Chapter 557: [No Survivors] (Part 2)

Wu Jing Shan thought Wen Boyuan had finally given in, secretly pleased, thinking his old face still had some use.

Wen Boyuan shifted the topic and said: "Today's matter cannot just be dropped; Liang Yinghao's identity is suspicious, he must be temporarily detained for me to interrogate and decide."

Upon hearing this, Liang Yinghao's heart jumped; if he fell into Wen Boyuan's hands again, torture to extract a confession would be unavoidable, and even if he didn't die he'd lose half his life.

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "Wen Boyuan, it's not your place to interrogate; Liang Yinghao is my man, whoever dares to touch my man is opposing me."

Wen Boyuan sneered: "Hu Xiaotian, I will report everything you've done to the Emperor; then we'll see how you explain yourself."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Reason with reason, even if we go to the Emperor to reason, I'm not afraid of you." He secretly sneered, you Wen Boyuan won't get that chance.

Wen Boyuan also thought similarly to Hu Xiaotian; at that moment a commotion arose outside the drill field gate, and a strange shout rang out: "Uncle Hu, don't panic, I'm here to help!" It was Xiong Tianba, who had heard the news and led his men over to help; Xiong Tianba's mountain-splitting axe had been cut off by Wen Boyuan, and now he held two firewood-chopping axes, just as imposing.

Behind Xiong Tianba's troop another group surged forward, namely the three Tang siblings leading those horse handlers to lend a hand. In an instant over two hundred more poured into the drill field, and the originally empty East Drill Field instantly became crowded.

Seeing the scene before him, Wen Boyuan couldn't help but frown; the matter had been started by him, yet he hadn't expected it to develop like this—clearly a situation advantageous to him had suddenly turned passive, all because Hu Xiaotian was overly scheming and had knocked out his trump card right from the start.

The arrival of this group was completely outside Hu Xiaotian's plan; according to his original intention he absolutely did not want them to get involved, yet seeing these people unafraid of implication and bravely lending aid warmed Hu Xiaotian's heart as well.

Wu Jing Shan feared the two sides might really fight, and shouted hoarsely: "Everyone stay calm, we're all on our own side, all on our own side."

Xiong Tianba said: "Old man, if you're one of us come over here; later if we fight don't accidentally hurt you."

Wu Jing Shan was both laughing and crying. He still felt a little afraid, watching the opposing protagonists face off. Wen Boyuan wore a sinister look, while Hu Xiaotian's expression was light and carefree. Wu Jing Shan said: "General Wen, Sir Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Brothers, disperse; I was just joking with General Wen."

Wen Boyuan wished he could chop off Hu Xiaotian's head with a single blow, but seeing Zhou Mo standing like a deity in the center of the drill field, he could only temporarily suppress that thought; Zhou Mo's martial arts were unfathomable, actually able to fight Feather Demon Li Chang'an to a draw, and he doubted he could defeat him, with this person protecting Hu Xiaotian. It seemed the only way to get rid of Hu Xiaotian was to find another opportunity.

Hu Xiaotian and the crowd escorted Liang Yinghao out of the East Drill Field in a mighty procession; Wen Boyuan gazed after Hu Xiaotian's back full of venomous hatred, his heart feeling as if bitten by a poisonous snake.

Wu Jing Shan did not leave with Hu Xiaotian and the others; he realized that tonight he had protected Hu Xiaotian a bit more. Although he admired Hu Xiaotian in his heart, that didn't mean he wanted to offend Wen Boyuan. Even if he began to look down on Wen Boyuan, he still had to consider Wen Boyuan's background, and also consider Wen Chenghuan, the current Grand Tutor. At his age, what he pondered most was how to retire safely, preferably without offending anyone.

Wen Boyuan had long taken a dislike to Wu Jing Shan. He said calmly: "Sir Wu, aren't you going back to rest?"

Wu Jing Shan sighed and said: "General Wen, there's a saying I don't know whether I should speak or not."

"Sir Wu, please speak."

Wu Jing Shan said: "No matter when, we must remember what the main purpose of this mission is; aside from that, everything else can be put aside for now." He was clearly reminding Wen Boyuan that their primary task this time was to escort Princess Anping; as for the feud between Wen Boyuan and Hu Xiaotian, once this is done, even if they later fight to the death, clash blades and spill blood, you die I live, it would have nothing to do with him.

How could Wu Jing Shan know that Wen Boyuan actually had other calculations in mind? His words reminded Wen Boyuan of his father's parting instruction: no matter what, Princess Anping must not be allowed to reach Yongdu alive; they must sabotage this marriage between the two states. Recalling Princess Anping's peerless beauty, Wen Boyuan's heart tightened, and he felt as if someone had viciously stabbed his heart with a needle twice; he hurriedly dispelled the image of Long Xi Yue from his mind and said calmly: "Sir Wu probably doesn't understand me; I cannot tolerate a speck of sand in my eyes."

Hu Xiaotian successfully rescued Liang Yinghao; recalling the recent ordeal, Liang Yinghao still felt lingering fear, thinking that if Hu Xiaotian hadn't acted decisively to kill Yu Zhishan, he would surely be in trouble tonight; Yu Zhishan was indeed a member of the Muddy Water Gang. After the crowd dispersed, Liang Yinghao respectfully told Hu Xiaotian: "Thank you, Sir Hu, for saving my life; I've caused you trouble."

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Just consider it my repayment for last night's favor; if you hadn't promptly pulled me into the underground cellar, I would have lost last night."

Liang Yinghao said: "Since I've pledged to follow you, Sir, serving you is naturally my duty."

Hu Xiaotian nodded approvingly; although Liang Yinghao came from a bandit background, he is quick-witted and steadfast at critical moments—quite a talent.

Liang Yinghao said: "Sir, I have a favor to ask."

Hu Xiaotian gestured for him to continue.

"Tonight's incident is just a beginning; Liang Yinghao worries that Wen Boyuan will not let this go easily, though giving Liang Yinghao a hard time is minor, the real target is you, Sir; I fear that if I stay, I'll only bring you more trouble later."

"You want to leave?"

Liang Yinghao said: "Sir, you've already smoothly passed through Fenglin Gorge; ahead lies Da Yong, where you have plenty of capable people around you. Although I'd like to follow you, Sir, forcing myself to come along would likely not help but instead add many troubles."

Hu Xiaotian thought and said: "Alright, go back first; if you're away too long, the Muddy Water Gang's brothers will be leaderless, and who knows what changes might arise."

Liang Yinghao said: "Actually, most of those brothers in the Muddy Water Gang come from poor backgrounds; if they weren't desperate, nobody would choose this path."

Hu Xiaotian said: "From now on, better not to rob; bandits always stay in the shadows. When I return from Yongdu, I'll help you find a proper place to go."

Liang Yinghao laughed: "Sir, you've gone to trouble, but we're used to freedom; putting us in the army would feel unnatural."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Wait a moment." He turned to his pack, took out a money bag filled with many gold leaves, and handed it to Liang Yinghao: "I'm in a rush on this trip and haven't brought much silver; these gold leaves aren't many, but they'll be enough for your travel expenses and to feed those brothers for a while."

Seeing Hu Xiaotian's kindness, Liang Yinghao felt deeply moved and tried to decline: "Sir, you didn't hesitate to turn against Wen Boyuan for my sake; I'm already grateful in heart. I have some silver, and the Muddy Water Gang has accumulated considerable wealth over the years; even if we don't do business, we can get by for a year or two. It's you, Sir, who will inevitably have expenses when going to Da Yong." He cupped his fists to Hu Xiaotian: "Sir, Liang Yinghao bids farewell."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'll have someone see you off."

Liang Yinghao shook his head: "No need, I know this terrain very well; if I hadn't been careless just now, Wen Boyuan couldn't have caught me."

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "When I return from Yongdu, you must come find me."

Liang Yinghao laughed: "Sir, don't forget, we still need to come ask you for the antidote."

Hearing that, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh as well.

After seeing Liang Yinghao off, Wu Jing Shan came again to Hu Xiaotian to discuss leaving the wounded to recuperate in Cangmu; Wen Boyuan had suggested letting the Tang brothers stay in Cangmu to look after the wounded, which would effectively weaken Hu Xiaotian's side, and Wu Jing Shan worried Hu Xiaotian might refuse, so he came to consult him.

Wu Jing Shan said: "The day after tomorrow we'll cross the river; once we enter Da Yong's territory, the Da Yong side will send troops to protect us along the way, so our pressure here won't be as before."

Hu Xiaotian handed Wu Jing Shan a cup of tea and said: "Your meaning is that Da Yong is far more peaceful than Dakang."

Wu Jing Shan smiled without speaking; although he didn't admit it verbally, the situation of the two countries lay before him: Da Yong enjoyed peace and prosperity, thriving, while Dakang suffered internal and external troubles, with war flames everywhere. Thinking of soon entering Da Yong's territory, Wu Jing Shan actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Wu seems to have just been on a mission to Da Yong."

Wu Jing Shan nodded: "The Emperor sent me precisely out of this consideration; in the Da Yong court I still have a couple of literary friends."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Sir Wu's acquaintances span the world, making little me envy him greatly."

Wu Jing Shan smiled: "Sir Hu, though young, you already understand worldly affairs; when you reach my age, you'll surely have friends all over the world, and I'll be left in the dust."

The two laughed together, then stopped, and Wu Jing Shan returned to the topic: "Sir Hu, do you have any objections to General Wen's arrangement?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "No objections; since General Wen made this arrangement, I hardly dare to oppose him. He's narrow-minded, surely thinking I'm deliberately opposing him. Since Da Yong's side has troops protecting us, we naturally don't need so many to go along, and besides, the wounded couldn't endure a long trek; it's better they stay domestically to recuperate."

Wu Jing Shan said: "So you agree?" He hadn't expected Hu Xiaotian to consent so readily.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Let him have his way; even if he has ulterior motives, I'll just consider this as giving him face this time." (To be continued~^~)