Chapter 1856

Hu Xiaotian said: "I understand Brother Wanyan's meaning; the princess has been kidnapped, and actually I'm even more anxious than you. If it's just for ransom, that's still okay to say, but if the bandits are lustful, wouldn't this be troublesome?"

Wanyan Liexin's face turned green at once; if what Hu Xiaotian said really happened, then they would surely suffer a great loss this time.

Bu Bu Ma searched the surroundings and found nothing; she then returned, her eyes fixed tightly on Xiong Tianba, also convinced that the scrawny dark-skinned brat had deliberately held her back just to give his accomplices a chance to seize Princess Xima.

Xiong Tianba saw her glaring at him viciously, and he also stared back at her with a tiger's gaze.

Bu Bu Ma stepped slowly toward Xiong Tianba, then suddenly sprang from her feet, her body rising several zhang, and threw a punch at Xiong Tianba without warning; nobody expected her to strike Xiong Tianba suddenly, and everyone was startled.

Although Xiong Tianba usually seems a bit slow-witted, his reaction in combat is top-notch; as soon as Bu Bu Ma moved, he reacted, letting out a strange cry and jumping up, but he was a step late, losing the initiative entirely to Bu Bu Ma; their fists collided, and Xiong Tianba was smashed to the ground by Bu Bu Ma's full-force blow, his feet landing on the blue stone slab, the tremendous force actually shattering the slab into pieces.

Bu Bu Ma was like a soaring eagle, hovering in midair; after her first attack knocked Xiong Tianba down, she turned her fist into a claw and grabbed for his head. Xiong Tianba lifted his head, puffed his chest, and threw a heavenward punch. He had merely suffered from a slightly delayed start earlier, not that his inner strength was inferior to Bu Bu Ma's.

Hu Xiaotian, however, worried that Xiong Tianba would suffer a loss; although Xiong Tianba's inner strength was astonishing, his combat experience was obviously no match for Bu Bu Ma, who had roamed the northern deserts for many years. At the moment Bu Bu Ma knocked Xiong Tianba down, Hu Xiaotian also struck a palm at her rear — a move known as 'besiege Wei to rescue Zhao' — forcing Bu Bu Ma to abandon her attack on Xiong Tianba. From the force behind her, Bu Bu Ma already sensed that this attack was extremely powerful; her body twisted sharply in midair, and despite the situation she turned to face Hu Xiaotian and exchanged palms with him.

Their palms collided, and a powerful qi wave radiated outward from them in all directions. Xiong Tianba felt a strong wind brush his face, dust swirling everywhere, forcing him to turn his face away and shut his eyes, let alone the others — several warriors had already been flung to the ground by the mighty qi wave. Everyone feared being caught in the aftermath of the duel between these two masters, and they all hurriedly retreated backward.

Hu Xiaotian and Bu Bu Ma locked eyes, and he said with a smiling squint, 'Elder, why go to such lengths at your age?'

Bu Bu Ma felt that at the point where their palms pressed together, two voids seemed to appear, and an intangible force from Hu Xiaotian was drawing her inner strength toward him. Hu Xiaotian did not truly intend to suck away her inner strength; he merely wanted her to know his power and to retreat when facing difficulty.

Only a trickle of Bu Bu Ma's inner strength entered Hu Xiaotian's meridians, and she immediately cut off the outward flow, so Hu Xiaotian could no longer draw even a trace of inner strength from her.

Wanyan Liexin hurried over and shouted loudly, 'Stop, everyone stop! We're all friends; we must not harm the harmony.'

Hu Xiaotian withdrew his inner strength, stepped back a step, and smiled, saying, 'It seems there are many misunderstandings between us.'

Bu Bu Ma lacked Wanyan Liexin's patience; she glared at Hu Xiaotian and demanded, 'Where is the princess?'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head at Wanyan Liexin and said, 'Brother Wanyan, are you Black Hu people always unreasonable? I was just with you a moment ago; what does the princess's disappearance have to do with me?'

Wanyan Liexin, like a mute eating coptis, knew his own bitterness; he sighed and said, 'Prince, don't blame her; she was merely anxious out of concern, and certainly did not mean to blame you for this.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If so, we'll take our leave!' He clasped his hands toward Wanyan Liexin and turned to go.

Wanyan Liexin didn't see them off, just watched Hu Xiaotian's group walk away. After they had all left, Bu Bu Ma glared at Wanyan Liexin and said, 'You clearly know it was his doing; why then let him go?'

Wanyan Liexin gave a bitter smile and said, 'Senior, this is Dakang, and we have no evidence whatsoever; in my view the princess will be fine, and their target is certainly not the Princess.'

Bu Bu Ma snorted coldly; she also knew that what Wanyan Liexin said was true. Hu Xiaotian had come today with a retinue, seeking the Grand Preceptor Gangbaduo; she guessed that abducting Princess Xima was related to Gangbaduo, and it seemed they would soon put forward their demands.

Wanyan Liexin said, 'All we can do now is wait.'

Bu Bu Ma said, 'I will never let anyone harm Princess Xima!'

Da Yong's Grand Princess Xue Lingjun had just harshly slapped her subordinate twice; it wasn't because the subordinate had made a mistake, but because she had reported some rumors from outside. Actually she hadn't wanted to speak, but Xue Lingjun had forced her to. After hearing it, Xue Lingjun couldn't contain her anger and poured all her resentment onto the subordinate.

After slapping her subordinate twice, Xue Lingjun was still seething; rumors were spreading everywhere in Kangdu about her romantic affair with Hu Xiaotian, claiming that she had sacrificed her beauty to ally with Dakang, that after arriving in Kangdu she and Hu Xiaotian had gotten hot and heavy, even spending several good nights together. Xue Lingjun wasn't particularly opposed to the matter; what really angered her was that such a thing never happened — she and Hu Xiaotian had only met once, and otherwise had no contact at all. Where did these rumors come from?

The first person Xue Lingjun thought of was Li Chen Zhou; although Li Chen Zhou possessed extraordinary wisdom, in matters of the heart he was extremely fragile, and the longer one stayed with him the more one would discover his possessiveness bordering on the pathological. If this reached his ears, he would almost certainly go berserk.

Xue Lingjun vaguely guessed that this was likely related to Hu Xiaotian; this brat deliberately employed a tactic that kills ten thousand enemies at the cost of five thousand of one's own, his true aim being to disturb Li Chen Zhou's state of mind.

Just as Xue Lingjun was secretly cursing Hu Xiaotian's baseness, Shi Kuan, commander of the Golden Scale Guard, hurried in, somewhat nervous, and said, 'Grand Princess, Hu Xiaotian is leading a detachment that has surrounded the relay station; I don't know why.'

Xue Lingjun snapped, 'What audacity!' Having said that, she immediately recalled that Hu Xiaotian's boldness was never small.

Shi Kuan said, 'I had them blocked outside while I first reported to you.'

Xue Lingjun pondered and said, 'Let him come in alone; no one else may enter.'

Yes!

Not long after, Hu Xiaotian appeared before Xue Lingjun; this brat still wore a sunny, radiant expression.

Had she seen him in the past, Xue Lingjun might have felt her heart flutter, but now she hated him so much her gums itched; this brat was utterly shameless, committing misdeeds yet smiling so brightly.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Lady Jun, have you been well these past days?'

Xue Lingjun chuckled and said, 'I've been here so long and still haven't been granted an audience with the Yongyang Princess; your Dakang's gate is indeed high.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'The Princess handles myriad affairs daily; in fact she has entrusted the peace talks entirely to me. Lady Jun, why do you insist on seeing the Princess? Do you think I still lack authority?'

Xue Lingjun said, 'I don't mean to look down on you, King of Zhenhai, but some matters must be discussed woman to woman; speaking with you is always inconvenient.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily and said, 'What's inconvenient about it? Lady Jun, when did you start being so distant with me?'

Xue Lingjun said, 'Some things we must be wary of, lest outsiders gossip.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Indeed, men and women should not be intimate; we ought to keep a proper distance. We've only met once, yet rumors about me are already spreading everywhere, and my reputation is about to be ruined.'

Xue Lingjun frowned; this brat's words were truly somewhat venomous. 'His reputation ruined? I'm a woman — is my reputation not important?' Yet deep down she understood that in most people's eyes she was merely a jinx, a promiscuous woman anyone could take advantage of, and indeed she had no reputation to speak of. Hu Xiaotian had said this on purpose; his real aim was to provoke her.

Xue Lingjun said, 'The pure will purify themselves; some words need no explanation.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'Lady Jun is absolutely right; some words indeed need no explanation — let others talk, just follow your own path.'

Xue Lingjun's heart gave a start; at first hearing the words seemed plain and unremarkable, but upon reflection she felt they were filled with profound truth. Hu Xiaotian is always like that — appearing carefree, yet often, without meaning to, he utters something astonishing. His wisdom and scheming are rare in her experience. She couldn't help but compare Hu Xiaotian with Li Chen Zhou, setting aside whose wisdom is higher; when in their company, Li Chen Zhou always made her feel as oppressed as an overcast day, whereas Hu Xiaotian was forever like bright sunshine. Perhaps that is their greatest difference.

Hu Xiaotian saw Xue Lingjun silent for a long while and thought his words had angered her; he asked softly, 'Lady Jun, what are you thinking about?'

Xue Lingjun said, 'I'm wondering why you have honored us with your presence today.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, sat down in the chair, and said, 'How come? Lady Jun, you haven't even prepared a cup of tea for me?'

Xue Lingjun apologetically said, 'It's my negligence.' She summoned a servant to brew tea for Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian unhurriedly lifted the Chazan, sipped a few mouthfuls with composure, then said in a measured tone, 'Many things have happened from yesterday to today: first, the Seven-Tiered Exquisite Pavilion of the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets was stolen, then set ablaze; all signs point to the Black Hu Grand Preceptor Gangbaduo's involvement. We went to the relay station to investigate, but Gangbaduo had already fled, and just then the Black Hu Princess Xima mysteriously disappeared.'

Xue Lingjun, hearing him finish, finally relaxed a little; it seemed Hu Xiaotian's visit today was not aimed at her. (To be continued...)