Chapter 1865

There are simply too many things in this world that cannot be verified, and the usual outcome of such matters is to fizzle out. Hong Beimo understood this long ago, so in the affair of the Seven‑Crafts Exquisite Tower he adopted a 'big thunder, little rain' approach—making a show of a thorough investigation while taking no substantive action; his concern for the incident itself was even less than his attention to Hu Xiaotian's every move.

Hu Xiaotian had just returned to the prince's residence when Hong Beimo already showed up at the door, ostensibly to visit his adopted daughter Baobao, but in fact he had other motives; since the fire at the Seven‑Crafts Exquisite Tower, too many things have happened in these two days—the Black Hu princess went missing, the Black Hu envoy suddenly departed, and Hu Xiaotian quickly recovered Princess Xima after the Black Hu envoy left. Outsiders marveled at the shifting tides, but Hong Beimo knew it was not that simple; perhaps a thrilling game of wits has already unfolded among them, and he remains an outsider to it; one could say he previously chose to be an outsider and was happy to stay that way. As the saying goes, those involved are confused while onlookers see clearly; he must first grasp the situation before deciding his next move.

Baobao has passed the danger period, yet she still lies stiffly on the bed, with a specially made collar around her neck, which looks rather comical; she has always been optimistic; once her condition stabilized, a smile quickly appeared on her face, having endured hardship to survive to this day, she relies on nothing but her fortitude.

Hong Beimo spoke a few words of comfort beside Baobao; Baobao currently cannot converse with him, so she can only respond with her eyes; Hong Beimo did not linger long—after comforting Baobao to rest well, he stepped outside and saw Hu Xiaotian waiting there; Hu Xiaotian seemed in good spirits, his face lit with a bright smile.

Hong Beimo's lips curled into a faint smile as he clasped his hands and bowed, saying, 'Prince!'

"Mr. Hong, so early?"

Hong Beimo looked up at the brilliant red sun in the sky; it was already noon, which hardly counts as early. He smiled and said, 'I'm used to it—I heard the Prince just returned.'

Hu Xiaotian sighed inwardly; the mansion was full of people and eyes, and someone always let things slip, but going out wasn't a secret either. Hong Beimo's agents of the Heavenly Secret Bureau spread throughout Kangdu, perhaps he had been secretly monitoring his every move; knowing he had just returned wasn't surprising. Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Not bad—I went last night to rescue the Black Hu princess, tossed about all night, and just got back.'

Hong Beimo feigned astonishment and said, 'Did the Prince find Princess Xima?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'It's not that difficult—I've already rescued her safely and sent people to escort her to catch up with the Black Hu envoy; at the latest they should meet by tomorrow.'

Hong Beimo said, 'The Prince is indeed formidable—the disappearance of Princess Xima caused a huge stir, and the court mobilized everywhere to look for her; who would have thought the Prince would get there first?' He inwardly understood as well: this must be a stunt Hu Xiaotian staged himself, but since he agreed to send the princess back, he must have achieved his wish. Thinking back to the Seven‑Crafts Exquisite Tower incident, Hong Beimo inferred that this fellow had most likely gained what he wanted from Black Hu.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Lately things keep popping up—have you made any progress on the Seven‑Crafts Exquisite Tower affair, Mr. Hong?'

Hong Beimo shook his head, put on a clueless expression, sighed, and said, 'There's simply no way to start investigating. Weren't you, Prince, supposed to look into the whereabouts of the Black Hu state preceptor Gangbadu? I don't know if you've made any progress.'

Hu Xiaotian would not tell him the truth, and he let out a long sigh, saying, 'That rascally monk has already slipped away without a word—even the Black Hu envoy doesn't know where he went. I'd say there's an eighty‑percent chance he stole the Dakang state treasure and fled with it.'

Hong Beimo said, 'If this truly was Gangbadu's doing, then the Black Hu envoy should also be unable to clear themselves of involvement—why did the Prince let them go?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'In war between nations, envoys are not harmed—besides, there's no evidence at all. I've looked into this carefully as well, and Wanyan Liexin should not have been involved in the Seven‑Crafts Exquisite Tower incident.'

Hong Beimo's face full of suspicion, he said, 'The Prince seems to trust him a great deal.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'It's not that I trust him; rather, I have some information. As far as I know, those who broke into the Seven‑Crafts Exquisite Tower were the Black Hu's Fan Yin Temple.'

"Fan Yin Temple?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'This includes the Black Hu's top fighter Bu Bu Ma, and there is evidence showing that Da Yong's Prince Yan Xue Shengjing played a considerable role.'

Upon hearing Xue Shengjing's name, Hong Beimo couldn't help but frown.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I don't know much about Xue Shengjing's background, but I know he has long been colluding with Ren Tianqing; their interests are tightly linked, and this time Xue Shengjing's appearance may well be due to Ren Tianqing pulling strings behind the scenes.'

Hong Beimo said, 'Could it be merely for that skull inside the Seven‑Crafts Exquisite Tower?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'What secrets lie within that skull—I'd think you, Mr. Hong, would know better than I.'

Hong Beimo said calmly, 'You overestimate me, Prince.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Since Mr. Hong shows no sincerity, there's no point in us continuing this talk.'

Hong Beimo gave a slight start, then realized Hu Xiaotian was laying his cards before him; the two of them had previously had an in‑depth talk at the Heavenly Secret Bureau, Hu Xiaotian had already shown his intention to cooperate with him, although Hong Beimo had shown some willingness at the time, he has always been cautious about cooperating with Hu Xiaotian. One could even say Hu Xiaotian's understanding of him far surpasses his understanding of Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian has already figured out the secret of the imperial mausoleum and even learned of his relationship with Madame Xu the Elder, while he knows little about Hu Xiaotian's affairs—what vexes him most is that he does not know what Hu Xiaotian truly wants? If Hu Xiaotian merely seeks the realm and its altars, then they could naturally cooperate, but if Hu Xiaotian has some other aim? Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi joining forces within Dakang, aside from himself, there is no other power that could oppose them—what if their goal is merely to paralyze him, only to ultimately eliminate him?

Hong Beimo felt he had reached another crossroads in life; he had to make a choice, and after a moment's thought he said, 'Xue Shengjing actually approached me for cooperation!'

Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted; amid his shock, many of his confusions were cleared up. No wonder Xiang Shanqiong could seize the Smoky Water Pavilion in Kangdu, no wonder he could openly start the business of the Flavor Tower, no wonder they could take in the many industries of Yunshao Prefecture and carve out their own domain in Kangdu—behind it all lay the support of the Heavenly Secret Bureau. Actually this is no mystery; without a powerful backer, how could an external force like Xiang Shanqiong rise so quickly?

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Xue Shengjing is no simpleton—he's colluded with Ren Tianqing, allied with the Black Hu people, and yet he managed to dupe you into supporting him…' He paused and added, 'I just don't know what he promised you in return.' There's no such thing as a free lunch; a wily old schemer like Hong Beimo never acts without seeing a rabbit before loosing his hawk—if he hadn't gained considerable benefit, he wouldn't have facilitated Xue Shengjing at all.

Hong Beimo smiled faintly: 'Building the imperial mausoleum requires vast funds; the Princess has grown suspicious of my expenditures, secretly having Yang Lingqi quietly audit my accounts, and the allocations for the mausoleum have been repeatedly cut.'

Hu Xiaotian sighed inwardly; it all came down to money—even with Hong Beimo's abilities he would be at a loss here, and since he could get no funds from Qiqi, he had to seek other avenues; Xue Shengjing's appearance at this moment was like timely rain for him.

Hong Beimo said, 'I had thought Xue Shengjing, having lost influence in Da Yong, was like a stray dog, but I never expected him to still wield such power.'

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Have you ever heard of the immortal emissaries?'

Hong Beimo pressed his lips together and did not answer Hu Xiaotian's question.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You've surely heard of the Wuji Observatory, right?'

Hong Beimo slowly nodded and said, 'Legend has it the Wuji Observatory was built by the Heaven‑Ordained Ones; supposedly its original site lay in Donghu, but after Donghu's fall it can no longer be verified.'

Hu Xiaotian had also heard this, the northern Hu state originally consisted of two parts: Bei Hu and Dong Hu, the two were constantly at odds, waging war without cease, one hundred thirty years ago they erupted in the largest war in recorded history, casualties on both sides were heavy, and just then, a stray force of the Heiqin tribe arising from the Gan Na River, taking advantage of their weakness, it in one sweep annexed both states, united all the Hu tribes, and founded the Black Hu Empire, during that period the Hu tribes fought repeatedly, corpses littered the fields, blood flowed like rivers, the Wuji Observatory was also destroyed then, though only its buildings were razed; its lineage still has practitioners wandering the world, as time passed, those disciples originating from the Wuji Observatory became ever more mysterious, with few ever showing themselves publicly, yet the influence of the Wuji Observatory has not utterly faded; earlier rumors held that the killer of the Beggars' Gang chief, Kongkong Daoist, was a disciple of the Wuji Observatory.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'The Wuji Cavern, the Wuji Observatory, and the immortal emissaries ought to be somehow linked; Ren Tianqing is an immortal emissary—though he is nominally a disciple of the Wuxian Sect, I believe he too comes from the Wuji Observatory, and as for Xue Shengjing, he likewise has countless ties to the Wuji Observatory.'

Hong Beimo said, 'Even if we proved they're related, what would that show?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Mr. Hong shouldn't be a muddlehead; that day at the Heavenly Secret Bureau I actually made myself clear enough, yet you seem to want me to explain things even more plainly.'

Hong Beimo silently gazed at Hu Xiaotian, waiting for him to lay his cards further.

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Where are those two headless skeletons now? Mr. Hong, why are you concealing and not reporting them?'

Hong Beimo's old face flushed; actually, when Hu Xiaotian mentioned that night his escape from Long Ling Shengjing, he had already guessed that the explosion was caused by Hu Xiaotian, the passage from Long Ling Shengjing to the outside world was Hu Xiaotian's escape route, and since Hu Xiaotian had experienced the whole process, he naturally would have seen those two coffins.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Those two skeletons should belong to the Mandate Bearers; their skulls were severed, the skeletons exist in Long Ling Shengjing, Mr. Hong perhaps thinks there is also a great secret hidden within the skeletons?" (To be continued... ^~^)