Chapter 1783

Qiqi said: "The affairs of Xichuan are truly bewildering; before this, there were no clues at all. I thought that Xichuan would gradually be devoured by you in the future, but I never expected the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—were you two father and son enemies in your past life?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I don't know about the past life, but this lifetime seems destined to fight to the death."

Qiqi chuckled: "No wonder you're father and son—both equally ambitious, both insatiably greedy."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Speaking of ambition, I really can't match you?" His gaze unconsciously rose and fell once over Qiqi's flat chest; he secretly sighed, why is this girl so flat? He reckoned it's not even as big as his own. So they say women's ambition can't be too strong, desire for power can't be too great; with a heart that embraces the world, if you put too much inside, the outside ends up malnourished. However, he couldn't help but admit that even though she's flat-chested, Qiqi is still peerlessly beautiful.

Qiqi said: "I am of the Dakang imperial clan; this world originally belonged to my Long clan!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Just how big is this world, do you know? Come to think of it, you should know; in fact, you might know even more than I do. Otherwise, how could a formidable warlord like Hong Beimo bow his head to you?"

Qiqi sneered: "Looks like they weren't wrong—I truly am raising a tiger to my own detriment!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "My position today isn't thanks to you; admittedly you've helped me some, and I've saved your life too, but who owes whom more is unclear even to you. You still haven't figured out who the tiger is, and you actually think your ability alone can control these people? You have no idea how formidable they are."

Qiqi gritted her teeth: "You overestimate yourself; you're now in a predicament, and a crisis will erupt soon—do you dare say you came to me not to seek aid?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You think that because Tianxiang Kingdom refuses to sell grain to me, I will surely fall into difficulty?"

Qiqi chuckled: "Your so-called Gold and Jade Alliance is long dead in name only; who do you expect to help you? Bohai State? Or those jianghu bandits you consider allies? Do you still hope for Da Yong? They're now struggling to survive themselves—I don't believe they have any energy left for anything else."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What if I chose to ally with Black Hu? Join forces with Bohai State and Mangjiao Island to seal off Da Yong by sea, then coordinate with Black Hu to attack Da Yong from front and rear—in that case, Da Yong would face the threat of annihilation, and I could easily shift the crisis."

Qiqi said: "Are you going to sell out the interests of the Central Plains?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "There's not much difference between the people of the Central Plains and those of Black Hu; the world is vast enough to accommodate hundreds or even thousands of states coexisting—what's wrong with uniting for profit? Moreover, since you've already seen that I face an unprecedented crisis, to preserve my interests and save the people of my territory, even if I join forces with Black Hu, what's the harm? You constantly talk about Central Plains interests, but what are you actually doing with all this? Why are you continuously sending the gold and silver from Dakang's treasury to Hong Beimo?"

Qiqi was left speechless by his question.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Don't think Hong Beimo is easy to deal with; he obeys you not because your strategies are superb, nor because you're supposedly a descendant of the Long clan, of imperial blood, but because only you can decipher the secret of that skull."

Qiqi's heart jolted upon hearing this; her wine glass slipped from her hand and fell. Hu Xiaotian, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed the cup and smiled: "Is dropping the cup a signal?"

Qiqi glared at him: "You scoundrel, do I need to deal with you like this?" Her heart pounded wildly; Hu Xiaotian understood far more than she imagined.

While speaking with her, Hu Xiaotian kept watch on the outside; although he didn't expect Qiqi to set an ambush here, one must still be cautious—after all, in the deep palace's inner court, it's hard to say she controls everything.

Outside came the sound of uneasy pacing; it should be Quan De'an, who had lost a leg. Although Hong Beimo had fitted him with a very exquisite prosthetic, it still differs from a normal limb.

Hu Xiaotian smiled at Qiqi: "You might as well calm down; even if you can read the skull's secret, there are things you won't think of. I came to you not to show weakness, but because I feel we have much to discuss. Let me finish, then you decide."

Qiqi bit her lip, but Hu Xiaotian brought the cup he was holding to her lips: "Drink this cup, and it will count as your agreement."

Qiqi stared at him with her lovely eyes; suddenly she felt he had seized the initiative tonight, she lowered her head and silently drank the cup, then said: "What did I agree to?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I want to go to Long Ling Shengjing once."

Qiqi said: "What can't be said here?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Some riddles remain unsolved; I believe only you can unveil all the mysteries of Long Ling Shengjing."

Qiqi said: "I might possibly disappoint you."

Hu Xiaotian said: "In Xichuan's Zilong Mountain, I found a complete Lan-colored skeleton at the main altar of the Wuxian Sect."

What?

Have you ever heard of the Heaven's Mandate ones? You must have seen those murals in Long Ling Shengjing yourself; years ago, several Heaven's Mandate individuals descended in a flying ship into Qixia Lake, startling the Dakang court. The court sent elite troops to deal with these extraterrestrial visitors, ultimately capturing two, secretly beheading them; their heads were stored in the Dakang imperial palace, one of which is kept in Long Ling Shengjing—I have seen it with my own eyes.

Qiqi quietly gazed at Hu Xiaotian, wanting to see just how many secrets he knows.

Hu Xiaotian lightly placed the hilt of the light sword on the table: "At that time, this light sword and the skull were stored together; I didn't know the skull's importance, so I left it there."

Qiqi's fingers lightly touched the light sword, carving the ancient, simple pattern on its hilt, silently reading the inscription thereon.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian reached out to grab her fair wrist; Qiqi was seized by his big hand, her heart trembled involuntarily. She was about to scold this brazen fellow, but she noticed his gaze fixed on her wrist's Seven-Star Chain. This chain was taken from Hu Xiaotian by her back then, forcibly seized, and it was because of this chain that she learned Hu Xiaotian had secretly entered Long Ling Shengjing behind her back. Recalling how Hu Xiaotian had concealed so many secrets from her, Qiqi felt a surge of anger; she yanked her hand back, raised it as if to slap him, but seeing Hu Xiaotian's gaze, she dared not actually strike.

Hu Xiaotian said: "This Seven-Star Chain was found by me in the Yun Temple; at the time it was kept inside a portrait whose owner was Ling Jiazi—you should know that name, right?"

Qiqi said nothing.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I really couldn't fathom why Long Xuan'en would have her portrait, especially since it was painted by his own hand; from my modest skill in painting I can tell that much feeling was poured into it."

Qiqi coldly said: "No wonder you like painting portraits of Long Xi Yue."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It seems odd that Ling Jiazi would give such an important thing to Long Xuan'en—she is the crown princess, while Long Xuan'en is her father-in-law and also the current emperor. After thinking it over, I formed a hypothesis." He paused deliberately: "Let's agree beforehand—when I say this, you must not get angry."

Qiqi nodded, then snatched the light sword into her hand, seemingly to exert psychological pressure on Hu Xiaotian; she faintly sensed what he was about to say.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Helping one's grandfather deal with his own father is not uncommon in the imperial family; after all, for power, royal offspring will do anything. Yet seeing the portrait, and recalling when I accompanied you to Miaoshan Lingxiao Palace to meet the Grand Emperor, who leaked the news? Who framed the wax pellet against the Crown Prince? In the end, all doubts naturally point to you; you've helped him so zealously, it's not purely for political gain—thus I suspect Long Xuan'en and Ling Jiazi have had an illicit affair..."

Qiqi snapped: "Shut up!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Hear me out; later I learned about the Heaven's Mandate ones, and various signs indicate that Ling Jiazi should be one of them—given her temperament, how could she look up to Long Xuan'en? Do you remember when we went to the Great Xiangguo Temple, where Master Yuanmu shattered the pagoda with a single palm?"

Qiqi said: "So what?"

From a genetic standpoint, a tiger father has no weak son; a daughter born of a tiger mother is certainly extraordinary.

Qiqi caught his roundabout insult calling her a mother tiger, and forcibly suppressed the urge to retort.

Hu Xiaotian said: "A girl as outstanding as you must have parents who are paragons of humanity; Ling Jiazi is your mother, which is why you know so many secrets; as for how you know, perhaps it's a kind of memory inheritance."

Qiqi said: "You say it with such conviction, merely trying to prove I'm not of imperial descent; do you not realize that based solely on what you've said today, I could have you killed ten thousand times?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I used to think Ling Jiazi was a kind, weak woman, enduring hardship, a tragic fate—but then I realized, how could a submissive woman make the Dakang ruler remember her constantly, or make a master like Quan De'an loyal to her unto death? How could the most promising monk of Tianlong Temple, Master Mingxue Chan, have his heart stirred and then be harmed by her? This woman must be extraordinarily formidable, full of stratagems." He gazed at the pallid Qiqi before him and whispered: "Perhaps her past self is your future self."

Qiqi spun the light sword; a blade of light appeared between her and Hu Xiaotian, separating them; her lovely face was suffused with a faint orchid hue from the sword's gleam.

I've written two chapters, done my best; I hope everyone has more patience. Zhangyu strives to recover his condition soon—of course, the premise is that his body must first heal. I also want to write more; I have no grudge against Qian, tears streaming, I'm going to rest in bed (to be continued... ~^~)