Chapter 544

Wen Boyuan silently cursed Wu Jingshan for being foolish. At that moment, his subordinate Dong Tieshan came up to him, as if he had something to say. Wen Boyuan said: "You needn't hold back; Sir Wu is no outsider, so speak freely."

Dong Tieshan then said: "Just now I led men to search his tent, and beneath the tent we discovered a tunnel."

Zhou Mo

Long Xi Yue

Hu Xiaotian watched from afar as a group of people walked toward his tent, already realizing that the secret of the tunnel had been discovered by them. Zhou Mo came to his side and whispered: "Will there be trouble?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "There is trouble, but it's not me." He then turned to Tang Tiehan and his men and said: "Brothers, quickly move the dowry back and tidy it up; a sandstorm is coming, we need to leave Fenglin Gorge as soon as possible." After giving these instructions, he finally turned and walked toward his own tent.

Wu Jing Shan

Dong Tieshan

Zhan Peng

"Explanation? You should be the one giving me an explanation! Wen Boyuan, Wen Boyuan, I know you have a prejudice against me, but honest people don't do sneaky things. Why did you tear down my tent? Not only did you destroy my tent, you even dug a tunnel underneath—are you trying to frame me?"

Wen Boyuan said: "If it weren't for this tunnel, how could you have slipped past the guards' eyes and sneaked out of the camp without anyone noticing?" He thought he had already exposed Hu Xiaotian's scheme, and a hint of smugness appeared on his face.

Hu Xiaotian turned to Wu Jingshan and said: "Sir Wu, you now see with your own eyes that he is scheming against me. I painstakingly recovered the princess's lost dowry, yet he not only refused to help, but dug a tunnel beneath my tent—this is clearly an attempt to frame me."

Princess

Little Gray

Wen Boyuan coldly said: "This tunnel was already there; with so many people around, no one could possibly dig a tunnel to frame you."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I chose the campsite, but it was your men who pitched the tents. Back then, why didn't anyone notice this tunnel? You didn't dig it. Are you suggesting I dug it all by myself?"

Your Highness

We didn't see 殿下 explicitly. However line 40 includes 公主殿下, which we already have. So 殿下 not present as a standalone term. So we don't need to include it.

Kangdu

Hu Xiaotian stared at Dong Tieshan and said: "What the hell are you? How dare you act insolently in front of me, an official!"

Tang family

Monthly Ticket

Dong Tieshan looked toward Wen Boyuan for help; at such a moment Wen Boyuan could not ignore it, and he said arrogantly: "I will handle my own men, Tieshan. Just speak of what you saw; there's no need to be afraid."

Hu Xiaotian sneered: "Did I lead you here? If I hadn't brought you to this safe zone just now, you'd probably have been crushed by those yellow earth pillars. Now, conscience aside, back when you were poisoned, if I hadn't found a way to detoxify you, how many of you would still be alive?"

The surrounding warriors, hearing Hu Xiaotian say this, lowered their heads one by one; the fact is the fact—just now it was indeed Hu Xiaotian who helped them detoxify.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Taking a wrong road isn't scary; at worst we can start over. But following the wrong person is troublesome—you might even lose your life. Life is given by your parents, and you only have one, so brothers, cherish it well."

Divine Strategy Manor

Hu Xiaotian said: "You know what it means in your heart. From Kangdu to here, how much have you done, and how many brothers have died because of you? You keep shouting about protection, but what good has it done? Heh, none of us are blind; I believe everyone can see it."

Black Pine Forest

Hu Xiaotian said: "I speak my piece, you listen to yours. If we really turn against each other and fight, I'm not afraid of you, but today I don't have time to accompany you." He lifted his head to gaze at the pitch-black night sky: "Brothers, a sandstorm is coming. If you want to leave this place of right and wrong as soon as possible, gather your things and follow me now. If you want to follow General Wen into that tunnel to investigate, go ahead and follow him to your doom."

Divine Strategy Manor

Wu Jingshan sighed and said: "I think we should still listen to Sir Hu. Let's hurry and leave before the sandstorm arrives."

General

Hu Xiaotian smiled, nodded at Wen Boyuan, and said: "The princess summons me; excuse me!"

Wen Boyuan forcibly suppressed his anger; at least now is not the time to erupt. Even though the tunnel was discovered beneath Hu Xiaotian's tent, it still cannot prove anything. To claim he is colluding with the Hunshui Gang based solely on that tunnel would hardly convince anyone, especially now that Princess Anping protects him at every turn, and even Wu Jingshan leans toward his side; openly confronting him may not bring any advantage. This eunuch is truly hateful, skilled at winning people's hearts—he has already drawn the Tang family brothers' horse handlers into his camp, and now he even wants to divide my own forces.

Princess

Princess Anping

Wen Boyuan

Wen Boyuan angrily said: "Our duty is to protect the princess; everything else is trivial. Wherever the princess goes, we go."

Long Xi Yue also, having just learned that Hu Xiaotian had again gone alone into danger, couldn't help but feel anxious again; her pretty face showed displeasure as she softly said: "What did you promise me? Why are you risking your life again?"

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed; this time it wasn't his own desire to seek adventure. If it weren't for Mount Sumeru forcibly dragging him there, he would never have ventured alone into the tiger's den to stage a hero's tale of many against few. Looking back, tonight's excitement was all about heart-pounding moments. He comforted the Princess: "Princess, rest assured—if I don't have full confidence, I won't go."

Long Xi Yue blinked her beautiful eyes, knowing he must be hiding something from her, but now it was not the time to ask; she spoke gently: "I hope you stay safe. Besides, you don't need to clash with Wen Boyuan—I worry he will be adverse to you in the future."

Hearing Long Xi Yue's concern, Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of heroic spirit and whispered: "He lacks the ability." He secretly resolved: this time he would not let Wen Boyuan reach Yongdu alive.

Zhou Mo had already prepared the carriages and horses. Hu Xiaotian helped Long Xi Yue onto the carriage, then took the reins of the little gray horse from Zhou Mo's hand and mounted. At that moment, Zhan Peng also led a few warriors over to provide protection. Hu Xiaotian said to Liang Yinghao: "Yinghao, you lead the way ahead!" He also had Tang Tieshan select twenty strong subordinates to accompany Liang Yinghao in scouting the route ahead, effectively replacing Wen Boyuan's side as the vanguard.

Wen Boyuan gestured for Zhan Peng to follow and scout the situation, unaware that this suited Zhan Peng's intentions; Zhan Peng then accompanied Hu Xiaotian to the front of the column. Hu Xiaotian turned, glanced at Wen Boyuan's party bringing up the rear, and smirked: "The might of the Divine Strategy Office is nothing more than this."

Hu Xiaotian

Hu Xiaotian only then felt he had been a bit rash, nodded, urged his mount, rode side by side with Zhan Peng, following behind Liang Yinghao. Using the voice transmission technique he just learned from Mount Sumeru, he said: "Brother Zhan, will you help me with anything I do?"

Zhan Peng turned his gaze to Hu Xiaotian, his expression full of trust and certainty, and said in a low voice: "Zhan Peng will always owe the young master a great favor."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'm not asking you to repay the favor; I want you to help me do things, to do great things!"

Zhan Peng said: "As long as it is the right thing, not contrary to morality and Conscience, Zhan Peng will do it for the young master."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You should see that Wen Boyuan wants to kill me; the Black Pine Forest is just the beginning. If one scheme fails, he will surely devise another, wanting to eradicate this at the root, he must……" Hu Xiaotian didn't finish that sentence, ah; the killing intent flashing in his eyes precisely conveyed his meaning to Zhan Peng.

Zhan Peng said: "Anyone who wishes ill upon the young master is my enemy!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "With those words from you, I can rest easy."

Little Gray's two long ears suddenly prick up; animals are far more sensitive to subtle changes in nature than humans, the wind had already strengthened considerably in an instant, the ground beneath their feet seemed to have mist rising, but on closer look it was fine dust.

Few in the party had experienced such weather; Liang Yinghao, who was leading the way ahead, turned and said: "Sir Hu, a dust storm is coming."

Hu Xiaotian nodded.

This sandstorm arrived earlier than Liang Yinghao had expected; he reined in his horse, dismounted, and said to Hu Xiaotian: "Sir, everyone should make full preparations, dismount and proceed on foot, cover the animals' eyes, keep the line connected from front to back, and try not to stray too far apart."

Hu Xiaotian had also seen such sandstorm conditions before and didn't feel they were that serious; he laughed and teased: "Should we tie everyone together with a rope?"

Liang Yinghao, however, said: "If we can tie ourselves together, that would be best."

Seeing Liang Yinghao's solemn expression, Hu Xiaotian finally realized this storm was no small matter; he hurriedly issued orders, telling everyone to prepare.

You can go home at noon today; the requirement isn't high—sixty Monthly Tickets and you get Three More! (To be continued~^~)