Mountain, to return after the imperial troops withdraw." For these mountain bandits, moving back and forth, avoiding the limelight, and engaging in guerrilla warfare are ordinary occurrences.

Yan Nujiao nodded, had Huang Youfan go deliver the notice, then turned her lovely eyes to Hu Xiaotian and said: "Do you want to come back to Heavenly Wolf Mountain with me?" Actually, as she spoke she already felt it impossible; Hu Xiaotian had lingered many days in Blackcool Mountain, previously he had already hinted at leaving after curing Yan Boguang, and had even proposed taking her with him; Yan Nujiao still hesitated, giving no answer.

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "I'm afraid I can't go; it's been too long since I left Dongliang Jun; rather..."

Yan Nujiao guessed his thought and softly said: "I will return to Heavenly Wolf Mountain; after things here are settled, I will go there myself to find you."

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Yan Nujiao and said: "Li Tianheng's arrival this time is formidable; you too must be careful."

Yan Nujiao said: "We have been entangled with Xichuan for ten or twenty years; in terms of familiarity with this place, they are far inferior to us; wanting to defeat us is not that easy. They can easily invade Blackcool Mountain, but if they dare to send troops to Heavenly Wolf Mountain, we will surely make sure they never return." Her pretty face was full of strong confidence, not blind but forged from years of fighting Xichuan's soldiers.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Perhaps this Xichuan offensive is related to the fate of Redwood Creek; in any case, remember: if you can win, fight; if you cannot win, flee; if truly impossible, you may temporarily retreat to Redwood Creek; Ganuo there will have no problem."

Yan Nujiao laughed: "Rest assured, over these years Li Tianheng seems never to have won against us."

Hu Xiaotian grasped her tender hand, gazed deeply into her beautiful eyes; Yan Nujiao thought he would speak some deeply affectionate words, but unexpectedly he whispered low: "While we still have time, shall we practice the Sun-Shooting True Classic again?"

In just a short morning, all the residents of Lanzhai Stronghold packed up and, together with the contingent sent from Longdragon Mountain to meet them, moved toward Longdragon Mountain; the vast Lanzhai Stronghold instantly became empty and desolate.

Hu Xiaotian and company bade farewell to Yan Nujiao at the crossroads; Yan Nujiao went with the moving troop far away; upon reaching the mountainside, she could not help but turn around, two lines of crystal tears sliding down her cheeks.

With Hu Xiaotian's eyesight he could naturally see the tear glint on Yan Nujiao's face; he let out a breath, but then Long Xi Yue beside him said: "Perhaps we should stay behind to help."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and shook his head: "Even if we stayed we couldn't help much; on this land no one can defeat Yan Kui; Li Tianheng has failed for over ten years to take Heavenly Wolf Mountain; do you think he can flatten it this time?"

Long Xi Yue said softly: "I don't understand warfare, but I always feel we shouldn't leave Nujiao alone here."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Let's go; believe that we'll meet again before long."

Xia Zhangming said: "The lord is right; don't look at Xichuan bringing sixty thousand troops—no matter how many, in these lofty mountains and steep ridges there's no room to maneuver; the reason Li Tianheng has set up camp at the mountain's foot is fundamentally that he harbors misgivings, afraid to enter the forests lightly; the bandits of Heavenly Wolf Mountain…" He paused here, because now Hu Xiaotian's relationship with Yan Kui differs from before, and calling him "old father-in-law" as a bandit would seem disrespectful.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Go on!"

Xia Zhangming said: "Heavenly Wolf Mountain's troops excel at jungle warfare and are very familiar with the terrain; I think Li Tianheng dares not lightly take risks; the Blackcool Mountain area has relatively gentle slopes, while Heavenly Wolf Mountain is steep and rugged, with dense thickets, precipitous slopes, easy to defend hard to attack, full of chokepoints where one man can hold off ten thousand; for Li Tianheng to take Heavenly Wolf Mountain is nothing short of a pipe dream; today Yan Boguang promptly withdrew the people of Lanzhai Stronghold, which also shows he does not intend to meet Li Tianheng's forces head‑on, but actively abandoned Blackcool Mountain."

Long Xi Yue asked, somewhat puzzled: "Why would one voluntarily abandon this place?"

Xia Zhangming said: "To avoid his sharpness, or perhaps to lure the enemy deep in, then wait for Li Tianheng's troops to enter Blackcool Mountain and use our own familiarity with the mountains to launch a sneak attack."

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily; Xia Zhangming's analysis coincided with his own.

Long Xi Yue nodded and said: "If that's the case, then it seems the Longdragon Mountain side would hold the advantage."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Heaven, earth, and harmony—none of these are on Li Tianheng's side; winning won't be easy for him."

They seized the time to descend the mountain; along the way they encountered many merchants from Nan Yue passing through here, blended in with them, and by that evening had already reached the borders of Red Valley County; passing through the entry checkpoint they faced strict inspection, but they had already prepared their travel documents, and no one questioned their identity; upon formally entering Red Valley County they saw allied camps rising and falling, countless soldiers stationed locally, everywhere banners fluttering, weapons gleaming—an atmosphere of imminent great war.

Upon entering Red Valley County town they faced another round of inspection; by the time they got inside the city, night had already fallen. Hu Xiaotian had been to Red Valley County before; this place borders the Azure Cloud where he once served, but it is far more prosperous than Azure Cloud. He recalled that last time he came, the whole county was filled with carriages and horses, a bustling scene of crowds; this time, however, his arrival was completely unlike his former impression.

Feeling down, Zhangyu will try to adjust; no matter what, I will never abandon my readers. I hope you know that in any situation I will persevere! I will prove to everyone that I won't collapse, my brothers won't collapse! February, let's see it through to the end! (To be continued~^~)