Chapter 160

Since the matter has already been clarified, there's naturally no need for further interrogation. Murong Feiyan said, "How should we deal with them?"

Hu Xiaotian looked at the three men, coldly smiling, "Either hand them over to the authorities, or silence them on the spot."

Hearing Hu Xiaotian say that, the three were terrified, their faces turning deathly pale as they frantically shook their heads.

Hu Xiaotian had Murong Feiyan unlock one man's mute point, grabbed his collar, and—swish! —drew the dagger he had just obtained from his boot; the cold light made Murong Feiyan's beautiful eyes blink—this dagger looks not bad.

Hu Xiaotian pressed the dagger to the man's throat, and the servant trembled so much his voice changed: "Sir... spare my life..."

"Do you know me?" Hu Xiaotian sneered, "Looks like I need to kill to silence them." Speaking of which, having gone in and out of the Wan mansion so many times, setting up altars, performing rituals, pretending to be mystical, almost every servant and maid recognizes him.

The servant's soul fled in terror, his voice shaking: "Sir, spare my life, I'll never dare again—it's all the lady's orders; she gave us money and forced us to do this."

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Does your master know about this?"

The servant stammered, "It's something the lady did privately; ever since the third young madam entered the household, she's held a grudge against the young madam, calling her a vixen who will surely bring disaster to the Wan family, so... she's always wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible..."

Hu Xiaotian knew the servant wouldn't lie, and thought to himself, if I now handed these servants over to the authorities and pressed charges, I would inevitably fall out with Wan Boping, ruining the good relationship I'd painstakingly built; besides, Wan Boping is still very useful to me, and it's not yet time to break ties. Moreover, this matter has nothing to do with me; even if blame were assigned, it would only be his wife who'd be punished, and perhaps Wan Boping would actually like to see his wife arrested—if I were to arrest his wife, wouldn't that be clearing obstacles for him? This old lecher could then righteously harass respectable women?

Hu Xiaotian gave a heh-heh cold laugh, but he didn't move the dagger from the servant's neck. However, the man's hand wasn't steady; a slight tremor sliced his skin. Blood instantly welled up along his neck, and the servant, terrified, went limp, about to collapse.

Hu Xiaotian said, "It's not hard to spare your lives, but from now on you must obey me completely. Return to the Wan household and act as if nothing happened. If the lady asks how things went, you'll say everything went smoothly and that the third young madam has already been killed by you—do you understand?"

The three had been utterly desperate, but hearing there was still a chance, they nodded frantically, like chickens pecking at grain.

Murong Feiyan secretly thought, these servants probably can't be trusted; even if they agree now, there's a good chance they'll change their tune once back at the Wan mansion.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian again produced a black porcelain bottle from his bosom, poured out three black pills, and handed them one by one to the three servants: "This is the Three Corpse Brain Divine Pill; after taking it, it will flare up every six months, and when it does, you'll suffer splitting headaches and unbearable itching, until you scratch your flesh raw, enduring seven days and nights of torment before death."

The three servants, hearing him describe it so horrifyingly, were each scared witless.

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly, "If I just let you go like this, you'd most likely change your minds, so you need to show some sincerity."

The servant whose mute point had been unlocked trembled, "Sir, rest assured, even if you lent us a thousand courages, we wouldn't dare betray you."

Hu Xiaotian sneered, "Words aren't proof—take this Three Corpse Brain Divine Pill. Then I'll believe you. You also needn't worry; as long as you obey me faithfully for these six months, before the poison erupts I'll personally give you the antidote. If you obey me for life, I guarantee you'll come to no harm."

The servant steeled himself; in truth their options were few—either be silenced now, or wait six months to die. Better a miserable life than a noble death, perhaps Hu Xiaotian would really hand over the antidote after six months. He opened his mouth, letting Hu Xiaotian stuff the Three Corpse Brain Divine Pill in. What is the Three Corpse Brain Divine Pill? Basically Hu Xiaotian's fabrication; he recalled a poison that controls people from *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*, so he renamed these ordinary cold‑relief pills as the Three Corpse Brain Divine Pill—anyway, these servants wouldn't know the truth.

Murong Feiyan, however, knew Hu Xiaotian was probably lying nine times out of ten; she helped the three servants unlock their acupoints, watching them each pinch a pill and willingly pop it into their mouths. Hu Xiaotian made them open their wide, ensuring they swallowed the pills, then clapped his hands and said, "All right, you may go. Remember, report every move of the Wan household to me promptly; for these six months you'd best pray and burn incense daily for my safety—if I run into trouble, heh heh..." His meaning couldn't be clearer: if he encounters trouble, these three servants are destined to die with him.

Three household servants were completely seized by Hu Xiaotian on their pulse points, each bowing and obedient, their faces also extremely grim; after Hu Xiaotian disciplined them, he gave them ten taels of silver—this is called a slap then a sweet date, letting these scoundrels feel the benefits of following him.

The leader of the household servants was named Ma Qiao; he told Hu Xiaotian that the mistress had arranged everything, and at dusk today someone would be sent to the Government Office to file a report, claiming only that Le Yao had been snatched by mountain bandits, because the bandits of Tianlang Mountain are extremely fierce, often looting and pillaging, most of the crimes they commit go unsolved and become headless cases, so they would not suspect the Wan Family.

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Go back now; this matter must be kept strictly secret—so long as you honestly serve me, you will certainly not lack benefits in the future."

The three household servants again expressed their loyalty with all their hearts, and then they left.

Murong Feiyan agreed with Hu Xiaotian's handling method, but she also had some worries—what if these household servants turned against him upon returning? That would be troublesome. In grasping human psychology, Hu Xiaotian was far superior to her; he smiled and said, "Do you think I'm deceiving them? This medicine is genuine—if you don't believe me, take one and try it."

Murong Feiyan gazed at the black pill; although she knew it was not poison, she still dared not taste it—given her courage, even less would those few household servants dare, so it seems Hu Xiaotian's scheming plot will succeed.

Hu Xiaotian had still not seen Le Yao; he asked about her whereabouts, and Murong Feiyan pointed to the deep forest ahead, leading Hu Xiaotian to the great tree where Le Yao was hiding. He leapt up, soared to the treetop, and shortly thereafter descended holding the unconscious Le Yao.

Hu Xiaotian only relaxed upon seeing Le Yao safe and sound; then he noticed her beautiful eyes tightly shut, her pretty face flushed, he reached out and touched her forehead—it was scorching hot. Le Yao had already caught a chill last night, and just now she had undergone a life‑or‑death ordeal, worsening her condition with a high fever that left her unconscious.

Murong Feiyan asked, "How do you plan to settle her?"

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows; if he brought Le Yao back to the city, he feared it would attract attention, yet leaving her alone here also made him uneasy.

Murong Feiyan perceived his hesitation and said softly, "How about this: I will take her to Chahe Town first to find a place to settle her; I will stay with her for these two days, and after she recovers we can decide what to do next."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; for now this was all he could do. He examined Le Yao's body and was certain her high fever was due to exposure to cold. He then took out a charcoal stick, wrote several herbal medicines on paper—though Hu Xiaotian was not skilled in traditional Chinese medicine, having only taken an elective in college, he still knew how to handle ordinary cold‑induced fever. He also taught Murong Feiyan physical cooling methods, which she memorized firmly.

Before departing, Hu Xiaotian noticed that Le Yao's left hand still clenched something firmly; looking through the gaps between her fingers, he recognized it as the coiling dragon jade pendant he had entrusted her to keep. He felt a spontaneous stir of emotion—it seemed that even at the brink of life and death she still thought of him. Reflecting on her tumultuous fate, a protective feeling welled up within him.

Murong Feiyan said, "I should be going." She untied one of the carriage horses and handed it to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian nodded, took the reins, and was about to leave when he heard Le Yao shriek, "Don't look for me, don't look for me—it's you who forced me… it's you who forced me…"

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan exchanged a glance, yet Le Yao remained unconscious, her head swaying back and forth as if trying to shake off something terrifying: "Father… Mother… daughter cannot avenge you…" She was clearly delirious from high fever, but to Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan it sounded heart‑pounding—what vengeance was Le Yao seeking? Why was she frightened into this state? Could it be…

At that moment both of their hearts grew unusually heavy; Hu Xiaotian waved his hand and said softly, "Watch over her carefully—make sure nothing happens to her."

Ma Qiao had indeed not lied; shortly after Hu Xiaotian returned to the city, he heard the news that the Third Young Madam of the Wan Manor had been abducted by the mountain bandits of Tianlang Mountain. The Wan Family was the foremost household in Qingyun Xian, and every move of theirs attracted the whole county's attention—almost instantly the news spread throughout the county.

For this matter, Hu Xiaotian specially went to the Government Office; the atmosphere in the county office today was unprecedentedly tense.

As Hu Xiaotian entered the gate of the county office, he happened to meet County Lieutenant Liu Boju hurrying over; because he was moving too hastily, he actually failed to notice Hu Xiaotian strolling leisurely on the other side.

Hu Xiaotian greeted with a smile, "Brother Liu, what urgent matter makes you so rushed?"

Liu Boju only lifted his head upon hearing the voice, thinking to himself, "You kid, your greeting is awfully friendly—we're just drinking buddies, and now you're calling me big brother, trying to butter me up!" This fellow also had a nature of smiling while hiding a knife; he smiled narrowly and said, "So it's you, Sir Hu."

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, "How do I keep running into people who take courtesy for granted? I call you big brother, yet you don't know to address me as little brother—what does calling me Sir mean? Should we just handle things officially and draw a line?" Although Hu Xiaotian was dissatisfied, he also understood in his heart that his conflict with County Magistrate Xu Qinglian was gradually intensifying. All the officials in Qingyun Xian faced the issue of picking sides; Xu Qinglian was the local boss, and naturally many chose his side.

For the alliance, extra chapter four, chapter five all fulfilled!