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

They were being chased all the way, fighting and retreating, with guards occasionally staying behind to cover their retreat, sacrificing their lives to buy a moment of respite.

When they finally entered the territory of Xining Prefecture, the original group of more than thirty people was reduced to only eleven who could barely keep up.

Two-thirds of the people were left forever in the dust and blood of Gongchang Prefecture, and the rest were all wounded and covered in blood.

Even Liu Zhenghua, who is usually as steady as a rock, had blood trickling from the corner of his lips, clearly indicating that his internal organs had been shaken.

The most troublesome one was a martial arts practitioner who used his bare hands.

This man possessed exceptional lightness skills. Several times when his group was entangled by the Northern Xiongnu, he abandoned his horse and leaped through the forest with his bare hands and astonishing agility, always keeping up behind.

He was a first-rate martial artist with a calm demeanor and powerful palm strikes. He had fought Liu Zhenghua several times.

In the final close-quarters fight, Liu Zhenghua, in order to completely shake him off, risked taking a palm strike to his right shoulder. The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible. However, he used the momentum to stab his opponent's thigh with his sword. Blood spurted out, and the man could no longer catch up.

As soon as they entered Xining Prefecture, disciples of the Qingyuan Sword Sect rode up to greet them, looking wary, and immediately stepped forward to question them.

Unlike Gongchang and Qingyang, Xining Prefecture was completely under the control of the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

The border is heavily guarded, with patrol teams from the Sword Sect patrolling day and night. Any unfamiliar group must have their identity verified.

When questioned and learned that the leader was Liu Zhenghua, an inner elder of the Sword Sect, and after hearing his brief explanation of why they were being chased by the Northern Xiongnu and martial arts figures, the Sword Sect disciples dared not delay and immediately sent signal fireworks into the sky.

Moments later, dust billowed in the distance as patrol teams sped towards them.

When they learned that there might be three top-tier martial artists among the pursuers, and even that there were Northern Xiongnu cavalry and martial arts masters joining forces, the disciples of the Sword Sect were not intimidated in the slightest.

In addition to sending two patrol teams of ten men each to escort Lin Ye and the others back to the Sword Sect's main camp, the other patrol teams set up their formations directly in front of the checkpoints, with long swords drawn and Taoist soldiers lined up in battle formation, ready for action.

According to later reports, when the pursuers arrived at the checkpoint, they found that the sword-wielding warriors in front of them were well-organized, with six second-rate warriors alone, and Taoist soldiers such as the Qingfeng Rangers assisting them.

As the signal continued to be transmitted, even the top elders of the Sword Sect would arrive.

After weighing the pros and cons, the other party ultimately chose to retreat rather than force their way in.

Under the escort of the sword sect guards, Lin Ye and the others hurried towards the Qingyuan Sword Sect's headquarters.

A day later, Lin Ye and Liu Zhenghua finally arrived at the council hall of Wangchuan Peak and met Chu Huaixi, the leader of the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

Without the slightest delay, Lin Ye immediately recounted his chance encounter with General Lü Fang on the way and learned that Lulong City might have been breached due to an inside agent.

The sect leader was given a detailed report on the Wang family's involvement, including whether they were inside agents, how they were relentlessly pursued, and the fact that three top-tier martial artists were involved in the ambush.

Upon hearing this, Chu Huaixi's expression turned serious, especially when he heard "three first-rate martial artists," his brows furrowing deeply. He quickly turned to Liu Zhenghua beside him and asked, "You've fought them before, can you discern their fighting styles?"

Liu Zhenghua pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "I have never seen the palm techniques they use. It seems they deliberately concealed their methods, and I cannot discern their sect's origins."

Chu Huaixi tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and said in a deep voice, "The Wang family is undoubtedly an inside agent. Several years ago, my sect intended to enter Qingyang, but we were met with strong resistance at the time, and some rumors have since circulated. Now, combined with this matter, it can be basically confirmed."

However, such a lineup of three top-tier martial artists is not something the Wang family can easily produce. Moreover, all three use palm techniques, suggesting they belong to the same faction.

The Wang family's reasons for allying with the Northern Xiongnu are also untenable; there must be a much larger power behind them.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Regardless of whether he is an inside agent or not, I will report this to the imperial court and let them worry about it. At this critical moment in the Northern Plains, the imperial court will not take such military intelligence lightly."

Lin Ye felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this. No matter how deep the Wang family's roots were or how well they hid themselves, if they were truly colluding with the Northern Xiongnu, the Northern Han court would surely uncover the truth and investigate thoroughly once it took the matter seriously.

However, Chu Huaixi suddenly changed the subject, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Young Lin, I haven't congratulated you on being promoted to Baron of Qinghe County yet. This old man would like to offer my special congratulations."

Lin Ye was taken aback and remained silent for a moment. He knew perfectly well that this was the sect leader expressing his dissatisfaction.

He claimed to have discovered clues about the lair, but instead of reporting it to the Sword Sect immediately, he preemptively signed a contract to monopolize the opportunity.

"Cough cough cough—"

Just then, Liu Zhenghua coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper. Although the palm strike had not been fatal, it had injured his internal organs. His breathing was now unsteady, clearly indicating that he was forcibly suppressing the pain.

Chu Huaixi's gaze lingered on Liu Zhenghua for a moment before she said calmly, "Alright, you've had a long journey, go and rest."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the council hall relaxed slightly.

Lin Ye and Liu Zhenghua exchanged a glance, silently rose, bowed, and left the hall.

Just as Lin Ye was reporting the military situation to the Qingyuan Sword Sect, another undercurrent was quietly spreading throughout the territory of Qingyang Prefecture.

The news that "Lulong City fell because an inside agent opened the city gates, and the Wang family of Yang County was the inside agent" was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in Yun County, Anhua County, Zhenning County and other places.

The guards Lin Ye had assigned before his departure were carrying out his orders, quietly spreading the news in teahouses, markets, and docks in various towns and cities.

Yun County, Chen Family Mansion.

Chen Cheng sat upright in the hall, toying with a jade pendant in his hand, his expression calm, yet unable to conceal the scrutiny in his eyes. He looked at his son, Chen Changsheng, beside him, "Have you found out the source of the information?"

Chen Changsheng cupped his hands and replied, "We haven't found the source yet. All we know is that a person dressed as a martial artist gave some money to beggars in the west of the city, asking them to spread the rumor that 'Lulong City was breached due to an inside agent.'"

"A rumor?" Chen Cheng repeated in a low voice, muttering to himself, "It might not be a rumor." He paused, then asked, "Where is that martial artist?"

"I couldn't find him." Chen Hai shook his head, his tone uncertain. "I asked the guards at the city gate, and one of them said that the martial artist looked a lot like a guard captain from the Lin family when they came to Yun County last time."

However, he wasn't sure, since the Lin family had only been in Yun County for a year.

Upon hearing this, Chen Cheng's eyes lit up, and his smile deepened. "The Lin family? Interesting, very interesting. Brother Lin, what are you up to now?"

"Continue to investigate and find out the source of the information. Also, keep an eye on Yang County and see if there are any developments."

Meanwhile, the Gao family, the Su family, and the Wei family...

Similar conversations are playing out in various households. However, they are unaware that the Lin family was the original source of this news.

The Gao family was in Zhenning County, the Su family in Anhua County, and the Wei family in Yang County. The heads of all three families received rumors from the streets and sent people to investigate, but they only found vague clues spread by a certain martial artist, and then the investigation ended there.

As a result, most of the lords of Qingyang Prefecture adopted a wait-and-see attitude, were not easily convinced, did not act rashly, and did not make any public statements.

However, they all sent spies around Yang County to monitor the Wang family's every move.