Bai Desheng's gaze sharpened, and he gave the eunuch accompanying him a meaningful look. The eunuch quietly followed behind Hu Xiaotian.
At the riverbank, Hu Xiaotian turned back again. "Don't follow me. I'm not used to having people watch." The eunuch stopped and glanced at Bai Desheng. Bai Desheng jerked his lips toward Hu Xiaotian and glared viciously at the fellow, inwardly cursing him for a useless fool.
From a distance, Bai Desheng watched Hu Xiaotian squat in the grass beside the river. He made a slashing gesture to his subordinate.
Hu Xiaotian's voice came from the grass again. "Hey! Did either of you bring paper? I didn't bring anything to wipe with!"
Bai Desheng beckoned to his subordinate and said in a peculiar, affected tone, "I brought paper. I'll take it over to Lord Hu right away." To be safe, he decided to do it himself. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate Hu Xiaotian. An opportunity missed would never come again.
Hu Xiaotian said, "Who would've thought squatting by the river to relieve yourself could feel this good? This is absolutely wonderful! Eunuch Bai, care to try? I saved you a spot." The grass rustled behind him as Bai Desheng approached step by step.
Hu Xiaotian silently gauged the distance between them and said with a smile, "Eunuch Bai, doesn't the stink bother you?"
Bai Desheng raised his right hand, and a cold gleam flashed at his cuff. He had concealed a slender scimitar inside his sleeve. With a sinister smile, he said, "We all eat grain. Who doesn't have an urgent moment now and then?" He took another step forward, and the scimitar emerged from his sleeve, silently stabbing toward the center of Hu Xiaotian's back.
All of Bai Desheng's attention was fixed on Hu Xiaotian's upper