Chapter 822: 【Walls Have Ears】 (Part II)

Huo Shengnan rested her chin on her hands, sitting at the table looking somewhat preoccupied. Hu Xiaotian had the ship's kitchen send over a few small dishes and a pot of fine wine; though the taste wasn't great, the price was steep—such is life when traveling abroad. Hu Xiaotian called to Huo Shengnan: "Come drink; get drunk, and when you wake up you'll be in Martial Prosperity Commandery."

Huo Shengnan glanced at the wine pot in his hand: "This pot of wine alone can't possibly get me drunk!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Wine doesn't intoxicate people; people intoxicate themselves. Being with such a handsome, suave, flirtatious, talented young lord like you would get you drunk even without a drop."

Huo Shengnan couldn't help but let out a faint smile and spat: "You, you—when will you quit your habit of blowing your own trumpet?"

Hu Xiaotian poured two bowls of wine into the small black bowl, but before he could drink, the ship began to rock, spilling much of the wine. Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan clinked cups and drank one, the ship's rocking grew worse, and outside thunder and lightning flashed as a violent storm arrived right on schedule.

Huo Shengnan's face turned somewhat pale, her beautiful eyes showing panic.

Hu Xiaotian noticed her change and whispered: "Are you afraid of thunder?"

Huo Shengnan shook her head: "I'm not good at swimming!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Don't worry; with me here, even if the ship capsizes you'll be fine."

Huo Shengnan spat: "Great luck, great profit—definitely don't say such things."

Hu Xiaotian took a sip from the wine pot, then passed it to Huo Shengnan: "Don't think about anything; eat your fill, drink your fill, and go to sleep early. When you wake up, the wind will have stopped and the rain cleared—surely a bright, sunny day."

Huo Shengnan nodded, took the wine pot and gulped a few mouthfuls. She suddenly thought of something: "When you return to Kangdu, are you still planning to continue as a eunuch?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Is being a eunuch such a bad profession?"

Huo Shengnan widened her phoenix eyes at him.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I actually don't see anything wrong with it. Although the work is serving others, there are plenty of perks, like bathing the empress and princess. I wouldn't say the future is limitless, but it's certainly a job where I can fully use my abilities."

Huo Shengnan knew he was talking nonsense. She lifted her foot and kicked him under the table: "I'm telling you something serious!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'm quite serious myself." Actually, he currently didn't know the exact situation in Kangdu; having just heard the news of Ji Feihua's killing—though the likelihood was minuscule—it still stirred considerable ripples in his heart. Returning to Kangdu this time, he didn't know whether it would be blessing or disaster, but his parents were still under the court's control. He couldn't possibly not go back; being a eunuch was sure to continue, and he also wanted to announce to the world that he was a complete man, to become a pillar of heaven and earth, yet the timing seemed not yet ripe.

Huo Shengnan said: "Once we reach Martial Prosperity Commandery, we'll each go our own ways."

Hu Xiaotian pinched a peanut and tossed it into his mouth: "In Dakang you have no relatives; where do you plan to go?"

Huo Shengnan said: "The world is so big—could there really be no place for me to stay? Don't worry about me; I can take care of yourself. You be your eunuch, continue your limitless future; I'll roam my own world, enjoying my carefree freedom, and we won't hinder each other." Though spoken nonchalantly, deep down she felt hard to let go; precisely for this reason Huo Shengnan reminded herself to leave, otherwise she feared she'd fall completely into the net of emotion.

Hu Xiaotian said: "You say that, and I feel a bit regretful."

"Regret what?"

"Regretting that I shouldn't have returned to normal. If I stayed paralyzed forever, would you take care of me for life?" Hu Xiaotian's eyes locked onto Huo Shengnan's. His gaze was burning and direct, making her heart race. She bit her cherry lip, and after a while mustered the courage to say: "Yes. But only out of friendship, with no other meaning." This is a case of "no silver here, three hundred taels"—she couldn't even convince herself.

Hu Xiaotian laughed and spoke softly: "Go to sleep early! We'll decide what to do after we reach Martial Prosperity Commandery; anyway, there's no need to rush a decision."

Huo Shengnan nodded.

The two lay on the bed, back to back. Huo Shengnan placed Hu Xiaotian's great sword Hidden Edge Sword between them—this was their Chu-Han boundary, constantly reminding Hu Xiaotian not to step even half a foot over the thunder pool. The double bed in the upper-class cabin was also extremely narrow, naturally incomparable to the conditions of an inn on land. Lying in the ship's cabin, they constantly felt the rise and fall of the waves, and with occasional thunderclaps outside, Huo Shengnan could not fall asleep.

She had wanted to say a few words to Hu Xiaotian, but seeing by the flash of lightning that he seemed already asleep, she gave up the idea of disturbing him.

Suddenly, a woman's soft whimper came from the next cabin: "Don't…"

Huo Shengnan blinked in surprise.

Immediately afterward, a man's voice laughed: "Long night, endless, no desire to sleep—we've finally escaped the devil's clutches; from now on we can nest together, enjoy all worldly riches and honor, Qing'er, let me love you well."

The woman coquettishly said: "How annoying, we're on a ship—you should know the walls have ears."

Huo Shengnan's pretty face flushed like fire; although she had never experienced male-female relations, she also knew what was about to happen in the next cabin.

The man laughed: "The storm is raging, night deep and people quiet—who would notice our business? Qing'er, let me just touch and kiss you, okay?"

"Mm… how annoying…"

The woman's breathing quickly became ragged; after a while, the next cabin filled with constant 'tsk-tsk' sounds, like a fish gulping water—clearly they were kissing.

Huo Shengnan was embarrassed to the extreme; she really regretted choosing this cabin, and blamed the shameless couple for openly engaging in such indecent acts on the ship.

"'Qing'er, your skin is so smooth and tender, these treasures seem to have grown even larger.'"

The woman, too a seductive enchantress, cooed: "It's not like this except from you rubbing me back and forth; you've taken all the advantage."

The man laughed: "Then you should rub me too, make me bigger that way, so neither of us loses out."

Huo Shengnan clapped her hands over her ears, feeling she'd go mad—could they be any more shameless? Fortunately Hu Xiaotian was asleep; if he were awake and heard this conversation, who knows what he'd do… Before she could think further, she felt Hu Xiaotian's thigh swing over the Hidden Edge Sword and rest on her leg.

Huo Shengnan instinctively straightened her back, slowly turned her face away, and in the dim light saw Hu Xiaotian still with eyes closed, lightly snoring. She thought, "Probably just a false alarm—he's just turned over in his sleep." So she reached out and quietly lifted Hu Xiaotian's thigh. Just as she lifted it, he rolled over again, giving her back her freedom; she breathed a sigh of relief. Before she could settle, Hu Xiaotian turned over once more—this time not only did his thigh rest on her body, but his arm fell directly onto her chest.

Given Hu Xiaotian's usual nature, Huo Shengnan absolutely didn't believe it was unconscious; he was surely pretending to sleep, and he heard the noises next door even more clearly than she did—he was taking advantage of the situation. She reached out, grabbed his arm, and pinched hard with her index finger and thumb. No mercy—"who let you take advantage of me."

Hu Xiaotian opened his mouth wide, eyes bulging, about to let out a miserable scream—when he heard the woman next door let out a sharp "Ah!" scream.

Huo Shengnan was mortified, not bothering to retaliate against Hu Xiaotian. She pulled the blanket over her face with both hands, afraid Hu Xiaotian would see her embarrassed state. Hu Xiaotian, having been pinched, wasn't about to let it go; he grabbed her right breast in one big handful. Actually, there wasn't much feeling—Huo Shengnan was wrapped in layers, flat-chested, not even as satisfying as self‑touch.

Huo Shengnan lifted her leg and clamped Hu Xiaotian's thigh, threatening: "Believe it or not, I'll break your leg."

From next door came the man's panting voice: "Qing'er, you want to break my leg…"

Huo Shengnan's mind was a muddled mess: "Good heavens, what's happening to me? I can actually endure this; if not, I must leave the cabin."

Hu Xiaotian whispered: "I'm not that kind of person; I just want to hold you and sleep."

Huo Shengnan pressed her forehead to his nose and whispered: "You're not even human; believing you is out of the question."

The woman in the next cabin cried out ever more urgently; the creaking of the bedboards sounded to them like heaven‑shaking, earth‑shaking noise. Hu Xiaotian felt lust burning his chest, while Huo Shengnan felt shame overwhelming her. Unconsciously, she ended up embraced by Hu Xiaotian. In the midst of their confused passion, they suddenly heard the woman next door let out a sharp scream.

Huo Shengnan's delicate body trembled; she buried her pretty face in Hu Xiaotian's chest, thinking, "I'm dying of embarrassment—that couple truly has no shame."

Hu Xiaotian, while holding Huo Shengnan's arm, loosened his grip a bit, first saying, "Already?" then immediately sinking his voice: "No!"

Huo Shengnan's head felt a little dizzy: "What's wrong?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Looks like something happened!"

Huo Shengnan, hearing him say that, realized the woman's earlier scream seemed filled with fear; she leaned in to listen, but after the scream there was total silence.

Hu Xiaotian's hearing was sharper than hers; he heard the next cabin fall silent, then after a while the rustling of things being moved, interspersed with occasional footsteps.

Huo Shengnan wanted to speak, but Hu Xiaotian covered her mouth with his hand and made a shushing gesture.

After a while, they heard the cabin door close, and then the next cabin sank completely into silence.

Hu Xiaotian released Huo Shengnan's lips; she whispered: "Maybe something happened."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and sent a mental transmission to her: "Better not to add trouble; we already have enough problems of our own—let's talk about it when we reach Martial Prosperity Commandery."

Huo Shengnan said: "They couldn't be dead, could they?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Forget it, go to sleep!" Actually, from the numerous signs, the man and woman next door have probably been killed. Both Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan understand this fact; Hu Xiaotian doesn't want to say it out loud, worried it would affect Huo Shengnan's mood. Thinking of the two corpses lying next door, no one can sleep soundly.

Once I sent up two chapters as a guaranteed minimum; I had originally planned to steal a day of rest on Saturday from my busy schedule, but after seeing others' Monthly Tickets, Zhangyu felt his chrysanthemum tighten. After finally arriving at Sunday, I couldn't have a moment of peace, not even a quiet day. If Zhangyu doesn't show his power, they really think I'm a sick cat! One hundred Monthly Tickets for a First Update—that's how it is. Zhangyu, get pumped up again, brothers and sisters, do you still dare to race with me? (To be continued~^~)