Chapter 18
Just as we were lost in confusion,
an elderly man, weary from travel, arrived at the yamen.
He was Xu Minghao’s former military mentor, now retired.
He brought with him a letter left by Xu Minghao.
The old man spoke with deep sorrow:
“Minghao, on this journey, had long sensed that his uncle Cui Sheng was not what he seemed…”
It turned out that Messenger Xu suspected Cui Sheng of colluding with the Northern Di, but lacked evidence.
Years ago, Messenger Xu had received a handwritten letter from his aunt.
The words in the letter were veiled, but the message clearly revealed that Cui Sheng was a spy for the enemy nation.
Yet, not long after,
Messenger Xu’s aunt died under mysterious circumstances…
Messenger Xu had indeed suffered an arrow wound years ago.
And the one who shot him was none other than the spy “Shadow Scale.”
Messenger Xu knew the properties of Chiyang Powder, so he decided to use himself as bait.
He took a small dose of Chiyang Powder in advance,
and deliberately chose to stay at the Ghost Manor when the osmanthus was in full bloom,
placing himself in the center of the scheme, forcing the enemy to act.
The first secret letter
was, of course, a deliberate flaw left by Messenger Xu,
to make Cui Sheng and his associates believe they had an opportunity.
The second secret letter
was the Defense Map sewn into the inside of his left upper arm,
which was also a fake.
Messenger Xu worried that a single attempt
would not be enough to deceive the cunning Cui Sheng.
Moreover, the forces behind Cui Sheng were all secretly connected.
So, he decided to use his body one more time.
Because hiding the most confidential intelligence in one’s body is an open secret in the military.
Thus, no one would suspect that a message hidden in a corpse could be false.
And a corpse is not as easy to move as a piece of paper.
So, he used his own body to leave you the greatest clue.
The old man took a deep breath:
“As for the real intelligence, it was hidden in a place only we know.”
“Where?” I asked urgently.
“In the hilt of his saber. He said, ‘As long as the saber is here, so am I. If I am gone, the saber must be returned to the barracks.'”
We immediately took out Xu Minghao’s Saber.
It was the only item I personally took from his side that morning.
When I opened the secret compartment in the hilt, I felt as if fate itself had entrusted this to me-
The real Defense Map of the border was laid out before us.
So it turned out, everything had been calculated by Xu Minghao.
He had long known that his uncle Cui Sheng was a spy.
He had long known that the Ghost Manor was a trap.
He might have even known that the real Captain Yin had already met his end on the way to Qinglan City with him.
Yet he still resolutely set foot on this path of no return.
With his own life, he completely destroyed the Enemy Intelligence Network that had lurked for years,
and preserved the peace of a nation.