Chapter 836

Hearing Hu Xiaotian's voice, Huo Shengnan hurriedly slipped her body into the bathtub. After days of dusty travel, she finally had a chance to bathe, and naturally wanted to enjoy a moment of leisure. Only after hiding in the water did she realize this earth cavern had no windows, and the sole door was already shut by her—Hu Xiaotian couldn't possibly see anything. She relaxed and called out, "Just be patient!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "If you don't open the door, I'll break it down!"

Huo Shengnan was already used to his way of speaking, lounging comfortably in the tub, she said softly, "No one's stopping you; if you have the guts, go ahead and break in—I don't mind shooting another arrow into your left arm."

Hu Xiaotian sighed and said, "I really hate that I'm a gentleman." Getting no answer to his knock, he had no choice but to return honestly to his room—strictly speaking, it was an earth cavern, the Muddy Water Gang's hideout: the hall was an earth cavern, the kitchen an earth cavern, the cells earth caverns, even the bedroom an earth cavern. Although they had given him the best available room, it still couldn't escape being an earth cavern.

Although the earth cavern had no windows, the air wasn't foul; the Muddy Water Gang's greatest skill was digging tunnels, and they had countless ways to draw fresh outside air underground. As for lighting, they relied on oil lamps. Just after he sat down in the cavern, before he could examine that wax pellet, Liang Yinghao came over.

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "Liang Yinghao is here!"

Liang Yinghao felt somewhat unable to bear it: "Sir, it would be better if you just called me by my name."

Hu Xiaotian said, "This time I owe you a lot; if you hadn't shown up in time, I'd be in serious trouble today."

Liang Yinghao laughed and said, "Sir, you're always blessed with good fortune; even without my appearance, you wouldn't encounter any danger."

Hu Xiaotian unconsciously touched the wound on his right arm and said, "Don't flatter me; if that arrow had been off by just another inch, it would have cost my life."

Liang Yinghao said, "That Tang Jingyu is the young master of Falling Cherry Palace; his archery technique is extremely overbearing."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Is Falling Cherry Palace that formidable? I've never heard of it."

Liang Yinghao said, "Falling Cherry Palace is a sect of Da Yong; it used to be called the Arrow Palace."

"Arrow Palace? Da Yong already has a Sword Palace, doesn't it?" Hu Xiaotian naturally knew this Arrow Palace was absolutely not that Sword Palace.

Liang Yinghao laughed and said, "One is the sword of blades, the other is the arrow of archery. Actually, Falling Cherry Palace was first called the Arrow Palace, but after Lin Bai Tao founded the Sword Palace, the Sword Palace rose like a comet in a short time. Its fame surpassed the Arrow Palace, and after Lin Bai Tao assassinated the Black Hu Khagan, its reputation soared to the zenith. Everyone knew only of the Sword Palace and not the Arrow Palace, so the Arrow Palace simply changed its name to become the present Falling Cherry Palace."

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing and said, "That sounds rather interesting."

Liang Yinghao said, "Although Falling Cherry Palace's reputation in the martial world isn't great, their cultivation method is unique—they actually specialize in archery. For over a hundred years they've stayed true to their duties, rarely showing up in the martial world, and among the eighteen weapon classes there's no bow and arrow, so many martial sects didn't even notice Falling Cherry Palace until over ten years ago. Then its power suddenly began to expand, developing extremely rapidly; it's said that the palace lord Tang Jiu Cheng has already mastered the Heart-Arrow Technique."

"Heart-Arrow Technique?" Hu Xiaotian exclaimed in astonishment.

A voice came from outside the door—Huo Shengnan's: "It's simply directing arrows with intent, no need to draw the bow or nock the arrow; one can freely control the flight of the feathered arrow."

Both looked up at the same time and saw Huo Shengnan walk in. Though still dressed in male attire, her freshly washed hair fell loosely over her shoulders, her skin smooth and delicate, though long exposure to wind and sun had given it a chestnut hue. Yet she radiated a healthy, moist glow, her whole body brimming with youthful vigor.

In Hu Xiaotian's eyes, Huo Shengnan more closely matched modern aesthetic standards; her lively health was actually a woman's most sensual aspect. He laughed and said, "You've been eavesdropping on our conversation outside."

Huo Shengnan gave him a white-eyed look and said, "The door's wide open, your voice is so loud it can be heard two li away." Since Liang Yinghao is Hu Xiaotian's man, there's no need to hide his identity; in fact, Liang Yinghao had already seen her when he was in Yongdu, and couldn't conceal the past.

Liang Yinghao said, "General Huo is right; what you described is exactly the Heart-Arrow Technique."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Don't bullshit—how could you shoot an arrow without drawing the bow or nocking it?"

Huo Shengnan said, "I've only heard of it; I've never seen it myself. Leaving that aside, just take Tang Jingyu—he's already reached the stage of directing arrows with his qi."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Directing arrows with qi isn't that remarkable; I can even direct qi with my sword."

Huo Shengnan said, "Stop blowing hot air; with your intermittent sword qi emission, just saying it makes me feel embarrassed for you."

Liang Yinghao, listening to their bickering on the side, couldn't help but smirk, but at this moment he wasn't suited to interrupt, and was just looking for an excuse to leave.

Huo Shengnan said, "The most skilled archer I've seen still has arrow power determined by bowstring strength; even if two people have different strength, given the same bow and arrow and the same archery technique, the arrow they shoot should have the same power. To change the trajectory of a feathered arrow, one must work on the arrow's structure so the arrowhead flies a different path. But Tang Jingyu has already managed to infuse his own power into the arrow, and can guarantee that his internal energy remains within the arrow in flight without significant attenuation. Since that internal energy can still act on the arrow itself after it leaves the bowstring, he can accomplish various flight trajectories using an ordinary arrow."

Initially Hu Xiaotian didn't think Tang Jingyu was that formidable, but after hearing Huo Shengnan's explanation he felt a bit uneasy. Comparing Tang Jingyu's qi-directed arrows to his own external sword qi emission, they seemed wonderfully similar in effect. His own sword qi departs from the great sword and runs on its own, while Tang Jingyu's internal energy travels together with the arrow. Compared, he has the advantage of being formless, while the opponent's power and destructive power seem greater; however, Tang Jingyu isn't like him, intermittent and unreliable—he has achieved arrows never missing the mark, and even if Hu Xiaotian could achieve external sword qi emission, he couldn't change direction, only go straight ahead. Comparing the two, the superiority is obvious.

Huo Shengnan said, "If Tang Jingyu can do all that, his father, the lord of Falling Cherry Palace Tang Jiu Cheng, must be even more formidable; even if he hasn't mastered the Heart-Arrow Technique, he's not far off."

Hu Xiaotian scratched his head and said, "So does that mean we've stirred up a big trouble?"

Liang Yinghao said, "Actually, they've already set an ambush in Peak Forest Gorge these past few days; two brothers from our gang went to scout and were discovered and shot. Falling Cherry Palace's methods are truly cold-blooded and utterly unreasonable."

Hu Xiaotian recalled how Tang Jingyu, without distinguishing friend from foe, had nocked an arrow, aimed at him, and fired—Liang Yinghao's words were indeed spot on.

Huo Shengnan said, "What do you plan to do with those captives?"

Liang Yinghao glanced at Hu Xiaotian; the Muddy Water Gang were basically bandits, having lost two brothers, they were itching for revenge—if it were the past, they'd surely have raped then killed those dozen or so Falling Cherry Palace women, but facing Huo Shengnan, even if they harbored such thoughts they wouldn't dare voice them.

Hu Xiaotian naturally understood Liang Yinghao's meaning; he laughed and said to Huo Shengnan, "We're also troubled by this—why don't you think of a solution?"

Huo Shengnan said, "Those women are also forced to join Falling Cherry Palace under sexual coercion; Tang Jingyu's guilt shouldn't be blamed on them—I think we should just release them."

Liang Yinghao said, "Releasing them wouldn't be a problem in itself, but I worry they'll regroup and retaliate against us." Deep down he was certainly unwilling to let them go.

Huo Shengnan said, "If you kill them all, you'll only deepen the hatred between Falling Cherry Palace and your Muddy Water Gang; when they muster a large force to come for revenge, even this Peak Forest Gorge might not be able to protect you."

Liang Yinghao knew Huo Shengnan was right; after a moment of silence, Hu Xiaotian patted his shoulder and said, "General Huo is correct—better to do less than more. Still, they are ultimately your captives, so how to dispose of them is up to you. But whatever you decide, we probably can't stay here any longer; if Falling Cherry Palace gathers forces to retaliate, you likely won't be able to resist."

Liang Yinghao said, "Sir, my brothers and I have already made our plans; from now on we'll follow you in your endeavors. Even if we can't achieve great deeds in our lifetime, we can at least live honorably as upright men!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "Good, pack up and follow me back to Kangdu."

Liang Yinghao said, "I'll go tell the brothers right now." He rose, bade farewell, and left.

After Liang Yinghao left, Hu Xiaotian rose, closed the door, and walked back to Huo Shengnan's side with a smile.

Huo Shengnan said: "You really plan to bring the Muddy Water Gang back to Kangdu together?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Even if we go back, we can't travel together; now Kangdu's situation is unknown, I'm afraid I'm like a mud Buddha crossing the river—unable to save myself; if I return to Kangdu and incur guilt, I'm afraid I won't be able to look after them."

Huo Shengnan said: "Then you still agreed to let them go together?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If they don't leave, Tang Jingyu will surely make a comeback and slaughter them to the last man; although they are bandits, they value righteousness; without them, we wouldn't even have a chance to chat here, let alone enjoy a nice hot bath."

Huo Shengnan snorted and said: "Just now, what were you doing knocking on the door?"

"You didn't say, I almost forgot!" Hu Xiaotian handed the wax pellet he had tricked from Lin Jinyu using threats and inducements to Huo Shengnan.

Huo Shengnan took the wax pellet, surprised, and said: "What?"

Hu Xiaotian said mysteriously: "True Scripture of Shooting the Sun!"

Huo Shengnan tossed the wax pellet in his hand, then suddenly pinched it open; inside was indeed a bundle of thin silk, which he unfolded and laid flat on the table. Hu Xiaotian also curiously moved closer; if he hadn't looked, it would have been fine, but upon looking he was stunned speechless—on it was not any True Scripture of Shooting the Sun, but rather a series of pictures of men and women in various intimate poses.

Before Hu Xiaotian could react, Huo Shengnan's fist had already struck his right eye: "You shameless, lewd villain..." (To be continued~^~)