The Zeng Lineage had never regarded the Beihu Household as a true ally. They were merely allies of convenience. Once the Beihu Household fell behind, the Zeng Lineage's situation would become delicate. This was a common affliction of powerful warlord lineages: they would never easily tie themselves irrevocably to another's chariot.
Although Zeng Zixian appeared to be my hostage, he was actually hiding much deeper secrets. There were things he would never share with anyone. That was precisely why Heaven One Realm wanted to win Di Yifei over and establish a lineage intelligence network. After all, such soft power truly influenced a lineage's fate. Who would willingly let you infiltrate them?
"Then it's settled. As for whether Gu Longjun needs my help, we'll see how much use your intelligence is to me." I spoke.
"Heh heh. The Gu Long Lineage has four brothers and two sisters of the direct line. As for the collateral branches, I won't go into detail. Their factions are complicated and have fought on their own for many years. The Gu Long Lineage has never been particularly easy to govern. However, though their factions are diverse, they share one thing in common: they rely on the Shengtu Household. As long as it's an order from the Shengtu Household, none of the Gu Long Lineage dares take it lightly, and they almost never resist the Shengtu Household's wishes." Zeng Zixian spoke.
"Mm. That was within expectations. But do they truly obey the Shengtu Household?" I asked.
"Whichever household gains the Shengtu Household's support wins. Even the patriarch was bound by this rule back then. How do you think 'truly obeying' should be interpreted?" Zeng Zixian countered.
I pondered deeply before saying, "In other words, no one wants to offend the Shengtu Household. Whoever offends them first will