Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 97 Meddling Too Much

Jiang Xun suddenly felt that this was a bit of a coincidence.

Ling Xuan sent him to Shuofeng City to steal the treasure map, and the Duke of Wei also sent him to investigate the military crossbows.

One wanted him to be a thief, the other wanted him to be a spy, but both things pointed to the same thing.

"May I ask why you have summoned me, sir?" Jiang Xun asked. "My status is low and my martial arts skills are mediocre. I'm afraid I am not up to the task."

The Duke of Wei glanced at him and smiled faintly.

"You have no background, you don't belong to any faction, so you won't be targeted. That's one reason." He paused. "Secondly, your martial arts skills are not weak. That kid Xu Chen is always praising you in my ear. He says you are the most powerful person he has ever met, loyal, capable, and a rare hero in the world."

Jiang Xun's face darkened.

That brat Xu Chen has no self-control; he blurts out everything.

Now look what's happened, he's dug himself into a fire pit.

"What if... I don't go?" Jiang Xun asked cautiously.

The Duke of Wei seemed surprised that he would refuse, and his eyes widened, his gaze like two knives slashing at him.

"Once a military order is given, there is no room for refusal." The voice was firm, like a stone hitting the ground. "You have to do this, whether you like it or not. If you dare to disobey, you will be punished according to military law."

Jiang Xun felt the temperature in the room drop instantly, his spine went cold, and he couldn't help but shiver.

Is this the aura of a general who has fought his way out of a vast army?

He commands respect without anger, and a single sentence from him can leave a person breathless.

But he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "I'm not your soldier, why should I listen to you?"

Military court-martial?

You think you can cut off my head?

But he honestly replied, "This humble subject dares not."

He had originally planned to go to Shuofeng City—Ling Xuan had poisoned him, so going to Shuofeng City was a must.

Since it's on the way, I might as well agree.

He understood the principle that a wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him.

The Duke of Wei nodded in satisfaction, his imposing manner suddenly vanishing, and he reverted to being the harmless, kind old man once again.

"Of course, I won't let you make a wasted trip." He took out a silver note from the drawer and pushed it in front of Jiang Xun. "This is one hundred taels, for travel expenses. There will be a greater reward after the matter is done. If you are willing, I can also find you a position in the army."

Jiang Xun glanced at the silver note and unceremoniously stuffed it into his pocket.

"This humble citizen has done his best."

He said that, but he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Only one hundred taels? That's stingy.

Compared to Li Che's extravagance, this Duke of Wei was incredibly stingy.

What he didn't know was that although the Duke of Wei had countless merits, he was always frugal and had distributed most of his life's rewards to his subordinates, so he didn't have much savings of his own.

This hundred taels was a great reward for him.

The Duke of Wei, of course, had no idea what Jiang Xun was thinking. He took out a scroll of silk from the drawer and spread it out on the table.

"This is a general overview of Shuofeng City." He pointed to several markings on the silk scroll. "This is the City Lord's Mansion, this is the East Market, this is the West Market... Got it?"

Jiang Xun looked at the map of Shuofeng City and secretly compared it with the one Ling Xuan had given him yesterday. He found that the two maps were almost identical in terms of location, streets, and city defense layout.

He nodded: "I've got it."

Duke Wei frowned – in such a short time, he had only glanced at it a few times; he didn't know if the man had truly remembered it or was just being perfunctory.

But being a soldier by training, he was always decisive and efficient. Since Jiang Xun said he remembered it, he didn't ask any more questions and simply put the map away.

"For details, go to Tiebei Pass and find Xu Zhe; he will tell you what to do."

Jiang Xun nodded.

He already knew yesterday that Xu Zhe was the eldest son of the Duke of Wei and was leading troops to guard Tiebei Pass.

"Very well." The Duke of Wei stood up, his expression solemn. "I'll leave this matter to you."

When he said "please," his tone was solemn, a stark contrast to the harshness of his earlier "military law enforcement."

Jiang Xun sighed inwardly, but simply nodded, and was about to turn around—

"Wait a moment," the Duke of Wei suddenly called out to him.

"Does Your Excellency have any further instructions?"

The Duke of Wei did not speak, but turned around and took a long sword with a black sheath from the wall, and handed it to Jiang Xun.

The sword was about three feet long, and the scabbard was made of ordinary elm wood, with the lacquer peeling off in several places.

But when Jiang Xun took it, he felt a sudden weight in his hand—it was even heavier than Xu Shan's.

He drew his sword, but froze in shock.

The sword was grayish-brown, without a trace of sharpness, and several yellowish-brown rust spots clung to the blade like moss.

"This is something I obtained on the battlefield back then." The Duke of Wei seemed a little embarrassed, his face slightly flushed. "I've kept it all this time, reluctant to use it. Giving it to you today is a way of saying—"

He paused, his gaze falling on the plain white sword at Jiang Xun's waist. "Change to the one at your waist."

Jiang Xun paused for a moment, then looked down at the sword at his waist—Xu Shan's sword.

He suddenly understood.

The Duke of Wei is so shameless in trying to keep his daughter away from a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who lives and works in the martial arts world).

That old fox is really protective of his daughter.

But he's really stingy.

Jiang Xun felt contempt, but he still pretended to be extremely grateful, respectfully unfastening Xu Shan's sword and handing it back to the Duke of Wei with both hands.

"Thank you, Duke of Wei." He hung the black-sheathed longsword at his waist; its weight was just right.

Duke Wei nodded, his expression relaxing slightly, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

When Jiang Xun came out of the study, Xu Chen was indeed still waiting at the door.

"How was it? My dad didn't give you any trouble, did he?" He leaned closer, looking Jiang Xun up and down as if to see if he was missing something.

"No," Jiang Xun shook his head. "He just asked me to take care of something."

Xu Chen was about to ask another question when a voice came from the other end of the corridor.

"Ah Chen."

The two turned around, and a woman walked over.

She was in her early twenties, with a beautiful face. Her athletic outfit accentuated her tall and straight figure. Her features possessed both the elegance of a woman and a hint of heroic spirit that rivaled even the most burly men.

He looks somewhat like Xu Chen, but with a sharper edge.

Xu Shan, the second daughter of the Duke of Wei.

She walked closer, glanced at Jiang Xun, and paused slightly when her gaze fell on the black-sheathed longsword at his waist.

"You are Jiang Xun?" The voice was clear and crisp.

"That's right." Jiang Xun clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Xu Shan nodded and turned to Xu Chen: "Go wait in the front yard first, I have a few words to say to him."

Xu Chen glanced at his sister, then at Jiang Xun, chuckled twice, and tactfully left.

There were only two people left in the courtyard.

Xu Shan looked at Jiang Xun and got straight to the point: "What did my father say to you?"

The sound was crisp and clear, with an undeniable decisiveness.

Jiang Xun shook his head: "It's not good to talk about what Wei Guogong told us."

Xu Shan didn't press further, she just nodded.

Her gaze fell again on the black-sheathed longsword, and she frowned slightly: "Where's the sword I gave you?"

Jiang Xun touched the sword at his waist, somewhat embarrassed: "The Duke of Wei said to exchange this one for that one..."

Xu Shan's face darkened, and she muttered under her breath, "That old man is really nosy."

The Duke of Wei in the study probably sneezed.

Jiang Xun didn't know what to say, so he just smiled.

Xu Shan didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and said, "Thank you for yesterday."

After saying that, he strode away.

Jiang Xun stood there, watching her figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

The people in the Duke of Wei's mansion are not bad.

He walked towards the front yard, where Xu Chen was waiting.

"What did my sister say to you?" Xu Chen leaned closer, looking gossipy.

"It's nothing." Jiang Xun patted his shoulder. "I'm leaving."

"Go? Where to?"

"The North".

Xu Chen was taken aback: "So sudden?"

Jiang Xun nodded.

He was poisoned and only had two months to live; he couldn't afford to wait any longer.

"Tell Ajiu that I won't go to say goodbye to him."

Xu Chen's face showed reluctance: "A-Jiu left too. I just received his letter saying that something came up at home and he had to rush back. Why did you all leave so suddenly?"

He sighed, his voice lowering slightly, "I don't know when we'll be able to meet again."

Jiang Xun patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "As long as we're both still alive, we'll meet again someday."

Xu Chen nodded, without any sentimental reluctance to part, and simply squeezed Jiang Xun's hand tightly.

"Be careful on the road."

Until we meet again.