Chapter 297: 【A Narrow Escape from Death】(Part 2)

Hu Xiaotian, however, fell straight down; not long after, he plunged headfirst into the icy current. His luck was good—below was indeed a large river. He surfaced from the depths, wiped the water from his face, and suddenly saw another person plummeting from above, letting out a sharp scream. From the voice, Hu Xiaotian already knew the falling person was Princess Anping. He pinpointed where she had fallen into the water and swam over quickly. The torrent was fierce; after great effort he reached the spot, dove beneath the surface, and after feeling around for a while finally located the submerged Princess Anping. Hu Xiaotian embraced her delicate body and brought her up to the surface.

Princess Anping's face turned pale; she choked on the river water and kept coughing. Out of instinct, she clung tightly to Hu Xiaotian's neck. The mountain flood surged into this valley, the current turbulent and its impact extremely fierce. Hu Xiaotian simply went with the flow, drifting for about two li or more before bringing Princess Anping to swim toward the shore (Dingdian Novel Mobile Version). Princess Anping was already utterly exhausted; Hu Xiaotian pushed her onto the riverbank. Lying there, she felt pain in every bone and could not muster a shred of strength.

Hu Xiaotian then scrambled up the riverbank. He dared not linger at the edge, glanced around, and saw that the woods not far ahead were dense—a likely place to hide. So he scooped up Princess Anping and hurried into the thicket. Near a rocky outcrop they found a sheltering cave from wind and rain. Hu Xiaotian laid her on the ground, then supported her, letting her lean against the rear stone wall. Fortunately, both had fallen from a height into the water without injury. Princess Anping vomited several mouthfuls of yellow fluid, and only after a while did she regain her strength; her beautiful eyes glistened with tears. Raised in the palace since childhood, pampered and privileged, she had never endured such a harrowing, twisting ordeal.

Hu Xiaotian saw her frightened gaze and knew she had not yet calmed from the recent pursuit. He spoke softly: 'Don't be afraid; with me here, no one dares to harm you.'

Princess Anping looked at Hu Xiaotian's confident face, and her heart suddenly steadied. She nodded, only then realizing she was still gripping his right hand tightly; somewhat panicked, she loosened her hold on his big hand and lowered her head shyly. But then it occurred to her that Hu Xiaotian was merely a eunuch—her reaction seemed rather excessive. She smoothed the disheveled hair from her forehead back, and with a hint of worry said: 'Will they still come after us?'

Hu Xiaotian shook his head. 'I don't know! Who those people are, I have no idea, but they are very formidable.'

Princess Anping said, 'I wonder how Qiqi is.' Thinking of the missing Qiqi, her eyes reddened involuntarily, and her concern showed plainly.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I'll go outside to have a look.'

Princess Anping nodded, seeing Hu Xiaotian rise and walk out of the cave, and felt a twinge of worry and fear: 'Come back quickly!' Hu Xiaotian turned and gave her a smile. After stepping out, he soon turned back, handing Princess Anping a branch as thick as a wrist: 'Keep it for self-defense; if you really run into trouble, just call my name.'

Princess Anping said, 'I'd rather go with you.' She stood up, came to Hu Xiaotian's side, and grabbed his arm again. Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh; in this situation, he had undoubtedly become Princess Anping's greatest reliance.

The two entered the woods. Returning to the riverside again, the rain and mist had largely cleared. Hu Xiaotian's vision could discern details within fifty zhang; the seven warriors appeared not to have given chase. The rain kept falling relentlessly, and the river water, washed down from the mountains with red mud, had turned a bloody red.

Hu Xiaotian decided to temporarily return to the cave to rest and adjust, postponing any plans until the rain stopped.

The woods contained many hawthorn trees. They picked some hawthorn and brought it back to the cave; for now, these were the only things they could eat to fill their stomachs. The hawthorn was not yet fully ripe; after eating just one, both winced at its sourness and astringency. Seeing each other's grimaces, they burst out laughing.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'This hawthorn aids digestion—the more you eat, the hungrier you get.'

Princess Anping said, 'I hope our people find us soon.' Her clothes were completely soaked; with the rain lowering the temperature considerably, she couldn't help but sneeze a few times.

Hu Xiaotian moved a little closer to her, not out of disrespect, but to share his body heat and give her some warmth.

Anping leaned carefully against Hu Xiaotian's side, silently chewing the hawthorn in her hand, when Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Why did you jump down?'

Princess Anping replied, 'Wasn't it you who told me to jump down?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'I meant that if I lost, you would jump down.'

Princess Anping said, 'I saw you jump down, so I followed and jumped as well; looking back, our luck hasn't been bad.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded.

Princess Anping, having endured so many trials, was utterly exhausted; before long she leaned against Hu Xiaotian's shoulder and drifted into a fitful sleep. Hu Xiaotian gazed at her exquisite, peerless face, and a feeling of affection and pity welled up in his heart. Outside, the sky grew darker; it must be dusk by now. He wondered whether the people at the ranch had begun searching the valley, and if those seven assassins had already left.

Their clothes gradually dried, while outside the night grew deep; the rain had stopped, and the chirping of autumn insects rose and fell. The night temperature dropped further, and in her sleep Princess Anping clung to Hu Xiaotian's arm, pressing her delicate body tightly against his chest.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but think of Princess Anping's fate. Though she was of noble birth, in the palace she was no different from him—every move monitored by others. He still recalled the Twelfth Prince of Shajia Country, Huo Ge, who had originally intended to come to the capital to seek her hand in marriage. Had it not been for the upheaval in Xichuan, perhaps the old emperor would indeed have betrothed her to Huo Ge. As members of the imperial family, their freedom is pitifully scarce, even less than that of ordinary folk's children.

Princess Anping shifted her chin slightly, her starry eyes slowly opening. She realized she was lying in Hu Xiaotian's arms, hastily sat upright, straightened her clothing; fortunately the cave was pitch black, so no one could see her embarrassed expression. After a moment she whispered, 'How long have I been asleep?'

Hu Xiaotian looked out of the cave: 'More than two hours!' During that time there had been no unusual sound or movement around.

Princess Anping said, 'It's pitch black outside!'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'The rain has stopped; it should be overcast, with no moonlight.'

'Have they already left?'

'I hope they have gone, but we cannot take chances—the longer we wait, the more likely they are to have left.' Hu Xiaotian's remark had basis: although he was a lowly eunuch of little importance, the disappearance of Qiqi and Princess Anping would surely rouse the entire Red Mountain Horse Farm; Fan Zongxi would certainly muster all the farm's personnel to swarm out and search for them. Finding this valley would not be difficult, and those seven assassins could not possibly remain here for long.

Princess Anping fell silent.

'Are you afraid?'

Princess Anping shook her head and whispered, 'At first I was a little scared, but now I'm completely unafraid.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Fear is useless, so I might as well bolden my courage.'

Princess Anping said, 'Isn't Li Tianheng of Xichuan your future father-in-law? If you stayed in Xichuan you should be safe; why did you come back?' She obviously knew something about Hu Xiaotian's situation.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If I hadn't come, our Hu family might not escape the disaster of extermination; although we haven't managed to avoid guilt entirely, after all my parents are still alive.'

Princess Anping said, 'You saved Qiqi; I personally saw her plead with His Majesty for mercy. Even if you didn't return, His Majesty would probably not make things difficult for your family.'

Hu Xiaotian, moved by her sincerity from those words, smiled and said, 'All I know is that if I had stayed hidden in Xichuan and not come, I could never forgive myself for the rest of my life.' He rose and stretched his arms: 'Saying this isn't meant to prove how selfless or brave I am; as a son, I am merely doing what I ought to do.'

Princess Anping said nothing; Hu Xiaotian's words reminded her of her brother detained in Xichuan and her father under house arrest in the palace. Faced with her relatives' plight, she could only sigh, powerless to help, lacking Hu Xiaotian's courage.

A pale green crystal-like glow rose slowly before the two of them; their eyes were drawn to this faint light—fireflies blinking on and off, slowly flying out of the cave. Hu Xiaotian smiled and asked, 'Do you want to go out and have a look?'

Princess Anping nodded, took hold of the large hand Hu Xiaotian extended, rose to her feet, and together they walked toward the cave's exterior.

One, two, three points—more and more glimmers flickered in the dark night, like stars lighting up this somber night. The face of Princess Anping illuminated by the glows broke into a warm, knowing smile; she immersed herself in the beautiful night before her.

Hu Xiaotian's gaze followed the fireflies dancing across the sky toward the night above; a hazy moon silhouette appeared behind clouds like dark smoke, the moonlight dispersed the clouds, the sky finally cleared, the full moon, pure as a silver disk, silently poured mercury‑like light over this tranquil valley.

The scene before them was brimming with poetic charm; Hu Xiaotian almost wanted to pull out the ancient poems from his belly to show off, wondering whether he should use a line like 'May we live long and share the beauty of the moon across thousands of miles' to knock on Princess Anping's maiden heart. He had memorized so many moon‑chanting verses that his thoughts welled up like a spring, and in the end he didn't know which one to pick for the highest flair.

Princess Anping, however, said, 'I've heard you're very good at couplets.'

Hu Xiaotian hadn't expected that after showing off a few times in the capital his reputation would spread; he thick‑skinnedly replied modestly, 'So-so.'

Princess Anping said, 'I have a couplet for you to try.'

Request Monthly Ticket! (To be continued…)