Chapter 439

Long Xi Yue furrowed her brows, straining to recall everything that happened last night; her memory stopped at the moment the fireworks burst into bloom, as for what exactly happened in between, she remembered nothing at all. Perhaps only upon seeing Hu Xiaotian could she ask clearly—just how did that detestable Hu Xiaotian bring her back to Zilan Palace, and why did he abandon her there alone?

Hu Xiaotian's New Year's Eve was not going well; he had originally planned to sit atop the small tower with Princess Anping, watch the fireworks, admire the snowflakes filling the sky, have a little drink, talk about life, talk about the future, even delve deeper into their gradually deepening feelings, not ruling out holding hands and kissing—yet Ji Feihua's sudden appearance completely ruined his wonderful night.

What's more troublesome is that the effect of the Raise Yin and Contract Yang technique that helped him survive a calamity on Ethereal Mountain has been unusually long-lasting; it's been half a day already, with not the slightest sign of subsiding.

Things in the world are often like this—haste makes waste; the more you want it to come out, the more it refuses. After returning to the Bureau of Imperial Gardens, Hu Xiaotian first took a hot bath, hoping that the principle of thermal expansion and contraction might have some effect, since he had been out in the cold for so long, perhaps his reluctant parts were lingering in the warmth and unwilling to emerge; yet after soaking for a long while, there was no effect at all.

Quan De'an is truly hateful to the extreme; when he initially taught him the Raise Yin and Contract Yang technique, he never explained how to control it at will. Hu Xiaotian thought of the Formless Divine Skill—since it is so profound, capable of neutralizing various external true forces, perhaps it could also have some effect on Raise Yin and Contract Yang. After circulating the Formless Divine Skill for two cycles, Hu Xiaotian felt refreshed and invigorated; his bodily fatigue vanished completely. Yet his vital part remained unchanged, showing no sign of returning to its original state.

Hu Xiaotian finally began to feel a little afraid; recalling Quan De'an's vicious methods, he wondered if the Senior Eunuch had actually taught him nothing but a poisonous evil art to make him castrate himself, rather than the Raise Yin and Contract Yang technique. Hu Xiaotian felt this regret—normally clever, he had been foolish for a moment. So much time had passed, yet he had still fallen for a big scam; after serving as a false eunuch for so long without incident, he now saw escape from the palace within reach, only to be undone by his own joy—he had made himself a eunuch.

Hu Xiaotian thought it over, having exhausted every possible method he could think of, and finding none workable, he began to conjure up some steamy, alluring scenes in his mind. The eternal male lead is himself, while the female lead ranges from Murong Feiyan to Huo Xiaoru, Le Yao, Xi Yan, Qin Yutong, Baobao, Long Xi Yue, Qiqi, Wen Ya, even Lin Wan and Empress Jian—basically every woman he knows has been fantasized about by him. Although it's hardly appropriate to be so lascivious during the New Year, curing the illness is urgent, and a heart ailment requires heart medicine. Hu Xiaotian does not believe there is a physiological problem with him. Surely it's a psychological issue; when he first mastered Raise Yin and Contract Yang, it didn't just pop up instantly, so why is it so persistent this time?

Hu Xiaotian lay in bed tossing and turning, restless, one pretty face after another flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern, yet his vital part remained as if asleep, showing no response whatsoever. Hu Xiaotian grew truly weary from all the tossing, and in a dazed state he slumped onto the bed and fell asleep; in his hazy half-sleep, he saw a bewitchingly alluring woman swaying gently as she walked toward him. As she drew near, Hu Xiaotian vaguely recognized her as Ji Feihua, and exclaimed in astonishment, "Sir, how are you dressed like this?"

Ji Feihua suddenly grabbed his collar with a hiss, tearing his clothes in half, then she saw a fiery robe slip from her shoulders; Ji Feihua's pair of phoenix eyes were full of seductive charm as she drew near Hu Xiaotian, extended her arms to embrace him, then her eyes turned green, she opened her mouth to reveal two snow-white fangs, and bit toward his neck like a vampire.

Hu Xiaotian let out a frightened shout, crying out, "No..." He suddenly opened his eyes and sat up from the bed, only to realize he had just had a nightmare, actually breaking out in a cold sweat. He glanced at the side table, picked up the leftover tea, and gulped it down. After drinking, he felt his throat less parched than before; lowering his gaze to look between his legs, he saw some improvement compared to last night—a tiny bud of the lotus just peeking out. Although it had not yet recovered its former vigor, at least there was a promising sign. Could it be that thinking of beautiful women does nothing, but thinking of Ji Feihua works? Hu Xiaotian was frightened by his own thought—how could a perfectly straight man like him suddenly develop feelings for the same sex? Even if Ji Feihua isn't exactly a man, he certainly isn't a woman either.

Hu Xiaotian blamed his current state entirely on Quan De'an; if it weren't for that evil technique of the Senior Eunuch harming people, how would he have ended up like this? Yet nothing matters more than his vital part. After trying all night and exhausting every method, the only thing that gave even the slightest effect was thinking of Ji Feihua—whether it's sick or perverse, for the sake of his lower-body happiness he could only reluctantly indulge in a tiny bit of mental defilement of Ji Feihua.

Hu Xiaotian closed his eyes, when suddenly he heard knocking at the door—it was a group of early-rising little eunuchs coming to pay him New Year's respects. Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, "I finally had a bit of improvement, and you lot of brats ruined it; small ailments accumulated over time have become big ones." He endured it, let the little eunuchs in to offer their greetings, and handed out the red envelopes he had prepared beforehand.

Shi Xuedong beamed with delight as he approached and said, "Eunuch Hu, everyone has worked hard all year; these two days are a rare chance to rest, I've divided them into three shifts, each—" Before he could finish, Hu Xiaotian cut him off: "You handle it yourself; do I really need to intervene in such a trivial matter?"

Shi Xuedong suffered an unexpected setback, only then realizing Hu Xiaotian was in a bad mood today; he quickly gave a glance and led the little eunuchs away in retreat.

Just as they left, Hu Xiaotian closed the door, preparing to indulge his thoughts, using Ji Feihua as the object for a good round of idle fantasizing, when another knock sounded outside.

Hu Xiaotian's unnamed anger flared instantly; he snapped, "Who the hell is it? Don't you let people get a good night's sleep?" All this fury was pent up. Hu Xiaotian leapt out of bed, flung the door open angrily, and lifted his foot, ready to kick the clueless little eunuch at the doorway out.

But outside the door he saw Baobao wearing a crimson satin side-fastened waist-cinched cotton robe, wrapped in a black sable fur collar, her features like a painting, both cheeks flushed red; her willow brows were raised, her almond eyes wide open. She had come early in the morning to wish Hu Xiaotian a happy New Year, never expecting to be greeted with a torrent of abuse before even stepping inside.

Upon seeing Baobao, Hu Xiaotian immediately realized he had shouted at the wrong person.

Baobao said, "Did you set off firecrackers? Your temper is huge for New Year's."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "I thought it was those clueless little eunuchs." He reached out, grabbed Baobao's wrist, and pulled her inside.

As soon as Baobao entered, she shook off his hand, saying, "Get lost, don't keep tugging at me—it looks bad for others to see."

Hu Xiaotian, however, bolted the door, returned to her side, and again seized her delicate hand, smiling as he said, "Grandma, you've finally come."

"How so? You speak as if you've been missing me terribly; if I hadn't come, I fear Eunuch Hu would have already forgotten this little palace maid of mine."

"Impossible; I've been thinking of you day and night, to the point I can't think of you any more."

Baobao eyed him strangely and said, "It's New Year's—please, cut the hypocrisy, okay? Speak! Is there something you need from me?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded repeatedly.

Baobao gave him a white-eyed glance, twisted her willow waist in a graceful, alluring manner as she came to sit beside Hu Xiaotian's bed, picked a candied fruit from the tray, popped it into her mouth, and said while chewing, "Go on!"

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Baobao's charming, alluring appearance, feeling a heat and swelling in his lower abdomen, he wore a lecherous grin as he approached her, sat down beside her, and said, "I've run into some trouble."

Baobao giggled, thinking that if Hu Xiaotian had no trouble it would be abnormal; she hooked her right index finger toward him. When alone with Hu Xiaotian, Baobao had grown accustomed to teasing him, their battle of wits always leaving her at a disadvantage—only her feminine charm could make this false eunuch burn with urgency, surrendering body and soul. This kind of punishment was truly amusing; Baobao leaned close to Hu Xiaotian's ear and cooed, "Speak, let's see if I can help you." Seeing Hu Xiaotian's eyes nearly blazing with fire, Baobao inwardly chuckled, this false eunuch was getting lewder by the day.

Hu Xiaotian grabbed her hand, then leaned close to her ear and whispered his troubles to her in full.

Upon hearing it, Baobao shrieked, jumped up, covered her eyes, and stamped her feet, shouting, "You shameless wretch, discussing this on New Year's!" She thought Hu Xiaotian was deliberately teasing her.

Hu Xiaotian put on an innocent face: "Baobao, don't shout—walls have ears, and others still don't know what I've done to you."

Baobao spat, "Ignore you then—you'll just keep teasing me, finding ever new ways to embarrass me."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Grandma, this is a major matter concerning my lifelong happiness; I truly am not teasing you—if you don't believe me, feel free to check yourself."

Baobao's face flushed red, this guy truly had the shamelessness of a rare degree; she gave him a white-eyed look and said, "Who would want to touch you?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Baobao, I've tried every method I could think of; all night long there's been no reaction at all—this cultivation practice has really backfired. If you don't help me, I might truly become a eunuch."

Baobao blushed and replied, "You were already a eunuch to begin with."

Hu Xiaotian took her hand, Baobao bit her lower lip, sat back down beside the bed with her head lowered, her expression bashful as she asked, "How do you want me to help you, then……"

Hu Xiaotian draped his arm over her shoulder, gave a gentle tug; Baobao struggled a little, yet still yielded and fell into his embrace. Hu Xiaotian, emboldened, lowered his head to kiss her, but Baobao raised a hand to block his mouth, saying, "How do I know you're not deceiving me?"

"Don't believe me—look!"

"Pah! Who'd want to look at you."

Hu Xiaotian took her hand and placed it on his groin: "Feel it." (To be continued~^~)