Chapter 1897

Hu Xiaotian said: "Yes! Yes!"

"What is it?" Xu Fengwu's gaze became increasingly strange.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Shit!" As he spoke, he struck like lightning, two fingers viciously jabbing into Xu Fengwu's eyes. Xu Fengwu never expected his strike to be so swift; his vision went black, then he felt excruciating pain as if his heart and lungs were torn apart. He let out a miserable scream, lifted his leg to kick at the opposite side, but before his foot could land, Hu Xiaotian punched him sideways and sent him flying.

Hu Xiaotian wiped the blood from his fingers on his cuff, looked down with contempt at Xu Fengwu rolling and wailing on the ground, and said: "Such petty tricks hardly belong in the hall of the refined."

Xu Fengwu screamed miserably: "You are so vicious..."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Using a person's own methods to treat that person's body; my biggest flaw is that I am a bit too soft-hearted."

At this moment, Xiong Tianba, carrying three giant bears and holding the head of the demon beast Yan Huyao, rushed to the scene; Zhan Peng also came alongside the Snow Eagle to Hu Xiaotian's side. Seeing that Hu Xiaotian had already captured Xu Fengwu, it proved that their night's raid had achieved complete success.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Xu Fengwu, I give you a chance to live. Who ordered the assassination of Xia Zhangming? Besides that, what other plans do you have?"

Xu Fengwu's eyes were destroyed, blood covering his face. He lifted his head toward where Hu Xiaotian was speaking and let out a heh heh crazy laugh: "You ignorant thing, do you know who you are opposing? Your actions today will surely bring heavenly punishment upon you, Hu Xiaotian; you will surely die without a burial place." As he said this, he collapsed straight to the ground. Zhan Peng walked over and looked; in the meantime, Xu Fengwu's face turned green and he vomited white foam, already dead from poison. Turning back, he told Hu Xiaotian: "He had poison hidden in his mouth; he committed suicide by poison."

Hu Xiaotian nodded. Although he hadn't gotten more information from Xu Fengwu's mouth, there was nothing to regret about that; he could determine that this matter was surely plotted behind the scenes by the Xu clan. The Xu clan finally could no longer tolerate his actions, and they wanted to strike from his side, cutting off his friends and relatives, but from the very beginning they had encountered his strong counterattack.

In Piaoxiang City's Lanping Garden, Hu Buwei held a Chazan that had long since cooled, silently gazing at the floating clouds in the sky. Deep autumn had arrived, yet the weather in Piaoxiang City remained hot; he disliked such weather, and this temperature made people's moods especially agitated, unable to calm down.

Xu Fengmei quietly appeared behind him, stopping her steps at a distance of one zhang from Hu Buwei, she bit her cherry lips and asked: "You're looking for me?"

Hu Buwei nodded, without turning, he said in a low voice: "Recently, much bad news has arrived."

Xu Fengmei said: "I don't know which aspect you refer to."

Hu Buwei slowly turned his head, his eyes fixed on Xu Fengmei, and said: "Xu Fengwu, Yan Huyao, and Li Chang'an all died at Hu Xiaotian's hands; you surely know about this, right?"

Xu Fengmei said: "This is also the grandmother's meaning. Recently, Hu Xiaotian has done a series of things that harm the Xu family's interests, eliminating Liang Da Zhuang and Xiang Qin, and killing Su Yujin. The Xu family's operations in Kangdu over the years have almost been completely destroyed by him; even Mu Rongzhan, due to Su Yujin's death, has suffered great stimulation and no longer obeys our commands. If we don't give this brat a lesson, he will only become more arrogant."

Hu Buwei sneered: "The old lady doesn't concern herself with worldly affairs; her mind is only on longevity—how could she know about these matters?"

Xu Fengmei said: "She has entrusted external affairs to me; I must respond."

"Why wasn't I informed beforehand?" Hu Buwei's tone was full of displeasure.

Xu Fengmei said: "I originally thought it was a trivial matter, not worth bothering you, but I didn't expect things to not go as smoothly as imagined."

Hu Buwei said: "Everything was fine; why did you have to provoke him?"

Xu Fengmei's lips curled with a hint of mocking smile: "Do you still regard him as your son in your heart?"

Hu Buwei shook his head and said: "I have always wanted you to endure; the old lady is already this old—she could pass any day—why rush? If we let her suspect us..."

Xu Fengmei said: "For all we know, we might die before she does!"

Hu Buwei bit his lip hard; Xu Fengmei's words clearly struck a sore spot.

Xu Fengmei said: "I've had enough; everything must be done under her command. She hasn't concerned herself with external affairs for a full five years, while you have always been cautious, reporting every matter to her—but what's the result? She's old, she no longer asks about these things, yet you still don't believe it. I just want to do something, to see her reaction!"

Hu Buwei said: "If you cannot tolerate small hardships, you will ruin great plans; we have already waited this long—why bother about waiting a few more years?"

Xu Fengmei said: "You're living in glory, you and that Long Xuanjiao are lovey-dovey, but what about me? Over these years, have you ever considered my feelings?"

Hu Buwei lowered his voice and said: "Fengmei, you are not unaware of the old lady's rules; if she finds out about our relationship, she will surely spare no cost to destroy us!"

Xu Fengmei chuckled: "You fear her, you still fear her! She is no longer the old lady of the past; she is old, soon to be so old she can't even manage her own affairs."

Deep autumn in Bei Jiang already carried the feeling of severe winter; a night of autumn frost left plants spotless white. Amid the white mountains and black waters, two horsemen rode one after another to Qilong Mountain, stopping at the summit. In the east, a red sun slowly rose from the horizon, dyeing the distant white wilderness with a reddish glow.

Grand Marshal Weichi Chong's brows were tightly knit, his expression stern and heavy. In fact, over the past year his mood had never relaxed in the slightest. Standing beside him, the young commander had a fair complexion, wore two sideburns shaped like a 'V', and though he tried to hide it, his features still showed a refined air—yet he was actually Huo Shengnan in male attire, Weichi Chong's adopted daughter. She had come to Bei Jiang a year ago to visit her foster father, saw his difficult situation, and decided to stay temporarily to care for Weichi Chong. Of course, she also bore a more important mission: as the saying goes, fine wood chooses its bird to perch. While Weichi Chong defended Bei Jiang, he also endured skepticism from within Da Yong and unprecedented immense pressure. Anyone with clear vision can see Weichi Chong's future: if Bei Jiang falls, the outcome is certain death on the battlefield; if he luckily wins, the political factions within Da Yong will not spare him either—when the birds are gone, the bows are stored; when the rabbit dies, the hounds are cooked. Weichi Chong's fate is not optimistic.

Weichi Chong turned his gaze northward; from his current position he could clearly see the Black Hu people already beginning to withdraw their camps, retreating northward. The coldest season of the year was about to arrive; waging war in such a season would be the most foolish act. The Black Hu will retreat into Yonglan Pass, and from now on both sides will have a truce lasting three to five months.

Weichi Chong sighed; his heart felt no relief at the arrival of the winter lull, only an indescribable heaviness, for he understood that war had not drifted away from him—it would return before long.

Huo Shengnan said: "Foster father, the Black Hu have withdrawn their troops."

Weichi Chong nodded and smiled faintly: "It cycles endlessly, without cease."

Huo Shengnan said: "If the fighting continues another half month, our grain and forage will likely run out."

In Weichi Chong's eyes appeared a sorrowful expression; from the standpoint of military provisions he already knew that Da Yong's domestic economy faced grave problems. Since Xue Shengkang's passing, natural disasters have plagued Da Yong incessantly—this is certainly an important factor, but a more important cause lies in the domestic power struggle. The Li Chenzo group and the Xue Daoming group's rivalry has intensified to a white-hot degree, and although Prince Yan Xue Shengjing has vanished from the world, his influence has not been erased from Da Yong; he still from time to time stirs up trouble domestically.

Whether it was Li Chenzo or Xue Daoming, both wanted to draw him into their camp; their ultimate aim was not merely that—they likely sought to seize his military authority. Over the past year, Weichi Chong had carried out a sweeping reorganization of his troops, completely removing the core supporters of Xue Daoming and Li Chenzo that had been placed within them. This was not because he wanted to monopolize military power, but because he needed to ensure the army's unity; he required a force that would absolutely obey orders and follow commands, not wanting his army to become a tool for both sides' political struggles. Without his decisive action, Bei Jiang would likely have already fallen.

Whether the court understood or not, Weichi Chong had a clear conscience about his actions; he wished to defend Bei Jiang, not only for Da Yong but also for the people of the entire Central Plains, and Huo Shengnan stayed by his side precisely for this reason.

Gazing at his adopted daughter Huo Shengnan beside him, Weichi Chong's eyes filled with pity: "Shengnan, you've been here so long—why haven't you returned? Don't you miss them?"

Huo Shengnan smiled faintly; how could she not think of them? Hu Xiaotian's outstanding figure appeared countless times in her dreams, entangling her soul, yet she also wished to do something for Hu Xiaotian, and she whispered: "Your foster father's side needs more people to look after him."

Weichi Chong gave a wry smile: "I'm not yet old enough to need someone to look after me."

Huo Shengnan said: "Do you intend to stay in Bei Jiang for the rest of your life? Even if you don't plan to go back, don't you also intend to go see Yingting? She and Liu Yucheng are already engaged, and next year's wedding date has been set; as a father, aren't you preparing to attend their wedding?"

Weichi Chong sighed: "I can't get away!"

Huo Shengnan said: "These are all excuses; it's not that you can't leave, but that you can't step out of the wall you've built around yourself."

Weichi Chong fell silent; Shengnan was right—he had always been unable to walk out of that wall, the wall he himself had built. He was an old general of Dakang who, by a twist of fate, had become a meritorious official of Da Yong, thereby violating the principle that a loyal servant does not serve two masters. How could he not know Shengnan's intention? This girl wants to persuade him to defect to Hu Xiaotian's camp, but he cannot get past this hurdle; although he knows that Da Yong's fortune has run out, he still cannot take that step. (To be continued~^~)