Hu Xiaotian said, "That's my good fortune-to meet people who know how to cherish me. I may not be a good man, but when someone treats me well, I certainly won't harm them."
Qiqi caught the implication in his words. It seemed he still harbored a grudge over her attempt to harm him back then. She said coolly, "You didn't travel a thousand miles to see me just to say this, did you?"
Hu Xiaotian nodded. "I was ordered to go to Western Sichuan as an envoy. Whatever the outcome, I have to give an account of it."
"I've washed my ears and am ready to listen!" Qiqi remained exceedingly courteous toward Hu Xiaotian, taking care even with the smallest details of her speech. Although he had accepted the title she bestowed on him, that did not mean she could treat him like an ordinary subject. In truth, Hu Xiaotian already possessed the strength to stand on equal footing with her. He had no need to watch her expression for permission.
Hu Xiaotian was pleased with Qiqi's attitude. It was not merely a result of her maturity, but also of his own strength. Not just Qiqi-none of the powerful rulers in the world dared look down on him now. He said, "Forgive my bluntness, but your situation is looking rather grim!"
Qiqi raised her delicate brows in displeasure. "A man who fled fifty paces mocking one who fled a hundred. I'm afraid someone else is the one in a grim situation." She knew his circumstances very well, too. Leaving everything else aside, the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Western Sichuan had already placed him under unprecedented pressure. And the Fragrant Kingdom had torn up their alliance pact and refused to supply him with grain. According to her intelligence, his