Murong Feiyan said, "Murong Feiyan, eighth-rank guard serving Lord Hong of the Capital Prefecture!"
When Hu Xiaotian heard that his visitor was a female police officer, his heart immediately settled. Since she was a policewoman, she would not dare act recklessly. He reached out and lightly flicked the blade with a finger. "Please move that sword away a little. It wouldn't be good if it accidentally went off."
Murong Feiyan naturally had no idea what "went off" meant. She said coldly, "As a subject of Great Kang and the son of a court official, you bask in imperial grace, yet instead of setting an example, you commit the shameless act of abducting a commoner woman in broad daylight. Do you admit your crime?"
Hearing Murong Feiyan's barrage of accusations, Hu Xiaotian immediately realized this chick was a crooked referee. Fuck, have you even figured out the whole story? You show up and dump every charge on my head. What did I ever do to you? He decided that this Murong chick either had a grudge against his father or was close to the Tang Family. That had to be why she was so blatantly biased.
Hu Xiaotian said, "In broad daylight, you trespass in a private residence, carry a deadly weapon, and threaten the life of a law-abiding citizen like me. Do you admit your crime?"
Murong Feiyan said, "I'm a constable! Rooting out crime is my duty."
Hu Xiaotian said, "So being a constable makes you special? Do you have a search warrant? What do you think the Minister's Residence is? Somewhere you can just barge into?" That question really did stump Murong Feiyan. Although "search warrant" sounded somewhat unfamiliar, she knew what a search-and-arrest warrant was. Hu Xiaotian had guessed correctly: the Murong Family and the Tang Family were old family friends, and Murong Feiyan and Tang Qingxuan were intimate friends. That was why she had brought men over the instant she heard Tang Qingxuan had been abducted. In her haste, she had never thought to apply to Capital Prefect Hong for a warrant first. For an ordinary case, that procedure would hardly matter, but today she had barged into the Minister's Residence. Hu Buwei, Minister of Revenue, was a third-rank senior official who enjoyed the emperor's high regard. Even her immediate superior, Capital Prefect Hong Baiqi, was merely of the Subordinate Third Rank and had to show Hu Buwei considerable deference. She began to realize that she might have made a disastrous blunder today.
Hu Xiaotian had been watching Murong Feiyan's expression all along. Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, he immediately deduced that his words had shaken the Murong chick. Don't you know I picked up a master's degree in psychology along the way, too?
Hu Xiaotian carefully pinched the blade between his fingers and slowly leaned back, moving his neck away from its point before taking a step backward.
Murong Feiyan's beautiful eyes flickered as she wavered, unable to decide. But her main purpose today was to rescue someone; everything else could wait. The monk might run, but his temple could not. She pulled the wad of cloth out of Tang Qingxuan's mouth and cut through her bonds with the sword. Tang Qingxuan's shame and fury had reached their peak. The instant she was free, she snatched the sword from Murong Feiyan's hand and shouted, "Lecher! I'll kill you!" Then she charged after Hu Xiaotian.
Seeing things take a nasty turn, Hu Xiaotian took to his heels. He ran toward Hu Fo and the other household servants, but instead of rushing forward to protect him, they scattered in terror when they saw Tang Qingxuan pursuing him with a deadly weapon and murder in her eyes. Hu Xiaotian was furious. A bunch of useless cowards! You eat the Hu Family's food and use the Hu Family's things, but the moment I need protection, every last one of you bolts faster than a rabbit. Fuck, not a shred of professional ethics! His four months of training had been no joke. When he ran, he was truly a man swift as the wind. Moreover, today he had no long robe hampering him, only a pair of shorts. With long, sweeping strides and graceful footwork, leaving Tang Qingxuan behind should have been a piece of cake.
When it came to running, Tang Qingxuan was absolutely no match for Hu Xiaotian. But she knew lightness arts. Seeing that she could not catch him on foot, she tapped the ground with the tip of her small foot and shot into the air, performing a forward somersault with a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree twist. No! Seven hundred and twenty degrees.
Hu Xiaotian looked up as he ran and saw the Tang chick about to catch him. Fuck, flying really is faster than running. Cheating! This is absolutely fucking cheating! As he watched Tang Qingxuan swoop down like a hawk striking a rabbit, the shame and fury on her face told him she had completely lost her reason. Once a woman lost her reason, she was capable of anything. A wise man did not swallow a loss right before his eyes.
Servants, servants! Hu Xiaotian discovered that those servants were fleeing even faster than he was. Still, there was at least one loyal enough to stay. At that critical moment, Liang Dazhuang clambered groggily up from the ground. The fellow had no intention of sacrificing himself to protect his master; he merely happened to get up just then and wanted to slink aside, away from this nest of trouble. His tall, fat body made excellent cover. Hu Xiaotian darted behind him and shoved him forward.
Liang Dazhuang's head had not even cleared yet. Only when he saw Tang Qingxuan swooping down from the air with her sword did he understand why the young master had pushed him. He screamed with every ounce of strength he possessed, "Fuck your uncle..." Although he was looking at Tang Qingxuan as he cursed, the curse was meant for Hu Xiaotian. I'm a household servant. I sold my service, not my life! How can you be so fucking despicable, pushing me out to take a sword for you?
Fortunately, Tang Qingxuan's martial skills were good, and she could extend or withdraw her sword at will. Seeing Liang Dazhuang shoved into her path, she drew back the sword, lifted her little foot, and thump! planted it on the crown of his head. Small though her foot was, the force behind it was anything but light. Liang Dazhuang's knees buckled beneath the kick, and thud! he dropped to his knees on the ground. Had that earth-shaking kneel not cushioned the blow, his head might have been driven straight into his belly.
That also gave Hu Xiaotian a chance to catch his breath. He did not keep running forward, because Tang Tiehan was leading a group toward him to block and surround him. Instead, Hu Xiaotian turned and ran toward Murong Feiyan. To an outsider, he might have looked as though he was throwing himself into the net, but Hu Xiaotian was certain that her side was the safest place at present. She was a female constable of the Capital Prefecture and ought to be the most knowledgeable and law-abiding person among them. Surely she could not stand by and watch the Tang chick hack him to death. Besides, the Tang chick had snatched that sword from her hand. If anything happened to him, she would not escape responsibility either.
Hu Xiaotian's master's degree in psychology had not been earned for nothing. When Murong Feiyan saw him running toward her, a complicated, conflicted expression crossed her face.
Using the rebound from Liang Dazhuang's head, Tang Qingxuan performed another two backward somersaults and a seven-hundred-and-twenty-degree twist in midair, closing in on Hu Xiaotian once more. She shouted, "Lecher! Take this!"
At the crucial moment, Murong Feiyan seized Hu Xiaotian's arm. With a tug and a turn, she had pulled him behind her.
Tang Qingxuan had never expected Murong Feiyan to help Hu Xiaotian. She had to halt her thrust midway and asked in bewilderment, "Sister Murong, move aside!"
Murong Feiyan said instead, "Qingxuan! Calm down!"
Tang Qingxuan cried furiously, "I'm going to kill this lecher today!"
Listening to their exchange, Hu Xiaotian understood. These two chicks really were childhood friends. No wonder the female constable had reached the scene so quickly.
Tang Qingxuan tried to skirt around Murong Feiyan and thrust her sword. Although Murong Feiyan sided with her good friend in her heart, as the Capital Prefecture's foremost female master constable, she was thoroughly familiar with the Great Kang Code. If Tang Qingxuan really killed Hu Xiaotian, she would invite trouble as vast as the heavens. Though a prince who broke the law faced the same punishment as a commoner, Hu Xiaotian's offense did not warrant death. Tang Qingxuan's clothes were all neat and intact, so she probably had not been violated either. Even if Hu Xiaotian had committed a crime, he still had to be tried before he could be sentenced. Seeing Tang Qingxuan thrust again, Murong Feiyan hurriedly caught her wrist and said quietly, "Qingxuan, you must calm down!"
Tang Qingxuan was so ashamed and desperate that even the rims of her eyes reddened. Grinding her pearly teeth, she said, "Sister Murong, if our years of sisterly friendship still mean anything to you, move aside. I must kill this lecher."
Sheltering behind Murong Feiyan, Hu Xiaotian backed away as he said, "Chief Constable Murong, you're an officer of the law. You must handle this impartially. Let's go to the authorities and settle who's right and who's wrong."
Murong Feiyan turned and glared at him. Upholding the Great Kang Code is my duty in the first place. Do I need a spoiled wastrel like you to remind me? In that brief moment of distraction, she never expected Tang Qingxuan to strike her shoulder with a palm, sending her staggering. Murong Feiyan had simply never imagined Tang Qingxuan would attack her. Tang Qingxuan had the worst temper of all the Tang siblings and a fierce, unyielding disposition. After suffering such a monstrous humiliation, all she could think of now was punching a few holes clean through Hu Xiaotian before her hatred would be satisfied.
Tang Qingxuan regained control of the sword. Seeing Hu Xiaotian accelerating away, she took advantage of Murong Feiyan's unsteady footing and hurled it. A flash of cold light shot straight toward the center of Hu Xiaotian's back.
Hearing the sudden whistle of wind behind him, Hu Xiaotian immediately sensed danger. Every hair on his body stood on end. My life is over! If I'd known this Tang chick was so fierce, I would never have staged this bride-snatching act. My own cleverness has outwitted me! I finally got a chance at rebirth, and now I've squandered it myself. Heaven is destroying me! What regret!
The sword's point was only a foot from Hu Xiaotian's back. All color drained from Murong Feiyan's pretty face. Even if she wanted to save him, it was already too late. She groaned inwardly. My foolish little sister, if Hu Xiaotian dies like this, who knows how many heads will roll because of it?
An iron ball flew in from the side. Clang! It struck the blade hurtling toward Hu Xiaotian. The impact knocked the sword off its original course, sending it flying diagonally into the garden lawn.
At that life-and-death moment, Hu Buwei's personal guard, Hu Tianxiong, arrived just in time to see Tang Qingxuan fling her sword at Hu Xiaotian. He acted swiftly, using an iron ball to knock the sword away and pull Hu Xiaotian back from the brink of death.
**********The recommendation votes really aren't giving much support! Whether you've read it or are just passing through, please don't forget to add it to your favorites. Well, Octopus thinks he's written something pretty good! Why aren't there any votes?
Before you continue