Chapter 909

The Valley of Split Clouds was markedly different from ten days ago; the stone hut where Hu Xiaotian had once lived had been demolished. Hu Xiaotian came to the place where Chu Fufeng had been making offerings to the Longevity Buddha, and discovered that the Longevity Buddha he had painstakingly moved there to impersonate had been returned to its original spot. The Buddha statue that had replaced it looked extremely similar to the former one, and Hu Xiaotian thought he had misseen it. Upon closer inspection, he saw that this statue merely shared the same outward appearance, but its age was not as ancient as Chu Fufeng's statue. A faint smile tugged at the corners of Hu Xiaotian's mouth—he had not expected the monks of Tianlong Temple to also engage in forgery. They must have feared that the news of the Longevity Buddha statue being destroyed would leak out, so they had crafted a fake one to make up the numbers.

Hu Xiaotian placed the offerings and lit the incense, then spoke loudly: 'Buddha, Buddha, in three days our Majesty will leave Tianlong Temple. Today I come on behalf of His Majesty for the final audience with the Buddha; I do not know when I will be able to come again.' After saying this, he cocked his ear to listen; any movement within a radius of twenty zhang should not escape his ears—of course, except for Bu Wu and Kongjian, those heaven-defying masters.

Having confirmed that no one was nearby, Hu Xiaotian said again: 'Buddha, Buddha, you entrusted me in a dream to bring you something; I have brought it today and placed it here—please keep it safe.'

Hu Xiaotian took out that map, gently pushed the Buddha statue aside, and placed the map beneath it, thinking to himself: Bu Wu is blind—how could he possibly see the markings on the map clearly? It's a pity that this time I am under Tianlong Temple's surveillance the whole way, so I cannot linger in Split Cloud Valley; otherwise I would surely arouse suspicion from the temple.

Hu Xiaotian pretended to chant sutras for a while, when suddenly a familiar voice sounded beside his ear: 'It was not in vain that I taught you a lesson.'

Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed and was about to look around, but he heard Bu Wu say: 'Don't look around—Tongjing is monitoring you not far away.'

Hu Xiaotian knelt there and knocked his head three times before the Longevity Buddha, then added incense to the burner.

Bu Wu said: 'Listen well—tonight I will go and abduct your emperor. Then I will flee to the Sutra Pavilion; you leading them to break into the Sutra Pavilion to rescue the emperor will then become a matter of course.'

Hu Xiaotian suddenly realized that the map Bu Wu had given him was utterly unimportant; Bu Wu was using this map to test whether Hu Xiaotian was trustworthy. Hu Xiaotian felt both amused and exasperated—he had paid a great price to correct the map, only to find that all his effort had been wasted. He silently sighed: I should have seen this coming; Bu Wu, you old slippery fellow, after all your scheming you've still ended up calculating against me. Abducting the emperor and storming the Sutra Pavilion—you've really laid out a perfect plan.

If the emperor were the genuine one, Hu Xiaotian would certainly not dare to accompany Bu Wu on this risky venture—any mishap would not merely cost him his life; it could entail the extermination of his clan, and should a major incident erupt, even Qiqi could not shield him. But the emperor now is nothing but a counterfeit; his true identity is Chih Feixing, a subordinate of Hong Beimo, and few people know the truth. Most importantly, Bu Wu does not know, nor do the monks of Tianlong Temple. Hu Xiaotian sees this as a perfect opportunity to cause a disturbance: not only can he repay Bu Wu's teachings, but he can also take the chance to deal with Hong Beimo—two birds with one stone, why not?

Bu Wu said: 'You may say whatever you wish; Tongjing cannot hear you speak.'

Hu Xiaotian lowered his voice: 'We must guarantee his safety.'

Bu Wu replied: 'Rest assured, I would never harm you. Remember, tonight make as much commotion as possible.'

Hu Xiaotian whispered: 'Noted.'

Hu Xiaotian stayed in Split Cloud Valley for a little over an hour, then rose to leave. Had Bu Wu not reminded him, he would not have noticed Tongjing tailing him. It seems that although his inner power is strong, he still cannot make effective use of it; even if he wishes to reach the level of Tongjing and his ilk in cultivation, he still has a long way to go.

Hu Xiaotian does not harbor great ambition in martial arts; being adequate is enough for him. He never thought of becoming the number one under heaven, yet unintentionally he has acquired an astonishing, world-shaking inner power—something others might dream of, but for Hu Xiaotian it is a burden, even a hidden bomb. Perhaps in the near future this inner power will take his life. Having lived two lifetimes, Hu Xiaotian views life and death more lightly than ordinary people; the worst outcome is merely death, and if that comes, he must seize the present moment and enjoy it fully.

Returning to the Five Observances Hall, he saw his subordinates already making preparations to return to the palace in three days. This past month of living like ancient Buddhas with green lamps has been truly dull and tasteless; most of them have lost all appetite, yet they are eagerly discussing the days ahead when they will return to the capital to eat meat in big bowls and drink wine in large cups.

Upon entering the Five Observances Hall, Hu Xiaotian was surrounded by the group, and Zuo Tang said: 'Chief Sir, do we need to tidy up?'

Hu Xiaotian replied: 'Tidy up what?'

Zuo Tang said: 'In three days we will be leaving Tianlong Temple, so of course we need to prepare in advance to avoid rushing at the last moment.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'There's hardly any luggage to pack, is there? You all must never let down your guard—even if there is still one day left, you should treat it as cautiously as when we first arrived. We absolutely cannot allow the previous assassin infiltration incident to happen again.'

A group of guards nodded repeatedly.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Endure three more days of hardship; when we return to the capital, I will ask the superiors to award merit to the brothers.'

"Thank you, Sir Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian added: 'Often, the closer to the end, the more likely oversights occur. Since we are thinking of going back, the assassins might also be preparing to stake everything in these final three days. Starting tonight we must increase patrol strength—brothers, are you afraid of hardship?'

All shouted in unison: 'Not afraid!'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'Not being afraid is good! We must absolutely not let the people of the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau look down on us.'

At that moment, outside, Yin Zheng came to summon him, saying the emperor wanted to see him. Hu Xiaotian followed Yin Zheng to the Puxian Institute; along the way Yin Zheng said: 'Elder brother, someone has come to the palace today.'

Hu Xiaotian's heart gave a jolt: 'What person?'

"It is Fu Yuhong, the commander of the Ying Bureau of the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau, saying he has come to investigate the assassination attempt on the emperor."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows; it seemed that Chih Feixing and the others had already reported the earlier intrusion to the palace, though he did not know by what means they communicated. The Heavenly Mechanism Bureau is currently being rebuilt, and Hu Xiaotian is not clear about its structure, but since Fu Yuhong could become the head of the Ying Bureau, his abilities must be extraordinary. Whether his purpose this time is truly investigation or something else remains unknown.

"How many people came?"

"Only him!"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; ahead was already the Puxian Institute. He saw Liang Bao and Fu Pingchuan standing outside the door. Upon seeing Hu Xiaotian, they too felt their old enmity flare up, red-eyed with hatred, for Hu Xiaotian had previously defeated them publicly and humiliated them utterly. They wished they could kill Hu Xiaotian on the spot, but knowing their strength was far inferior to his, they could only harbor this thought in their hearts.

Hu Xiaotian gave them a smiling nod, walked between them, and approached the false emperor's meditation chamber, where he deliberately coughed and said: 'Your subject Hu Xiaotian requests an audience with Your Majesty!'

From inside came Chih Feixing's affected voice: 'Come in!'

Hu Xiaotian pushed the door open and entered, expecting to see Fu Yuhong here, but found only Chih Feixing sitting alone inside.

Hu Xiaotian closed the door behind him, approached Chih Feixing, and said with a smiling gaze: 'Looking for me? What is the matter?'

Chih Feixing asked: 'How are things going on the Split Cloud Valley side?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: 'Thanks to the emperor's blessings, everything is proceeding very smoothly.' He thought to himself: 'This fellow surely isn't here just for this matter?'

Chih Feixing said: 'In three days we will be returning to the capital; Sir Hu, you have worked hard. I hope we can meet again in the capital. We are still friends.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'That goes without saying!' He thought: 'This fellow is cozying up to me—perhaps he fears I will take revenge on him later.'

Chih Feixing said: 'Just now someone came from the palace.'

Although Hu Xiaotian had already received the news, he feigned surprise: 'Oh? Who was it?'

Chih Feixing said: 'Fu Yuhong, commander of the Ying Bureau of the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau, is currently in the bamboo grove with Liu Huchan, investigating the escape route of the infiltrators from that day.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Isn't it a bit late for him to be investigating now?'

Chih Feixing said: 'Sir Hu, you do not know his abilities. Fu Yuhong is the commander of the Ying Bureau; his eyes are sharp. He excels at catching details—any trace or clue cannot escape his gaze.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed: 'If he's that capable, I would welcome the chance to see him in action.'

As they were speaking, Liu Huchan and Fu Yuhong arrived together.

That Fu Yuhong, over thirty years old, is tall and thin. His complexion is dark yellow, his eyes deep-set; when they open and close, his gaze is piercing, his nose bridge high, the tip of his nose hooked—overall he looks like a falcon.

Hu Xiaotian had never met him before; Fu Yuhong stepped forward and clasped his fists to Hu Xiaotian, saying: 'I have long admired Sir Hu's great reputation; today we finally meet, and indeed the name is not undeserved.'

Hu Xiaotian also returned the salute with clasped fists: 'I too have long heard of Commander Fu's great name; you are the commander, I am the deputy commander—so we do share some affinity.'

Fu Yuhong gave a hehe laugh.

Chih Feixing asked: 'How has the investigation gone?'

Fu Yuhong said: 'We have found some clues, but they are not yet complete.' He glanced at Hu Xiaotian, seeming wary.

Chih Feixing said: 'No need to hold back; Sir Hu counts as one of us, so just speak freely.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'If it's inconvenient, I'll take my leave.'

Fu Yuhong said: 'We discovered an underground cavern in the bamboo grove.'

"An underground cavern?" Chih Feixing exclaimed.

Hu Xiaotian also felt quite curious; the last time he had been in the bamboo grove he had not noticed any underground cavern, and of course his attention had not been focused there.

Fu Yuhong glanced at Liu Hu Chan, who took out a set of blood‑stained monk's robe: "It was found at the entrance of the underground cave."

At that moment, a tile on the roof suddenly emitted a faint sound; Hu Xiaotian reacted instantly, darting out of the meditation room as a black shadow on the roof sprang up and leapt straight over the courtyard wall toward the rear bamboo forest.

Hu Xiaotian had not yet activated when Fu Yuhong, closely following him out the door, tapped the ground with his toes, his body soaring into the air; he flew about three zhang, arms outstretched, his outer billowing in the wind as he dove outward over the courtyard wall.

Liu Hu Chan followed behind, shouting loudly: "Brother Fu, do not pursue!"

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