Chapter 699

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Hu Xiaotian walked out of the Jasmine Tower, although he didn't turn around, he already knew Qiu Mubai was following him from behind; Qiu Mubai shouted loudly behind him: "Stop right there!"

Hu Xiaotian stopped at the door, turned and said: "Young Master Qiu, aren't you satisfied yet?"

Qiu Mubai glared at him and said: "The day after tomorrow at noon, I'll be waiting for you in Happy Forest!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Can I not go?"

Qiu Mubai said: "You can dodge the first but not the fifteenth; if you don't come tomorrow, next time I won't give you a fair chance."

Hu Xiaotian frowned, what did Qiu Mubai's words mean? Could it be that if I don't go, he wants to assassinate me? Previously, the image of the Sword Palace in Hu Xiaotian's mind was still quite sacred, but today it was greatly diminished because of Qiu Mubai's behavior. However, there was no deep grudge between us in the past, only because of a few words just now upstairs? The reason is also that he provoked first; this person's mind is surprisingly narrow.

At this moment, Zhou Mo and Xiong Tianba had already appeared across the road; although there was still a street between them, Qiu Mubai already felt a strong pressure coming from opposite side toward him; he nodded and said: "Don't forget!"

Hu Xiaotian came to Zhou Mo and Xiong Tianba's side; Zhou Mo's gaze followed Qiu Mubai's back, and he whispered: "Who is that?"

"Let's talk later!"

Returning to the courtyard belonging to them at Qixing Palace, Zhou Mo, upon hearing Hu Xiaotian finish, couldn't help but feel furious and exclaimed: "This Qiu Mubai is really bullying people too much; it's simply tarnishing the Sword Palace's reputation."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "His own father is the current sect master of the Sword Palace; the present Sword Palace is probably worlds apart from when Senior Lin Bai Tao founded it."

Zhou Mo said: "Third Brother, are you truly preparing to go fight?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although I've only just met Qiu Mubai, I can also feel that this person has a narrow mind; if I don't go, I'll seem truly afraid of him, and later in Yongdu we'll likely never be able to hold our heads up." Deep down he vaguely felt that Qiu Mubai's challenge probably wasn't a simple spur-of-the-moment thing; who knows what conspiracy lies behind?

Zhou Mo said: "As the son of the Sword Palace sect master, Qiu Mubai's martial arts are certainly not ordinary."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "What he relies on is nothing but swordsmanship; I've heard that since Lin Bai Tao, the Sword Palace has produced no experts, and even the Slay-Heaven Seven Swords have been lost." Since eating the Wind and Cloud Fruit, his martial arts have improved by leaps and bounds; even facing the Two Elders of the You River, he now has the ability to defend himself, lacking only swordsmanship technique. Tonight's incident at the Jasmine Tower made Hu Xiaotian realize a principle: many times, keeping a low profile makes others think you're easy to bully; in such a chaotic world, choosing to stay out of conflict may be seen as cowardice; nowadays, most people respect only power and wealth. Everything must be spoken with strength.

Zhou Mo said: "Decided?" From Hu Xiaotian's words, he already understood that Hu Xiaotian had agreed to Qiu Mubai's duel.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Although Yongdu is not our territory, it's also not that just anyone can ride on our heads and act high and mighty; Qiu Mubai thinks I'm a soft persimmon. Trying to use me to establish his prestige might be a miscalculation. Relying on my footwork, I should be able to stay invincible; I won't clash head-on with him. I'll adopt a roundabout tactic, draining his stamina, and when he's exhausted, I may still have a chance to win."

Zhou Mo said: "Third Brother, your abilities have improved rapidly lately; you only lack some practical combat experience. If you can calm down and train diligently, your future achievements may very well surpass mine."

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "Big Brother, you're overestimating me. By the way, do you have any secret bottom-of-the-box techniques to point out? I'll learn and use them immediately, and the day after tomorrow I'll give Qiu Mubai a taste of his own medicine."

Zhou Mo said: "Swordsmanship isn't my forte; I rarely use weapons in daily practice, but I can point out some empty-hand techniques for disarming blades, which will surely be useful in actual combat."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Good! It's really too late today; let's start early tomorrow morning."

Zhou Mo said: "Alright, I also need to visit Second Brother; he'll return to Dakang early tomorrow morning."

Xiao Tianmu returned to Dakang early to arrange a safe rescue of Hu Xiaotian's parents, just in case; until today, Hu Xiaotian still couldn't determine whether Xi Yan had given up her plan to assassinate the Seventh Prince, Xue Daoming; if this girl insists on her own way, it might trigger an unprecedented crisis.

Hu Xiaotian returned to his room, lit a candle, yawned, and was about to go to bed when he saw an extra letter on his pillow; opening it, he saw a line of elegant small characters on the paper: "East Lake Corridor Bridge, await your arrival!" The signature bore a drawing of a toothy, clawed insect; Hu Xiaotian instantly recognized it as the Bloodshadow Golden Beetle.

His heart suddenly felt both surprise and joy, a mix of emotions; although the letter had no signature, Hu Xiaotian was certain it must have been written by Sumitiān without doubt; he didn't know what method she used to deliver it here without anyone noticing.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but recall that outside Cangmu County, Sumitiān had left without farewell, leaving four words: "No future meetings!" Only a little over a month had passed, and she came running again; it seems the world's number one poison master, having tasted the marrow, has become addicted to his skills. Hu Xiaotian's lips curled into a wicked smile; he no longer fears Sumitiān as before; in his eyes, no matter how formidable the world's top poison master is, before him she can only be a writhing, pleasantly submissive little woman. Thinking of her alluring appearance, his heart heated up involuntarily.

To go or not to go? Of course I must go!

Hu Xiaotian left Qixing Palace; although he faced no obstruction or interrogation, after walking a distance he noticed someone tailing him behind. He was extremely familiar with the local streets and alleys, so he looped around a few times in the alleys, successfully shaking off several female soldiers of the Daughter's Army.

After a little over half an hour, he arrived at East Lake; East Lake lies within Yongdu City and is the city's largest lake, entirely man-made by excavation, usually used for flood control and water storage. Under the moon, the willow treetops cast shifting light and shadows; moonlight sprinkled the lake surface, the night breeze gently stirred, like myriad specks of mercury shimmering.

Hu Xiaotian came to the Wind and Rain Corridor Bridge, turned and looked back, confirming no one followed him, then stepped onto the bridge. He casually plucked a wildflower from the bank; it had been a long time since they last met; even a small gift, back in Cangmu County outside, if not for Sumitiān's rescue, he would likely have been burned to death by Wen Boyuan's men in the reed marshes; thinking of how Sumitiān treated him, it wasn't bad.

Standing on the bridge, he didn't see Sumitiān's figure. To be precise, aside from Hu Xiaotian, there wasn't even a ghostly shadow around. Hu Xiaotian felt a bit strange; could it be that Sumitiān deliberately let his dove go? But considering Sumitiān's character, she doesn't seem like someone who enjoys pranks.

Hu Xiaotian gazed at the wildflower in his hand, shook his head. He silently sighed, buddies, tonight I've been tricked; just as he was wondering whether to go back, he saw a small boat speeding from the lake's center toward him.

The small boat cut through the waves under the moonlight; a white-clad figure stood proudly at the bow, robes fluttering. Like a goddess who rides the waves, she swiftly approached the bridge where Hu Xiaotian stood.

Although far away, Hu Xiaotian could already see every detail of Sumitiān's lovely face, beautiful as poetry and illusion, captivating the heart. He suddenly realized he could no longer tell whether she was Le Yao, Wen Ya, or Sumitiān.

When the boat was about ten zhang from the bridge's bank, it suddenly slowed. Sumitiān lifted her lovely face to gaze at Hu Xiaotian on the shore; her face wore a half-smile, moonlight draped a faint halo over her, breathtakingly beautiful; her beauty ought not belong to this mundane world, transcendent and unworldly yet tinged with an alluring, demonic charm.

Hu Xiaotian slowly descended, waiting until the boat was about one zhang from the shore before leaping onto it; Sumitiān had already reserved the bow position for him.

Hu Xiaotian handed the wildflower he held to Sumitiān, softly saying: "This is for you!"

Sumitiān took the flower, her beautiful eyes showing a faint delight, and she whispered: "So beautiful!"

"That still doesn't compare to your beauty!" Hu Xiaotian's skill at coaxing girls is absolutely far superior to his martial arts.

Sumitiān's expression suddenly turned cold: "This fresh flower was living fine; why did you break it, taking its life?" She casually tossed the flower into the water.

Hu Xiaotian, long accustomed to her mercurial temperament, smiled: "Flowers are meant to be plucked; don't wait until there are none left to waste the branches! Don't you understand such a simple principle?"

Sumitiān's heart trembled; this verse was truly beautiful enough to intoxicate; upon seeing Hu Xiaotian again this time, she felt he seemed to have changed, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed, but intuitively she felt he was markedly different from before; this change was not superficial, but internal. Perhaps he had truly been tempered by this mission's experience, rapidly growing as a person? Or perhaps the events between them had likewise benefited him greatly?

The small boat moved on its own, tracing an arc across the lake surface, slowly heading toward the lake's center.

Hu Xiaotian noticed that besides him and Sumitiān, there was no one else on the boat; he then lowered his head to look into the water.

Sumitiān said: "What are you looking at?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Is there someone underwater?"

Sumitiān calmly replied: "Does a mere small boat really require all this trouble?"

"Awesome!" Hu Xiaotian gave her a thumbs-up, but inwardly thought, no matter how impressive, she'll still have to be ridden by Daddy; he just likes to see Sumitiān putting on a pretentious act, clearly bursting with desire to sleep with him, yet still putting on airs and acting aloof—you're not in a hurry, and neither am I. So Hu Xiaotian pretended to admire the East Lake scenery, sitting contentedly at the bow, humming a little tune: "Older brother I sit at the boat's prow, younger sister walks on the shore, lovingly the towrope sways leisurely..."

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