Chapter 91

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Junior is indeed Hu Xiaotian, having come to Xichuan via the route to Xiezhou; hearing that Uncle Zhou is here, I specially came to pay a visit." He was also speaking offhand; if he knew Zhou Ruiyuan was in Xiezhou, he would have gone out of his way to avoid him.

The middle-aged beautiful woman smiled and said, "My elder brother and your father served together in the court, and they have always been on good terms; although my brother has already resigned and returned to his hometown, these past three years he has constantly thought of Sir Hu, your father, his old friend."

Hu Xiaotian secretly pondered: Zhou Ruiyuan's sister is also no ordinary person; given her position, she cannot possibly be unaware of the old grudge between Zhou Ruiyuan and his father. To face him, the son of their enemy, and speak so tactfully while hiding her sharpness within is truly not easy. Such women appear soft outside but are hard inside; seeming gentle as water, they often have hearts of iron and stone. Hu Xiaotian silently cautioned himself: although Zhou Ruiyuan has been demoted to commoner status, after all Xichuan is his native home; the Zhou family would hardly bear a grudge against his father for having once thrown him into a well and crushed him, and then take revenge on him now that he has come here, would they?

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "I also often heard my father mention Uncle Zhou's affairs; he used to say that if not for a twist of fate, our two families would have long become one." Hu Xiaotian is certainly no saint; if you conceal your schemes against me, I will answer with a smile that hides a blade. Make it clear: it's not that our Hu family is at fault toward yours; it's that your Zhou family is at fault toward ours first.

The middle-aged beautiful woman smiled and nodded. Indeed, it was the Zhou family who first broke off the engagement. Back then, everyone said that Hu Wuwei's son was a deaf-mute idiot, but the Hu Xiaotian before us not only has a silver tongue but also shows cleverness from head to toe—where is there any trace of foolishness? The middle-aged beautiful woman said, "Esteemed nephew, my elder brother has gone to the North River for travels and will not return in the near future."

Hu Xiaotian sighed, looking rather regretful, and said, "What bad luck."

The middle-aged beautiful woman smiled and said, "As long as you are in Xichuan, we will surely meet again someday, don't you think?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; at this moment, the skin color on his left hand had already returned to normal, he felt no discomfort, and his breathing and pulse were completely normal—the antidote given by Qiqi should not have been tampered with. Hu Xiaotian thought to himself, the Zhou household is no place to linger; lest night bring many dreams, he rose to say farewell: "Aunt Zhou, I still have pressing matters; I'll take my leave now!"

The middle-aged beautiful woman also did not try to keep him; before departing, Hu Xiaotian stopped again and said, "That coiling dragon jade pendant is a gift from an old gentleman; please, Aunt Zhou, return it to me." Hu Xiaotian is not someone who treasures wealth as life, but that does not mean he regards money as dung; what is mine, I naturally must take with me. Furthermore, there is still a stretch of road from Xiezhou to Qingyun Xian; he and Murong Feiyan have not a single copper coin between them, so they cannot go hungry on the way. That coiling dragon jade pendant is a gift from Senior Eunuch Ande Quan; in a critical moment it could be taken to a pawnshop for some silver.

The middle-aged beautiful woman glanced at Qiqi, and Qiqi nodded; this little girl had finally done something fair. With her testimony, the middle-aged beautiful woman did not make any fuss over the jade pendant, and she readily returned it to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian also did not say much; he saw no reason to get involved with these people, especially that little girl Qiqi, whose background is certainly extraordinary; it's best to cut ties early and put as much distance as possible.

At this moment Qiqi actually showed a hint of reluctance: "Big Brother Hu, Sister Murong, I will miss you from now on!"

Murong Feiyan smiled, but Hu Xiaotian left without looking back, thinking of us? You little brat, if you don't help me, I'll be thanking heaven and earth!

Upon reaching the gate outside, Hu Xiaotian took out his waterskin, drank a few mouthfuls, rinsed his mouth back and forth until the water in the waterskin was completely used up, then wiped his lips, let out a long sigh, and said, "How foul! If only I could buy a pack of chewing gum."

"Chewing gum?" Murong Feiyan heard it with bewilderment; Hu Xiaotian's mouth never lacks fresh expressions.

Hu Xiaotian realized he had unintentionally let slip again, and he laughed while explaining, "It's just sesame candy!"

Murong Feiyan suddenly understood: "There's some at the street corner; I just saw it."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, spread his hands, and said, "It's a pity that between the two of us we don't even have a single copper coin."

Murong Feiyan, hearing him say that, also couldn't help but feel worried; she sighed and said, "This time we've really run into trouble—losing our travel funds is minor, but we've lost the official seal and documents entirely; even if we reach Qingyun Xian, how would we gain anyone's trust?"

What Murong Feiyan said is indeed a problem, but having come to this point, we can only accept reality. Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a way; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will go straight ahead—this petty ninth-rank sesame-seed official post, even if I quit, it's hardly a loss."

Murong Feiyan said, "Not doing it would be defying the imperial decree; since we have received the emperor's favor, everything we do must be worthy of the present emperor. I think we should first go to Xiezhou Fu, explain clearly what happened to us, and see how to resolve this matter."

Hu Xiaotian had originally planned to go first to the pawnshop to pawn that coiling dragon jade pendant for some silver as travel funds, but hearing Murong Feiyan say that, it indeed made sense; now that we've come to such a pass, there's no need to continue concealing our identities—the official seal and documents are completely lost, and it might well end with us being sent back home; he wasn't worried about the court imposing punishment, after all his father backs him from behind, so there shouldn't be any major trouble.

Having inquired about the location of Xiezhou Fu, they set off, but being unfamiliar with the place, they wandered around in circles and ended up at Xiezhou's most famous flower street; as dusk approached, red lanterns were lit outside every door along the street, and the soft, alluring voices of women could be heard everywhere, while splendidly decorated carriages and horses passed by them.

Hu Xiaotian felt that Xiezhou was also a rich and prosperous land; looking left and right, he saw more than he could take in, and from time to time he could see dusty women standing at the doorways beckoning him with gestures, making all kinds of alluring expressions; it was the first time he had ever seen a scene of this scale, and he was delighted to the point of being unable to close his mouth.

Murong Feiyan, accustomed to such scenes, naturally knew where they had ended up; she furrowed her brows and softly urged, "Hurry up!" Seeing Hu Xiaotian's taciturn, shameless smile, she knew this fellow certainly wasn't thinking anything good in his head.

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "You're worried I'll go in? Rest assured, even if I had the thief's gall, I'd have no thief's money."

Murong Feiyan said, "What you want to do is your own business; I'm too lazy to bother with you." Just then, ahead they suddenly saw a crowd gathering, occasionally hearing shouts and miserable cries; they detoured around from the side, after all this is Xiezhou, and they themselves are already full of troubles—how could they have the mood to meddle in such trivial matters?

But just as they were walking past the crowd, they heard a person shriek tragically, "You actually dare to hit me—do you know my family's elder lord is a... ah... from the Ministry of Revenue... oh dear..."

Murong Feiyan and Hu Xiaotian glanced at each other, both simultaneously showing surprise and delight; this voice was no one else—it was Liang Da Zhuang's. They never would have imagined that Liang Da Zhuang would end up here, and moreover fall into a scene of being beaten by a crowd.

Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan hurriedly pushed through the crowd and squeezed in; Murong Feiyan's martial prowess stood there, naturally making her movements faster than Hu Xiaotian's—she shoved aside two people in succession, then saw a burly man wielding a stick as thick as a forearm, about to strike a swollen‑faced, bruised‑cheeked fat man on the ground; Murong Feiyan reacted swiftly, darted forward with a lunge, grabbed the tip of the stick with her right hand, and shouted angrily, "Stop!"

The burly man strained with both arms to wrest the stick from her hand, but felt the stick as if it had taken root in her grip; he nearly exhausted all his strength, yet the stick didn't budge an inch, his face flushed and neck thickened, veins bulging on his forehead; Murong Feiyan gave a cold snort, then suddenly released her hold—the man, having overexerted himself, stumbled backward step by step and fell flat on his backside, prompting the onlookers to burst into laughter.

At this moment Hu Xiaotian helped up Liang Da Zhuang, who had been beaten to a pig‑head‑like state; if one didn't hear his voice and judged only by his current appearance, even his own father might not recognize him.

Liang Da Zhuang, face full of grief, when he saw clearly that Hu Xiaotian stood before him, tears of injustice streamed down: "Young master... they... they hit me..."

From the inner gate beside them, another five burly men rushed out, each wielding a club, looking fierce and menacing; behind them followed a woman heavily made up, gaudy and flamboyant, vulgar to the extreme, that woman twirled a handkerchief, her short, thick forefinger pointing at Liang Da Zhuang, and she squeezed her voice to say, "Beat him hard, old lady! Don't you dare ask where my Huan Cai Ge is? You actually dare to eat and drink for free, and even want to play with my girls for free—today I will surely flay you, tear out your tendons, and cut off your lineage!"

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