With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

As the Lin family guards continued to arrive, the battle situation rapidly shifted.

Amidst the flashing swords and clashing blades, the number of constables dwindled rapidly, each collision accompanied by a falling figure.

None of them surrendered; even when surrounded and controlled, they fought back with their last breath.

The Lin family guards initially had some reservations, since these people were wearing the official uniforms of Gongchang Prefecture. If they could be captured alive, they could be handed over to the government for disposal.

However, when a constable bit through the poison sac in his mouth the moment he was subdued and died on the spot, everyone realized that they were suicide squad members.

The battle ended quickly.

In the end, the second-rate martial artist who was leading the attack was also killed by Li Fuyun and several guards.

The bodies of constables lay scattered on the ground; there were no prisoners, only a scene of devastation and the lingering stench of blood.

The Lin family guards' faces grew increasingly grim. Such a large-scale assassination squad, capable of intercepting and killing a mere court general, must have some earth-shattering event behind it.

Even more so, the Lin family also paid a price in this battle, with several people killed and many others seriously injured.

The burly man had fainted due to excessive blood loss.

Li Fuyun wiped the blood from his face, confirmed that he was still breathing, and immediately helped him onto the horse, then spurred the horse toward Lin Ye's carriage behind them.

Lin Ye had already received the news and was waiting by the car.

Upon seeing the wounded man brought back by his uncle, he learned that "he is Lü Fang, a lieutenant general under General Li Zhengfang, who is stationed in Lulong Prefecture."

Li Fuyun said in a deep voice, "I had dealings with him when I was escorting grain supplies. We both use swords and even sparred a few times."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye made a decisive decision: "Wash him with water to wake him up. This is a serious matter and we must inquire about it immediately."

As cold water was poured over her head, Lü Fang coughed a few times, slowly opened her eyes, and scanned the faces of everyone present.

"General Lü, how did you end up being hunted down? The soldiers of Lulong Prefecture were massacred by the Northern Xiongnu, how did you survive?" Li Fuyun asked urgently.

When Lü Fang recognized the person, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: "Captain Li, it's you. Is the head of the Wei family here? I have urgent military intelligence to report in person."

"Just tell me what's on your mind. I am Lin Ye, the lord of Xiang County."

Lu Fang turned her gaze to Lin Ye, paused for a moment, seemingly assessing the young lord's worth.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped on Liu Zhenghua behind Lin Ye. "Elder Liu... is that you? I'm Lu Fang, the outer sect steward!"

Liu Zhenghua stepped forward, examined her carefully, and his brows gradually relaxed: "You are Lü Fang, the inner disciple from eight years ago?"

"It is Elder Liu! I failed the true discipleship trial eight years ago, so I went down the mountain, joined the army, and have been following General Yangwei ever since."

Lu Fang's voice was broken by pain, but still urgent: "Elder Liu, I have urgent military intelligence. The fall of Lulong Prefecture was due to an inside agent opening the city gates!"

"Who is the inside man?" Lin Ye pressed.

"At first I didn't know, I only knew that it was the work of the six lords stationed in the city at the time. But after these few days of pursuit and investigation, I suspect it was the Wang family of Qingyang Prefecture."

Lu Fang coughed up a mouthful of blood and continued, "I fought my way out of Lulong Prefecture and was pursued by the Northern Xiongnu all the way. I originally planned to go to Beiyuan City to report to General Zhenbei."

But Beiyuan City is already besieged. I am just a Lieutenant General. I want to sue six lords, but I don't know which one they are. My superior, General Yangwei, has already died in battle. I have nowhere to turn for help.

I had no choice but to return to the Qingyuan Sword Sect and report the matter to higher authorities through them.

"But when I fled to the city of Qingyang, I found that the number of Northern Xiongnu spies who were chasing me had suddenly increased."

"Of those six lords, only the Wang family is from Qingyang Prefecture," Lü Fang's voice trailed off. "Therefore, I suspect the Wang family is an inside agent for the Northern Xiongnu."

Lin Ye pondered to himself, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Is the Wang family an inside agent for the Northern Xiongnu? What are they after?" He pondered this question repeatedly in his mind.

The Wang family is not some small, precarious family. They have been lords for over a hundred years, guarding the region for generations, and have clashed countless times with the Northern Xiongnu on the border. Their blood feud has accumulated over more than just one or two generations.

From both a perspective of self-interest and hatred, they had absolutely no reason to act as inside agents.

"Could it be that the Northern Xiongnu agreed to give them a first-class nest?" Lin Ye shook his head inwardly. "Even if they really got a first-class nest, the Northern Han court could easily crush them by mobilizing its troops."

By then, the Wang family wouldn't even be able to maintain a foothold in the Northern Han, let alone protect their ancestral graves. Would they be forced to move the entire family to the harsh, desolate lands of the Northern Xiongnu to eke out a living? Such a thought was impossible for the successive heads of the Wang family.

He glanced at the crowd; Li Fuyun's eyes held confusion, and Liu Zhenghua's brow was furrowed with the same doubt.

The guards also looked skeptical. Clearly, they shared his opinion: this was illogical.

"There are indeed lords who act as agents for the Northern Xiongnu," Lin Ye thought to himself. "But most of them are newly promoted lords who only obtained their strongholds with the support of the Northern Xiongnu. They started out by relying on foreign enemies, and becoming agents is an exchange of benefits."

But the Wang family is different. Their contracted territory has existed for over a century, their roots deeply embedded in the land of Northern Han, making them true mortal enemies of the Northern Xiongnu. Unless—"

He paused, almost denying his own guess, "Unless the Northern Xiongnu started planning a hundred years ago, infiltrating, bribing, and lying in wait generation after generation, only launching their attack today."

But this possibility is even more absurd. A century-long scheme—who can guarantee there won't be any mishaps? Who can guarantee that the successive heads of the Wang family will willingly be puppets? This isn't a conspiracy; it's a myth.

Everyone fell silent.

"This matter is of great importance, and the people who are trying to ambush us will certainly not give up. They will soon find out that we saved General Lü."

After all, only we have the strength to kill so many martial arts assassins at this stage; they will definitely attack us next.

Lin Ye's words instantly pulled everyone out of their speculation about whether the Wang family was an inside agent.

Everyone's expression hardened, and the whispers that had been going on a low discussion came to an abrupt halt.

Lin Ye did not pause and continued to issue instructions.

"Time is of the essence. We must get this message out as soon as possible, otherwise the battle situation in Beiyuan County may be thrown into turmoil again."

My plan is for us to ride at full speed to Qingyuan Sword Sect and report directly.

Meanwhile, some guards were dispatched to carry messages to the nearby territories of the Wei, Chen, Wang, Gao, and Su families.

The guards were to spread the word in each county that Lulong Prefecture had been breached, and that the Wang family was suspected of being the inside accomplices.

This was done for two reasons: first, to prevent an attack en route that could delay the transmission of information; and second, to let more people know the truth and put pressure on our inside agents.

Actually, this place is closest to Yang County; at a fast pace, it's only a half-day's journey.

But he knew in his heart that he would never dare to take anyone back. If the Wang family was really an inside agent of the Northern Xiongnu, then what about the Wei family?

Although he and Wei Yuan had just formed an alliance, it was a cooperation based on interests. Once the Northern Xiongnu, internal collaborators, and the foundation of the century-old lord were involved, who could guarantee that the Wei family would not betray them at a critical moment?

At this moment, the lords of Qingyang Prefecture all seemed to be shrouded in a shadow in his eyes.

The nearest place is Gongchang Prefecture.

However, those assassins were actually constables from Gongchang Prefecture, making Gongchang Prefecture even less trustworthy.

Looking around, the closest place he could trust was the Qingyuan Sword Sect in Xining Prefecture.

The newly established Lin family, among the upper echelons of Northern Han, is only related to the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

The Sword Sect is known for its martial arts and strict rules. It has always been sworn enemies with the Northern Xiongnu. Having them handle this matter will at least ensure that the information is not intercepted or tampered with.

Therefore, like Lü Fang, he had no other choice but to abandon the nearby path and head to the Qingyuan Sword Sect in Xining Prefecture.

Thinking of this, Lin Ye felt a pang of regret.

A few days ago he sent the communications troops back to Xiang County, but now he has lost the most direct means of communication.

If an urgent message could be sent to the Qingyuan Sword Sect in advance, even if they were ambushed on the way, the sect could prepare in advance and provide support.

But now, all hopes are pinned on this journey that I will personally undertake.