Hu Jinniu wanted to flee too, but Hu Xiaotian had drained so much of his blood that day that his legs were weak and limp. He did not even have the strength to walk. Murong Feiyan rushed up, kicked him to the ground, and struck his acupoints to immobilize him. He offered not the slightest resistance throughout.
Hu Xiaotian reached the West Wing and kicked open the door. All three men inside were sitting there unharmed, though their hands and feet were bound with ropes. Murong Feiyan had arrived so suddenly that the thugs had not had time to hurt them.
Hu Xiaotian drew the dagger hidden in his boot and cut their ropes.
The first thing Zhou Wenju did after regaining his freedom was rush over to Zhou Xing and give the lad a vicious slap. "You wretched brat! You nearly got Lord Hu killed!" His actions stemmed partly from genuine guilt, but also from a desire to protect Zhou Xing. Having chastised him himself, he believed Hu Xiaotian would feel awkward pursuing the matter further. Zhou Xing was quick-witted enough to understand and immediately knelt before Hu Xiaotian. "Lord Hu... every last bit of this was my fault. Punish me however you see fit. I won't utter a single word of complaint."
Liang Dazhuang pointed at him and cursed, "You bastard! How dare you set our young master up!" He rushed forward to give him a couple of hard kicks, but Hu Xiaotian caught him and held him back.
"Forget it," Hu Xiaotian said with a smile. "You were trying to save Master Zhou, so I can't really call it wrong. You just should have told me what had happened beforehand." Despite his words, Hu Xiaotian knew perfectly well that if Zhou Xing had told him everything, he