Chapter 731

Xue Lingjun said: "The Emperor's condition has improved greatly; he has ordered you to enter the palace tomorrow evening."

Hu Xiaotian still thought she would ask what had happened tonight at the Qichen Palace, but unexpectedly it was still about the Da Yong Emperor's affairs; it seems in the hearts of these Da Yong royals, Princess Anping's life or death is not that important. Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Remembered, actually tonight it was that fake eunuch Bai Desheng who, under the pretense of the Emperor summoning me to the palace, tricked me out."

Xue Lingjun's lips curled with a faint smile as she said: "Bai Desheng is no fake eunuch; he has been in the palace for over forty years and has always enjoyed the Emperor's trust. Since you mentioned him, tomorrow I will have him come personally to fetch you."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Who knows if it won't be another fake?"

Xue Lingjun said: "If you don't see the Emperor's Coiling Dragon Gold Medal, don't go with him." Her pretty face showed a faint smile as she said: "You're really suspicious; let me come myself tomorrow to fetch you, so you won't have so much resentment."

Hu Xiaotian said: "How dare I blame you, Elder Sister?"

Xue Lingjun said: "You may not say it, but you surely blame us in your heart." She lifted her head to look at the overcast night sky and softly said: "This weather is really suffocating; I've been taking care of my imperial brother these past two days and am utterly exhausted. I'll go back to rest now; you should also get some sleep. With Shi Kuang coming to help, you needn't worry about anything—just leave it to him to handle."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Some things are better done personally; entrusting them to anyone leaves me uneasy."

Xue Lingjun laughed softly, knowing that tonight's assassination had surely affected Hu Xiaotian's mood; she no longer bothered to explain, waved at Hu Xiaotian, and walked toward the carriage.

After seeing Xue Lingjun off and returning to the Qichen Palace, Shi Kuang was already in the room where the corpses were kept, carefully examining each body. Seeing the six female soldiers killed by Hu Xiaotian's sword, Shi Kuang also secretly marveled, never expecting Hu Xiaotian's swordsmanship to have reached such a level—no wonder the Da Yong Emperor sent him to escort the princess. He did not know that Hu Xiaotian was chosen for the marriage mission not because of his martial skill.

When Shi Kuang approached Li Yishui and the others, he couldn't help but frown tightly; Li Yishui's face had been smashed into a bloody pulp by Xiong Tianba's hammer, so his original appearance was unrecognizable, but his weapon remained. Shi Kuang carefully examined Li Yishui's belongings, then looked at Peng Yijiang—although Peng Yijiang's appearance had also changed considerably, Shi Kuang still recognized his identity. Upon seeing Gu Sanniang, Shi Kuang could basically confirm their identities and said in a low voice: "These three are members of the Banlan Sect!"

Huo Shengnan said: "You mean that evil sect that specializes in breeding and using poisonous creatures?"

Shi Kuang nodded and said: "I have met the Banlan Sect's sect master, Bei Ze Lao Guai, twice before, and I am somewhat familiar with his ten chief disciples. If I am not mistaken, this fat one should be the fifth disciple, known as the Poison Monk Li Yishui; the tall, thin man in the middle is the third disciple, the Blood Bat Insect Master Peng Yijiang; and this woman is likely the seventh disciple, Gu Sanniang. The ten chief disciples of Bei Ze Lao Guai each have their own strengths. The Poison Monk Li Yishui excels at driving away snakes; Peng Yijiang is the only one among the ten who has mastered the way of insect armor. Moreover, he possesses a pair of bloodthirsty heavenly bats as poisonous pets, fierce and brutal. As for Gu Sanniang, her greatest skill is the art of disguise—poisoning without a trace."

Huo Shengnan sucked in a cold breath: "It's actually them!"

Shi Kuang said: "Hu Xiaotian being able to slay your six subordinates is not surprising, but that he could kill Bei Ze Lao Guai's three favored disciples shows his martial skill and scheming are utterly unfathomable."

Huo Shengnan said: "Hu Xiaotian has already reached the stage where sword qi is emitted externally; these three assassins, though formidable, still cannot withstand his sword qi."

Shi Kuang said: "The poison masters' methods of poisoning far exceed our imagination; although their martial arts may not reach first-rate, their poisoning techniques are uncanny—even a first-rate expert could easily fall into their hands; I dare not say I could easily defeat them when they work together." His implication was that Hu Xiaotian certainly would not be a match for him—how could he possibly have easily slain three first-rate poison masters? Shi Kuang examined the fatal wounds on the three bodies: before being beaten to death with a hammer, Li Yishui's neck had already been strangled by a whip; Peng Yijiang, though he had a sword wound to the abdomen, had his eyes pierced by poison needles before death, and the truly fatal wound was on both sides of his neck; judging from the wound shape, it appears to have been caused by a poisonous creature's bite. As for Gu Sanniang, the wound on her neck is almost identical to Peng Yijiang's. Shi Kuang could almost conclude that two of them likely died in the mouths of poisonous worms, certainly not by Hu Xiaotian's sword.

Shi Kuang said: "Could Hu Xiaotian be using poison?"

Huo Shengnan shook her head; she wasn't clear on this matter, after all Hu Xiaotian has many aspects she doesn't know about.

At that moment, a voice came from outside the door: Hu Xiaotian's: "General Huo! May I come in?"

Before Hu Xiaotian could enter the room, Huo Shengnan and Shi Kuang had already come out; Shi Kuang looked at Hu Xiaotian and said: "Sir Hu, you're back—did all these people inside die at your hands?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Basically, yes. They were all poison experts, but after I wounded them, the poisonous creatures they carried suddenly went mad and bit indiscriminately, and the three of them suddenly turned on each other—I'm not even sure how some of them died." Although the explanation is somewhat vague, it is reasonable. Hu Xiaotian had previously considered cutting off their heads and stabbing their bodies a few more times, but he realized that wouldn't work, since a person's ante-mortem and post-mortem trauma are completely different; any experienced investigator would spot the inconsistency at a glance. In fact, Shi Kuang is an expert in this field; if I had really done that, I would surely not fool his eyes, and would only end up making things worse. On the contrary, this explanation is more credible. Xi Yan had obviously thought of this as well, and had reminded Hu Xiaotian beforehand.

Shi Kuang said: "Sir Hu, do you know their identities?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "This is Da Yong; I'm unfamiliar with the place and people—who could I know?" His words implied something, hinting that these three assassins are connected to Da Yong.

Shi Kuang didn't argue with him, and said to General Huo: "General Huo, if it's convenient, I'd like to question some of the people present tonight."

Huo Shengnan nodded; given the circumstances, she couldn't well refuse Shi Kuang's request, after all the problem lay within her own unit—even her bosom-companion Yang Xuan had betrayed her, and she didn't know how many of her subordinates could still be trusted. For the first time in her life, Huo Shengnan felt suspicion toward her own troops.

Hu Xiaotian said: "General Huo, have you ascertained the identities of those few?"

Huo Shengnan said: "Those three assassins are members of the Banlan Sect, disciples of Bei Ze Lao Guai—all renowned poison masters under heaven; if they joined forces, I might not be able to cope."

Hu Xiaotian detected her implication and smiled lightly: "General Huo, you mean I ought to have been poisoned to death by them, rather than ending up like this?"

Huo Shengnan said: "I asked them—Zhou Mo and Xiong Tianba only arrived when the battle was about to end; did you single-handedly kill those three?"

Any problem?

Huo Shengnan said: "If Yang Xuan intended to harm the Princess, before you arrived she would have had plenty of time to do it, and moreover there are the three Banlan Sect assassins."

Hu Xiaotian said: "General Huo, what are you hinting at?"

Huo Shengnan said: "May I see the Princess?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "No!" He understood that Huo Shengnan should begin to suspect Xi Yan. Indeed, with a little thought, one would discover many doubtful points about Xi Yan.

Accompanying Shi Kuang were twelve Jinlin Guards; though few in number, they were all first-rate experts. Shi Kuang sent six of them into the waterway to investigate where it leads and whether anyone else is lurking there. The remaining guards were assigned respectively to interrogate the personnel inside the Qichen Palace.

Hu Xiaotian watched coldly from the sidelines; tonight's assassination exposed too many loopholes—no matter how I try to take on everything, I ultimately cannot completely clear Xi Yan's suspicions. I'm not yet sure how Shi Kuang views it, but Huo Shengnan clearly already suspects Xi Yan.

After finishing with external affairs, Hu Xiaotian actually found time to take a hot bath, whereupon he unhurriedly came to the inner court. Not only because his mindset was calm, but also because it was indeed necessary to clean up the mess on his person.

To be on the safe side, Hu Xiaotian had Zhou Mo personally take charge of guard duty; without his permission, no one may approach the Princess.

Upon seeing Hu Xiaotian arrive, Zhou Mo sent a mental transmission: "Everyone around is under surveillance; you must be careful in your words and deeds."

Hu Xiaotian gave a faint smile and said softly: "Today's affairs clearly should have been in our favor, yet we've ended up acting like thieves. You may go back now; tonight I will accompany the Princess. Shi Kuang's thoughts are meticulous; later he might question you and Xiong Tianba about your whereabouts, so you need to remind the bear child to answer cautiously. As for Liang Yinghao—" Knowing that Liang Yinghao was injured, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but feel worried.

Zhou Mo said: "Third Brother, just relax; Liang Yinghao's side has already been properly arranged—he's injured but not fatal. We only need to keep our story straight and say Liang Yinghao left early." He paused, then added: "The real trouble is still inside." He naturally meant Xi Yan, without a doubt.

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile, nodded, cleared his throat, and said: "Princess, may this humble one come in?"

After shouting twice in succession, I finally heard Xi Yan's weak, feeble voice say: "Come in……"

Hu Xiaotian pushed the door open and entered, only to see the room's candlelight flickering red; Xi Yan lay alone on the jade bed. Hu Xiaotian approached her bedside, but saw her pretty face still devoid of any color, her whole person looking extremely wan. He let out a faint sigh and said: "You heartless thing, you actually ignored me completely and left without a word."

Second update uploaded—requesting monthly tickets! Upon reaching fifty votes, still three more; upon reaching one hundred, still four more. Zhangyu, test your luck! Let's see just how much potential we have! Come on! Just one word! Brothers, if you dare to give me sunshine, Zhangyu dares to keep shining brilliantly! (To be continued~^~)