Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

Seeing this, the old man's heart sank suddenly, and a layer of fine beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead. His legs softened, and he fell to his knees with a plop. He kowtowed desperately and begged for mercy in a trembling voice: "General, General! I don't know what I have done to deserve your presence. If there is anything I can do, please tell me. I am just a poor shepherd and don't have much money! I hope you will show mercy and spare my life!" As he spoke, the old man was already in tears, his face full of fear.

The middle-aged man on the tall horse frowned in displeasure, as if deeply dissatisfied with what was happening. Then, his previously calm face suddenly became expressionless, and he said coldly, "Hurry up and get up! We have something important to ask you. If you can answer truthfully, you will be rewarded."

The old man shuddered at this, slowly raising his long-drooped head and looking at the towering figure with fear and awe. His lips trembled as he replied, "Sir, what is it you wish to ask? As long as I know everything, I will tell you everything!"

At this moment, the middle-aged man stared at him suspiciously, asking in confusion, "With such a beautiful scene, why did you dig such a big hole here? And why did you bury all these things here? Especially these two sheep, is there some hidden reason?"

Upon hearing this, the old man smiled bitterly and, helplessly, recounted a tragic experience he had personally endured in his youth. He pointed at the two sheep, whose chins were drooling profusely, a truly bizarre sight. The old man swallowed and continued, "Sir, I think these two sheep have contracted the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease! If this disease were to spread, the consequences would be disastrous! That's why I'm thinking of burying them deep underground to stop this disaster from spreading any further!"

The middle-aged man asked anxiously, "Did you really find these two sheep in your flock?" The old man shook his head without hesitation and replied, "No! Absolutely not! These two sheep were brought back by my ram when it ran out to play." Hearing this, the middle-aged man felt a little relieved, but he still asked, "Then where did you bring it back from? And where do you usually graze your sheep?"

The old man frowned, and after careful recollection, he said, "I usually graze my sheep on the grassland in the south. That day, when I was driving the flock back, I saw that our ram brought back two ewes from other places. I didn't think it was anything special at the time. After all, it's common for sheep to get lost or bring back new companions. But who would have thought that just two days later, I found that the two new sheep seemed to be sick.

At first, I didn't take it too seriously, thinking they would get better on their own in a few days. But to my surprise, within less than a day, the two sheep's condition worsened. Suddenly, I remembered a similar incident from more than a decade ago. My heart skipped a beat, and I thought, "Oh no!" So I quickly found a secluded place and buried the two sick sheep far away.

Upon hearing this, a middle-aged man suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Old man! You must bury the sheep under the rock. Don't let those wild dogs smell it and take it out!" After hearing this, the old man nodded hurriedly to show that he understood.

Without hesitation, the middle-aged man threw down a glittering ingot of silver and the reins of the golden horse. Then, with a slap on the horse's belly, the steed sped off like an arrow. The man on horseback could be heard shouting, "Hurry up!" The remaining young men, though somewhat bewildered by this sudden turn of events, dared not disobey and obediently followed the man on horseback.

The old man watched them walk away, still feeling a little scared. He calmed himself down, then carefully walked forward, bent down, and picked up the silver ingot that had fallen on the ground. He first weighed it in his hand, then took a light bite. After confirming the authenticity of the silver, the old man quickly put it into his pocket as if it were a treasure, muttering to himself: "Oh my, I was really scared!

No, no, I have to buy this sheep and go home quickly. It’s not suitable to stay here for long! " After saying this, the old man no longer hesitated. He used all his strength to push the sheep into the dug pit. Then he picked up the shovel and filled the pit with soil. After a while, he buried the sheep tightly.

The man anxiously whipped his whip as his steed galloped southward at lightning speed. He constantly changed routes along the way, and after a long time, he finally reached the border. This was the border between the Xiongnu and the Great Shun. Although many nomads frequented this area, there were both their own people and ours.

Despite the abundance of grass and water, few people come here. This is because people on both sides are afraid of being robbed by the other side. Only those who are strong and have many sheepdogs to accompany them dare to stay for a while.

At that moment, the vast expanse of grass was lush and green, like a giant green carpet. Yet, looking around, there was not a single person or animal in sight. Only the gentle breeze rustled through the grass, creating waves of green that rose and fell, making a rustling sound. The middle-aged man, unsure of what was going on, suddenly pulled the reins, turned his horse, and whipped his whip again, urging his steed to gallop towards the city.

The men rode their horses back at a swift speed, quickly arriving in the city. The middle-aged man pulled the reins, dismounted, and turned to his men, saying, "You've been exhausted from the journey. Go back and rest!" The young men who had come with him were somewhat puzzled, but they still obeyed the order and returned to their respective lodgings.

The middle-aged man dusted himself off and carefully straightened his slightly disheveled clothing before hurriedly heading towards the Lower Protectorate. His expression was solemn, as if he was preoccupied with something extremely important.

Not long after, the middle-aged man finally arrived at the Lower Protectorate. He walked straight to Zhou Qi's location, familiar with the area. Upon meeting Zhou Qi, the middle-aged man didn't bother with the usual pleasantries and immediately told him everything he had suspected. Zhou Qi's expression changed slightly, knowing full well that this matter was of grave importance. Without hesitation, he led the middle-aged man straight to the Fourth Prince's study.

When they arrived at the study door, they saw two guards standing there. Zhu Qi stepped forward and said to one of them in a gentle voice, "Brother, please go in and inform the Fourth Prince that I have something important to report." Seeing that it was Butler Zhu Qi, the guard nodded respectfully and said, "Okay, Butler Zhu, please wait a moment." With that, he turned and quickly walked into the study to pass on the message.

Not long after, the guard came out from the door. He looked at Zhu Qi expressionlessly and said slowly, "The fourth house invites you in. You can go in." Zhu Qi nodded and turned to gesture to the middle-aged man behind him. Then the two of them walked into the study together.

Upon entering the study, they saw the Fourth Prince sitting at his desk, head bowed, a brush in hand, intently reviewing the pile of correspondence on his desk. Zhu Qi didn't dare to delay and hurried forward, kneeling on both knees. He said respectfully, "Greetings, Fourth Prince!" The middle-aged man behind him also knelt down and said, "Greetings, Fourth Prince!"

However, the Fourth Prince seemed oblivious to the words, not even looking up. His hands continued to work diligently on the letter. After a long pause, he spoke in an unusually calm tone, "Everyone, get up! What's the matter? Tell me quickly. I'm busy right now."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qi and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance, both seeming somewhat hesitant. Finally, Zhu Qi coughed lightly and whispered to the middle-aged man beside him, "You go and report to the Fourth Prince."

The middle-aged man recounted in detail how he had discovered the old man and what he had said. It turned out that the middle-aged man had only been passing through the village when his keen observation allowed him to notice something unusual in the old man's behavior. So, he decided to observe him secretly and then skillfully struck up a conversation with him.

During the conversation, the old man gradually let down his guard and confided in the middle-aged man some unknown things. After listening to the old man's account, the middle-aged man became suspicious and felt that this matter was of great significance. To verify the old man's words, he personally went to the border area to conduct a thorough investigation.

After some on-the-ground investigation, the middle-aged man had a clearer understanding of the situation. After returning to the capital, he immediately requested an audience with the Fourth Prince, eager to pour out his thoughts and everything he had seen and heard along the way.

The Fourth Prince sat in the hall, listening intently to the middle-aged man's story. As the middle-aged man's words continued, the Fourth Prince's expression gradually became serious. When he heard the last part, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but frown. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "It seems that this incident is very likely a trap carefully set by the enemy country!"