Chapter 1738

Besides those who followed Mu Rongzhan here, there are also the Whirlwind Sixteen Riders; these sixteen are Mu Rongzhan's most elite warriors, and the mounts they ride are all thousand-li steeds, which is why they could reach Yunyang from Kangdu in just two days.

However, their thousand-li steeds were useless on the road ahead; seventy li west of Yunyang they entered mountainous terrain, where the roads were rugged and treacherous, and moreover, due to the recent Xichuan earthquake, many roads were broken; unless these thousand-li steeds grew wings, they could not fly over the mountains straight to Xizhou.

Hu Xiaotian had long been prepared for this; he handed his mount over to Liang Yinghao, who had escorted them all the way here, to take back.

Mu Rongzhan was deeply puzzled by their choice of road, and could not help complaining to Hu Xiaotian: 'If I had taken my route, going south and detouring would have been much easier.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'This road is safer.' Going south would enter the heartland of Dakang; he wasn't that stupid to accompany these people deep inside, not knowing what variables might arise. Although this road is more rugged, it poses no great difficulty for these martial folk; come summer, the flying eagles routinely fly north to escape the heat, depriving Hu Xiaotian of this swiftest means of transport. However, this also has an advantage: along the way we can investigate the situation after the Xichuan earthquake.

Although many refugees have fled to Hu Xiaotian's territory, this does not mean that the northeastern region of Xichuan is uninhabited; some residents remain there, and Hu Xiaotian had previously dispatched a twenty-thousand-strong force, which, while heading to the disaster zone for rescue, also took the opportunity to seize Xichuan's land.

The two largest cities in northeastern Xichuan, Fangjing and Qinglan, are now entirely under Hu Xiaotian's control.

After trekking through the mountains for two days, they reached Qinglan City; from Qinglan heading southwest, the roads were almost completely destroyed, but the straight-line distance from here to Xizhou is also three hundred li.

Qinglan was almost completely reduced to ruins; the few remaining structures in the city housed soldiers who had just arrived here not long ago. Upon hearing that Hu Xiaotian's party was coming, the garrison hurried to receive them, and that night they vacated the most intact courtyard for Hu Xiaotian and his companions to rest.

After dinner, Hu Xiaotian went out for a walk and happened to meet Mu Rongzhan, who was also out; their eyes met, they nodded slightly as a greeting. Although they had been traveling together these days, their conversation never exceeded three sentences. Mu Rongzhan is cold and taciturn by nature. What he has seen along the way shows that Hu Xiaotian's influence has already penetrated northeastern Xichuan; as of now, Hu Xiaotian is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary of the Xichuan earthquake.

Mu Rongzhan looked at the guards at the gate and said: 'At first I didn't understand why the Prince would choose this road; now I see, the Prince had already made arrangements.'

Hu Xiaotian gave a slight smile and said: 'The Xichuan earthquake, mountains collapsed, roads destroyed, people displaced and struggling on the brink of death; as the Prince Zhenhai of Dakang, how could I ignore these subjects?'

Mu Rongzhan silently sneered, saying such lofty words, but it was not about taking advantage of the vacuum to seize territory.

The two walked out of the courtyard together, seeing broken walls and ruins everywhere, a scene of desolation; aside from occasional soldiers passing by, only some elderly people searched among the ruins, these elders unable to leave, only able to guard this already abandoned city.

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: 'Worldly affairs are impermanent; heavenly might is unfathomable!'

Mu Rongzhan said: 'The Prince, so young, yet seems to have seen through worldly affairs.'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: 'It's not about seeing through, but feeling heartbroken; fighting and struggling are merely for the two words "power". Even if one truly becomes the sole supreme ruler above all, what benefit could that bring to the people? In fact, why must we fight to the death? Let go of prejudices, join forces, and enjoy a few days of peace—wouldn't that be wonderful?'

A faint cold smile appeared on Mu Rongzhan's lips: 'Since ancient times, strife has never ceased; what you speak of exists only in idealism.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'If you were given a chance to start over, would you give up your current power and status, choosing a peaceful life with your family?'

Mu Rongzhan was stunned by his question, his gray-white eyes dimming; after a silence he said: 'There's nothing in this world that I care about.'

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: 'I feel sorrow for Feiyan!'

Mu Rongzhan coldly said: 'She won't care about your thoughts; to her you are merely a passerby.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Even if you are merely a passerby, she will forever remember me; in her heart she has probably already forgotten your existence.'

Mu Rongzhan sensed that Hu Xiaotian was deliberately provoking his anger, but instead he laughed: 'In life, never be too greedy; greed never brings any good.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I have always been doubtful about one thing.'

Mu Rongzhan said: 'Doubt what?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Could it really be that there are parents in this world who do not love their children?'

Mu Rongzhan looked at Hu Xiaotian full of mockery: 'The Prince's wedding, it seems his esteemed father didn't even send half a sentence of blessings.' Hu Xiaotian's earlier call was intentionally meant to uncover Mu Rongzhan's inner wound, so Mu Rongzhan certainly wouldn't mind this tit-for-tat opportunity. Hu Buwei abandoning Hu Xiaotian and his mother to flee Dakang is common knowledge, and Mu Rongzhan's response was quite appropriate.

Hu Xiaotian said without the slightest concern: 'Although most things are still good; back when Feiyan and I went to Xichuan together, you must have played a role behind the scenes; later she went to guard the imperial mausoleum, which was also you protecting her; as for why she later boarded the fleet bound for Luosong and why she disappeared, I originally couldn't figure it out, but after I went to the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, I gradually understood.'

Mu Rongzhan quietly looked at him and said: 'Understand what?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Her father still loves her deeply; perhaps he had already guessed what would happen to this fleet.'

Mu Rongzhan's expression turned grim.

Hu Xiaotian stepped closer and said: 'Feiyan is doing well in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, and she actually even found her mother.'

A glint of cold killing intent flickered in Mu Rongzhan's gray-white eyes.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Although there are many coincidences in this world, when several coincidences happen at once one cannot help but consider further; I would rather believe that Feiyan's father, out of concern for her, had arranged everything in advance.'

Mu Rongzhan sneered: 'Listening to you say that, this father truly seems omniscient and all-powerful.'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: 'How could there be so many omniscient things in this world! Foreknowledge is either based on various clues, or it's pre-planning—this is called strategizing behind the scenes. But I can't understand how, if one link in the chain went wrong, the whole plan would collapse—for instance, the Luosong fleet suddenly heading to the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom; could Feiyan's father have known about this in advance?'

Mu Rongzhan's face was covered with a layer of severe frost.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: 'Thus I made an extremely unreliable guess: Feiyan's father and my old father had long been acquainted, and their relationship was anything but ordinary; this would explain why, when I went to Xichuan, Feiyan would escort and protect me, and likewise explain why she boarded the fleet bound for Luosong, and why the fleet ultimately arrived at the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, thereby fulfilling her reunion with her mother Su Yujin. I originally thought it was a coincidence, but now it seems that Su Yujin must have also received advance notice.'

Mu Rongzhan gritted his teeth and sneered: 'Your imagination is really rich!'

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: 'I was originally someone who loathed using his brain, but gradually I discovered that the conspiracies and schemes surrounding me far exceed my imagination; existing in such a world, if I continued to be lazy and refused to think, wouldn't I be courting death?'

Mu Rongzhan gave a cold snort and said nothing.

Hu Xiaotian added: 'Even if I died, it wouldn't matter much; but wouldn't my wives have to spend their lives as widows?'

Mu Rongzhan snorted again.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I know you hate me so much you'd kill me if you could, but you don't dare, because you love Feiyan too much, so you dare not do anything that would upset her.'

Mu Rongzhan said ominously: 'Any patience has its limits.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'No matter how displeasing you find me, you cannot deny that I am your son-in-law, nor can you deny that something happened between me and Feiyan.'

Mu Rongzhan widened his eyes, almost popping his gray eyeballs out; Hu Xiaotian's words were undoubtedly an announcement to him that his daughter and this scoundrel before him had already turned raw rice into cooked rice—he gritted his teeth and said: 'You shameless!'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Where the heart leads, one cannot restrain oneself; if not for Feiyan, do you think I would want to acknowledge you as my father-in-law?'

Mu Rongzhan was so infuriated by this scoundrel that he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood; he turned to leave, since he couldn't kill this scoundrel, his only option was to avoid him.

But Hu Xiaotian had no intention of letting him off just then, he chuckled: 'Don't rush to leave!'

Mu Rongzhan angrily turned his head, glaring fiercely at this scoundrel and saying: 'What do you want?' He wished he could rush forward and bite this brat hard.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Do others know about your collusion with Lao Hu?' Without waiting for Mu Rongzhan's reply, he added: 'I'm also asking needlessly; others certainly don't know; everyone has their own position and purpose—what exactly is your purpose?'

Mu Rongzhan coldly said: 'A person whose curiosity is too strong easily meets an early death.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Kill me? That seems unnecessary, and you don't have the ability either.'

Mu Rongzhan said: 'You always think highly of yourself, considering yourself smart? Able to see through everything?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'It's not that I'm smart; actually I'm still somewhat slow on the uptake—I should have seen the loophole in this matter long ago; where in this world do all these coincidences come from?!'

Sending the First Update, the weather is gradually getting hotter; everyone take care of your health, don't get a summer cold like Lao Zhangyu does (to be continued~^~)