Chapter 1670

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Jian Rongxin seemed to have guessed his thoughts, she whispered: "Inside are the documents formally dissolving my marriage with him; from now on, I have no ties whatsoever with him." The greatest sorrow is death of the heart; once a woman's heart dies, she acts with greater decisiveness and ruthlessness than most men.

Qin Yutong

Great Yong

Li Chenzhou

Jian Rongxin's pretty face flushed crimson, she couldn't contain her shame, she picked up the parcel and hurried out the door, truly not knowing what possessed her to endure his nonsense, and not only did she not feel repulsed, she actually felt an indescribable liking—when had she become like this?

When Hu Xiaotian stepped outside, Jian Rongxin had already left, and he met the perceptive gaze of Qin Yutong; the roguish smile on his face instantly faded, he gave a dry cough and said, "You're looking at me rather strangely."

Qin Yutong said, "If you feel guilty, why shift the blame onto others? Tell me, what is your real purpose for staying?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, "Looking at people with a conspiratorial eye makes it seem like everyone around is plotting; actually I'm pure and kind-hearted, and the reason I stayed is… boundless love!" He realized that those four words had a powerful impact on the talented lady Jian Rongxin; Qin Yutong is also a talented lady, and talented ladies might just like this style—one fresh trick works everywhere, so it wouldn't hurt to use it a few more times.

What disappointed him was that Qin Yutong showed no reaction to those four words at all. It seems each woman's trigger is different; one must teach according to the individual and adapt to the circumstances.

Xuantian Hall

Ren Tianqing

Light Sword

Hu Xiaotian said, "I always feel you are an extraordinary talented lady with far-sighted insight, but this remark doesn't sound like something you would say."

Qin Yutong said, "I'm just an ordinary woman who has studied a bit of medicine. I stayed only to save more people with my medical skills; I have no other ulterior motives."

Zong Tang

Red Mountain Hall

Wild Goose Tower

Fourth Prince of the Black Hu

Hu Xiaotian said, "Although I've never met your mother, I believe she must be an extraordinary person, and your understanding of her surely far surpasses mine." He drew his light sword: "When you look at these things, aren't you even a little curious? What was your true purpose for sneaking into Xuantian Guan to become a disciple of Ren Tianqing back then? How much do you really know about Ren Tianqing?"

Qin Yutong let out a faint sigh and said, "You're really quite curious, it seems you've forgotten why we stayed here in the first place, hasn't it?"

Northern Frontier

Weichi Chong

Hu Xiaotian nodded; although he wasn't an expert in epidemiology, he still understood the basic response measures and treatment plan—manage the infection source, cut off transmission routes, protect the susceptible. These three measures can maximally prevent the rapid spread of the epidemic. Even if they have ways to treat patients, they are limited in manpower and may not obtain enough medicine. To fundamentally control the epidemic, relying solely on their efforts is absolutely impossible.

Qin Yutong also understood this. After hearing Hu Xiaotian's response plan, she softly sighed and said, "The plan is good, but this is Da Yong, not your sphere of influence." The meaning is crystal clear. Hu Xiaotian's plan would require mobilizing the entire city's strength to execute; in Dongliang Jun, a single order from him would surely pose no problem, but here it's not up to him.

Third Watch

Qin Yutong furrowed her brows slightly: "How? You want to reveal your identity? Aren't you afraid Li Chenzhou and the others will gang up on you?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Times change; there are no eternal enemies under heaven, only common interests. If Da Yong's epidemic cannot be contained, my territories will likely be affected as well." His words were no alarmist talk; what ultimately drove him to stay and help Da Yong was not just the so-called boundless love, but also the fact that part of his lands lie within Da Yong's borders, especially Dongliang Jun and Donglo Granary north of the Yong River. Although he had already sent Xia Zhangming back to notify and strictly enforce border controls, once the epidemic erupts throughout Yongdu, it will probably be hard to contain.

Qin Yutong said, "Where do you plan to start?" It is common knowledge that the actual power in Yongdu lies in the hands of Li Chenzhou, and even the Da Yong monarch Xue Daoming has no decisive say in major matters.

Hu Xiaotian did not speak.

Qin Yutong said, "Could it be that you want to meet Li Chen Zhou?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said, "Going to see Li Chen Zhou is not impossible; with Li Chen Zhou's intellect and vision, he would naturally see the pros and cons of this matter, and adopting my plan should pose no problem."

Qin Yutong said, "I doubt it!" She secretly thought, if Li Chen Zhou knew that Jian Rongxin had been kidnapped by you, he would probably tear you to pieces.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I simply won't give him such a huge favor; if he followed my advice and took action to resolve the epidemic, wouldn't that give him an opportunity to establish his prestige and win over the people's hearts?"

Qin Yutong then realized whom Hu Xiaotian truly wanted to see; if all went well, the person he wished to meet should be Xue Daoming. Although Xue Daoming is merely a puppet and may not be able to decide this major matter, stepping forward at this time would help establish his prestige. If successful, Hu Xiaotian would not only save the people of Yongdu but also secretly support Xue Daoming, and Xue Daoming might thereby gain strength from this affair.

Qin Yutong said, "Who do you want to go find?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Dong Tianjiang!"

Dong Tianjiang and Hu Xiaotian had once fought side by side; on that occasion, the four of them—Dong Tianjiang, Hu Xiaotian, Huo Shengnan, and Zong Tang—sneaked into the Yanlou of the Red Mountain Club, with Dong Tianjiang responsible for keeping watch. During that infiltration operation, the Fourth Prince of the Black Hu, Wanyan Chixiong, was assassinated, and in the end all blame was placed on Huo Shengnan.

Dong Tianjiang was a famous general of Da Yong; given his abilities, he should have been campaigning on the battlefield serving the state, and he had once volunteered to go to Bei Jiang to follow Weichi Chong in resisting the Black Hu, but his request was denied, the reason being that his elder brothers were already garrisoned at Shaoyuan, and the court, out of sympathy for the Dong family, had to leave a male descendant at home to fulfill filial duties—in reality, it was Li Tianheng who feared Dong Tianjiang's martial prowess and kept him in the capital for easy surveillance.

These days are different from before; Dong Tianjiang's two older brothers are now completely surrounded by Li Chen Zhou's forces at Shaoyuan, and should the Dong family dare to make a move, Li Chen Zhou will surely strike at them. The Dong family, wary of acting rashly, has remained low-key and cautious since the new emperor Xue Daoming ascended the throne, keeping a considerable distance from him.

Dong Tianjiang spends his days drinking and making merry with friends; although he harbors great ambitions, he can only drown his sorrows in wine, numbing others while numbing himself. Though his father had urged him to endure, endurance has brought no change, and he feels Li Chen Zhou's prestige growing stronger each day; if this continues, Da Yong will likely fall entirely into the Li clan's hands.

Once bustling with traffic, the West Wind Pavilion now stands deserted before its door, unable to attract a single guest. Dong Tianjiang rode his horse to the West Wind Pavilion, having also heard that Yongdu had experienced a rat infestation the previous night, with rumors already spreading of a plague outbreak, while the authorities began to dispel the rumors and arrested a few rumor-mongers. Naturally bold and in robust health, having never suffered any illness since childhood, he remained unchanged, still accustomed to going out for drinks; only after he went out did he realize the situation was far graver than he had imagined.

Many dead rats and bats littered the streets; because it was deep winter, their corpses did not easily decompose and gave off no rotten smell.

Dong Tianjiang furrowed his brows, seeing that the West Wind Pavilion's gate was tightly shut, even closed at midday; he dismounted, only to hear wailing from an alley beside the pavilion, where a crowd emerged—it turned out the pavilion's owner had been bitten to death by rats the previous night.

Just as Dong Tianjiang was about to go over and see what was happening, a voice behind him said, "If I were you, I wouldn't go over."

Dong Tianjiang turned and glanced at the man, who wore a gray warrior's outfit with a black cloth covering his face; if this were the past, such attire would surely arouse suspicion, but nowadays many people on the street dress similarly, so it was nothing unusual.

Dong Tianjiang asked, "Do you know what happened?"

The man replied, "General Dong, you nobles forget so easily; you don't remember me."

Dong Tianjiang sized him up, thinking to himself, with your face covered, how could I recognize you? Feeling displeased, he also couldn't be bothered to say more, preparing to mount his horse and leave.

But then the man added, "In the battle at the Red Mountain Club, we shared life and death; that friendship remains fresh in my memory to this day."

Dong Tianjiang's sturdy frame shuddered, his eyes widening; he knew that besides himself, only three people knew what happened that night—Huo Shengnan is a woman, Zong Tang would have no need to hide his face to see me, leaving only Hu Xiaotian. He had also heard rumors of Hu Xiaotian recently appearing in Yongdu, but hearing is not seeing; he never expected Hu Xiaotian to indeed come and seek him out.

Dong Tianjiang cautiously glanced around; fortunately, no one was paying attention to them here, and he whispered, "You have quite the nerve, daring to reveal yourself openly here!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled as he removed the black cloth covering his face; beneath it he had also altered his appearance, so even in this guise Dong Tianjiang would not recognize him.

Dong Tianjiang thought to himself, this fellow is truly gilding the lily—having already undergone disguise, why wrap himself in a black cloth as if trying to conceal something? Does he fear others won't notice him?

It's already Three More; tonight there will be a Four more as well. Zhangyu always keeps his word, and brothers with Monthly Tickets, hold up!

【It's almost May 15; I hope we can keep pushing for the May 15 red envelope ranking, so that on May 15 the red envelope rain will reward readers and also promote the work. Together is love, definitely keep updating well!】(To be continued~^~)