Chapter 1687

Hu Xiaotian increasingly realized the importance of martial strength; once he possessed absolute overwhelming power over his opponent, there was no need for too much scheming. Since he grasped the true meaning of the Heaven‑Shattering Sword, tonight's solo infiltration no longer felt thrilling—even if discovered, what of it? At most it would be a wholesale slaughter; Hu Xiaotian didn't believe these warriors could stop him.

According to the simple map of the commander's residence that Liang Yinghao had given him beforehand, Hu Xiaotian sneaked into the courtyard where Guo Guangbi lived—ironically, this was the place with the weakest guard, because Guo Guangbi was out hunting and not here.

Hu Xiaotian vaulted over the wall into the courtyard, seeing that every room inside was pitch‑black, clearly empty. He first went to Guo Guangbi's study, drew his light sword, cleanly cut the lock, and pushed the door open—only to find hardly any books in the study; instead, the antique rack held many precious curios, and Guo Guangbi had little ink, so the so‑called study was merely a pretension of elegance; he rarely read or wrote.

Hu Xiaotian stopped before a piece of calligraphy hanging on the wall; the banner read 'Pluck Mountains and Rivers!' Though the four characters were meant to convey lofty ambition, they were written crooked and clumsy to the extreme. Hu Xiaotian smirked inwardly—Guo Guangbi's cheek was thick enough to dare hang such ugly writing on the wall.

After searching around and finding nothing special, since he had come he couldn't leave empty‑handed, so he casually took the jade ruyi from the antique rack.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps on the roof. Hu Xiaotian's heart jumped—according to logic, neither Wesa nor Liang Yinghao should have followed him here; could it be such a coincidence that, besides him, someone else was also scouting the commander's residence at night?

As expected, those footsteps seemed to have passed over the roof and headed straight north. The intruder's target was probably not the study.

Hu Xiaotian poked a small hole in the window paper and peered out, only to see a black shadow appear in front of Guo Guangbi's bedroom; the shadow easily unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Hu Xiaotian muttered to himself, 'A domestic thief! This guy obviously has a key.' He slipped outside and quickly approached the bedroom. Inside, a faint light glowed—someone was using a Night Pearl to illuminate. From the back view, the person's height was similar to his own; he moved with practiced ease, clearly familiar with the room. He opened the wardrobe, used the dagger he carried to break open its back panel, revealing the partition wall behind. He raised his right fist and slammed it hard into the wall, blasting a large hole—turns out the wall was hollow.

The intruder, with a few quick moves, soon enlarged the hole enough for a person to pass through, then stopped and walked inside.

Hu Xiaotian waited until the intruder's silhouette vanished, then swiftly followed him in. He, too, was bold and skilled. After entering the gap, he discovered a downward staircase within the partition wall; Hu Xiaotian crept down the stairs, and when he saw a flicker of light ahead, he paused again and peeked out cautiously.

He saw that the intruder had already opened the vault door and entered; inside, riches glittered everywhere—Guo Guangbi, having been a bandit for many years, had naturally accumulated great wealth from burning, killing, and plundering, and the intruder had come precisely for that treasure.

Hu Xiaotian saw the intruder stuffing all his pockets full—truly greedy—and he crept up silently.

The intruder had filled his pockets and was about to open a second one when he turned and saw a fist looming before his eyes—bang! A punch knocked him out, the sack in his hand fell to the ground, and gold and silver scattered everywhere.

Hu Xiaotian lifted the black cloth covering the intruder's face and saw a high‑nosed, deep‑set visage—likely a Dangyu tribesman. He then used the other pocket, shoved the man inside, hoisted the sack brimming with gold, silver, and treasure in one hand, and cradled the man with the other, slipping quietly out of the commander's residence.

Liang Yinghao and Wesa had waited for half an hour, growing worried, when they spotted Hu Xiaotian's figure outside the commander's residence—moreover, he carried two large sacks, clearly returning laden with loot.

After the three met, they immediately left the vicinity of the commander's residence without pause.

Liang Yinghao had already chosen a hiding place and brought them to an abandoned dwelling. Hu Xiaotian tossed the two sacks onto the ground; Liang Yinghao kicked one of the sacks and heard a wail—it turned out the Dangyu thief had already awakened. Liang Yinghao set him free; the Dangyu thief, face full of panic, muttered something to Hu Xiaotian and the others.

Hu Xiaotian and Liang Yinghao couldn't understand the Dangyu language, so they stared at each other blankly. Fortunately, Wesa was there; she gazed at the Dangyu thief, her deep‑blue eyes flashing with an alluring light.

Hu Xiaotian shielded Liang Yinghao's eyes with his hand, knowing Wesa was about to unleash her big move—her soul‑capturing technique had reached mastery, and dealing with this petty bandit was no trouble at all.

As expected, the Dangyu thief's gaze was drawn to Wesa, instantly turning vacant. His mind was under her control, so he answered everything truthfully; after she finished questioning, she made a gesture and the thief slumped to the ground, falling into a deep sleep.

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'What did he say?'

Wesa replied, 'He is the commander's groom, always using that identity as a cover; his real aim was to steal Guo Guangbi's wealth. It just so happened that Guo Guangbi was out hunting, so he seized the chance to enter the bedroom and pilfer the treasures—never expecting such bad luck to run into you.'

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help laughing, though he couldn't hide his disappointment—after hauling a big man out of the commander's residence, he had hoped to glean some inside information from him, but it seemed useless.

Wesa said, 'He mentioned that Guo Guangbi and Guo Shaoxiong had a fierce argument, and that the father and son would not return for a short time.'

Hu Xiaotian frowned slightly: 'Why?'

Wesa said, 'Possibly related to that massacre.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Ask him clearly!'

Wesa shook her head and said, 'That's probably all he knows.'

Hu Xiaotian whispered, 'In that case, Tang Tiehan's affair was indeed their doing—likely Guo Shaoxiong acting on his own; Guo Guangbi is out hunting now, probably nine times out of ten to avoid the spotlight, fearing I'll take revenge.'

Liang Yinghao said, 'Quite possible.' He pointed to the Dangyu thief lying unconscious on the ground and asked, 'What should we do with him?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Leave him be.'

Wesa nodded and said, 'No need to worry about him—he simply doesn't remember what happened.' Her soul‑capturing technique leaves no trace, so the other cannot recall what occurred during his loss of consciousness.

The Muke'er River is the longest river on the Ankang Prairie, winding for over four hundred li; its banks are lush with grass and water, and many nomadic peoples of the frontier live along it, making a living by herding. The Dangyu tribe is the largest among them; Dangyu people are naturally brave and warlike, but the tribe consists of many clans that are not united, each governing itself, so the Dangyu are like scattered sand—hence they have never been able to dominate the Ankang Prairie. Guo Guangbi's ability to seize power in Ji City shortly after arriving there is also due to this fact.

Hu Xiaotian failed to find Guo Guangbi's father and son in Ji City, so he continued westward; arriving at Gui Xu on the day of the Dangyu tribe's monthly market, merchants from all directions gathered there—outside traders mostly came to buy horses and leather goods, while the Dangyu people used the opportunity to exchange for their monthly necessities.

The biggest difference at the Gui Xu market is that most transactions are barter; gold and silver are only useful in large‑scale deals.

Tang Qingxuan carefully searched the horse market and indeed found several fine horses bearing the Tang mark; these horses had been branded immediately after purchase from the Yulang State, mainly to prevent them from getting lost, and now they are an important clue in investigating Tang Tiehan's death. Tang Qingxuan asked the horse seller, 'Where did you acquire these horses?'

The horse seller didn't understand her, but Wesa walked over, conversed with him in the Dangyu language, then after a while bought his horses and returned to the group, softly saying, 'He said he bought them from the Haneerjin tribe; he doesn't know anything else.'

Tang Qingxuan said, 'Let's go to the Haneerjin tribe right now and ask their people for clarification!'

Hu Xiaotian knew she was eager for revenge, so he said softly, 'Qingxuan, there's no need to rush; let's look around a bit more for other clues.' As expected, they subsequently found many more horses bearing the Tang mark at the horse market, bought them all, and learned through inquiry that these horses mostly came from various Dangyu tribes around—not just the Haneerjin tribe but many others—clearly the other side was laying a false trail, making it hard to trace the horses' origins.

Tang Qingxuan saw the clues becoming more tangled the more she investigated, growing anxious to the point of tears; she hated not being able to immediately find the murderer to avenge her elder brother.

Hu Xiaotian comforted her: 'Qingxuan, don't be anxious; even if we had to turn the Ankang Prairie upside down, we would still find the culprit.' In fact, he had already tentatively identified the suspect, but locating Guo Guangbi's father and son on the vast prairie was no easy task.

At that moment, Zong Tang lightly tugged Hu Xiaotian's sleeve, pointed into the distance, and Hu Xiaotian looked ahead—there he saw a familiar face among the crowd: the wealthy Yong merchant Zan Buliu. What a world—big or small, you never expect to meet an old acquaintance in this remote borderland. Remembering Zan Buliu's connection with Xue Shengjing, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but chuckle; could it be that Prince Yan Xue Shengjing had also fled nearby? If so, he would certainly have a score to settle with him.

Four more—please cast your monthly vote! Please cast your monthly vote! Please cast your monthly vote! Important things must be said three times! (To be continued~^~)