Chapter 280: 【Sudden Attack】 (Part 2)

Coming down were two eunuchs; a eunuch in his thirties walked ahead, wearing a dark purple robe, black silk trousers, and black official boots. Though not tall, his demeanor was rather arrogant, his complexion somewhat sallow, his expression extremely cold. Behind him followed a eunuch in his twenties holding a lantern for him.

Hu Xiaotian didn't recognize these two; seeing someone approach, Qiqi hastily lowered her head, afraid of being recognized.

Hu Xiaotian stepped forward to block their path: "Sirs, you've taken a wrong turn, haven't you? This is the wine cellar of the Imperial Gardens Bureau; if you have any business, please take it up above."

The middle-aged eunuch gave him a cold glance, lightly stroking his chin and twisting his neck like a young girl: "What a big mouth—does the Zajia not dare come to the Imperial Gardens Bureau's wine cellar?"

Hu Xiaotian's expression darkened upon hearing this; he secretly speculated about the man's origins. The lantern-holding eunuch shouted angrily: "Bold! How dare you be rude to Eunuch Wei?"

Upon hearing those words, Hu Xiaotian immediately understood; the arrogant eunuch before him, who seemed as conceited as 2,580,000, was ten out of ** the newly appointed Chief Seal Eunuch of the Imperial Gardens Bureau, Wei Huailing. Wasn't this scoundrel supposed to take office only tomorrow? Why couldn't he wait until today? Hu Xiaotian silently thought, 'Not good.' Wei Huailing came with ill intent—first Qiqi approached, then he brought up this fellow; it seems my plan tonight to sneak into the secret passage for investigation is doomed.

Wei Huailing scanned the wine cellar, then his gaze returned to Hu Xiaotian's face: "You are Hu Buwei's son, aren't you?"

Hu Xiaotian lowered his head and remained silent.

Wei Huailing stepped forward slowly, narrowed his eyes, and said: "You two little eunuchs, hiding secretly in the wine cellar, actually engaging in illicit affairs, besmirching the purity of the imperial household—truly unforgivable; the Zajia will not show you leniency!" As he spoke, his hand actually gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Although Hu Xiaotian kept his head down, his eyes never left Wei Huailing's every move; seeing him place his hand on the sword hilt, he couldn't help but feel a jolt of alarm—could Wei Huailing intend to kill him? Shielding Qiqi, Hu Xiaotian retreated a few steps and whispered: "Eunuch Wei, I was unaware of your august presence; please forgive any offense—we shall leave at once."

Wei Huailing let out a grim laugh: "Isn't it a bit late to leave now?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart sank. He shouted: "What do you mean, Eunuch Wei?"

Wei Huailing said: "The Zajia originally wanted to let you live a few more days, but since you chose such a fine place and offered such a good opportunity to me, if the Zajia didn't give you this face, wouldn't that waste your good intentions?"

With a clang, Wei Huailing's waist sword was drawn; the blade trembled back and forth like a spirit snake.

Hu Xiaotian never imagined that Wei Huailing would dare to kill him upon their first meeting; he didn't know who had ordered Wei Huailing, nor what grudge existed between them. Shielding Qiqi, Hu Xiaotian kept retreating, whispering: "Speak!"

At this moment, only by revealing her true identity could Qiqi subdue Wei Huailing and turn the tide. Yet unexpectedly, Qiqi remained silent, leaving Hu Xiaotian somewhat anxious—could this little girl have been frightened stupid by that murderous eunuch?

Wei Huailing gazed at the two young eunuchs, a faint smile curling his lips, as if he were fully confident of disposing of them. This was not due to overconfidence; he ranked among the top ten experts of the Directorate of Eunuchs. Especially his swordsmanship, which reached a miraculous level—he planted his toes, his body surged forward like a ghost, instantly closing the distance, his inner energy channeled into the sword, which quivered straight, tearing the air with a sharp whistle as it thrust straight at Hu Xiaotian's chest.

Hu Xiaotian was about to dodge when Qiqi suddenly rushed forward, raising her right hand; a black wooden box appeared in her hand.

Seeing the black box, Wei Huailing was visibly startled; he tried to retreat, but it was already too late.

Qiqi pressed the mechanism of the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle. With a bang, hundreds, even thousands of steel needles burst forth like heavenly maidens scattering flowers, enveloping Wei Huailing's entire body. Although Wei Huailing's martial arts were formidable, the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle is one of the deadliest hidden weapons in the world, especially fired at such close range. The crucial point is that Wei Huailing never imagined this little eunuch would possess such a deadly hidden weapon; he had simply underestimated his opponent.

Although Wei Huailing struggled to dodge, his face was still riddled like a hedgehog; he let out a miserable cry and collapsed to the ground.

The lantern-holding eunuch in the rear never expected the situation to change like this; for a moment he stood frozen in fright. Hu Xiaotian, however, reacted instantly, lunging at the lantern-holding eunuch like a leopard.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian charging at him, the eunuch finally reacted, letting out a miserable cry and reaching for his waist to draw his sword.

Hu Xiaotian would not give him that chance; he immediately decided that he must silence him today, otherwise the matter would surely cause an uproar in the palace. Employing the Profound Darkness Yin Wind Claw for the first time in actual combat, Hu Xiaotian's right hand, moving at unbelievable speed, seized the opponent's neck; with a forceful squeeze came the sound of the man's Adam's apple shattering. The eunuch's hand had not yet touched the sword hilt before Hu Xiaotian crushed his neck. The lantern fell to the ground and burst into flames.

Qiqi gazed at the ground where Wei Huailing's face was covered in steel needles, blood streaming, a horrifying sight; instead of fear, her eyes shone with indescribable excitement. Looking toward Hu Xiaotian, his lightning-fast move left her stunned—she didn't know when he had learned such a vicious martial art, so decisive in silencing foes; she merely thought of it, and he had already acted. That damned eunuch had even dared to think of getting ahead of her, and worse, he had continually deceived her, pretending not to know martial arts when he bound her fivefold in the Reservoir of Excellence Palace—this dead eunuch's scheming was truly deep.

While Qiqi was inwardly cursing, Wei Huailing suddenly sprang upright from the ground, raising his bloody sword, fierce as a demon; in her panic, Qiqi actually dropped the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle onto the ground.

Hu Xiaotian rushed up from behind, grabbed Wei Huailing's head with both hands, and twisted hard—with a crack, he snapped Wei Huailing's cervical vertebrae.

Wei Huailing had not yet breathed his last; he was merely relying on a breath of resentment to push himself upright, but in truth he could not harm Qiqi. Worried about mishap, Hu Xiaotian struck especially hard. Wei Huailing collapsed again, and Qiqi, still trembling, picked up the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle, repeatedly pressing its mechanism at his face until every steel needle in the box was expended, only then venting her hatred.

Hu Xiaotian watched from the side, seeing Wei Huailing's face riddled like a crushed tomato, utterly unrecognizable; he also felt uneasy, truly unable to fathom how someone as young as Qiqi could possess such a ruthless heart.

Qiqi tossed the empty needle box to the ground, straightened her clothes, walked over, and kicked Wei Huailing's corpse hard. Only then did she notice Hu Xiaotian staring agape at him, and she snapped angrily: "What are you looking at me for?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You killed someone!"

"And what of it?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "He is the newly appointed Chief Seal Eunuch of the Imperial Gardens Bureau, Wei Huailing."

Qiqi gave a cold snort: "Are you afraid?"

Hu Xiaotian thought, "What's the use of being afraid now?" Being with this perverse princess, they had consecutively taken two lives; how should they deal with the aftermath? He told Qiqi, "Wait!" and turned to go upstairs.

Although Qiqi had been bold while killing, she dared not stay alone with two corpses: "Wait for me!"

Hu Xiaotian came to the wine cellar door, first listened to the outside movement, saw Qiqi following, made a silencing gesture, then opened the big door and stepped out, intending, as he thought, to see how many people Wei Huailing had brought. Upon reaching the door, he saw only Shi Xuedong standing there. Shi Xuedong, seeing him emerge, hurriedly said: "Xiaotian, how did it go? Did Eunuch Wei give you trouble?"

Hu Xiaotian looked around and whispered: "What other people did he bring?"

Shi Xuedong replied: "Just two men; he announced his identity and wouldn't let me make a fuss—I dared not refuse him entry."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, feeling somewhat reassured, and told Shi Xuedong: "Keep watch; no one is to be allowed in, and no mention of Eunuch Wei is to be made."

Shi Xuedong merely nodded; everything that had happened left him bewildered, unable to fathom what this lot was up to.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the wine cellar, saw Qiqi waiting at the entrance, bolted the door, and pulled her down to the lower level; Qiqi said: "Why are we back here again? It's filthy and stinky—I should be heading back."

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile: "If you go back, what am I to do?"

Qiqi asked: "What do you want?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "By now, the only way is for you to admit to this—say that Wei Huailing intended to harm you, that you were forced to use the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle for self-defense, and that I died protecting you, which is why I helped you kill them both."

Qiqi replied: "It's obvious you killed them both; why should I take the blame for you?"

Hu Xiaotian thought, "This girl is really ungrateful—clearly it was you who shot them dead with the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle, okay?"

Qiqi said: "Even if I admitted that I killed them all, the Directorate of Eunuchs' people would believe me, because of my status they dare not move against me—what do you think they'd do to you?"

Those words woke him like a dream; Hu Xiaotian had originally hoped to gloss over the affair with this method, but now, after Qiqi's reminder, trying to evade responsibility was utterly impossible—even if the Directorate of Eunuchs' folk dared not touch Qiqi, they would surely pin the blame on him, and it's easy to imagine that his future standing in the palace will be extremely dire.

These past two days I've been out on errands, so updates are temporarily only twice a day; I hope everyone's monthly tickets won't stop—please don't stop!