Chapter 65

Hu Xiaotian had just heard a commotion outside, a noisy clatter of footsteps, and soon someone knocked on the door. Murong Feiyan only realized a serious problem after the knocking started: how to explain a man and a woman alone together in one room? If others didn't know them it would be fine, but those four servants—good heavens, how could I be so careless? I actually let this fellow follow me in—my reputation is ruined! She gestured for Hu Xiaotian to hide behind the curtains, but Hu Xiaotian remained unmoved. Hearing the knock, he gave her a hard blink, signalling her to open the door.

Murong Feiyan bit her lip, faced with the situation she could only go along with it. She went to the door and slid the bolt open; outside stood more than ten guards of the relay station, who shouted loudly: "Come out, everyone out!"

Murong Feiyan said: "Why disturb people's sleep in the middle of the night?"

A guard said: "Flying thieves have sneaked in; everyone come out, we must conduct a thorough search!"

Hu Xiaotian also went out; he and Murong Feiyan came one after another into the courtyard and noticed that Murong Feiyan now wore an extra deep‑red cloak, presumably to cover the tear in the back of her robe.

The four servants also came out, rubbing sleep from their eyes. At first they saw that Hu Xiaotian wasn't there and panicked, but once they stepped outside they saw Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan together, and they immediately understood: the young master is indeed the young master—his talent for picking up women is no joke, he already got her on the first day out. Liang Da Zhuang grinned at Murong Feiyan, thinking to himself that she usually pretends to be a chaste heroine, but after all this time she's already been with our young master, even sharing a room. No wonder the young master obeys her every word—it's strange, I didn't hear any commotion earlier; I must have been dead asleep.

The guards searched the rooms, then went through each person one by one. When they reached Murong Feiyan and tried to make her raise her hands, she snapped: "What are you doing? We have an official document seal commissioned by the Ministry of Personnel—do you really think we won't report you to the court for disrespect?"

A sarcastic voice came: "Such big talk—I'd like to see how you punish me for disrespect!" It was the station chief arriving.

Hu Xiaotian stared at the pointy‑mouthed, rat‑cheeked station chief and felt like punching him twice in the face, but he was on the chief's turf and his own rank was far too low. He coughed and said: "Men and women should not be intimate; even if you want to search, you need to bring a woman."

One guard couldn't stand it—he had just seen Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan come out of a room with his own eyes, and now they were talking about men and women not being intimate, when just moments ago he didn't know what they'd been doing. He sneered: "What were you two doing in the room just now?"

Murong Feiyan's face flushed red with shame, but it was hardly surprising that others would suspect something when a man and a woman were alone together. She swung her hand at that guard, but Hu Xiaotian, standing beside her, reacted quickly and seized her wrist—not because she shouldn't hit him, but because she couldn't; now that a disturbance had arisen, the only thing to do was to draw the trouble onto himself.

As expected, the station chief's face changed; he waved his hand and said: "Arrest them!" To him, a ninth‑rank official like Hu Xiaotian was nothing at all.

Murong Feiyan said: "Sir, may we speak privately?"

The station chief frowned, thinking they were up to some trick, but he decided to hear them out anyway and followed Murong Feiyan to the side. She whispered a few sentences to him; hearing her, his expression shifted instantly from icy cold to a spring breeze, and he chuckled: "Why didn't you say so earlier? Just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" He waved his hand, signalling the guards to retreat—actually, the two rooms had already been searched and nothing amiss had been found.

After the station chief led his men away, Hu Xiaotian came up to Murong Feiyan and whispered: "What did you tell him?"

Murong Feiyan gave a mysterious smile: "Secret!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "I know even if you don't tell me—you're just flashing the badge of the Prefecture of Jingzhao to scare people."

Murong Feiyan gave him a cold glance, too bored to say another word, walked back to her room and slammed the door shut.

Hu Xiaotian looked at Murong Feiyan's tightly closed door, shook his head, and gestured to the few servants with strange expressions behind him: "Go rest; we still have to set out early tomorrow."

The next morning, Hu Xiaotian rose early; three of the four servants were still sound asleep, only Hu Fu had gotten up early to tend the horses. Hu Xiaotian opened his door and stepped out.

But he saw Murong Feiyan already up, practicing leg kicks in the courtyard.

Hu Xiaotian sauntered over, yawning lazily: "You really are diligent!"

"How could I protect you if I didn't train?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "I'm a big man—I don't need your protection." He put on a brave front, but deep down he had to admit that without Murong Feiyan he would probably have died long ago.

Murong Feiyan stopped her movements and asked Hu Xiaotian: "Do you know what happened last night?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head.

Murong Feiyan said: "A theft occurred in the large upper‑room building marked with the 'heaven' character; reportedly many things were stolen last night, even the urgent dispatch sent from Yumen Pass."

Only then did Hu Xiaotian understand why last night had caused such a commotion; it seemed the black‑clad figure who had fled from their roof the previous day was the thief. Although they had seen the thief's trace, they had been unable to stop him.

Hu Xiaotian said: "This relay station is also a place of trouble; we shouldn't linger. Let's see if Hu Fu has the horses and carriage ready, then we'll set off as soon as possible."

Murong Feiyan shared the same thought, nodding: "Leaving as soon as possible is best."

The group had a simple breakfast at the relay station, readied the horses and carriage, and continued toward the southwest.

The journey that followed went much more smoothly—no wind, no rain, pleasant weather. With Murong Feiyan accompanying them all the way, safety was naturally assured. As for the four servants, though they were timid and easily frightened, they were certainly not the good‑for‑nothings Hu Xiaotian called them; Hu Fu had a real knack for looking after the horses, and with his care their mounts stayed full of energy throughout the half‑month trip.

Li Jin Hao and Shao Yijiao were in charge of arranging food and lodging along the route; they were quite experienced in this and also hardworking, voluntarily taking on the team's heavy chores. As for Liang Da Zhuang, he was always all talk and little action when it came to serious work, but flattery, fawning, and joking were his forte—teasing him actually helped relieve boredom.

Hu Xiaotian's horsemanship had improved by leaps and bounds over the past half month; though it still couldn't match Murong Feiyan's profundity, it was at least solidly intermediate‑advanced. When she had free time, Murong Feiyan would teach him a move or two. Given that the world is far from peaceful now, even if Hu Xiaotian couldn't be of much help in a crisis, he could still defend himself with the martial arts and sword techniques he'd learned—this, too, counts as preparing for a rainy day.

But everything changed once they entered Xichuan; just as they were about to cross into the province they ran into the year's longest rainy season. Days of overcast rain turned the roads into muddy quagmires, and in Pingdong the carriage's axle broke, forcing them to abandon the vehicle and continue on foot.

Ahead lay Pengyin Mountain; crossing this great mountain was the true entry into Xichuan territory. Along the way they rested at relay stations when available, otherwise they stayed at inns. Although Hu Xiaotian carried the detailed spring‑search map given to him by Shi Xuedong, he never once consulted it. The farther southwest they went, the more desolate it became; sometimes they would go two or three days without seeing a single dwelling and had to camp in the wilderness.

The rain fell without cease; the clouds hung low as if pressing on their heads, the sky dark and oppressive enough to suffocate. Hu Xiaotian wore a straw hat and a raincoat, looking like a weather‑worn old fisherman. There was nothing to be done—this era's rain gear was mostly just these items, and Murong Feiyan was similarly equipped. Their sole cart had been discarded; the horses plodded forward against wind and rain, large raindrops the size of soybeans pelting them from the front, striking their bodies and faces, leaving everyone unable to keep their eyes open.

The horses could not open their eyes either; both men and beasts kept their heads lowered, inching forward through the wind and rain, making progress extraordinarily difficult.

A bolt of lightning tore through the murky sky; the clouds seemed to be ripped open by a long gash, and the water pooled in them poured down in a torrential downpour.

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