Chapter 62

Murong Feiyan sheathed her long sword, spurred her horse and galloped out of the woods. When she was about to leave the forest, she turned and glanced back, seeing that those people had completely vanished. What surprised Murong Feiyan was that Hu Xiaotian hadn't ridden off with his four attendants; instead, he was peering and looking around outside the woods.

Seeing Murong Feiyan return safely, Hu Xiaotian beamed with joy and went up to greet her warmly, saying, "Feiyan, you're back!"

Murong Feiyan gave him an annoyed look and said, "Do we know each other that well?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, then pointed at the woods and asked, "The bandits are all gone?"

Murong Feiyan replied, "They're gone!"

Hu Xiaotian asked, "Didn't you capture a single one alive?"

Murong Feiyan said, "They're timid as mice, yet their talent for escaping is truly impressive." As she spoke, she gave the attendants a cold stare.

All the attendants hung their heads in shame, yet secretly thought, "With so many of us just now, if we hadn't run fast we would have been cut down."

Hu Xiaotian peered into the woods again, then stepped forward. Although Liang Da Zhuang had just been punched hard by Hu Xiaotian, he showed no resentment, faithfully performing his duty as a personal attendant: "Young master, danger!"

Hu Xiaotian ignored him. The moon rose slowly into the night sky, its light like water spilling over the official road; from one end of the woods to the other the road was visible, littered with weapons left behind and a few shoes lost in the frantic flight—otherwise there was not a single person in sight.

Li Jin Hao and Shao Yijiao also came up, cautiously asking, "Could there be an ambush?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Ambush, my ass!" Through this sudden incident, Hu Xiaotian directly gave those four attendants a professional ethics score below passing. Fortunately, he had the foresight to bring Murong Feiyan along; otherwise they might not have even left the capital's outskirts before losing their lives.

Although Hu Xiaotian's snowflake-colored horse had been tripped by the tethering rope, it fortunately suffered no serious injury. Hu Fo, worried the horse might be frightened, first tied the snowflake horse to the carriage, then untied another chestnut-red steed for Hu Xiaotian to ride.

This time Murong Feiyan fell behind, and Hu Xiaotian naturally kept pace with her, sending the four attendants ahead to clear the way.

The four attendants nervously passed through the woods, and indeed there was no ambush; upon seeing the open clearing ahead, they all let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Perhaps because of the earlier nerve‑wracking incident, or perhaps because they couldn't reach the relay station in time anyway, Murong Feiyan no longer hurried; she rode leisurely, more like a stroll, and said to Hu Xiaotian, "Your attendants are truly loyal."

Hu Xiaotian replied, "They're just good‑for‑nothings; they can cause trouble but none of them are actually helpful. I might as well send this bunch of useless men back—it would save the hassle."

Murong Feiyan shook her head. "Sending them all away would mean we two, a lone man and woman, would have to travel together—that simply won't do. Hu Xiaotian isn't afraid, but I'm worried people will gossip."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "Afraid of gossip?"

Murong Feiyan inwardly sighed, 'This guy is as sharp as a ghost; he can guess whatever I'm thinking.' She lifted her head to gaze at the crescent moon, curved like an eyebrow, and said softly, 'At least with them around someone can help look after the luggage and horses.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Honestly, these bandits are strange—coming in force, dozens or even hundreds strong, yet they fled at the drop of a hat. Why are they so afraid of you?'

Murong Feiyan replied, 'I've told you before—evil does not prevail over righteousness!'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, then shook his head and said, 'No, that's not right—could they know you?'

Murong Feiyan hearing him speak like that, her pretty face immediately turned stern: "Hu Xiaotian, what do you mean?" She wasn't angry, she was feeling guilty.

Hu Xiaotian gave a hehe laugh: "I was just saying it offhand, you definitely shouldn't mind. Speaking of which, you are the capital's number one female constable; many people know you, and you must have offended quite a few. These bandits ten have ** are coming for you."

Murong Feiyan blurted: "I think they're coming for you."

Hu Xiaotian actually nodded: "I also think so. Near the capital, bandits rarely appear. This band of bandits, although numerous, lacks experts; they probably aren't the group that ambushed us at Tuojie that day. In the capital I haven't offended anyone; I could figure it out by counting on my fingers. Feiyan, did you tell anyone else about our joint appointment to Xichuan?"

Murong Feiyan's expression clearly looked somewhat unnatural, but she tried hard to control her expression, fearing Hu Xiaotian would notice something. The news of being sent to Xichuan came very suddenly; she only told her good friend Tang Qingxuan. Just now she recognized Tang Tiehan's identity and let him off. Actually she already figured out the whole story; it must be that Tang Qingxuan told her older brother again. The Tang siblings and Hu Xiaotian bear a grudge. Although the previous incident was resolved, Hu Xiaotian's teasing of Tang Qingxuan and abducting her to the Minister's residence is still widely known. The Tang siblings regard it as a great shame and hate to kill Hu Xiaotian to feel satisfied.

Before departing, Murong Feiyan just wanted to say a word to her good sister, but she didn't expect that the speaker meant nothing while the listener took it to heart—Tang Tiehan actually set up an ambush here, posing as bandits, intending to murder Hu Xiaotian's life. Judging from how those people attacked just now, they showed no concern for their own safety. Because of this matter, Murong Feiyan can't help but have some complaints toward her longtime good friend Tang Qingxuan. As for this matter, the Tang siblings are clearly in the wrong, and they also violated Dakang law. If Murong Feiyan hadn't shown mercy, investigating this could easily turn into a capital offense. Letting Tang Tiehan go, in order to keep this secret for the Tang family, actually runs contrary to the principle Murong Feiyan has always upheld; she feels very conflicted inside.

While speaking, Hu Xiaotian had already been secretly observing Murong Feiyan's expression; even the slightest subtle change did not escape his notice. Hu Xiaotian smiled: "These bandits don't seem very professional, Feiyan. Do you think it's possible that some of my enemies got advance notice of my trip to Xichuan, so they deliberately disguised themselves as bandits and set up an ambush here?"

Murong Feiyan snapped: "You've offended so many people, how would I know?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Not many, really. Do you think it could be the Tang family?"

Murong Feiyan's heart pounded; this guy is really cunning, almost crafty enough to be demonic. Just now, when I charged into the forest alone, this fellow and those four attendants were all outside taking shelter, so there was no way they could see what was happening inside. Even if he were nearby, those people were all in disguise; he might not recognize them. I never expected he could deduce that it was the Tang family's doing! Murong Feiyan then thought, maybe he's just guessing, and she gave a hollow chuckle: "You couldn't possibly think I colluded with the bandits to harm you, could you?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "It shouldn't be that. If you really wanted to harm me, even if I had ten heads, it wouldn't be enough for you to chop off."

"Good to know!" Murong Feiyan sharply jerked the reins, and her swift horse lunged forward first. Hu Xiaotian lifted his gaze ahead, only to see that the Wangjing Yi Zhan had already arrived.

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