After about half an hour, the guard returned to his position, and the two of them entered the Prefect's Mansion together. In the hall, several oil lamps were lit, and Miss He was waiting, wrapped in a fox fur cloak. They greeted each other, and then took their seats on opposite sides of the hall.

　　He Muxian ordered tea to be served and then asked, "Zhou, you came so late. Is there an urgent matter?"

　　"Yes... Your fifth senior brother is about to arrive," Zhou Ge answered directly.

　　Shen Huan was taken aback. "Is this true? Do you know about Miss He's..."

　　"Wen Yan, the young master of the left National Master. Am I right?"

　　He Muxian was initially skeptical, but if the news weren't true, Zhou Ge wouldn't have come at night.

　　"What else do you know?" she asked.

　　"I also heard that Wen Yan strongly disagrees with Yu Pingnian's actions. If that's the case, there's hope for Miss He to stop the challenge."

　　These words were like a reassuring pill or a calming powder to He Muxian. She found them pleasant to hear and reassuring.

　　She knew Zhou Ge well. Like Shen Huan, he would never joke about important matters.

　　"How certain is this information?" she asked.

　　"About ninety percent. However..."

　　"However, what?"

　　"The people at Zhou's Tavern also know about this. I don't think we should let them see Master Wen first."

　　"That makes sense. Is there anything else?"

　　"No, that's all the information I have."

　　He Muxian was lost in thought for a moment. "Did the spy sacrifice himself... Zhou, please make sure he's properly buried."

　　Shen Huan thought of something. "What about the people in the tavern..."

　　"Shen, my abilities are limited. It's up to you to receive Master Wen." With that, Zhou Ge bid farewell to He Muxian and left the Prefect's Mansion without another word.

　　His few words were like a warm winter breeze. The two men left in the hall discussed how to receive Wen Yan first.

　　The next morning, Huang Qin sent out all his trusted followers, disguised and stationed at various strategic locations. Meanwhile, He Muxian wrote three letters and issued three major orders: one to Yangnan Town, one to Ge Town, and one to Xu Town.

　　The content of the letters was roughly the same, ordering the village chiefs to strengthen patrols. No matter which way the fifth senior brother came, they were to inform her immediately.

　　The movements in the Prefect's Mansion were noticed by the sharp-witted Qing Hu. Soon after, the others also sensed something was amiss. In the tavern, the bandits quickly began discussing the matter.

　　Could the miss He know that the fifth senior brother was coming? That's what one of them wondered.

　　Upon brief consideration, it seemed unlikely. Xu Wenyuan was dead, so everything should have ended unless a dead person spoke. But then again, maybe there was a traitor in the tavern.

　　They looked at the people Yu Pingnian brought, then at their own group. None of them seemed suspicious. The Four Ghosts had lost a brother, but that shouldn't be it. The waiters under Boss Zhou ate the tavern's food and wouldn't dare to betray them. After scanning the surroundings, they couldn't see anything unusual.

　　Just then, a voice called out, "We have a guest!"

　　Looking up, they saw a burly man standing at the door, followed by several henchmen. The henchmen stepped back, allowing the burly man to approach.

　　Qi Xiang ran over. "Master Hao, you're finally here! Please come in."

　　Qing Hu's face lit up when he saw him. "Old friend, it's been too long. I've missed you so much."

　　Hao Yun entered with a sour expression. Deep down, he didn't want to be involved or even enter Beici. He only came here because he had no other choice.

　　That day, he saved Lu Ying and went home to get some money. He planned to return to Caoqiao Town and live a peaceful life, but unexpectedly, his wife was forcibly taken by a man surnamed Hong.

　　He spent money and asked informed individuals to find out what happened.

　　Hao Yun wanted to kill the man, but he was alone and powerless.

　　For the time being, he swallowed his pride and left Caoqiao Town.

　　A few days later, by coincidence, he met someone sent by Qi Xiang. The map they gave him was wrong, but fortunately, he met them by chance. Now that he had people to help him, he could act boldly.

　　First, they found a cave outside to hide in and then looked for a poor girl to lure Hong.

　　The girl didn't want to do it, but Hao Yun promised her that it would be safe and gave her five silver coins if she succeeded. She agreed and followed his instructions on what to say and do.

　　As expected, Hong Goukan, who was infatuated with her, agreed to meet her alone after seeing her just once.

　　While they were having a secret conversation under the moon, Hao Yun and his men attacked them.

　　After dealing with Hong, he had no place to go, so he agreed to return to Beici County. Most importantly, he felt it would be inappropriate to refuse since they had come looking for him.

　　Qing Hu embraced him warmly.

　　"Everyone, I'd like to introduce this red-bearded man, Hao Yun, also known as Master Hao. Although his martial arts aren't top-notch, his mind works wonders. Our previous failure was entirely due to a lack of strategic planning. This time, with Master Hao here, we'll be even more formidable."

　　Qi Xiang and Long Ming were tired of hearing his name, and the other three ghosts had also heard of him. They raised a cup of wine and approached him. "Master Hao, please!"

　　Hao Yun didn't push the cup away and drank it in one gulp.

　　Xia Yue was skeptical. "Third Brother, is this really Hao Yun? Is he as amazing as you say?"

　　"Deep in the mountains hide tigers and leopards, while in the fields, one may find a unicorn. Don't underestimate people."

　　"I don't believe it. We have an urgent matter right now. Let's see if he can come up with a plan."

　　"But he just arrived... He hasn't even had a chance to drink a cup of water or eat a bite to eat. Isn't that a bit rude?"

　　Hao Yun thought to himself that he hadn't planned on doing much here anyway.

　　"Qing, what's the matter? Just tell me," he said.

　　"No rush, let's eat first. Yu, please arrange some wine for Master Hao," Qing Hu said.

　　Yu Pingnian, standing nearby, didn't dare to say anything and followed their lead.

　　Hao Yun said, "Let's talk about it first. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease eating."

　　"Master Hao is so gallant! Here's the situation. Both we and the He family in Beici County are waiting for an important figure. However, they have more people and faster information than us. How can we compete with them?"

　　"I see. You're talking about finding someone?"

　　"That's right."

　　"This person is known to both sides?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Whose side is closer to this person?"

　　"Ours. Look, Yu Pingnian standing there is his brother."

　　"If this person is found, where will they go?"

　　"If they're found by the other side, they'll be taken to the Prefect's Mansion. If they're found by us, they'll be brought to the tavern."

　　"Then why bother looking for them?"

　　The others looked confused and glanced at each other. Qing Hu said, "Please enlighten us, Master Hao."

　　"Regardless of who finds them, they'll have to enter Muyang Village and take the main road, right? How can we compete with the prefecture's soldiers in terms of search area? We just need to station spies at the Prefect's Mansion and the tavern. Whoever finds them first will surely meet their brother first."

　　Qi Xiang immediately understood. "Master Hao, do you mean we should wait for an opportunity to present itself?"

　　"It's not called waiting for an opportunity. They're relying on numbers, while we're relying on our connections."

　　"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

　　Qing Hu also found the idea appealing: "Master Hao's charm remains unchanged from the past. Gentlemen, what do you think? Master Hao has just arrived and has already solved a difficult problem for us. What do you suggest we do?"

　　"Toast him!"

　　"Yes, toast the Master Hao!" The gang members shouted.

　　Xia Yue blinked her eyes, thinking to herself that despite his bulk, he had quite a delicate heart. She took the initiative to bring a cup of wine and toast Master Hao.

　　Yu Pingnian mulled over the matter, thinking that while the Master Hao's idea was not bad, it once again put him in a tight spot.

　　If his brother saw him first, there would be no escaping a scolding and a beating. What would he do then...