Wanyan Liexin wore a moon-white robe, dressed entirely in the style of the Central Plains. The warrior beside him wore fitted fighting clothes and looked spirited and imposing, yet Hu Xiaotian still sensed something amiss. Despite the warrior's thick, curling beard, the contours of that face looked familiar. Thinking carefully, he recalled seeing her at his own wedding. She must have been the female slave who accompanied Wanyan Liexin. Wanyan Liexin enjoyed a reputation for talent in Black Hu, but Hu Xiaotian had not expected him to be such a ladies' man. Every time he came to the Central Plains to discuss important affairs, he brought a woman along. It seemed his reputation exceeded his merits.
Hu Xiaotian did not expose her. He invited Wanyan Liexin into the Flowing Cloud Tower and seated him, having already ordered food and wine prepared for the occasion.
Hu Xiaotian and Wanyan Liexin took their seats, while the warrior who had accompanied Wanyan Liexin stood behind him.
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "Dazhuang, take this brave warrior out for a meal."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness, but I've already eaten," the warrior said. Her voice was coarse and gruff. Had Hu Xiaotian not seen her before, he might well have been fooled. Her Disguise Technique was impressive: at first glance, she looked like a bearded man. In the end, however, she had failed to conceal those eyes, bright as green gemstones and clear as autumn waters. They were nothing like the eyes a man ought to have.
Hu Xiaotian quietly observed Wanyan Liexin's expression. When the warrior spoke, a trace of helplessness actually appeared in his eyes. Hu Xiaotian read something into that expression. *Could Wanyan Liexin have been unwilling to bring her along too? Who exactly was this woman? Surely she wasn't an