Chapter 130: Come on, everyone!

Han Teng's kneeling and wailing was like cold water dripping into boiling oil; the watching crowd instantly exploded in an uproar.

"Seventh Prince? Imperial Prince?!"

"My Old Heaven Lord! This is the first time I've seen an imperial prince!"

"Who isn't? How did the imperial prince come to our Jiyang Prefecture?"

"Imperial prince? Han Pengfei, already beaten into a pig's head by Xiao Er, had forgotten to shout in pain; his eyes bulged almost out of their sockets, his mind holding only two words: 'Doomed.'"

Xiao Ze looked down on Han Teng: "Lord Han, you have such great official dignity."

Han Teng's official robe on his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat; he prostrated himself on the ground, his teeth chattering: "I dare not! I am blind and offended Your Highness; I deserve ten thousand deaths."

Tuan Tuan glanced at the gold-thread soft armor in her hand: "Is this yours?"

Han Teng hurriedly replied: "Yes! It is my family's heirloom..."

"Pass on your ghost!" Xiao Er snapped irritably, cutting him off: "Are your ancestors military commanders? Or a jianghu sect? How could you possibly have such a family heirloom?"

Han Teng still didn't know he had already been sold out by his son; his lips trembled as he tried to keep arguing.

Just then, a tremendous "Crack—!!!" rang out from the sky.

A pallid bolt of lightning tore without warning through the dry, hot, sultry dusk, turning everyone's faces deathly pale.

"Boom!!!"

Another tremendous thunderclap shook people's eardrums into ringing, making the ground beneath their feet seem to tremble.

Everyone was startled by this bolt from the blue, shrinking their necks in panic.

"What sound?"

"What happened?"

"Is it going to rain?"

Tuan Tuan lifted her head, looked around, pointed with her small hand, and shouted loudly: "Look over there!"

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed.

Only to see flames rising into the sky on the distant mountain peak!

It turned out that the earlier lightning fire had struck the forest; with days of no rain, the dry vegetation ignited instantly, and the fire, fueled by the wind, blazed red across half the sky in the blink of an eye.

"It's... on fire!" someone screamed in terror.

"Good heavens! Fortunately that old yellow cow blocked the road, so we didn't go forward!"

"Me too! If we hadn't stopped, we would have just walked right into that burning spot!"

"It's exactly what that little girl said—the old yellow cow was saving that old man's life!"

"It's all actually true?"

Everyone's gaze turned as one toward Tuan Tuan.

Xiao Ze rubbed Tuan Tuan's head: "Thanks to you, Tuan Tuan."

Xiao Er nodded firmly: "My family's young miss is truly formidable!"

Unknown who started it, but with a "Plop" someone knelt down.

"Thank you, young miss, for your life-saving grace!"

"Thank you, young miss! Thank you, divine ox!"

"It's a little immortal child! It's the little immortal child who saved us!"

Gazing at the soaring flames, Han Pengfei stared dumbfounded, and Han Teng's face turned deathly pale.

Xiao Ze took a deep breath: "Come here!"

"At your command!" two guards stepped forward immediately.

"Hold my token and take over the local government office at once!"

"Mobilize all personnel to prevent the mountain fire from spreading!"

"Immediately inspect the damage to the official road and report back quickly!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Ze's icy gaze finally fell back onto the limp Han Teng: "Xiao Er!"

Xiao Er without hesitation: "I am here, your subordinate!"

"Take him and his son into custody immediately, search their mansion, and await judgment!"

"Yes!" Xiao Er dragged the two away, heading toward the government office.

Xiao Ze turned to the townspeople and proclaimed loudly: "Fellow villagers, the official road is damaged, the situation unclear; please stay put here and await news, do not panic—everything will be arranged by the imperial court."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

With Xiao Ze, the imperial prince, present, the wavering hearts of the people were instantly steadied.

After about an hour, as night began to fall, the two guards went out and returned, their faces grim.

Following them back was a post station chief covered in dust, wearing official robes, his lips cracked to the point of peeling.

"Your Highness! The official road ahead and behind has been completely blocked by landslides triggered by the mountain fire, stretching for several miles, with no chance of passage in the short term!"

"This place can only be entered or exited by this one mountain road; now that this section is cut off, Jiyang Prefecture has become a dead end!"

Xiao Ze's face grew stern: "Xiao Er, how is the situation at the government office?"

Xiao Er shook his head: "That father and son have plenty of gold and silver, but not much stored grain—enough for less than ten days. If the official road remains blocked and grain cannot be brought in, great chaos will surely ensue!"

Xiao Ze's complexion suddenly changed.

He had thought it was merely a road cut off, that a detour or quick repair would suffice; he never imagined that the very place he was in would, in an instant, turn into a hell on earth.

Xiao Ze fixed his gaze on the post station chief: "Is there any other route to the outside world? Even a trail used by woodcutters or hunters!"

The post station chief pondered, then his eyes lit up: "There is, in fact! On the northern mountain there is a small path, which the locals call 'Ghost See Sorrow'."

"It's the path the herbalists used to take when gathering medicine; it's extremely perilous, requiring one to skirt the cliff's edge."

But that road hasn't been walked for many years; in fact, right under your feet is a ten‑thousand‑foot abyss—one slip and there will be no trace of your corpse!

Besides, even if you managed to get out, that little path couldn't possibly carry back any food!

The faint hope that had just risen among the crowd was instantly extinguished.

In other words, even if someone could risk going out to send a message, the life‑saving food still couldn't get in, so we'd still be trapped here waiting to die.

Xiao Er stepped forward: "Your Highness, this subordinate wishes to take the Ghost‑Frown Path! With one sword and light travel, I will surely deliver the news to the capital within three days!"

Xiao Ze looked at him, his eye sockets warming slightly.

He knew Xiao Er was risking his life for the sole remaining chance of survival.

He slapped Xiao Er's shoulder heavily, and all his thousands of words reduced to one: "Come back alive!"

Yes!

Xiao Er picked up the token and said to Xiao Ze, "Seventh Prince, I entrust the young lady to you." Then he turned to leave.

"Uncle Two!" Tuan Tuan called out to stop him.

Xiao Er turned back, crouched before her, and said, "Don't worry, young lady; I will definitely come back alive!"

Tuan Tuan took out a Star Constellation Flow Pearl from her sachet and handed it to him: "This is the bead the Taoist Priest grandpa gave me! Uncle Two, wear it and come back soon!"

Xiao Er received the prayer beads, carefully placed them in his chest, nodded at Tuan Tuan, then turned and left.

Xiao Ze thought it over and couldn't just wait for reinforcements: "Before the reinforcements arrive, everyone will receive a unified ration allocation!"

Organize the able‑bodied, fully repair the official road! Anyone who dares to incite unrest will be executed on the spot!

"Yes!" The two guards received the order and set out.

Three days later, in the Imperial Study.

Xiao Jieyun received the news, his hand shook, and the tea cup shattered to pieces.

"Jiyang Prefecture has become a dead zone, the grain route is cut off, thousands of lives hang by a thread, Old Seven and Tuan Tuan are trapped therein!"

Xiao Jieyun's eyes instantly flashed a terrifying scarlet: "Hurry! Convey my imperial edict to the Ning Prince's Mansion!"

Order the Prince Ning to lead the troops of the Capital Suburbs Main Camp and rush there at the utmost speed for me!

Bring Old Seven and Tuan Tuan out safely for me!

The imperial edict arrived at the Ning Prince's Mansion.

Cheng Ru'an fainted outright.

Xiao Yuanhang grabbed his wife and handed her to Grandma Liu: "Take good care of her."

His whole person was like a drawn sharp sword: "Xiao Er!"

The subordinate is here!

Go to the Capital Suburbs Main Camp! Muster the troops, bring ample gunpowder, tools, and grain!

Yes!

Tuan Tuan gazed at the distant official road where crowds of people, numerous as ants yet tiny, were working through the night, her little brows furrowed tightly.

"Father, Uncle Two, please come quickly!"