It really wasn't Sarhan!
It was true! It was all true!
Did Lord Xu even predict this?
...
By the boundary river, a thick fog permeated the air, swallowing all the scenery between heaven and earth.
The gravel on the riverbank was wet and slippery from the moisture. Qian Fugui stood at the edge of the reed marsh, the fat all over his body trembling uncontrollably.
That gust of morning wind had only blown the fog away for a brief moment, yet it scared half his wits away.
The silver rivets on the scabbard, the wolf-hair tassel at its end...
Qian Fugui had struggled and survived in this border market for six years; what kind of monsters and demons hadn't he seen? Although Sarhan was a great merchant of the Helian tribe, wealthy enough to rival a nation, at the end of the day, he was just a businessman.
The Helian Khanate had a strict hierarchy. That specific style of scimitar was only permitted to be worn by the elite officers of the Royal Court!
The person who came was not Sarhan at all!
A double-cross...
At that time, the young female imperial envoy had sat upright in her grand chair, toying with the lid of her teacup.
Superintendent Qian, something will inevitably go wrong with the Helian tribe. If anything seems amiss, run southwest. Someone will be there to receive you.
At the time, Qian Fugui just thought the imperial envoy was being cautious and had given the instruction casually. But right now, those light words made his whole body shudder.
A god... The imperial envoy is simply a living god!
Qian Fugui dared not hesitate for another second. He turned his head and glanced at Zhang Tiezhu and the others, who were guarding the carriage out of sheer boredom not far away.
The dozen or so personal guards were gathered together, whispering and laughing. None of them noticed the sudden change on that small boat deep within the thick fog.
Qian Fugui took a deep breath of the damp, cold air. Hunching over, he covered the skinny donkey's mouth with both hands and stumbled backward into the waist-high reeds.
He didn't dare make a single sound. Under the cover of the dense fog, he sprinted madly toward the southwest without looking back.
Run for his life! As long as he reached the southwest, he would live!
...
In the middle of the river, the fog was even heavier.
Two small boats rocked gently on the water, no more than ten feet apart.
Zhao Si squatted at the bow of the boat, gripping an oar in his hand, squinting as he sized up the figure standing up on the opposite boat.
The other party had a burly physique, wrapped in a heavy wool cloak. The hood covered most of his face, revealing only a dark red scar that slashed from his brow bone down to the corner of his mouth.
Zhao Si muttered in his heart. This man looked unfamiliar and had a fierce countenance; he was definitely not that smiling old fox, Sarhan.
But on second thought, Lord He had also mentioned that for such a shady, large-scale transaction, it was only reasonable for Sarhan to send a trusted, formidable subordinate to handle the exchange.
As long as the goods were brought, who cares who it was.
Zhao Si secured the oar, freed his hand to pat the pouch at his waist, squeezed out what he thought was an experienced, cold smile, and then spoke.
Brother, let's not speak in riddles. You brought the stuff, right?
The mysterious Helian man opposite him looked down at Zhao Si from a higher vantage point. His eyes were sharp, and a trace of contempt flashed across the corner of his mouth.
He spoke in broken Great Qian mandarin, his voice coarse and carrying a thick Helian accent. Of course I brought it. It just depends on whether you can swallow it.
The mysterious man was currently sneering inwardly.
Before he came, the Royal Court's spies had sent back news saying that Great Qian had sent a highly capable female imperial envoy. Not only had she forcibly taken over the border market, but she also brought out divine artifacts of miraculous craftsmanship, forcing that stray dog Sarhan into a corner, willing to risk the extermination of his entire clan to trade at Wild Fox Beach.
After the Right Luli King learned of this, he immediately dispatched him to lead elites and lie in ambush here overnight. The goal was to intercept these divine artifacts and, in passing, catch Sarhan and that Great Qian envoy in one fell swoop.
But what was this thing in front of him?
A vulgar, ill-mannered soldier?
Was this the rumored female imperial envoy who never miscalculated? Was the Great Qian court out of people, sending such an idiot to Wild Fox Beach to do this kind of deadly business?
As he muttered in his heart, his gaze swept over Zhao Si's nondescript merchant disguise twice, and he asked probingly, Why is it you? Where is your Great Qian imperial envoy? Could she be afraid of our Helian blades and too scared to show her face?
Hearing this, Zhao Si's face instantly darkened.
He was the trusted confidant of Lord He Minghu! If this errand was successful, he would be the favorite of the deputy general's manor. How could he let a Helian barbarian look down on him?
Trying to be clever, Zhao Si puffed out his chest. Fearing that the other party would get suspicious and refuse to hand over the goods, he proactively offered an excuse. Bullshit! What kind of noble status does our imperial envoy have? She just arrived and caught a cold.
This damn weather in the northern desert, roasting during the day and freezing at night. How could a delicate capital official like her endure this?
Speaking of this, the corner of Zhao Si's mouth curled up. He lowered his voice and leaned in closer. Besides, for this kind of business, it naturally has to be handled by our He... ahem, by us underlings to be safe, right? Enough nonsense, where are the cattle, sheep, and grain?
After hearing these words, the corner of the mysterious Helian man's mouth under the hood slowly curled up.
Idiot.
A complete and utter idiot.
In just a few words, he had completely leaked his bottom line, not only exposing the fact that the imperial envoy was not present but also almost betraying the master behind him.
It seemed that in this game, victory was firmly in his grasp.
Great Qian's treasures were destined to belong to the Helian Royal Court; and this self-smart soldier, along with those people on the shore, would all become wandering ghosts on this Wild Fox Beach.
The cattle and sheep are all in the woods on the north bank. The mysterious man slowly raised his right hand. Bring the goods over, and I will naturally let you inspect them.
Hearing this, Zhao Si's eyes lit up, and he immediately reached into his clothes to pull out that red sandalwood box.
Just then, a curse suddenly came from the thick fog on the south bank.
Hey? Why is Superintendent Qian gone? This damn fatty slipped away!
The voice pierced through the heavy fog and echoed over the empty river. It was Zhang Tiezhu's voice.
Zhao Si's hand, which was reaching into his clothes, paused.
Qian Fugui ran away?
Why the hell did that damn fatty run away at this critical juncture?!
This son of a bitch only knows how to ruin my good deeds...
Zhao Si's expression changed, and he just wanted to turn his head and curse at the shore.
However, at the very moment he turned his neck.
Swish!
A slight, sharp whistle cutting through the air was masked by the sounds of the river wind and the waves.
Zhao Si only felt his chest suddenly stagnate. His heart suffered a heavy blow, and a chill instantly roamed his entire body.
He froze.
Zhao Si stiffly lowered his head. By the faint daylight, he saw that at some point, a black needle as thin as a cow's hair had appeared on his chest.
The tail of the needle was still trembling slightly.
Pfft!
A mouthful of thick blood sprayed from Zhao Si's mouth.
With a muffled thud, Zhao Si smashed heavily onto the bottom of the boat.
His vision began to blur. He opened his mouth wide, panting in vain, as black blood gurgled out from the corners of his mouth.
He couldn't understand.
The goods were clearly brought, the cattle and sheep were clearly about to be exchanged, everything was clearly going so smoothly...
In the breath before his consciousness plunged into darkness, only one last obsession remained in Zhao Si's mind.
Lord He, this time... it should be my turn... to get a promotion, right?
