"Lord Fan."

Guo Wei had met Fan Zhibian before at the Qiling Governor’s Mansion.

"Master Guo, you single-handedly cut down dozens of Prince Andre’s warriors. Your deeds are now the talk of the entire Northern Territory."

Fan Zhibian said politely.

He had been active in the Northern Territory recently, operating near the Border Region.

"You flatter me, my lord. I hope I haven’t brought any trouble to the Court."

Guo Wei said, cupping his hands.

"Trouble is unavoidable. But with Mr. Du’s recommendation, and since you’ve boosted the morale of the soldiers in the Border Region, the Court won’t be harsh. The Court will also handle all the trouble from the Turkic side for you. I’ve come to see you because there’s something I need to confirm."

Fan Zhibian said.

"Please, my lord, go on."

Guo Wei pricked up his ears.

"After you entered the Aika Tribe, what did Xie Xiaohuan say to you?"

Fan Zhibian said, looking at Guo Wei.

"He wanted me to coordinate with him from the inside to rescue someone from Wolf Valley Pass. It seems someone very important to the Turkic Kingdom is imprisoned there."

Guo Wei answered truthfully.

He had already reported this matter to Wei Tu.

"Just as I thought."

Fan Zhibian nodded in understanding.

Seeing everyone’s confusion, he took the initiative to explain. "Four years ago, the Turkic King suddenly dispatched his forces. They attempted to bypass the Hundred Thousand Mountains to enter Mazhou Prefecture, but their intelligence was leaked. Almost all fifty thousand of their men died in the mountains. The remaining thousand or so were taken as prisoners and have been held at Wolf Valley Pass as forced laborers ever since."

"The Turkic Kingdom’s initial reason for establishing diplomatic relations with our Dynasty was to have the Court release those one thousand-plus prisoners. The Court believes that for them to have bypassed the Hundred Thousand Mountains and nearly entered the Mazhou region, there must be a spy in our court feeding them information. Thus, we have been stalling for time until this spy can be rooted out."

"Now that you’ve wreaked havoc in Turkic territory, the Turkic King is using this incident to pressure the Court into releasing those prisoners as soon as possible."

Fan Zhibian continued.

"The Court won’t agree to their demands, will they?"

Hei Hu asked.

"If we release them, it will only be after we’ve found the spy."

Fan Zhibian said.

"My lord, my master has worked tirelessly and performed great deeds, training many talented people for the Court. If the Court is going to release those thousand-plus prisoners, could they also release our Eldest Brother and let him reunite with my master?"

Chu Lingguang said, dropping to one knee.

"My lord, my master cut down dozens of men from the Turkic Royal Family, venting the Great Yuan’s frustrations and solidifying the morale of the soldiers in the Border Region. Please, my lord, show some leniency."

Hei Hu followed, also kneeling.

"Xie Xiaohuan is now Prince Andre’s trusted confidant. He has not only taught the Day and Night Breathing Technique to the scions of the Turkic Royal Family but has also provided them with detailed maps of the Northern Territory’s terrain. The Court suspects that the Turkic Army of 50,000’s ability to bypass the Hundred Thousand Mountains and nearly enter the Mazhou region four years ago is connected to intelligence that Xie Xiaohuan provided."

Fan Zhibian said meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu froze.

"My lord, Lin Guang and Hei Hu are being impetuous. Please don’t mind them."

Guo Wei said, cupping his hands.

"It’s nothing."

Fan Zhibian waved his hand dismissively.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu had no choice but to stand up and move behind Guo Wei. They, along with everyone else, were beginning to realize something. Xie Xiaohuan’s defection to the Turkic Kingdom might not have been an act of desperation, but a premeditated conspiracy. It wasn’t a case of him having nowhere else to turn after arriving in the Turkic Kingdom, then seeking out Andre for protection and offering the Day and Night Breathing Technique to prove his loyalty.

They recalled what Mahmoud had called Xie Xiaohuan: Chieftain.

This indicated that Xie Xiaohuan was the leader of a Turkic tribe, a position equivalent to being the lord of a city in the Great Yuan. If his tribe was powerful enough, his authority could even rival that of a Great Yuan Governor.

Besides, the Day and Night Breathing Technique alone couldn’t have earned Xie Xiaohuan such a high position, as a portion of the Turkic Royal Family already had some understanding of it.

Therefore, Xie Xiaohuan had likely planned everything before he even went to the Turkic Kingdom. To ensure he would be given an important position, he had collected a great deal of valuable intelligence.

Considering Xie Xiaohuan’s capabilities at the time, it was hard to imagine him obtaining so much intelligence on his own. This left only one possibility: Xie Xiaohuan had been in close, long-term contact with a spy hidden within the Great Yuan Dynasty.

The thought sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

Everyone despises traitors who sell out their country for personal gain and break faith with others.

But who was the spy that had been in constant contact with Xie Xiaohuan?

’It seems that to save our Eldest Brother, it’s not enough for Master to be named a Grandmaster. I’ll have to go there with Xie Xiaohuan’s head in hand.’

Chu Lingguang thought to himself.

"Master Guo, I came to see you not only to ask about what happened that day, but also to deliver a message to you on behalf of the Court."

Fan Zhibian said with a serious expression.

"I am listening intently."

Guo Wei’s expression changed slightly. Fan Zhibian was relaying a message from the Court—could it be an imperial edict from the emperor himself? Just as he was about to kneel, Fan Zhibian stopped him with one hand and said with a smile, "Master Guo, no need to be alarmed. With Mr. Du vouching for you, the Court won’t make things difficult. The higher-ups simply instructed me to tell you that for now, Xie Xiaohuan must not be touched, and certainly not killed!"

"Then how are we supposed to save our Eldest Brother?"

Chu Lingguang was caught completely off guard. He had just been thinking about how to successfully kill Xie Xiaohuan, only to find out the Court was forbidding anyone from touching him.

"I understand."

Guo Wei said with a nod.

He seemed to have expected this.

’Since the Court wants to root out the spy, and Xie Xiaohuan is in close contact with that spy, how could they possibly let me kill Xie Xiaohuan before the spy is found?’

Guo Wei even broke out in a cold sweat.

’If I had killed Xie Xiaohuan in the Turkic Kingdom and taken his head to Wolf Valley Pass to trade for my son’s release, not only would I have failed to save him, I might have even condemned him. People might have mistaken my son for one of the spies and thought I killed Xie Xiaohuan just to silence him.’