Chapter 101

Jiang Jinshi had no interest in watching any tear‑jerking sentiment, and shouted straight at the mountain bandits.

"Get the rope, bind them up the mountain!"

The two were thus tightly bound and taken up to Lianhuan Shan, temporarily held in the dungeon.

Li Xinyue and Jiang Jinshi returned to the room; Jiang Jinshi set down his long spear and asked puzzledly, "Xiao Yue, is there a problem?"

Originally Jiang Jinshi hadn't planned to bind the two and take them up the mountain; it was Li Xinyue who said they couldn't be released, so Jiang Jinshi acted, and now he naturally feels a bit puzzled.

"Do you know what this is?" Li Xinyue placed the bundle on the table, indicating Jiang Jinshi to open it and take a look.

He hadn't expected the problem to lie in this object; Jiang Jinshi had only glanced at it before, but now he had to handle it and examine it closely.

When he saw the eight characters "Mandated by Heaven, Everlasting Longevity", Jiang Jinshi turned his head in disbelief toward Li Xinyue.

"This… is a jade seal?"

Li Xinyue nodded solemnly.

Jiang Jinshiyi didn't know what to say for a moment, hesitated, and asked, "Could it… could it be a fake?"

"The mall offers a recycling credit of one hundred million!" Li Xinyue stared at the jade seal, her thoughts unreadable.

That statement outright affirmed the jade seal's authenticity, and Jiang Jinshi had no further doubt.

No wonder Li Xinyue told him not to release the two the moment she handled it; she had received a system prompt.

That explains why Li Xinyue insisted the two stay; although their identities were still unknown, could an ordinary person be carrying a jade seal?

Without exaggeration, the great official Liu, County Magistrate revered by the people of Da Jiang Cun, probably never saw this seal in his entire life, let alone the jade seal itself.

Letting them go would be like releasing a tiger back to the mountain; when they return, they'll likely come with soldiers.

Jiang Jinshi now felt his mind in disarray; he looked at Li Xinyue without speaking, then asked.

"Xiao Yue, what are you thinking?"

Li Xinyue frowned and replied, "This thing is a disaster; it will probably bring great calamity!"

If Jiang Jinshi currently commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, he would take this thing without fear!

But now Yangguangzhai has only about five hundred people; even with Fengyunzhai about to join, it's just seven hundred, so this thing is a hot‑potato.

Jiang Jinshi sighed, thinking that had he known, he would have returned the item and let them go.

That thought surfaced, but Jiang Jinshi immediately dismissed it.

After all, by then Zhang Honghong had already seized the other party; such big figures wouldn't swallow their anger—if you released them, the first thing they'd do is mobilize troops to eliminate you.

Without knowing the two's identities or why they carried the jade seal, both shared the same worry.

What to do next?

If one truly wants to investigate, tracing it to Yangguangzhai isn't hard.

After all, the two showed up elsewhere yesterday and vanished today; within a day, the general area can be pinpointed.

Both, worried, remained silent, showing no trace of joy at obtaining the jade seal.

After pondering, Li Xinyue came up with a good plan, "I have an idea."

"Xiao Yue, tell me," Jiang Jinshi said, his eyes brightening. Just moments ago he had been wondering how the Prince of the North, leading a hundred thousand troops, would attack him, and how he could die with some dignity!

"First, wait and see. If they really attack, you take me and run; I'll retrieve the jade seal directly. One hundred million points is enough for the two of us to live a carefree life!" Li Xinyue said this, but she didn't actually intend to do it until the very end.

Jiang Jinshi nodded; with no better option, he could only plan this for now. As long as there is hope, he is unwilling to abandon the brothers in the mountain stronghold.

Nevertheless, Jiang Jinshi still intended to find a way to pry the two's mouths open in the dungeon; after all, he's not one who likes to be passive. Only by learning their identities and why they brought the jade seal to Beijiang can he better assess the current situation.

Using force obviously won't work; if the two are of noble status, he could only keep them as talismans.

In that case, only one path remains.

Appeal to them with emotion, enlighten them with reason!

Jiang Jinshi took the two out of the dungeon, then tied them to one side of the training ground; they are fed by people three times a day, and he will never loosen their ropes.

To prevent escape, he personally inspected them several times; uneasy, he added another rope and tied two loops, finally feeling at ease.

Although Jiang Jinshi didn't station guards nearby, in fact at least five pairs of eyes in the shadows took turns watching the two day and night.

Yan Wu also didn't know why the bandits acted so; they tied them to a tree, didn't gag them, and arranged for people to feed them.

At first the two were hesitant to communicate, but later realized that aside from feeding times, nobody paid them any attention, and their courage gradually grew.

Yan Wu took a deep breath, said apologetically, "Sorry, His Highness, it's all my fault for not having beaten that bandit."

Wei Xikang shook his head: "It's not your fault; that bandit's bravery resembles the Prince of the North in his youth, so it's understandable you couldn't defeat him."

Upon hearing Wei Xikang's assessment, Yan Wu was also surprised; the Prince of the North, in his youth, earned the title of the First General of the Da Qian dynasty through his martial prowess and command.

Even in today's Da Qian dynasty, few can match him.

While the two were chatting, Tang Xiao Yu carried dishes to feed them; everyone else was busy, so she volunteered to deliver the meals.

Wei Xikang saw such a beautiful girl trapped in the bandits' den and instinctively thought she too had been abducted, his eyes lighting up.

"Miss, could you quietly let us go? We were also captured and taken up the mountain just like you!"

Yan Wu hurriedly added, "Yes! We can take you with us and help you escape this misery."

Tang Xiao Yu's complexion changed at his words; she immediately gritted her teeth and said, "You two actually want to escape? If anything, Brother Jiang should starve you; feeding you is a waste of food."

Wei Xikang clearly hadn't anticipated this reaction, but years of experience had taught him not to let emotions show on his face.

"She couldn't have voluntarily entered this bandit den, could she?"

"Yes!" Tang Xiao Yu replied confidently.

The words fell, leaving Yan Wu very puzzled, yet he didn't give up and kept trying to persuade Tang Xiao Yu.

"Miss, please don't be fooled by these bandits; they are murderers who don't blink, and the authorities won't turn a blind eye."

"So what? My brother and my life belong to this stronghold; if it weren't for Brother Jiang, my brother would have been cut limb by limb and tongue cut off long ago, and I would have been sold to a brothel—no different from death. And those are exactly what you call the authorities did!!"

By the end, Tang Xiao Yu's voice rose noticeably, clearly angry; she was too lazy to waste words on the two, lifted the dishes and turned away, intending to let the two starve.

When Wei Xikang heard this, he felt like a deflated balloon, completely at a loss for how to respond.

Yan Wu, still on the side, cheered, "His Highness, don't believe what that demoness says; she and the bandits are in cahoots."

Wei Xikang suddenly said, "What if… what she says is true?"