Chapter 973: Peerless Monster (Part 2)

Hu Xiaotian drank that cup of wine dry: "Miss Xue, rest assured, with me here, no one dares to have the slightest improper thought toward you."

Huo Ge heard him say that, his heart skipped a beat, secretly thinking, Could Hu Xiaotian be saying this for my benefit? This cousin pair shows ambiguity everywhere; could it be that they're putting on an act together in front of me?

Xue Lingjun said in a coquettish voice: "Do you really intend to protect me?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and nodded; anyway, we're all just acting, so we might as well go all out.

Xue Lingjun rested her chin on her hands, gazing at Hu Xiaotian with tender eyes: "If someone were rude to me, what would you do?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "I'll make him a eunuch."

Xue Lingjun giggled, her beautiful eyes glancing at Huo Ge beside her; Huo Ge felt a chill down his spine, wondering what she meant by looking at him—was she saying he'd been rude to her? He had indeed glanced at her twice, but had done nothing improper.

Xue Lingjun set down her wine cup, rose and said, "I'll be right back," then twisted her lovely figure and left the seat like a willow swaying in the wind.

Huo Ge watched her graceful silhouette, her slender waist that could be encircled in one hand and her full jade-like hips combining into an extremely alluring curve; he couldn't help but gulp, while Hu Xiaotian gazed at him with deep meaning.

Huo Ge gave an embarrassed laugh: "Brother, she… she really is your cousin?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded; of course it wasn't convenient to reveal Xue Lingjun's true identity now. He whispered: "Did the National Teacher Mo Suoli come along with Elder Brother this time?"

Huo Ge shook his head: "He didn't come..." Before he could finish, Xue Lingjun's sharp scream cut him off.

Hu Xiaotian and Huo Ge turned toward the sound, only to see Xue Lingjun's pretty face flushed red, standing there, her eyes angrily glaring at the several burly men at the neighboring table.

Those burly men acted as if nothing had happened, still sitting there drinking and chatting. Xue Lingjun pointed at one of the stalwart men and asked, "Was it you who touched me?"

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brow at once.

The stalwart man rolled his eyes and sneered, "Pretty boy, I'm not interested in touching men; are you looking at my mighty, burly build and wishing I'd touch you instead?" His companions all burst out laughing.

Xue Lingjun bit her lip, furious beyond containment: "Do you guys not want to live?"

The burly man snorted coldly: "Since you want me to touch you, I'll grant your wish." He flung his large hand toward her chest.

Xue Lingjun screamed in fright and hurriedly retreated toward Hu Xiaotian and the others.

However, the burly man was merely trying to scare her; he extended his hand halfway then pulled it back, laughing loudly, while his companions laughed even more wildly.

Xue Lingjun's pretty face turned from red to white with anger.

Huo Ge slammed the table and rose in anger, pointing at the burly man: "Damn scoundrel! How dare you act so outrageously in broad daylight!"

Hu Xiaotian, however, calmly filled his cup before him; although he had his back turned earlier, nothing around escaped his ears—Xue Lingjun's scream was very sudden, and before she screamed, those burly men had been chatting about other things, their attention not on her at all. Hu Xiaotian dared to conclude that the scene before him was a play directed and performed by Xue Lingjun herself; this woman is truly a trouble, and the prettier the woman, the greater the trouble.

Xue Lingjun bit her cherry lip and came to their sides; her pretty face was full of grievance, she shook her head and whispered, "Forget it, they're too many!"

Hu Xiaotian almost laughed out loud hearing her say that; if we're acting, you ought to make it convincing—rather than saying Xue Lingjun is advising them to let the matter drop and swallow this anger, it's more like she's using the provocation tactic.

Huo Ge had already charged forward like a ferocious tiger, throwing a punch at the burly man; the man's body showed no movement, but his seat slid backward with lightning speed, instantly increasing the distance between him and Huo Ge.

Hu Xiaotian blinked slightly; an expert can tell at a glance whether one has skill, and from how that burly man dodged Huo Ge's attack, it was clear he was absolutely a top-tier master.

Huo Ge threw another punch; the burly man raised his right hand, two bamboo chopsticks tracing a clear shadow, which slapped Huo Ge's hand with a crack! —Hu Ge instantly felt his wrist bones about to break, pain making him frown. The burly man rotated his wrist, the chopsticks in his hand winding around Huo Ge's arm to press against his throat, smiling: "Your Highness the Prince, why get worked up? If Lord Marshal Li learns that his son‑in‑law flew into a rage over a beauty, who knows how he'd feel?"

Huo Ge is by no means a rash man; his reason for charging forward first to vent anger for Xue Lingjun was merely to win the beauty's favor, and besides, he had his men waiting outside the Hall of Hundred Flavors. Upon hearing the opponent directly reveal his identity, Huo Ge instantly calmed down; this burly man not only possesses superb martial skill, but also seems to know exactly who they are.

Hu Xiaotian had still made no move, calmly lifting his cup and taking a sip; the burly man's speed far exceeded his imagination—if he had been holding a knife instead of chopsticks, Huo Ge's throat would likely already be slit. He heard the burly man's words clearly and could conclude that the man probably wouldn't harm Huo Ge.

Xue Lingjun's beautiful eyes filled with resentment as she looked at Hu Xiaotian: "You say you'll protect me, yet you're not even as good to me as your elder brother."

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly: "I and my elder brother swore brotherhood with eight bows, vowing to live and die together; if anyone dared to harm him…" He lightly tapped the tabletop, the chopstick holder on the table leaping into the air, then he raised his right hand and sliced through the void—an invisible sword aura shot from the middle of the holder, cutting the holder and the chopsticks inside into two pieces, which scattered with a clatter. Hu Xiaotian's external sword aura is usually hit‑or‑miss, but today at the crucial moment he splendidly completed this series of movements, as smooth as flowing clouds and water.

The group of burly men saw Hu Xiaotian actually cleave the chopstick holder in half with an empty‑handed slash, staring at the half‑pieces of bamboo chopsticks scattered on the floor, all showing shocked expressions; none expected this youngster to have already reached the level of drawing invisible inner breath as a sword at such a young age.

The burly man restraining Huo Ge nodded slowly, withdrew the chopsticks from Huo Ge's throat, rose and said, "Brothers, let's go!" The men left the Hall of Hundred Flavors without looking back.

Although Huo Ge was the first to rush forward, he was subdued after a single move; he had intended to show off in front of Xue Lingjun, but instead lost all face, naturally feeling disheartened, he cupped his fists to Hu Xiaotian and said, "Brother, I have pressing matters, I'm leaving first!" Without waiting for Hu Xiaotian to detain him, he strode away.

Hu Xiaotian knew Huo Ge was angry from embarrassment; at times like this, advising him wouldn't bring him back.

Xue Lingjun's lovely eyes smiled as she looked at him, speaking softly: "You're amazing, no wonder you could easily defeat Qiu Mubai of the Sword Palace."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "This move of mine is just for show, a silver‑plated spearhead—looks good but useless."

Hearing his latter words, Xue Lingjun couldn't help but feel her face warm; although this lad is young, he already seems like a veteran of love. She cooed: "But people really think you're quite formidable." The two praises of Hu Xiaotian's prowess carry different meanings, especially when spoken in her soft, tender tone, giving them a special nuance.

Hu Xiaotian locked eyes with Xue Lingjun and said: "Whether I'm formidable or not, how would you know, Miss Xue?"

Xue Lingjun silently cursed this brat for being shameless; she must have seen through her own deliberate charm toward him, and now he was using her own tactics against her, flirting back. Her tender tongue unintentionally licked her cherry lips, her eyes silk‑like, her gaze growing especially hazy as she spoke, her chest rising and falling noticeably more: "I'm your Miss Xue; how could I not know what tricks you have up your sleeve?"

Hu Xiaotian filled her cup before her: "This cup of wine is to calm your nerves, Miss Xue."

Xue Lingjun lifted her wine cup, as if just recalling something: "Your sworn brother has left."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Men all care about saving face."

Xue Lingjun said: "He's not bad; at least he rushed forward right away to stand up for me."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "Miss Xue is still blaming me; if I went after them now, I'd castrate those burly men."

Xue Lingjun spat: "Your speech is really vulgar."

Hu Xiaotian said: "From their accent they sound like northerners; Miss Xue, coming from Da Yong, you should be able to tell where they're from, right?"

Xue Lingjun heard him say that, her smile instantly faded, her brows slightly furrowed, looking a bit unhappy: "What do you mean by that?"

Hu Xiaotian kept his smile and said: "Nothing else, I just feel Miss Xue is playing a not‑small‑not‑big joke on us."

Xue Lingjun's willow eyebrows stood erect, her phoenix eyes widened, seeming angry; Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly and locked eyes with her, thinking, Do you really take everyone for fools? Those burly men are almost certainly her lackeys; what just happened was essentially her deliberate setup.

Xue Lingjun gazed at Hu Xiaotian for a long while, then suddenly giggled, raised her wine cup to clink with his, took a sip, and whispered: "You're still the smart one; that big oaf didn't catch on."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I didn't notice either."

Xue Lingjun snorted: "Lying, come clean—when exactly did you figure this out?"

Hu Xiaotian merely smiled without speaking.

Xue Lingjun urged: "Speak quickly!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "If I tell you, Miss Xue must not get angry."

The more he did that, the more it aroused Xue Lingjun's curiosity; she believed her acting was top‑notch, her performance just now should have been flawless, so how could Hu Xiaotian have noticed? She nodded and said: "Just say it!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I've always thought that, given Miss Xue's disposition, she should enjoy being touched by men!"

Xue Lingjun felt her lungs about to explode with rage; knowing full well that Hu Xiaotian was deliberately angering her, she finally couldn't help but get a little angry—was this brat indirectly calling her a slut? She gritted her teeth, gave a cold smirk, and without warning flung the remaining half‑cup of wine at Hu Xiaotian's face.

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