Chapter 1864

Although Hu Xiaotian had already agreed with Xia Zhangming and others beforehand to notify the people below for reinforcements if the situation changed, he did not do so. Sometimes having more people does not mean they can decide the advantage. Against a master like Bu Bu Ma, the more people on our side, the greater the risk of unnecessary casualties. The fact shows that Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua working together can also successfully defeat the Five Great Masters of Black Hu.

As the saying goes, even a thousand considerations by a wise person will have one oversight. Even though Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua are two people of extraordinary wisdom, they did not expect that a killer weapon was hidden in the coffin. Hu Xiaotian did not know what this thing was, but Ji Feihua recognized it; she also learned about this weapon called Mystic Light Thunder from the information in the skull. Therefore, Ji Feihua reacted in the first instant, shoving Hu Xiaotian into the robber's cave, and using heavenly dao power to form a protective barrier around them, minimizing the impact of the Mystic Light Thunder as much as possible.

When Hu Xiaotian woke up, he found himself in a dark, narrow space, with one person motionless lying on his chest, and another also motionless lying on his right side. Hu Xiaotian's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness; the one on his chest was Ji Feihua, and the one on his right was Xi Ma. Hu Xiaotian clearly remembered that at the critical moment of life and death, it was Ji Feihua who reacted first, pushing him into the underground cave. Ji Feihua used her inner strength to seal the robber's cave, and also bore most of the impact force; among the three, Ji Feihua suffered the most severe injuries.

Ji Feihua wriggled slightly in Hu Xiaotian's embrace; her consciousness remained clear, but the shockwave from the Mystic Light Thunder explosion made her bones feel as if they were about to shatter. She heard Hu Xiaotian's concerned voice saying, "Don't move, I'm right beside you."

Ji Feihua did not speak; she lowered her raised face again, now she only wanted to rest properly.

Hu Xiaotian spread his arms to embrace Ji Feihua; in the darkness he felt her arms also wrapping around him. Neither spoke, they silently held each other in this dark, narrow tomb robber's cave; it turned out darkness could be so romantic.

Hu Xiaotian was not worried about escaping; this earth-shattering explosion would certainly alert the subordinates waiting below for reinforcements, and Liang Yinghao would surely find a way to locate their position in the shortest time.

While Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua waited quietly, outside excavation had already begun in full swing.

Xia Zhangming gazed anxiously at the large pit before him, which should have been Xu Fengyi's tomb but had been blasted into a deep pit about ten zhang in diameter; the scene was a mess, with no sign of anyone. After discussing with Liang Yinghao, they decided to send a small team to search the surroundings, while the rest remained here to await Liang Yinghao's orders to begin digging.

Not long after the excavation began, they dug up some broken limbs; because the flesh was mangled, they could not tell whose limbs they were, and everyone started to worry. Liang Yinghao, however, displayed extraordinary calm, reminding everyone: "The Prince has always been blessed with great fortune; I believe he will come to no harm."

After digging for a full four hours, they finally found the robber tunnel concealed under rubble and earth. Liang Yinghao felt relieved yet could not help blaming himself, for he had previously inspected the area around the tomb but had not imagined there was a robber tunnel inside.

Hu Xiaotian had already heard the clanking of digging outside, and he shouted loudly, "Brother Yinghao, is that you?"

From outside, his voice sounded a little weak, but after all someone heard it; learning that Hu Xiaotian was trapped in the robber tunnel, everyone was overjoyed and began digging with all their might to uncover the blocked entrance.

The knocking and digging sounds grew clearer and clearer; Ji Feihua wanted to shift herself off Hu Xiaotian, but she found that this rascal still clung tightly to her.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought this was the perfect moment to reveal his feelings to Ji Feihua; he was about to speak when he heard a painful groan from beside him—it was the Black Hu Princess Xima waking up at that moment. The sight startled her, and she screamed, "You… you… what have you done to me?"

Hu Xiaotian found her words both laughable and exasperating; Xima should not know what happened during her unconscious period. Although this whole affair arose because of her, she likely does not know the details, so Hu Xiaotian said, "Let's explain after we get out."

Xima stopped speaking and only then realized that her body was almost entirely pressed against Hu Xiaotian's, with another man besides her, the three of them very close together.

After an hour, the underground passage was finally completely opened; Ji Feihua was the first to emerge, then Xima, and finally Hu Xiaotian. All three were disheveled and grimy, so much so that no disguise was needed—no one would recognize them.

Seeing that Hu Xiaotian was unharmed, his subordinates finally relaxed; Ji Feihua said nothing, and after being rescued she drifted away. Hu Xiaotian understood her solitary nature well and did not call out to stop her.

Although Xima was full of confusion about what had happened, she could hardly get the true situation from Hu Xiaotian; he only said she had been kidnapped, that he had investigated everywhere and finally learned her whereabouts, and then he brought people to rescue her at once.

After placating Xima, Hu Xiaotian called Xia Zhangming and Liang Yinghao aside and briefly told them what had happened the previous night; although neither had witnessed the life‑and‑death battle firsthand, just hearing Hu Xiaotian's account made them feel its heart‑pounding intensity.

Liang Yinghao apologetically said, "My lord, it is all my negligence; I failed to notice beforehand that they had dug a robber tunnel leading into the tomb."

At this point Hu Xiaotian was remarkably broad‑minded, comforting him: "It's not your fault; no one can foresee the future. Besides, their robber tunnel was extremely well hidden, deep beneath the ground—without opening the tomb, it would be hard to detect."

Liang Yinghao said, "The person who dug this robber tunnel is a master of the craft."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Yinghao, help me find out where the other opening of this robber tunnel is."

"Yes!" Liang Yinghao received the order and led his men away.

Xia Zhangming asked, "What should we do with the Black Hu Princess?"

Hu Xiaotian glanced at Princess Xima in the distance; she was also looking his way. In fact, the whole affair of kidnapping Xima was a production he directed and starred in himself—he had intended to use Xima to pressure the Black Hu side into surrendering the state preceptor Gang Bada, but he did not expect the Black Hu side to turn the tables, setting a trap before his mother's tomb in hopes of capturing both him and Ji Feihua in one net. Hu Xiaotian believed this matter had little to do with Wanyan Liexin; as the Northern King of Black Hu, Wanyan Liexin could not possibly ignore the princess's safety, and Bu Bu Ma Gang Bada, the executors of this deed, must have had someone else pulling the strings behind them.

Of the five who took part in the siege, four were slain by Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua, only Xiang Shancong escaping; Xiang Shancong is a trusted aide of Prince Yan Xue Shengjing of Da Yong, his participation in tonight's siege proves that Xue Shengjing and the Black Hu have secretly joined forces, and since three monks also took part in the siege, they must all have come from Fan Yin Si—how did Fan Yin Si become involved in this jianghu turmoil?

Compared with these puzzling matters, what made Hu Xiaotian feel a lingering dread was that thunderbolt of mystic light; the power of the explosion is still fresh in his memory, a weapon of such magnitude ought not to belong to this world. Ji Feihua hurried away without having time to explain the origin of the mystic‑light thunderbolt to him; she must have learned of it from the skull, and the fact that such a thunderbolt appears here proves that someone possesses this mighty killer.

His mother's tomb had become a huge pit, yet before the explosion Hu Xiaotian could see clearly that there were no remains in the coffin—had Bu Bu Ma and company stolen her bones, or had her body never been interred here? This cannot now be ascertained. Hu Xiaotian recalled the scene of burying his mother: he had laid her to rest with his own hands and witnessed her death, which is indisputable. Looking back, among his relatives the one who loved him most sincerely was Xu Fengyi, and she would never deceive him.

Dawn arrived unnoticed, the pattering night rain ceasing just before it came; the eastern sky was a clear gray mixed with a hint of dusky red, the light indistinct, giving a sense of confusion. At this moment Liang Yinghao returned to report to Hu Xiaotian: after they had opened the robber tunnel, they followed it all the way into the pine forest; the tunnel stretched more than one li, entirely hewn through the mountain rock. The purpose of boring such a long tunnel through the mountain was likely to avoid detection by Hu Xiaotian, which leaves Xia Zhangming puzzled—this tunnel is obviously freshly dug, and he cannot fathom what tools the enemy used to complete such a project in so short a time; if he tried to bore a tunnel of that length himself, he would probably need three months, given that the strata below are all rock.

After hearing Liang Yinghao's report, Hu Xiaotian's mind suddenly conjured the image of a certain person—Ghost Doctor Fu Duo. When he had first entered the mausoleum of Da Yong's Empress Dowager Jiang and encountered Ghost Doctor Fu Duo, he had used the tunnel left by the Ghost Doctor; even then he had wondered at Fu Duo's ability to dig underground passages—without tools surpassing modern technology, such a feat in a short span would be impossible. Could it be that Ghost Doctor Fu Duo also took part in this encirclement of himself and Ji Feihua?

Hu Xiaotian waved at Liang Yinghao and whispered, "Seal off the news strictly and restore the tomb to its former state."

Liang Yinghao nodded and said, "My lord, rest assured; just leave this matter to me to handle."

Hu Xiaotian then summoned Xia Zhangming, ordering him to immediately escort Princess Xima to catch up with Wanyan Lie's new black Hu envoy, saying only that they had gone through great hardship to rescue Princess Xima from the bandits, the bandits chose suicide, so their identities cannot be ascertained. (To be continued...)^~^