Chapter 1607

Hu Xiaotian looked around, making sure no one was nearby, then respectfully bowed to Weichi Chong; as he bowed, his joints cracked, and when he lifted his head again his original appearance had returned. He said respectfully, "Father-in-law Sir, please accept this son-in-law's bow!"

Weichi Chong was first greatly surprised; he had no daughter, so where could a son-in-law come from? But when Hu Xiaotian restored his Lu Shan appearance, Weichi Chong finally realized: the person before him was actually Hu Xiaotian; Huo Shengnan is his adopted daughter; originally Shengnan fled Da Yong wronged; later he heard she was with Hu Xiaotian, now she is in Dongliang Jun; no wonder Hu Xiaotian calls him father-in-law; speaking of which, his role as father-in-law is indeed deserved.

Weichi Chong burst out laughing helplessly; he had wanted to say he didn't deserve it, but after thinking he didn't refuse, and sighed, "I never expected that the one who saved me would be a young master!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Before I came to Da Yong this time, Shengnan repeatedly urged me that if I ever got a chance to meet Father-in-law Sir, I must perform the kowtow on her behalf; let's find a secluded spot so I can fulfill her wish for her."

Weichi Chong gave a bitter smile: "How could that be proper? You, young master, are now a regional hegemon; how could I let you kowtow to me? Besides, you are my benefactor who just saved my life—this would be killing me!"

Hu Xiaotian originally had no intention of kowtowing to him; after all, a man's knees hold gold, kowtowing is something to avoid if possible; besides, he had already said his piece. Seeing that Weichi Chong showed him little wariness or hostility, Hu Xiaotian also relaxed; he told Weichi Chong his original motive and purpose for coming to Da Yong this time. When Weichi Chong heard that Liu Changsheng had already been killed, he couldn't help but tears stream down; Weichi Chong and Liu Changsheng were old friends for many years, their bond was deep. Liu Changsheng had once saved Weichi Chong's life; hearing the bad news of his old friend, how could Weichi Chong not be grieved? He had originally planned to go back to plead for his friend, but now it seems everything is already too late.

Hu Xiaotian softly comforted: "Father-in-law Sir, you need not be overly grieved; Mr. Liu is merely a sacrifice in the court intrigue."

Weichi Chong nodded. He turned away, lifted his sleeve to wipe the tears at the corners of his eyes; just now, facing a strong enemy he could remain composed, but hearing the news of Liu Changsheng's death he ultimately could not control his inner emotions—being heartless does not necessarily make a true hero; even a hero all his life has moments of sorrow.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Father-in-law Sir, you still need to carefully consider returning to Yongdu."

Weichi Chong said, "At my age, what is there to fear?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I know your heart is open and honest enough to shine sun and moon, but Yongdu awaits you with a pack of villains; isn't tonight's assassination enough to wake you up, old sir?"

Weichi Chong remained silent. He raised his head, his eyes full of sorrow gazing at the snowflakes drifting down; going south should have made it warmer, yet why does his heart grow colder and colder?

Hu Xiaotian said, "Blade Demon FengXingyun and Beggar Gang's Shangguan Yunchen—do you have any personal grudge against them from the past?"

Weichi Chong shook his head. He has no personal grudge with either of them; if there are any enemies, his greatest enemy should be the Black Hu, and those most wanting him dead should be the Black Hu people, not others. In Bei Jiang he blocked the Black Hu, causing countless casualties among them; unable to go south, he shed blood and sweat to defend Da Yong's northern frontier—actually defending Da Yong is defending the whole Central Plains—but he never imagined that the ones coming to assassinate him would be his own people. He does not know who sent the Blade Demon FengXingyun. However, it is common knowledge that the Beggar Gang's Shangguan Yunchen has defected to Li Chen Zhou; why would he assassinate himself? Could it be Li Chen Zhou who sent him?

Li Chen Zhou had always been an outstanding figure among the younger generation in Weichi Chong's heart; he never imagined he would resort to such ruthless means.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Shangguan Yunchen is Li Chen Zhou's man!" He didn't spell it out clearly, but the meaning was obvious. Hu Xiaotian also found it puzzling: Blade Demon FengXingyun is a man of Prince Yan Xue Shengjing; logically, FengXingyun and Shangguan Yunchen shouldn't be allies, yet they both targeted the same person—has FengXingyun already switched to Li Chen Zhou's side, or does Shangguan Yunchen have some other motive? Hu Xiaotian does not think Li Chen Zhou needs to kill Weichi Chong; at least Weichi Chong has not yet declared his stance, and it would be unreasonable for Li Chen Zhou to strike before knowing whether Weichi Chong opposes him.

If Weichi Chong died, Bei Jiang would surely fall into chaos, and the Black Hu would benefit; Li Chen Zhou seeks power, and he has already joined forces with Grand Princess Xue Lingjun to basically control Da Yong's situation—with his wisdom, how could he possibly do something as self-destructive as destroying the Great Wall?

On the contrary, Prince Yan Xue Shengjing could possibly have done this; whether he admits it or not, his having fallen into a disadvantaged position in this court struggle is already a fact; relying on Da Yong's strength, he would find it hard to reverse the situation in the short term, so he must seek external support—otherwise he wouldn't be looking for cooperation with me; since he can find me, he could likewise find others, and it cannot be ruled out that Xue Shengjing is secretly colluding with the Black Hu behind my back.

Thinking this through, Hu Xiaotian's mind suddenly cleared, but he could not lay out all these thoughts to Weichi Chong, for Weichi Chong is a Da Yong general, his loyalty still lies with the Da Yong imperial house, and he still represents Da Yong's interests.

Weichi Chong softly asked, "Is Shengnan still well?" He did not want to continue discussing the assassination tonight.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "She's doing great; my troops all rely on her to help me command, and she has taken a lot off my plate."

Weichi Chong gave a knowing smile; hearing that his adopted daughter was happy, he felt naturally comforted; he suddenly realized his feelings for Da Yong were not that deep—having lived most of his life, he remains a rootless duckweed, blown wherever the wind takes him. A question he had asked himself countless times resurfaced in his mind: Am I a Yong person or a Kang person? If I die someday, where will my final resting place be?

Hu Xiaotian said, "The only downside is that she often thinks of you; this time she originally wanted to come with me, but I worried she would run into trouble if she appeared, so I asked her to stay behind." He smiled and added, "I also promised Shengnan that, if possible, I would bring you back to meet her."

Weichi Chong also laughed, and softly said, "No way!"

Hu Xiaotian said with deep meaning, "Dongliang Jun is not Dakang territory; as long as the Grand Marshal wishes to go, he can come anytime, and Dongliang Jun will always keep its doors open for the Grand Marshal." He changed his address for Weichi Chong from Father-in-law to Grand Marshal, not by accident but deliberately.

Weichi Chong naturally understood the meaning in Hu Xiaotian's words, and smiled, "Are you trying to persuade me to surrender?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "We are family, not enemies—what talk of persuading to surrender is there?"

Hearing the three words "one family," Weichi Chong's heart warmed involuntarily; he slowly nodded and said, "Shengnan choosing you is correct!" Brief and to the point, this is already the highest praise for Hu Xiaotian.

Receiving the Grand Marshal's affirmation, Hu Xiaotian felt honored as well; he told Weichi Chong, "Shengnan entrusted me to tell Father-in-law: in all matters, think more for yourself; this world does not belong to the Long family, nor to the Xue family, nor to anyone—it belongs to the common folk. The Grand Marshal, while safeguarding Da Yong's realm, is also protecting the whole Central Plains from Black Hu invasion, and more so protecting the peace and livelihood of all under heaven; therefore the Grand Marshal must take good care of himself—only in Bei Jiang can the Grand Marshal be as solid as gold and soup."

Weichi Chong sighed, "It's a pity they don't understand such a simple truth."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Grand Marshal, do you often feel conflicted in your heart?"

Weichi Chong's heart jolted; he couldn't help but glance at Hu Xiaotian again—could this kid have seen through my thoughts?

Hu Xiaotian said, "Are you confused about whether you are a Yong person or a Kang person?"

Weichi Chong said, "It doesn't matter anymore; at my age, nothing is important."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "The world: long unity leads to division, long division leads to unity. Dakang's territory at its peak was vast, stretching east-west, connecting north-south, its strength unmatched for a time; but after developing for hundreds of years, it inevitably fell into decline. In this world there is no immortality, no everlasting prosperity; otherwise there would be no later rise of Da Yong. And now the world's division has become fact—Da Yong, under Xue Shengkang's hand, once flourished and thrived, yet its rise was swift and its fall swift; Da Yong ultimately, like Dakang, inevitably fell into court power struggles, the imperial house's intrigue and deceit; countless officials suffered innocently due to factional fights; Da Yong not only failed to learn from Dakang's decline, but worsened it; in my view, present-day Da Yong has already embarked on the old road that Dakang once walked."

Weichi Chong silently gazed at Hu Xiaotian; as the saying goes, "the onlooker sees clearly, the participant is confused"; Hu Xiaotian's words are by no means one-sided, but come from a very fair perspective on the issue.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Although Bei Jiang has temporarily entered a winter lull, the danger of war has not receded; the court, at this time, summons the Grand Marshal back, whose purpose is merely to have him declare his stance."

Weichi Chong said, "They certainly wouldn't feel at ease placing a disloyal general on the northern frontier."

Hu Xiaotian said, "They perhaps have not realized that Bei Jiang cannot do without the Grand Marshal."

Weichi Chong softly said, "In this world no one is indispensable." If he were truly important, tonight's assassination would not have happened.

At that moment a white silhouette swooped down from the sky toward their direction—it was Xia Zhangming arriving; in fact, when Hu Xiaotian appeared to rescue, Xia Zhangming had already arrived at the same time, but he did not reveal himself; after Shangguan Yunchen and Blade Demon FengXingyun fled, he chose to pursue Shangguan Yunchen, which is also why Hu Xiaotian did not give chase.

Last night I fell asleep in a daze, forgot to update, sorry, making up for it now! (To be continued~^~)