Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Raven Castle, the Baron's residence, the study.

Cai Guozhong went behind his desk, picked up a brush, and wrote a letter himself. The letter was very simple, containing only one line of text.

【I am Cai Guozhong. Jiangdong is my friend. You must let me pass along the way, or I will chop you up.】

After finishing writing, Cai Guozhong took out his personal seal and stamped it on the handwritten letter.

This letter is simple, direct, and easy to understand, without any unnecessary words.

Even a rough, uneducated person could understand what this meant.

This handwritten letter essentially represents Cai Guozhong's authority.

Whoever carries this letter can move freely within Cai Guozhong's territory without hindrance, and no one will dare to obstruct them.

Of course, those with guts can try to stop him, but that depends on whether they have a strong enough neck to withstand Cai Guozhong's butcher's knife.

With this letter, Zhou Qingfeng will have fewer troubles and can travel directly to Lanruo Temple without having to take a detour.

Zhou Qingfeng accepted the handwritten letter, carefully put it away, and then said, "Thank you for your help, Your Excellency."

Cai Guozhong smiled slightly and patted Zhou Qingfeng's arm: "Mr. Jiang, there's no need to thank me. We are friends, and you have done a great service to my Cai family. If you ever need anything, just come to Crow Castle to find me. I will definitely help if I can, and if I can't, I will find someone to help me. I will do my best without hesitation."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng nodded, smiled without saying a word, and didn't take the polite words to heart. He believed that true friends are judged by their actions, not by how beautifully they talk. There are plenty of people who claim to be friends and brothers, but then turn around and stab each other in the back.

As I said before, it's better to believe in self-interest than in human nature.

If you really want to be friends, pure feelings are unreliable.

Certainly, when feelings are deep and relationships are in their honeymoon phase, people are willing to give their all and go to great lengths for each other. However, once disagreements and disputes arise, the so-called friendship can crumble at any moment, and many people become strangers or even enemies.

Therefore, only when friendship is accompanied by a large amount of mutual benefit as a lubricant can it last a long time and be stable. Only friends who are bound by mutual benefit can be reliable and relatively trustworthy.

Just like Zhou Qingfeng, Ye Tingxiu, and Xiao Hongyun, they are friends and brothers, but not purely so. There is still a considerable bond of interests between them, making them long-term strategic allies. Losing one of them would be an incalculable loss.

Moreover, the three of them entered the government at the same time, worked together, shared the spoils, took the blame, and faced life and death together, forging a bond that transcended life and death.

Whether from a perspective of self-interest or friendship, Zhou Qingfeng had to do his best to help Ye Tingxiu, at least to bring him back. With Zhou Qingfeng's internal connections and support, the matter could be resolved peacefully, and the blame could be lifted high but then gently slapped down, without any major problems.

Even if Zhou Qingfeng didn't take care of him, with the immense power of his master, Night Owl, he could still ensure that Ye Tingxiu would be safe and sound.

The prerequisite is that it must be done before the Sword Tower identifies him as a traitor, otherwise it will be too late.

Cai Guozhong clasped his hands and said, "Mr. Jiang, please make yourself at home. I need to lead my troops to rescue your wife, so please forgive me for not being able to stay any longer."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng pondered for a moment and reminded him, "The Partridge Di's plan has failed, and he will certainly not give up easily. Your Excellency must be careful."

Cai Guozhong smiled slightly: "Mr. Jiang, you are overthinking it. Partridge Di is in dire need of protection himself. I have already sent troops to surround him at Sancha Pass. He has no way to escape and is too busy to spare any effort. It is absolutely impossible for him to turn the tide."

Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly, feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it: "Lord, is Partridge Di really that stupid?"

Cai Guozhong was slightly taken aback, then realized that there must be a reason for the other party's words, so he asked thoughtfully, "What do you mean?"

Zhou Qingfeng pursed his lips and said, "Please don't let your joy cloud your judgment, my lord. The closer you are to victory, the more dangerous it is. The more you feel that victory is in your grasp and the outcome is certain, the closer you are to your death."

"Has Your Excellency considered that, given Partridge's abilities, he surely knew that staying at Sancha Pass for too long would inevitably lead to his siege by Your Excellency's troops? He certainly did. Well, even if he miscalculates, are all of his advisors fools who couldn't foresee this?"

"It's impossible for him to just wait for you to send troops to besiege them, so why did he still do it?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Guozhong was immediately drawn in and couldn't help but think about it more deeply. He hadn't really thought about it before, but recently there had been frequent incidents both inside and outside the company, which had left him exhausted. After all, a person's energy and time are limited. If you can take care of one aspect, you are bound to neglect another. It is impossible to be perfect in every aspect. There will always be places and people that are overlooked.

Now, upon learning that his wife was imprisoned, he was overjoyed but also worried about her safety. He was determined to rescue her and had no time or energy to think deeply about it. However, Zhou Qingfeng's reminder made him wary and suspicious.

"Mr. Jiang, could it be that Partridge Di is not at Sancha Pass, and the cult rebels stationed there are just a trick to deceive me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, then frowned in deep thought: "It's possible, and the possibility is not low. Now that Cai Nianxiong has been found and Zhong Yue and his group have been captured, then Partridge Di must also know that the plan has been exposed."

“If I were Partridge Di, given the current situation, I would choose to take a small number of elite troops to stalk the cicada while unaware of the oriole behind. Or rather, the capture of Zhong Yue and the return of Cai Nian and Kumamoto to Raven Castle were part of my plan to make you careless, to make you blinded by victory and joy, and to make you think that the overall situation is settled and that I am no longer a threat. Only in this way can I have an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.”

"Once you learn of Madam Cai's whereabouts, you will surely leave Raven Castle and head to the Badger's Labyrinth. Cai Nianxiong will also insist on going with you to save his mother. At that time, you and the Skin-Peeling Family will definitely have a fierce battle in the Badger's Labyrinth. Taking advantage of the chaos, I will take advantage of the situation and kidnap Madam Cai and Cai Nianxiong. Then, you, my lord, will surely be defeated."

Upon hearing this, Cai Guozhong felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, his heart sinking. He then gasped, realizing what was happening: "Hiss... No, impossible, absolutely impossible! I know Partridge Di, he doesn't have that kind of cunning or scheme!"

Zhou Qingfeng's expression was serious. He clasped his hands and said, "My lord, it's entirely possible. Does my lord really understand him? This person was able to hide under my lord's command for more than ten years without revealing his true colors, and he was able to become my lord's right-hand man. This already proves that this person is cunning and scheming."

"Moreover, I have fought against Partridge Di once. His wisdom and talent are indeed extraordinary. Even in the entire Python Sparrow Empire, he is above average. He is by no means an ordinary person. I urge you, my lord, to be on high alert and act cautiously, lest you be caught off guard and suffer a setback."