Frontier Hero: From Receiving a Convicted Woman to Becoming an Emperor for All Time

Shen Chuxiao looked at him and said, word by word, "I swear on my life, is that enough? I mean what I say."

The man's eyes blazed with struggle. "Why? Why didn't you just kill me?"

"You could have easily ended my life with one strike, do you think I'd believe you when you say these things?"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, struggling to stand up, but the rope pulled him off balance and he fell heavily to his knees.

"You don't even know what happened, yet you dare to say such things!"

The man's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was completely out of control.

"Do you know the consequences of disobeying? Do you know what will happen to me when I get back? My parents, my daughter, they're all in their hands! You'll protect me? What can you use to protect me? You can't even protect yourself, yet you dare to talk about protecting someone else's life!"

Shen Chuxiao didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly.

The man's anger gradually subsided, leaving only a look of utter dejection on his face.

He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, like a fish that had been drained of all its strength.

He raised his head, his eyes filled with despair and mockery: "Captain Shen, I've seen plenty of people like you. You talk a good game, but once you've used them, you just throw them away. What's the difference between you and them?"

Shen Chuxiao smiled and said:

"You're right about that. I'm no different from them."

The man was taken aback.

"But there's one difference."

Shen Chuxiao said softly, "I won't let my men become expendable pawns. If they encounter danger, I will be the first to rescue them, regardless of their status or rank. Even if they are just border soldiers, I will do the same. As for you, the reason they wanted you dead was because you were useless. But I'm letting you live because you are still useful."

Cheng Jin's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Furthermore, do you really think your parents and daughter will get a sum of money if you die? I doubt it. They might even be sold into prostitution in a border brothel. So you need to think this through. You don't have to say anything, but who will bear the consequences of your death? Your family? If you choose to trust me, I can send someone to bring your family to a safe place in the city, where my men will secretly protect them."

These words were like a blunt knife, stabbing deeply into Cheng Jin's chest.

He began to tremble violently, his lips quivering several times. Finally, all his defenses collapsed completely at that moment.

After a long silence, he finally let out a long sigh, his voice hoarse:

"My name is Cheng Jin, and I'm from the Protectorate General's Office."

"If I hadn't been cowardly and pretended to be dead during that battle, and been caught red-handed by Sun Biao, the squad leader, and labeled a coward, I would at least still be a respectable border soldier. But ever since then, he's used this incident to blackmail me, making me do shady things for him. If I refused, he would expose my faked death, which, according to military law, would be a capital offense."

"I thought about running away, but where could I run to? I'm just a lowly soldier; if I run away, my whole family will suffer too."

"I was dragged into this quagmire step by step, and by the time I wanted to extricate myself, I was already firmly gripped, with no way out."

At this point, Cheng Jin was already in tears.

Shen Chuxiao was silent for a moment before speaking, "So doing these dirty jobs wasn't your intention; deep down, you're still a border soldier who wants to protect your country."

Cheng Jin's body trembled violently, and although it was only a very slight movement, Shen Chuxiao saw it all.

After a long silence, Cheng Jin finally spoke: "Shen Chuxiao, you really are different from what they said."

"They say you're ruthless, that you're a crazy person who doesn't follow the rules."

The man wiped the blood and tears from his face, his voice hoarse, "But now I think they're fools. No wonder you were able to turn Ling Shuang Pass upside down in such a short time."

Shen Chuxiao didn't reply, but just waited quietly.

The man gritted his teeth, as if making a tremendous decision, and finally spoke:

"I'm not the only one who came this time; there are eight of us in total. We're all bodyguards trained by the Protectorate General. Sun Biao is in charge. We're usually scattered around the city doing odd jobs, but we gather together whenever we have a mission."

Shen Chuxiao's eyes flickered slightly: "So you're not Liu Wenzhao's?"

Cheng Jin nodded, her tone filled with gritted teeth and hatred: "That's right, what is Liu Wenzhao anyway? The only thing he's got any brains about is spreading rumors that General Lu has been detained, and he even said he wants to seize control of the entire Ling Shuang Pass."

Shen Chuxiao sneered: "Him?!"

"Of course he can't do it alone," Cheng Jin said in a low voice, "but what if the Protectorate General's Office fully supports him?"

The coldness in Shen Chuxiao's eyes intensified.

The Protectorate couldn't have remained silent after Deputy Protector-General Zhou Tieying was forced to his death by Lu Chenzhou. They didn't expect it to happen so quickly, especially since it happened right when Lu Chenzhou was on his way to Shuofang Road and Ling Shuang Pass was leaderless.

Where is Sun Biao now?

Cheng Jin hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "He's waiting for news at a tavern in the east of the city. If I don't get back by tonight, he'll take his men and run away."

He then described all of Sun Biao's characteristics and other information.

"Shen Qiao, go to the tavern in the east of the city with Tie Niu to capture them alive. Remember, don't reveal your whereabouts."

Shen Qiao's eyes lit up, and she turned and left.

Cheng Jin watched Shen Qiao's departing figure and suddenly felt a little dazed.

"You...you really will protect me?"

Shen Chuxiao glanced down at him, her tone calm: "I never go back on my word."

Cheng Jin shuddered, her lips trembled violently, and in the end she couldn't say anything, only kowtowing heavily.

When Shen Qiao and Tie Niu sneaked into the tavern in the east of the city, the funny thing was that Sun Biao was sitting alone in the corner with a pot of cold tea in front of him.

The moment Shen Qiao climbed in through the back window, Tie Niu had already blocked the front door.

"Who!" Sun Biao reacted quickly, his hand already reaching for the short knife at his waist, but before he could draw it, Tie Niu kicked open the wooden door, the entire door panel crashing onto the table, shattering wine pots and teacups all over the floor.

Sun Biao suddenly attacked, drawing his short sword and aiming straight for Tie Niu's throat. His movements were swift and ruthless, clearly those of a master.

Unfortunately, he encountered Tie Niu.

Without dodging or avoiding, Tie Niu grabbed Sun Biao's wrist, which was holding the knife, with his left hand and twisted it violently. With a crisp crack, Sun Biao's wrist was dislocated, and the short knife flew out of his hand, embedding itself in the beam with a buzzing sound.

Immediately afterwards, Tie Niu punched Sun Biao in the temple. The punch was heavy and accurate, and Sun Biao fell straight to the ground like a wooden stake. He saw stars and spat out blood and broken teeth all over the ground.

Shen Qiao stood to the side, slowly squatted down, and patted Sun Biao's face: "Captain Sun, don't struggle. The people outside are all my men. The assassins you sent have all confessed."

Sun Biao stared with bloodshot eyes, struggling to get up, but all his strength seemed to have been drained, and he could only lie on the broken porcelain shards, panting like a trapped wild beast.

"Who are you? Why are you arresting people like this? I'm a businessman!"

Sun Biao's voice was full of resentment.

"Merchants?" Shen Qiao chuckled. "Why do merchants not focus on business but instead engage in murder? And they're a bunch of brainless idiots at that."

He then pulled out a rope from his pocket and quickly tied Sun Biao up tightly.

Tie Niu slung the bag over his shoulder and said, "Let's go back and report."

Back at Shen Chuxiao's house, Sun Biao was thrown in front of Cheng Jin. The air froze the moment the two looked at each other.

"Cheng Jin, you bastard, you actually betrayed me! You'll die a horrible death, and your family will die a horrible death too!"