Chapter 1554

Hu Xiaotian didn't dare delay either; he let Tang Tiexin continue leading the cavalry to search the area for the beggars besieging them, while he himself returned to Dongliang Jun together with Long Xi Yue and Tang Qingxuan.

The news of Hu Xiaotian and Long Xi Yue being attacked in Sandcorner Town caused a great uproar; as soon as they returned, many subordinates came to visit, and upon learning that Hu Xiaotian was unharmed, they finally relaxed. Seeing Tang Qingxuan's condition stable, Hu Xiaotian did not rush to give her the detox pill, for her body had already reached a state of balance; administering more medicine might disrupt that balance and backfire, so he merely instructed Long Xi Yue and Weisa to closely monitor her condition, and to consider giving her medicine only if there were any changes.

After settling matters, Hu Xiaotian went alone to the Hall of Benevolence. The reason he did not first choice to send Tang Qingxuan there was mainly because Qin Yutong was absent, and the most skilled physician, Fang Fang, had gone to Redwood Creek; the remaining staff combined could not match him, so there was no need to trouble them.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian arrive, Fang Zhitang greeted him with a beaming smile and said, 'My lord, have you come to look for Miss Qin?'

Hu Xiaotian startled at the words, sensing from Fang Zhitang's tone that Qin Yutong might have returned? He whispered, 'Miss Qin has returned from Yongdu?'

Fang Zhitang nodded and said, 'She has returned; she just came back at noon, went out on a consultation, and should be back now.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly rejoiced; Qin Yutong's return was naturally the best outcome, proving that Tang Qingxuan should no longer be in danger, and even if her condition fluctuated, Qin Yutong could save her—the stone in his heart finally settled. However, his purpose in coming to the Hall of Benevolence this time was not to seek Qin Yutong; Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Is Elder Xue present?'

Fang Zhitang nodded and said, 'He's here; he's already able to get out of bed, and he said he would leave tomorrow.'

Hu Xiaotian entered and came to the room where Xue Zhenhai stayed; as soon as he stepped inside, he smelled wine fragrance permeating the air. Elder Xue was cradling a chicken, eating with gusto, while wine jars sat nearby; despite his wounds not yet healed, he could not hold back his drinking.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian enter, Xue Zhenhai chuckled and said, 'Benefactor, you've come; please sit. Let's have a few drinks.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled faintly, sat opposite Xue Zhenhai, and said meaningfully, 'You don't care for your life? Alcohol is a poison that pierces the intestines!'

Xue Zhenhai replied, 'Having lived to this age, even if I died I'd consider it a gain; if I abstained from food and drink, what pleasure would life have left?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You're here eating and drinking to your heart's content—do you know that your chief has just escaped death?'

Hearing this, Xue Zhenhai startled, hastily setting down the wine bowl he had lifted. He shouted angrily, 'Who dares be so bold? To be rude to our chief? I'll have someone investigate—bring Lu Sanfan here at once!'

The young beggar outside who was in charge of his meals and daily affairs rushed in, flustered.

Hu Xiaotian waved his hand and said, 'No need; Lu Sanfan is also involved!'

Xue Zhenhai blinked, his face showing utter shock. He trusted Lu Sanfan implicitly; hearing of Lu Sanfan's betrayal, a chill ran up his spine. All his feelings vanished; he tossed the half‑chicken in his hand onto the plate, wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, and asked in a low voice, 'Benefactor, are you suspecting me?'

Hu Xiaotian did not directly answer his question: 'The chief of the Jiangbei Branch of the Beggar Sect, Qin Yangming, leading over a hundred disciples, set up a Dog‑Beating Formation in Sandcorner Town, intending to slaughter your chief and me.'

Xue Zhenhai felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his limbs turning cold; if Qin Yangming and the others succeeded, the Beggar Sect, which had just stabilized, would surely fall into internal turmoil. Gazing at Hu Xiaotian's eyes, he said, 'Benefactor, I, Xue Zhenhai, swear to heaven that I have nothing to do with this.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I don't know you well, I have no evidence linking you to this matter, and I don't trust mere oaths; innocence must be proven. As the law‑enforcement elder of your Beggar Sect, the death of the Jiangbei Branch chief Qin Yangming will inevitably cause internal strife—you know in your heart what should be done.'

Xue Zhenhai nodded heavily and said, 'Benefactor, rest assured; I will certainly settle this matter properly.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I do not interfere in the Beggar Sect's affairs, but I cannot ignore Long Xi Yue's matter; following my nature, I would rather mistakenly kill a thousand than let a single one go.' A ruthless killing intent suddenly flared in his tiger eyes.

Xue Zhenhai's heart involuntarily trembled; he knew Hu Xiaotian's words were no idle threat. For the Jiangbei Branch of the Beggar Sect to plot Long Xi Yue's assassination in Dongliang Jun is tantamount to breaking ground on Tai Sui's head. Should Hu Xiaotian intervene and settle this with force, he would surely mobilize troops, and once that happened the nature of the affair would change—perhaps the incident of the Fragrant Heaven Kingdom expelling Beggar Sect disciples would repeat itself.

Hu Xiaotian refrained from escalating the matter out of consideration for Long Xi Yue, the sect's chief. He handed over the roster he had found on Qin Yangming's person to Xue Zhenhai; relying on this Jiangbei Branch roster, he could round up the entire branch's core members in one sweep, but Hu Xiaotian did not intend to exterminate them all, since not everyone had taken part in Qin Yangming's scheme.

Xue Zhenhai respectfully took it and said in a low voice, 'Benefactor, rest assured; I will certainly quell this matter as soon as possible, to give the chief and you a satisfactory explanation.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, turned and left Xue Zhenhai's room, heading forward, where he saw Qin Yutong entering with a medicine case on her back; beholding her graceful bearing, his eyes lit up involuntarily.

Qin Yutong's gaze meeting his was as still as an ancient well, without a ripple; her composure was something Hu Xiaotian had rarely seen in his life.

Hu Xiaotian greeted her proactively: 'Miss Qin, you truly sympathize with heaven and pity mankind; returning just now and already going out on consultations—such noble spirit is truly admirable.'

Qin Yutong said, 'Mrs. Zhu suddenly had abdominal pain, so I went to check on her.' The Mr. Zhu she referred to was actually Zhuge Guanqi.

Upon hearing that Hong Lingxue had stomach pain, Hu Xiaotian instantly grew nervous; Zhuge Guanqi and his wife had been married for years without issue, and only with difficulty had she conceived—surely there must be no trouble. Qin Yutong seemed to guess his thoughts and said softly, 'You needn't worry; she's fine.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'Thank you.'

Qin Yutong said, 'No need to thank me; this has nothing to do with you.' After saying this, she herself felt like laughing.

Because Qin Yutong habitually veiled her face with light gauze, Hu Xiaotian could see only her eyes; even if he managed to remove her veil, what he would see would still be a mask. He believed Qin Yutong deliberately used a scarred visage to frighten people, which was actually also a means of self‑protection.

Hu Xiaotian was about to have a good talk with Qin Yutong when Weisa came running in, panicked, shouting, 'Master, master! Miss Tang is about to collapse!'

Hu Xiaotian startled at the words; he and Qin Yutong exchanged a glance—no words needed—as Qin Yutong already understood what he wanted to say. She said softly, 'Come! I'll go with you to see.'

Tang Qingxuan had indeed fallen into a coma again; when Weisa went to the Hall of Benevolence to seek help, she was still conscious, but her condition has now worsened. Qin Yutong first examined her wound, then asked for details.

Hu Xiaotian recounted Tang Qingxuan's injuries in detail, and also told how he had used fresh blood to detoxify her.

Long Xi Yue said, 'After you left, the two of us were chatting nicely, but she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and couldn't catch her breath; then her condition grew worse and worse. I sent Weisa to fetch you, and seeing the situation urgent, I gave her a detox pill—yet instead of improving, her condition only deteriorated further.'

Qin Yutong nodded and said, 'Her present state is not caused by poisoning, but by her own constitution.'

Hu Xiaotian asked softly, 'What do you mean?'

Qin Yutong explained, 'The detoxification process is itself a clash of opposing toxins; your blood contains elements of the Five‑Colored Spider King, which can counter the venom of the strange serpent—just as two armies battling will inevitably affect the surrounding terrain, leaving fields barren and cities ruined afterward. The human body is no different: Miss Tang's internal strength is too shallow to endure the fallout when these two toxins war inside her. Hence she is not poisoned per se, but suffering from a cascade of secondary effects triggered by the detox. Had her internal cultivation foundation been strong, this would not have occurred.'

What Hu Xiaotian needed to hear was not this; he asked anxiously, 'You must have a way to save her, right?'

Qin Yutong said, 'Feel her pulse.'

Hu Xiaotian felt Tang Qingxuan's pulse point; her pulse was disordered, already showing the signs of an exhausted lamp.

Qin Yutong sighed and said, 'Her internal strength is nearly exhausted; at most she can last an hour. Unless we find an expert within this hour who knows how to transfer internal energy, is willing to sacrifice, and will pass some of their internal strength to her…' She trailed off, but her face made it clear that Tang Qingxuan was certainly doomed.

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this; Long Xi Yue said gloomily, 'An hour—where are we supposed to look?'

Qin Yutong said, 'Those who know how to transmit internal energy are few indeed.'

Hu Xiaotian went to the courtyard without a word; Weisa quietly followed him and stood beside him, whispering, 'Master, you can do this, can't you?' She, having practiced the True Scripture of Shooting the Sun with Hu Xiaotian, naturally knew he possessed this ability.

Hu Xiaotian's expression was odd; he laughed and cried, saying, 'How could such a method be presentable? It's only for you lot.'

Weisa glanced around and whispered, 'Saving a life is urgent; I believe Miss Tang will understand your predicament.'

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile and said, 'Weisa, Weisa, if others learned of this, how would they view me?'

Weisa replied, 'As long as you don't speak and Tang Qingxuan doesn't speak, how would anyone else find out?'

Monday, please vote for recommendation! I actually forgot something this important—I wrote this chapter early this morning, and later I still have to attend class. Um, there's an event on Thursday at Nankai University; I wonder if any familiar readers will be there? By then you can come over and get close! I'll send the exact address after I confirm it! (To be continued~^~)