Chapter 311: Golden Spider Eight Steps Part 2

No matter what Hu Xiaotian thought, learning some life‑saving self‑defense techniques had become the utmost priority; don't look at this kid usually being careless, but when he gets serious his attitude is absolutely earnest and he puts in full effort.

Quan De'an was once again impressed by this kid's martial talent; the Golden Spider Eight Steps, Hu Xiaotian mastered it in less than half an hour.

Hu Xiaotian now finally understood why Quan De'an had taught him the Xuanming Yin Wind Claw: without that foundation, it would be impossible to learn the Golden Spider Eight Steps; one must first attain a certain level of claw strength to pick up the steps quickly.

Quan De'an's next assignment for Hu Xiaotian was to thoroughly investigate the secret passage.

After leaving the Four Seasons Dry Goods Store, Hu Xiaotian went to the Hall of Jade, not on official business this time but specifically to visit his tailless horse. The Deputy Superintendent of the Imperial Horse Bureau, Fan Zongxi, had sent that gray horse to him at the Red Mountain Horse Farm. Because Hu Xiaotian was in the palace, he couldn't bring the horse back inside, so he could only temporarily board it at the Hall of Jade. Since the steward of the Hall of Jade, Cao Qianshan, had a favor to ask of him, he took the order of this purchasing eunuch very seriously, specially clearing a spot in the hall's rear stable to raise the gray horse. Although it had only been over ten days since they last met, the originally dirty and thin gray horse had grown fat and sturdy from eating well. Moreover, the mud on the horse had been washed clean, revealing its original pattern: strangely, its whole body was covered in speckled spots like a leopard's, the hair above its hooves jet‑black, and on its forehead grew a patch of pure white shaped like a crescent moon. Were it not for those drooping big ears, Hu Xiaotian would hardly recognize the animal as the one from the Red Mountain Horse Farm.

Cao Qianshan had gone out to discuss business and was not at the Hall of Jade; the groom led Hu Xiaotian to the gray horse. Hu Xiaotian walked around it once and noticed the horse's tail had grown a bit—about half a foot long—still looking a little odd, but much better than when it was at the farm; its two ears hung limp, listless, and pure black.

Hu Xiaotian said: "How did it get so fat all of a sudden?"

The groom laughed: "Sir Hu, there's a saying—'no night grass, no fat horse.' Our steward specially instructed me that this horse is Your Lordship's beloved mount, so I must take good care of it; these days I've been feeding it the best fodder, and its appetite is indeed huge—it eats more than twice what other horses do."

Although Hu Xiaotian had little experience raising horses, he could tell at a glance that this horse had been stall‑fed, just eating and not moving—no wonder it had gotten so fat; if this continued, even a thousand‑mile horse would be ruined by such keeping. Some horses are by nature unsuited to being confined. Hu Xiaotian patted the gray horse's head; the horse seemed to perk up, its long ears pricking up.

The groom chuckled: "Sir Hu, I've raised horses for many years, but I've never seen one like this—ears so long. At first we even thought it was a mule."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Take it out for a walk and you'll see whether it's a mule or a horse."

The groom also noticed Hu Xiaotian's displeasure and explained: "Sir Hu, it's not that I don't want to take it out for a walk, but as soon as we approach it, it starts kicking and neighing, fierce as can be; today, only because you came did it suddenly become docile."

Hu Xiaotian patted the horse's mane and whispered: "Put on the bridle and saddle. I'll ride it back."

The groom answered, saying frankly he really couldn't see what was good about this horse—a whole ugly freak, and with that big white patch on its forehead; he didn't dare say it, but deep down he felt this ugly horse was no auspicious creature, perhaps an omen for its owner.

Funny enough, the gray horse seemed destined for Hu Xiaotian; after seeing him it became very obedient, willingly letting people put on the bridle and saddle. Hu Xiaotian mounted, and the horse slowly left the Hall of Jade, where at the gate he met Shi Xuedong and Xiao Zhuo, who had come looking for him.

Recently Shi Xuedong had followed Hu Xiaotian out of the palace on several purchasing errands; so far he had been very well behaved, each time obediently carrying out Hu Xiaotian's orders without secretly visiting his parents or causing Hu Xiaotian too much trouble.

Hu Xiaotian told the two to return to the palace first, while he still had some business to attend to.

Shi Xuedong looked at the ugly horse and couldn't help laughing: "I say, brother, your horse is really ugly—is it a horse or a mule?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "This horse is a gift from Superintendent Fan of the Imperial Horse Bureau; although it's a bit rough‑looking, its legwork is still excellent." Because he had an appointment with Murong Feiyan, he didn't elaborate further, lightly slapped the horse's rump and said: "Let's run and show these mortals what we've got."

The gray horse continued its steady, slow gait, and even Xiao Zhuo burst out laughing.

Hu Xiaotian felt he had lost face in front of his subordinates, grabbed the horse's ears, and whispered: "Little Gray, if you don't give me face I'll send you back to be fattened up."

Not knowing whether the gray horse understood his words, it planted its forehooves and bolted; Hu Xiaotian almost got thrown off, but he quickly seized the reins, and the horse vanished like a gust of wind before Shi Xuedong and Xiao Zhuo's eyes. They blinked, stared at each other, shock written all over their faces.

The gray horse raced all the way, drawing astonished glances from passersby, though most couldn't make out who was riding it through the city because of its speed. Hu Xiaotian arrived at Alley 32, West Fengming Street—the residence of Murong Feiyan. He reined in the horse, let Little Gray stop, and tied the reins to the big tree by her gate. Only then did he notice her door was locked; she hadn't returned yet. Looking up at the sun, he realized he had come early, before their appointed time.

Hu Xiaotian looked at the walltop, decided to try his newly learned Golden Spider Eight Steps to vault over the wall and give Murong Feiyan a little surprise. He gathered his inner breath, approached the wall, gave a light leap, his hands grabbed the top of the courtyard wall, he pushed with his arms, his body rose into the air, performed a flip in mid‑air, and landed steadily inside the wall. He felt a surge of accomplishment, thinking he was truly a martial arts genius, basking in self‑satisfaction, when he felt a hard ** pressing against his back. Hu Xiaotian froze on the spot. Someone was in the courtyard! Could it be that Murong Feiyan was hiding here to play a joke on him? He thought again—no, she wasn't bored enough to lock herself inside her own home.

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed, also feeling his martial arts had greatly improved—yet someone had been hiding in the courtyard without him noticing. He whispered: "Friend, quit joking."

That hard ** behind him not only didn't withdraw, but pressed forward a bit; Hu Xiaotian judged that whatever was pressing his back was certainly not the force of a sword or blade, otherwise with that strength it would already have torn his clothes and pierced his flesh.

A low, hoarse voice from behind said: "Put your hands on your head and turn around slowly."

Hu Xiaotian slowly raised his hands, glancing sideways at the ground; from the shadow on the floor he could tell the opponent was somewhat taller than him, the object pressing his back likely a sword still sheathed. As he lifted his hands halfway, his body suddenly lunged forward, pivoting on his right foot, turning clockwise, his left hand hooking like a claw toward the opponent's wrist.

The opponent seemed quite surprised, uttering a "yeah," then moved his right hand, raising the saber in its scabbard vertically to deflect Hu Xiaotian's grab. At that moment Hu Xiaotian also got a clear look at the man's appearance: tall and burly, purple‑faced with bristly beard—indeed his sworn elder brother Zhou Mo.

Hu Xiaotian was so startled that for a moment he forgot to react, standing frozen in place.

Zhou Mo burst out laughing, tossed his saber aside, rushed forward, placed both hands on Hu Xiaotian's shoulders, gave them a firm pat, and said with feeling: "Third brother, I've searched high and low for you!"

Seeing Zhou Mo's face covered in dust, Hu Xiaotian felt a warm surge inside—someone still cared about his safety. He pressed his lips together, gripped Zhou Mo's big hand tightly, and whispered: "Big brother, how did you get here?"

Zhou Mo said: "That's a long story."

The two brothers sat down in the courtyard, and Zhou Mo leisurely explained his reason for coming to the capital. Hu Xiaotian had escorted the Prince to Xiezhou; they had made thorough preparations in every respect, but the bandits of Heavenly Wolf Mountain seemed to have learned of their movements, so they abandoned the plan to ambush en route. Soon came news that the Li family had risen in arms and declared independence; the various prefectures and counties of Xichuan all pledged allegiance to the Li. Then word spread that the Li had placed Prince Long Yefang under house arrest in Xizhou, proclaiming to the world a campaign to suppress rebellion and loyalist troops, yet Li Tianheng did not rush to raise troops for conquest; instead he secured his footing in Xichuan, first making a marriage alliance with Shajia—giving his two daughters, Mo Chou, in marriage to the twelfth prince of Shajia, Hoge—to cement kinship ties and stabilize the western border, and immediately afterward concluded a brotherly pact with the state of Nam Viet, thereby temporarily securing both west and south. However, after Li Tianheng's self‑proclamation, Xichuan naturally saw many opposing voices; to pacify internal Xichuan and consolidate his rule, Li Tianheng spared no iron‑fisted suppression, unleashing a bloody storm across Xichuan.

What Zhou Mo hadn't expected was that the Heavenly Wolf Mountain bandit who had long held the fort, Yan Kui, would actually accept Li Tianheng's amnesty at this time, swear allegiance to Prince Long Yefang, and Li Tianheng would entrust him with the Qingyun and Honggu regions, granting him the title of General of Returning Virtue. Following Xiao Tianmu's suggestion, Zhou Mo decided to temporarily leave Xichuan with his brothers to lay low, while also seeking news of Hu Xiaotian; learning that Hu Xiaotian had escaped from Xiezhou and might have returned to the capital, they made their way to Kangdu to look for him.

Just one more monthly ticket to reach 1100—whichever brother casts this vote, Zhangyu will post another update tonight!