UGB Chapter 135 is obviously fake.
Chapter 135 is obviously fake.
Xiao Rui's expression changed instantly.
He suddenly turned his head to look at Jiang Xun.
Jiang Xun was supporting Chen Lei, blinking innocently with a pure and guileless expression.
Xiao Rui cursed Jiang Xun eight hundred times in his heart.
Just how many tricks does this kid have up his sleeve?
At the entrance of the city lord's mansion, torches illuminated half the street, making it as bright as day.
The two groups arrived almost simultaneously, each occupying half of the street, clearly separated.
To the east were the cavalry of the Great Han, led by a general in his forties. He had a dignified face, a broad back and a thick waist, and wore dark gold armor. He looked like a mountain on horseback.
Xiao Yidong – the head of the Xiao family and a general on the border of the Great Han.
To the west were the cavalry of Dayong, led by a man in his thirties with thick eyebrows and big eyes, dressed in black armor, who looked like an iron tower on horseback.
Xu Zhe – Heir apparent of the Duke of Wei, garrison commander of Tiebei Pass.
The two men reined in their horses almost simultaneously and exchanged a glance.
"General Xiao, it's been a long time." Xu Zhe clasped his hands in a fist salute, his tone indifferent.
"General Xu, how have you been?" Xiao Yidong clasped his hands in greeting, a smile on his face.
The two nodded to each other without saying a word, and each dismounted.
The guards followed behind, swords drawn, bows strung, and staring at each other.
But neither of them made the first move.
Jiang Xun and Xiao Rui came out of the city lord's mansion to greet them.
Xiao Rui walked up to Xiao Yidong and bowed respectfully: "Uncle."
Xiao Yidong nodded, his gaze lingering on him for a moment, with a hint of approval: "Well done."
Xiao Rui was secretly delighted, but maintained a calm and composed demeanor: "It was all thanks to Uncle's strategic planning."
Jiang Xun walked up to Xu Zhe, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "General Xu."
Xu Zhe looked at him, his gaze containing both scrutiny and admiration.
This kid is much smarter than he thought.
"Thanks for your hard work."
"Of course," Jiang Xun smiled.
Behind Xu Zhe, a familiar figure peeked out.
Ma Batou—the old merchant who ran the border—had changed into a tight-fitting outfit, with a short knife at his waist, and stood behind Xu Zhe with a calm gaze, showing no trace of a merchant.
"Uncle Ma," Jiang Xun smiled, walked over, and cupped his hands in greeting. "You must have had a long journey."
"It wasn't hard work at all," the horse handler waved his hand and chuckled twice. "It's just that running for hundreds of miles almost shook my old bones to pieces."
Jiang Xun smiled too.
He had long suspected that Ma was a spy planted by Xu Zhe, which was why he felt comfortable handing the letter over to him.
Tuoba Feng had hinted that Da Han might take action against Shuofeng City.
Xu Zhe was no ordinary person. If Da Han really made any unusual moves, he would definitely have noticed it and might have already led his troops to sneak out of Shuofeng City.
In addition, after talking with Sun Xing, he suddenly had another idea—those repeating crossbows might not have been smuggled from Dayong to Dahan. Instead, they might have been smuggled into Dahan by Helian Quan in collusion with certain forces within Dayong, using Shuofeng City as a transit point.
As for the bandits outside Shuofeng City who were equipped with Dayong repeating crossbows, they were most likely members of the Black Chess Gang.
Since Xu Zhe ambushed the bandits and seized the repeating crossbows, the Xiao family member who suddenly appeared to sell the crossbows was most likely someone hired by Helian Quan to impersonate him, with the aim of diverting the attention of Dayong.
Helian Quan's imposition of martial law was not to prevent any spies, but to cover Jin Yan's receipt of smuggled crossbows outside the city.
He wrote these speculations clearly in the letter.
If Dayong wants to retain Shuofeng City as a buffer zone and catch the perpetrators red-handed, it must send troops immediately.
He admitted that there was an element of gambling involved.
Fortunately, he made the right bet.
Xiao Yidong and Xu Zhe walked into the city lord's mansion side by side.
The two maintained a perfect distance, neither too close nor too far, like old friends, yet also like rivals wary of each other.
The boots clattered on the blue bricks, making a steady, rhythmic sound that echoed in the empty front porch.
The main hall was still a mess.
Tables and chairs were overturned on the ground, there was bloodstains, scattered swords, and Helian Quan's undisposed corpse.
Helian Jun knelt beside his father, head bowed, motionless.
Xiao Yidong glanced at the corpse, then at Helian Jun, and said nothing.
Xu Zhe didn't speak, but just frowned slightly.
Helian Jun raised his head and respectfully kowtowed to the two men, his forehead touching the ground with a soft sound.
"General Xiao, General Xu," the voice was hoarse but steady, "I dare not conceal the crimes my father committed. But I was forced into this situation; many of my father's actions were unknown to me. I beg you both generals to investigate thoroughly."
Jiang Xun stood to the side listening, feeling a surge of disdain in his heart.
Forced into a corner? Unaware of the situation?
If Helian Jun really didn't know, pigs could fly.
However, Xu Zhe and Xiao Yidong did not seem to intend to pursue the matter.
The two exchanged a glance, and Xiao Yidong spoke first.
"Please rise, Young Master Helian." His tone was calm, with a hint of elder's kindness. "We will investigate your father's matter thoroughly. You are you, and he is he. As long as it has nothing to do with you, we will not implicate the innocent."
Xu Zhe nodded, his tone calm: "General Xiao is right. Young Master Helian need not blame himself too much."
Helian Jun kowtowed again, stood up, and stood to the side with his hands at his sides, his posture as submissive as a tamed dog.
Jiang Xun sighed inwardly.
That's just how the world is; whether something is black or white is determined by those in power.
Xiao Yidong and Xu Zhe exchanged a few words in hushed tones, then turned to the others: "We're going to see Helian Bo. Please wait here."
The two men, each accompanied by their personal guards, headed towards the backyard.
The hall fell silent.
Jiang Xun glanced around and suddenly frowned.
Huang Hu has disappeared.
The smiling old man sat silently in the corner the whole time.
But in the chaos just now, no one noticed where he went.
"Where is Huang Hu?" Jiang asked.
Only then did everyone realize that Huang Hu's seat was empty, his wine glass was still full, but he was gone.
"They ran away." Tuoba Feng frowned as well. "I didn't notice."
Jiang Xun cursed.
That old man, he runs fast.
Xiao Rui walked up to Jiang Xun, looked at him, and his gaze was somewhat complicated.
"Jiang Xun, I really didn't expect you to have such a trick up your sleeve."
Jiang Xun chuckled, a hint of roguishness in his smile: "Likewise. Brother Xiao didn't tell me the truth either, did he?"
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The smiles were ambiguous, neither quite conveying intimacy nor anything else—they both knew that this collaboration was simply a matter of mutual benefit.
As for whether we'll be enemies or friends in the future, that's a matter for later.
Ye Qingying walked over and looked at the two of them.
With her intelligence, she had already guessed what was going on, but she still asked, "What exactly happened?"
Jiang Xun spoke with a grin.
"This matter is all thanks to Brother Xiao." His tone was somewhat exaggerated in his praise. "The Xiao family had long noticed that Helian Quan was making trouble. Brother Xiao came to Shuofeng City this time on General Xiao's orders to conduct a secret investigation."
He paused, then continued, "Helian Quan has been on martial law these past few days, blocking all news from entering or leaving the city. Brother Xiao guessed that he was going to make a move against us, so he made preparations in advance. He contacted General Xiao and also had me communicate with General Xu."
His words were impeccable, giving all the credit to Xiao Rui.
Xiao Rui frowned slightly, his mind filled with mixed feelings.
That kid knows how to handle people.
The major tribes of the Great Han are fiercely competing, and even within the Xiao family, there is open and covert infighting. He certainly needs to achieve merit.
If this matter is successfully accomplished, my status in the clan will rise significantly upon returning home.
Jiang Xun gave him the credit, which he was more than happy to accept.
But he also understood that Jiang Xun was no pushover.
Sure enough, Jiang Xun changed the subject, smiling as he looked at Xiao Rui: "By the way, Brother Xiao, you obtained the Sword God's inheritance in the Kunwu Mountain Sword Ruins and are willing to share it with everyone. Brother Xiao, is that right?"
Xiao Rui almost vomited blood.
Regarding the matter of inheriting the Sword God's legacy, although Jiang Xun had long ago said that it could be exchanged for merit, I had not agreed at the time.
But Jiang Xun had already said so much, and he couldn't deny it in front of so many people.
"Not bad." Xiao Rui gritted his teeth, pulled a thin booklet from his pocket, and reluctantly threw it to Jiang Xun. "This is the 'Tai Xu Sword Technique,' the culmination of the Sword God Lu Qingfeng's work. But it only contains the moves, not the internal energy cultivation method."
"Good stuff." Jiang Xun took the sword manual, flipped through it casually, his eyes lit up, and then handed it to Ye Qingying, "Miss Ye, take a look."
Ye Qingying took it, carefully flipped through a few pages, and nodded.
"It is indeed Senior Lu's swordsmanship, the moves are exquisite." She returned the sword manual to Jiang Xun, "It's a pity that there is no internal energy cultivation method, the power is greatly reduced."
"Something is better than nothing." Jiang Xun chuckled and unceremoniously tucked the sword manual into his robes. "Thank you, Brother Xiao."
Xiao Rui waved his hand, his heart bleeding.
But he was no pushover either.
"Brother Jiang," he suddenly spoke, "was that the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's treasure map you just took out? If you make a fortune in the future, don't forget your brother."
As soon as he said this, everyone in the hall turned their attention to Jiang Xun.
Jiang Xun felt a chill run down his spine.
That bastard deliberately exposed this to make him the target of public criticism.
But his reaction was so fast that there was almost no pause.
"A treasure map?" Jiang Xun blinked innocently. "That's fake."
"Fake?" Xiao Rui raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing it.
"Of course it's fake." Jiang Xun spread his hands, looking completely at ease. "I used it to fool Helian Quan. How could Helian Bo possibly give me something like that?"
He spoke with such conviction that there was not a single flaw in his argument.
Whether the people in the hall believe it or not is another matter.
Just as everyone was lost in thought, a muffled thud came from the corner.
Everyone turned to look—Chen Lei slid off the chair and lay limply on the ground, motionless.