Chapter 688

PS: Check out the exclusive story behind Medical Unification, hear your more suggestions for the novel, follow the network public account (WeChat: add friends, add public account, enter qdread), whisper to me!

Hu Xiaotian scratched and managed to peel off a large chunk of the black skin on his face, revealing skin as white as jade; compared to the surrounding black skin, the black and white contrast became even more stark. Seeing Liu Yucheng so astonished, Hu Xiaotian hurried to the water vat by the corner of the wall and peered inside. Seeing his own strange appearance, even he couldn't help but feel his scalp tighten, and he casually rubbed a few more times, causing a large piece of the black skin on his face to fall off.

Liu Yucheng brought him to his own room and had a bucket of hot water prepared and sent in. Hu Xiaotian took off his clothes and jumped in. After soaking in the hot water, the black skin on his body came off with a rub, and without much effort he completely scrubbed away that layer of black skin, restoring his former appearance, only seeming much whiter than before. After shedding this black skin, he instantly became a handsome youth with a jade-like face and graceful bearing, feeling refreshed and invigorated. He changed into the clothes Liu Yucheng had prepared for him and went outside.

Liu Yucheng, unaware of Hu Xiaotian's experience last night, assumed he had truly used some kind of disguise technique, and praised: 'Hu Brother, your disguise technique is truly marvelous; others merely change their appearance with disguise, but you can actually change your entire skin tone.'

Hu Xiaotian was somewhat speechless; this really wasn't any kind of disguise at all. However, for now he could only go along with the misunderstanding. Fortunately, he had restored his former appearance, becoming an even more standard pretty boy than before; wanting to tan this skin would probably require some effort.

After parting with Liu Yucheng and stepping outside, Hu Xiaotian was not without clues; the black Hu warrior Laohan, who had participated in the pursuit of him and Tang Qingxuan, was also involved, and perhaps behind this matter lay a connection with the Black Hu Fourth Prince Wanyan Chixiong. Hu Xiaotian thought it over and decided to first go find Xi Yan to discuss it. This girl is full of schemes and plots; she might be able to come up with a proper solution.

Hu Xiaotian had been missing for a day and night, but inside the Rising Throne Palace there hadn't been too much of a stir; Xi Yan also didn't give him a good look, coldly saying: 'You're just living it up, huh? Tell me—where did you run off to for a day and night of carousing?'

Hu Xiaotian stepped closer to Xi Yan and whispered: 'Tang Tiehan has been captured by the Black Hu.'

Xi Yan heard this and blinked slightly, raising her delicate brows: 'Why on earth would the Black Hu seize him for no reason?'

Hu Xiaotian recounted the whole sequence of events to Xi Yan, who coldly snorted: 'He brought this on himself—who else is to blame? An innocent man who possesses a treasure invites disaster; even such a simple principle eludes him.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Blaming him now is useless; Tang Tiehan has fallen into the hands of the Black Hu, and we can't just sit by and do nothing.'

'We?' Xi Yan glanced at him with her lovely eyes and asked: 'What does this have to do with me?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'We're all in the same boat; we can't just stand by and watch someone die.'

Xi Yan said: 'You sound like you're threatening me.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'It's not a threat, just stating the facts. In your eyes, Tang Tiehan may be nothing more than an insignificant nobody, but the book he holds, the Marvelous Record of the Divine Steed, is of extraordinary significance.'

'It's just a book for feeding livestock, not some military secret.' Xi Yan sneered at this.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'You must never underestimate this book; if the Black Hu get hold of it, their cavalry, already formidable, will surely gain wings like a tiger. Then hundreds of thousands of iron hooves will sweep southward—do you think the powers of the Central Plains can resist that?' Hu Xiaotian reckoned that Xi Yan's ties to the Li clan of Xichuan were close, and she would certainly care about their interests, which is why he said this.

Xi Yan said: 'Help you rescue him—what's in it for me?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: 'What benefits do you want?'

Xi Yan intertwined her pale, tender fingers and whispered: 'After rescuing Tang Tiehan, have him hand over that Marvelous Record of the Divine Steed to me.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered: What exactly is the relationship between Xi Yan and Li Tianheng? She is peerless in both martial skill and scheming, so the Marvelous Record of the Divine Steed would likely be of no use to her. Her desire for it probably stems merely from wanting to obtain the book and then give it to Li Tianheng; if such a book truly existed, it would surely become an object of contention among all the heroes of the world.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I originally didn't dare to say it, but copying a copy for you is absolutely no problem.' He fundamentally didn't believe Tang Tiehan could possess any Marvelous Record of the Divine Steed; in any case, it was just drawing a big pie, and fooling Xi Yan a bit was no harm.

Xi Yan said: 'Although I can't go with you, I can still give you some help…' Before her words even faded, Yang Xuan's voice came from outside: 'Is Sir Hu in?'

Hu Xiaotian replied loudly: 'Here I am!'

Xi Yan gave Hu Xiaotian a charming smile and said: 'Go take a look first; come back later, I have something good for you.'

Hu Xiaotian had already heard voices outside, and although they were far away, they did not escape his keen hearing. From among those voices, Hu Xiaotian easily distinguished Jianping's voice. Had Jianping come? Was she coming to confront him with troops? He didn't know whether the Grand Princess had come. Hu Xiaotian strained his ears, but he did not hear a word from Grand Princess Xue Lingjun.

Upon reaching the doorway, he saw Yang Xuan standing there, who bowed to Hu Xiaotian and said, 'Sir, the Grand Princess has arrived; please go see her!'

Hu Xiaotian nodded. This news from Xue Lingjun is really well-informed—I had just returned to the Palace of Rising Dawn, and she followed right after. Just how eager is this Grand Princess for her double-eyelid surgery!

Xue Lingjun had already been invited to the Pavilion of the Clear Wind to wait. She was obviously somewhat out of sorts today. Yesterday, Hu Xiaotian had clearly promised her in no uncertain terms, but today he stood her up. For this surgery, she had specially bathed and purified herself, and had even gone hungry all morning. Hu Xiaotian not only didn't come, he didn't even say a word. No one in Yongdu would dare treat Xue Lingjun this way. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Footsteps sounded outside the door; Hu Xiaotian had already arrived at the Pavilion of the Clear Wind, and with a beaming smile he said, 'Grand Princess, why have you come in person? If there's anything, just send someone to call me.'

Xue Lingjun let out a cold snort, fixing him with a fierce glare from her phoenix eyes, and said, 'I'm afraid you, Sir Hu, are too full of yourself; others can't sway you, so I had to come myself.'

Jianping demanded, 'Sir Hu, you clearly promised the Grand Princess, so why did you go back on your word? You made her wait all morning.'

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, 'This is a long story; Jianping, could you give me a chance to explain myself to the Grand Princess alone?'

Jianping glanced at Xue Lingjun, who gave her a look, and only then did Jianping rise and leave.

After Jianping had left, Hu Xiaotian then approached Grand Princess Xue Lingjun and bowed deeply, saying, 'Elder sister, it's all my fault.'

Xue Lingjun silently blamed herself. Now you know to cozy up to me—what were you doing earlier? She turned her pretty face away, looking as if she didn't want to deal with him.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Don't blame me, Elder Sister; I stood you up because I ran into a troublesome matter.'

Xue Lingjun asked, 'What troublesome matter?' Her gaze was doubtful.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Elder Sister, do you still remember when I went to your manor to attend the banquet?'

Xue Lingjun certainly wouldn't forget—at the banquet Hu Xiaotian clashed with the Black Hu Fourth Prince, Wanyan Chixiong, and consequently left early. Why would Hu Xiaotian suddenly bring this up? Could his standing her up be related to this?

Hu Xiaotian said in a low voice, 'I went to the Morning Clouds Office this afternoon to handle some business. Unexpectedly, several Hu people tailed me; in my haste to shake them off, I took a random route and ended up losing my way in Dog Head Mountain. Although I eventually shook them off, one of my subordinates was captured by them.'

Xue Lingjun blinked her eyes and, doubtfully, asked, 'Is this really true?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I saw that La Han chasing me with my own eyes—how could it be false?'

Xue Lingjun furrowed her brows. What Hu Xiaotian said was quite plausible; although he hadn't told her the whole truth, his lies were very convincing and could withstand scrutiny. Xue Lingjun asked, 'Do you have solid evidence that this was done by Wanyan Chixiong?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I didn't see Wanyan Chixiong at the scene. I only saw La Han, and there was also a Black Hu merchant named Za Wan.'

Xue Lingjun nodded and said, 'I will have people look into this; if it's true, I will help you seek justice from them.'

Hu Xiaotian said respectfully, 'Thank you for your concern, Elder Sister. But this is a feud between the Black Hu and us, and I don't want to put you in a difficult position in the middle.'

Xue Lingjun's heart stirred. If Hu Xiaotian were to let the matter drop, that would also be a good thing; after all, both sides are guests of Da Yong, and if they caused trouble on their turf, it would not be good for Da Yong either. But given Hu Xiaotian's temperament, he doesn't seem like the type to swallow his anger—could his words just be placating me? Xue Lingjun said, 'But your people were captured by the Black Hu; this happened on Da Yong's territory, so we cannot ignore it.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'My situation, I still have some ways to resolve it; I believe I still have the ability to rescue that subordinate of mine, but if I can prove that this matter is indeed related to Wanyan Chixiong, I hope Elder Sister will speak up for me and say a fair word.' Hu Xiaotian understood that his stature and that of Wanyan Chixiong were not in the same league; if a conflict arose with the Black Hu entourage, the Da Yong side would find it hard to remain impartial, so he needed someone to back him up—and Xue Lingjun was undoubtedly the best choice.

Xue Lingjun nodded; after all said and done, Hu Xiaotian still wanted to use her, but his request wasn't excessive, and she said softly, 'Rest assured, nothing outweighs principle.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Performing the surgery for Elder Sister can only be postponed for two days; I am now troubled and unfit for surgery, which allows no margin for error, so I hope Elder Sister will understand.'

After several twists and turns, her thoughts on undergoing the double-eyelid surgery are no longer as urgent as before; she also knows that Hu Xiaotian has indeed run into trouble and is not making an intentional excuse. Xue Lingjun said, 'In that case, I'll head back first; please keep me informed of any news promptly.'

Relying solely on the current manpower, it's hard to match the Black Hu's strength; not to mention any hidden forces the Black Hu may have in Yongdu, even just the imposing Black Hu entourage is more than Hu Xiaotian and his few companions can handle. (a good activity like pies falling from the sky, cool smartphones await you! Follow the Qdread public account (add friends on WeChat, add the public account, input qdread to do so), join now! Everyone gets a prize; immediately follow the Qdread WeChat public account!) (To be continued...)