Chapter 1619: and ===GLOSSARY===

Xue Shengjing did not believe Li Chen Zhou would do this; if he were Li Chen Zhou, even with control of Da Yong's court power, he would not make such a choice. Assassinating Weichi Chong brought no benefit to Da Yong, yet Xue Shengjing had no better option—he could not stand by and watch Da Yong fall entirely into Li Chen Zhou's hands. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He had originally planned meticulously, prepared to overthrow Da Yong's regime, but he never expected Li Chen Zhou to act before him, nor did he anticipate that his own sister, Xue Lingjun, would defect to Li Chen Zhou's side.

Xue Shengjing still hasn't figured out the mystery here. After Xue Daohong ascended the throne, he has continually wanted to eliminate the two siblings. They ought to have been united against a common enemy, but in fact, regarding the Bohai State affair, the siblings had once briefly cooperated—only that was based on Hu Xiaotian mediating.

He, Xue Shengkang, and Xue Lingjun, though born of the same mother, each had their own thoughts. When Xue Shengkang held power, he himself, to avoid being harmed by him, had always lived cautiously and timidly, never daring to openly reveal his true strength and ambitions; whereas Xue Lingjun had always stayed close to the elder brother, and the elder brother never avoided her, letting her participate in any important matter. Recalling the incident at Cien Garden, Xue Shengjing still feels resentful; his mother must have died in the scheming of Xue Daohong and Li Chen Zhou. Xue Lingjun, so intelligent, certainly could not miss the hidden machinations, yet in this situation she still chose to cooperate with her mother's killer, Li Chen Zhou, showing that her ruthlessness is no less than his. Perhaps she, like him, has long lost any affection for the empress dowager. Xue Shengjing recalls everything that has happened over these years, vivid as ever; the empress dowager repeatedly claimed she had retreated from the palace to enjoy her twilight years at Cien Garden, yet her concern for the court never ceased for a moment. After the elder brother's death, her long-suppressed lust for power erupted like a volcano, and Xue Daohong must have perceived something, which is why he was incited by Li Chen Zhou to act hastily against his own grandmother.

Since ancient times, royalty knows no kinship; the older Xue Shengjing gets and the more he experiences, the deeper his understanding of this saying becomes. To survive in Huangcheng, one cannot cease scheming; if you do not kill him, he will kill you.

FengXingyun, unable to bear Xue Shengjing's prolonged silence, finally spoke: "You still haven't given me an explanation!"

Xue Shengjing then snapped out of his reverie, a hint of helpless smile on his lips: "Even I don't know what's going on, so how could I explain it to you?"

FengXingyun clearly dissatisfied with his answer: "Originally, I could have teamed up with Shangguan Yun Chong to eliminate Weichi Chong; do you know who changed the situation?"

Xue Shengjing's small eyes flashed: "Who?"

"Hu Xiaotian!"

Xue Shengjing's expression showed a hint of surprise.

FengXingyun said: "I have crossed swords with Hu Xiaotian several times; I am fairly familiar with his sword technique. Although he disguised himself as a camel, the Seven Slaughtering Heaven Sword cannot escape my eyes."

Xue Shengjing said: "How could he help Weichi Chong?" After speaking, he immediately gave an explanation: "Huo Shengnan is with him; it must be because of her." Huo Shengnan is Weichi Chong's adopted daughter, whom he treats as his own; Hu Xiaotian helping Weichi Chong is therefore quite natural. Realizing this, Xue Shengjing felt a twinge of regret, regretting that he had revealed his identity too early to Hu Xiaotian, for Hu Xiaotian is an ambitious young man who came to Da Yong not to save him but for his own ulterior motive.

Xue Shengjing recalled the terms of his exchange with Hu Xiaotian, wondering what standing his daughter held in Hu Xiaotian's heart.

FengXingyun said: "I owe you nothing anymore; from now on I will not interfere in your affairs."

Xue Shengjing smiled: "I have never forced you to help me with anything. We are friends; in my heart, you have always been my best friend. By the way, I recall you have a disciple named Wen Boyuan."

FengXingyun's pupils contracted sharply; Wen Boyuan was his most proud disciple and the one most likely to inherit his mantle, yet tragically he died young, and to this day FengXingyun has not uncovered the true cause of his death, a regret he still carries.

Xue Shengjing said: "I heard that the sword you gave him has always been kept by Li Chen Zhou, now worn close to his body; logically Li Chen Zhou should not lack precious blades, so why does he favor the Tiger Soul so much?"

FengXingyun said: "What are you trying to tell me?"

Xue Shengjing said: "I always feel something is off, yet I cannot pinpoint what exactly. I also heard that when Li Chen Zhou was sent as an envoy to Dakang, he specially went to visit Wen Chenghuan, and that in Kangdu everything concerning him was personally received by Wen Chenghuan. Since you have a host-guest relationship with the Wen family, why not go to Dakang and investigate the mystery there?"

FengXingyun whispered: "Do you suspect Li Chen Zhou is colluding with Dakang?"

Xue Shengjing sighed: "I can't even figure out what I'm thinking myself; I just feel that human hearts are unfathomable, everyone is scheming against others, and even basic trust between people cannot exist—it's truly chilling."

FengXingyun stared dumbfounded at Xue Shengjing, for a moment not knowing how to respond.

Hu Xiaotian bought Baofeng Hall, broke its seal, and entered this familiar courtyard; he had once recorded many images of the past there, and he still remembers the scene of him and his two sworn brothers discussing by candlelight in the room. Things remain but people have changed; the courtyard of Baofeng Hall is covered with residual snow, while the interior is filled with spiderwebs and dust.

Xia Zhangming saw the scene before him and involuntarily furrowed his brows: "Master, I'll have someone tidy up later." Since arriving in Yongdu, Xia Zhangming's address for Hu Xiaotian has become "young master" and "master of the household," no longer calling him "lord" as before, to avoid any slip that might reveal a flaw to attentive ears.

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "There's no need for that now; we aren't planning to take root here, and we'll leave as soon as we finish handling these matters."

Xia Zhangming responded, then couldn't help but ask: "My lord, when do you plan to leave?" Their reason for coming to Yongdu was the father-son pair Liu Changsheng; now Liu Changsheng is dead, and the remaining Liu Yucheng's fate is unknown, so it should be said that Hu Xiaotian's intention to come to Yongdu to rescue people has basically come to nothing.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Rescuing Liu Yucheng, I promised Miss Qin; I cannot go back on my word."

Xia Zhangming gave a slight smile, yet he knew Hu Xiaotian's motive was not simply because he had promised Qin Yutong; he whispered: "Master of the household, I always feel Miss Qin is somewhat mysterious."

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "She is a senior disciple of Ren Tianqing at Xuantian Guan, and Ren Tianqing himself is a favorite before the Yongyang Princess."

Xia Zhangming said: "Your Excellency, aren't you afraid she might be detrimental to you?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It should not." Although he appears confident on the surface, he does not know Qin Yutong very well; recalling that he has known Qin Yutong for quite a while, his understanding of her remains superficial, and even now he has never seen her true appearance.

Xia Zhangming said: "Without capable help, rescuing Liu Yucheng will surely not be easy."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although Xue Shengjing promised me, he has conditions; this man is extraordinarily treacherous and utterly untrustworthy—I suspect that eight or nine times out of ten, this assassination of Weichi Chong is being plotted by him."

Xia Zhangming puzzled: "Xue Shengjing is the Prince Yan of Da Yong, and Da Yong's realm belongs to the Xue family; even if he is now in dire straits, he would not resort to inviting foreign enemies to attack his own kin, would he?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "As the saying goes, royalty knows no kinship; the victor becomes king, the loser becomes bandit. Xue Shengjing is now hardly a Prince Yan at all; although he still retains considerable potential strength, morally he has been driven to desperation by Li Chen Zhou, the charge of plotting to usurp the throne has already been established, and to turn the tables he must rely on external force. Since he can proactively seek my alliance, he could likewise seek others—between me and the Black Hu, whose strength is greater?"

Xia Zhangming laughed; obviously he didn't need to answer this question, as everyone knows the Black Hu's current strength far surpasses that of Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said: "He who draws troops into the pass for a personal grudge is certainly not the first."

Xia Zhangming furrowed his brows, pondering hard, yet still could not recall who had ever led troops into the pass; moreover, he would have no way of knowing that the person Hu Xiaotian referred to was someone he had never heard of—Wu Sangui.

Xia Zhangming said: "If Xue Shengjing truly colludes with the Black Hu people, will the master of the household still consider cooperating with him?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "That really warrants careful thought; the Black Hu people have been honing their weapons and feeding their horses for hundreds of years, their design on the Central Plains never dying. Xue Shengjing's move is tantamount to inviting wolves into the house; he considers himself clever, but in the end he may end up lifting a stone only to drop it on his own foot. Inviting a deity is easy, sending it away is hard—if those ruthless, murderous Hu people are truly brought in, getting them to leave afterward would not be easy." After a pause he added: "I'm just curious—through what channel did Shangguan Yun Chong connect with the Black Hu people?"

Xia Zhangming recalled that night when Hu Xiaotian fought the Tibetan monk Gangbala in a perilous battle, still feeling lingering fear; he sighed: "I never expected the Black Hu to have such an expert."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I am genuinely curious about the incident in which Yin Baotao assassinated the Black Hu khan Wanyan Tiejiang; it seems the grudge between the two sides runs deep." He recalled the kasaya he had found at Peach Blossom Pond back then; that kasaya was the relic of the Black Hu's national preceptor Timoduo from that era, its surface embroidered with text. Timoduo came from Fan Yin Si, practicing the Bei Ming Esoteric Sect, and Gangbala likewise originated from Fan Yin Si, being a descendant lineage of Timoduo.

As the two were chatting, An Zhai arrived, looking somewhat nervous; he came before Hu Xiaotian and sighed: "Young master, something serious has happened—Qiu Bai was rescued!"

Hu Xiaotian was also shocked upon hearing this: "How could that be?" After capturing Qiu Bai, he had entrusted An Zhai with his detention; the matter had been handled with extreme secrecy, yet he never expected it to end up going wrong.

An Zhai replied with a face full of guilt: "I hadn't anticipated it either; the place where I detained him was carefully selected by me, and the person responsible for guarding him was a trustworthy brother."

"Do you know who did it?" (To be continued~^~.)