Chapter 811

Li Yuncong's palms struck Ji Feihua's back heart, yet they did not stop Ji Feihua's backward momentum; from Ji Feihua's back came an incomparably huge force, like a thousand‑jin giant boulder striking Li Yuncong's chest, shaking him so he flew backward; Ji Feihua, relying on his flesh, bore Hong Beimo's punch and then transferred that punch's force onto Li Yuncong.

Wedding Dress Divine Skill!

Ji Feihua could not withstand Hong Beimo's punch after his inner force had been multiplied several times by the Blood‑Transmuting Prajna Skill; Li Yuncong was the same. Both Ji Feihua and Li Yuncong were shaken and flew out one after another; it should be said Li Yuncong suffered more, as most of the force of Hong Beimo's punch struck his body.

After Ji Feihua landed, blood gushed from his mouth, yet he dared not pause; after a few leaps he was already sprinting wildly toward the southern foothills of Ethereal Peak.

Hong Beimo had already seen through his intention; planting both feet on the ground, he used the ground's rebound force, his massive body suddenly shooting up to a height of five zhang, then he plunged downward; upon landing his legs bent again and he shot up once more, reaching a height of ten zhang. His blood‑red eyes spotted Ji Feihua's silhouette; he was hurtling at astonishing speed toward the waterfall at the southern foothills of Ethereal Peak.

Hong Beimo spread his arms wide, resembling a swooping azure hawk, to slaughter completely, leaving no future trouble.

Although Ji Feihua ran with all his might, his speed was undoubtedly hampered by his severe injuries; although he used the Wedding Dress Divine Skill to transfer Hong Beimo's lethal punch onto Li Yuncong, he could not fully neutralize Hong Beimo's fierce, matchless punching force, and his viscera and meridians all suffered grave damage.

The waterfall was already in sight; another zhang and he could escape danger, yet Hong Beimo was still five zhang away from Ji Feihua.

Ji Feihua tapped his toes and leapt toward the waterfall; a sword light flashed sideways from the side. It was Mu Rongzhan brandishing his slender sword, the blade piercing Ji Feihua's left ribs. He turned his head, his gaze extremely dim, and his body plummeted straight down from the summit of Ethereal Peak.

Hong Beimo landed at the edge of the waterfall, his blood‑red eyes straining to see. Yet Ji Feihua's silhouette fell like a leaf from the high cliff, landing in the Jade Pond and being swallowed by the mist raised by the waterfall.

Mu Rongzhan looked at the slender sword in his hand, about three cun of its blade stained with blood, and spoke weakly: 'There is no longer anyone named Ji Feihua in the world…'

Hong Beimo abruptly turned his head to look at him; his blood‑red gaze made Mu Rongzhan's heart startle.

Hong Beimo shook his head: 'Even if I had to drain all the water from the Jade Pond, I must find his corpse.' His body swayed; the blood in his eyes faded considerably in a moment. Without another word to Mu Rongzhan, he sat cross‑legged on the ground and silently regulated his breath.

Mu Rongzhan also suffered grave injury; having just gathered all his strength to thrust that sword, he was now completely weakened. Leaning on his slender sword against the tree trunk behind him, he barely avoided collapsing. Watching Hong Beimo's skin turn from black to red, then red to white, his burly physique began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Hong Beimo let out a long breath. His voice was full of fatigue; when he opened his eyes again, he had become a gaunt‑looking middle‑aged man. This was Hong Beimo's true appearance; he gave Mu Rongzhan a faint smile: 'I will heal you.'

Mu Rongzhan said: 'The Blood‑Transmuting Prajna Skill costs five years of Shoucheng per use; Mr. Hong's self‑sacrifice for the state of Dakang is moving…'

Hong Beimo slowly rose to his feet. His gaze once again fell on the waterfall that poured straight down with magnificent momentum, and he said softly: 'I hope His Majesty can understand our painstaking intentions.'

Overcast rain persisted, making the roads difficult; plus the ambush of the Five Absolutes hunters, the Grey Bear Valley that should have been passable in two days saw Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan still walking after two days with no sign of exiting, and worse, they had lost their way. Originally following that mountain stream would have led straight to the valley's lower exit, but after several heavy rains the valley was criss‑crossed with torrential streams; in this vast, boundless forest Hu Xiaotian quickly became confused, while Huo Shengnan herself was injured, and over these two days her mood grew exceedingly complex and strange, her mind greatly affected, she would often drift off, and she ended up entrusting all matters to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian couldn't tell the way ahead; thinking 'an old horse knows the road,' he let Little Gray lead them, but Little Gray led them around in circles, looping through the valley for an entire day, only to end up back at the spot where Little Black had been killed. Hu Xiaotian felt like crying but had no tears, and he was so angry he almost raised a whip to lash Little Gray fiercely.

Yet seeing Little Gray drooping its head, dejected and heartbroken, he also felt reluctant to be harsh.

Huo Shengnan sighed and said, 'Many people are not as loyal as beasts.' Gazing at Little Black's corpse still lying there, relieved it hadn't been eaten by wolves, she deduced they had scared the wolves off, so they wouldn't dare come here for a while. She whispered, 'Why don't we bury Little Black? That would keep the wolves from eating its corpse, and it would also help Little Gray fulfill its wish.'

Hu Xiaotian lacked such sentimental feelings; seeing the sky darken further and the rain intensify, with no clear direction to walk, the wisest course was to camp here, wait for the rain to stop, then find the right way and continue onward.

Thus they gathered some broken stones to bury Little Black's corpse; Hu Xiaotian soon realized that building a grave for a horse was no easy task, taking him a full hour before he finally interred Little Black's body.

Huo Shengnan's injuries were relatively severe, so Hu Xiaotian told her to find a sheltered spot to rest; Little Gray stayed by Hu Xiaotian's side the whole time, clearly understanding that the master's hard labor was all for its deceased beloved.

Strangely, after burying Little Black the downpour suddenly ceased; the mountain air after the rain was exceptionally fresh, and Hu Xiaotian found a level slope and pitched his tent.

While setting up camp, Huo Shengnan had already shot down four mountain birds in succession.

Hu Xiaotian cheerfully retrieved the game, realizing that traveling with someone skilled in archery meant never having to worry about food—living off the mountains and waters, though that too requires ability.

When night fell, Hu Xiaotian finally managed to start a bonfire in front of the tent; damp branches sent up thick smoke, but fortunately they had already slaughtered all their enemies, otherwise the smoke and light would have revealed their position.

Huo Shengnan sat by the fire, drying her clothes on one side and stirring the flames with a branch on the other; Hu Xiaotian skewered the cleaned mountain birds and set them over the fire to roast. Gazing at Huo Shengnan, he saw her pretty face lit by the firelight, looking especially charming, her long black lashes framing eyes that stared blankly at the flames, appearing somewhat dazed.

Hu Xiaotian deliberately coughed once to draw her attention.

Huo Shengnan tossed her branch into the fire, drew her knees to her chest, pressed her cheek against her arm, and whispered, 'Do you think they'll still send people to assassinate us?'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Come one, kill one; come a pair, kill the pair.'

Huo Shengnan said, 'If it weren't for me, you'd have had smooth sailing all along; it's I who've brought you all this trouble.'

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, 'No need for formalities among family.'

Huo Shengnan furrowed her elegant brows, glared at him, and protested, 'We're not that close yet.'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'How not? We're not just friends—we're relatives too.'

Huo Shengnan couldn't help but want to laugh; he always spouts nonsense, she shook her head and said, 'I'll admit you're a friend, but how are we relatives?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'We're parents‑in‑law!'

Huo Shengnan spat, 'Who knows what the future will hold?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled, eyes narrowed, 'Now it's like this: I regard Little Gray as my son, you regard Little Black as your daughter, Little Gray and Little Black are a married couple—what else could we be if not parents‑in‑law?'

Huo Shengnan, hearing him, found it somewhat reasonable, yet wondered how he knew Little Gray and Little Black were a couple; perhaps… recalling the scene that day when Little Gray climbed onto Little Black's back, her pretty face flushed, and she softly spat, 'They're certainly not a married couple.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Though they lack the name of husband and wife, they have the reality of it.'

Huo Shengnan, hearing him say this, already understood that this guy had definitely seen everything—she was mortified. If he saw that she too had been watching Little Gray and Little Black doing that sort of thing, how could she ever face people again? Huo Shengnan simply couldn't bring herself to look Hu Xiaotian in the eye.

Hu Xiaotian handed the freshly roasted, fragrant mountain bird to Huo Shengnan and said, 'Eat up! Eat your fill and have a nice sleep; when you wake, it'll be a beautiful sunny day.'

Huo Shengnan took the mountain bird, nodded, and said, 'Tonight I'll take watch; you sleep in the tent!'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'No need, you're badly injured and need proper rest—I'll take the watch.'

Huo Shengnan said, 'But you're wounded too—isn't that even worse?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Then shall we sleep together?'

Huo Shengnan said, 'Hu Xiaotian, are you determined to make me hate you?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Then I'll stay outside keeping watch, and meanwhile practice to heal my wounds—we'll each be suited to our own role.'

Huo Shengnan, afraid he'd say something else shameless, said, 'Do as you please!'

After finally drying his clothes, Hu Xiaotian climbed up the nearby rock and looked out. He saw the night sky cleared of dark clouds, stars glittering and reflecting off each other. He stretched his arms, but his back wound had not yet healed; the movement tugged at the injury, and he couldn't help but frown. Recalling the scene of being besieged by the Five Absolutes hunters, he still felt lingering fear. This world was no more peaceful than the one before; he had thought leaving Da Yong would mean temporarily escaping trouble, yet he hadn't expected the pursuit to keep coming one after another. Even if he returned to Dakang, it wouldn't mean the end of his woes—Princess Anping's affair still needed to be explained to the court. Would Ji Feihua still value him as before? Did he still have any use to her? His thoughts surged, and as Hu Xiaotian was lost in contemplation, he suddenly saw a bright flash streak across the night sky—a meteor trailing a comet's tail slicing through the heavens. (To be continued~^~)