Chapter 177

Murong Feiyan startled, wondering when she had become his second brother again; the name was conveniently chosen, he had Xiao Tian fabricate a "great earth" for her, seeing Hu Xiaotian's smug grin she instantly realized he was trying to trap her—he must have noticed this Miao girl took him for a man, so he played along, letting this Black Miao girl with terrible eyesight compound error upon error.

The red‑clad Black Miao girl said, "My name is Teng Zidan, Master Hu, you must remember me!" This Master Hu was clearly not the same one; he had nothing to do with Hu Xiaotian.

Murong Feiyan could not expose Hu Xiaotian's lie then, so she merely went along and nodded.

Hu Xiaotian said on the side, "My name is Hu Xiaotian…"

Teng Zidan acted as if she hadn't heard at all, accompanying Murong Feiyan into the stronghold; Master Hu, since arriving in this world, had never been ignored by a beauty so thoroughly—more accurately, he was being overlooked—Teng Zidan's bright eyes remained fixed on Murong Feiyan's delicate face, the feeling matching the song "My Eyes Contain Only You"; besides Murong Feiyan, she regarded everyone else as nothing.

Hu Xiaotian hadn't expected to meet an acquaintance upon just arriving at Black Stone Stronghold; this was ideal—although Teng Zidan was a lovesick girl with poor eyesight, she ought to be a friend, not a foe, and with her help today's matter would surely be resolved more easily.

All the lanes inside Black Stone Stronghold were paved with cobblestones, neat and clean; at the village's center stood a large lusheng performance ground, its floor also laid with cobblestones, patterned with twelve rays of the sun.

After crossing the wind‑and‑rain bridge, Teng Zidan asked, "Master Hu, what brings you here this time?"

Murong Feiyan didn't react at first; only when she saw Teng Zidan's fiery gaze did she realize she was being called—all thanks to that trouble‑maker Hu Xiaotian, who insisted on calling himself her second brother and inventing the name "Great Earth"; wasn't he just deepening Teng Zidan's misunderstanding? She shot Hu Xiaotian a resentful glance and said softly, "We came specially to see Doctor Meng."

Teng Zidan asked, "You've come to see a doctor?"

Murong Feiyan nodded.

"Who's sick? Surely not you, Master Hu?" Teng Zidan's concern spilled over.

Hu Xiaotian watched from the side, secretly amused. Could it really be love at first sight? Murong Feiyan then pointed at Hu Xiaotian and said, "He's the one who's sick!" Murong Feiyan was both laughing and crying; Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian—you're seriously ill, afraid the world isn't chaotic enough, still having the mind to pull this prank at a time like this.

Teng Zidan actually believed it, nodded and said, "Doctor Meng lives in the stilt house in the southwest mountain hollow; I'll take you to see him."

Previously Hu Xiaotian had thought this would be a perilous, heart‑pounding journey, but he hadn't expected everything to go so smoothly; upon entering the stronghold he ran into an old acquaintance, and with Teng Zidan's enthusiastic guidance everything became much easier.

They continued up the winding path; trees on both sides were lush, mountain flowers in full bloom. Though it was midsummer, walking the mountain trail brought no trace of scorching heat; the mountain breeze blew in, mingling with the wildflowers' refreshing fragrance that made one feel refreshed and delighted. Hu Xiaotian had slept none the previous night; upon inhaling this alluring floral scent he felt his spirits lift, his fatigue gone.

A small stream rushed down from the mountains, winding past the stilt house at the mountain hollow. The water's tinkling was pleasant; it drove a waterwheel, while several Black Miao Tribe children played by the stream. What a delightful pastoral scene.

Teng Zidan stopped, pointed to the stilt house and said, "Doctor Meng lives right here." Her gentle gaze lingered on Murong Feiyan's pretty face for a moment, then she said softly, "I have other business, so I won't accompany Master Hu over."

Murong Feiyan wished she would leave quickly; having been scorched by Teng Zidan's fiery gaze all along the way, she had broken out in gooseflesh. She secretly resolved that next time she would definitely dress as a woman so Teng Zidan could see her, lest this clueless Black Miao girl continue her misunderstanding.

Before leaving, Teng Zidan added, "Mister Meng has a very odd temperament; he dislikes crowds—whoever is seeing him should go alone. It's best not to enter together."

Hu Xiaotian smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Miss Teng, for your guidance."

Teng Zidan smiled and waved her hand, saying, "You're Master Hu's brother, so you're my friend."

Hu Xiaotian felt a little embarrassed; apparently he was still basking in Murong Feiyan's reflected glory, otherwise they wouldn't treat him so courteously.

Teng Zidan led her sisters away, and Murong Feiyan finally managed to exhale. She glared fiercely at Hu Xiaotian and snapped, "Villain, you've ruined me!"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "Don't blame me; blame yourself for being too handsome—even women feel stirred when they see you."

Had there not been people around, and had today's business not been unfinished, Murong Feiyan would certainly have punched that hateful smirk hard enough to burst his face, to see if he'd dare keep doing such wicked deeds. She actually knew deep down that even a punch would be useless—this scoundrel is destined never to mend his ways.

At that moment a Black Miao Tribe girl descended from the stilt house, wearing a Lan‑colored short skirt; she was dressed in typical Black Miao attire, but instead of the usual elaborate silver ornaments on her head she had her hair pulled up high, her features picturesque, her eyes a clear emerald like jadeite, her complexion starkly different from that of the Central Plains—fair as snow, her brown leggings bound tightly to her knees, exposing about an inch of thigh from the knees to the hem of her short skirt, her skin lustrous like jade, extremely alluring. She wore black leather shoes on her feet, her steps light, her youth striking.

From the girl's gait Murong Feiyan could tell her lightness skill was not weak; alarm rose in her heart and her fingers slowly rested on the sword hilt.

The girl stepped before them, her clear eyes sweeping over the group before settling on Hu Xiaotian's face, and she said coldly, "Are you Hu Xiaotian?"

Hu Xiaotian hadn't expected the other to call his name outright; actually, thinking about it, it was quite normal—after all he was the magistrate of Qingyun Xian, the second‑ranked official there, a public figure whose likeness is naturally known; not having met her didn't mean she hadn't seen him. Hu Xiaotian nodded.

The girl said, "I am Yan Nujiao, and Yan Boguang is my second brother!"

Hu Xiaotian started slightly; it turned out this girl dressed in Miao garb was actually the sister of the flower‑stealing bandit Yan Boguang, meaning she was the youngest daughter of Yan Kui, the chief of Mount Tianlang; for a bandit's daughter to swagger openly into Black Stone Stronghold really took some courage. As for her looks, she seemed somewhat Westernized—neither Han nor Black Miao—perhaps she was of mixed blood?

Yan Nujiao said, "My brother still hasn't woken up." Her voice was calm, without anger or hatred, and her expression showed little sorrow.

Hu Xiaotian began to feel that this bandit's daughter was somewhat special; he nodded and asked, "Where is Wan Tingchang?"

Yan Nujiao said, "My brother's fine; he's fine. If he suffered any mishap, he would surely die…" She paused, her clear eyes like mountain spring water locking onto Hu Xiaotian, and for the first time flashed a cold killing intent: "You're the same!"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled; although the girl spoke with great vigor, it posed no threat to him. He said, "Whether Wan Tingchang lives or dies is none of my business! If you want me to help save him, you'd better be polite; otherwise I'll just kick off and leave, and you can prepare to collect your brother's corpse."

Yan Nujiao had been turned back by Hu Xiaotian, but she didn't get angry; she merely reassessed him, nodded and said, "You've got some guts—you may not care about Wan Tingchang's life, but you surely won't disregard the lives of Qingyun Xian's populace; my Tianlang Mountain has seven thousand troops—if we attack Qingyun Xian, can you hold out?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted; this bandit's daughter was truly arrogant, openly challenging him. Qingyun Xian's handful of elderly, weak, and wounded soldiers plus those utterly ineffectual clerks totaled fewer than five hundred—those five hundred could naturally not withstand seven thousand fierce, ruthless bandits.

Yan Nujiao said, "Cure my brother and we'll keep to ourselves, peacefully; otherwise I will personally lead my seven thousand troops to massacre Qingyun Xian, leaving not a scrap of armor on you—by then let's see who you'll still be magistrate of."

Hu Xiaotian sighed, "At such a young age, your heart is so vicious—even thieves have their code; why harm the innocent?" He looked toward the stilt house and said, "Take me to have a look."

Yan Nujiao turned and went ahead; when Hu Xiaotian and the others prepared to follow, she added, "You come up alone."

Murong Feiyan glanced at Hu Xiaotian, her pretty face full of concern; though they usually bickered, at crucial moments she still cared deeply for him.

Hu Xiaotian smiled, narrowed his eyes, and nodded at her, signaling her to stay; although he had been somewhat worried earlier, seeing Yan Nujiao dispelled all his apprehensions—Yan Boguang wasn't dead, and everything Yan Nujiao had done behind the scenes was merely to get him to save someone; surely she wouldn't act rashly.

Following behind Yan Nujiao up the stairs, Hu Xiaotian deliberately lagged a bit; from that angle he could just catch a glimpse of her springlight beneath the skirt, but her anti‑exposure measures were thorough—aside from seeing a bit more leg, there was nothing to gain. Master Hu felt no moral guilt; who sees a doctor without paying a deposit? Dressed so revealingly, I won't look for free—I'll treat it as a down payment.

Actually, exposure is relative; nowadays few dress like this. Hu Xiaotian found Yan Nujiao's figure quite fine—especially her long legs; the partial exposure plus the deliberate emphasis of her leggings showed off her lovely curves unreservedly, the view indeed nice; if placed in modern times, she'd surely be a trend‑setting fashion girl. (To be continued)