The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

Armas, the mysterious messenger from the Parthian Empire, shouldered the important task entrusted by the king and quietly stepped into the Central Plains.

He followed the vague clues he got from Smith all the way, like a walker groping in the dark, carefully searching for the princess's whereabouts.

That day, he appeared around the Huang Mansion like a ghost.

Armas hid in the shadows of the street corner, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, not letting go of anyone who entered or left the Huang Mansion.

After several hours of patient observation and clever questioning, he finally determined the approximate location of the princess.

He secretly rejoiced in his heart, muttering to himself: "Fortunately, this princess is not in the heavily guarded Youzhou. Otherwise, with the heavy guards there, I am afraid it will take a lot of effort, or even return empty-handed."

The sun gradually sets in the west, and its afterglow dyes the sky blood red, as if foreshadowing the upcoming uneasy night.

Armas found a secluded corner, sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for the night to fall.

After Shi Daming hurriedly left the Huang Mansion, he did not rush to the Parthian Empire as usual.

He was thoughtful and certain that the king would never sit idly by and watch the princess disappear. He would definitely send capable people to find the whereabouts of the princess. So he simply found a place to stay near the Huang Mansion and waited for good news.

As night fell, Shi Daming stayed in a nearby inn.

The candlelight in the lobby of the inn flickered, emitting a dim glow. He slowly walked into the first floor hall, ready to find something to eat.

There were few people in the hall, and the diners were talking in low voices, creating a slightly depressing atmosphere.

Smith's eyes inadvertently swept to the corner, and saw a familiar figure - Armas.

The tough outline and deep eyes are still uniquely recognizable even in a dim corner.

Shi Daming was overjoyed, as if he had suddenly seen a lighthouse guiding him in the vast ocean.

He hurried forward with a warm smile on his face and excitement in his voice: "Lord Armas, I never thought I could meet you here!"

Armas was secretly thinking about how to sneak into Huang's house at night in a corner. When he saw Shi Daming, he couldn't help but show his joy.

He hurriedly stood up to greet him, warmly invited Shi Daming to sit with him, and asked anxiously: "Shi Daming, how is everything going?"

Shi Daming's face was full of pride, and he replied softly, "It went quite smoothly. I have successfully obtained Xi Yu's birth date and horoscope."

Armas nodded his head in acceptance and said solemnly: "Thanks to you for bringing the news, the king sent me here. This operation must succeed and not fail."

Shi Daming crossed his arms and said leisurely, "I knew the king would send someone, so I waited nearby. Now that you are here, I'm sure you can accomplish your mission."

Armas' eyes showed determination, and he and Shi Daming looked at each other, and they both saw each other's determination.

Immediately, the two of them lowered their voices and carefully planned a detailed plan to sneak into the Huang Mansion at night, carefully considering many aspects and striving to be comprehensive and risk-free.

Shi Daming looked serious and asked in a low voice, "Armas, have you been to the Huang Mansion?"

Armas responded just as seriously: "Yes, I am going to do it tonight."

Smith was silent for a moment, then continued, "Well, we have to be more careful when we move at night."

Armas responded: "Yes, I know."

After Armas and Smith finished their preliminary discussion, they felt a little more relaxed and ordered some dishes together at the inn.

The table was filled with a variety of food, exuding an enticing aroma.

Armas picked up a piece of fresh meat jerky, put it in his mouth and chewed it, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "This Central Plains is indeed rich in products, with countless delicacies and various rare treasures can be found in the market. No wonder so many forces have been competing for it since ancient times."

Shi Daming swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's right. Look at Xi Yu, now that he is the prime minister, the prosperity and importance of the Central Plains are even more evident. In the past, various forces fought for this vast territory of the Central Plains, and all wanted to take it into their own pockets."

Armas picked up the wine glass and took a sip. His eyes revealed a trace of yearning and ambition. He said leisurely: "Humph, if one day these places can all become the territory of the Parthian Empire, then my Parthian Empire will surely dominate the world. By then, both wealth and power will be limitless."

After that, the two of them stopped talking and just sat quietly, each thinking about what they would face next.

Shi Damei breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If that's the case, then I'm relieved. Without further ado, I will return to Parthia to report the news to the king, so that your majesty can wait for the news with peace of mind."

Armas nodded slightly, his eyes full of concern: "It's a long journey, you must be careful along the way. The situation is complicated now, and there is no guarantee that there will be no accidents. Don't be careless."

"Don't worry, I will be more careful. As for you, you are about to go deep into the Huang Mansion, which is the real dangerous place. You must be safe."

Armas smiled firmly and said, "I will do my best. Please leave as soon as possible and don't delay your trip."

Smith said no more, turned around and walked away quickly. Armas looked at his back, silently organizing his thoughts and making final preparations for the upcoming night operation.

The deep night enveloped the Prime Minister's Mansion. Xi Yu was reviewing bamboo slips in the study, with the lights flickering dimly.

At this moment, a soldier at the border crossing hurried over, knelt on one knee, and looked anxious.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, I have come to report this. After detailed questioning, it has been confirmed that the crazy man that day is not a native of Youzhou. We were in transit, but we could not find any trace of how he entered the country. We have failed your trust. This is our fault for dereliction of duty. We beg the Prime Minister to punish us." The soldier's voice was trembling.

Xi Yu put down the bamboo slips, frowned, and his heart was full of doubts.

"Not from Youzhou? That's strange. Since there is no record or sign of entry, could it be that this person fell from the sky?"

Xi Yu looked serious and shouted to the soldiers, "Take that man and interrogate him. Don't let him sleep. If he feels sleepy, whip him with a whip until he collapses and he will definitely tell the truth. I have to hear the exact news at noon tomorrow. Do you understand?"

When the soldiers heard this, they all thought that the Prime Minister's idea was great, and they quickly responded loudly: "Don't worry, Prime Minister, we will complete the task!" After that, they walked away in a heroic and high-spirited manner.

After the soldiers left, Xi Yu stood there with his hands behind his back, muttering, "This matter is not that simple. The man was able to appear at the border quietly, so he must be extraordinary. I hope we can find out the truth from his interrogation, otherwise our Youzhou border may not be peaceful."

The dark basement was filled with dampness and chill. The mad man was chained by heavy iron chains. He looked up and saw several soldiers approaching. He shouted at the top of his voice: "Aren't you going to kill me? Then don't hesitate, do it quickly, I hope to die soon and be reborn soon!"

However, the soldiers acted as if they didn't hear anything and just sat around by themselves.

A soldier took out a few sesame cakes from his pocket and shared them with his companions, muttering, "It's really tiring to stand guard today. I'm already starving."

Another soldier replied, "That's right. No matter what this lunatic says, let's fill our stomachs first."

As they munched on the sesame cakes, they chatted and laughed about which brother in the camp had made a great contribution recently and which general had the weirdest temper.

Seeing that no one paid any attention to him, the big man became even more angry. He struggled desperately against the chains, making a rattling sound, and kept shouting and cursing: "You bunch of deaf people! You have the guts to kill people, but you don't have the guts to listen to me?"

But the soldiers remained indifferent. The basement was filled with the soldiers' laughter and the big man's shouting and cursing, which seemed particularly weird. In this dark and damp basement, the big man's roar continued to echo.

Anyway, the Prime Minister has already given the order, so let’s talk about it late at night.

At this time, a soldier slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, wiped his mouth, glanced at the big man, and said lazily: "You'd better save your energy. If you get thirsty soon, we won't give you a drop of water. Just wait for the prime minister's decision and don't mess around here."

After that, he continued chatting with other soldiers. The topic shifted from which tavern in the city had the best wine to the recent war rumors, and he completely ignored the big man's roar.

It was as if he was just an insignificant ornament in the basement. No matter how angry he was or how he struggled, he could not arouse any more waves among them.

The big man yelled and cursed at the top of his lungs for a long time. His throat gradually became dry and he felt uncomfortable as if it was on fire. Finally, he could not resist the instinctive demands of his body and slowly stopped struggling and yelling.

He gasped weakly, and after a moment's silence, he said, "I'm hungry, give me something to eat." However, the soldiers pretended not to hear him and continued to sit together, happily chatting about family matters, from interesting things in the streets to which girl was beautiful. No one cast their eyes on the big man, as if he did not exist in this space at all.

The big man looked at the soldiers' indifferent backs, with a hint of despair and anger in his eyes, but he was helpless and could only endure the double torture of hunger and thirst alone in this silent basement.

As the night progressed, the basement became even colder.

The big man was coughing and tired, his body was extremely exhausted, but the resentment in his heart did not diminish in the slightest.

He forced himself to curse again, but after just a few words, his throat felt like it was being rubbed by sandpaper, and the fear of thirst made him swallow the rest of his words.

His eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier, and just as he was about to fall asleep, a soldier suddenly stood up, and the whip in his hand whistled out like a poisonous snake, and hit the big man with a "snap".

The big man was instantly awakened by the severe pain, his eyes wide open with anger.

"Tell the truth, how did you get into Youzhou?" the soldiers shouted in unison.

The big man gritted his teeth and said viciously: "I walked in openly!"

The soldiers sneered at each other after hearing this. The leading soldier snorted, "Humph, since you are so ungrateful, don't blame us for being rude. Brothers, keep beating him hard. I want to see how long he can keep his mouth shut!"

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After that, several whips fell like raindrops again, accompanied by the big man's screams and roars, and the atmosphere in the basement became more tense and cruel.

After that, the soldiers no longer tortured the man, but just stared at him, not giving him a chance to close his eyes.

Whenever the big man's eyelids began to droop heavily, the whip would whistle mercilessly and hit him accurately, pulling him back from the brink of sleep.

At first, the big man would roar and struggle angrily, but as time went on, his eyes gradually lost their luster and his mind began to become dazed.

The long-term fatigue and suffering were like a surging tide, gradually breaking down his inner defenses.

His body couldn't stop shaking, and his mumbling voice was full of despair and helplessness.

Finally, after being whipped again and again, the big man's mentality completely collapsed.

He was like a puppet that had lost its soul, staring blankly ahead with empty eyes, and constantly muttering words of begging for mercy, just to be allowed to get some sleep.

The stubbornness and ferocity that he once had had long since disappeared without a trace, leaving only a pitiful man who had been tortured to exhaustion both physically and mentally.

The big man hung his head, as if all his energy had been drained out of him. He said weakly, "I said, I walked into Youzhou through a secret passage."

When the soldiers heard this, they were shocked and looked at each other, seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

One of the soldiers came forward and asked anxiously, "What secret passage? Tell me more about it. Where is it?"

The big man weakly raised his eyelids and said in a pleading tone: "I feel really uncomfortable now, and my head is dizzy. Can you let me rest for a while and talk about it tomorrow?"

"Humph, wishful thinking!" Another soldier immediately glared and scolded, "The Prime Minister has ordered that we must hear the exact results of the interrogation today. You must tell us now. Don't drag it out, or you will be in trouble!"

As he spoke, he raised the whip in his hand, as if he was going to strike again.

The big man was so frightened when he saw this that he could only pull himself together and stammered as he began to describe the details of the secret passage.

The big man looked helpless and spoke weakly.

"Well, I had nowhere to go on the way, and I was so hungry and irritable that I wandered around like a vicious man. Later, I saw a house and I had evil intentions, so I forcibly occupied the house."

At this point, he took a few breaths and continued, "When I was wandering around in that room, I accidentally found the entrance to a secret passage. I thought at the time that there might be some treasure hidden underneath, so I bravely went down. Who would have known that I would walk along the secret passage, turning around and around, and actually end up in Youzhou. I am telling you the truth. If I tell you even a lie, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"

After hearing this, the soldiers exchanged glances with each other, wondering whether this matter was true or not. They thought they had to report the situation to the prime minister as soon as possible. After all, the matter of this secret passage was of no trivial matter.

It was very late at night and everything was quiet; only the dim light in the basement was still flickering.

After hearing what the big man said, the soldiers thought this matter was very important, but at this moment they were so sleepy that their eyelids were drooping.

A soldier yawned and said, "It's really too late today. The Prime Minister is probably resting now. It's not appropriate for us to report now."

The other soldiers nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, this big man can't get away anyway. Let's go to the Prime Minister in the morning and report this matter in high spirits. Now, take turns to guard him and make sure nothing goes wrong."

After that, they arranged the order of the night watch, waiting for daybreak to inform Xi Yu of the important news about the secret passage.

The next morning, just as the sun was shining on the eaves of the Prime Minister's Mansion, a soldier hurried over.

He met Xi Yu with a nervous look and reported everything the big man said last night to him.

Xi Yu's originally calm face suddenly changed color, and he said in shock: "There is a secret passage that leads directly to Youzhou? This is of great importance! Whether it is an old passage or a newly excavated one, the hidden dangers are immeasurable."

The soldier responded respectfully.

"Mr. Prime Minister, the big man didn't know the origin of the secret passage either, he just said he found it by accident. But in my opinion, this is indeed a rare clue, maybe we can use it to uncover the secret behind it."

Xi Yu nodded slightly, his eyes revealing coldness and decisiveness.

"Go back quickly and have the soldiers interrogate the big man again. Make sure he leads the way to the residential area where the secret passage was found. I will then arrange for someone to go and investigate together. We must get to the bottom of this matter and never let the safety of Youzhou be threatened in the slightest."

"Yes, Prime Minister!" After receiving the order, the soldier quickly turned around and left.

Xi Yu stood there, brows furrowed, lost in thought.

The soldiers returned to the dim cell where the big man was imprisoned with grim expressions, and their footsteps made a dull echo on the stone floor.

The torch in the corner flickered, illuminating the man's tired but still resolute face.

"What's your name? Where do you live?" the leading soldier asked sternly, his eyes as sharp as torches, as if he could penetrate the soul of the big man.

The big man raised his head slightly, his eyes calm.

"My name is Wang Hu, and I'm from Pizhou."

"Wang Hu, lead the way now to the secret passage you mentioned." The soldier stepped forward, untied the chains on Wang Hu, grabbed his arm and pulled him up from the ground.

Wang Hu moved his numb body, without any resistance, and walked silently towards the prison door.

The soldiers followed closely behind, their weapons flashing coldly in the dim light, and they looked around vigilantly.

After a while, Wang Hu suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked coldly at the soldiers behind him.

"If you can really find the secret passage this time, I will have done a great deed. Now that things have come to this, I have nothing else to ask for. I only hope that you can give me a quick death and let me die more easily."

The soldiers looked at each other in confusion.

The leading soldier frowned, stepped forward and asked, "Why do you want to die so badly? Now that you have revealed the secret passage, there may be a glimmer of hope for survival."

Wang Hu looked up at the sky, sighed deeply, and said slowly: "I've lived enough." (End of this chapter)