Chapter 1686

After more than half a month of arduous travel, the group finally arrived at the first destination of this journey, Ji City. In fact, the place where that massacre occurred is another 150 li west of Ji City; according to the plan they still had to go there, but they had endured many days of hardship and needed to rest and adjust in Ji City, and incidentally gather some information.

Entering Ji City, they found the gate inspection very strict. They had come this time as merchants, also bringing some goods, mainly tea and silk. Liang Yinghao walked over and secretly slipped some silver to the guard; the guard indeed obliged, merely putting on a show of searching a bit, then let them pass. This shows Guo Guangbi's lax command—his rag‑tag troops have no combat capability at all.

They had already made arrangements in Ji City; the Fengshatang there is a trading house used by the Tang family for transshipment.

The current proprietor of the trading house, Fu Xing, is an old retainer of the Tang family and a sworn brother of Tang Wen Zheng; his loyalty is beyond doubt. Hu Xiaotian's party went straight to Fengshatang. Apart from Tang Qingxuan, the others did not reveal their identities. Upon learning that the eldest miss had come in person, Fu Xing hurried out to greet them, ushering everyone inside the trading house and settling them down; then Fu Xing went to the small courtyard where Tang Qingxuan resided to pay his respects.

After paying his respects, Fu Xing sighed and said, 'Eldest miss, the eldest young master did not choose to pass through Ji City this time when trading horses, and I received no prior notice; I only learned of it after the incident.' He first wanted to make clear that he was not unwilling to help, but simply had no idea where Tang Tiehan was.

Tang Qingxuan softly sighed and said, 'Uncle Fu, you and my father are sworn brothers; we naturally trust you.'

Fu Xing said, 'These days I have been inquiring about news, but I have heard nothing of any movement from Guo Guangbi's side, and I have not seen a single Tang horse at the horse market.'

Beside him, Hu Xiaotian frowned and said, 'This is rather strange. If it was the work of horse bandits, they would surely seek to dispose of the stolen horses as quickly as possible; in this area Ji City would be the best choice. Could it be that there is no silver here three hundred li?' He asked Fu Xing, 'Besides Ji City, what other horse markets are nearby?'

Fu Xing said, 'To the northwest of the Ankang Grassland there is a tribe of the Dangyi people; on the fifteenth of each lunar month, when the moon is full, the Dangyi people gather at a place called Gui Xu by the Mukaner River. Many merchants also go there to trade; perhaps those horse bandits sent the stolen horses there.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and asked, 'Any movement from Guo Guangbi's side?'

Fu Xing said, 'Nothing much; everything seems normal, except I heard Guo Guangbi is not in the city—he went hunting on the Ankang Grassland and may not return for a while.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, 'This fellow is living carefree; now that we have come, we must certainly get to the bottom of this bloodbath.' But regardless of whether the true culprit behind the scenes is Guo Guangbi, this trip cannot be in vain—he intends to take out Guo Guangbi as well, for once Guo Guangbi dies, Ji City will surely collapse without attack.

While the others rested and regrouped, Hu Xiaotian and Weisa went into the city to stroll about, to take a look at the scenery of this border town and also to gather some news.

Ji City is small, with only five thousand troops stationed within. The gate of the Marshal's Residence is heavily guarded; less than a li to its southeast lies Ji City's horse market. The horse market is the most prosperous and bustling place in Ji City; although called a horse market, in fact everything is sold here, because Ji City is an important transit point for east‑west exchange. Many caravans choose to stop here for resupply, so the market is especially flourishing.

Hu Xiaotian bought a few specialty goods and chatted with the stall owners, but from them he heard little useful news; most people were unaware that an external cavalry unit had been ambushed.

Weisa went to talk with other merchants of various ethnic groups, and one piece of information caught their attention: after fleeing from Xingzhou to here, Guo Guangbi's original force of fifty thousand soldiers had seen many unable to endure the hardship, deserting en route; by the time they reached Ji City, fewer than twenty thousand remained, so Guo Guangbi began recruiting troops. Because the Dangyi people and the Lan Kingdom went to war and the Dangyi were defeated by the Lan army, many Dangyi joined Guo Guangbi's forces. Now Guo Guangbi claims to have over forty thousand troops, but in reality it is only about thirty thousand, which includes nearly ten thousand Dangyi people.

At dusk, the two returned to Fengshatang; upon entering the gate they smelled the aroma of roasted meat—it was a whole roasted lamb that Fu Xing had specially prepared to welcome the distant guests.

Xiong Tianba was eagerly waiting for Hu Xiaotian and the others to return; as soon as he saw Hu Xiaotian's figure appear, he strode up and chuckled, 'Third Uncle, you're finally back—I'm so hungry my stomach's growling, but everyone has to wait for you to return before we eat.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Just go ahead and eat; there's no need to wait for me.'

Upon entering the hall they immediately noticed Tang Qingxuan was absent; Hu Xiaotian knew she was upset and still hiding alone in her room, so Weisa said, 'You go ahead and eat; I'll keep her company.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, and under Fu Xing's guidance came to sit at the table.

Zong Tang also went out for a stroll and gained quite a bit, buying a genuine Western Region fine‑iron curved blade; he was now fondly admiring it. Hu Xiaotian sat beside him and smiled, 'The blade is not bad.'

Zong Tang turned the blade over and handed the hilt to Hu Xiaotian; upon taking it Hu Xiaotian felt the curved blade was rather heavy, and saw that the blade was covered with a pattern resembling dragon scales.

Zong Tang said, 'The forging technique of the curved blade is secondary; the material is what matters most. This fine iron is already rare in the Central Plains, and if purple gold and black gold are added, its strength and toughness will be further enhanced, allowing it to be forged into an invincible treasure blade—or a treasure sword. If you like it, young master, I will have it forged and give it to you.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'I already have a weapon, Elder Brother Zong, you should keep it for yourself.' As a gentleman does not take what others love, and besides, since he learned the Heaven‑Splitting Sword, he can turn himself into a sword; weapons are merely an embellishment for him, and a precious blade is no longer that important—moreover, he also possesses a light sword and a black‑iron sword found in a water cave.

Xiong Tianba thick‑skinned said, 'Uncle Zong, since Third Uncle doesn't want it, just give it to me.'

Zong Tang glared and said, 'You little brat, are you insatiable? Didn't I give you two big hammers?'

Seeing Zong Tang unwilling to give it, Xiong Tianba could only give an embarrassed laugh and snorted, 'Stingy!'

Liang Yinghao said, 'If you're not stingy, give me your mount!'

Xiong Tianba drooped his head, pretending not to hear; this guy is no fool.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Come, everyone, after our long and arduous journey to Ji City, I thank you all for your hard work; let me raise a cup to you, and again thank Boss Fu for his warm hospitality.' Everyone responded in unison.

Fu Xing also vaguely guessed that Hu Xiaotian's identity must be extraordinary, otherwise everyone would not treat him with such respect; he smiled and said, 'You are being too polite—we are originally one family; being here we may treat it as our own home. If you have any needs, just speak up; as long as I am able, I will certainly do my utmost.'

That night everyone was in high spirits, and Hu Xiaotian also allowed them to drink freely; all returned home satisfied.

Hu Xiaotian, however, did not drink much, merely taking a sip and stopping. After the banquet broke up, Liang Yinghao quietly came to Hu Xiaotian's side; he had been observing Hu Xiaotian's actions and whispered, 'My lord, do you have something to attend to?'

Hu Xiaotian did not hide it from him, nodding and saying, 'I am preparing to scout the Marshal's Residence at night.'

Liang Yinghao said, 'I will accompany my lord.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled lightly, 'No need; this is not exactly a dragon's pool or tiger's den—I can handle it alone.'

Liang Yinghao said, 'Having one more person along provides backup; I will not be a burden to you.'

Seeing Liang Yinghao's insistence, Hu Xiaotian agreed; although Liang Yinghao came from a rough background, he is resourceful, steady and experienced in his work, and over the years he has earned many merits for Hu Xiaotian.

At midnight, Hu Xiaotian quietly rose, tiptoed to the outer door and met Liang Yinghao; Liang Yinghao had already been waiting at the back door. The two exchanged a glance, and Hu Xiaotian heard light footsteps behind him; turning, he saw a graceful figure appear—it was Weisa, who had been following them.

Hu Xiaotian glanced at Liang Yinghao, who hastily spread his hands, indicating that he had absolutely not leaked the news of their nighttime scouting of the Marshal's Residence to anyone.

Weisa came to Hu Xiaotian's side and whispered, 'It's so late; where is my lord going?'

Hu Xiaotian pulled her aside and quietly told her his plan; Weisa said, 'I want to go too.'

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile and said, 'I'm going to handle business, not sightseeing—what would you do by coming along?'

Weisa said, 'If you won't let me go, I'll wake everyone up.'

Hu Xiaotian was both laughing and crying; this little girl had actually learned to threaten him. He nodded and said, 'Fine, you can come along—but remember, you must not leave my field of vision.'

Weisa laughed, 'Don't worry, I can take care of myself.'

The three went out the back door and headed toward the Marshal's Residence. Liang Yinghao, having surveyed the area during the day, knew the situation very well: patrols passed every half hour around the residence, and watchtowers were erected at the four corners, with guards standing night watch inside them. However, according to Liang Yinghao's judgment, the residence still had blind spots—even the soldiers on duty in the watchtowers could not see certain places.

Hu Xiaotian had Weisa and Liang Yinghao wait outside the Marshal's Residence to provide support; he alone, following the spot Liang Yinghao had indicated, moved stealthily to the base of the residence's outer wall. Gazing toward the opposite roof where Liang Yinghao was, seeing him make the agreed signal, Hu Xiaotian leapt up, cleared the outer wall, then swooped down and landed silently inside the Marshal's Residence.

Three More uploaded; according to the current pace, perhaps another chapter can be written—please vote for the monthly ticket, show support! Give me motivation! (To be continued... ^~^)】