Qiqi said, "I don't know why, but I feel this crisis is more serious than anything we've faced before."
Zhou Ruiyuan said, "It must have been planned long ago."
Qiqi said, "Do you think Hu Xiaotian might have known all along? Could he have conspired with the Fragrant Kingdom's Empress Dowager to stage this elaborate performance?"
Zhou Ruiyuan pondered for a moment before saying, "I do not believe Hu Xiaotian would do such a thing. He lost Redwood River in this upheaval. Though it is only a tiny patch of land, its strategic significance is immense. It holds Western Sichuan by the throat to the north, controls Southern Yue to the west, links to the Fragrant Kingdom to the east, and faces the sea to the south. Its location is uniquely advantageous. Hu Xiaotian went to considerable trouble to obtain Redwood River in the first place. There is no reason for him to hand it back to the Fragrant Kingdom so cheaply. Besides, he already controls northeastern Western Sichuan. With Redwood River in his grasp, he could launch a pincer attack from north and south in the future. He might even conquer all of Western Sichuan."
Qiqi slowly nodded. "I don't believe he would do such a thing either."
Following the map Li Wuyou had given him, Hu Xiaotian headed toward the Five Immortals Cult's headquarters. While passing through Azure Cloud County's town, he made a special detour to the Hu Residence, only to find that the once-splendid mansion had been reduced to rubble. After asking around, he learned that a fire had burned the Hu Residence to the ground the previous year. No one had seen any of the family or servants afterward. They were said to have all burned to death inside, yet not a single corpse had