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

Chapter 96 Investigation

Jiang Xun remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Ling Xuan looked at him, a cryptic glint in her eyes.

A moment later, he suddenly smiled—a faint smile, like a knife slicing through water, fleeting and gone in an instant.

"Want to know about the Thief Saint?" He stood up, walked up to Jiang Xun, and looked down at him. "Do me a favor. If you do, I'll tell you."

Jiang Xun looked up at him: "Why should I believe you?"

Ling Xuan's smile remained unchanged: "What do you want?"

"Tell me where the Thief Saint is first." Jiang Xun stared directly at him.

Ling Xuan's eyes turned cold.

"No one has ever dared to bargain with me." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura.

No sooner had he finished speaking than he made his move.

Jiang Xun was prepared. He dodged to the side and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword to draw it.

But Ling Xuan's speed was astonishing—his hand shot out like a ghost, grabbed Jiang Xun's wrist, and twisted it sharply.

"Click."

Jiang Xun's arm was twisted behind his back, and he was pressed against the bed board, unable to move.

He gritted his teeth, trying to break free, but Ling Xuan's internal energy surged like a tide, thick and dense, pressing down on him so much that he couldn't even breathe.

This demonstrates the strength of the Deputy Commander of the Golden Feather Guard.

For the first time, Jiang Xun truly felt the threat of death.

Ling Xuan held him down with one hand, and with the other hand she took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, popped off the stopper, pinched Jiang Xun's chin, and poured the contents into it.

A fishy, ​​bitter taste slid down his throat, and Jiang Xun choked and coughed, his eyes welling up with tears.

Ling Xuan released her grip, took a step back, and still maintained her condescending demeanor.

"This is cicada venom." His voice was calm and even. "Only I have the antidote. It flares up every two months. Without the antidote, you will start to rot from your internal organs, and after seven days and seven nights, you will turn into a pool of pus."

Jiang Xun lay on the bed, panting heavily. His stomach was churning, and beads of sweat from his forehead splattered onto the bedding, leaving dark stains.

He looked up at Ling Xuan, his eyes showing no fear, only coldness.

"What do you want me to do?"

Ling Xuan pulled a folded piece of paper from her sleeve and threw it in front of him.

"In Shuofeng City, at the City Lord's Mansion, there's a treasure map," he said unhurriedly. "You're the successor of the Thief Saint; this shouldn't be difficult for you."

Jiang Xun picked up the paper and unfolded it—it was a simple map, marking the general layout of Shuofeng City.

The city walls, streets, and the location of the city lord's mansion are depicted in simple lines, but they have everything you need.

"Once you get the treasure map, come find me in the capital." Ling Xuan turned and walked towards the door, then stopped after a few steps. "Don't try anything funny. The antidote for the Golden Cicada Poison needs to be taken every two months. You can't escape."

Jiang Xun suddenly spoke up: "Is the Thief Saint already dead?"

The voice was calm, but the fingers gripping the paper were white.

Ling Xuan did not turn around.

"You'll know once you get the treasure map." The voice drifted in from the doorway, as faint as a breeze. "It's all your master's fault for offending someone he shouldn't have."

The door opened and then closed.

The footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Jiang Xun sat alone in the darkness, clutching the map in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

The moonlight outside the window was like water, shining on his face, cold as a layer of frost.

Jiang Xun barely slept a wink that night.

He lay in bed staring at the roof beams above him, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Ling Xuan's expressionless face, the bitter taste of the cicada poison being poured into her throat, and the words "I offended someone I shouldn't have" kept replaying in her mind.

He managed to doze off for a short while as dawn approached.

It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like only a moment—a rapid knocking on the door pulled him out of his daze.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Brother Jiang! Brother Jiang! Get up quickly!"

Xu Chen's voice came from outside the door, full of energy, as if he wanted to wake up everyone on the street.

Jiang Xun suddenly opened his eyes; it was already bright outside the window.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, put on a coat, and went to open the door.

"What's the matter? Why the rush?"

"My father wants to see you!"

"The Duke of Wei?" Jiang Xun was taken aback, his sleepiness dissipating considerably.

"Yes!" Xu Chen nodded vigorously.

"Why does your father suddenly want to see me?" Jiang Xun asked, puzzled.

Last night was the first time he had met the Duke of Wei, and they hadn't even exchanged a single word.

Xu Chen scratched his head, looking equally bewildered: "I don't know either. He had someone wake me up early this morning and told me to invite you over. When I asked what it was about, he glared at me and said, 'Just go when I tell you to, stop asking so many questions.'"

He imitated the Duke of Wei's tone, glaring and lowering his voice, and he really did resemble him quite a bit.

Jiang Xun began to have doubts.

For a big shot like the Duke of Wei, who is extremely busy with state affairs, to suddenly want to meet with an unknown nobody is definitely not a good thing.

But he couldn't not go.

"Wait for me." Jiang Xun turned around and went back to his room, wiped his face haphazardly, put on his clothes, and followed Xu Chen out of the inn.

The carriage was already waiting at the door.

The two got into the carriage, and Xu Chen urged the driver to hurry up. The carriage rumbled through several streets and stopped in front of the Duke of Wei's mansion.

Xu Chen led him inside, through the front yard and the corridor, until they reached the door of the study in the back yard.

"Go in by yourself," Xu Chen said in a low voice, gesturing towards the door. "My dad doesn't like me listening in."

Jiang Xun nodded and pushed the door open to go inside.

The study was small, but it was kept very clean and tidy.

A row of bookshelves against the wall displays military books and documents.

A desk stood by the window, behind which sat the Duke of Wei, holding a piece of silk paper and looking down at it.

Hearing the door open, he looked up, his gaze falling heavily on Jiang Xun, like a soldier being mustered on a drill ground.

"sit."

Jiang Xun sat down in the chair in front of his desk, his back ramrod straight.

The Duke of Wei put down the silk paper, looked at him, his gaze calm yet with a hint of scrutiny.

"Your name is Jiang Xun?"

"Yes."

"From Jiangzhou?"

"Yes."

Duke Wei nodded, tapping his fingers lightly on the silk paper: "You grew up in Jiangzhou, then went to Wuling, then to Jiangning, Yunzhou, and Qiantang, and now you've returned to Jiangning. You've traveled to quite a few places along the way."

Jiang Xun's heart tightened.

These powerful figures have connections everywhere; you can't hide your secrets from them at all.

Did the Duke of Wei know that he was being coerced by Ling Xuan?

He remained expressionless and nodded: "This humble commoner wanders from place to place, without a fixed abode."

The Duke of Wei looked at him and suddenly asked, "What is your purpose in deliberately approaching Xu Chen?"

Jiang Xun smiled bitterly to himself.

He knew Xu Chen purely because of Ajiu, but in the eyes of the Duke of Wei, this was probably called "scheming".

"Your Excellency, Duke of Wei, are wise." Jiang Xun cupped his hands in greeting, his tone frank. "This humble subject met Young Master Xu by chance and had no ulterior motives."

The Duke of Wei stared at him for a long time, seemingly believing him, yet also seemingly not believing him.

He put the silk paper away, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a moment.

"I have a favor to ask of you."

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "The Duke of Wei has given an order, how dare I disobey? But I am merely a commoner in the martial world, what help can I possibly offer?"

The Duke of Wei did not answer immediately.

He stood up, walked to the bookshelf, took down a long, rectangular wooden box, placed it on the table, and opened it.

Inside was a military crossbow.

Jiang Xun leaned closer for a look.

The crossbow arm was made of fine hardwood, the crossbow string was made of twisted ox sinew and steel wire, and the crossbow mechanism was cast from fine iron with fine engravings on it.

He didn't know much about weapons, but he could tell that this thing was well-made and not an ordinary item.

The Duke of Wei turned the crossbow over and pointed to a line of small characters at the bottom of the crossbow arm.

"The Ministry of Works' Ordnance Bureau was established in the twelfth year of the Jianwu era."

The twelfth year of Jianwu, that was eight years ago.

"This crossbow was discovered in the northern border." The Duke of Wei's voice deepened. "Da Yong strictly forbids weapons from leaving the border, yet this thing appeared in the market of Shuofeng City."

Jiang Xun's heart stirred.

Ling Xuan also mentioned this matter at the banquet last night.

At the time, the Duke of Wei confidently declared that he had "heard of this for the first time" and "would investigate"—but it turned out he was just faking it.

That old fox knows everything.

"This matter is of great importance." The Duke of Wei put the crossbows back into the box, his tone turning serious. "I have checked the canal transport office, the Ministry of Works, and the border entry and exit records, but I have found nothing. How did this batch of crossbows get out, who handled them, and who ended up in their hands? I have no idea."

He looked up at Jiang Xun: "So, the only way is to investigate from the northern border."

"Does the Duke want me to investigate the crossbows?" Jiang Xun asked.

"good."