Chapter 1873

Hu Xiaotian's nerves tensed instantly; he almost immediately judged that the voice came from Liu Yuzhang. Since the speaker used voice transmission, Shi Xuedong should not have heard it.

Hu Xiaotian said softly: "Leave first; without my permission, no one may enter!"

Shi Xuedong felt relieved, turned and fled.

Hu Xiaotian came to the medicine storehouse's main door, closed the door, then turned around leisurely, his gaze searching for Liu Yuzhang's location.

A beam of light suddenly appeared ahead; under its pale yellow glow, a white-haired old man appeared in Hu Xiaotian's field of vision, his expression kind and his face clean-shaven—who else could it be but Liu Yuzhang?

Although Hu Xiaotian had long known from Ji Feihua that Liu Yuzhang was still alive in this world, only today did he finally see his true appearance with his own eyes. Gazing at Liu Yuzhang before him, he could not help but recall all the moments they had shared, the many cares and kindness Liu Yuzhang had shown him, and also Liu Yuzhang's deep scheming in deceiving heaven and escaping like a cicada shedding its shell. This elder, once regarded by Hu Xiaotian as a kin, harbored an unfathomable heart—just how many secrets lay hidden within him, and what purpose had he held for Hu Xiaotian back then?

Liu Yuzhang smiled at Hu Xiaotian, his eyes full of gratification, like an elder looking at a junior, his voice warm and affectionate: "Xiaotian, you've grown up."

A faint smile appeared on Hu Xiaotian's lips: "I'm glad to see you still alive, sir."

Liu Yuzhang laughed: "You are indeed extraordinary; most people in this world feel afraid when they see me."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What does Eunuch Liu have that would make me afraid?"

Liu Yuzhang chuckled.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Was it you who killed Little Dengzi?"

Liu Yuzhang nodded and said: "He came in to steal something, and I happened to catch him. According to palace rules, he had already committed a capital offense and deserved death."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Was Fugui also killed by your hand?"

Liu Yuzhang said: "He found a place he shouldn't have, brought death upon himself—who else is to blame?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Hearing you say that, I'm starting to worry about myself."

Liu Yuzhang smiled: "Why fear me? How could we bear to harm you?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Perhaps you lack the confidence to kill me." With that sentence he laid bare Liu Yuzhang's true thoughts.

Liu Yuzhang sighed: "After all these years, you're still as sharp as ever, but hasn't anyone told you that in this world, overly clever people often don't live long?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You're also quite clever, yet you're doing just fine."

Liu Yuzhang smiled, narrowing his eyes as he nodded: "Don't forget I'm a eunuch—I'm not even considered a proper person!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Every time I come here, I can't help but recall all the kindness Eunuch Liu showed me in the past; seeing him still alive and well fills my heart with relief."

Liu Yuzhang said: "We would rather believe everything you say is true; after all, there are no walls that keep out the wind, and with Ji Feihua's shrewdness, we couldn't keep this hidden from him for long."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Eunuch Liu's actions often surprise me; although I guessed he was hiding in the palace, I never expected him to show himself." Hu Xiaotian wasn't lying; he had never imagined Liu Yuzhang would dare appear before him. He deduced two possibilities: either Liu Yuzhang's martial arts had reached perfection, giving him the confidence to face him without fear, or Liu Yuzhang had some motive and needed to meet him face to face to discuss terms—or perhaps both.

Liu Yuzhang said: "Because we believe you won't harm us!"

Hu Xiaotian said meaningfully: "People always change."

Liu Yuzhang nodded, deeply agreeing: "Actually, when you just entered the secret passage, I was observing you from the shadows."

Hu Xiaotian's heart tightened; Qiqi had just acted a little panicked—could she have sensed Liu Yuzhang's presence? After thinking, that possibility seemed unlikely, since his martial arts far surpassed Qiqi's; there was no reason he wouldn't notice while she could. Why would Qiqi react so strangely? Could Liu Yuzhang and Qiqi share the same bloodline, such that beings of the same kind have telepathic resonance? Since he is not a descendant of the Heaven's Mandate, perhaps that's why he felt nothing.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Did Eunuch Liu already know the secrets beneath the wine cellar and medicine storehouse?"

Liu Yuzhang said: "The wine cellar isn't really a secret; many people know those passageways, but back then we never imagined that the entrance to Long Ling Shengjing lay underwater in the Jade Pool."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself: If you knew this secret, you would probably have already taken the skull inside Long Ling Shengjing for yourself. He said softly: "Is what's down here the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda?"

Liu Yuzhang nodded.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Was the skull that Long Xuanjiao took away years ago given to her by you?"

Liu Yuzhang countered: "Do you think she had the ability to do that?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "So you've already entered the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda?"

Liu Yuzhang smiled: "Of course!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Since you've already gone in and taken the skull, why return again? Could there be something else inside the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda?"

Liu Yuzhang praised: "Smart—beneath the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda lies an underground palace; we entered the pagoda but couldn't get into the underground palace, so we had to come back." He was quite frank, not hiding his purpose.

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself: Liu Yuzhang's willingness to tell him this secret must be because he still cannot enter the underground palace of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, so he is revealing the truth; this old eunuch almost certainly wants to cooperate with him, otherwise he wouldn't have shown himself.

Hu Xiaotian said: "You've known about the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda for so many years—why only now do you think of solving the secret of the underground palace?"

Liu Yuzhang sighed: "This is a long story. Back then we gave the skull to Hu Buwei, who managed to let Long Xuanjiao take it out of the palace. At that time we didn't know there was an underground palace beneath the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. I remained in the Dakang imperial palace with the aim of finding another skull, but found nothing. Just as we were about to give up hope, a woman entered the Dakang palace." He paused here, his expression showing extreme anguish and confusion.

Hu Xiaotian whispered: "But Ling Jiazi?"

Liu Yuzhang nodded: "Exactly, it's her!"

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself: Ling Jiazi's appearance was no coincidence; according to Quan De'an, Qiqi was born from Ling Jiazi's seven-year pregnancy. If Qiqi and Ji Feihua share the same father but different mothers, then Chu Yuanhai's death might have been the cause of Ling Jiazi entering the palace—what role did she play? Did she enter the palace to avenge Chu Yuanhai?

Liu Yuzhang said: "This woman is no ordinary person; within a single year she managed to bewilder Long Xuan'en and his father, even causing figures like Hong Beimo and Quan De'an to willingly serve her."

Hu Xiaotian recalled what Ji Feihua had told him earlier: when Ji Feihua first entered the palace, Liu Yuzhang, to cure some strange ailment of his body, had taken two large bowls of her blood every seven days as a medicinal guide for five full years. Only after Ling Jiazi's interference did Ji Feihua manage to break free. Thinking of what Liu Yuzhang had done to Ji Feihua, Hu Xiaotian felt a deep disgust from the bottom of his heart—this kindly‑looking old eunuch harbored such a vicious heart.

Yet Hu Xiaotian showed no sign of disgust on the surface, speaking softly: "Are you also bewitched by her?"

Liu Yuzhang, hearing him use the word "bewitched," couldn't help but let out a strange laugh: "If I were a whole man, I would surely be bewitched by her—too bad I'm not." He sighed again and said: "With her wisdom and scheming, she certainly wouldn't need to bind herself to the imperial family; how could Long Xuan'en and Long Yelin's father and son catch her eye? We quickly realized she was merely using the crown princess's identity as a cover; behind it lay another purpose."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What purpose? Is it the same as yours—also seeking the skull?"

Liu Yuzhang nodded: "After learning her purpose, we deliberately approached her, feigning to leak some information."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself: Ling Jiazi's wisdom is extraordinary; she surely wouldn't fall so easily for Liu Yuzhang's trick.

As expected, Liu Yuzhang sighed: "We told her the secret of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, hoping to exchange it for the secret of Long Ling Shengjing from her, but we never imagined this woman would be so cunning—after obtaining the secret from us she refused to fulfill her promise; moreover, she altered the pagoda's mechanism, so even we can't get in now."

Hu Xiaotian secretly amused, Liu Yuzhang clearly having been outwitted by Ling Jiazi—gaining nothing, losing even more: not only did he fail to obtain the secret of Long Ling Shengjing, but Ling Jiazi also learned about the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. He deliberately sighed: "Your status differs from hers; she is the crown princess, and the old emperor is infatuated with you, so you naturally cannot move against her."

Liu Yuzhang chuckled: "Don't forget what we just said—clever people often don't live long. Although she had schemed to the utmost, her heart was too lofty and her life too frail; figures like Hong Beimo, Ren Tianqing, and Long Xuan'en—who among them is ordinary? Who lacks their own calculations? No matter how strong she is, she remains a woman; coincidentally encountering a difficult childbirth, yet no one knows that everyone was waiting for this opportunity."

Hu Xiaotian drew a cold breath from the depths of his heart; thus it seems likely that Ling Jiazi did not die of difficult labor, but rather nine times out of ten these people joined forces to kill her.

Liu Yuzhang said: "At that time the situation was extremely urgent; the emperor summoned the ghost physician Fu Luo to come and save her."

Hu Xiaotian listened with full attention; he had always been curious about what happened back then, and Liu Yuzhang appeared to be an eyewitness to that event—he should know the true cause of Ling Jiazi's death. (To be continued~^~)