Chapter 205

Zhang Ziqian secretly sucked in a breath of cold air; this kid is truly ruthless—could he intend to slaughter all the officials of Qingyun County?

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Zhang, don't misunderstand; I intend to place all suspect officials under soft detention, and after Prince Long Yefang and the envoy depart safely, we'll decide what to do."

Zhang Ziqian pondered a moment, nodded, and said: "Just go ahead and do it; if anything happens, I'll take responsibility."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Zhang, it's a pity I've only been in Qingyun a short while; those clerks and bailiffs are all their confidants, so resolving this isn't that easy."

Zhang Ziqian could hardly miss that he had come to ask for help; after a moment's thought, he took a token from his waist and handed it to Hu Xiaotian, who eagerly accepted it. One can never have too much courtesy; although he had already received Ande Quan's ebony token earlier, that was reserved for critical moments.

Zhang Ziqian said: "This token was bestowed by the Grand Marshal; to see it is as if the Grand Marshal himself were present. As soon as you produce the token, any clerk or bailiff who dares to disobey shall be killed without mercy."

Hu Xiaotian's face lit up; he thought, "This is a treasure—it carries supreme authority in Xichuan. My future father-in-law will be the Local Emperor of this region, and his token in Xichuan is equivalent to the Imperial Sword."

Zhang Ziqian also said: "This is no trivial matter; I will immediately go to Xizhou to report to the Grand Marshal, and at once arrange protection along the route. To facilitate your actions, I will leave Liang Qing and Xu Heng at your disposal; their martial arts are superb and will surely aid you." The two named individuals are Liang Qing and Xu Heng, the capable assistants Zhang Ziqian brought this time, both possessing extraordinary martial arts.

Hu Xiaotian nodded repeatedly and said: "That couldn't be better!"

After receiving the token, Hu Xiaotian immediately felt emboldened. As the two were about to discuss concrete plans, Prince Long Yefang unexpectedly arrived; Zhang Ziqian and Hu Xiaotian hurried out to greet him. This time the prince brought only two guards, making for a light entourage. His purpose in seeking Hu Xiaotian was simple: to have him accompany him to the Fulai Inn.

Hu Xiaotian found this amorous seventeenth prince genuinely headache-inducing; Xi Yan had already clearly refused him. Yet the prince persisted with relentless pursuit. Hu Xiaotian's true concern was Xi Yan's identity: if Senior Eunuch Ande Quan's words were true, she was a demoness of the Wuxian Sect, and the prince's close association with her could jeopardize his safety.

Although Zhang Ziqian treated the prince courteously, he had no intention of seizing the opportunity to flatter him; in fact, a prince like Long Yefang offered little usable value. Among the many princes, if succession were ranked one, two, three, four, Long Yefang wouldn't even make the top ten. Zhang Ziqian, worldly and experienced, instantly saw through the prince's purpose. Staying would only be inconvenient, so he saw no reason to linger and promptly took his leave.

After Zhang Ziqian left, Prince Long Yefang brought up the matter of having Hu Xiaotian accompany him to the Fulai Inn to pay respects to Xi Yan. Hu Xiaotian felt truly helpless with this fellow; after some consideration, he decided he must enlighten the amorous prince, otherwise trouble would ensue, and he invited the prince into his study. Speaking softly, he said: "Your Highness Thousand Years, it's not that I, your humble servant, don't wish to help you; it's that this matter is indeed rather complicated."

Prince Long Yefang, hearing his evasions, immediately darkened in expression and coldly said: "What's so complicated? I merely ask you to accompany me on a trip; I'm not forcing you to do wrong—yet you refuse even that?"

Hu Xiaotian accompanied his words with a smile: "Your Highness, there's something I've never dared to tell you… I hope you won't blame me." He deliberately put on an expression of hesitation and inner conflict.

Prince Long Yefang furrowed his brows: "Speak! I won't blame you."

Hu Xiaotian lowered his voice: "Xi Yan is very likely a demoness of the Wuxian Sect."

Prince Long Yefang stared for a moment upon hearing this, then a faint smile appeared on his face.

Seeing his expression, Hu Xiaotian was stunned; I said, "I told you she's a demoness, why are you still acting so excited, you bastard?"

Prince Long Yefang said: "Since you know, why not arrest her?"

Now it was Hu Xiaotian's turn to be stunned; he hurriedly said: "It's merely a suspicion; we still lack concrete evidence."

Prince Long Yefang said: "Evidence? Arrest them first and then look for proof. Immediately take people to seize them all; the Wuxian Sect's plot to overthrow the court is a heretical cult expressly forbidden by Dakang, to be punished by all, and must not be left unchecked. Arrest them, and I will personally interrogate them."

Hu Xiaotian noticed that the prince's expression showed not hatred but a barely concealed delight; he immediately understood that this amorous prince wanted to use the occasion to play the hero saving the beauty, or perhaps he had merely lusted after Xi Yan's looks and now could openly claim her as his own. Hu Xiaotian felt his cleverness had backfired; by deliberately leaking this information to the prince, he had entrapped himself.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Your Highness, this must absolutely not be done; they are merely minor minions of the Wuxian Sect. I intend to play a long line to catch a big fish—now is not the time to reel in."

Prince Long Yefang's face darkened: "Hu Xiaotian, what do you mean? You clearly know they are demon persons of the Wuxian Sect—do you still intend to let them run free? What exactly is your relationship with her, and why is she so close to you?"

Hu Xiaotian wished he could slap the guy's two mouths and then give himself a big slap—damn me, am I not just asking for trouble? Why bring this up with him for no reason? This bastard simply doesn't know how treacherous people's hearts are; he's a complete lust‑addled fool. As long as he can get Xi Yan into his hands, he couldn't care less about anything else.

Hu Xiaotian muttered "damn" more than ten times in his heart, but by now he was already riding a tiger and couldn't get off.

Prince Long Yefang lightly turned the jade thumb ring in his hand, glanced at Hu Xiaotian, and said coldly: "Hu Xiaotian, if you truly feel embarrassed, I can have someone else do this."

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed; this Prince Long Yefang is no good bird. I told him to retreat when facing difficulty, not for his safety, yet you ungratefully bite the hand that feeds you—like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, you don't know goodwill. No wonder they say serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; these princes are hardly any good, all of them undomesticated wolf cubs.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Your Highness, I'll arrange this right away!"

At this moment, Prince Long Yefang's expression eased somewhat, and he said softly: "Forget it; I don't want to force anyone, so let others handle this."

Hu Xiaotian thought: "You bastard, love whoever you want; it's better not to involve me."

Prince Long Yefang summoned a personal guard, ordering him to go to the Qingyun County magistrate's office and convey his command for Magistrate Xu Qinglian to lead men in apprehending the Wuxian Sect demoness. The prince had no intention of leaving; he sat in Hu Xiaotian's study, making it clear he intended to wait it out. Hu Xiaotian understood they were worried he might go leak the news. Reflecting, he realized this whole affair stemmed from his own actions—originally he had merely wanted to expose Xi Yan's identity to make the prince back off, but instead he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

Prince Long Yefang sat there, making idle chatter about the local customs of Xichuan. Hu Xiaotian, meanwhile, felt as if sitting on pins and needles. He knew Xi Yan's martial prowess; her bold appearance in Qingyun was directly tied to her formidable strength. As for her being a member of the Wuxian Sect, Hu Xiaotian had no concrete proof—only Senior Eunuch Ande Quan's say-so. Yet over the past two days, Ande Quan had not shown himself publicly, suggesting the prince likely didn't know that this old eunuch had also come to Qingyun.

After about half an hour, Magistrate Xu Qinglian came in person to report; he had personally led the bailiffs there, but found the place empty—Xi Yan and her companions had already vanished. Thus he could only seize the inn's owner, Su Guangju, who is now held in the government office awaiting interrogation.

Upon hearing that Xi Yan had not been captured, Prince Long Yefang instantly lost all interest, said nothing about what to do next, rose and flicked his sleeves away—clearly he was in a foul mood.

Magistrate Xu Qinglian also didn't know what the prince meant, and hurriedly followed him out.

Hu Xiaotian did not follow them out; the prince is simply a play‑loving sort who, when excited, never considers the consequences.

After the prince's toss‑and‑turn, Hu Xiaotian's pleased mood took a big hit; at noon that day, Qin Yutong came to visit.

This time Qin Yutong came not to discuss medical skills but to bring the previous examination results: the two assassins had both died from the Five Absolutes Yin Poison Powder, a toxin secretly concocted within the Wuxian Sect.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's heavy heart, Qin Yutong said softly: "Sir Hu, are you troubled by something?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed: "Lately misfortunes have been one after another in Qingyun City; I just heard that the manager of the Charitable Estate, Zhu Yannian, died suddenly."

Qin Yutong's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she said softly: "How could this happen?"

Hu Xiaotian recalled what Xi Yan had said to him the previous night, in which she had especially warned him to keep his distance from Qin Yutong, yet he didn't know what grudge existed between the two of them.

Hu Xiaotian said quietly: "I've received word that demon persons of the Wuxian Sect have appeared recently in Qingyun City; I don't know what they are plotting."

Qin Yutong said: "Just now, as I passed the Fulai Inn, I saw soldiers and bailiffs surrounding the place, saying they were going to arrest Wuxian Sect followers; I don't know how things turned out."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'm not entirely clear either; it's just that many people have come to the city lately, and even if a few Wuxian Sect members slip in, it's hardly avoidable."

Qin Yutong blinked her bright eyes and said softly: "Sir, do you have a grudge against the Wuxian Sect?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "No grudge at all!"

Qin Yutong said: "Then why would they assassinate you in Flying Eagle Valley?"

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile: "Even I'm not clear on it." He then recalled another matter, rose to fetch the wooden box containing Wan Tingguang's hair and fingernails—these had all been collected by Murong Feiyan. He had originally intended to discard them, but at the crucial moment he changed his mind, deciding to get to the bottom of this affair; Qin Yutong clearly has the ability to uncover the truth. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)