Chapter 113

"This knife……" Jiang Xiaomu furrowed his brow.

"It seems not to be an item from the Central Plains."

"We also find it strange,"

Xiong Kuohai said in a deep, resonant voice:

"This thing looks sinister at first glance."

Jiang Xiaomu played with the curved blade in his hand, feeling a vague unease.

The enemy troops suddenly withdrew, and then this curved blade of unknown origin appeared—everything is too suspicious.

"Alright, we'll talk about the knife later; you all go first, I want to rest a bit."

Jiang Xiaomu rubbed his temples and said.

"Yes, Boss."

Xiong Kuohai nodded, turned, and left the room.

Jiang Xiaoyu also stood up obediently and said:

"Brother, rest well; I'll be right outside the door—call me if anything happens."

Jiang Xiaomu nodded; after the two left, he once again focused his attention on that curved blade.

The eagle-head emblem on the hilt gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity, yet he couldn't recall where he had seen it.

He closed his eyes, striving to recall the scene before he lost consciousness.

Outside the city, enemy troops surged like a tide; he had been struck by a poisoned arrow and had already prepared himself for sacrifice……

And then? What happened next?

A sudden blast of the horn echoed through the heavens.

Yes, it was the horn blast!

That horn blast was utterly different from the Central Plains' horn; it sounded more like…… a Western Regions horn!

Jiang Xiaomu, still thinking, drifted off to sleep again in a daze.

Meanwhile, on the bustling street of Wangjiang Cheng, a shop called "Western Regions Treasure" blazed with lights.

The shop's owner, a lean man named Hawei, was enthusiastically promoting a uniformly green jade pendant to a richly dressed young noble.

"Young master, take a look at this jade pendant."

"Its color is warm and lustrous, its feel fine and smooth—it's genuine Hotan jade from the Western Regions."

"Wearing it not only displays one's status, but also wards off evil, avoids misfortune, and prolongs life!"

Hawei spoke with flying saliva, his words extravagant and unfounded.

The brocade-clad young master held the jade pendant, examining it left and right, and said with a hesitant expression:

"This thing is not bad, it's just the price..."

"Oh dear, young master, you don't know about this."

"This jade pendant I brought back from the Western Regions only after great hardship."

"Let alone the dangers along the way, just the quality of this jade is one in ten thousand!"

"Look at the carving, the pattern—it's definitely a master's work!"

Hawei said, pointing solemnly at some fine lines on the jade pendant.

The brocade-clad young master, unable to resist the temptation after Hawei's words, gritted his teeth and bought the jade pendant.

Hawei smiled until his eyes narrowed to slits, seeing the young master out the door.

Then he turned back into the shop, humming a little tune as he began to tally today's earnings.

"Another big harvest today!"

Hawei counted the money while proudly muttering to himself.

His shop had become somewhat famous on this street, where all sorts of strange Western Region curiosities could be found, thus letting him reap great profits.

At that moment, a burly man walked out from the back hall—Hawei's brother, Hadi.

His face grave, he walked up to Hawei and spoke in a low voice:

"Brother, I have something to tell you."

"What is it? So mysterious."

Hawei was a bit impatient, still immersed in the joy of counting money.

"Last night outside the city..." Hadi lowered his voice.

"A troop of cavalry appeared and raided several villages outside the city."

"Cavalry? What kind of cavalry?"

Hawei startled, stopping his hand's motion.

"Judging by their attire, they don't look like people from the Central Lands."

Hadi's tone grew even more grave.

"Moreover, their weapons are strange—I've never seen anything like them."

Hawei's face also turned solemn as he realized the matter might not be simple.

"Brother, I think we should leave this place."

Hadi's voice trembled slightly; having long roamed the Western Regions, he had a keen sense of danger.

Hawei frowned, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.

"Leave? We've barely managed to get a foothold here, and business is improving—why would we leave?"

"But..."

Hadi still wanted to say something, but Hawei cut him off.

I know what you're worried about, but it's just some cavalry; they may not be coming for us.

A sharp light flashed in Hawei's eyes.

Besides, even if they really are coming for us, the two of us brothers aren't pushovers.

He flung a sharp claw dagger from his sleeve, spinning it nimbly on his fingertips.

Back on the battlefield, what formations haven't we seen? Are we afraid of them?

Brother, I'm not afraid...

Ha Di still wanted to explain, but seeing Hawei's resolute gaze, he finally sighed.

All right, I'll listen to you, but I still think it's best to be careful.

Mm, go secretly watch their movements; if anything happens, come back and tell me right away.

Hawei instructed.

Okay.

Ha Di nodded, turned, and left the shop.

Hawei watched his brother's departing back, yet a faint unease lingered in his heart.

The appearance of that cavalry seemed to foretell an impending storm.

A few days later, Jiang Xiaomu's injuries had healed.

He picked up the curved blade again, carefully examining the eagle-head insignia on the hilt.

That insignia lingered in his mind, yet he couldn't recall where he had seen it.

"Western Regions... eagle head..." Jiang Xiaomu muttered.

"Could this blade be from the Western Regions?"

Perhaps he could get some clues from Hawei.

Thinking this, Jiang Xiaomu hesitated no longer and immediately set out for the "Western Regions Treasures" shop.

The shop was still bustling; Hawei was enthusiastically promoting to a noble lady a Western Regions spice said to preserve eternal youth.

"Madam, smell this fragrance—how refreshing to the heart and spleen, how intoxicating!"

Hawei said exaggeratedly, handing the spice to the noble lady's nose.

The noble lady inhaled deeply, her face showing an expression of intoxication.

"Hmm, indeed not bad. How much?"

Hawei extended five fingers.

"Five hundred taels."

The noble lady blinked slightly, then said somewhat displeased:

"What? Five hundred taels? That's so expensive!"

"Madam, you don't know this!"

"This spice I painstakingly gathered from deep in the snowy mountains of the Western Regions."

"Its preciousness cannot be compared to ordinary things."

Hawei spoke extravagantly, as if the spice were some kind of elixir.

Jiang Xiaomu watched Hawei's comical appearance, secretly amused.

He walked up to Hawei and gave a light cough.

"Boss Hawei, may I have a word?"

Hawei was in the middle of speaking enthusiastically.

"Oh? Lord Jiang, what a rare guest!"

Jiang Xiaomu didn't waste words, directly pulling Hawei into the inner room and then producing the curved blade.

"I want to ask you, do you recognize this blade?"

Upon seeing the eagle-head insignia on the hilt, Hawei froze completely.

The smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of horror.

"This... this is..."