Chapter 1788: [Building Mutual Trust] (Part 1)

Hu Xiaotian entered Zilan Palace again, his expression still calm and composed; actually these past two days his heart was not entirely at peace, although his previous two talks with Qiqi had been fairly ideal, but Qiqi's disposition was changeable and unpredictable, no one knew what she was finally thinking.

This time Qiqi met Hu Xiaotian not in her usual place but in her sleeping chambers; she had not rushed to send the two skulls into Long Ling Shengjing, and the words she spoke before Hong Beimo were merely an excuse to get the keys.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "I thought you had already forgotten me."

Qiqi said, "You've thrown out so many suspicions but refuse to give me an answer; I wanted to ignore them, but after thinking it over, curiosity won out in the end."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If it were me, I'd certainly be even more curious."

Qiqi said, "Your guess is correct; the skull that Ren Tianqing sent that night was indeed a skull."

Hu Xiaotian said, "But that skull was snatched from my hands by him and Meizhuang."

Qiqi glanced at him, never expecting this guy to also suffer a loss.

Hu Xiaotian sat down beside Qiqi, without ceremony picking up the fragrant tea she had just poured; there was only one cup on the table, and he gulped it down in one go, whereupon Qiqi then reminded him, "I've already drunk from this cup."

"I don't mind!"

Qiqi said, "But I despise you!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Let's talk about the important matters first; we can discuss feelings later."

Qiqi looked at this shameless fellow and simply had nothing to say.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Regarding Long Ling Shengjing..."

Qiqi opened her right hand; two keys lay in her palm. Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed and reached to take them, but Qiqi closed her hand again and softly said, "Reciprocity: I'll help you enter Long Ling Shengjing, but you must tell me something—what exactly is the deal with the skull Ren Tianqing sent?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, then began with the matter of Ren Tianqing colluding with the Yan Prince of Da Yong, Xue Shengjing, and continued all the way to what happened when he infiltrated the Wuxian Sect's main altar. Qiqi listened intently, and after he finished she couldn't help but ask curiously, "According to what you say, the skull Ren Tianqing sent should be genuine?"

"Of course it's genuine!"

Qiqi frowned, her beautiful brows slightly knotted in puzzlement, and said, "If it's genuine, why do I have no reaction to that skull?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I've told you before that there are certainly more than just you in the world who can read the information in those skulls. This skull eliciting no reaction from you might be because you have no connection to it; another person might react." He first thought of Ji Feihua, but Ji Feihua had actually obtained some information from the skull stolen from Hu Buwei; it seems the information stored in these skulls is passed down like hereditary genes, perhaps only to their descendants, and the three skulls he has seen bear no relation to one another.

Qiqi said, "Then you must tell me who exactly is that other person capable of reading the skull information?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I promised to keep it secret for someone; you can't possibly ask me to betray that promise."

Qiqi sneered, "A man's promise never counts!" She stared fixedly at Hu Xiaotian; although he had made promises to her before, in the end he forgot them just as completely.

Hu Xiaotian gave a dry cough and said, "You must be on guard against Ren Tianqing; he is certainly not acting for the sake of the state."

Qiqi drawled, "How do you know I'm acting for the state? Hu Xiaotian, do you think you understand me very well?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "If you yourself don't even understand yourself, how dare I claim to understand..."

"You..." Qiqi glared angrily.

Hu Xiaotian shifted his tone and said, "When I first met you, I only thought of you as a child; later I came to see you as a child with overly great ambition, but now..."

"How now?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "You cannot control the whole situation; Ling Jiazi's wisdom is certainly not inferior to yours, and even she died mysteriously in the end, let alone you."

Qiqi said, "That's because she was too kind!"

Hu Xiaotian held a reserved opinion on the two words "kindness"; although he had once thought that way himself, after seeing Yuanmu his view changed, but he did not voice it in front of Qiqi, for in most children's hearts their parents are the kindest and most loving people in the world, and Qiqi is no exception, so he saw no need to argue with her on this point. Hu Xiaotian always believed that Ling Jiazi was surrounded by countless forces— the late emperor Long Xuan'en, Hong Beimo, Ren Tianqing, Mu Rongzhan, the ghost doctor Fu Zhuo, the monk Minghuai, and even Hu Buwei had some unknown connection with her.

Ling Jiazi used her own abilities to make these people work for her, yet despite all her precautions, one oversight led to failure; perhaps it wasn't due to a flaw in her strategy, but rather fate.

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Qiqi's pale, bloodless face, and a feeling of pity arose in his heart; as the saying goes, one day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of kindness— although they are not husband and wife, they once had a marriage pact; this girl's nature is overly strong, perhaps she already knows the whole truth, or perhaps she only half-understands what happened, but choosing to cooperate with Hong Beimo and Ren Tianqing is no different from seeking skin from a tiger.

After consideration, Hu Xiaotian decided to remind her again: "Do you know that Hong Beimo comes from the Xu clan of Jinling?"

"What?" Qiqi's phoenix eyes widened; she had always thought Hong Beimo was of the same kind as herself.

Hu Xiaotian said, "The Xu clan of Jinling long harbored ambitions to seize the world, so they had already laid plans in the court; Chu Yuanhai and Hu Buwei were all arranged by the old matriarch herself, but few know that Hong Beimo is also one of her pawns."

"Who told you all this?" Qiqi said dubiously.

Hu Xiaotian stood up: "Do you remember the inscription on the altar of Long Ling Shengjing, or the relief on the wall?" He paused, then softly recited: "In the seventeenth year of Jiafeng, at Qixia Lake in Kangdu, heavenly fireballs fell, igniting heavenly flames; the fire spread thirty li, wherever it reached turned to rubble, casualties countless, alas! What sin have the commoners committed? I specially cast this cauldron to suppress disaster and subdue demons, praying to heaven to bless Dakang..."

Qiqi naturally remembered.

Hu Xiaotian said, "From the carvings we can know what happened in the seventeenth year of Jiafeng; the imperial tomb Hong Beimo is now building lies exactly where the fireballs fell into Qixia Lake; not long after that battle, the then Mingzong Emperor ordered the lake filled, turning Qixia into Qixia Mountain; do I still need to explain everything that followed in detail?"

Qiqi stood up, walked to face Hu Xiaotian, and said softly, "Of course it needs to be said; if you don't tell me, how could I understand?"

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, "It's not that you don't understand, but that you want to know just how much I know." He smiled faintly and sent a mental transmission: "The two extraterrestrial visitors who were beheaded back then had their skulls stored in the palace; I think Ling Jiazi is a descendant of one of them." Although he didn't directly say Qiqi is a descendant of the extraterrestrials, saying Ling Jiazi amounts to saying her.

Qiqi chuckled, "I really admire your imagination; if they're all dead, where would any descendants come from?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Back then a few managed to escape; perhaps their children are among them. I discovered a small flying ship in the Wuxian Sect's main altar, and found that azure skeleton— it must be a companion who luckily survived with them."

Qiqi said, "Why do the descendants of those extraterrestrials bear not even a trace of resemblance to them?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "It seems you don't know about evolution, nor that people can change themselves due to environment; do you not know that humanity's earliest ancestors were monkeys? Even monkeys can become humans, let alone those extraterrestrials who mastered advanced technology and rapidly evolved to survive."

Qiqi shook her head, unsure whether she had nothing to say or was rejecting Hu Xiaotian's earlier speculation.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Hong Beimo is fundamentally not a descendant of those extraterrestrials; after painstakingly doing all those things, his ultimate goal was merely for himself."

Qiqi said, "What reason do I have to believe you? Who are you?" She seemed to have a realization, biting her cherry lips and said, "Could it be that the one who can read the skull information is you?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded without hesitation: "Exactly!" To regain Qiqi's trust in the shortest time, this was the only way.

Qiqi remained doubtful, yet if Hu Xiaotian's words were not spoken by someone deeply versed in the inner affairs, how could they be so thorough?

Hu Xiaotian thought he was gradually gaining her trust, when Qiqi suddenly said, "How do I know you and Hong Beimo aren't the same kind of person?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, "Let me ask you a simple question: if I and Hong Beimo both fell into a river at the same time, and neither of us can swim, which would you save first?" After asking, he thought the question was a bit foolish; Qiqi would surely answer that she saves neither, preferring to watch them both drown.

But Qiqi's answer defied his expectations: "I would still save you; at least talking with you isn't too boring."

Hu Xiaotian said, "It's not for that reason; it's because you like me!"

On Qiqi's pallid cheeks appeared two blushes, making her look lovely and charming in the candlelight; she boldly asked, "Did you ever actually like me in your heart back then?"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled.

Qiqi said, "If you don't answer me honestly, you will never get the keys to Long Ling Shengjing."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If I answer you, you need to give me the skull that Ren Tianqing sent."

Qiqi said, "It seems that between us, aside from interests, there's nothing left."

Hu Xiaotian, however, said: "Lost things can be cultivated again; feelings are like leeks—cut one batch and another will grow."

Qiqi said: "It's the promiscuous people who are like that." She solemnly said: "Answer my question!"

Hu Xiaotian locked eyes with Qiqi, then suddenly raised his hand; the candle flame sputtered out with his motion. Qiqi's heart fluttered in panic, and in the darkness she was pulled into this guy's strong embrace, feeling his scorching breath draw near. (To be continued... ^~^)