Chapter 549

Li Chang'an didn't know what Hu Xiaotian was thinking; seeing his scheme succeed, he couldn't help but reveal a faint cold smile at the corner of his mouth; no matter how exquisite your footwork, you still cannot escape my grasp.

The crowd counted faster and faster, already reaching ninety-six; Li Chang'an was already within arm's reach of Hu Xiaotian, he confidently reached out, about to grab Hu Xiaotian, when suddenly the ground beneath Hu Xiaotian's feet collapsed—Hu Xiaotian himself hadn't expected it, he cried out in surprise, lost his footing and fell into the pit that suddenly appeared below; although Li Chang'an struck quickly, he only managed to grab the fabric on Hu Xiaotian's shoulder, with a rip! —only a torn piece of cloth remained in his hand; looking ahead, there was no trace of Hu Xiaotian.

At the same moment, the crowd shouted in unison: "One hundred! Time's up!"

Li Chang'an's face turned ashen, he stared blankly at the pit that had suddenly appeared before him, his expression utterly embarrassed.

Hu Xiaotian crawled up from the dust-filled pit, though a bit disheveled, his expression still that of a victorious general returning from battle; he smiled and said, "Thanks, thanks, I lucked out to win!"

Li Chang'an said nothing, slowly nodded, then suddenly struck the ground with a palm from midair, kicking up a wall of dust that came rushing toward Hu Xiaotian.

Seeing a wall of yellow earth looming like a flood, Hu Xiaotian was terrified out of his wits and hastily ducked his head into the pit.

Actually, Li Chang'an didn't intend to hurt him; he just wanted to embarrass him and regain some face in front of everyone.

Two gusts of gang wind swept in from the opposite side, their power unmatched, striking the earthen wall like a thunderclap, erupting with a loud "Peng!" as dust billowed everywhere. Everyone turned away, covering their noses; Li Chang'an stood in white robes amidst the swirling dust, his clothes spotless, his gaze growing brighter in the dark night. Through the haze ahead, he saw a vague, burly figure.

Zhou Mo stood silently opposite him, deep as mountains and lakes, his expression calm and undisturbed.

Li Chang'an slowly nodded, then turned his gaze to the side where Zhan Peng stood; at that moment Zhan Peng had already drawn his long bow, an arrow nocked on the string.

Li Chang'an whistled, and the Snow Eagle swooped down from midair, its wings beating vigorously. He coldly asked, "Who just shot my eagle with an arrow?" His gaze burned as he fixed on Zhan Peng.

Although Zhan Peng had just shot an arrow, his target was certainly not the Snow Eagle; it was Wen Boyuan who had fired first. He shot only to deflect the falling arrow lest it hurt someone, altering its trajectory.

Many eyes turned to Wen Boyuan, but he pretended not to hear, which greatly undermined the martial image he had cultivated; at the crucial moment he dared not take responsibility.

Hu Xiaotian crawled up from the pit again, lounging at the entrance and said lazily, "A bet's a bet. Mr. Li, someone of your stature wouldn't go back on his word, would you?"

Li Chang'an gave a hollow chuckle, leapt into the air and landed lightly on the Snow Eagle's back; the eagle spread its wings and carried him into the deep night sky. Thus Li Chang'an proved himself a man who keeps his promises, yet this also shows he knows how to read the situation. Neither Zhou Mo nor Zhan Peng would be easy opponents; should a conflict erupt, he might not gain any advantage under their combined assault—this is why he truly decided to leave.

Hu Xiaotian climbed out of the pit, and Liang Yinghao followed closely behind, revealing himself. Now everyone finally understood that the sudden pit was linked to Liang Yinghao—it was his timely intervention that let Hu Xiaotian escape Li Chang'an's grasp at the last moment, so Hu Xiaotian had indeed relied on outside help. If the crowd hadn't been counting faster and faster, and if Liang Yinghao hadn't tampered underground, even if Hu Xiaotian's footwork were more exquisite, he would still have struggled to escape Li Chang'an's pursuit.

Hu Xiaotian brushed off the dust, approached Wen Boyuan and said, "I clearly remember that it was General Wen who fired that arrow just now—how can you dare to do it and then refuse to admit it?"

Wen Boyuan gave him a sideways glance, but being guilty, he turned and walked away.

Hu Xiaotian sneered, "Whenever danger strikes, it's the brothers who rush forward; all the credit goes to you, while the blame falls on others—damn, you really carry off being a general with great pomp!"

Wen Boyuan gripped his sword hilt tightly, finally unable to bear it any longer, he turned his head again.

Hu Xiaotian wasn't afraid of him, turning to Wen Boyuan's soldiers he said, "It's not fear of taking the wrong road, but of following the wrong person; brothers, keep your eyes open, lest you end up being sold out and still have to count the money for the buyer."

Wen Boyuan roared, "You eunuch, I've had enough of you!" Before he could step forward, Wu Jing Shan grabbed him, saying, "Calm down, calm down, the princess's condition is grave; we are in the same boat now—how can we stir up internal strife?" Wu Jing Shan spoke fairly on the surface, but deep down he was certainly aiding Hu Xiaotian; he had witnessed the earlier scene, and Wen Boyuan's performance only deepened his disappointment—how could such a man command respect? Not only Wu Jing Shan thought so, but even Wen Boyuan's own followers had wavering hearts. Dong Tieshan especially felt a chill; he had rushed forward to defend Wen Boyuan, only to be sent flying by a punch from Li Chang'an, and Wen Boyuan not only failed to speak up for him, but instead cozied up to the other side, clearly not caring about his life or death. It can be said that Hu Xiaotian's earlier words hit the mark, every sentence striking his heart.

Hu Xiaotian had no intention of staying to fight Wen Boyuan to the bitter end; he still worried about Long Xi Yue's condition. Looking back, her illness had indeed come about rather suspiciously. He coughed once before entering her tent.

Tang Qingxuan followed Hu Xiaotian's method to help Long Xi Yue reduce her fever physically; Hu Xiaotian touched her forehead, feeling her temperature drop a bit, and whispered, "Has anyone else come in?" Tang Qingxuan shook her head.

Hu Xiaotian said, "You'll have to work hard tonight."

Tang Qingxuan smiled gently, "I'm not doing this for you; the princess and I are sworn sisters, so looking after her is naturally my duty." After saying that, she realized it sounded a bit off, her cheeks flushed, but fortunately Hu Xiaotian didn't notice her expression.

Hu Xiaotian saw Long Xi Yue still asleep; her symptoms didn't look like poisoning, and he vaguely suspected that Xu Mi Tian hadn't been telling the truth. It must be the circumstances forcing her, so she pretended Long Xi Yue was poisoned to blackmail him into protecting her. Leaving the tent, he saw Zi Yun still standing alone by the carriage, gazing this way but not daring to approach. If Long Xi Yue weren't poisoned, then Zi Yun would be cleared of suspicion; Hu Xiaotian had meant to go over and comfort her a few words, when he suddenly heard Xu Mi Tian's voice say, "Come over to Xiao Hui, I have something to tell you."

Hu Xiaotian came to the side of his own tent; Xiao Hui was munching fodder, with several wounded soldiers sitting around. He guessed Xu Mi Tian was hiding among them, but from outward appearance he couldn't tell which one.

A warrior with his right eye bandaged turned his head; his lone remaining eye blinked at Hu Xiaotian, who immediately realized this was Xu Mi Tian—she indeed hadn't left, but had remained hidden in the ranks. Hu Xiaotian deliberately pointed at her and said, "Come with me."

Xu Mi Tian took the opportunity to rise, following Hu Xiaotian to Xiao Hui's side; to outsiders it seemed Hu Xiaotian was instructing her on how to care for the horse, but in fact they were communicating via voice transmission.

Hu Xiaotian asked, "What poison exactly has the princess been afflicted with?"

Xu Mi Tian's lips curled slightly: "I was just saying it offhand; you actually believed me."

Hu Xiaotian had already braced himself for this; he glared at her fiercely and said, "You actually dared to deceive me!"

Xu Mi Tian replied, "If I hadn't said that, would you have wholeheartedly helped me? You might have sold me off already."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Is Li Chang'an really that formidable?"

Xu Mi Tian said with contempt, "Your martial arts are not bad, but alas my divine skill is not yet complete." She sighed, feeling as if a tiger fallen to the plains were being bullied by dogs; if she weren't in a low ebb, a mere Li Chang'an would be nothing. Thinking about it, all this is connected to Hu Xiaotian—if it weren't for him scheming against me, perhaps I would have already achieved the Myriad Toxin Sacred Body.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I had thought there was no one in the world you feared."

Xu Mi Tian replied, "Times change; everyone has unlucky moments."

"Are you planning to hide in our squad forever?"

Xu Mi Tian glared at him with her single eye and said, "Are you in such a hurry to drive me away? Worried I'll implicate you?"

Hu Xiaotian gave a hehe laugh; his thoughts were self-evident.

Xu Mi Tian said, "Don't worry; once we enter Da Yong I'll leave on my own—do you think I value you so much?"

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, "Whether I care or not, I don't know, but you're definitely fixated on the Zajia's treasure."

Xiao Hui at that moment cocked his head, his long ears pricked up as if eavesdropping on their conversation; Xu Mi Tian suddenly raised her hand and slapped Xiao Hui's head. The blow made Xiao Hui let out a miserable "ge lu lu" cry, he lifted his hind legs to kick Xu Mi Tian.

Xu Mi Tian twisted her waist and had already hidden behind Hu Xiaotian; Hu Xiaotian hastily grabbed the reins, reached out to touch Xiao Hui's head, and glared at Xu Mi Tian, saying, "Did it provoke you?" As the saying goes, when beating a dog you look to its owner; Xu Mi Tian's slap was clearly aimed at me. Fortunately she didn't strike hard, otherwise this horse might well have lost its life.

Xu Mi Tian said, "Whether it's a beast or not, if you provoke me I won't let you off."

Xiao Hui, still vengeful, seized the moment, lifted a hoof aiming to kick Xu Mi Tian; but Xu Mi Tian wouldn't be hit so easily, she flashed to Xiao Hui's left side and slapped his head with a crisp "pa". Though the blow wasn't heavy, Xiao Hui saw stars, felt dazed, his legs went soft and he flopped to the ground with a "pu tong".

Wishing everyone a happy Lantern Festival, good health, and happiness; Zhangyu has been typing away till now and still hasn't had a bite of hot yuanxiao—so diligent, how about throwing a monthly ticket his way to encourage him, let Zhangyu's heart warm up! (To be continued~^~)