Chapter 345

Hu Xiaotian said: "Li Yuncong can help me dispel the foreign true qi in my body, and he also taught me a qi cultivation mantra." Hu Xiaotian did not mention the name of the Formless Divine Skill, after all this skill is regarded by jianghu people as the supreme treasure, he does not want to invite unnecessary trouble. This is not because he distrusts his two sworn brothers; some secrets must be kept strictly.

Xiao Tianmu said: "In that case, Li Yuncong treats you quite well."

Hu Xiaotian said: "He asked me to help rescue the Retired Emperor, and also said there should be a secret passage in the palace leading directly to Piaomiao Mountain."

Xiao Tianmu said: "Under the current circumstances, you have no choice but to agree to him."

Zhou Mo said: "It seems we should step up preparations for escaping the capital; once the opportunity arises, we will leave immediately."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I will arrange things at Baofeng Hall on my side; you just need to pose as ordinary merchants, be sure not to attract too much attention. I will not come here often either, after all these old-timers are not ordinary folks; if they notice your presence, your situation could become extremely dangerous."

Xiao Tianmu laughed and said: "Rest assured." He suddenly realized that this upheaval might not be a bad thing for Hu Xiaotian; Hu Xiaotian suddenly became mature, considering matters more thoroughly and meticulously than before. Thus, being selected by the three old monster-level figures in the palace is not coincidental.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Ji Feihua promised me she would arrange a meeting with my parents soon; as for what to do next, I'll decide after seeing them."

The Bright Moon Palace's basic preparations are ready; the eunuchs and palace maids have all been reassigned. Hu Xiaotian, as the acting steward of the Bright Moon Palace, conducted a final check of the preparations here before the Talented Person arrived, and incidentally convened a brief meeting with the newly arrived palace maids and eunuchs. According to Ji Feihua's intention, Hu Xiaotian's work here is merely a transitional role; his main task is still to ascertain the background of this Talented Person, as indicated by the current signs. If the Emperor favors the Talented Person, Ji Feihua will certainly not tolerate the Talented Person receiving favor; if the Emperor treats the Talented Person coldly, Ji Feihua would have no reason to take extreme measures over an ordinary concubine.

The modest Bright Moon Palace has nonetheless attracted attention from all sides; the newly arrived Talented Person Wen Ya is the foster daughter of Minister Wen, likely the result of a secret plot between Quan De'an and Minister Wen. They place great hopes on Wen Ya, hoping to draw the Emperor's attention through her, thereby strengthening their own position while also achieving the effect of slighting Ji Feihua. Quan De'an asked Hu Xiaotian to help protect Wen Ya. Ji Feihua, however, assigned Hu Xiaotian to the Bright Moon Palace. For Hu Xiaotian, this is indeed somewhat awkward. Yet the complexity of the situation exceeds his imagination: two young eunuchs, one named Wang Ren and the other Ma Liangpeng, of unknown origin; two palace maids, one is Autumn Yan sent by Empress Jian, the other is actually Baobao.

After Hu Xiaotian summoned several people for a talk, he left Baobao alone in the inner chamber.

Baobao gazed at Hu Xiaotian, the smile on her face carrying an unspeakable sense of triumph.

Hu Xiaotian said: "How did you end up here?"

Baobao said: "The Noble Consort recommended me to the Empress."

Hu Xiaotian gave a hollow, cold chuckle.

Baobao said: "Lord Hu, your laugh is really strange."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It seems you still don't trust me after all."

Baobao said: "Lord Hu, you still haven't done what you promised me."

Hu Xiaotian said: "For the sake of our acquaintance, I'll give you a chance: either you resign obediently, or..."

"Or what? What dare you do to me?" Baobao straightened her chest and took a step toward Hu Xiaotian, appearing fearless. Hu Xiaotian had leverage over her, yet she likewise held his secret, supposing he would not dare act against her.

Hu Xiaotian gave a hollow laugh and said: "Is it Master Hong who told you to do this?"

Baobao gave a cold snort: "Lord Hu, if you have nothing else, I'm leaving."

Hu Xiaotian's hand felt the whistle Li Yuncong had given him. Baobao had already turned and walked toward the gate, completely disregarding Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian pressed his lips to the whistle and gave a light blow. Baobao heard the sound and her steps halted abruptly. Hu Xiaotian then blew a second time; initially just testing, this time the sound was clearly much louder. Though the whistle was not loud, it was unusually piercing.

Baobao suddenly turned her head; her pretty face was ashen, devoid of color, she clenched her lips tightly. Seeing her reaction, Hu Xiaotian secretly marveled: at first he did not understand the purpose of the whistle Li Yuncong gave him, but now he realized it had the miraculous effect of a tight-binding spell—whenever he blew it, Baobao reacted.

Hu Xiaotian approached Baobao while blowing the whistle.

Baobao's face drained of color, she clutched her temples and cried out: "Don't blow, don't blow..." Her head felt like it would split; she could not keep her balance and collapsed with a thud before Hu Xiaotian. Although Hu Xiaotian had once pitied fragrant beauty, he now felt it was time to draw a line—this girl dared to threaten him; if he did not give her a lesson, he might invite trouble. So he did not stop; instead, he moved closer to her ear and blew again.

Baobao's delicate body trembled, sweat beading on her forehead; she looked at Hu Xiaotian with a pleading expression, yet her eyes also hid a venomous glare.

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly and said: "So you're afraid of this sound, huh." He then brought the whistle to his lips again.

"Don't..." Baobao grabbed his trouser leg.

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said: "I never wanted to treat you this way, but you have forced me relentlessly."

Baobao trembled: "Give me... give me..."

Hu Xiaotian sucked in a cold breath: "What do you want? After knowing me this long, you should know that the Zajia are not people to be trifled with..."

Baobao clung to his right leg, desperately pleading: "Hurry up and give me the antidote."

At this moment Hu Xiaotian finally understood her meaning; he recalled the red pill Li Yuncong had given him, realizing that Baobao too was merely a pawn controlled by Li Yuncong. He coldly chuckled and said: "Now you know to beg me? Who was it just now threatening me?" He hardened his heart, shoved Baobao to the ground, walked to the table and sat down. Looking at Baobao still curled up on the floor, her arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders, trembling uncontrollably, she lifted her pale face toward him, eyes flickering, teeth clenched, two clear tears already streaming down.

Seeing her like this, Hu Xiaotian felt a pang of reluctance and almost took out the red pill to give her, but remembering his goal was not yet achieved, he steeled himself again and whispered: "Who exactly gave you that packet of powder?"

Baobao shook her head forcefully, clearly still resisting, but the sensation of myriad insects gnawing her bones kept surging; she trembled: "Hu Xiaotian... even as a ghost I will never let you go."

Hu Xiaotian, at ease, said: "Since you like being a ghost so much, be a ghost then." He didn't even glance at Baobao, crossed his legs, and said: "Actually, even if you didn't say it, I know it was Lin Wan who gave you that packet of powder, right? Your coming here was also her idea."

Baobao clutched her temples, pain unbearable, she could no longer endure this torment; she lay on the ground and crawled toward Hu Xiaotian with difficulty: "Yes... it was Lin Wan who told me to do this..."

Seeing Baobao in this state, Hu Xiaotian truly felt some reluctance; he nodded and said: "Did Master Hong have any contact with you about this?"

Baobao shook her head desperately, unable to speak. Before she could crawl to Hu Xiaotian's front, she fainted onto the ground.

Hu Xiaotian helplessly shook his head, approached her, pried open her cherry lips, and shoved the prepared pill inside. Baobao seemed unconscious; the pill reached her mouth but she didn't know how to swallow it, so Hu Xiaotian could only dig it out from her mouth, crush it with his teeth, and put it back into her mouth. If Baobao were awake, seeing this fellow spit saliva into her mouth would surely make her vomit.

Seeing Baobao's breathing gradually stabilize, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but say: "No matter how cunning you are like a ghost, you'll have to drink my saliva." Baobao's eyelids twitched; she should be waking soon. Hu Xiaotian hurriedly returned to his original seat, picked up the teapot, took two sips, and cleaned the residual medicine from his mouth. Although it's an antidote, who knows if it isn't fighting poison with poison.

Having just finished, he heard Baobao let out a long sigh; indeed she had awakened. She sat up from the icy floor, covered her chest, first checking whether her clothes were intact. Speaking of which, this girl truly had no trust in Hu Xiaotian's character. She lifted her head to see Hu Xiaotian sitting cross-legged in a redwood carved chair, and felt indignant, snapping: "What did you do to me?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "What do you want me to do to you?"

Baobao moved her arms, rose to her feet, and slowly walked toward Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian's face kept its smile, but inwardly he stayed alert; this girl was also a clueless character. If she really went all-in, fighting to the death with him, it would be troublesome. Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but regret that he had gone soft on beautiful women; if, when Baobao first discovered his secret, he had simply eliminated her and dissolved her with bone-melting liquid, he would have avoided all this trouble. Back then there were many simple, brutal options before him, yet he ultimately still pitied fragrant beauty and made a decision that would bring endless future problems.

Baobao stopped at a distance of two zhang from Hu Xiaotian, her beautiful eyes showing fear.

Seeing her expression, Hu Xiaotian immediately understood what she feared and softly said: "What just happened to you?"

Baobao bit her lip and said: "You're asking knowingly; it's still because of your blowing."

Hu Xiaotian gave a hollow laugh, having finally grasped Baobao's weakness.

Baobao seethed with hatred but dared not act, gnashing her teeth: "One day I will avenge today's shame; then I will repay you tenfold, making you blow until you kneel and beg for mercy." (To be continued~^~)