Chapter 432

Murong Commander is not a name; Hu Eunuch refers to Hu Xiaotian, which we already have; Princess is unnamed; Mountain is not a name.

Long Xi Yue; Hu Xiaotian; a possible typo 'Hu Xiaotian' also refers to Hu Xiaotian; Piaomiao Peak is a place name that should be added to the glossary; according to the guidelines we must list every named entity such as characters, places, sects, ranks, techniques, realms, pills, treasures, named beasts/items, and fan‑fiction names, so we should also include Shen Ce Fu and possibly the Imperial Palace if treated as a proper name, though it is generic; safer to include only clear proper nouns like Piaomiao Peak and Shen Ce Fu.

Long Xi Yue; Father Emperor is not a personal name.

Hu Xiaotian; the title Princess Thousand Years is just an honorific, as we later see Princess Anping.

Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw a person standing ahead, white hair, gray pupils, eyes gleaming in the night, skin deathly pale, as if crawled out of a grave—it was the Chief Guard of the Imperial Guard, Mu Rongzhan. Hu Xiaotian hurriedly bowed: "Chief Guard Mu!" Speaking of which, we're old acquaintances; Mu Rongzhan shouldn't make things difficult for me, right?

Mu Rongzhan nodded. Behind him stood a palace maid and a eunuch; the maid led Long Xi Yue to bathe and change. That eunuch was clearly responsible for Hu Xiaotian.

Before leaving, Long Xi Yue said to Hu Xiaotian, "Little beard, I'll go up myself; you stay here and wait for me." She certainly knew Hu Xiaotian's background; now the only way to avoid exposure was to keep him here.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Yes. I, your servant, will wait here, so as not to disturb the princess and her father." Watching Long Xi Yue leave, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately Long Xi Yue was quick-witted and adaptable, helping him get through this crisis.

Mu Rongzhan, however, sneered, "Lord Hu, you're better off as the princess's personal guard."

Hu Xiaotian only felt a chill rise from his back to the base of his neck; despite all his caution, he never expected a moment of carelessness to capsize him here. Why must Mu Rongzhan insist he go up the mountain? Could he have guessed his secret? Hu Xiaotian felt a creeping dread.

Mu Rongzhan made an inviting gesture: "Lord Hu, please!" This was to ask him to go bathe and change.

Hu Xiaotian thought of his manhood; he couldn't help but groan inwardly, it seemed Mu Rongzhan was determined to see this through.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Chief Guard Mu, since the Zajia isn't planning to go up, there's no need for all this bathing and changing trouble, right?"

Mu Rongzhan said, "Here we have our rules; even if Lord Hu doesn't want to go up, as long as he enters the area of Piaomiao Mountain, he must bathe and change. It's my duty; I hope Lord Hu won't make things difficult for me."

Hu Xiaotian cursed inwardly, "Am I making things difficult for you? No, you're making things difficult for me. Why force me to strip and bathe? Has my secret been exposed?" He smiled and said, "No need for all this trouble. In such cold weather, taking clothes off and putting them back on is a hassle..."

"Lord Hu, please!" Mu Rongzhan invited again; his two Guards appeared behind Hu Xiaotian, clearly there was no room for refusal. If Hu Xiaotian didn't undress, they would forcibly strip him naked.

Hu Xiaotian truly regretted his actions; tonight he had walked straight into a trap. If he took off his clothes, all his secrets would be exposed; the only way out would be to fight them, but Mu Rongzhan's martial arts were unfathomable, and besides he had many helpers—direct confrontation was no option, he couldn't beat them in a fight nor escape; what should he do?

Long Xi Yue obviously hadn't realized Hu Xiaotian's embarrassing situation; she thought letting him stay had already resolved his predicament, not expecting Mu Rongzhan to press on relentlessly after she left. She again gave Hu Xiaotian a hard time.

Mu Rongzhan's reputation for impartiality was well deserved; just two days ago he had entrusted Hu Xiaotian to persuade his daughter to leave the Shen Ce Manor, clearly knowing the close relationship between his daughter and Hu Xiaotian, yet he gave Hu Xiaotian no leniency now, acting as if they were strangers. It was obvious he wanted Hu Xiaotian to strip completely for a thorough inspection.

At a dead end, Hu Xiaotian suddenly recalled something: he had practiced the Yin‑contracting, Yang‑shrinking technique; before entering the palace, Quan De'an had taught him this skill, which was probably the one he had trained longest and most frequently, since to survive in the palace one must learn to act like a retracted‑head turtle—hiding such a large piece of contraband in the imperial palace was nerve‑racking; though he'd been lucky so far, who knows when a slip might expose him?

Although Hu Xiaotian had never fully mastered the Yin‑contracting, Yang‑shrinking technique, he knew its route perfectly; in this critical moment he recalled it and, while walking, began to gather his inner breath and silently cultivate the mysterious skill.

Upon entering the bathhouse, the young eunuch approached, intending to help Hu Xiaotian undress; Hu Xiaotian raised his hand and said, "No need for your help, the Zajia will do it myself!"

Mu Rongzhan actually followed him in, intending to inspect thoroughly. Hu Xiaotian felt his scalp tingle; Mu Rongzhan was, after all, Murong Feiyan's father. I have gone through life and death with your daughter, sharing weal and woe—I am your future son‑in‑law. If you keep pressing me step by step and really drive me to a dead end, your daughter will probably never forgive you. Although Hu Xiaotian didn't know what had transpired between them, from Mu Rongzhan's previous behavior one could guess their relationship was strained; given Murong Feiyan's fierce temperament, whoever bullied me would not get favor even from her father.

Seeing Mu Rongzhan's cold gaze, Hu Xiaotian knew that if the Yin‑contracting, Yang‑shrinking technique failed today, he likely couldn't pass this checkpoint; he smiled and said, "Chief Guard Mu, could you step aside? It's not customary for the Zajia to undress in front of so many people."

Mu Rongzhan nodded; Hu Xiaotian's request was not excessive, he gestured for the others to leave, leaving only himself in the room, his cold gaze never leaving Hu Xiaotian's side, clearly suspicious of Hu Xiaotian's odd behavior.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian had filled his internal energy; previously, when practicing Yin‑contracting, Yang‑shrinking, he had felt nothing, but today he sensed an emptiness in his qi sea and dantian, as if a void had formed in his lower abdomen; he dared not be careless, gradually drawing his manhood inward. When taking off his pants, he didn't forget to check down there—uh… it actually worked! He felt a surge of delight, as the saying goes, "When the mountains run out and the rivers reach their end, doubt there is no way; then willows darken, flowers brighten, another village appears"—I truly am a martial arts genius. He vaguely guessed that his sudden leap in martial prowess should be linked to the breakthrough he just made in the Formless Divine Skill. Moreover, the greater the pressure, the greater the drive; if it weren't a life‑or‑death crisis, he wouldn't have achieved this breakthrough that had troubled him for so long.

Mu Rongzhan saw Hu Xiaotian undressing slowly, as if realizing something; he gave him a cold look and said in a low voice, "Lord Hu, hurry up—don't delay the princess's important business."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and finally pulled down his pants; Mu Rongzhan's eyes suddenly widened, his gray pupils flashing like lightning as they glanced between Hu Xiaotian's legs, and he blinked in disbelief.

Hu Xiaotian turned around and covered his groin with both hands, saying, "Chief Guard Mu, why are you staring at the Zajia? Everyone has privacy—are you trying to mock the Zajia?"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Mu Rongzhan's face; he slowly turned away and said, "Please, Lord Hu, bathe."

Just as Mu Rongzhan turned away, Hu Xiaotian plunged into the bath with a splash; he felt the contraband hidden between his legs burst out in an instant—even a half‑step at night would have been caught by Mu Rongzhan. Hu Xiaotian broke out in a cold sweat, "Phew, phew!" It seems my Yin‑contracting, Yang‑shrinking skill is still inadequate; I just managed to shrink it in, and it immediately sprang out again.

Fortunately Mu Rongzhan had already witnessed that scene with his own eyes and did not follow him to the edge of the bath.

Hu Xiaotian quietly practiced again in the pool, and after some effort managed to re‑seal that source of trouble; while pretending to wash, he sat in the hot water, feeling only the relief of having survived a disaster, his mood greatly uplifted, and he loudly recited, "Bodhi has no tree, the bright mirror is not a stand; originally there is nothing—where could dust arise?"

Mu Rongzhan heard it and felt Hu Xiaotian was using this Buddhist talk to allude to him; he shook his head and slowly left the bathhouse, never imagining that Hu Xiaotian had managed to bluff his way past under his very nose.

Hu Xiaotian put on his clothes, having passed this checkpoint with narrow escape. Strangely, even after dressing and leaving the bathhouse, his manhood did not reappear; he felt a bit uneasy, wondering what if it stayed retracted forever—wouldn't that be castrating himself alive? His skill was far from being able to retract and extend at will. Besides, when Quan De'an taught him this technique, he only showed how to shrink it in, not how to release it.

After he came out, Princess Anping also finished her bath and stepped out; seeing Hu Xiaotian's appearance, it was obvious he had just washed up. The princess felt a twinge of worry, but noticing nothing amiss around, she soon relaxed, thinking Hu Xiaotian's outstanding wisdom must have seen him through the ordeal; she had great confidence in him, yet never imagined what a heart‑pounding moment he had just endured. She felt a curious urge, glanced instinctively at his groin, not knowing how he had concealed that thing; then it struck her that she, still unmarried, how could she entertain such a shameful thought? Her pretty face flushed to her ears, blooming like a March peach; fortunately the night veil hid it, so no one saw her expression change. Even so, Princess Anping felt ashamed enough to want to bury herself in a crack in the ground.

These two days are limited-time free, now it's free, but everyone suddenly stopped voting; Zhangyu is puzzled—free doesn't count toward subscriptions, it's a loss-making shout, I can't even earn a bit of shout? Ladies and gentlemen, after enjoying the free tasting, could you leave a Monthly Ticket? (To be continued~^~^)"