Chapter 172

Hu Jinniu also wanted to escape, but today Hu Xiaotian had bled him so much that his legs were sore and weak, he could not even walk; Murong Feiyan rushed over, kicked him to the ground, sealed his acupoints, and he offered no resistance at all.

Hu Xiaotian kicked open the door of the west wing room and saw the three people sitting properly inside, only their hands and feet bound with rope; because Murong Feiyan had arrived suddenly, the bandits had not yet had a chance to harm them.

Hu Xiaotian drew the concealed dagger from his boot and cut their ropes.

After gaining freedom, Zhou Ju's first act was to rush to Zhou Xing and slap him hard, angrily saying, 'You wretch, you almost harmed Lord Hu!' Zhou Ju's behavior was indeed out of guilt, and also because he wanted to protect Zhou Xing; by blaming Zhou Xing himself, he felt embarrassed to continue holding Hu Xiaotian accountable. Zhou Xing was also very obedient and sensible, quickly kneeling before Hu Xiaotian: 'Lord Hu, all mistakes, whether many or few, are my fault; however you wish to punish me, I will have no complaint.'

Liang Da Zhuang pointed at him and cursed, 'You bastard, you actually harmed our master!' He lunged forward, raising his foot to kick him hard twice, but Hu Xiaotian grabbed him.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Forget it, you were also trying to save Mr. Zhou, so it's not really a mistake; you should have just told me beforehand what happened.' Although he said that, Hu Xiaotian knew in his heart that if Zhou Xing had revealed everything, he might not have dared to risk going deep into the tiger's den.

He turned to Murong Feiyan and asked, 'How did you come here?'

Murong Feiyan said, 'I saw the lights still on at home, but you were all out, and I found some scattered herbs on the ground, so I followed this trail all the way here.'

This matter is entirely thanks to Liang Da Zhuang: after Hu Xiaotian's reminder, when he went back to fetch the surgical instruments, he specially took a large bundle of herbs, and taking advantage of the bandits' lack of preparedness, he scattered them intermittently; fortunately Murong Feiyan returned in time and, following this trail, found them, thus turning danger into safety.

Besides the two bandits killed by Murong Feiyan, Hu Jinniu was captured alive, and the remaining bandits all fled, including the flower-picking thief who had just finished surgery, who was also taken away by that scholar.

Hu Xiaotian had everyone disperse, and had Liang Da Zhuang escort Hu Jinniu directly back to their residence in Sande Alley.

Murong Feiyan sealed Hu Jinniu's acupoints and threw him straight into the woodshed.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the room and finally had a chance to check his wound; his buttocks had been nicked by a willow blade, but it was not serious, the bleeding had stopped; after a simple disinfection, he changed into clean pants and went out, seeing Murong Feiyan and Liang Da Zhuang standing in the courtyard chatting about what had just happened.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian come out, Liang Da Zhuang respectfully said, 'Young master has arrived!'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, and Liang Da Zhuang, sensing the cue, returned to the room. Hu Xiaotian smiled at Murong Feiyan and said, 'I just realized I haven't yet thanked you for tonight.'

Murong Feiyan said, 'I'm used to it; anyway, you have no conscience, so as long as you don't repay kindness with enmity, I'm satisfied.'

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, stretched, and said, 'This world is really small; I never expected the person they forced me to save would be that flower-picking thief.'

Murong Feiyan said, 'I stabbed him in the belly with my sword then; it's a pity I didn't kill him on the spot.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If you don't eradicate the roots when cutting grass, trouble will linger; if I had killed him back then, we wouldn't have so many problems.'

Murong Feiyan said, 'He has plenty of accomplices.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Let's interrogate that fat one properly tomorrow.'

Murong Feiyan said, 'Why wait until tomorrow? I don't have that much patience.' She always acts decisively and never drags things out.

Hu Xiaotian yawned; he had drunk quite a bit tonight, and immediately after performed a surgery. After experiencing that perilous fight just now, all he wanted was to lie in bed and sleep soundly, but seeing Murong Feiyan still energetic and eager to get to the bottom of this matter, he could only rouse himself to keep her company. He still worried about Le Yao: 'How did you suddenly come back?'

Murong Feiyan knew he was worried about Le Yao. She said softly, 'Don't worry; I rented a residence in Chahe Town for her to stay and recuperate peacefully; her condition has improved a lot today, so I came back to check on her, never expecting you to have gotten into such a big situation.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly lamented that in this day and age, not knowing martial arts meant only being abused; if Murong Feiyan hadn't returned in time today, he probably wouldn't have escaped so easily.

The two came to the woodshed; Hu Jinniu lay motionless on the firewood, his face full of fear. Hu Xiaotian walked over with a smirk, drew his dagger, and lightly tapped Hu Jinniu's face, asking, 'Do you know what you should do?'

Hu Jinniu's eyes stared at him, still silent; Hu Xiaotian grew angry, raised his hand and slapped the man's head hard, shouting, 'Are you stupid? Have you been hearing anything I've said?'

Murong Feiyan sighed beside him, saying, 'He can hear you, but he can't speak.' Indeed, Hu Jinniu had his mute point sealed by her; she came over and released it. Hu Jinniu let out a long breath, trembling as he said, 'Kill me if you will, I'll obey; if I furrow my brow even a little, I'm no hero.'

Hu Xiaotian raised his hand and slapped his head again: 'Go to hell with your hero nonsense, you don't even piss to look at your own conduct—do you even deserve to call yourself a hero? Want to be a hero? I'll drain another ten catties of blood from you.'

Hearing that Hu Xiaotian wanted to bleed him again, Hu Jinniu shuddered in fright; after losing less than two catties, he already felt half his life gone, and if another ten catties were taken, there simply wouldn't be enough blood in his body: 'No…'

Hu Xiaotian gave a sinister grin and said, 'Leniency for confession, severity for resistance; you'd better cooperate willingly to seek lenient treatment.'

Those words left Murong Feiyan stunned; this guy really can spout phrases, and 'leniency for confession, severity for resistance' actually sounds quite catchy.

Hu Jinniu sighed, looking pitifully at Hu Xiaotian: 'Sir, you can't write two Hu characters with one stroke; we are kin, sharing the same roots—why be so hasty to destroy each other?'

Hu Xiaotian was stunned by this guy, his eyes wide open; 'Damn!' he thought, 'I never expected this big oaf to be able to come up with phrases.' Actually, it's not surprising—anyone facing life or death will have their mind fill with clever ideas; anyone who can think of a way wants to live.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Hu Jinniu, I remember you have an elderly mother over seventy and two underage children.'

Hu Jinniu nodded repeatedly: 'Yes, I swear to heaven I have not lied.'

Murong Feiyan said beside him, 'What's there to say to such an unrepentant thief? If he won't tell the truth, just cut him down.'

Hu Jinniu said, 'Miss, that's wrong; no one is born wanting to be a bandit. I, Hu Jinniu, am also from a respectable family, my ancestors were officials of the court, but our fortunes declined, which drove me to become a bandit.'

Murong Feiyan wouldn't believe it, scoffing, 'Nonsense.'

Hu Jinniu then turned serious: 'I'm not lying; my great-grandfather's generation held the title of Jingguo Duke of Dakang and was granted a vermilion scroll and iron certificate by Emperor Mingzong; even the current Minister of Revenue, Hu Buwei—Lord Hu—is a relative of our clan, and by seniority I should address him as uncle.'

Now it was Hu Xiaotian's turn to be stunned; 'Damn,' he thought, 'I just casually mentioned being kin, but I never expected to actually find a relative.' Outsiders couldn't possibly know these details so clearly; Hu Jinniu must have close ties with the Hu family.

Upon hearing this, Murong Feiyan also laughed, smiling at Hu Xiaotian and thinking, 'Great, you really are relatives.'

Hu Xiaotian coughed a little embarrassedly; if they were truly kin, he really wouldn't have the heart to silence this guy, and he chuckled, 'The Minister of Revenue, Lord Hu, holds great power, overseeing Dakang's finances; you have such a powerful and influential relative—why not ask him for help instead of willingly becoming a bandit?'

Hu Jinniu sighed: 'The poor in the bustling market are ignored, while the rich in the mountains have distant relatives. Now that they are high and mighty, they wouldn't remember us poor kin; besides, my father died early, and my mother raised me with great difficulty, teaching me from childhood to be poor in means but not in ambition—so even if I begged, I would not go to him.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If you begged, that would show some spirit; it's a pity you chose to become a bandit instead of begging.'

Hu Jinniu said, 'As kin, I think being a bandit is more imposing than begging—at least you don't have to watch others' faces—and these times are truly unsettled; begging offers no place to go, I have to support a whole household, and after thinking it over, besides banditry there is no other way.' He spoke with considerable conviction.

Murong Feiyan watched, feeling both amused and exasperated; indeed they were kin, the two were really chatting, and if they truly were relatives, no wonder they got along so well. She couldn't help reminding, 'Lord Hu, don't forget why you're here—I'll remind you: official business must be conducted impartially, no favoritism or perverting the law.'

Hu Jinniu said, 'Miss, we Hu family folks are just chatting among ourselves; please don't butt in.'

Hu Xiaotian even added, 'Exactly, go out for a while; you have nothing to do here.'

Murong Feiyan was so angry her eyebrows stood up like willow leaves; she snorted coldly, turned, and left.

Even small people have small wisdom; Hu Jinniu also knows how to read the situation—as the saying goes, those who understand the times are outstanding. Earlier he had the initiative, so he dared to glare at Hu Xiaotian; now the situation has reversed, he has become a prisoner, his life entirely in the other's hands, so he must ingratiate himself with Hu Xiaotian; everything else is pretense, preserving his own life is what matters most. A man's knees may hold gold, but gold cannot compare to the preciousness of life; for this life, kneeling is of no consequence. (To be continued…)