The Grand State Preceptor!

Half an hour later, a plainly dressed man walked out of the back gate of the Pan Household.

The man had an ordinary appearance. As soon as he came out, he looked around a few times, then hurried on his way, entered the street, blended into the crowd, and quickly disappeared from sight.

In the main hall of the Pan Household, Pan Xiang remained seated, while his burly servant, Steel Wu, stood beside him, his face filled with worry as he reminded him, "Sir, the Marshfolk is a wolf in sheep's clothing, with such a huge appetite. Cooperating with such people is no different than seeking a tiger's skin."

"Not bad," Pan Xiang nodded, but his expression was relaxed. "However, as long as the Marshfolk like Biaoxin have a request, they can be used by me. Even sacrificing a few villages or even one or two county towns is nothing."

Steel Wu remains worried. "I'm afraid we might make things worse by trying to be clever."

Pan Xiang replied, "As long as we can achieve our goals, some sacrifices are inevitable. This mobilization of garrison troops is just bait. The real killing move is the several thousand elite soldiers of the Yongping Army. No one would have thought that the Yongping Army's military governor, who is on par with the Wuxin Commandery, has long been our colleague!"

As he spoke, he stood up from his seat, patted his clothes, and revealed an excited expression. "After the Marshfolk have looted, they will surely be lax. At that time, I will lead my troops to charge and kill them. Their route of movement will be under my control. In this way, I will surely achieve unparalleled feats! In the future, when historians write their biographies, they may even regard me as Confucian General and pass down through the ages!"

As he spoke, the second young master of the Pan Household became increasingly excited.

"Didn't the officials and gentry of Yuanning Prefecture say that the Marshfolk are hard to tame? Once I repel the enemy and accumulate prestige and People's Wishes, I will be able to accomplish great things and sweep away Jiannan in one fell swoop. Then we'll see what kind of expressions those lowly officials will have. Moreover, after this incident, my achievements will be enough to surpass Li Qi's, and I will be able to speak with authority in front of the Prime Minister in the future."

Suddenly, he remembered something else. "Oh right, bring me paper and pen, I need to write a letter to Zhang Jieshuai."

"Yes." Steel Wu acknowledged the order and left.

"So that's how it is. This Pan Xiang is quite cunning. The so-called mobilization of garrison soldiers was all part of his plan. Even the Marshfolk Biaoxin was connected to him. However, this man is also quite audacious. He seems to be cooperating with Biaoxin, but he secretly wants to harm him. But this is not surprising. Colluding with foreign tribes is a serious crime. If someone uses this as leverage, it can immediately ruin his career. But if he turns the tables, he will be in an invincible position in the future."

In a side room of the Pan Household, Qiu Yan chatted with his aunt Liu-shi, while receiving information from the main hall.

Just now, when he mentioned the matter of mobilizing the garrison soldiers to Pan Xiang, he noticed a significant change in the other party's emotional fluctuations. The desire for stability suddenly shifted, which aroused his suspicion. Coincidentally, the Pan Household's kitchen also had a statue of the Kitchen God, so he used it to send out his Divine Sense, attaching it to the smoke, to investigate the movements in the main hall.

The Kitchen God statue can only collect and explore the surrounding scenery on ordinary days, but if the deity himself focuses his attention on one place, he can expand his range of perception.

But this investigation surprised Qiu Yan greatly; Pan Xiang had actually made contact with the Marshfolk's spies and even made several agreements with them.

"The more someone seeks stability, the more astonishing they can be once they decide to take a risk! However, Pan Xiang has made thorough preparations, gathering favorable timing, Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Human Harmony, and popular support. Perhaps he can truly cripple the Marshfolk Coalition, establish stability in the Southern Border, and bring benefits to the region. At that time, his prestige will rise daily, and when he implements New Laws, indeed no one will dare to oppose him anymore, hmm?"

As the thought was swirling in her mind, Qiu Yan suddenly paused, her eyes wide with surprise. She then exchanged a few words with her aunt before taking her leave.

"Why the rush?" Liu-shi was naturally reluctant.

"I just remembered I have something to attend to, so I'll visit you another day," Qiu Yan said with a smile when he saw Liu-shi's disappointment. "I've already promised to write a calligraphy piece for the Pan Household, and I'll be coming again in a few days. Besides, the Pan Household has a very large collection of books, and I'd like to go inside and have a look."

"I already know you have good handwriting," Liu-shi said with a smile upon hearing Qiu Yan's reply. "The story of the literary gathering in Wuxin City has been turned into tales by storytellers and spread far and wide. Everyone praises your good handwriting and your understanding of the hardships of the common people; you are truly a talented scholar."

"These are all rumors," Qiu Yan shook his head. "However, my departure this time was sudden, and my aunt will need to explain to Young Master Pan afterwards."

Liu-shi nodded. "That's exactly right."

After giving a few instructions, Qiu Yan got up and left. The servants along the way remembered Pan Xiang's instructions and tried to persuade him to stay, but they couldn't force Qiu Yan to stay, so they had to let him go in the end.

As soon as he left the Pan Household, Qiu Yan moved swiftly, blending into the crowd. After several turns, he raised his hand and formed a hand seal, infusing it with divine power. A burst of light and shadow erupted, scattering the two people following behind him.

"As expected, the Pan Household had people following us."

This set of hand seals was a technique he found in Tang Lai's memories when he was controlling his Heart Demons to attack Tang Lai. It was called the "Flowing Light Art" and could create illusions using the way of water. It was mysterious and profound. Although it was performed with divine power, it left a slight trace, but it was more than enough to deal with ordinary people.

Then, with a thought, Qiu Yan unleashed divine power, distorting light and creating a false image on the street not far away, leading the other pursuers astray.

"These men have been following me closely ever since I left the Zhang Residence; I wonder whose men they are."

Having shaken off his pursuers, Qiu Yan remained bathed in divine power. He identified his direction and strode forward. Under the cover of divine power, no one along the way could spot him; at most, they would feel a gust of wind passing by.

He hurried along, passing through the bustling city, and arrived at a secluded spot.

This place is located next to the city wall, surrounded by low, dilapidated houses.

Snap!

Qiu Yan stopped, activated the Spirit Eye Art, and his spiritual power surged.

The scenery shifted, and a transparent wall appeared in the field of vision.

There was an invisible barrier in front of him.

"This is the place. I placed my Divine Sense on the Marshfolk spies, and they were isolated here. However, this barrier not only shields us from the outside world but also isolates us from the inside. Those inside will find it difficult to detect even the slightest changes outside."

As the thought arose, a thin wisp of smoke drifted over from the ground not far away, transforming into Divine Sense and merging into the divine power on Qiu Yan's body. Then, the Black Hole in his soul trembled slightly, seeping out a faint black mist filled with negative emotions.

As soon as the black mist appeared in his mind, Qiu Yan felt a surge of distracting thoughts and became agitated. He needed to shift his focus and let the memories of the text flow out to calm his restlessness.

"As expected, the clones are only connected by their consciousness; they are not immune to each other's Divine Abilities."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan gently blew out a breath, and black mist floated out of his mouth.

This black mist is a part of the Heart Demon Clone, split off and transmitted through the Black Hole within the Heart Demon.

The black mist drifted slowly, gradually approaching the barrier. Qiu Yan, meanwhile, swayed and slipped into the courtyard to observe quietly. Breath-Concealing Talisman appeared, hiding his figure.

Previously, when the Marshfolk spies were negotiating with Pan Xiang at the Pan Household, Qiu Yan noticed them. He attached a Divine Sense to the other party in order to find out what was going on, but unexpectedly, when they arrived here, the Divine Sense was rejected by this barrier, so he had to use other methods.

Amidst the drifting smoke of Heart Demons, they successfully passed through the barrier and ventured deep inside.

The Heart Demon is formless and intangible, and does not even contain Spiritual Qi. It is merely an emotion or thought that the Essentials attach itself to something, so it cannot be far from living beings, which is why Qiu Yan had to approach this place to unleash it.

This black mist was already rather sparse, but by following the emotional fluctuations and Spiritual Light emitted when a life thought and transformed, it could accurately pinpoint the other party's location. However, as it drifted along, it became increasingly thin and gradually showed signs of dissipating. Just then, a sudden tremor came from ahead, accompanied by human voices.

"Oh? The newly appointed commander has already agreed to the clan chief's request?" It was a hoarse, deep, and authoritative voice.

A young voice immediately responded, "Reporting to the Grand Imperial Preceptor, has Pan Xiang agreed?"

Within his Heart Demons, Qiu Yan's consciousness immediately recognized that the owner of the voice was none other than the Marshfolk spies who had negotiated with Pan Zhi.

"It seems this is a stronghold of the Marshfolk. Who is this person called the Grand Imperial Preceptor? The Marshfolk are not unified, so where would Imperial Preceptor come from? Let alone a Grand Imperial Preceptor?"

It is worth mentioning that a large part of the reason why this person dared to go to the Pan Household to negotiate was because he was not Marshfolk, but a descendant of the Central Plains people.

Upon hearing the report, the aged voice continued, "They agreed to everything? Hmph! As expected, they have ill intentions. Some of the things we proposed were quite demanding if we had just looked into them, but Pan Xiang agreed so easily. He's clearly only looking at the surface and just going through the motions; he has no intention of genuinely cooperating."

The Marshfolk scout quickly replied, "The Grand Imperial Preceptor is wise!"

"Whether it's wise or not is hard to say, but Pan Xiang, such a little brat, thinks he can take advantage of us. He's far too naive. Little does he know he'll end up losing everything!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the almost invisible black mist of Heart Demons passed through a window and entered a room.

The scene inside the house suddenly became clear.

There were four people in the room. The one standing in the center was the scout from before. The other three were sitting. The one who spoke was a Barbarians with one shoulder bare. He wore a string of Buddhist beads around his neck, and his hair was short, stiff, and stood straight up. He looked old, but his aura was surging.

Beside the Tibetan monk stood a well-dressed man, also exposing one shoulder, but with an arrogant expression. He wore a silk scarf around his forehead and a emerald the size of a fingernail hung between his brows.

"They're Barbarians! One of them even seems to be a monk. These days, in Great Rui, or at least Jiannan Circuit, there's no Buddhist Path or Daoism. Could it be...?"

Upon seeing their attire, Qiu Yan immediately recognized who they were.

The last person, dressed in typical Marshfolk attire, with colorful clothes and numerous small ornaments, smiled upon hearing the Tibetan monk's words and said, "Since the Grand Imperial Preceptor has already foreseen this matter, I hope he can help my King Biaoxin fulfill his long-cherished wish."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan's mind immediately cleared.

"Good heavens! That Biaoxin is truly remarkable. He not only rallied other Marshfolk tribes to form a coalition, but also secretly allied with the Barbarians! He's even made contact with Commander Pan Xiang! Such a move must indicate he's up to no small purpose! Moreover, according to this account, it seems that Young Master Pan is about to be outmaneuvered!"

As Qiu Yan was still pondering, he saw the Tibetan monk, who was about to speak, suddenly move, letting out a roar that erupted with a tremendous sound—

"Who's spying?!"