The sky was still dimly lit when the group from Kyoto rose to wash up. Fan Xian had brought only people from the compound this time. Except for Mu Feng'er, who was now in charge of the Qi Nian team's affairs, the rest were members of the Second and Sixth Bureaus. The semi-military management style of the Supervisory Council’s career had made these individuals steady and taciturn. Only the sound of water and the creaking of doors opening could be heard; there was no conversation.

The journey from the relay station to Dingzhou City was nearly twenty miles, but flying along the eight-horse-wide official road didn't take too long. And today, there was no need to conserve the horses' strength, so when the group arrived at the east gate of Dingzhou City, the sun wasn't high in the sky, the warmth mixed with a hint of cold. But the vegetable farmers lining up to enter the city, along with the caravans from the Central Plains, had already formed a long queue.

While the autumn colors in Kyoto were not yet strong, the soldiers of this frontier city had already begun wearing armor padded with cotton. Fan Xian glanced at them discreetly, then signaled Mu Feng'er to prepare the customs documents.

From the start, Fan Xian hadn't planned to reveal the imperial envoy's insignia upon arriving in Dingzhou. Of course, with only a dozen or so people, even if he wanted to, he couldn't make much of a display. This group was disguised as Jiangnan merchants, carrying waybills and tea permits issued by the Ministry of Revenue and the Internal Treasury Transportation Department. The reason for this disguise wasn't any suspicion of Dingzhou City's internal affairs by the court, but rather that Fan Xian needed to meet someone privately. To ensure that person's safety, it was best to bypass official channels and meet in secret.

After all, the Xihu people had suddenly become enlightened, and both the Emperor and Fan Xian suspected that there was a capable person in charge within Xihu. So, who knew if there were any Xihu spies planted within Dingzhou City's military and administrative offices?

The soldiers at the east gate were thorough in their inspection. Fan Xian didn't join the queue, but stood to the side, observing coldly, and nodded inwardly. The Ye family had been operating in the western frontier for decades, yet they hadn't shown any signs of complacency. No wonder His Majesty appreciated them so much.

The relay station chief, sweating profusely, followed behind Fan Xian, feeling uneasy. He was now dressed as a merchant, his face having been altered by the Supervisory Council officials to make him look even more wretched. He didn't understand why this nobleman wanted to bring him into the city, and insisted on dressing him this way.

The queue moved quickly, and soon it was Fan Xian's turn. Fan Xian noticed that although the Dingzhou soldiers were strict in their inspection, they didn't take the opportunity to solicit bribes or deliberately make things difficult for the merchants and farmers. The process was actually quite fast.

Mu Feng'er handed over the prepared customs documents, waybills, and tea permits. The captain was slightly taken aback, and frowned, seemingly finding something strange.

Fan Xian watched from the side, narrowing his eyes, unsure of where the problem lay. However, he wasn't alarmed, as he would reveal his identity at the Xiliang Road Governor-General's office in the afternoon, and there shouldn't be any misunderstanding.

The captain's surprise wasn't because there was anything wrong with the documents, but because they were too perfect. Especially the issuing seals and signatures... they were from the top officials in each department. This indicated that the merchants were very important, otherwise, those officials wouldn’t have personally reviewed these documents.

Fan Xian and his group hadn't expected that this would attract attention. It was naturally easy for the Supervisory Council to forge these documents, but recently the Censorate had been watching closely, so they simply obtained genuine documents from the various departments. But... they were too genuine, and therefore too conspicuous. If Wang Qinian were still responsible for all the details around Fan Xian, he wouldn't have made such a mistake.

The captain glanced coldly at Mu Feng'er, then subconsciously looked at Fan Xian, realizing that this handsome, elegant young man was the leader of the merchant caravan.

Fan Xian didn't return his gaze. He was currently quite interested in the Dingzhou city walls before him, wondering where these large stones had come from, given that Dingzhou was surrounded by plains or deserts. Was the mortar between the stones yellow earth? Could that really be used to build a city wall?

The captain frowned, but subconsciously didn't want to provoke this arrogant young man. He nodded to let them pass, but after the merchant caravan entered the city, he called over a subordinate and whispered a few instructions.

...

...

Fan Xian didn't know that his admiration of the city walls would give the Dingzhou soldiers the impression of arrogance. He genuinely enjoyed using his eyes to see everything in this world. After all, this was a rare second life, so he had a strong desire to explore the beauty, history, and existence around him.

He had seen the ancient city walls of Shangjing, which had stood for hundreds of years, and was even more familiar with the heavily guarded walls of Kyoto. Today, he had the rare opportunity to visit Dingzhou, the empire's westernmost city, and was naturally curious. He also felt a pang of regret, wondering when he would have the chance to see the legendary greatest city in the world—Dongyi City.

The relay station chief, who had been following them with a mournful face, gradually understood why Lord Danbo had brought him, a minor character, into the city. It turned out that the young lord was planning to go shopping. The streets of Dingzhou were a chaotic maze, with all sorts of districts and alleys intersecting randomly. Without a local guide, it would be impossible to find many of the unnamed places.

What gave him a headache was that this esteemed young lord seemed to be visiting such a remote place for the first time, and was interested in everything. He wandered around everywhere, not even seeming tired. The Xichi River area, in particular, with its Hu artifacts transported from the Hu tribes, had captured his attention for a long time.

For roughly half a day, Fan Xian and his group thoroughly explored the Dingzhou trading district, perfectly fulfilling the proactive role that a merchant caravan should display.

Under a mud wall, Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, looking at the distant towers of the mighty Dingzhou City, and lowered his voice to ask, "Has the message been sent?"

Mu Feng'er looked cautiously around and nodded, saying, "According to the agreement, it has been sent. But we arrived two days early, and I'm afraid the other party hasn't entered the city yet."

Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "We had to arrive two days early. I couldn't keep the news of my departure from Kyoto a secret. Hongcheng definitely knows I'm coming. If that kid stalls me, he'll just ply me with alcohol, and I won't have any time to do anything. Besides, who knows if there are any Hu spies in the barracks and the Governor-General's office?"

Mu Feng'er glanced at the anxious relay station chief at the back of the group and said, "If we weren't unfamiliar with the terrain, we really shouldn't have asked this person to guide us. I don't know what we'll do with him later."

Fan Xian smiled and said, "It's not a capital offense. We just need to ensure the other party's safety, so we have to be so careful. As for that relay station chief, we can give him a couple of beauties when we leave."

Despite saying this, Fan Xian also felt a bit of regret, because His Majesty had strictly forbidden the Supervisory Council from delving too deeply into the military. Therefore, neither the Fourth Bureau, which was in charge of various routes, nor the Second Bureau, which collected intelligence, had any capable people in Dingzhou.

Of course, the Supervisory Council definitely had informants planted in Dingzhou, but Fan Xian thought that Dingzhou City was extremely safe internally, so he refused to use these informants, so as not to displease the military and administrative offices afterwards. The ones who would suffer would be the lower-level officials of the Supervisory Council.

The group parked the carriages in a shady spot, silently waiting for the sun to slowly move. They casually bought some sesame cakes and ate them with plain water for lunch, Fan Xian included. During operations, his behavior always brought him closer to his subordinates in the Supervisory Council. However, the relay station chief, watching the young lord also struggling to chew on the sesame cake, was inwardly amazed.

As the shadow of the mud wall behind the carriages gradually lengthened, one of Fan Xian's subordinates returned humming a tune. He was carrying Hu specialties purchased along the way, indicating that he had been very careful. Behind the carriage, he threw the items back onto the carriage and whispered something to Fan Xian in a low voice.

Fan Xian looked up and glanced at Mu Feng'er, smiling, "It seems the other party is even more anxious than us. Let's go meet them."

Mu Feng'er thought for a moment that this shouldn't be a conspiracy. After all, Dingzhou City was under the rule of Da Qing, and no one had the guts to set a trap for the Supervisory Council. He nodded and went to stop the relay station chief.

Leaving the caravan, only Fan Xian, Mu Feng'er, and the relay station chief remained. They passed through the mud walls and walked through the bustling streets, curiously wandering around like merchants who had just arrived from the inland. They didn't know how long they walked before finally arriving at a mutton shop.

Fan Xian looked at the shop, which had no signboard, and couldn't help but smile, "Damn, this place is really hard to find." He patted the relay station chief on the shoulder, "Looks like you're quite the guy, even knowing places like this."

The relay station chief felt his whole body go weak, thinking that his shoulder had been patted by the young lord. He wouldn't want to wash that shoulder for at least half a month... No, he usually only washed once a month. It should be that he wouldn't seek a woman for half a month. Not seeking a woman... that didn't seem worthwhile...

While the relay station chief was lost in his wild thoughts, Mu Feng'er had already walked into the mutton shop first. He went past the inner door of the mud house, covering his nose, walked to the inner room, and sat on the reed mat that had been arranged in advance.

Inside the inner door of this shop, there were four reed mats, each with a small table, to provide meat and wine to customers. The mats were separated by thin cloth, but this didn't block the sound, it was just for show.

Fan Xian sat in the innermost seat. The relay station chief only dared to sit halfway on the outer seat, feeling uneasy, unsure why this esteemed figure insisted on finding this inconspicuous shop. Was he meeting someone?

Then, he fearfully accepted a bowl of wine from the young lord, carefully took a sip, and then fell into a deep sleep.

...

...

After eating a few pieces of hand-pulled mutton and drinking two bowls of strong liquor, Fan Xian's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He glanced at the thin cloth curtain beside him and gave Mu Feng'er a signal.

Mu Feng'er pondered for a moment, picked up his wine bowl, stood up, and lifted the cloth curtain, going to the reed mat on the other side. As the curtain was lifted, Fan Xian's sharp eyes saw that the man was about forty or fifty years old, but his complexion was dark. After all, he was a Hu person, so it was hard to tell his exact age.

The sun was high in the sky at this time, and the day was gradually heating up, but the mud house was still quiet and secluded. This wasn't the right time for drinking, so the shop was especially quiet, with only Fan Xian and his group and the mysterious Hu man.

No one knew what Mu Feng'er and the Hu man were saying, but after a long time, the cloth curtain was pulled open, and Mu Feng'er nodded to Fan Xian, indicating that he had confirmed the other party's identity.

Fan Xian half-turned, staring at the Hu man with a calm face. He noticed that the other party was holding his wine bowl steadily, and there was no change in his eyes. He slowly spoke:

"The dignified first expert under the Zuo Xian Wang's banner, why the disguise and secrecy?"

The Hu man put down his wine bowl, glanced at Fan Xian, as if trying to ascertain the young man's true identity. The glance contained electric light, piercing straight into the heart, with an intimidating aura.

However, Fan Xian's expression was indifferent, without the slightest reaction.

The Hu man raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly not expecting that an official from the Qing Kingdom's Supervisory Council would possess such unfathomable composure and strength.

"That's right, I am Hūgé." This Hu man, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, stared at Fan Xian's face with eagle-like eyes. "He said you are the leader, so I will talk to you."

Fan Xian smiled, raised the wine bowl in his hand, and said, "I don't want to know many things."

"I must first confirm the Princess's safety." Hūgé, the first expert under the Zuo Xian Wang of Xihu, was famous throughout the western frontier and deeply respected by the Hu people. His demeanor was naturally extraordinary, but when he spoke in Central Plains language, it felt somewhat awkward, inexplicably weakening his aura.

Fan Xian reached into his robe and took out a jade hook, handing it over. After receiving the jade hook, Hūgé frowned deeply, seemingly lost in thought. Fan Xian didn't interrupt his memories, but quietly watched the scene.

The Supervisory Council's connection with this first expert under the Zuo Xian Wang wasn't due to Fan Xian's extraordinary abilities, but because the other party had taken the initiative to contact them through extremely complicated means. The Supervisory Council's usual response to such people who took the initiative to contact them was—no initiative, no promises, no responsibility.

Only after the other party had indeed given the Supervisory Council some extremely useful intelligence did the Supervisory Council begin to follow up on this lead. And other than Fan Xian himself, no one else could follow up on this lead, because the reason for Hūgé's relationship with the Supervisory Council was Maso So.

Maso So was still being kept in a golden cage by Prince He, but in terms of allegiance, she was still Fan Xian's person. This princess of a Hu tribe was a female prisoner, but not really a female prisoner, because her tribe had been preparing to surrender to the First Prince's army, but before it could be accomplished, it had been exposed, and the entire tribe had been massacred by the Xihu royal court. The surviving tribesmen were scattered in the Western Regions, seeking refuge with various nobles.

And this Hūgé was a warrior who had left this small tribe in those years, but before he could reveal his identity and win glory for his tribe, he had received the tragic news of the tribe's massacre.

After confirming Hūgé's identity with Maso So, Fan Xian began to strengthen his secret contact with Hūgé.

Maso So not only knew Hūgé, but the two were even very good friends when they were children, what the people of the Central Plains called childhood sweethearts. So Fan Xian was now frowning inwardly as he looked at the other party's aged face, wondering if the Hu people really aged so easily from blowing wind and basking in the sun every day.

...

...

Hūgé carefully put the jade hook into his robe, looked at Fan Xian and said, "I do want to avenge my tribe, but don't forget, I am also a Hu person, so there are some things I can say, and some things I cannot say... You Qing people are too insidious and cunning, I cannot trust you."

Fan Xian understood this. If he wanted the other party to lead the Qing army on a surprise attack on the Xihu royal court, not to mention whether the other party would agree, no one in the court would dare to trust him. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "I don't need you to do anything. On the contrary, I can support you in doing something. I hear that the Zuo Xian Wang is not in a good position right now. If you can help him gain a firm foothold, I believe your own power will also grow."

Before the Hu expert could speak, Fan Xian waved his hand decisively and said, "I will give you support, and I don't ask for much. First, you must do everything you can to stop the grand offensive next spring. Even if you can't stop it, I need your intelligence... Don't worry, we Qing people are straightforward and won't set up ambushes. We just want to put on a show and scare each other. You should know how to arrange this time difference."

Hūgé frowned and said, "Right now, even the Zuo Xian Wang's words don't have much power, let alone mine."

"That's your problem. Since it's a collaboration, you have to show some sincerity." Fan Xian looked at him calmly and said, "I won't treat you unfairly either. You need to persuade those people, and you can't just rely on your fists."

"All the nobles in the world are the same. They all like gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin."

Hūgé looked at the young official across from him.

"I will give you as much as you need to bribe them." Fan Xian's tone was very ordinary, but it revealed a strong confidence. "And if you want to revive your tribe, you will need a lot of money. Actually, it's very simple to trade with me. I just need to ask you one question."

"Do you want to get rich?"

Fan Xian had asked this question of some people before, such as the former commander of the Beiqi Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lord Shen Zhong. Lord Shen Zhong didn't want to get rich with Fan Xian. He wanted to get rich on his own, so he died. Then Fan Xian asked the Beiqi Emperor's uncle, the Marquis of Changning. This marquis was very willing to get rich with Fan Xian, so not only did his family get rich, but Wei Hua also became a high-ranking official.

History had already proven that people who cooperated with Fan Xian were always very happy.

But Hūgé didn't know the other party's true identity. He said in a cold voice, "Everyone likes gold and silver, but your words are unbelievable... So much silver, even goods that cannot be bought with silver, and you just say one sentence and want me to agree... Don't lie to me. Although the sons of the prairie are straightforward, we are not fools."

Fan Xian's words did sound like a lie. There were many royal courts and countless nobles on the prairie, and these nobles were all greedy. If you wanted to fill their appetites, unless the Qing court strongly supported it, how could a small, young Supervisory Council official be able to do it?

"I can give you good knives produced by the Internal Treasury." Fan Xian didn't respond to his words. He said coldly, "But the quantity is limited. After all, I don't want the knives I give you to be used to cut the necks of my Da Qing people in the future."

Fan Xian didn't answer Hūgé's doubts. Hūgé felt even more uneasy. He stared at the young, handsome face, lowered his voice, and asked coldly, "Who exactly are you?"

Fan Xian glanced at him and said, "I am Fan Xian."

...

...

With a crisp clang, Hūgé's back slammed heavily against the mud wall. He drew the saber from his waist with lightning speed and aimed it at Fan Xian. Dust fell from the mud wall, dirtying the dishes and wine on the table.

Hūgé looked at Fan Xian with extreme vigilance, a hint of fear rising in his eyes.

Fan Xian lowered his head, tapping the table with his fingers. He hadn't expected that his true identity would scare the other party this much. This person was supposed to be the first expert under the Zuo Xian Wang.

But what he didn't know was that the name of Fan Tisi of the Qing Kingdom's Supervisory Council had long resounded throughout the world, reaching even the Hu-inhabited areas. However, in the hearts of the Qing people, Lord Fan was dazzling, but in the eyes of Qing's enemies, this legendary young man was the primary target to guard against.

Of course, until now, the Hu people had not suffered any losses from Fan Xian, but they had suffered many losses from Chen Pingping, so they were also extremely fearful and wary of Chen Pingping's successor. After Fan Xian admitted his identity, Hūgé's first thought was that today's meeting was a trap, and the second thought was that if this was not a trap, then this transaction would put the Hu people in a desperate situation in the future.

"Don't be so afraid." Fan Xian raised his head and said slowly, "That's right, I am the head of the Supervisory Council, but don't worry, I am also a good businessman. Don't forget, I am in charge of the court's Internal Treasury. If you don't believe my credit, you can send someone to the Central Plains to investigate."

"I'm not afraid." Hūgé had calmed down. A wolf-like wildness appeared in his eyes. He stared at Fan Xian and said, word by word, "I just didn't expect that someone of your status would deign to come and see me, and would be so brave."

"This is Da Qing's territory, this is in Dingzhou City. I don't think my courage is anything special." Fan Xian looked at him and said, "Even you Hu people dare to come and see me, why shouldn't I dare to see you?"

"You don't know how much your head is worth." Hūgé said, "Aren't you afraid that I will set up a trap here and kill you?"

Fan Xian gave him a mocking look and wiped the meat grease on his hands on the cloth curtain beside him. "This shop is full of your people, so if I was afraid of you setting up a trap, why would I come in and sit down and drink?"

"Besides, do you think that with your so-called first expert under the Zuo Xian Wang, you can kill me?" Fan Xian frowned, as if looking at a very insensible child. "The title is extremely long, but the courage is not."

A person's name is like the shadow of a tree. The name of Qing's strongest expert of the younger generation had long been branded in the hearts of all martial artists. Hūgé really didn't have the courage to make such a dangerous attempt.

Fan Xian stood up, stared into his eyes, and said, "I don't care what you're thinking, but I've given you my conditions, and I need to know that person's name."

This was the most important piece of information that the Supervisory Council had been trying to obtain from the other party in the past three months of tentative contact. Because the person hidden in the Hu royal court was hidden extremely deeply, and had caused great harm to Qing, the Supervisory Council and the Privy Council had tried everything possible, but still couldn't find out who that person was.

Even the two courts weren't sure if there really was such a terrifying strategist in the Hu tribes, or if the two Xian Wangs and the Chanyu had suddenly become enlightened.

But Fan Xian didn't think so, and the Qing Emperor didn't think so either. The father and son had the same judgment. It was easy to change the mountains and rivers, but hard to change a person's nature. The changes in Xihu must have been influenced by outsiders. They were certain that that person existed.

This was Fan Xian's most important goal in coming to Dingzhou City. He wanted to dig that person out.

Hūgé was the highest-level Hu person that the Qing court could contact. He had been urged for a long time, and now that he heard this, the Hu expert's face changed. He knew how much help he could get from the Qing court, and Maso So's life and death was in the hands of this young man in front of him. He didn't have much choice.

But...

"I haven't actually met that person, but there should be such a person." Hūgé put down his saber and said, "Even the Zuo Xian Wang shouldn't have met him, but once, after drinking, he angrily mentioned a strange name... Songzhī Xian Ling."