Chapter 517

Hu Xiaotian inwardly cursed, 'Oh no.' Wen Ya, Wen Ya, you really didn't die, actually ran to this remote backwater, hiding underground playing tricks, today you must have come for me. He took a deep breath; with the situation at hand, escaping surely wouldn't be that easy. Since Wen Ya could drag me down into this dark underground under everyone's eyes, his martial arts must be far superior to mine. Thinking of the several warriors who died mysteriously, Hu Xiaotian felt a secret shock. After a brief hesitation, he continued along the flower-lined path toward the stone pavilion, chuckling: 'Hey hey, isn't that the Talented Person?'

Wen Ya's flute sound stopped abruptly, her brows slightly furrowed, obviously displeased because Hu Xiaotian's voice interrupted her; holding the jade flute, she stood up, a pair of eyes as cold as an ancient icy pool stared at Hu Xiaotian, and they seemed to emit a deep Lan light.

Hu Xiaotian felt creeped out by her gaze; this gaze was not at all like that of a living person, it was simply a female ghost crawling up from the ground, although she was very beautiful, looking at her made one feel a chill from the heart. Gathering his courage, he chuckled and said, 'I thought you were dead; I never expected you to be hiding here, living carefree.'

Wen Ya's voice carried no emotion at all: 'Hu Xiaotian, aren't you afraid?'

Hu Xiaotian continued walking toward her: 'Why should I be afraid? I haven't done anything wrong to you.'

Wen Ya's heart stirred with a hint of killing intent from his words, but this killing intent immediately disturbed her inner calm; she bit her lip, trying hard to remind herself to stay composed, and after a while she said: 'You allied with Ji Feihua that eunuch traitor to try to put me to death, yet you dare say you haven't done anything wrong to me.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Since the Talented Person is unharmed, please come back to the palace with me as soon as possible; if the Emperor knows you're not dead, he will surely be delighted and might even reward me. By the way, the Wen Grand Tutor has always blamed your death on me, but now I can finally clear my name, and your elder brother Wen Boyuan is right above; this time you siblings reunite, you'll surely embrace and weep.' He certainly understood in his heart that the person before him was certainly not Wen Ya, nor the little widow Le Yao; he said this only to confuse Wen Ya and make her let down her guard.

Wen Ya coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian, seeing him get closer and closer, she whispered: 'Do you have some deadly killing move in your hand? That's why you're deliberately speaking to numb me?'

Hu Xiaotian's hand had quietly reached for the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle; he intended to close the distance and shoot her at close range, but hearing her words he froze for a moment, and the motion of his hand stopped.

Wen Ya said: 'If you harbor ill intent toward me, then let's make a bet to see who is faster, you or me.'

Hu Xiaotian lowered his hand again, spread his arms and said: 'Judging a gentleman's heart with a petty mind, I'm delighted to see you—how could I harm you?' He smiled brightly; there was no trace of malice on his face.

Wen Ya said: 'It's best not to have such thoughts, otherwise the one who dies will surely be you.'

Hu Xiaotian spoke threateningly: 'Since you've already left the palace, and everyone thinks you're dead, just go far away. Why bother turning back to look for me? If people find out you're not really dead, that's a crime of deceiving the sovereign, punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the clan, extending to nine relations. Although the Wen Grand Tutor isn't your biological father, he did raise you; you wouldn't repay kindness with enmity, would you? How about this: I'll pretend I didn't see you, and you go as far as you like, okay?'

Wen Ya sneered: 'After not seeing each other for so long, do you really have no longing for me at all, that you're in such a hurry to drive me away?'

'I do! I miss you terribly, but I must first think of your safety. Above, everywhere are court officials; fortunately, the one who discovered you is me—if they saw you, you'd surely be in big trouble.' Hu Xiaotian put on a show of concern for her, while in his heart he was plotting an escape.

Wen Ya said: 'Even if they discover me, what's there to fear? If one person sees me, I kill that one; if two see me, I kill that pair; if a thousand see me, I kill all thousand, never letting a single survivor escape.'

Hu Xiaotian sucked in a cold breath from the bottom of his heart, yet on the surface he still smiled brightly; his nerves dared not relax in the slightest as he looked for an opportunity to strike. He laughed and said: 'Just now, was it you who dragged me down here?'

Wen Ya said: 'You should feel fortunate; I merely grabbed you down here, rather than killing you on the spot.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Were those several warriors all killed by you?'

Wen Ya nodded without hiding it and said: 'Not bad!'

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed Wen Ya's viciousness, gazing at her flawless exquisite face—this visage was beautiful to the extreme yet cold to the extreme; from her expression one could still find no trace of gentleness or allure. He recalled the past, in Qingyun, that gentle-as-water, alluring little widow Le Yao, who was full of charm; it seemed they were completely two different beings. Could it be that inside this beautiful body, Le Yao's consciousness had long been swept away, and what stood before him was merely the world's top poison master, Xu Mi Tian, who had used the Demonic Seed Great Method to take over a nest, forcibly seizing Le Yao's body? If all this were true, what difference would there be from murder?

'Don't you know me? Why do you keep staring at me?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Even until now I still can't tell the difference between you and Le Yao.'

Wen Ya said: 'Of course there is a difference; she wouldn't kill you, but I came today to kill you.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'If you want to kill me, actually the best opportunity was just now when you dragged me in from outside; unfortunately you were momentarily soft-hearted and didn't strike right away, and now trying to kill me again probably won't be so easy.'

Wen Ya chuckled: 'Since I can catch you down here, killing you is hardly a piece of cake; do you think you can escape my palm?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'I didn't expect you not only to play the flute well, but also to blow your own horn so impressively.' Gazing at Wen Ya's alluring cherry lips, he didn't know what such a wonderful mouth would taste like.

'Bold!' Wen Ya's phoenix eyes widened, killing intent icy.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'My courage has never been small, but compared to yours I'm still lacking a bit; who exactly are you, and why have you sneaked into the palace?'

Wen Ya said: 'I originally wanted to give you a way out, but now I've changed my mind.'

Hu Xiaotian said: "Actually, even if you don't say it, I already guessed—you're Xumi Tian, aren't you? You practiced some sort of demonic great method; it's said that when this demonic great method reaches a certain level one can cultivate a demon fetus, but when the demon fetus is formed, one's lifespan often isn't long, so you then found a suitable person to implant the demon fetus into her body; Le Yao was basically killed by you, right?"

Wen Ya nodded and said: "So what? Since you can't forget her, I'll now send you down to see her." A faint Lan light burst from her eyes, she lightly tapped the tip of her toe on the ground, twisted her delicate body, and shot toward Hu Xiaotian like a sudden bolt.

Hu Xiaotian's original intention was to provoke her so she would approach him voluntarily, and only after closing the distance would he have a chance to shoot her dead with the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle; but Hu Xiaotian didn't expect her to come this fast—if he now took out the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle, he'd likely be caught before he could fire. For the moment he couldn't think about attacking; he made a slick getaway.

Wen Ya raised five fingers, curved like an eagle's claw, her fingertips glowing with a green oily light. Hu Xiaotian knew well her skill; if she truly was Xumi Tian, then no one in the world could surpass her in poison arts. He stepped with the universe, his body contracted then sprang; though the movement was inelegant, his footwork was surprisingly unexpected. Wen Ya had thought she could grab him in one go, but in a blink she grasped at air—Hu Xiaotian had already retreated to a distance of one zhang from her.

Wen Ya furrowed her elegant brows, no wonder this brat was so arrogant, not knowing when he learned such a marvelous footwork; she nodded and said: "Not bad, not bad!" While speaking, her attack did not cease; her body suddenly spun like a top, shooting toward Hu Xiaotian at great speed.

Hu Xiaotian retreated into the flower thicket, his footwork unhurried, alternating speed, occasionally changing direction. Wen Ya followed him into the thicket; the blossoms that flickered with phosphorescence rose with her in a flurry, forming a multicolored, dazzling tornado. At first Hu Xiaotian felt a little nervous, but he soon realized that Wen Ya's attempt to catch him was far from easy, as they darted back and forth among the flowers.

Wen Ya several times looked as if she were about to grab him, but each time she got close she came up empty; Wen Ya snapped angrily: "What kind of evil footwork is this?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Dog-Dodging footwork."

Wen Ya thought he was insulting her, she gave a cold snort, and her pursuit speed increased, yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not so much as touch a corner of Hu Xiaotian's clothing.

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily, "Although I can't beat you in a fight, relying solely on this Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps, you still can't catch me. Just thinking that I could leave the world's top poison master, Xumi Tian, helpless, makes me quite pleased."

Wen Ya pursued until fine sweat beaded on her forehead; she suddenly stopped.

Hu Xiaotian saw that she was no longer pursuing, and he also stopped at a place more than three zhang away from her, smiling narrowly: "When a man chases a woman there's a mountain between them; when a woman chases a man there's only a sheet of paper. Too bad you're poisonous through and through—we'd better keep some distance."

Wen Ya said: "Coward, if you've got the guts, don't run—let's have an open and aboveboard fight."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The goading tactic? It won't work on me; if I fought you openly, wouldn't I just be seeking death?"

Wen Ya said: "I promise you, I won't kill you!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Fat chance I'd believe you—back then you schemed against me in the Bright Moon Palace, releasing all those poisonous scorpions to bite me; I nearly got killed by you."

Wen Ya coldly said: "If it weren't for you wanting to harm me first, I wouldn't have treated you like this—you actually tried to poison my food and drink, using the Red Yang Scorching Yin Pill to harm me, and then released the Blood Shadow Golden Toad to try to destroy my divine skill." (To be continued~^~)