Chapter 645

Zi Juan said: "But I always feel uneasy in my heart."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Don't worry, I'll stay by the Princess's side."

Zi Juan nodded, lay down, Hu Xiaotian waited a moment, hearing her breathing gradually become even, he secretly delighted, it seems the Tranquility Pill sent by Liu Yucheng is taking effect, he deliberately whispered: "Princess!"

Zi Juan lay still on the bed with no response, Hu Xiaotian leaned to her ear again and loudly said: "Princess!"

Zi Juan still had no response, Hu Xiaotian still dared not be careless, he pushed her with his hand, Zi Juan slept deeply and was not awakened by him.

A faint smirk appeared on Hu Xiaotian's lips, his gaze fell on Zi Juan's chest, then he rubbed his hands together a few times before carefully undoing her clothes; Long Xi Yue had once told him that Zi Juan's sides were different, so he took this opportunity to verify.

Actually since the sinking of the Ordinary River ship, Hu Xiaotian had doubted Zi Juan's identity, but seeing nothing amiss outwardly, he could only seek other verification methods. Using the Tranquility Pill to make Zi Juan fall asleep was also a reluctant measure. Just as his fingers pulled open her collar, he didn't expect Zi Juan to suddenly open her eyes, coldly staring at him and saying: "What are you trying to do?"

Hu Xiaotian froze there, he had thought Zi Juan was already asleep, but he hadn't expected she had been pretending all along. Before Hu Xiaotian could react, Zi Juan opened her mouth and spat out a pill with a puff! It struck his right eye; although expelled from her lips, the force was great, it nearly split his eye socket, he groaned in pain, covering his eye and stumbling back.

Zi Juan showed no intention of letting him go, she lifted the covers, jumped off the bed, and struck at his chest with a palm. Hu Xiaotian's right eye streamed tears from the pain; in desperation he twisted his body, using the Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps to evade her advance. The two chased each other in the cramped space.

Outside, although they also heard the commotion from the room, because Hu Xiaotian had said beforehand, no one could enter without his order, and with Zhou Mo guarding the door, it was as if one man could hold the gate against ten thousand. Although everyone was curious what had happened inside, no one dared to go in and see.

After fleeing a few steps, Hu Xiaotian already knew in his heart: Zi Juan was definitely a master. Not only was her mind sharp, but her martial arts were extraordinary; even the Dog-Dodging Eighteen Steps, so formidable, couldn't completely shake her off. Hu Xiaotian had a brainwave and repeated his old trick, deliberately slowing his footsteps. Unaware it was a ruse, Zi Juan rushed up. She struck his back with a palm; Hu Xiaotian feigned loss of balance, staggered and fell forward, his head thudding! against the front pillar, then he collapsed straight to the ground, playing dead! When else to feign death if not now?

Zi Juan also didn't expect her slap to have such power. She thought Hu Xiaotian had fainted from hitting the pillar, but knowing he was always cunning, she didn't dare let down her guard, she lifted her leg and kicked him. Seeing Hu Xiaotian motionless, his forehead bruised, his complexion changed, she felt something was wrong and whispered: "Lecher! Get up!"

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat; Zi Juan knows I'm a eunuch, how could she call me a lecher? Unscientific!

Zi Juan reached out to feel Hu Xiaotian's pulse, finding that Hu Xiaotian had no pulse at all—not to mention pulse, even his breathing had stopped. She immediately grew a little flustered, leaned her ear against Hu Xiaotian's chest to listen, and confirmed that there was no heartbeat either, trembling as she said: "Hu Xiaotian… you… you don't scare me…"

Hu Xiaotian seized this rare opportunity, suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged Zi Juan tightly, then rolled over to press her beneath him. Soft jade and warm fragrance pressed beneath him—really quite comfortable.

Zi Juan was flustered; although she had mentally prepared for this man's deceit, she never expected him to have such superb skill at feigning death. Off guard, he seized her delicate form, and by the time she reacted, she was already pressed beneath Hu Xiaotian, a hard object poking her left side. Hu Xiaotian gave a sinister grin and said: "As long as you dare to move, the Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles in my hand will all shoot into your chest."

Zi Juan fixed her beautiful eyes on Hu Xiaotian, her left hand pressing against his right side, and whispered: "Let's see who acts first." On her left index finger she wore a crystal‑bright steel ring that concealed a tiny poison needle.

Hu Xiaotian showed no fear in the face of danger, smiling narrowly: "Then let's try!"

Zi Juan bit her lip: "Lecher, why do you want to harm me?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Who exactly are you?"

Zi Juan said: "What do you think?"

Hu Xiaotian stared intently at her eyes, feeling that her gaze was somewhat familiar, yet for a moment he couldn't recall who exactly it was; in his mind, like a revolving lantern, the women he knew appeared one after another. Although a person's appearance could be disguised, their figure could not, and Hu Xiaotian quickly ruled out several candidates in his thoughts, when suddenly a realization struck him.

Zi Juan said: "If you let me go now, it's still not too late; otherwise I will shout for help right now, letting everyone know your scheme."

Hu Xiaotian, emboldened, said: "Then go ahead and shout; let's see if we die together."

Zi Juan was firmly pinned by him; neither dared to move rashly, their eyes locked, each gaze seeming to want to devour the other.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Stretch out your hands and lay them flat on the ground."

"Why should it be me? Get off me first!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Now I know who you are!"

Zi Juan's expression clearly showed a moment of surprise, then she guessed Hu Xiaotian was bluffing and coldly snorted: "Then go ahead and say it, let's hear."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You are not Zi Juan; you willingly impersonated Princess Anping and married Xue Daoming, not to seek some princely consort status, nor for wealth and honor. Your purpose is to harm Xue Daoming, frame Princess Anping, and stir up conflict between Da Yong and Dakang."

A flicker of surprise appeared in Zi Juan's beautiful eyes as she snorted: "Self‑importance!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You are Xi Yan!"

Zi Juan's delicate body visibly trembled for a moment, then she laughed: "Who is Xi Yan?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "You can't fool me; although appearance can be changed, figure cannot. Any woman I have ever held, I will surely recognize."

Zi Juan said: "Just how many women have you held?"

Hu Xiaotian put on a look of deep thought: "Well, let's not talk about it—I really can't count, there are simply too many." Before he finished speaking, Zi Juan raised her left hand and viciously stabbed toward his right rib; Hu Xiaotian felt the needle pierce his side, pain making him suck in a cold breath, and Zi Juan shoved him aside, her lithe body rolling away.

What Hu Xiaotian held in his hand was not a Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needle at all, merely an unsheathed dagger. Hu Xiaotian covered his side, trembling as he said: "Despicable wretch… you… you actually dared to stab me!"

A seductive smile appeared on Zi Juan's face: "Toward men one should be ruthless; you also had a chance to shoot me—where are your Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles? Why didn't you fire?"

Hu Xiaotian's face turned green. "Why didn't you shoot?" Out of pity for fragrance and jade, he could only swallow the bitter brew he himself had brewed, and he nodded: "All right, you're ruthless—those two pills, you seem to have swallowed one of them, right?"

Zi Juan said: "Scare me? When it comes to poisoning, your methods can't even compare to a fraction of mine."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although I am inferior to you in everything, I excel at wicked deeds—believe it or not, I'd rather perish together with you."

Zi Juan sighed faintly: "I don't believe it! Not at all! You went to endless lengths, scheming and calculating, and only with great difficulty used the golden cicada's shell ploy to rescue Long Xi Yue. These days, have you been dreaming day and night of sharing a bed with that beautiful princess, painstakingly achieving your wish—how could you bear to die?"

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Zi Juan before him, feeling that every move she made was exactly like Xi Yan, yet her face showed no trace of Xi Yan's features—could a person's disguise art really reach such a level? Hu Xiaotian said: "Even a cornered rabbit will bite; what more a person?"

"Do you even count as a person? You can disregard your own sworn oaths, so what face do you have to call yourself human?"

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself: "What the hell did I say? What grudge do I have against you?"

Zi Juan stepped toward Hu Xiaotian and said: "You had better obey me, or you definitely won't live past seven days."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Scare me!"

Zi Juan raised her left index finger, letting Hu Xiaotian see the ink‑black steel needle, its tip still stained with his blood, and whispered: "The spot where you were stabbed is now the size of a sesame seed; each day it will grow a little, and after seven days you will vomit blood and perish."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Die then die—do you think I fear death? Before I die, I will surely reveal your secret."

Zi Juan said: "Who would believe it?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Are your two breasts one big and one small?"

Zi Juan was stunned by his out‑of‑the‑blue question, then blushed furiously and gritted her teeth: "Lecher, you're talking nonsense."

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing: "That's just normal size, so you're definitely not Zi Juan. As I said, when I first saw you in Tianbo City, your temperament was completely different from before—I really thought you had changed your nature, but it seems you've always been you; a demoness remains a demoness, and everything you told me was just to confuse me."

"What about you? You spouted sweet nothings, but which of them is true!" The words Zi Juan blurted out amounted to a complete betrayal of herself.

Hu Xiaotian could now be certain that the Zi Juan before him was undoubtedly Xi Yan; this demoness had somehow infiltrated his entourage, perhaps during their stay in Cangmu City, or perhaps she had already mixed in with the group since their time in Tianbo City, only he had not noticed.

After Zi Juan finished speaking, she turned away, then turned back again—her appearance had undergone an astonishing change. Before them stood a girl with brows like a painting, features exquisite beyond compare, clearly the demoness Xi Yan of the Wuxian Sect. (To be continued~^~)