Chapter 77

Ande Quan, who had been lying back and observing the work, showed an extremely relieved expression as the situation finally turned in their favor; although Hu Xiaotian was cunning, he ultimately couldn't escape the grasp of this little girl.

Hu Xiaotian's gaze remained fixed on the small red dot on his arm: "Cooperation requires some sincerity—you actually shot me with a needle?" He felt a foreign object in his arm; that poison needle was clearly still inside his body.

The little girl said: "The Seven-Day Soul-Severing Needle isn't made of steel; once it contacts human flesh, it melts from body heat, the toxin travels through your bloodstream, spreading throughout your body within seven days. If you don't receive the antidote in time, your intestines will rupture, your mouth will ulcerate, and pus will ooze from your entire body."

No matter how Hu Xiaotian heard it, it sounded familiar; upon reflection, he realized this was the oath sworn when he became sworn brothers with Shi Xuedong. He thought, "Looks like I really shouldn't make vows lightly." By rights he had nothing to be ashamed of before Shi Xuedong, and shouldn't suffer retribution. Now he could only temporarily yield—damn it, he never expected to capsize in a gutter and be overturned by an underage girl.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Cooperation, fine, let's cooperate—I'll send you to Harmony Prefecture! Anyway I have to pass through there, so giving you a ride along the way is no problem. Uh, when are you planning to depart?"

Ande Quan said: "The sooner the better."

Hu Xiaotian glanced at Ande Quan, shook his head, and said: "Your constitution probably won't hold up; although the distance from here to Harmony Prefecture isn't far, crossing mountains and ridges makes the journey arduous."

"Who said I have to go? Just take her with you—I'll stay!"

The little girl firmly shook her head and said: "If we go, we go together; I won't leave alone."

Ande Quan said: "He's right—from here to Harmony Prefecture we must cross Luxuriant Shady Mountain; the road is rugged and difficult. Bringing me along, this burden, will only slow everyone down, and my current condition isn't suitable for movement; staying here might still offer a slim chance of survival. If I follow you all the way, I might even lose this half-life."

The little girl pursed her lips; though young, she was clear-headed and rational, understanding that everything Ande Quan said was true. She turned to Hu Xiaotian and said: "Leave some dry rations for my grandfather, and leave one of your men to look after him." Her words admitted no doubt, full of the tone of issuing orders.

Hu Xiaotian really felt a mix of laughter and tears—"Do I owe you?"—to dare boss him around like that. Just moments ago this little girl had shot him with a needle, calling it a Seven-Day Soul-Severing Needle; if it were truly that miraculous, he couldn't help but lower his guard. Hu Xiaotian instinctively rolled up his sleeve, looked at the wound—it had expanded to a red spot the size of a soybean, surrounded by a ring of red rash. He blinked, genuinely feeling afraid; he guessed this girl wasn't deceiving him—talk about bad luck, being schemed against by a little girl.

The little girl said: "Did you hear that?"

Hu Xiaotian swallowed his anger and nodded.

Ande Quan added: "Master Hu, rest assured—we grandparents had no choice but to resort to this plan. As long as you safely escort her to Harmony Prefecture, she will naturally hand over the antidote, and we will remember your kindness to us." His tone was quite friendly, but no matter how the grandfather and grandson behaved, in Hu Xiaotian's eyes they were wolves in sheep's clothing, ungrateful traitors—his own misfortune was truly significant.

Hu Xiaotian said: "What if I fail to complete the task?"

Ande Quan didn't answer his question, merely flashing a faint cold smile—clearly meaning, if you can't accomplish the task, you'll join them in dying.

Hu Xiaotian seethed with anger, cursing the ancestors of Ande Quan and the little girl, yet he forced an accepting expression on his face, sighed, and said: "Don't worry—I promised to send her to Harmony Prefecture, so I'll do my best. But who exactly are you? Can you reveal a bit?"

Ande Quan said: "The less you know, the better for you."

Hu Xiaotian said: "This isn't fair—you've investigated my name and background down to the last detail, yet I know nothing about you, and you talk about cooperation without any sincerity."

The little girl said: "It's all because your subordinate can't keep his mouth shut—I hadn't even asked yet, and he spilled everything about your ancestors."

Upon hearing that, Hu Xiaotian exploded in rage: "Which one?"

The little girl pointed outside—Liang Da Zhuang was carrying fodder to feed the horses.

Hu Xiaotian let out a earth-shattering roar: "Liang Da Zhuang!"

Liang Da Zhuang, his face bruised and swollen, squatted beside the puddle; he could barely recognize himself now. Just moments ago Hu Xiaotian had given him a thorough beating—no wonder others blame him; who made him talk too much? Unable to resist a couple of kind words, he dumped all of Hu Xiaotian's personal details onto that little girl. How could he know people's hearts are so treacherous? A girl barely in her teens actually harbors such scheming intent—she'll trap you without mercy, and he's fallen into her trap miserably. He had just sworn secrecy, yet in the blink of an eye he sold himself out.

After Hu Xiaotian finished beating Liang Da Zhuang, his pent-up frustration eased considerably; the rain had just lightened a bit. He told Hu Fo and a few others to get ready, and they would immediately leave Orchid-like Temple. Including Murong Feiyan, several people had no idea what had just happened; no one would have guessed that, in the side hall just now, Hu Xiaotian and the Senior Eunuch's little girl had engaged in a battle of wits and courage—Hu Xiaotian, who always took advantage, not only ended up completely disadvantaged but even had his life and death pinched in that girl's hand.

Murong Feiyan felt quite surprised—after all, just moments ago Hu Xiaotian had complained that she was meddling and wanted to part ways with that grandfather and grandson; yet now he had a change of heart, not only agreeing to travel with them but also vowing to escort the little girl all the way to Harmony Prefecture, putting on an act of great benevolence—could it be that this scoundrel suddenly discovered his conscience?

Ande Quan ultimately stayed behind; Hu Xiaotian, following the little girl's wishes, left some food for this Senior Eunuch and also had Liang Da Zhuang remain to look after him—this also counted as punishment for Liang Da Zhuang, who, with his big mouth, had even before anything happened completely sold out his own background.

Ande Quan, however, declined Hu Xiaotian's kindness; he quietly summoned Hu Xiaotian to his side and whispered: "You'd better take that fat guy with you—I can barely manage on my own; if he stays and gets captured by my enemies, they might even squeeze out the secrets of your ancestors."

Hu Xiaotian felt a chill from deep inside; he actually overlooked something this important. What's wrong with him today? His consideration is really inadequate. Just now he was schemed by an underage little girl, and just now he almost made a big mistake—leaving Liang Da Zhuang here is like leaving a huge hidden danger. Hu Xiaotian, however, refused to admit fault on his lips, hehe laughed: 'You old sir, you could kill him to silence before anyone catches him.'

Ande Quan gave a hehe laugh and said: 'Young man, your heart is ruthless enough.'

Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, 'Even if I were more ruthless, I couldn't match your granddaughter's cruelty—she actually dealt such a vicious hand to her lifesaver, an ungrateful villain.' He said in a low voice: 'Since you find him troublesome, I'll still take him away.' Observing Ande Quan's complexion, he found Ande Quan typical of an anemic appearance, but his mental state right now is not bad. He couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder: this Senior Eunuch, having suffered such a severe injury, having just yesterday undergone a right leg amputation surgery, could still endure the pain and chat and laugh freely; this old fellow's willpower is truly superhuman.

Ande Quan again handed him the jade pendant and said: 'I have nothing to give you; this jade pendant shall be my keepsake for you. This time we part, I fear we will never meet again. I owe you this favor, ten out of ** I cannot repay.' From these words it can be seen that he has already resolved to die.

Although Hu Xiaotian despised him from the bottom of his heart for repaying kindness with enmity, hearing Ande Quan's words still moved him somewhat with compassion, and he said in a low voice: 'Actually, you could just come with us; with your tenacious will, even if the journey is a bit hard, you should be able to endure it.'

Ande Quan smiled and patted his shoulder, saying: 'I appreciate your good intentions; set off quickly, remember my words, do not delay along the way.'

Hu Xiaotian pursed his lips and said: 'Take care!'***********************************************************************I feel that nowadays there are too many readers with glass hearts; the protagonist's overpowered invincible mode, which always sweeps away opposition, has never been Zhangyu's style. This book, relatively speaking, is not considered to abuse the protagonist; if one feels abused, that proves immersion, which is good! It proves that when it's enjoyable later, one can also immerse!

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