Chapter 175

When Wan Boping went out, Murong Feiyan had already returned. She had found out nothing at the Government Office; it seemed that last night's scuffle was unknown to anyone else. Watching Wan Boping's carriage depart, she couldn't help but feel curious and whispered, "What is he doing here?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, "Another trouble." He then explained to her the purpose of Wan Boping's visit.

After listening, Murong Feiyan furrowed her brows and said, "This matter seems a bit off; those bandits wouldn't have deliberately set a trap to take revenge on you, would they?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Yan Boguang just finished surgery; his life or death is still uncertain, so they wouldn't dare risk his life." He slowly shook his head and said, "I just don't know why they chose to meet at Black Stone Stronghold."

The most direct way to get an answer is to go ask Hu Jinniu, this clansman.

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan came to the woodshed; before they even entered, they heard earth-shaking snores—Hu Jinniu was sleeping soundly.

Hu Xiaotian walked in and kicked that guy's fleshy buttocks; Hu Jinniu was jolted awake by the kick, rubbed his sleepy eyes, opened his mouth wide, yawned, and said, "Clansman, are you going to let me go?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "As long as you obey, I'll naturally let you go. Your gang has kidnapped the Wan Family's young master."

Hearing this news, Hu Jinniu was both startled and delighted, saying, "Really? I told you before—you'd better let me go willingly, or else my brothers up the mountain will never spare you."

Hu Xiaotian said, "But them capturing the Wan Family young master has nothing to do with you; this letter doesn't mention you at all." Hu Xiaotian had Murong Feiyan relieve Hu Jinniu's acupoints, then handed him the letter that Wan Boping had brought. Hu Jinniu took it and looked—throughout the letter, his name never appeared. He recognized the handwriting; it should have been written by his sworn third brother. After reading it, Hu Jinniu's heart sank to utter despair; he never imagined he held no place in others' hearts, not even his sworn brothers mentioning rescuing him—clearly they intended to let him fend for himself. No one cared about his life or death; everyone only cared about the safety of the young master, Yan Boguang. Put bluntly, they were only looking out for their own lives.

Hu Xiaotian, adept at reading expressions, already guessed from Hu Jinniu's despondent look what he was thinking, and deliberately sighed, saying, "Clansman, I truly feel it's a waste for you—you sacrificed your life and donated so much blood for that young master, yet your so-called brothers show no concern for your life or death. If you died, I doubt anyone would help look after your family."

Although Hu Jinniu understood that Hu Xiaotian was deliberately provoking him, he couldn't deny that everything Hu Xiaotian said was true.

Hu Xiaotian said, "One who does not act for himself invites heavenly wrath and earthly annihilation. Clansman, I think you'd better not count on anyone coming to save you; only you can save yourself."

Listening on the side, Murong Feiyan secretly marveled, "Hu Xiaotian's eloquence is truly formidable—he excels at striking at the heart, always seizing others' psychological weaknesses and delivering a fatal blow at critical moments. Although Hu Jinniu has some petty cunning, he is no match for this great villain. When speaking of Hu Xiaotian, Murong Feiyan unconsciously uses derogatory terms, regardless of whether they are on the same side."

Hu Jinniu sighed, "Brothers are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, each flies off on his own."

Hu Xiaotian said, "It's husband and wife; those who say 'brothers each fly away when disaster strikes' aren't true brothers. After all, we are clansmen—though I am an official and you a bandit, I bear in mind our common ancestry and shared forefather, so I cannot bear to be utterly heartless toward you. If I handed you over to the officials, given your crimes, you would surely be beheaded."

Hu Jinniu lifted his head, gazing at Hu Xiaotian, his eyes involuntarily showing a hint of hope—indeed, Hu Xiaotian had never sent him to the officials so far; it really seemed he was showing mercy. He said half-believing, half-doubting, "You mean, you're going to let me go?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "That depends on how you behave. If you treat me with sincerity, I will naturally show you mercy; I'll pretend last night's incident never happened, even act as if I'd never met you. What do you think?"

That letter just now had completely shattered Hu Jinniu's hope; he knew that counting on the brothers from Tianlang Mountain to rescue him was utterly impossible, and Hu Xiaotian was right—his only plan now was self-rescue. He whispered, "What do you want to know?"

"Why did they choose Black Stone Stronghold, and what exactly is the connection between Tianlang Mountain and Black Stone Stronghold?"

Hu Jinniu said, "Black Stone Stronghold has a famous Miao doctor, apparently surnamed Meng. Our first choice was to send the young master to him for help, but that Doctor Meng went into the mountains to gather herbs and hasn't returned. Later we heard that the divine doctor Zhou Ju of Xichuan was a guest at the Wan Family, so we thought of kidnapping him to treat the young master—who would have thought this Xichuan divine doctor is a complete quack."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but smile; Zhou Ju isn't a quack—he merely lacks expertise in surgery. Even if they found that Doctor Meng, the outcome would be the same; he would still be helpless.

Hu Jinniu said, "Seeing that the young master's condition showed no improvement, we threatened to kill Zhou Ju. He himself is tough, but his medicine boy has no backbone—we frightened him and he revealed you, so we came up with this plan to ask you to treat the young master."

Hu Xiaotian said, "What connection do you have with the Black Miao people?"

Hu Jinniu shook his head, looking bewildered, and said, "Not really; it seems the chief of Black Stone Stronghold once had some disagreements with our master. Come to think of it, our third young lady often goes there—she seems to have friends there. Other than that, I don't know."

Murong Feiyan knew Hu Xiaotian had already decided to go to Black Stone Stronghold; otherwise he wouldn't have asked so meticulously. After interrogating Hu Jinniu, Hu Xiaotian had Liang Da Zhuang summon Liu Kuohai. Liu Kuohai is a local of Qingyun, very familiar with the surrounding situation; another reason is that his martial arts are decent, so if any trouble arose he'd have an extra hand to protect himself.

After Liang Da Zhuang left, Murong Feiyan said, "You've decided?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't get the tiger's cub; if I didn't go this trip, they'd surely come up with new tricks."

Murong Feiyan said, "That lecher deserves death; let him fend for himself."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Death isn't actually frightening; for many, death is rather a relief. The most painful thing in this world is to wish to die but cannot." Thinking of what he had done to Yan Boguang, he couldn't help feeling secretly pleased, gave a hehe laugh, and said, "Now isn't the time to feud with Tianlong Mountain; if Yan Boguang really died, the grudge between us and these bandits would be impossible to resolve."

Murong Feiyan said, "Even with Liu Kuohai added, the three of us venturing deep into Black Stone Stronghold would still be isolated and weak; if anything went wrong, we'd probably be unable to cope."

Hu Xiaotian said, "We're not going to fight; why bring so many people? These bandits aren't stupid—they deliberately picked a place opposite us. As long as Yan Boguang lives, they won't dare move against us. Moreover, that place is Black Stone Stronghold, turf of the Black Miao people; they wouldn't act rashly."

Murong Feiyan said, "Why not notify the authorities?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "The officials in the county office are utterly untrustworthy; if this matter reached their ears, who knows they wouldn't kick us when we're down? They might frame me for colluding with the Tianlong Mountain bandits."

"Would they set an ambush in Black Stone Stronghold, just waiting for us to walk into the trap?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "No, Yan Boguang's injury probably hasn't reached Tianlong Mountain yet; the fact that Hu Jinshan and his companions stayed in Qingyun to seek medical treatment suggests they made two preparations. If they could save Yan Boguang, they'd still dare return to Tianlong Mountain; but if Yan Boguang unfortunately died, I'd say eight or nine out of ten they'd just flee and never dare return to Tianlong Mountain—otherwise they'd have only a dead end waiting for them."

Murong Feiyan nodded slowly; Hu Xiaotian's analysis was indeed sound. She whispered, "I'll go with you!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I knew you would."

Murong Feiyan said, "Don't think you know me well; if danger truly arises, I will absolutely not hesitate to abandon you."

"Are you willing to let go?" The corners of Hu Xiaotian's mouth curled in a smile that was hard to read.

Murong Feiyan suddenly felt a flush on her cheeks, lowered her long black lashes, and whispered softly, "When do we depart?"

Hu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes and said, "Now!"

Hu Xiaotian took only Murong Feiyan and Liu Kuohai with him, leaving Liang Da Zhuang behind. First, Liang Da Zhuang's martial arts are sparse; if a fight broke out he wouldn't help at all and would just be a burden. Second, someone is needed to keep watch here. Hu Xiaotian specifically instructed that if he hasn't returned by the you hour today, Liang Da Zhuang should immediately go to the county office to file a report and contact the constables and soldiers to go to Black Stone Stronghold for reinforcement. Of course, this possibility is minuscule; Hu Xiaotian doesn't believe these bandits would disregard Yan Boguang's life and death and dare to plot revenge against him.

Murong Feiyan had more than once experienced Hu Xiaotian's ingenious strategies; this time she witnessed his extraordinary courage—even she herself would have to weigh the decision repeatedly before undertaking this Black Stone Stronghold trip, yet Hu Xiaotian almost without hesitation decided to go, which requires not only wisdom but also exceptional boldness.

The three set out at the hour of the Snake, heading west after leaving the city. Liu Kuohai was a native of Qingyun Xian, extremely familiar with local customs and folkways. Through his introduction, they learned that Black Stone Stronghold was the Miao village near Qingyun Xian with the largest concentration of Black Miao people, numbering over five hundred households. Although Black Stone Stronghold lay only fifteen li from Qingyun Xian city, it had always maintained its distinctive Black Miao character, strictly observing the rule against intermarriage with Han people; in daily life, aside from trade and commerce, they had little contact with the Han people inside the city.

Liu Kuohai, even at ten years old, had only been to Black Stone Stronghold twice, both times accompanying his father to seek instruction there. It can be said that bringing Liu Kuohai along was truly the right choice; in Black Stone Stronghold the only person he knows is that Doctor Meng. (To be continued…)