Chapter 344

Li Yuncong pierced the secret; Hu Xiaotian naturally had no need to conceal; he whispered: "There is indeed a secret passage underground in the Supervisory Bureau, but the secret passage does not directly lead to an exit of Ethereal Mountain."

Li Yuncong said: "The predecessors who did this would certainly not do it for no reason, spending so much effort on a futile, pointless task; we just haven't found it yet."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Eunuch Li, the matter of the underground secret passage in the Supervisory Bureau is no longer a secret."

"So what? Even if it's made public, there's nothing to fear. What you need to do now is help me keep a close watch on Quan De'an and Ji Feihua; whenever they make any move, you must come report to me immediately."

Hu Xiaotian bitterly smiled to himself: "Well, I've actually become a triple spy. Speaking of which, in my previous life I was clearly a doctor, and I never engaged in espionage work; now I'm almost about to forget my proper occupation." He suddenly recalled the packet of powder Baobao had given him, which he could use to probe Li Yuncong's relationship with her.

Hu Xiaotian took out the packet of powder from his pocket and handed it to Li Yuncong, saying: "Someone gave me this packet, asking me to scatter it in the Bright Moon Palace; Eunuch Li, do you recognize it?"

Li Yuncong received the packet of powder, looked at it, then unfolded it and smelled it.

Hu Xiaotian held his breath, fearing it might be some poisonous substance, since he didn't possess such profound internal energy as others.

Li Yuncong said: "Was it given to you by a palace maid of the Ice Jade Hall?"

Hu Xiaotian heard him directly expose this matter; it seemed Li Yuncong and Baobao were indeed accomplices. He was about to confess his willingness to help Li Yuncong with this when he heard Li Yuncong say: "This matter must not be acted upon rashly. Between us, you must not tell anyone, including that palace maid. Right, find a chance to ask her who exactly gave her the powder."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Even if I ask her, she may not necessarily tell me the truth."

Li Yuncong said: "Wait a moment." He turned and fetched something, handing it to Hu Xiaotian. Hu Xiaotian held it in his hand—it was a whistle carved from Hetian jade. Li Yuncong said: "If she refuses to tell the truth, just blow this whistle."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaotian immediately understood; the principle was surely the same as when Li Yuncong had just played the huqin—using sound to control the opponent's meridians.

Li Yuncong then handed him three red pills: "When she has an episode, give her this pill; afterward she will obediently follow your orders."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, carefully putting the two items away. He hesitated whether he should ask Li Yuncong to teach him the Formless Divine Skill. Li Yuncong said: "The Zajia will now teach you the qi cultivation mantra of the Formless Divine Skill; as long as you practice according to the mantra, you will soon be able to absorb the heterogeneous true qi within your body for your own use, and you will no longer have to worry about others using this matter to threaten or control you."

Hedging and prevarication are Hu Xiaotian's only option now; given his lack of strength, he cannot afford to offend any of these ambitious factions—any one could easily do him in. Being a mole has its advantages; at least for now there are still many benefits. Sugar-coated cannonballs come one after another. The surface sugar coating is more tempting than the last, and Hu Xiaotian munches away with gusto—who knows when the bomb will explode? Let's finish the sugar coating first.

Ji Feihua transferred Hu Xiaotian to the Mingyue Palace to take charge, while he also concurrently managed the Imperial Gardens Bureau. Although eunuchs holding multiple posts like Hu Xiaotian are not uncommon in the palace, being able to head both offices—one being the lucrative Imperial Gardens Bureau, the other the Mingyue Palace that offers close access to the Emperor—is rare, and this shows Ji Feihua's trust in Hu Xiaotian.

The gardens of the Mingyue Palace have already been tidied up; we are merely waiting for the arrival of Wen Ya, this newly risen talent.

Hu Xiaotian also took advantage of this spare time to go out of the palace for shopping; the so-called shopping no longer required him to do it personally—Shi Xuedong and Xiao Zhuozi could handle it entirely. Hu Xiaotian strolled through the Jade Hall, and upon leaving, he saw Gao Yuan at the gate. It had been a while since they last met; this boy had grown noticeably taller, also become darker and more robust, his eyes round and lively. Dressed in a brown cotton-padded jacket, he stood cheerfully across the street, gazing at Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian nodded at him; basically every time they met they would set a date for the next meeting. Looking around and seeing no one else, he then said: "Did you come on your own?"

Gao Yuan said: "Lord Hu, my boss is waiting for you at Baofeng Hall."

Hu Xiaotian followed Gao Yuan into the carriage; after traveling less than half a li, they had already arrived at the Baofeng Hall Gao Yuan mentioned. Upon alighting, he saw Baofeng Hall under renovation, its signboard not yet hung up. Gao Yuan led Hu Xiaotian inside, and Hu Xiaotian asked: "Where is this?"

Gao Yuan said: "Boss Zhou, Lord Hu has arrived."

Zhou Mo, who was inside directing workers to arrange furniture, heard the voice and came out to greet him; seeing Hu Xiaotian, he naturally beamed with smiles, leading Hu Xiaotian into the inner courtyard, where Xiao Tianmu was also waiting.

The tea had already been brewed, just waiting for Hu Xiaotian's arrival, but Hu Xiaotian felt a bit confused by the two of them. Sitting beside Xiao Tianmu, he said: "Didn't you just buy the residence on Mingfang Lane? Why are you adding more property here? Are you two perhaps planning to stay long in the capital?"

Zhou Mo said: "You'll have to ask your second brother."

Xiao Tianmu said: "Instead of sneaking around hiding east and west, why don't we buy a shop and do business with you, the steward of the Imperial Gardens Bureau? That way our meetings would be open and aboveboard, and it's a sure profit—no need to worry about you defaulting on debts."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh: "What business?"

Xiao Tianmu said: "A fresh fruit business—we purchase fruit from the south, transship through Kangdu, sell most of it to Da Yong, and send a small portion into the palace. This makes it convenient to meet the third brother, and it also lets us gauge the market situation around us, laying a foundation for future business ventures in Da Yong."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Just a fresh fruit business isn't enough."

Xiao Tianmu said: "One can't become fat in a single bite."

Zhou Mo said: "Miss Murong Feiyan originally wanted to come over, but yesterday a message arrived saying the ShenCe Fu has dispatched them to Linyuan for business, estimated to take two months."

Upon hearing that Murong Feiyan had been dispatched elsewhere, Hu Xiaotian felt a faint sense of loss; in two months, when she returns it will already be the new year. He didn't know whether Murong Feiyan's trip to Linyuan was instigated by Quan De'an behind the scenes, and Zhan Peng, having been assigned to the Flying Feather Guard, had earned the deep favor of Wen Boyuan. To avoid suspicion, Hu Xiaotian also tried to avoid meeting him too often.

Xiao Tianmu said: "Tell me about your current situation."

Hu Xiaotian briefly outlined his own circumstances; hearing that there was still a hidden faction of the Retired Emperor within the palace, the two felt even more worried for Hu Xiaotian's predicament. Three powers all wanted to use Hu Xiaotian, and he sought survival in the cracks between them; one slip and his life would be over.

Zhou Mo frowned deeply and said: "It would be best to quickly find an opportunity to leave; plotting with a tiger is simply too risky."

Xiao Tianmu pressed his lips together and said softly: "None of these three sides are easy to deal with."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although they are not easy to deal with, it doesn't mean they cannot be dealt with."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Tianmu and Zhou Mo said simultaneously.

Hu Xiaotian said: "At first I also worried they would see through my double-dealing—trying to curry favor with both sides for profit—but later I realized that the more I did this, the harder it became to expose me. Quan De'an had me approach Ji Feihua; naturally I should gain his trust. To win his trust, I had to betray Quan De'an in small matters, which Quan De'an also tacitly allowed. Ji Feihua might be using a counter-espionage ploy against Quan De'an, feeding me false information to pass on to Quan De'an; moreover, this person is deeply scheming—although he suspects me, he still dares to use me. From his current attitude toward me, it seems he wants to shower me with benefits so I understand that only by following him will I have a future."

Zhou Mo said: "These eunuch scoundrels are truly too crafty."

Xiao Tianmu quickly coughed; Zhou Mo then realized his insult "eunuch scoundrel" had also dragged in his younger brother, and he looked embarrassed, saying: "Third brother, I spoke without restraint—please don't hold it against me."

If Hu Xiaotian really were a eunuch, he might indeed feel embarrassed by Xiao Tianmu's blunt remark, but he is fundamentally a fake eunuch, so of course he wouldn't feel hurt or embarrassed; he laughed and said, "I think so too." With that one sentence he brushed it off.

Xiao Tianmu said, "Quan De'an is a threat to you, Ji Feihua is an inducement to you, and third brother naturally is in a dilemma."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Quan De'an forcibly transmitted ten years of inner strength to me; I originally thought I had gotten a great bargain, but I never expected that the heterogeneous true qi would damage my meridians. Although Quan De'an also gave me a qigong formula at the time, it now seems utterly useless."

Zhou Mo's main concern was still this matter; he whispered, "Perhaps you are not cultivating correctly; if you are willing, you can write out this cultivation method for me to study."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said, "Quan De'an never intended to fundamentally solve this matter for me; he merely wants to use it to control me, to grasp my life and death, so I dare not act rashly."

Zhou Mo angrily said, "You bastard, as long as I live I will surely kill this scoundrel and vent this anger for my third brother."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Fortunately Li Yuncong appeared just then; this person is also an unfathomable master. He used the huqin to stir the true qi within my body, causing the heterogeneous true qi to surge in my meridians and qi sea. With just a single finger he took my pulse and pinpointed the crux of my condition—truly a rare genius."

Xiao Tianmu said, "I have heard of diagnosing with a single finger before, but using musical sound to move another's true qi, causing internal true qi to fluctuate—such a person is absolutely a top-tier master."

Zhou Mo sighed and said, "The world is vast, full of wonders; I never expected that so many masters would be hidden in this imperial palace." (To be continued~^~)