Chapter 1640

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Hu Xiaotian said: "But later I tracked Shangguan Yun Chong and discovered he was colluding with the Black Hu State Preceptor Gangbala and others."

Xue Shengjing sucked in a breath of cold air and said: "Could it be that Li Chen Zhou is colluding with the Black Hu people? Bad, if that's the case then Da Yong is in danger!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Some things may seem that way on the surface, but they won't stand up to scrutiny; if you think about it carefully you'll find too many loopholes. Oh! By the way, I almost forgot to tell big brother one thing—Blade Demon FengXingyun is also one of the assassins! Your relationship with him should be pretty good, right?"

Xue Shengjing silently cursed, you didn't forget, you did it on purpose; even when Hu Xiaotian exposed his lie to his face, Xue Shengjing remained unflustered, his expression calm without a ripple, and he smiled: "If I heard correctly, you're suspecting me, brother?" He slowly rose to his feet, his silhouette like dark clouds enveloping Hu Xiaotian, and Hu Xiaotian felt an invisible pressure; Xue Shengjing's strength might exceed his imagination.

Hu Xiaotian calmly gazed at Xue Shengjing and said: "Big brother, don't you find yourself suspicious?"

Xue Shengjing laughed and said: "What's suspicious about me? Da Yong is the Jiangshan of my Xue family; now that the dove has taken over the magpie's nest, I want to use any means to reclaim our ancestors' foundation—what's wrong with that? Even so, I could never collude with the Black Hu and betray Da Yong's interests."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Those who accomplish great things don't fuss over minor details; if the goal can be achieved, why worry about the means?"

Xue Shengjing chuckled and said: "These words resonate with me, but a true man knows what to do and what not to do; I have never in my life done anything against my principles." Not having done so is because deep down he fundamentally lacks any principles.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I recently heard something: when the Grand Empress Dowager's corpse was found, it wasn't intact."

Xue Shengjing heard this, the smile on his face gradually stiffened, his eyes gloomily fixed on Hu Xiaotian, and he began to realize that Hu Xiaotian's purpose in coming today was certainly not simply to question him about Weichi Chong's matter.

Hu Xiaotian said: "As far as I know, it was you, big brother, who took the Empress Dowager Jiang's corpse from Cien Garden; you should perhaps know what happened to her corpse."

Xue Shengjing's body seemed frozen in place, his gaze the same; after a long while he finally slowly sat down, and on his face he even managed to squeeze out a stiff smile: "Can you tell me why you suddenly asked about this?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If you want something to stay unknown, you must not do it; in this world there is no absolute secrecy."

Xue Shengjing gave a weird laugh and said: "Brother, you've made me out to be confused."

Hu Xiaotian, however, smiled and said: "Being truly clueless isn't scary; what's scary is pretending to be clueless. Even if you obtained that tattoo, it would probably be useless."

Xue Shengjing's face changed abruptly; he had thought Hu Xiaotian was just deliberately trying to deceive him, but now Hu Xiaotian's sudden reveal shows he already knows the inside story.

Xue Shengjing's small eyes widened, full of shock and bewilderment, as he said: "You... who exactly are you?"

Hu Xiaotian said nothing, merely taking out from his bosom a sketch already drawn; the sketch showed the tattoo on Emperor Jingde's back, which Hu Xiaotian had reproduced using his extraordinary memory. Although he didn't know what the tattoo signified, producing it was already enough to shock Xue Shengjing.

Black Hu

Hu Xiaotian slowly rose to his feet, his expression arrogant and cold: "Just how did your Xue family come to possess this Jiangshan? You should understand it in your heart."

Even though Hu Xiaotian exposed the secret to his face, Xue Shengjing still refused to admit it readily, and he chuckled: "The more you say, brother, the more confused I seem."

Hu Xiaotian saw this fellow so cunning, he snorted coldly and said: "If that's the case, then there's no need for us to continue talking." He made a move to leave.

Xue Shengjing, seeing this, panicked instead; he hurriedly said: "Brother, stay your steps!" Seeing Hu Xiaotian still continue forward, he then said: "Immortal emissary, stay your steps!"

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, to most people those extraterrestrial visitors aren't they just immortals? An immortal emissary is the servant of an immortal; it seems Xue Shengjing regards himself as the servant of those extraterrestrial visitors, and only then did Hu Xiaotian stop his steps.

Xue Shengjing went around to his front, bowed deeply with utmost respect, his face showing no arrogance or disrespect, and solemnly said: "I pay my respects, Immortal emissary!"

Hu Xiaotian secretly chuckled, this Lao hulí actually believed it and even took himself for some kind of immortal emissary; might as well go along with the mistake, he coldly looked at Xue Shengjing and said: "It seems we still overestimated you; even such a small matter you haven't managed to settle up to now."

Xue Shengjing broke into a sweat on his forehead, feeling terrified and uneasy, and said: "Immortal emissary, please don't blame me; I have always been diligent, I was only one step away from success, but I never expected a deviation at the final moment—Li Chen Zhou got there first."

Hu Xiaotian gave a hehe cold laugh and said: "The diagram on Empress Dowager Jiang's body—you've also taken it for yourself, right?"

Xue Shengjing trembled as he said: "I dare not; that diagram is not in my hands at all. When I took the empress dowager's corpse away, I discovered that the tattoo on her back had already been peeled off, and that's why I haven't left Yongdu—to investigate this matter."

His answer surprised Hu Xiaotian, though it's also possible; Hu Xiaotian knows Xue Shengjing's temperament extremely well, he could almost be certain that what Xue Shengjing said couldn't be the truth, and getting this fellow to hand over that tattoo would not be easy.

Hu Xiaotian coldly said: "Do you think you can hide it from me?" He lifted his robe, revealing the hilt of the light sword hidden inside.

Xue Shengjing caught a glimpse of that sword hilt in the corner of his eye, his face changed again, and he lowered his head even further. In the presence of this former sworn brother, who could become his son-in-law, Hu Xiaotian, he still showed such respect for the first time.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Considering our past acquaintance, I give you three days; what you do next is up to you to weigh." Having said that, he said no more and strode out of the garden with big steps.

Only after Hu Xiaotian's back disappeared did Xue Shengjing dare to straighten up; his face twisted with anger, he suddenly swung his hand toward the Wangbei Pavilion, a muffled explosion sounded in the air, then an invisible punch slammed hard onto the Wangbei Pavilion, causing it to collapse with a boom. For a moment dust flew up and smoke filled the entire courtyard.

After the smoke and dust cleared, a figure appeared in the courtyard, dressed in a cyan scholar's robe—it was Xue Shengjing's master, Ma Qingyun.

Ma Qingyun looked at everything before him, the waves undisturbed, and said softly: "Destroying something is just a matter of an instant, but wanting to build it up requires considerable effort; it turns out you also have moments when you can't stay calm."

Xue Shengjing looked at Ma Qingyun, the anger on his face gradually subsiding; his anger drifted away with the floating dust, his expression returned to calm, and he said softly: "He dared to deceive me!" He then passed the sketch that Hu Xiaotian had given him to Ma Qingyun.

After Ma Qingyun examined the painting, his expression suddenly turned grave, and he said in a low voice: "I already said he must be the disciple of the Ghost Physician Fu Duo."

Xue Shengjing said, bewildered: "But the Ghost Physician Fu Duo has been dead for over ten years; back then he was still just an idiot."

Ma Qingyun snorted coldly: "What in this world couldn't possibly happen?"

Xue Shengjing said: "I personally witnessed the Ghost Physician Fu Duo's death!"

Ma Qingyun narrowed his eyes: "Even if that diagram isn't in Hu Xiaotian's hands, he must have seen it."

Xue Shengjing said: "He is sly and changeable; the true purpose of that diagram is to test me. I deliberately called him an immortal envoy, and he actually believed I had truly intimidated him."

Ma Qingyun said: "Hu Xiaotian may not believe you; this person's origins are unknown, so we must not underestimate him."

Xue Shengjing said respectfully: "The immortal envoy speaks wisely!"

Ma Qingyun sighed softly: "He probably still doesn't know that diagram is the genuine 'Heaven-Man Myriad Phenomena Diagram'!"

Xue Shengjing said: "Immortal envoy, what do you think we should do?"

Ma Qingyun's gaze became unfocused, and after a moment he said: "He probably wants to lure you into action; perhaps it's time for you to leave this place."

Xue Shengjing said: "Leave now?"

On his way back, Hu Xiaotian was extremely cautious; he fully understood what kind of opponent he was dealing with. Xue Shengjing is a cunning and greedy wolf who will stop at nothing to seize his prey. To uncover the secret from Xue Shengjing, he must grasp his true weakness. The bait he threw out today should be substantial, and Xue Shengjing's sudden change in attitude proves he holds the so-called immortal envoy in awe.

After confirming no one was following him, Hu Xiaotian made a detour back to the South Wind Inn, where Xia Zhangming was already waiting. As soon as Hu Xiaotian returned, he went up to him and said in a low voice: "Young master, the Beggars' Sect has sent many reinforcements, all for Elder Xue's matter."

Hu Xiaotian nodded. Several experts of the Beggars' Sect had been killed, including the law enforcement elder Xue Zhenhai; this incident caused a great stir, so it was only natural for the sect to send people over. What he really cared about wasn't this, and he said in a low voice: "Any movement from Miss Jian?"

Xia Zhangming said: "She spent most of the day inside the inn, only slipping out once to go to the Grand Secretary's residence, pretending nothing was wrong as she walked around the perimeter, but I can tell she was probably observing the surroundings."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows, thinking to himself: Could Jian Rongxin be planning to sneak into the Grand Secretary's residence at night? Could it be that after I turned her into a woman, her courage has grown as well? This is no trivial matter; although Yongdu has recently relaxed its restrictions, that doesn't mean the area around the Grand Secretary's residence is unguarded. Given Li Chenzhou's shrewdness, he would not overlook the reality of Jian Rongxin's escape; perhaps he anticipates she might return secretly.

Xia Zhangming whispered a suggestion: "I think you should talk to her as soon as possible, lest she do something irrational."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but glance at Xia Zhangming; he heard the subtext in Xia Zhangming's words—this kid wasn't spelling it out, but he actually understood what had happened between him and Jian Rongxin. He changed the subject: "Any news about Qin Yutong?"

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