Chapter 114

Hawei's voice trembled, as if he had seen something terrifying.

"Do you know him?"

Jiang Xiaomu pressed further.

Hawei took a deep breath, forced himself to stay calm, and said, "This… this is the emblem of the Bosi Prince's Guard."

"The Bosi Prince's Guard?" Jiang Xiaomu's heart stirred,

"So this saber is from Bosi?"

"Exactly." Hawei nodded, stroking the hilt.

"This eagle-head emblem is the exclusive mark of the Bosi Prince's Guard; there's no mistake."

"Then do you know why they would appear here?"

Jiang Xiaomu continued to press.

Hawei fell silent for a moment, then lifted his head and looked at Jiang Xiaomu with a complex expression.

"They… they are here to hunt me down."

"Hunt you down?" Jiang Xiaomu blinked in surprise.

"I never expected they would chase me all the way to the Central Plains…"

Hawei's tone was full of helplessness.

Although Jiang Xiaomu knew Hawei's brother had once been a commander of the Undying Army, he never imagined this curved blade was actually a weapon of the Bosi Prince's Guard.

"So, do you know the owner of this blade?"

Jiang Xiaomu asked.

Hawei shook his head.

"I don't know the blade's owner; I only know it is standard issue for the Bosi Prince's Guard."

Hawei swallowed, his face turned ashen, like a chicken with its throat choked.

"They… they want me to surrender the secret of the Undying Army."

"The Undying Army?"

Jiang Xiaomu keenly caught that keyword.

He recalled the rumor that Hawei's brother had once been a commander of the Undying Army; it now seemed far from baseless.

"Yes, the Undying Army." Hawei's voice sank so low it was almost inaudible.

"A… special kind of army."

He paused, seemingly organizing his words.

"They possess strength and regenerative ability beyond ordinary humans, nearly impervious to blades and spears."

Hawei's gaze drifted toward the window.

"The Bosi prince regards the Undying Army as his greatest threat."

"That's why he sent people to hunt me down, hoping to obtain the Undying Army's secret."

A storm surged in Jiang Xiaomu's heart.

"Undying Army? Impervious to blades and spears? This is unheard of!"

"If such an army truly exists, it would be a power capable of overturning the entire chaotic world!"

"This matter must be reported to the Prefect."

Jiang Xiaomu made a swift decision.

Inside the Governor's Mansion, Prefect Zhao was leisurely sipping tea, while Tang Shiye ground ink beside him.

Jiang Xiaomu's arrival shattered that tranquility.

After hearing Jiang Xiaomu's account, Prefect Zhao spat out a mouthful of tea, splashing Tang Shiye all over.

"The Bosi Prince's Guard? What… what nonsense is this!"

Tang Shiye wiped the tea from his face, looking displeased.

"Lord Jiang, are you sure you're not just telling tall tales?"

He said in a sarcastic tone:

"Bosi is far away in the Western Regions; how could their troops possibly appear in the Central Plains?"

"Moreover, sending a prince's guard to mobilize troops just to capture a merchant is utterly absurd!"

Jiang Xiaomu couldn't be bothered with Tang Shiye's sneering remarks and directly handed the curved blade to Prefect Zhao.

"Please look, my lord; this is the emblem of the Bosi Prince's Guard."

Prefect Zhao examined the eagle-head emblem on the hilt closely, his expression growing grave.

"This… this emblem is indeed rather strange…"

Tang Shiye leaned in for a glance, then sneered contemptuously.

"Maybe some craftsman just carved it randomly; Lord Jiang, don't worry yourself over nothing."

"Tang Shiye, this is no trivial matter!"

Jiang Xiaomu intensified his tone.

"If what Hawei says is true, then our Wangjiang Cheng is in danger!"

"Danger? I think the danger lies with Hawei!"

Tang Shiye's eyes shifted as a scheme formed in his mind.

"In my view, we should simply hand Hawei over to avoid a direct clash with the Bosi forces."

Jiang Xiaomu glared, eyes wide with anger.

"Tang Shiye, what kind of rotten idea is this!"

"Hawei brother has made huge contributions to Wangjiang Cheng's economic development; how can we just say we'll hand him over and do it!"

Prefect Zhao also felt that Master Tang's suggestion was somewhat inappropriate.

"Mr. Jiang is right; Hawei has indeed made indispensable contributions to Wangjiang Cheng."

He fell silent for a moment.

"But if the Persian army really invades, how should we respond?"

"Seek aid from the Imperial Court!"

Master Tang hurriedly said:

"Only the Imperial Court's great army can resist the Persian army's invasion!"

"It's too late." Prefect Zhao shook his head.

The Imperial Court is far away, a thousand li distant; by the time reinforcements arrive, Wangjiang Cheng will likely have already fallen.

Jiang Xiaomu furrowed his brows, his heart filled with anxiety.

"Sir, why not gather the city's officials to discuss countermeasures together?"

Jiang Xiaomu proposed.

Prefect Zhao's eyes lit up.

"Great idea!"

He immediately ordered the summoning of all city officials to come and discuss matters.

Soon, the hall of the Governor's Mansion was packed with people.

As the County Magistrate of the city, Li Wenqing was naturally among them.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Prefect Zhao said with a solemn expression.

"Now Wangjiang Cheng faces a crisis; the Persian Prince's Guard has already infiltrated the Central Plains, and their target is……"

Before Prefect Zhao could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a sudden rush of footsteps.

A soldier came running in panic and fell to his knees.

"Report! A large force has been spotted outside the city, advancing toward Wangjiang Cheng!"

The hall instantly erupted in an uproar.

"Are they the Persian army?"

"How many do they have?"

"How should we respond?"

Various questions rose and fell, and the whole hall fell into chaos.

Prefect Zhao slammed his hand hard on the table.

"Silence!"

He shouted sternly:

"What's there to panic about! It's just a petty Persian army; our Wangjiang Cheng is no pushover!"

"Sir, the city's garrison numbers only three thousand.

while the Persian army comes with great might; I fear……

Li Wenqing said worriedly.

"What is there to fear!" Prefect Zhao forced himself to stay calm.

"We have city walls, a moat, and Mr. Jiang, this strategist of both wisdom and courage!"

He patted Jiang Xiaomu on the shoulder, saying, "Mr. Jiang, this time it's up to you!"

Jiang Xiaomu gave a bitter laugh.

"Asking him to come up with strategies at this time—isn't that like forcing a duck onto a perch?"

Before the soldier's words had finished, another soldier came running in stumbling, shouting loudly:

"Report! The Persian army has sent an envoy outside the city, requesting an audience!"

The hall was again in an uproar, like water dripping into hot oil, sizzling nonstop.

Prefect Zhao furrowed his brows, pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Let him in."

Soon, a man with a high nose and deep-set eyes, dressed in Persian-style military attire, strode into the hall.

He gave a simple military salute and spoke in somewhat stiff Central Plains speech:

"I am the captain of the Persian Prince's Guard, ordered to come and take Hawei away."

"Hawei is an honored guest of our Wangjiang Cheng; how can we just say we'll take him away and actually do it!"

Prefect Zhao slammed the table, putting on a show of authority.

"Honored guest? Hmph, he stole our prince's treasure and must receive due punishment!"

The envoy's tone was icy, unyielding.

"Treasure? What treasure?"

Master Tang asked with a sarcastic tone:

"Could it be that your prince lost some worthless trinket and then blamed it on Brother Hawei?"