Chapter 270: Sudden Ambush (Part I)

Hu Xiaotian had already become a trusted aide before Liu Eunuch in the eyes of the eunuchs of the Imperial Gardens Bureau, handling almost every matter big or small, so everyone treated him with great courtesy. Hu Xiaotian casually picked a black myrica fruit and handed it to Baobao. Baobao tasted it, feeling an extreme sourness upon entry, her delicate brows knitting together. She smacked her lips and said, "So sour!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and asked, "How does it feel?"

Baobao replied, "It's nothing like bayberries; it's even more sour than hawthorn."

Hu Xiaotian had the storehouse eunuch pack a small basket for Baobao to take away, and casually grabbed two green mangoes—since she had come, he couldn't let her return empty‑handed.

Baobao smiled like a blossom and said, "Eunuch Hu, you're truly kind."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "Sister, there's no need to be so polite with me. We all serve the palace, doing the same servant's work. Being accommodating to others is being accommodating to oneself, right?"

Baobao nodded, feeling this little eunuch was indeed sharp and clever. Holding a bamboo basket full of fruit, she turned to leave the storehouse. Before exiting the cellar, she seemed to recall something: "Eunuch Hu, Consort Lin wanted to eat bayberries. If I bring these back, will she think I'm just brushing her off?" Hu Xiaotian said, "Sister, just explain the situation when you return. I believe Consort Lin is reasonable and won't make things difficult for you."

Baobao added, "By the way, I heard your bureau has plenty of fruit wines, but I don't know if there's any bayberry wine. Although I can't find bayberries, if I could bring some bayberry wine back, I could certainly report to Consort Lin."

Hu Xiaotian wasn't particularly familiar with these matters; after asking the storehouse eunuch, he learned the wine cellar should have bayberry wine, but the key was in Liu Yuzhang's hands, and Liu Yuzhang was still napping. Baobao waited about half an hour, then Liu Yuzhang woke up, Hu Xiaotian requested the key, and personally went to the cellar to fetch bayberry wine for her.

Baobao offered to follow Hu Xiaotian to the cellar to see it. Hu Xiaotian thought, Might as well see the good deed through, so he brought Baobao and opened the door into the cellar.

This was Hu Xiaotian's first time entering this underground wine cellar. The cellar has three levels; bayberry wine is stored on the first level, so it's easy to find. Hu Xiaotian also summoned a few helpers, and before long he gave Baobao a jar of bayberry wine. Baobao's beautiful eyes glanced left and right, curious about the cellar's internal structure. She whispered, "This cellar is huge—are all the palace's fine wines hidden here?" Hu Xiaotian smiled, "These are just ordinary fruit wines. The truly fine wines are kept in the imperial wine cellar."

Baobao said, "Thank you, Eunuch Hu." Then, satisfied, she departed. Hu Xiaotian saw her holding a basket in one hand and cradling the jar of bayberry wine in the other, worried she'd tire on the way, so he specially assigned Shi Xuedong a light task to have him escort Baobao to Lingyu Hall.

After everyone left, Hu Xiaotian could no longer contain his curiosity. He slowly descended to the second level of the cellar and found it much more spacious than the first; the lowest level was the largest, about fifty zhang long and nearly twenty zhang wide. Inside were stored wines from every dynasty, kept in wooden barrels, neatly arranged by category, each barrel bearing a plaque indicating the brewing year and storage duration.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he could hardly imagine that beneath the Imperial Gardens Bureau there existed such a vast cellar. Hu Xiaotian lifted his lantern and scanned the surroundings; upon returning to ground level, he discovered Liu Yuzhang already waiting outside the cellar door. Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Eunuch Liu, I was just about to return your key." He handed the key over.

Liu Yuzhang shook his head, "No need to return it; keep it. From now on, you'll be in charge of the cellar."…

Hu Xiaotian heard this and was delighted—never mind anything else, the cellar's wine alone would let him drink his fill for a lifetime.

Of course, Hu Xiaotian still had another thought: although he already had half a room in the Imperial Gardens Bureau, to truly cultivate martial arts that cramped space couldn't stretch his arms, and though the palace is huge, there are many eyes and ears around, so he couldn't openly display his newly learned skills. The cellar makes a fine training spot. Since the assassination attempt in Osmanthus Lane, Hu Xiaotian has realized how vital martial arts are in this age. Previously he had Murong Feiyan protecting him, but now he must rely on himself and must strengthen himself through relentless practice.

Each time he entered the cellar, he brought Shi Xuedong along to guard the entrance while he went to the lowest level to practice. During this period, the technique he trained longest was the Profound Dark Yin Wind Claw that Quan De'an taught him, which he has now mastered.

The cellar stores many aged grape wines; with authority in hand, Hu Xiaotian couldn't resist siphoning off some, drinking secretly with a few confidants. Occasionally he also stayed overnight in the cellar—it's warm in winter, cool in summer, comfortable and spacious, far more pleasant than his half‑room.

After Baobao took the bayberry wine, she returned two days later, saying only that Consort Lin had praised the wine endlessly, the jar she'd taken last time was already finished, so she'd come again for more.

Though Hu Xiaotian had never met Consort Lin, he felt astonished—last time he'd sent her at least ten catties of bayberry wine, yet in under five days she'd drunk it all dry; this consort's drinking capacity is truly extraordinary. Still, he didn't dare refuse the request of the emperor's favored consort. He had originally planned to let Baobao wait outside, but unexpectedly this palace maid voluntarily offered to accompany him to the cellar to have a look.

As soon as Hu Xiaotian sensed something, he noticed Baobao's behavior was odd—she seemed more interested in the cellar itself than the wine, and he wondered whether her request for wine hid another motive. At the time he didn't call her out, he brought Baobao to the cellar door and opened it.

The two entered one after the other and soon reached the first level where bayberry wine is stored. Hu Xiaotian handed the lantern to Baobao to hold, but she said, "Eunuch Hu, may I go down and have a look?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat—his suspicion was confirmed: Baobao's ulterior motive wasn't the wine. He smiled, "Sister, our bureau has rules; actually, bringing you into the cellar already breaks them."

Baobao threw Hu Xiaotian a flirtatious glance and whispered, "Eunuch Hu, I actually have no other intention. Before entering the palace, my family ran a winemaking workshop. My ancestors passed down a cellar, and I played there with my brothers and sisters since childhood. Coming here suddenly stirred memories of home, of my family. Eunuch Hu… I'm just moved by the scene, with no other design. Please grant me this humble wish." As she spoke, her beautiful eyes welled with crystal tears.

Hu Xiaotian sensed intuitively that Baobao was no ordinary palace maid—she could act coquettish and play the pitiful. But she seemed to have mistaken her target; I'm a eunuch, playing this game with me won't move me. Still, Hu Xiaotian wanted to see what trick she was up to, so he put on an act of being moved, nodded, and said, "All right, I'll accompany you to look around."

Baobao was overjoyed, actually lunging forward to plant a kiss on Hu Xiaotian's forehead, cooing, "Eunuch Hu, from the first moment I saw you I knew you were a good person."

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, Are palace maids always this seductive toward eunuchs? Don't they realize the beauty trap must be aimed at the right target?

Hu Xiaotian took back the lantern, led Baobao down into the cellar, occasionally reminding her to watch her step—actually he was secretly guarding against any strange move from this palace maid. In fact, the cellar layouts are mostly similar; this one is just a bit larger.

Arriving at the third level, Baobao surveyed the vast cellar, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears, clearly feeling touched by the scene.

Hu Xiaotian deliberately said, "Sister, are you thinking of your hometown?"

Baobao nodded, lifted her sleeve to wipe the tears from her eyes, then suddenly fixed her gaze on the right, shrieked and flung herself into Hu Xiaotian's arms: "A rat!" Hu Xiaotian was caught off guard; the lantern in his hand slipped and fell to the ground, igniting into flames.

Baobao clung tightly to Hu Xiaotian, her delicate, curvaceous body pressed against him, trembling as if frightened. Hu Xiaotian didn't see any rat. He worried the lantern would spark a fire in the cellar, but fortunately it landed in an open spot and burned out quickly, plunging the whole cellar into darkness.

Hu Xiaotian gently patted Baobao's fragrant shoulder, pulling her away from his embrace—not because he is a gentleman who refuses to take advantage of darkness, but because he feared that holding such a lovely young woman might cause him to lose control and reveal his secret of not having been castrated.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Sister, don't be afraid; I'm here, nothing will happen. I'll take you back up now."

Baobao murmured in the dark, reached out, grabbed Hu Xiaotian's arm, and Hu Xiaotian had her place her hand on his shoulder, whispering, "The stairs should be on our left."

Baobao responded with an assent, Hu Xiaotian stepped forward, suddenly felt a whoosh of wind behind his head, inwardly cried "uh‑oh", lowered his head and lunged forward—though his reaction was timely, his back still took a heavy palm strike, sending stars across his vision. He didn't rush to retaliate, instead rolled forward with the momentum, taking cover beside a wine barrel, silent. That strike was clearly delivered by Baobao.

In the darkness Baobao feigned surprise, calling out, "Eunuch Hu, Eunuch Hu, where are you?"

Hu Xiaotian held his breath, silent. Baobao took a few steps forward; the lower level of the cellar was pitch black, she thought one palm would have knocked Hu Xiaotian unconscious, but when she probed ahead with her foot she felt nothing, and immediately sensed something was off.

Baobao pleaded pitifully, "Eunuch Hu, where are you? I'm scared, don't leave me alone here." While speaking she produced a fire‑starter, blew on it, and a spark flared in the darkness.

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Li Zhongyi, once the Republic's foremost medical authority, was transported to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period after a car accident, possessing the body of a good‑for‑nothing who can't pass the civil exams nor wield a blade!

At this time, the child‑emperor Shi Jingting had just recently sold off the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan‑Yun.

The ruler of Later Shu, Meng Chang, was happily frolicking with Lady Floral.

The later lord of Southern Tang, Li Yu, still sang the Chamber Flower across the river.

The Later Zhou emperor Chai Rong dreamed constantly of launching a northern expedition.

The founding emperor of the Song, Zhao Kuangyin, was pondering how to don the yellow robe.

This is a chaotic age, yet also Li Zhongyi's age!