Although Hu Xiaotian had been caught unprepared too, he had forced open his sealed acupoints with his internal power the moment he fell into the water. An excellent swimmer, he reacted immediately, moved his arms underwater, held his breath, and swiftly swam upward. Soon, he found the broken opening in the ice and climbed out. Only once he was back on the surface did he realize Li Chang'an had vanished. Looking toward where Li Chang'an had stood, he saw that the ice there had completely fractured. In all likelihood, Li Chang'an had fallen into the water just as he had.
The thought of saving him flashed through Hu Xiaotian's mind, then vanished. Li Chang'an was his enemy. If he rescued him, who could say the man would not repay kindness with treachery and take his life? Hu Xiaotian bit his lip. This was the perfect chance to escape. If he did not leave now, when would he? Hardening his heart, he prepared to leave the Reed Marsh. He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. He looked down instinctively. Moonlight washed over the ice like water, faintly illuminating the scene beneath it. A deathly pale face was pressed against the underside-who else could it be but Li Chang'an? He no longer looked like that aloof, cold-hearted fiend. His eyes were wide open, filled with despair and unwillingness to die.
The sight stirred a twinge of pity in Hu Xiaotian. Suddenly, he remembered the several times Li Chang'an had spared him. Even at the critical moment of his life-and-death battle with Sumeru Heaven at the City God Temple, he had not hardened his heart enough to take Hu Xiaotian's life. Judging by his actions, he ought to be an honorable man. Hu