Chapter 725

Bai Desheng's gaze turned cold, he gave a glance to the eunuch accompanying him, and that eunuch quietly followed behind Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian turned his head again by the riverbank: "Don't follow me, I'm not used to being watched." The eunuch stopped, looked at Bai Desheng, Bai Desheng pursed his lips, his eyes glared viciously at this guy, inwardly resenting this good-for-nothing.

Bai Desheng watched from afar as Hu Xiaotian squatted down in the grass by the river, he gestured to his subordinate with a slashing motion.

From the grass came Hu Xiaotian's voice again: "Hey! Who brought paper? I didn't bring any toilet paper!"

Bai Desheng waved at his subordinate, speaking with a strange tone: "The Zajia has paper; I'll send it to Sir Hu right away." To be careful, he decided to do it himself—now is the best chance to get rid of Hu Xiaotian; opportunity lost, opportunity lost forever.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I never imagined squatting by the river to relieve myself could feel this refreshing—this feeling is awesome! Sir Bai, want to try? I've saved you a spot." The grass behind him rustled, and Bai Desheng stepped toward him.

Hu Xiaotian silently calculated the distance between himself and Bai Desheng, smiling: "Sir Bai, you don't mind the smell?"

Bai Desheng raised his right hand, a cold glint flashing from his cuff—actually a narrow curved blade hidden in his sleeve. He gave a sinister laugh: "Everyone eats grains; who doesn't have an urgent moment?" He took another step forward, and the blade silently slipped from his sleeve, stabbing toward Hu Xiaotian's back.

Bai Desheng's attention was wholly on Hu Xiaotian's upper body, failing to notice that Hu Xiaotian's lower half, hidden in the grass, still had his pants on.

At the instant he launched the assassination, Hu Xiaotian's body sprang forward, midair he astonishingly spun around, and the handful of sand and stones he held shot toward Bai Desheng's head and face. Propelled by his internal energy, the sand and stones flew like arrows from a powerful bow, whistling as they struck at Bai Desheng's face.

Bai Desheng's curved blade in his hand was like a new moon, scooping up a bleak cold light. Before him it formed an impenetrable curtain of light, blocking all the sand and stones. Hu Xiaotian seized the moment, tapped his toe on the ground, leapt up again, broke free from Bai Desheng, and rushed at astonishing speed toward one of the eunuchs.

Bai Desheng's two attendants had previously scattered to guard the two corners, intending to block Hu Xiaotian's possible retreat. Hu Xiaotian could indeed have chosen to jump into the river; with his swimming skill, escaping their pursuit would not have been difficult. But after defeating Qiu Mubai, he had full confidence in his martial ability—flight was not his goal. He wanted to defeat each of the three who plotted to kill him, one by one, and uncover the mastermind behind this assassination.

The eunuch, thin and gaunt, saw Hu Xiaotian charging at him, calmly drew his soft sword, and with a shake of his right hand the blade rang out. Like a silver serpent, it twisted and thrust toward Hu Xiaotian's groin.

Hu Xiaotian silently exclaimed "good", drew a breath, and shot up three feet in midair, dodging the thrust. He kicked the eunuch squarely in the face with full force. With a bang, the eunuch couldn't dodge; his facial bones shattered. Hu Xiaotian seized the chance to snatch the eunuch's soft sword, just as Bai Desheng brandished his curved blade and gave chase.

Hu Xiaotian still did not choose to clash head‑on with him; instead he charged at the other eunuch. In this situation he first had to cut off the opponent's wings—i. e., disable his arms—then focus entirely on Bai Desheng. Though only a brief exchange, Hu Xiaotian had already judged that Bai Desheng and these two attendants were inferior to him in martial skill, given that they had not yet managed to eliminate him.

Bai Desheng's thrust was again lightly evaded by Hu Xiaotian, who lunged at the other eunuch like a leopard. The eunuch saw Hu Xiaotian suddenly cover more than ten zhang in an instant, appearing before him, and panicked, waving his blade to slash. Hu Xiaotian shook his soft sword, turning offense into defense; a point of cold light entered the eunuch's throat before his motion finished. This move is precisely the "Poisonous Snake Spits Its Tongue" from the Spirit Snake Nine Swords. Although this soft sword is no divine weapon, it proves suitable for practicing the Spirit Snake Nine Swords. As the saying goes, "To do good work one must first sharpen one's tools"—there is some truth to it. If he were holding the Hidden Edge Sword, he could not achieve this effect.

Having successfully dispatched the two eunuchs, Hu Xiaotian glanced back at Bai Desheng, only to see the fellow abandoning the pursuit and sprinting recklessly toward the carriage. Bai Desheng was no fool; seeing Hu Xiaotian's prowess—having taken down his two aides in just two moves—he knew he could not match him in single combat, so fleeing was clearly the wise choice.

Although Bai Desheng's plan sounded good, his footwork could not compare to Hu Xiaotian's. Before he could reach the carriage, Hu Xiaotian had already blocked his path forward, smiling narrowly: "Sir Bai, in such a hurry, where are you headed?"

Bai Desheng pressed his lips together, stammering: "I… I…" Suddenly his knees gave way and he knelt: "Sir Hu, as an adult you don't hold a villain's grudges; please spare my life…" Then he raised his left arm.

How could Hu Xiaotian be fooled by his feigned submission? As soon as Bai Desheng's left arm moved, Hu Xiaotian brought down his sword hard. The cold light flashed, and Bai Desheng's left arm snapped off, blood spurting from the severed limb. The left hand lying on the ground still gripped a mechanical crossbow, but before he could fire the poison bolt, Hu Xiaotian had severed his arm.

A chill at his neck, Hu Xiaotian pressed the bloody sword tip to Bai Desheng's throat and said coldly: "You had better honestly tell me who sent you."

Bai Desheng, his head soaked in cold sweat from pain, stared at Hu Xiaotian with a bizarre expression; suddenly his features twisted ferociously, black blood oozing from his mouth and nose, his limbs convulsing as he collapsed—within moments he was dead. Hu Xiaotian, momentarily off‑guard, had not expected him to take poison. The poison must have been hidden in his gums beforehand; upon danger he would bite and crush it, killing himself to leave no trace. Judging by their methods, they were likely professional assassins.

Hu Xiaotian used his soft sword to lift Bai Desheng's belt, only to find his manhood intact—clearly he was no eunuch. Looking at the two eunuchs he had just slain, they too were fully male. After all this, the three "eunuchs" were impostors. They had pretended to convey an imperial edict to lure him out of the Qichen Palace; according to their original plan, they would have tricked Hu Xiaotian into some place and silently killed him. But Hu Xiaotian discovered them early; even combined, the three could not match him. Evidently they were merely tasked with drawing him into the trap, while someone else would take care of eliminating him.

A cold raindrop fell on Hu Xiaotian's forehead; suddenly rain began to fall from the sky, and distant thunder rumbled low in the night sky. Gazing toward the Qichen Palace, his heart tightened. He recalled that tonight too many mishaps had occurred: Huo Shengnan had gone to Cien Garden to accompany the empress dowager; Liang Yinghao had left early this morning and not yet returned; whether Zhou Mo and Xiong Tianba, who went to look for him, were back was unknown. And he himself had been lured out of the Qichen Palace by design.

"Lure the tiger away from the mountain!" Could all this be intended to weaken the Qichen Palace's defenses, with the real target being Lady Xi Yan? If so, she would be in danger. Thinking this, Hu Xiaotian could no longer stay calm; he leapt onto the black horse Bai Desheng had been riding, gave the reins a shake, clamped his legs against the horse's belly, and spurred the mount to gallop wildly toward the Qichen Palace.

Lady Xi Yan also heard the thunder in the night sky; she opened her door and came to the porch, hearing the occasional patter of rain on leaves. A palace maid attending her approached, picked up a cloak, and draped it over her shoulders timidly: "Your Highness, the night is cold and windy; please look after your health and rest early."

Lady Xi Yan nodded, turned to the maid and said: "Go to the outer garden and summon Sir Hu."

The maid replied: "Sir Hu has been summoned by the Emperor to the palace."

Lady Xi Yan couldn't help but frown; she had been to the palace two days in a row—what on earth is Sir Hu up to?

Lady Xi Yan said: "Then have General Huo summoned."

"General Huo has gone to Cien Garden."

"What?" Lady Xi Yan's beautiful brows knit; even General Huo was absent. She whispered: "Who else is around? Is Zhou Mo there?"

The maid said: "I heard he also went out; now only General Yang is in charge of the Qichen Palace."

A sudden, unexplained panic rose in Lady Xi Yan's heart; she even entertained the thought that Sir Hu might abandon her without a second thought—but then she reconsidered: it was impossible, for even if she had sternly rebuked him that afternoon, his broadminded nature would never bear a grudge against her. Unbidden, she called to mind his good qualities; at the very least, his magnanimity was considerable.

Lady Xi Yan thought for a moment and said: "Have Yang Xuan come over."

The maid nodded, and shortly thereafter ushered Yang Xuan in.

Yang Xuan arrived with a beaming smile before Lady Xi Yan: "Your Highness, it's late and you're still not resting; what business do you have with this subordinate?"

Lady Xi Yan glanced Yang Xuan up and down, then said softly: "Why has everyone gone out tonight?"

Yang Xuan said: "General Huo has gone to Cien Garden, and Sir Hu was just summoned by the Emperor to the palace—probably to discuss your marriage to the Seventh Prince." Sensing her unease, she added softly: "Your Highness, do not worry; the hundred men we have stationed to guard the Qichen Palace are carefully selected elites, and they will certainly not fail."

Lady Xi Yan nodded.

Yang Xuan said: "Princess, go rest, it's already raining outside."

The sound of rain striking the leaves began to become urgent, unnoticed it had already grown louder. Xi Yan said: "General Yang, you've worked hard." She turned and walked back into the palace chambers.

The little palace maid followed her in, and after entering the palace chambers she closed the door.

Looks like if I don't beg for votes, no one will vote; I must earnestly ask—if there are votes, there will be climaxes! (To be continued~^~)