Chapter 1803

Hu Xiaotian quickly enlarged the crack; although the Lone Moon Slash is not as easy to use as a light sword, its power is not inferior to a light sword, and he soon opened a hole large enough for an adult to enter and exit.

Qin Yutong, while Hu Xiaotian was breaking through the opening, kept watching the movements behind her, fearing that Meizhuang might be lurking somewhere behind, ready to ambush; fortunately that situation never occurred, and the two crawled out one after another; outside it was a dark night with pouring rain, and fortunately the rain gave them sufficient cover.

Although Hu Xiaotian's vision was obstructed, his hearing was not greatly affected; hearing voices from afar, he realized it was the artisans still draining the Jade Pool in the rain. Since the Jade Pool was surrounded by people, the several secret passages leading to it had been exposed due to the dropping water level. Hu Xiaotian pointed upward, and Qin Yutong immediately understood his meaning; the two climbed up the rock face, all the way to the summit of Piaomiao Peak, where the artificial waterfall had also been shut down. Although the area below the Jade Pool was noisy with people, Piaomiao Peak's summit was unmanned.

To the outside world, this place is still a forbidden area of the imperial palace; Qiqi spread the word that Laohuangdi Long Xuan'en was residing here to spend his twilight years, but in fact Long Xuan'en had already died; aside from the two Senior Eunuchs responsible for cleaning, there was no one else on Piaomiao Peak.

Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong ascended the summit one after another; at this moment the rain grew heavier, and Qin Yutong leaned close to Hu Xiaotian's ear and said, "It seems we're trapped here; how can we escape?"

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help laughing; he signaled Qin Yutong to hold tight to him, unfurled the double wings of the Pterosaur Armor, stamped his feet, and his body shot straight up into the night sky thick with dark clouds; amidst the wind and rain he said to Qin Yutong, "The light sword is gone; I estimate we won't be able to fly very far this time! Are you afraid?"

Qin Yutong clung to him: "Not afraid!"

"Even if we fall, we're not afraid?"

"As long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of death…… ah!"

Dawn arrived, the wind and rain still unabated; Hong Beimo came before Qiqi, who had been holding out for two days and two nights, gazing at her exhausted face, he seemed to realize something, vaguely feeling that perhaps those trapped in the Long Ling Shengjing were not merely Quan De'an.

Princess!

Qiqi nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the Jade Pool, whose water level had dropped by more than half.

Hong Beimo said with concern, "Your Highness, it's more important to take care of your health; why don't your humble servant keep watch here while you go back to rest?"

Qiqi shook her head and said, "I won't go anywhere until I find Eunuch Quan."

Hong Beimo said, "Right, your humble servant has already ascertained the identity of the impostor Ren Tianqing; he is the beloved disciple of Lady Meizhuang, the sect leader of the Wuxian Sect, named Rongshi."

Qiqi said coldly, "Have you found out Ren Tianqing's whereabouts?"

"Under interrogation!"

Qiqi angrily said, "Ren Tianqing, you scoundrel, dare to deceive this palace; this person harbors nefarious intentions, colludes with foreign powers; help me capture him and bring him back, I want to question him face to face."

Hong Beimo did not know why Qiqi was so angry at Ren Tianqing; the claim that Ren Tianqing colluded with Xue Shengjing is merely her one-sided account, with no concrete evidence. Could Ren Tianqing's disappearance also be related to the Long Ling Shengjing affair? In fact, that night Qiqi extorted a skull from Ren Tianqing's hands; Ren Tianqing was obviously resentful, so the thought of snatching back the skull is understandable. However, this girl is deep‑minded, using this matter to set up many traps.

At that moment, Mu Rongzhan hurried over, delighted, and said, "Princess, just now the artisans discovered an opening in the mountainside near the water."

Upon hearing this, Qiqi's heart leapt with joy, and she eagerly said, "Take me to see it."

After bathing and changing into her clothes, Qin Yutong faced the bronze mirror, gazing at her reflection; she could not even recall the last time she had properly looked at her reflection, and she had always felt an inexplicable fear of mirrors—perhaps she was afraid to confront her true self, or perhaps she had grown accustomed to living behind a mask. Looking back, she had existed for revenge since she could remember, her heart burdened with too many secrets, these secrets weighing so heavily that she could barely breathe.

Gazing at her reflection, Qin Yutong's pretty face flushed with two patches of crimson, her beautiful eyes shimmering with boundless shyness; this charming, alluring expression was something even she had never seen before. The mirror seemed to show a completely unfamiliar self; recalling the perilous experience she had just undergone in the Dakang imperial palace, Qin Yutong's heart did not feel fear but instead welled up with myriad tender feelings.

The door was lightly knocked, and from outside came Hu Xiaotian's voice: "May I come in?"

Qin Yutong rose, moved lightly to the door, opened it, and saw that Hu Xiaotian had also finished bathing and changed into a set of blue Confucian robes, his bearing elegant and graceful; facing Hu Xiaotian, Qin Yutong displayed an unprecedented shyness and bashfulness; after opening the door, she lowered her head and turned to walk to the window.

Hu Xiaotian turned, bolted the door, stepped behind her, opened his arms to embrace Qin Yutong's alluring figure, lightly kissed her delicate earlobe, and whispered, "They say a day apart feels like three autumns; I haven't seen you for just half an hour, yet it feels as long as ten thousand years." As for sweet nothings, this guy dares to claim second place; no one in the world dares to claim first.

Qin Yutong knew full well that this guy was surely using sweet nothings to deceive her, yet hearing it in her ears she still felt warmly comforted; she coquettishly spat, "You liar, you only know how to speak false affection."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Heaven and earth, my conscience, if I deceive you, let me……"

Qin Yutong turned and used her soft hand to cover his mouth, worried he might utter an inauspicious oath.

Hu Xiaotian stared unblinkingly at Qin Yutong's pure, flawless visage, making her pretty face flush crimson; she spat, "What's there to look at? It's not like you haven't seen me before."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Beautiful, the more I look the more I like it; no matter how I look, it's never enough." He lowered his head to kiss her cherry lips, but Qin Yutong covered his mouth, coquettishly scolding, "Besides these things, do you have nothing serious to say when you see me?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "I don't want to either, but whenever I think of the Heaven‑Man Myriad Forms Diagram, I feel my responsibility is great; I must seize the time to let you conceive my flesh and blood, so that I can reforge the meridians and eliminate hidden dangers." This guy spoke with righteous justification.

Qin Yutong's pretty face flushed red to the roots of her ears; truly, she was impressed by this guy, who could even speak so righteously about such matters; she whispered, "You have no serious business, but I do."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, Qin Yutong took his hand and they sat beside the bed; she whispered, "I want to return as soon as possible to awaken Xi Yan." She had deceived Hu Xiaotian in this matter, feeling guilty all along, so after escaping danger the first thing she thought of was to make amends, naturally giving rise to the idea of rushing back immediately to rescue her.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Fine, when do you want to leave?"

Qin Yutong heard clearly; he said "you" rather than "we", and she immediately understood that Hu Xiaotian could not possibly leave Kangdu together with her; he must have other matters to attend to. She immediately nodded and said, "The sooner the better—I'll leave early tomorrow morning."

Hu Xiaotian extended both hands to cradle her pretty face and whispered, "I still have some matters I must attend to here; for now I cannot accompany you when you leave."

Qin Yutong smiled gently and said, "Is it because of the Princess's affair?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, "Not only because of her." He rose and walked slowly to the window, pushed open the lattice window, and gazed toward the direction of the Dakang imperial palace. Regardless of whether Qiqi had held back anything in this affair of sneaking into the Long Ling Shengjing, overall she had still helped him, and Quan De'an had even sacrificed his life; this Senior Eunuch could be said to be the only person she could trust beside her. Now Qiqi probably still doesn't know this news; if she learned everything, she would likely suffer a heavy blow. Moreover, the Long Ling Shengjing matter is of great importance; she might also bear unprecedented pressure because of it. At such a time, he ought to do something for her. Hu Xiaotian's thought arose not merely because he had promised Quan De'an to protect Qiqi; even without that promise, he would not stand idly by regarding her affairs.

Hu Xiaotian began to realize that his relationship with Qiqi was not that simple; it was not merely mutual exploitation, but also involved some ineffable feelings. Another reason he could not leave at present was Ji Feihua; when he was at the Great Xiangguo Temple, Master Yuanmu had voluntarily displayed Ji Feihua's light sword, clearly telling him that Ji Feihua was at the Tianlong Temple, and that he should bring whatever scripture to exchange for the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing. Ji Feihua is a person of vital importance in Hu Xiaotian's life; how could he abandon her?

After Qin Yutong departed, Hu Xiaotian decided to reveal himself openly; since he had chosen to cooperate with Qiqi, there was no longer any need to continue concealing his identity.

The news of Hu Xiaotian's arrival in Kangdu spread instantly throughout the court and countryside; he appeared openly in Kangdu under the pretense of seeking an audience with the emperor, and upon hearing the news, Qiqi immediately summoned him to the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Since Hu Xiaotian and Quan De'an entered the Long Ling Shengjing that night, the two have been as if sunk into the sea, losing all contact; although a cave was found on Piaomiao Mountain, the search continues, and to this day no trace of them has been found. These days Qiqi has remained in a state of unease; this morning she had just returned to the resting palace to rest, yet in her dreams she awakened several times; after rising in the afternoon, she had intended to inquire about the latest developments in the search, but instead received the news that King of Zhenhai Hu Xiaotian had arrived in Kangdu.

At first Qiqi greeted this news with skepticism, but once she was certain that Hu Xiaotian had indeed come to pay his respects, she finally felt assured; she ordered someone to announce that Hu Xiaotian should go to the Hall of Diligent Governance for an audience, and she had many questions she wanted answered by him.

However, Qiqi also understood that this matter must not be rushed; in public she needed to maintain appearances. After consideration, she decided to have Zhou Ruoyuan and Wen Chenghuan accompany her, and additionally summoned Hong Beimo, who was directing the rescue efforts at the Jade Pool. Hu Xiaotian appeared at this moment, which conveniently allowed him to dispel suspicions of having sneaked into the Long Ling Shengjing in public; his decision to reveal himself openly might well have been motivated by this consideration.

Today is Saturday, only one First Update; Zhangyu is adjusting and organizing the outline! (To be continued~^~)