Chapter 1622

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "So-so, by the way, you still haven't told me what problem arose between the two of you."

Jian Rongxin could barely hold her wine cup, spilling much of the wine; she spoke without thinking, and actually replied, "I and he basically have no... marital relations."

Hu Xiaotian stared at Jian Rongxin before him, dumbfounded, but then secretly amused; if Jian Rongxin sobered up and saw her current state, she would surely be ashamed to the point of having nowhere to hide. Jian Rongxin and Li Chenzhou actually are a couple in name only, a sham marriage—this really is unexpected.

Jian Rongxin finally found the wine cup and drank half a cup; she still wanted to grab the wine jug, but Hu Xiaotian seeing her state couldn't let her drink more, reached out and grabbed her wrist, advising, "You're drunk, don't drink!"

Jian Rongxin fixed Hu Xiaotian with a ferocity of gaze never seen before, glaring at him as if he were an enemy.

Hu Xiaotian felt creeped out by her stare, and gently advised, "How about I help you go rest?"

Jian Rongxin suddenly raised her hand and slapped Hu Xiaotian's face with a crisp pa! —he never expected her to strike him; with his martial skill dodging should have been easy, but seeing her strike, he didn't dodge; the slap wasn't heavy, and it caused no harm to his thick-skinned face.

Jian Rongxin said, "Beast... why did you kill my father?"

Only then did Hu Xiaotian realize that, drunk, Jian Rongxin had mistaken him for Li Chenzhou; today truly is a case of lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own foot—self-inflicted, and he deserved that slap.

After slapping Hu Xiaotian, Jian Rongxin seemed unsatisfied, swaying as she stood up ready to rush over and give him another slap, but as soon as she rose she felt dizzy, lost her balance and fell toward the ground; Hu Xiaotian had been watching her movements, reached out and embraced her, a warm jade and fragrant embrace filling his arms; Jian Rongxin, full of anger, said, "You... let me go..." Before she could finish, she vomited, covering Hu Xiaotian.

With great effort Hu Xiaotian finally settled Jian Rongxin, returned to his own room, took a bath, changed clothes, and felt much refreshed; although their residence was relatively independent, the commotion did not escape Zhangming Xia's ears.

When Hu Xiaotian arrived at Zhangming Xia's room, Zhangming Xia was teasing his Black Kiss Bird; seeing Hu Xiaotian enter, he smiled meaningfully and said, "Looks like someone got drunk?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I thought she was in a bad mood, so I kindly kept her company with a few drinks; I didn't expect her to be unable to hold her liquor."

Zhangming Xia said, "The matter of Qiu Bai has some leads; the Black Kiss Bird found his hiding place."

Hu Xiaotian's heart leapt with joy: "Where?"

Zhangming Xia said, "Dog Head Mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian startled; Dog Head Mountain was exactly where he had slain the Purple Lightning Giant Python on his previous visit to Yongdu, after consuming the Wind-Cloud Fruit to obtain the Seven Slays of Heaven Sword, and he recalled that the Black Hu people had also searched near Peach Blossom Pond; if Qiu Bai was indeed captured by those Gangbala Black Hu people, hiding him in Dog Head Mountain would not be surprising.

Zhangming Xia said, "Shall we go rescue him?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "We don't need to intervene; I think the Black Hu abducted Qiu Bai not to target us, but to deal with the Sword Palace!"

Zhangming Xia looked at Hu Xiaotian, somewhat puzzled, not knowing the grudge between the Black Hu and the Sword Palace; so Hu Xiaotian recounted the grudge between the Sword Palace's founder Lin Bai Tao and the Black Hu from years past; only then did Zhangming Xia understand the cause and effect, and he said, "If that's the case, the Black Hu's coming to Yongdu this time is not only to deal with Weichi Chong, but also to take revenge on the Sword Palace by the way."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Let them kill each other off, Changming, help me look after Jian Rongxin; I need to go out for a while."

Zhangming Xia said, "I can't come for this."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "She's already drunk from not being able to hold her liquor; I'd say eight or nine out of ten she'll sleep until tomorrow morning; you just need to ensure her safety."

The place Hu Xiaotian went was the ironworks; since arriving in Yongdu he had wanted to visit his old friend Zong Tang, but because matters kept arising, only today could he free up time; earlier he had sent Xiong Tianba and Gao Yuan to Yongdu specially to ask Zong Yuan and his father for help, but unfortunately the artificer Zong Yuan was gravely ill, and though Zong Tang was on good terms with him, he could not come due to his father's condition and politely declined Hu Xiaotian's kindness; however, not long ago the artificer Zong Yuan died, and Zong Tang is now in this ironworks building a tomb for his father, living in a hut to observe mourning. This is also what Zong Yuan wished—he did not want his son to waste good times in mourning.

Zong Tang did not recognize the disguised Hu Xiaotian, clasped his fists and said, "I am Zong Tang of the ironworks; I don't know what goods this young master requires."

Hu Xiaotian looked around, then used voice transmission to say to Zong Tang, "Senior Brother Zong, do you still remember fighting side by side with me at the Hongyan Pavilion of the Red Mountain Club?"

Zong Tang's heart shook violently, his eyes widened; of course he wouldn't forget—back then he, Hu Xiaotian, Dong Tianjiang, and Huo Shengnan sneaked into the Red Mountain Club, encountering the black-and-white double corpses in the underground chamber of the Hongyan Pavilion; the danger of that battle remains fresh in his memory. Zong Tang hastily dismissed the others, and when only the two of them remained in the hall, he reached out, laughed loudly as he grasped Hu Xiaotian's arm, and whispered, "Hu Junior Brother, I truly missed you to death!"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Hu Xiaotian suggested going to pay respects at the tomb of the artificer Zong Yuan; Zong Tang led him to his father's grave, and Hu Xiaotian, observing the rites of a nephew, bowed three times before Zong Yuan's tomb; given his current status, offering such great respect to the artificer Zong Yuan would bring comfort to the old man even in the springs below.

The two then sat in the thatched hut beside the tomb; Zong Tang was still observing mourning, and this hut was where he sheltered from wind and rain.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, "Since I left Yongdu I've been busy with all kinds of affairs; I never expected that this time I'd come and not even get to see the old master Zong one last time."

Zong Tang takes life and death lightly; he said calmly, "Since our hometown was attacked, my father's spirit has deteriorated, he's been chronically ill; thanks to Doctor Liu of the Divine Farmer Society for treating him, but later Doctor Liu and his son were implicated in that assassination attempt and suffered misfortune; upon hearing the news, my father used all his connections trying to help rescue people, but his thin favor and superficial ties were utterly useless; he and Doctor Liu got along well, yet because of this matter he suffered many blows, his condition worsened, and he passed away before Doctor Liu could even come out."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but feel moved as well.

Zong Tang said, "Before my father passed away, he still hoped I would rush to rescue Doctor Liu and his son, but now Doctor Liu is gone too."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Old Master Zong, Doctor Liu and his family were all innocent, upright people; it's just that the times are harsh and people's hearts are treacherous—they never provoked anyone, yet they were dragged into these troubles for no reason."

Zong Tang gave a bitter smile, "Doctor Liu was kind-hearted; how could he be implicated in an assassination attempt on the emperor? He and the entire Divine Farmer Society, hanging their gourds to aid the world, have saved countless people over decades, even the imperial family has benefited greatly from him; it's unimaginable that he would suffer such an unjust accusation." He had long grown cold toward the Da Yong court's actions.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Senior Brother Zong, there's no need to grieve; things have come to this, we can't turn back the tide, we only hope to help rescue Liu Yucheng and preserve the Liu lineage."

Zong Tang blinked, hearing that Hu Xiaotian had come to rescue someone; given Hu Xiaotian's status today, he could still risk danger for a friend, and that alone shows this friend is worth making. Zong Tang said, "Junior Brother Hu, I know you're very capable, but this is after all Da Yong; saving Yucheng won't be easy."

Hu Xiaotian didn't hide anything from him, detailing the purpose of his visit and what had happened; after listening, Zong Tang finally understood that Hu Xiaotian had been in Yongdu for a while and had done many things; from Hu Xiaotian's words it's not hard to hear his guilt over Doctor Liu Changsheng's death; Zong Tang advised, "Doctor Liu's matter has nothing to do with you; court intrigue is inherently unscrupulous, your original intention in seeking Xue Lingjun was also to save people, you just didn't anticipate how vile she would be."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I never even imagined she would join forces with Li Chenzhou."

Zong Tang said, "What a state fears most is not foreign invasion, but internal chaos and disaster; the century-old foundation of Da Yong may well be ruined by these people's hands."

Hu Xiaotian's visit to Zong Tang to catch up was only one purpose; more importantly he wanted to invite Zong Tang to return with him to Dongliang Jun; Zong Tang has fully inherited the true transmission of Artificer Zong Yuan, making him a top-tier craftsman of the world—if he assisted, Hu Xiaotian's weapon research and production would surely advance by leaps and bounds; however, Hu Xiaotian had little confidence in Zong Tang, since Zong Tang is a Yong person, if he chose to be loyal to Da Yong he would likely refuse Hu Xiaotian, so it's not the time to rush. Hu Xiaotian said, "By the way, Weichi Chong has already returned to Yongdu."

Zong Tang is also very well-informed about outside news; he nodded and said, "I've heard that too; I'm preparing to visit the Grand Marshal, whose connections might possibly rescue Liu Yucheng."

Hu Xiaotian, however, is not as optimistic; he had previously met Weichi Chong, and if not for his assistance, Weichi Chong might already have died under the joint assassination of the Blade Demon FengXingyun and Shangguan Yun Chong; Weichi Chong's present situation is very delicate, reportedly he has been dispatched by the new ruler to guard the tomb of the Grand Empress Dowager—what use could an old marshal who cannot even control his own fate have in saving others? Hu Xiaotian did not mention any prior news of rescuing Weichi Chong, and softly said, "I heard he was sent to the imperial mausoleum."

Zong Tang said, "The tomb of the Grand Empress Dowager was designed by my father; there are still some projects unfinished, getting close to the Grand Marshal is not difficult for me." He then turned to Hu Xiaotian and asked, "Do you want to come with me?" (To be continued~^~.)