The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

"Everyone get off the bus! Submit for inspection!" a junior officer shouted.

Guo Jia was the first to jump off the carriage, still with that carefree young master demeanor. He cupped his hands in greeting to the guard general and said, "General, we are merchants traveling to Luoyang to visit relatives. We hope you can make things convenient for us."

As he spoke, he skillfully took out a rather heavy gold ingot from his sleeve and handed it over without making a sound.

The garrison commander weighed the gold in his hand, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply scanned Guo Jia and the carriage behind him with his cloudy eyes.

"Visiting relatives? You look like spies sent by Ding Yuan, with your shifty eyes!" The guard sneered, stuffing the gold into his pocket, but showing no intention of letting them pass.

Guo Jia's heart sank; he knew he'd run into a tough opponent. This man had taken the money but wasn't going to do anything; clearly, he wanted to take advantage of them.

"General, you jest." Guo Jia's smile remained unchanged. "We are merely ordinary merchants; how could we possibly know the Commander of the Imperial Guards?"

"Whether they're spies or not, a search will tell!" The commander waved his hand. "Men, search thoroughly! Don't miss a single wheel!"

As a conflict was about to erupt, the guards' hands were already on the hilts of their swords.

Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted.

Xun Hao, supporting himself on the carriage door, slowly stepped down. He wore a plain white scholar's robe, over which Guo Jia's expensive white fox fur cloak made his face appear even paler and more translucent, highlighting his exquisite features. The cold wind blew his robes and black hair, making him look like a banished immortal about to ascend to heaven, completely out of place in this desolate battlefield.

Everyone paused in their actions.

The captain was also taken aback by the sudden appearance of the handsome young man. A hint of amazement flashed in his eyes, which then turned into an even more intense greed.

"Oh, there's a handsome young master hiding here." He licked his lips, his tone flippant. "Perfect, I'll take him back and give the brothers some fun."

Guo Jia's eyes instantly turned cold. His hand, which was at his side, had already gripped the hilt of his sword.

Xun Hao seemed not to have heard the foul language. He simply looked at the captain and suddenly spoke, his voice clear and cold like jade striking each other.

"Are you under the command of General Li Jue?"

The captain froze, his lewd grin vanishing. "You...how did you know?"

"I not only know you're one of General Li's men, but I also know your name is Wang Ermazi. Three days ago, you lost your military pay gambling and were whipped twenty times by General Li's personal guard captain, right?"

Wang Ermazi's expression changed instantly. Such a private matter could never be known to outsiders except those in their camp! Just who was this young man before him?

A faint smile played on Xun Hao's lips. "I also know that your mother's cough worsens in winter and requires a herb called 'Dragon Nightshade' from Nanjun to alleviate it. This herb is very precious, and you went so far as to withhold your subordinates' pay for it. You even gambled to win the pay and cover up the matter, didn't you?"

These words struck Wang Ermazi like a thunderbolt.

He did this secretly by himself, without telling anyone. Even his brothers who had risked their lives for him only thought he was a gambler.

The way he looked at Xun Hao again had completely changed; it was a fear that came from the bottom of his heart. "You...who exactly are you?" Wang Er-Mazi's voice was trembling noticeably.

Xun Hao did not answer directly. He took two steps forward, leaned close to Wang Ermazi's ear, and whispered a few words in a volume that only the two of them could hear.

His voice was very soft, like a feather brushing against the ear, but its content made Wang Ermazi's pupils contract sharply, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

Xun Hao revealed several of Wang Ermazi's deepest secrets. These included that he had secretly kept a sum of spoils of war that should have been handed over, the location of which only he knew; he even pointed out that he had a crush on the daughter of a cook in the camp, and knew the details of how he gave the girl a homemade wooden hairpin.

This goes beyond the scope of "being well-informed"; it's simply an unpredictable and mysterious method!

"Now, can we go over there?" Xun Hao took a step back and looked at him calmly.

Wang Ermazi's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground. He scrambled to the side, shouting hoarsely at the soldiers behind him, "Get the hell out of the way! Hurry! This important person needs to cross the river; anyone who delays will be skinned alive!"

The soldiers looked at each other, puzzled as to why their leader had made such a 180-degree turn in attitude, but they dared not disobey orders and hurriedly cleared a path.

Guo Jia witnessed the whole thing. He was utterly shocked to see Xun Hao effortlessly turn the arrogant garrison commander into someone more obedient than a grandson.

Has Xun's intelligence network become so meticulous?

"Get in the car." Xun Hao pulled at his cloak, turned to Guo Jia who was still in a daze, and said in a calm tone as if he had just stepped on an ant.

Guo Jia snapped out of his daze, quickly followed, and helped him into the carriage. The curtain was drawn, blocking out the outside world's view.

"How did you know those things?" Guo Jia finally couldn't help but ask, lowering his voice and looking at him with curiosity.

Xun Hao leaned back on the cushions, closed his eyes, and looked even paler than before. His seemingly nonchalant act of deception had actually been another small-scale deduction of his "legacy plan," which had taken a toll on his mental energy.

"Want to know?" He opened his eyes a crack and glanced at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia nodded, his eyes full of inquiry. He leaned closer and lowered his voice, almost touching Xun Hao's ear.

"I want to know."

His breath, carrying the usual scent of wine, warmly brushed against Xun Hao's ear. Xun Hao's body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment, then relaxed again. He didn't pull away, but simply turned his face to the inside of the carriage, avoiding Guo Jia's scorching gaze.

"I won't tell you." His voice was soft, with a hint of hoarseness and weariness from illness, yet it also revealed a touch of youthful stubbornness.

Upon hearing this, Guo Jia was not angry at all; instead, he chuckled softly.

He sat up straight, creating some distance, but the hand that was around Xun Hao's shoulder didn't move away. He looked at Xun Hao's pale profile and slightly reddened ear tips, and the inquiry in his eyes was gradually replaced by worry.

He didn't ask any further questions.

Among intelligent people, there's no need to spell things out. He knew Xun Hao didn't want to say, or rather, couldn't say.

"I don't care how you found out," Guo Jia suddenly spoke, his tone more serious than ever before. His usual nonchalant manner had vanished without a trace. "You don't have to tell me the secrets of the Xun family. But this network of yours must not be known to a third person outside the Xun family."

Upon hearing this, Xun Hao turned his head in surprise and looked at Guo Jia.