Hearing this, General Bruce Meng looked at Ian Song and asked, "Young Master Song, do you have any good suggestions?"
"This guy is way too arrogant. Let's knock him down a peg—drag him out and give him twenty strokes with the military rod!" Ian Song said calmly.
"We'll do as Young Master Song says!" General Bruce Meng nodded, agreeing it was time to show this cocky fellow some real discipline. "Men! Drag him out and give him twenty strokes!"
"How dare you! I'm a staff adviser to General Victor Zhao, Left General of the Zhao Kingdom! If you so much as touch a hair on my head, General Zhao will never let you off!" Tu Xiu panicked when he heard he was about to be beaten, and shouted in terror.
Two soldiers responded and forcibly dragged him out of the hall. Soon after, a series of miserable screams echoed back, making Shen Du shudder with fear. On the Divine Land continent, scholars hold very high status—there's even a saying that punishments do not apply to gentlemen.
Now, beating Tu Xiu with the military rod already went against that rule. But Shen Du was still a criminal with his life on the line, so he didn't dare say much.
"City Lord Shen Du."
"Your subordinate is here."
"Go calm the city’s troops and civilians first. Leave the rest to me!"
"Yes, I’ll take my leave."
Once Shen Du had left, General Bruce Meng's face grew deeply worried and anxious. "Young Master Song, how should we deal with the Zhao Kingdom's main army next?"
"If soldiers come, we'll meet them with generals; if water floods in, we'll block it with earth! Leave the Zhao Kingdom army to me—I'll handle it!" Ian Song waved dismissively, unconcerned.
Hearing this, Bruce Meng was briefly delighted, but soon his heart sank again. The Zhao Kingdom’s army wasn’t just a thousand or two—Left General Victor Zhao commanded over fifteen thousand men. Ian Song might be strong enough to handle a few hundred, but up against fifteen thousand, even an immortal would struggle.
"May I ask what Young Master Song plans to do about the Zhao Kingdom's army?"
"What, General Meng? You don’t believe me?" Ian Song said in a deep voice.
"I wouldn’t dare!" Bruce Meng said hurriedly.
"Relax. I have my own way." Ian Song smiled again. Just then, a soldier came in to report that Tu Xiu had received his twenty strokes.
"Bring him in!" Ian Song ordered coldly.
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, Tu Xiu—his backside a bloody mess—was dragged in by two soldiers. Clearly, they hadn’t held back at all.
The two soldiers tossed Tu Xiu onto the ground and then left.
Tu Xiu gritted his teeth, glaring hatefully at Ian Song and General Bruce Meng. He spat, "Bruce Meng, punishments do not apply to scholars! If you humiliate me like this and word gets out, you'll become the enemy of every scholar in the land!"
Bruce Meng’s expression changed dramatically, a hint of worry flashing across his face.
"Looks like he hasn’t been beaten enough! Still daring to threaten General Meng." Ian Song smirked. "Here’s the deal: first, I’ll cut off one of your fingers. If you still won’t cooperate, I’ll cut off two. Let’s see how many fingers you’ve got for me to chop off."
After the fingers, I’ll move on to your toes. And if you still refuse, then it’ll be your tongue and your nose!"
Ian Song spoke as if it were nothing, but Tu Xiu was scared out of his wits. "Enough! Ask whatever you want—I’ll tell you! Just make it quick!"
"See? Should’ve done that from the start." Ian Song curled his lip. "General Meng, you ask the questions."
Bruce Meng nodded and looked at Tu Xiu. "How many troops did Victor Zhao bring this time?"
"Twenty thousand!" Tu Xiu answered honestly.
When Bruce Meng heard that Victor Zhao had brought twenty thousand troops, his face changed again. He pressed on, "Where are they encamped?"
"Eighty li to the east!"
"When does Victor Zhao plan to attack the city?"
"At most, three days from now! Before I came to Edgehaven, I made an agreement with the general: if I don’t return within three days, he’ll lead the army to attack the city!"
Bruce Meng then asked Tu Xiu about Victor Zhao’s auxiliary troops and provisions.
"I’ve told you everything. General Meng, just kill me!" Tu Xiu pleaded.
"What if I gave you a chance to live—if you defected to serve His Highness the Crown Prince, would you take it?" Ian Song asked again. This guy had the guts to come to Edgehaven with just two men to persuade Shen Du to surrender, so he clearly had brains and courage.
If not for Ian’s intervention, Crown Prince Daniel Jiang and Bruce Meng would already have fallen into his hands.
Ian Song’s first mission was to help Daniel Jiang restore the kingdom, but right now Daniel was basically a commander with no soldiers or advisers. That’s why Ian decided to recruit Tu Xiu.
Hearing Ian Song’s offer, Tu Xiu’s eyes lit up, but then quickly dimmed. "My whole family is in the Zhao Kingdom. If I defect, none of them will survive. Just kill me!"
"That’s easy. General Meng can announce to the public that you’ve been executed, then you take a new name and identity to serve the Crown Prince. As for your family, when the chance comes, I’ll help you rescue them! How does that sound?"
"This...?" Tu Xiu hesitated at Ian Song’s suggestion.
Just then, Ian Song flickered forward and slapped his palm onto Tu Xiu’s back.
He activated the divine power: Radiance of Life.
In just a few seconds, Tu Xiu was shocked to find his injuries had completely healed.
"What... Young Master Song, what happened to my wounds? How did they heal?" Tu Xiu instinctively touched his backside, and when he found it fully restored, he stared at Ian Song in utter disbelief.
Ian Song smiled proudly. "To be honest, I once apprenticed to an immortal on a mountain overseas. My talent wasn’t great, so I didn’t learn many immortal arts, but healing minor injuries like yours is a piece of cake!"
"What!"
"What!"
Bruce Meng and Tu Xiu exclaimed in unison.
Suddenly, Bruce Meng’s doubts vanished. No wonder Young Master Song was so powerful—he was an immortal’s disciple! And it looked like he truly intended to help the Crown Prince. Maybe there was hope for Qi’s restoration after all.
After a brief moment of shock, Tu Xiu knelt before Ian Song, speaking earnestly: "I am willing to serve you, Young Master Song!"
"No, you should pledge yourself to the Crown Prince," Ian Song corrected.
"Yes! I am willing to serve the Crown Prince!" Tu Xiu replied quickly.
"Since you can’t use your old name, from now on you’ll be called Xiu Song!"
"Thank you, Young Master Song, for granting me a new name!" Xiu Song said gratefully.
Just then, Shen Du rushed in, panic on his face. "Bad news, Young Master Song, General Meng! My scouts report that the Zhao Kingdom’s army is less than fifty li from Edgehaven. By noon tomorrow, they’ll be at our gates!"
"Don’t panic. Leave it to me!" Ian Song said in a deep voice.
That night, Ian Song left Edgehaven and headed straight east for fifty li—to the very place where the Zhao Kingdom’s army was camped.
For ordinary people, fifty li would take seven or eight hours to cover, but at Ian Song’s speed, it took less than forty minutes to reach a hill overlooking the army.