"Young Master, are you suggesting the content in the 'Famous Mountains Diary' connects to what the Brocade Guard Officer said?" The scribe stood up. Since his young master posed a serious question, he had to respond seriously.

"Mm." Jiang Huoer nodded. "In the Tahang Mountains, I recall the book mentions mountain bandits. Their activity zone is specifically the middle to northern sections, right?"

The area the scribe remembered matched Jiang Huoer’s exactly—the middle to northern sections.

"That’s correct, Young Master."

"So it is. My conclusion might seem a bit forced now, but it’s close enough. In the 'Famous Mountains Diary,' Xu Jing’s map marks an extremely hidden area. It’s the flattest spot in the Tahang region—easy to attack, defend, and escape from. If I were the bandit leader, I’d absolutely set my hideout there, wouldn’t I?"

"Young Master, you’re not a bandit leader."

"I know. I mean hypothetically. If I were the bandit leader."

"Mm. If I were the bandit leader, I’d build my hideout there too." The scribe strained hard on his tiptoes, trying to match Jiang Huoer’s height.

"You’re impossible..." Jiang Huoer sighed. "Fine. If you were the bandit leader, you’d pick that spot. We both agree unanimously, right?" After all, the scribe was five years younger. Jiang Huoer would yield when he could. He understood—the boy didn’t want the ‘honorary title’ of bandit leader. That was pure childishness.

The scribe beamed and nodded happily.

"Let’s connect Xiao Hao’s key clues with the Tahang content in the 'Famous Mountains Diary.'" A web of connections unfolded in Jiang Huoer’s mind. It was easy to sort out, like his cannon and firearm blueprints—complex but orderly, with clear points to grasp.

"The Brocade Guard Officer’s words, in order: ‘Northern Taihang Deception,’ ‘northern,’ ‘Yuan,’ ‘Capital Interview.’" The scribe followed Jiang Huoer’s train of thought. "Rearranged: ‘Yuan,’ ‘Northern Taihang Deception,’ ‘northern,’ ‘Capital Interview.’"

That was the most logical structure.

"Then we fill in details." Jiang Huoer’s eyes lit up. Whenever that gleam appeared, a troubling puzzle was solved for him. "‘Yuan Troops,’ ‘Deception in Northern Taihang,’ ‘targeting the Capital Interview Team.’"

The思路 grew clearer.

"If we add more..." The scribe frowned, looking quite cute. "This doesn’t reveal the Yuan Troops’ exact trick in northern Taihang. We must combine it with the 'Famous Mountains Diary.'"

"Exactly." Jiang Huoer’s tone sped up, rising with excitement. "Only the active mountain bandits here could lure the Imperial Capital Interview Team to the Tahang Mountains. These plank roads are a vital trade route, connecting north-central regions and the northern Imperial Capital. There’s rich profit to be made. The bandit threat must deeply trouble the Emperor. To solve it, he’d send the Interview Team here to exterminate them."

"Because the Capital Interview Team has important figures..." The scribe seemed to grasp it.

"Right. The examiners heading to the Imperial Capital must be Great Ming’s top-tier experts. There’ll surely be members of the Imperial Three Camps." Jiang Huoer smiled. "The Imperial Three Camps are the capital’s trusted guard forces. Achieving interview goals while exterminating bandits—that’s killing two birds with one stone."

"Then, Young Master... what’s the Yuan army’s plan?"

"If I’m right, the Yuan Troops will use this to ambush and annihilate the team." Jiang Huoer kept clarifying the threads. "The hidden area in the 'Famous Mountains Diary' will be where they plan to make the Capital Interview Team meet their doom."

"But someone must lure the team there," the scribe said. "And they can’t feel suspicious. They must enter that flatland feeling it’s only natural."

"That’s the crucial part of their entire plan." Jiang Huoer rubbed his head. "Honestly, without seeing the site myself, this is as far as I can go. The main threads are clear. The rest are trivial details—insignificant to the big picture."

"Young Master, are you planning to visit the site?"

"Mm. For the Yuan Troops to deploy such a complex plan, it’s not simple. I suspect someone in the Capital Interview Team is profitable for them." Jiang Huoer said, "Shangfeng, this is urgent. I can’t take you. You must stay and care for this assistant commander."

"But, Young Master..." The scribe was deeply worried. The conspiracy behind these conclusions was terrifying—far worse than Spirit Martial Town’s business wars. He’d been dragged by Jiang Huoer to Boss Qian’s gambling den before. What happened there paled beside this.

"I’ve brought enough." Jiang Huoer’s lips curved slightly. He walked to the brown horse and took down the bamboo basket hanging in front.

"Young Master?"

"Do you think your young master would dare out without the War God Imprint?" Jiang Huoer opened the basket and showed the scribe its contents.

"This is!!"

"I told you—my secret weapon." Jiang Huoer closed the lid. "My biggest hope is the enemy isn’t too numerous. Otherwise, this is just a drop in the bucket—useless."

"Young Master, are you really going?" The scribe was teary-eyed. "You might die..."

"Of course. Even with a one in ten thousand chance to save them, I must try. Otherwise, how can I uphold my justice?"

Jiang Huoer’s fourth motto—and the only one he coined himself—was: "My Cannon Is My Justice!"