Chapter 1750

Hu Xiaotian said: "Speak!"

Given the circumstances, Xi Yan should have come by now, but I still haven't heard anything from her.

Hu Xiaotian is equally puzzled.

Li Wuyou said, "I'm worried she may have gotten into trouble. The Wuxian Sect spares no means, so I'd like you to help find her."

Hu Xiaotian smiled wryly: "Finding a person in this vast world is no easy feat."

Li Wuyou said, "I have a map that Xi Yan left for me. She told me that if I ever get into trouble, I can send someone trustworthy to find her." She then handed the prepared map to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Is this where the Wuxian Sect's headquarters is located?"

Li Wuyou nodded slowly and said, "Exactly."

Hu Xiaotian unfolded the map and took a quick look, discovering that the Wuxian Sect's headquarters was actually located in the lofty, rugged mountains northwest of Qingyun. This reminded him of the past relationship between the Black Miao people and the Wuxian Sect; in fact, he should have realized earlier that many of the sect's members came from the Black Miao tribe, so their headquarters naturally lay not far from the Black Miao's settlements. Hu Xiaotian had dealt with the Wuxian Sect on multiple occasions; needless to say, Xi Yan, and even Yan Nujiao, who is a senior disciple of the Shadow Granny, are senior figures of the sect. As for the sect leader, Madame Meizhuang, she once joined forces with Ren Tianqing at the Sword Palace to oppose him; her methods are vicious and cruel, her schemes countless, making her absolutely one of the most formidable opponents Hu Xiaotian has ever faced.

Based on past events, it seems likely that the recluse Meng Zizai, who once hid away in Black Stone Village, is actually Ren Tianqing, and he has an extremely close ties with Madame Meizhuang. Moreover, according to Hu Xiaotian, Madame Meizhuang is also one of those responsible for the death of Qin Yutong's mother, Qin Se, making their relationships complex.

Li Wuyou warned, "The Wuxian Sect is skilled in poison; its members are mostly ruthless and they raise all sorts of venomous creatures, so you must be careful."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, "I haven't even agreed to go yet—how did you already assume I would?"

Li Wuyou smiled softly and said, "You must really like Xi Yan, right?"

Hu Xiaotian neither confirmed nor denied it; though he did indeed harbor feelings for Xi Yan, he felt it would be cruel to admit it in front of Li Wuyou, especially since they had once been engaged—though the engagement is now called off, he still feels an unspoken debt to her.

Li Wuyou whispered, "Big Brother Hu, if you find Xi Yan, bring her away from the Wuxian Sect and make sure she isn't harmed."

Hu Xiaotian looked into Li Wuyou's clear eyes, nodded slowly, and said, "Don't worry, I promise you."

A pure smile appeared on Li Wuyou's face.

Hu Xiaotian added, "I won't let you come to any harm either."

Li Wuyou's smile turned shy; a blush rose on her pale cheeks as she turned away to avoid Hu Xiaotian's intense gaze, and after a moment she said, "No one will be against me."

Although the outcome was not ideal, Mu Rongzhan and Hu Xiaotian had after all completed the court's mission; the Li family had no interest whatsoever in the honors and posthumous titles bestowed by the Dakang court, and Xichuan had now completely turned toward the Heavenly Fragrance State. Nevertheless, Li Honghan ultimately managed to restrain his temper and did not take out his anger on the Dakang envoy, even though he repeatedly blamed his father's death on Dakang. While the fact that the two nations, when at war, do not execute envoys is certainly one reason, another, more important reason is that Li Honghan knows who the true culprit is.

Hu Xiaotian chose to leave without saying goodbye. Since he couldn't change the situation in Xizhou in the short term, he still chose to let it be for a while. Heading to Azure Cloud, first he can revisit his old stomping grounds, second he can meet up with Yan Kui. As for Yan Nujiao, she has not returned to Tianlang Mountain after going to Yunze to attend a wedding last time; she has decided to stay in Dongliang Jun to constantly accompany Hu Xiaotian. Yan Kui also finds himself helpless regarding this precious daughter's decision. Of course, for Hu Xiaotian, the most important thing is still to find Xi Yan by any means and bring her out from the headquarters of the Wuxian Sect. According to Li Wuyou's analysis, Xi Yan must have run into trouble; otherwise she would have already gone to Xizhou.

Hu Xiaotian's departure does not mean he is abandoning Xichuan and the vast Hongmu Chuan region; Meng Guangxiong remains in Xizhou to continue gathering intelligence, and Yan Huacheng is quietly contacting the core forces formerly under Li Tianheng. A fist can only exert greater power by pulling back before striking; in doing anything, one must leave some leeway—being too tight benefits neither others nor oneself.

The news that the Heavenly Fragrance State seized Redwood River and allied with Xichuan shocked the world. Upon hearing this news, Zhou Ruizhen immediately went to see Qiqi. Xichuan is Zhou Ruizhen's hometown, and when it comes to familiarity with Xichuan, no one in the court can surpass him. Even so, Zhou Ruizhen did not anticipate that Xichuan would ultimately turn to the Heavenly Fragrance State. This matter concerns the entire situation in the southwest, and for Dakang and indeed the whole world, its impact is significant.

Qiqi's complexion was not good; from the shattered porcelain scattered on the floor, it seemed she had just lost her temper. Zhou Ruizhen naturally knew this little princess was not easy to get along with. Since she came to power, both civil and military officials have fully experienced her decisive and ruthless bearing. Although outwardly they proclaim that the Laohuangdi is still alive, yet inside the palace no one can see the Retired Emperor, and the only information that reaches the outside comes through the Yongyang Princess. In fact, she has become the actual power holder of Dakang. Zhou Ruizhen has always been somewhat puzzled; he cannot fathom why someone like Hong Beimo of the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau would obey Qiqi's every word. After all, Hong Beimo used to be the most loyal subject of the Laohuangdi—what method did Qiqi use to make him wholeheartedly loyal?

Although Zhou Ruizhen also acknowledges that Qiqi possesses scheming and wisdom beyond her years, he still believes that behind these matters there must be secrets unknown to him; yet Zhou Ruizhen is no different from wanting to get to the bottom of things. Years of officialdom have taught him one thing: to live a long life, one should know as few secrets as possible, and simply do one's own duties diligently.

Quan De'an gave a glance; the two little eunuchs nearby hurried over to clean up the scattered shards of porcelain, and then quickly withdrew. Quan De'an respectfully said, "Your Highness, Sir Zhou has arrived."

Qiqi's gaze only just withdrew from the memorial, sweeping across Zhou Ruizhen's face, causing a chill to rise unbidden from deep within Zhou Ruizhen's heart. He bowed and said, "Your servant pays his respects, Princess." In such a private meeting, Qiqi permitted him to forgo the full ceremony.

Qiqi calmly said, "Please be seated."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

After Zhou Ruizhen took his seat, he glanced furtively at Quan De'an, who subtly made a gesture toward him, indicating that the Princess was in a very bad mood today and that he must speak with caution.

Qiqi said, "Sir Zhou, do you know what I summoned you here today to do?"

Zhou Ruizhen replied cautiously, "Is it because of what happened in Xichuan?"

Qiqi said, "What do you think?"

Zhou Ruizhen said, "The situation has now become clear; the Golden Jade Alliance established by the King of Zhenhai is nothing more than a mere formality and cannot withstand any test—it is already collapsing."

Qiqi's phoenix eyes flashed, and she did not interrupt Zhou Ruizhen's words.

Zhou Ruizhen began with the Golden Jade Alliance, and he also had his own motive; he sighed and said, "I believe that, although on the surface Xichuan seems to have undergone a great change, the root cause actually lies in the Heavenly Fragrance State. Princess, with your far-sighted vision, you must have perceived that this series of developments has linked the Heavenly Fragrance State, Redwood River, and Xichuan into a single entity, and the Heavenly Fragrance State has quietly risen to become the greatest power in the southwest."

Qiqi said, "It is my oversight; I have never kept the Heavenly Fragrance State in mind. I never expected them to act so swiftly and decisively, catching me off guard."

Zhou Ruizhen felt ashamed in secret; not to mention Qiqi's oversight—how could we officials be any different? No one imagined that the Heavenly Fragrance State possessed such great strength, and what is even more admirable is their ability to seize opportunities. He respectfully said, "It is our fault as officials; we have failed to correctly estimate the Heavenly Fragrance State's strength, and we did not anticipate that they would do such a thing."

Qiqi said, "It now appears that the Heavenly Fragrance State's series of actions must have been planned long in advance, and after meticulous planning, they seem to be very aware of our every move."

Zhou Ruizhen picked up a hint from her words, secretly wondering, "Could she be suspecting that someone inside the court is colluding with the Heavenly Fragrance State?"

Qiqi said, "The Heavenly Fragrance State lending grain to Xichuan for free—relying solely on their national strength, that seems unlikely."

Zhou Ruizhen nodded and said, "Earlier they had promised to sell grain to Hu Xiaotian; looking at it this way, the two cannot both be accommodated, and Hu Xiaotian's side will inevitably face a great crisis."

Upon hearing Hu Xiaotian's name, Qiqi's heart tightened involuntarily. When she had sent Hu Xiaotian on a mission to Xichuan, she had not expected so many circumstances to arise; she wondered how Hu Xiaotian was now and how he should respond to the current situation. Qiqi calmly said, "He brought it upon himself—having seized so much territory in Xichuan, he must inevitably pay some price." After a pause she added, "Our great army has already assembled at the southeastern border of Xichuan, ready at any moment to attack and recover the lost territory."

Zhou Ruizhen asked, "Princess, have you truly made preparations for war?"

Qiqi remained silent; she had not yet made sufficient preparations, Dakang had not yet recovered its vitality, and moreover Hong Beimo did not support her launching a war—in his view, the most important matter was the imperial mausoleum.

Zhou Ruizhen said, "Princess, I suspect that there may be some problem within the Heavenly Fragrance State's interior; Long Xuanjiao is one of the initiators of the Golden Jade Alliance, and she was also the one who promised to sell grain to Hu Xiaotian—this change is truly too sudden."

"You mean…"

Zhou Ruizhen bowed and said, "I believe there is no need to rush into a response; we can continue to strengthen the border forces, block the routes by which Xichuan refugees flee, observe the situation, and it would not be too late to make a decision once things are clarified."

I've hit a bottleneck, I sat all day and wrote a chapter—hope everyone can understand more. (To be continued~^~)