Chapter 1885

Hu Xiaotian said: "The purpose of Liu Yuzhang joining forces with me is to get me to convince you and Qiqi to open the underground palace of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda hidden in the imperial palace; only the two of you working together can possibly open it." Facing Ji Feihua, he had no concealment at all.

Ji Feihua furrowed her brows and softly asked: "Did he tell you what exactly is in the underground palace?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "I'm not sure, but it's very important anyway."

Ji Feihua said: "Liu Yuzhang is a crafty and sinister person; you need to be careful working with him."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Everyone has a weakness; he's no exception."

Ji Feihua gazed at the confident Hu Xiaotian and softly said: "I don't know what he said that actually made you believe him."

Hu Xiaotian said: "He wants revenge!"

Ji Feihua's gaze dimmed; who wouldn't want revenge? Thinking it over, besides revenge, it seems there's nothing else she can do in this world—what kind of sorrow is that, and who could understand her pain?

Hu Xiaotian said: "Do you know who he wants to deal with?"

Ji Feihua said indifferently: "No matter who it is, I'm not interested!"

Hu Xiaotian looked at Ji Feihua's back, suddenly mustered courage and walked toward her; before he could reach her, he heard Ji Feihua say: "I should go!"

Hu Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise: "Just leave like that?"

Ji Feihua said: "It's not a farewell forever; we'll meet again in Heihu in three months."

Hu Xiaotian remembered something: "Right, wait a moment!"

Ji Feihua stopped, but saw Hu Xiaotian unfastening his long robe; although she was used to storms, she didn't know what this rascal intended to do, and exclaimed in surprise: "What are you doing?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "This set of wing armor I obtained from the headquarters of the Wuxian Sect; combined with the energy stored in the light sword, it allows me to soar a thousand miles in a day."

Ji Feihua understood his intentions, a warm feeling rose in her heart, yet her expression remained indifferent as she said: "I don't need it; you keep it!" She took off the light sword, intending to leave it together with Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian had already begun to take off the wing armor: "I have a flying eagle; now the weather is turning cold, Xia Zhangming has already sent the Snow Eagle to recall my flying eagle for me, and besides, I have many helpers around me, while you always go it alone—although your martial arts are superb, I still can't put my mind at ease."

Ji Feihua coldly said: "When did you become so fussy?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Of course, I'm also considering myself; from here to Heihu Gu Ying Bao is ten thousand li away—even with a swift horse, traveling day and night would take over a month to get there, assuming no mishaps along the way; with this wing armor, you can ensure you arrive at Gu Ying Bao on time and won't miss my pigeon."

Ji Feihua wore a disdainful expression: "All this talk is still for your own sake." She naturally understood in her heart that Hu Xiaotian wasn't thinking that way; he was sincerely concerned for her, yet why did she need others' concern? If someone treated her like that, Ji Feihua might have already flicked her sleeves and left, but Hu Xiaotian doing this made her heart warm and slightly sour. Worried that Hu Xiaotian would see her weakness, she nodded and said: "Okay, I'll accept it, treating it as a deposit for accompanying you to forcefully storm Fan Yin Si."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Good! Then we'll meet again in three months."

Ji Feihua put away the wing armor and softly said: "Although Fan Yin Si is located in Heihu, inside the temple lie hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with masters as numerous as clouds; its true strength might not be inferior to Tianlong Temple, and relying only on us and Liu Yuzhang probably won't suffice."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why don't I summon a few more helpers?"

Ji Feihua shook her head: "Your subordinates going would just be throwing their lives away; leave it to me—I'll see if I can persuade Master Yuanmu to come."

Hu Xiaotian knew she had deep ties with Yuanmu, smiling and nodding: "If Master Yuanmu can go, that would be best; also, let's see if we can invite Master Kongjian—if he can go, he will surely sweep through Fan Yin Si."

Ji Feihua said indifferently: "Master Kongjian has long seen through the mortal world; he will certainly not participate in such matters." Her gaze fell on Hu Xiaotian's face, she sighed: "Although you have shaken hands and made peace with the Yongyang Princess, her temperament is changeable, ultimately there is considerable uncertainty; I think the safest approach is to marry her."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, Ji Feihua actually worrying about his marriage; he said meaningfully: "I still want to marry many more; can you help persuade them all?"

Ji Feihua said: "Greed leads to swallowing an elephant like a snake; one Long Qiqi is enough to give you a headache—aren't you afraid that marrying so many formidable roles will set the inner courtyard ablaze every day?"

"Living a red-hot, fiery life is what's really exciting!"

Ji Feihua glanced toward the prince's residence and said: "Go back, don't keep your beloved waiting too long."

Baobao, still not fully recovered, chatted until she grew tired and drifted into sleep; Long Xi Yue covered her with a blanket, smiled warmly, rose to leave, but discovered Hu Xiaotian standing right behind her, startling her so much she almost cried out.

Hu Xiaotian covered her cherry lips, gave her a soft shush, and the two left Baobao's room hand in hand, then gently closed the door.

Returning to their bedroom, the two clasped hands, gazed into each other's eyes—having just reunited yet about to part, their reluctance overflowed. Hu Xiaotian said: "You must be careful!"

Long Xi Yue couldn't help but giggle at his words, released his hands, placed her arms on his shoulders, and said: "Be careful of what? Be careful of Qiqi?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "Naturally, it's her!"

Long Xi Yue said with a hint of reproach: "If she heard those words, she wouldn't know how heartbroken she'd be."

Hu Xiaotian said: "If she's truly heartbroken, that's actually a good thing."

Long Xi Yue said: "Actually, she's always cared about you in her heart."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "You're really selfless, desperately pushing me outward—don't you have even a shred of jealousy in your heart?"

Long Xi Yue said: "What's there to be jealous of? I'm happy when you're happy, and besides, one person alone can't possibly handle you..." Her pretty face flushed from shyness.

Hu Xiaotian burst into loud laughter, feeling proud again in his heart.

Long Xi Yue flung herself into his embrace, her pretty face buried in his chest, and whispered: "Xiaotian, we've been married this long—why hasn't there been any movement?" She, being thin-skinned, found it embarrassing to ask, but she didn't suspect it was Hu Xiaotian's fault; rather, she doubted herself, given that in today's era, a woman's inability to conceive after marriage is usually blamed on her, and few consider a male issue.

Hu Xiaotian inevitably felt embarrassed again, cleared his throat and said: "Well, there's no rush—having a child can't be rushed; as long as we practice diligently, we'll eventually succeed—if once doesn't work, we try twice; if twice fails, we try three times..."

Long Xi Yue whispered: "We've already tried not less than a hundred times, yet still... it's like this..."

"Uh... good things take effort, proving we haven't put in enough depth!"

"Annoying, she's talking to you about serious matters!"

No life is perfect, not just for Hu Xiaotian. Everyone in this world has their own worries; Xue Lingjun also has hers. Although she joined forces with Li ShenZhou to control the Da Yong court, she hasn't felt happiness; instead, her worries have grown more and more, as Hu Xiaotian said—Li ShenZhou is extremely obsessive in feelings, to the point of near abnormality; he doesn't just want to possess her body, he wants to possess her entirely—past, present, and future—making Xue Lingjun feel imprisoned, causing her to become cautious and prudent, even afraid to casually speak with other men, for any word reaching Li ShenZhou's ears would surely stir up great trouble.

Although this trip to Dakang wasn't a success, it wasn't a failure either; while the Dakang side didn't agree to ally with Da Yong, they likewise didn't ally with Heihu, and moreover, the Heihu envoy used this mission's opportunity to steal Dakang's national treasure.

When the ship sailed past the Yong River, it meant entering Da Yong's territory. Although these years Hu Xiaotian has devoured much of Da Yong's land, Da Yong's territory remains vast. Xue Lingjun never believed in talk of eternal national prosperity; she holds that a nation's rise and fall is directly tied to its ruler, and she doesn't think her elder brother Xue Shengkang is that capable—many of his major policies still bear her own shadow. She even believes that if she herself were to preside over court affairs, Da Yong's situation might not be worse than when her imperial brother was in power. Li ShenZhou, though emotionally pathological, has vision and ability that none can deny; her partnership with Li ShenZhou ought to have ushered in an unprecedented golden age for Da Yong, yet things turned out otherwise. Da Yong not only failed to see the expected prosperity, but swiftly declined into a mire, plagued by internal and external troubles, with constant natural disasters.

The Heihu army pressing the border goes without saying; without Weichi Chong in Bei Jiang, the defense line would likely have been broken long ago. Weichi Chong's military importance determines his indispensable status in the Da Yong court; Li ShenZhou once tried to win him over, but Weichi Chong should have seen through Da Yong's internal situation, choosing neutrality and refusing to join any side. As the war with Heihu dragged on, Weichi Chong's position grew ever more vital, his prestige in the military reaching its peak—this made Li ShenZhou both hate and fear him, yet reality left him with no recourse.

Originally thought to be merely a useless seventh prince, Xue Daoming, after enduring a period, swiftly gained massive support from officials and the populace—this all stemmed from his performance during a sudden plague outbreak; afterward it was rumored that Xue Daoming's ability to turn the tide was thanks to Hu Xiaotian, the news, though unconfirmed, is quite credible, and only Da Yong falling into internal strife best serves Hu Xiaotian's interests.

The former vassal state of Bohai has now completely turned to Hu Xiaotian's camp; the originally opposed Hu Xiaotian and the Dakang court suddenly thawed, and during this mission, Xue Lingjun personally witnessed Hu Xiaotian and the Yongyang Princess shaking hands and making peace—once a woman falls for a man, her life is very likely to change because of it.

Another update, please cast your guaranteed monthly ticket! (To be continued~^~)