Half a quarter of an hour later, Yang Zhong came down from the second floor, wearing a coat draped over his shoulders.
When he saw Huo Chong, his heart skipped a beat. "You’re here!"
The two cavalrymen exchanged a glance and opened the door fully.
In a private room of a restaurant a hundred meters away, the guard, upon realizing it was Yang Zhong who had brought Huo Chong into the inn, couldn’t help but frown.
"Why him? Shouldn’t it be Zeng Boyan?"
The other guard, who had just been woken up a second ago, said, "Quick, check if there’s any movement from Zeng Boyan’s room."
The scene shifted to the entrance of the third room on the second floor. Yang Zhong led Huo Chong down the hallway, and they stopped in front of Yang Cena's door. After knocking for a long time, they finally pushed the door open and entered.
Next to that room, Huo Chong’s own door remained tightly shut, showing no sign of being opened.
"No movement."
The guard who had spoken earlier snatched the telescope to look for himself. Seeing that the room didn’t even have a lamp lit, his suspicions were confirmed.
"Zeng Boyan is a martial arts practitioner. There’s no way he wouldn’t have heard the knocking. He’s definitely staying inside on purpose."
"Just the day before yesterday, he met with Huo Chong. The next day, Yang Cena moved from the medical clinic to the inn, and that very night, this man showed up. They must have planned this long in advance."
In the room where candlelight flickered, Yang Cena leaned against the head of the bed, his gaze gentle.
"Thanks to your strong recommendation of Song Jinzhao, my life has been saved. I owe it to you."
Huo Chong immediately knelt down, looking at Yang Cena, his voice firm and resolute.
"It is my honor to serve the Third Young Master."
Yang Cena nodded in satisfaction.
"I accept the request you made earlier. Once I become clan leader, I will surely raise troops to march north and take the imperial court, allowing you to avenge yourself."
Huo Chong’s throat tightened sharply. He prostrated himself on the ground, his voice hoarse.
"Thank you, Third Young Master. As long as I can take my revenge, I would go through fire and water without hesitation."
Three months ago, Huo Chong had sought out Yang Cena, offering to pledge his allegiance. To earn the man’s trust, he had even revealed his true identity without reservation.
Yang Cena had been skeptical, maintaining a lukewarm attitude and never giving a definite answer.
But after learning that Yang Cena was gravely wounded and beyond the help of medicine, Huo Chong immediately realized this was a golden opportunity.
So he had rushed from the Shimen tribe to the Wumeng tribe to recommend Song Jinzhao. Now, everything was unfolding exactly as Huo Chong had hoped.
Half an hour later, Huo Chong left the inn unscathed.
Not long after, one of the guards stationed at the restaurant stood before Lan Xi.
"We don’t know exactly what was said, but when Huo Chong left, there was a smile on his face."
Lan Xi paced back and forth in the room, frowning.
"Does Yang Cena know that Huo Chong met with Zeng Boyan in private?"
The guard hesitated for a moment before replying, "Probably not. Otherwise, Yang Zhong wouldn’t have been the one summoned, and Zeng Boyan wouldn’t have stayed out of sight."
The first rays of dawn struck the rooftop. Upon learning that Song Jinzhao had risen, Lan Xi immediately requested an audience.
In the study, aside from Song Anhao, who was still practicing his horse stance, all three of the Song siblings were present.
Song Qiming said in disbelief, "Huo Chong was Mu Ji'an’s trusted man. That he would defect to Yang Cena..."
Song Shixue stroked her chin and speculated.
"If Huo Chong really is a descendant of Marquis Wuying, then the troops in Ningzhou are far weaker than those in Panzhou. He might be defecting to Yang Cena to seek revenge."
Song Jinzhao asked, "I recall that Mu Ji'an saved Huo Chong’s life."
Lan Xi nodded. "Not just that—Huo Chong was also brought into the military camp and promoted step by step by Mu Ji'an himself."
"Mu Ji'an trusted him deeply. You could almost say he treated him like a godson."
Song Jinzhao sat in her chair, pondering for a long time. Her furrowed brow never relaxed.
Meeting with Zeng Boyan had to be kept secret from Yang Cena, and when meeting with Yang Cena, Zeng Boyan had to pretend ignorance. This likely meant the defection wasn’t genuine.
Thoughts surged through her mind like threads, and it took considerable mental effort just to untangle them.
"On the surface, it looks like Huo Chong has defected to Yang Cena. But in reality, he’s outwardly compliant while inwardly rebellious. It’s highly likely that the defection is fake and being a mole is the real goal."
"By earning Yang Cena’s trust, he could help Ningzhou take down Panzhou. Then, one way or another, he could still march on the imperial court to avenge himself."
Song Qiming said, "For Ningzhou to attack Panzhou would be far more difficult than for Panzhou to attack Ningzhou."
Song Shixue raised her hand. "I feel that Zeng Boyan’s attitude toward Yang Cena is unusual. It’s as if he’s one of Yang Cena’s men."
Song Jinzhao curled her lips into a smile and praised unhesitatingly, "Clever."
"Huo Chong is very likely using the excuse of revenge to win Yang Cena’s trust. Zeng Boyan is the son of Zeng Qing, and Yang Cena couldn’t possibly be unaware of the connection between Zeng Qing and the Wu family army. Pretending they’re not close is a way to lower Yang Cena’s guard."
"By helping Yang Cena become clan leader, and then, when Panzhou attacks Ningzhou, the two of them can stab him in the back from the front and the rear. It’s entirely possible for Ningzhou to take Panzhou."
Song Qiming slammed his right fist into his left palm, his eyes flashing with sharp brilliance.
"If that’s the case, Panzhou’s casualties will be significant. We only need to sit back and reap the spoils, waiting until both sides are worn out from fighting before we make our move."
Song Jinzhao tilted her chin back, rotating her stiff neck.
"Keep watching Huo Chong. Once they leave Suining City, double our manpower in both Panzhou and Ningzhou. Monitor their every move closely."
