Chapter 221

Hu Xiaotian felt this stifling annoyance; this demoness truly had no sense—she said that only to stir up trouble between them and the Shajia envoy.

Moshali heard her say that, then clasped his fists again and said, "Your Highness, she has already admitted it."

Prince Long Yefang's expression was somewhat awkward; Xi Yan's words put him in a difficult position. Moshali insisted that the Wuxian Sect had killed their seven people. Originally, out of concern for her, he had refused Moshali's demand, but he hadn't expected Xi Yan to openly admit she was of the Wuxian Sect. Now Moshali comes again demanding a person, and he finds it hard to say anything. Had he known Xi Yan would be this troublesome, he should have followed Hu Xiaotian's method and stuffed her mouth with a rag.

Moshali said, "Your Highness!" Clearly he was again asking Prince Long Yefang for a person.

Hu Xiaotian walked over and raised his hand, slapping Xi Yan across the face. Although he didn't use his full strength, the slap was still extremely crisp. One slap left Xi Yan dazed. The surrounding people were also stunned. They almost simultaneously cursed in their hearts, "Beast!" How could you bring yourself to strike such a stunningly beautiful girl? Xi Yan had never suffered such humiliation in her life. Her lovely eyes instantly flashed with a chilling killing intent. If her meridians weren't sealed by Qin Yutong's silver needle, she would surely rush forward to tear Hu Xiaotian into ten thousand pieces to quell her hatred.

Hu Xiaotian snapped, "Vile wretch! How dare you spout nonsense and confuse the masses?" He turned to Moshali, hehe-laughing, "Envoy Sir, may we speak privately?"

Although Moshali had only recently come into contact with Hu Xiaotian, he had already learned of his cunning and deceit; he said coldly, "Say whatever you have to say plainly."

Prince Long Yefang also put on airs and said, "Xiaotian, say whatever you have to say; the envoy is not an outsider."

Hu Xiaotian walked over and grabbed Xi Yan's hair in one fist, pulling so hard her scalp ached; this scoundrel truly had not a shred of pity for fragrance and jade, and he said, "She is not a Wuxian Sect member; she is a singer I bought to present to Your Highness. I bound and seized her only because she refused to obey me and repeatedly tried to escape."

Xi Yan sneered, "Hu Xiaotian, you're nothing but a pack of lies."

Prince Long Yefang, taking advantage of Hu Xiaotian's words, began to press his point, saying to Moshali, "Envoy, you now understand: she is the singer Hu Xiaotian presented to me, not a Wuxian Sect follower! Do you intend to take away my gift?"

Although Moshali didn't believe their words, seeing their demeanor made it clear they wouldn't hand over Xi Yan; further talk would be useless, so he could only nod and say, "Since Your Highness has vouched for her, I have nothing more to say, but we have lost seven lives for no reason; I hope Your Highness will soon help us find the culprit." After saying that, Moshali turned and left.

Prince Long Yefang watched his retreating back and couldn't help shaking his head. Looking again at Xi Yan's pretty face, now bearing five red fingerprints—clearly from Hu Xiaotian's recent slap—he felt a pang of pity; Hu Xiaotian really was willing to strike, able to be ruthless even toward such a lovely girl.

Hu Xiaotian bowed to Prince Long Yefang and said, "Your Highness, this woman is treacherous and crafty, full of schemes; I hope Your Highness will perceive even the slightest detail." Seeing that Prince Long Yefang was reluctant to part with Xi Yan, fearing he would be beguiled by her beauty and fall into a trap again, he promptly reminded him.

Prince Long Yefang sighed. He glanced lingeringly at Xi Yan, thinking privately, setting aside whether she is a Wuxian Sect member for the moment, her appearance was indeed rather sudden; recalling her recent actions, it was clear she intended to deliberately sow discord between them and the Shajia envoy. Then it occurred to him: since Xi Yan is already in his grasp, sooner or later she will be under his control.

He gave Hu Xiaotian a discreet glance; Hu Xiaotian understood and followed him to a secluded spot, saying respectfully, "Your Highness, what are your orders?"

Prince Long Yefang lowered his voice and said, "Thank you for this great gift; please keep a close watch on her, and make sure nothing goes wrong. When we reach Xiezhou, I will reward you handsomely." Although he knew Hu Xiaotian had just been appeasing Moshali with those words, Prince Long Yefang apparently took them to heart; he was determined to keep this gift.

Yes!

After Prince Long Yefang left, Hu Xiaotian slowly returned to Xi Yan's side; she glared at him hatefully, wishing she could rush forward and bite him to death. Hu Xiaotian smiled brazenly, squatted before her, seized her hair, and said with a smile, "You could have left calmly; why insist on doing something that lands you in a trap?"

Xi Yan narrowed her beautiful eyes: "Remember my words—I will surely make you wish you were dead!"

Hu Xiaotian sighed: "Who knows what will happen later? If you're a smart girl, you'd better just obey; don't spout nonsense, or else what gets stuffed into your mouth won't be a cloth ball but a stinking sock."

You……

Hu Xiaotian added: "Those Shajia envoy people are absolutely no good; if they take you away, it's like a lamb entering a tiger's den—at best you'll be killed, at worst you'll suffer endless abuse, wishing you were dead; you'd be safer staying with me."

Xi Yan coldly said: "What good are you? Fawning and obsequious, flattering to gain favor, repaying kindness with betrayal, abandoning loyalty and righteousness, the utmost shameless lazy good-for-nothing." At this moment she hated Hu Xiaotian intensely, hurling every vicious curse she could think of at him.

Hu Xiaotian gently patted her cheek: "He who knows the times is a true talent; your beauty may fool others, but it won't fool me. I don't care what your previous purpose was; from now on you'd better obey me meekly, or if you dare to do anything detrimental to Prince Long Yefang, don't blame me for turning ruthless."

Xi Yan said: "Hu Xiaotian, don't get carried away."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I think you'd better honestly rest in the carriage; a young lady should know the three obediences and four virtues, not go about showing off."

Although Xi Yan is formidable, she was carelessly captured; now even Hu Xiaotian, a useless weakling who knows no martial arts, can bully her. No matter how angry she feels, she also realizes the situation is dire—provoking Hu Xiaotian will only bring her loss, for this scoundrel is black-hearted and will do any shameless thing.

Night fell unnoticed, the clouds still heavy, pressing so hard one could barely breathe, yet the rain stopped. The soldiers pitched their tents on the hill. Hu Xiaotian's tent was not far from the wagon where Xi Yan was imprisoned. Since he threatened her, she has indeed become much more obedient, meekly keeping her mouth shut and saying nothing; because she refrains from speaking nonsense, Hu Xiaotian no longer gives her a hard time.

Xu Heng and the others lit a bonfire in front of the tent, and several people gathered around it to start cooking.

In the distance came the aroma of roasting lamb, but it was the Shajia people roasting a whole sheep upwind, so the scent drifted right over to them.

Hu Xiaotian also smelled it and felt his stomach growl; Xu Heng walked over and smiled at him, saying, "Sir Hu, our rations can't compare to the Shajia people's."

Hu Xiaotian wondered: "Where did those Shajia people get their mutton?"

Xu Heng said: "When they left Qingyun, they loaded more than ten goats onto wagons, slaughtering the live animals as they went—enough to feed them all the way."

Hu Xiaotian scratched his head, surprised that the Shajia envoy wasn't lacking in gluttons; they had thought this through so thoroughly—it seems even these barbarians have something worth learning. He laughed: "Let's make do for today; when we reach Xiezhou, I'll treat everyone to a proper meal."

Everyone cheered in unison, though the cheer lacked much enthusiasm, for everyone knew Hu Xiaotian was just quenching his thirst by looking at plums.

At that moment Liang Qing returned with five guards; they had gone hunting and brought back a rich haul—two pheasants and four hares—just enough to improve the brothers' meals.

While they were busy preparing dinner, Hu Xiaotian alone went to the highest point of the hill, where a lookout post was stationed by Prince Long Yefang's personal attendants. Standing there, he gazed toward the Shajia camp and saw several bonfires blazing, with the Shajia envoy members gathered around the fires eating meat and drinking wine.

Hu Xiaotian pulled out a monocular from his bosom and gazed at their camp, locating where Moshali was seated; Moshali was there, cutting a piece of meat from the whole sheep and first handing it to a young man present.

That young man wore ordinary warrior's garb, with thick brows, large eyes, a drooping mustache, and a sturdy, burly build. Hu Xiaotian had seen him before but hadn't paid much attention; only now did he realize the man seemed out of the ordinary—if he were a regular warrior, Moshali wouldn't treat him with such respect. Could he be the prince of Shajia? Recalling what Vesa had told him earlier, his suspicions grew.

Qin Yutong came to his side and whispered, "Any discoveries?"

Hu Xiaotian handed her the monocular, pointing toward the Shajia camp and said, "Pay attention to the big-bearded man opposite Moshali."

Qin Yutong leaned over the monocular, observed for a while, and murmured, "Those around him seem very deferential."

Hu Xiaotian said, "You think he might be the twelfth prince of Shajia, Huoge?" Earlier he had heard Vesa mention this possibility, so he had been paying attention.

Qin Yutong's sword-brows furrowed; Hu Xiaotian covertly observed her—her disguise technique was truly superb, so even close up one could see nothing unusual about her face.

Qin Yutong lowered the monocular, realizing Hu Xiaotian was staring at her, and whispered softly, "What are you looking at me for?"

"With your current appearance, even your own parents might not recognize you." Qin Yutong's disguise technique could truly be called supernatural craftsmanship—not only is her appearance completely changed, but even her gestures bear an entirely different aura from before; it seems this girl is a formidable talent hiding her true strength.

Qin Yutong gave Hu Xiaotian a cold glance: "My parents are both dead—not everyone is as fortunate as you."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Sorry, I brought up your painful matter again."

Qin Yutong said: "It's been so long; I've long forgotten it, and there's nothing to be sad about." She returned the monocular to Hu Xiaotian: "I'll keep a close watch on the Shajia envoy's side; rest assured, your job is to keep an eye on Xi Yan and try to prevent Prince Long Yefang from seeing her."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, yet felt uneasy inside—what status does Prince Long Yefang hold, and he certainly won't listen to advice once he's made up his mind.

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