Chapter 34

Throughout the surgery he had no selfish thoughts, no distractions; all he possessed was respect for life.

Li Yifeng gazed at Hu Xiaotian, his eyes full of astonishment and admiration; this surgery, which in modern times is ordinary and unremarkable, brought Li Yifeng a shock and impact unprecedented; he had never imagined someone could treat injuries with such a method; everything Hu Xiaotian had just done overturned his long-held notions of medicine. He had many questions he wanted to ask, but Li Yifeng also understood now was not the time to ask.

Many people came from both the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Secretary's Office; together they numbered over a hundred, so even the main hall of the Hall of Easy Origin could not hold them, and many had to stand under the eaves outside the Hall of Easy Origin's door.

Even Jingzhao Prefect Hong Baiqi personally rushed over; while Hu Xiaotian was performing surgery on Murong Feiyan inside, Hong Baiqi kept pacing in the hall, his anxiety stemming not only from concern for his subordinate but also from Hu Xiaotian—if this Secretary's son came to harm, Minister of Revenue Hu Buwei would surely pursue responsibility to the end; this kid really is a trouble.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian walk out unharmed, Hong Baiqi finally felt the stone in his heart drop; in his view, Hu Xiaotian's life was somewhat more important than Murong Feiyan's, the latter merely a capable assistant, while the former was the sole heir of a high-ranking court official, their importance depending on how much they could affect his own career. Hong Baiqi quickly stepped forward, grabbed Hu Xiaotian's arm, and said, "Nephew, are you alright?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and countered, "Sir Hong, do I look like someone who's in trouble?"

Hong Baiqi shook his head.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Sir Hong, Constable Zhuge was injured while saving me from the thieves, but he is now out of danger."

Hong Baiqi let out an "oh"; although Murong Feiyan was injured, her life was not in grave danger, so this could be considered a scare without harm. At this moment he began to ponder a question: just who was so bold as to dare assassinate Hu Xiaotian in broad daylight? Hong Baiqi certainly would not think Murong Feiyan was the main target of the assassination; Hu Xiaotian had already made it clear that she was injured solely because she was protecting him.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Sir, I have a favor to ask!"

Go ahead and speak.

The door of the cell was kicked open, and the bandit, somewhat panicked, lifted his head to look—only to see Hu Xiaotian appear before him, drenched, with bloodstains on many parts of his robe.

The bandit, filled with unease, said, "You… what do you want to do?"

Hu Xiaotian said nothing, rushed forward and kicked him square in the chest, sending the bandit crashing to the ground, then drew a dagger and pressed it to his chest, shouting, "You bastard, how dare you plot against me!"

The bandit wailed, "I didn't deceive you, I swear, I swear on my family's lives and property that I didn't deceive you—I've told you everything I know…" His spirit had collapsed, and from fear he even wet his pants.

Hu Xiaotian looked at the large wet patch below the bandit's crotch, silently cursing him as a coward who had wet his pants before being properly frightened, supposing the man dared not lie. He slowly withdrew the dagger. Zhao Zhenghao, Mo Shaolin—perhaps they were all part of the opposing side's layout; Mo Shaolin's name had been deliberately leaked by them, the purpose being to give them this clue, leading them to find Mo Shaolin through it, thus falling again into the enemy's trap—a trap within a trap; the mastermind behind this incident was certainly no ordinary person.

If it weren't for my own excessive curiosity, if it weren't for his insistence on going personally, this assassination might not have occurred; I've only just arrived in this world, and logically I shouldn't have any enemies, so why would they want to kill me and then act quickly? Since last night's theft at the Secretary's Office was meant as a feint, their true goal was to steal the Vermilion Scripture Iron Token. Yet after achieving that goal, why would they still plot to assassinate me? There must be some hidden motive—could it be because of my father?

When he returned to the Secretary's Office, it was already deep night; Liang Da Zhuang led the servants, who all knelt before Hu Xiaotian in unison. These past two days they had indeed been terrified by this young master's torment; they weren't afraid that Hu Xiaotian might come to harm, but rather worried that if anything happened to this fellow, they servants would all suffer misfortune—losing their rice bowls would be minor, they might even get their skins stripped. Hu Xiaotian waved his hand, understanding their intention was to advise him to avoid trouble. But at this point he was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, too weary to utter a word. Just as he was preparing to return to his own courtyard, he suddenly heard someone announce, "The master has returned!"

Hu Xiaotian felt quite surprised; he hadn't expected his father to rush back from the Eastern Capital so quickly, yet upon calculation it seemed impossible—even if one traveled nonstop day and night from the capital to the Eastern Capital, it would take a full day; even if Hu An had reached the Eastern Capital, his father could only have just received the news, and even if he immediately set out on the return journey, he wouldn't arrive until tomorrow night.

Although his mind was full of confusion, regardless, it was good that his father had returned. Hu Xiaotian did not immediately go to greet his father; instead he returned to his room, quickly took a bath and changed clothes, then proceeded to his father's chamber to meet him.

Hu Buwei was not in the room; after asking the servants, Hu Xiaotian learned that his father had hurried straight to the Hall of Gathered Elegance upon his return.

A fine drizzle fell; Hu Buwei stood alone atop the ruins of the Hall of Gathered Elegance after it had been burned by fire, his complexion turning gloomy and unsettled. His gaze also lost its former composure and calm, revealing a hint of unease; although he strove to conceal his anxiety, it still inevitably showed on his face.

Hu Xiaotian slowly approached from behind and respectfully said, "Child pays respects to Father, Sir."

Hu Buwei seemed to have been startled, for he was so focused on what lay before him that he hadn't noticed his son's approach; his body visibly trembled, then he abruptly turned around.

Hu Xiaotian had never seen his father wear such an expression before; his heart sank, it seemed the loss of the Vermilion Scripture Iron Token had dealt his father a heavy blow, and he whispered, "Father, did you meet Hu An?"

Hu Buwei pressed his lips together, glanced around, then lowered his voice and said, "Come with me!"

From his father's solemn expression, Hu Xiaotian already knew the trouble was great—just as Hu An had said, losing the Vermilion Scripture Iron Token was a grave crime of deceiving the sovereign, possibly punishable by death.

Father and son returned to the room; Hu Buwei had Hu Xiaotian close the door, then looked him over and asked, "Have you seen Hu An?"

That single question left Hu Xiaotian stunned, his face full of bewilderment as he said, "Hu An wasn't supposed to go to the Eastern Capital to find you, the Hall of Gathered Elegance was burned, he said…" Upon reaching this point, Hu Xiaotian's mind spawned an extremely ominous thought: perhaps Hu An never went to the Eastern Capital at all, and how much of what he told me is actually true?

What did he say?

Hu Xiaotian whispered, "He said the Hall of Gathered Elegance was burned, our family's ancestral Vermilion Scripture Iron Token was stolen by bandits, so I had him rush to the Eastern Capital immediately to report to you in person… I just didn't expect you to return so quickly; I had thought you might have met him along the way."

Hu Buwei let out a long sigh, his face full of dejection: "The Vermilion Scripture Iron Token is an item bestowed by Mingzong Huangdi; do you think I would tell a servant where I keep something so important?"

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed his own stupidity—how could he be so dense, failing to grasp such a simple truth? Since Hu Buwei had concealed the whereabouts of the Vermilion Scripture Iron Token from him and his mother, it showed how highly he valued it; as an imperially bestowed death‑waiver gold medal, such an important item would of course be kept secure, and he would never casually reveal its location to others. His momentary lapse had let that old scoundrel Hu An deceive him, and Hu Xiaotian's teeth itched with anger as he whispered, "Father, are you saying that Hu An is a spy?"

Hu Buwei slowly rose to his feet and paced the room a few steps; he did not answer Hu Xiaotian's question, but instead said in a low voice, "Our Hu family does indeed possess the Vermilion Scripture Iron Token, and that token has indeed been stolen."