Ordinarily, Guo Wei spent all his time at the Martial Arts Hall and seemed unconcerned with worldly affairs. But from the way he handled things, it was clear he held deep affection for the Great Yuan Dynasty.

He taught Yang Shaorong and his other disciples to be loyal and diligent, to build their careers and achieve great things. And though he may have hoped to build his own reputation through them, his unwavering loyalty to Great Yuan was also apparent.

However, Guo Wei’s fist unclenched as his eyes opened. He spoke calmly, "Wolf Valley Pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even with Prince Andre’s help, it would be nearly impossible to rescue Tian. There is only one way to truly save him: I will go to Wolf Valley Pass as a Grandmaster and ransom him with your head."

"Mr. Guo, must you insist on this?"

Xie Xiaohuan’s expression turned grim.

"I have no other choice. This is the only way to save Tian."

Guo Wei said flatly.

"Everyone sitting here is a warrior of the Aika Tribe. Mr. Guo, even if your Inner Strength is unfathomable, you can’t possibly kill me."

Xie Xiaohuan was brazenly confident.

"When I accepted the invitation to come here, I never planned on killing you today," Guo Wei said with a smile. "I only wanted to see an old friend and experience the culture of the Aika Tribe. I also wanted to confirm that you were still alive. You see, you can’t die. You may not realize it, but if you die too soon, not only will Tian never leave Wolf Valley Pass, but he’ll also wither away from grief."

"You..."

Xie Xiaohuan’s face flushed with anger. "A wise man knows to adapt to the times!" he spat. "Mr. Guo, don’t indulge in fantasies. Now that you and your two disciples have set foot in the Aika Tribe’s territory, you won’t be leaving so easily."

Although it was Mahmoud’s men who discovered Guo Wei in the small town, the one who had truly wanted to invite him over was Xie Xiaohuan himself.

He had planned to use Guo Xiaotian as leverage to force Guo Wei to compromise and help him attack Wolf Valley Pass. But to his surprise, Guo Wei refused to be swayed by either threats or persuasion, willing to let his son continue to suffer rather than cooperate with Prince Andre.

SHIING!

As he finished speaking, the Aika Tribe warriors inside the tent all drew their Horse-Cutting Sabers.

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu immediately moved to flank Guo Wei, protecting him.

Guo Wei, however, remained seated and unmoved. He simply looked at Mahmoud and said with a smile, "Elder Ma, both of my disciples hold official positions in the Great Yuan Dynasty. My youngest disciple, in particular, once represented Great Yuan and defeated your Aika Tribe’s number one young warrior. The border guards have a clear record of them accompanying me into your territory. If they were to die here, in the Aika Tribe’s lands, it would be tantamount to declaring war between the Turkic Kingdom and Great Yuan. Every Turkic person still within the borders of the Great Yuan Kingdom would face annihilation!"

"Elder Ma, Guo Wei’s Inner Strength is profound, and he is both courageous and cunning," Xie Xiaohuan said. "For years, he has been training elite generals for Great Yuan. His two disciples can leave, but we cannot let Guo Wei go."

"We leave together, or we die together! If you want to kill my master, you’ll have to get through me first," Chu Lingguang roared.

He finally understood. It wasn’t Mahmoud who wanted to avenge a past defeat; it was Xie Xiaohuan trying to recruit Guo Wei. ’That bastard!’ he thought. ’He’s truly despicable. After what he did to Tian, he now wants to drag Master Guo into this too. He deserves to die!’

"Tch! Our senior brother must have been blind to become sworn brothers with someone like you," Hei Hu spat.

Mahmoud’s expression grew tense.

He had fought Guo Wei before and knew the depths of his power. He was absolutely no match for him. Even on his own turf, if Guo Wei were pushed too far, many of his tribe’s warriors would die.

More importantly, Guo Wei was right. If Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu died here, it would be difficult for the Turkic Kingdom to answer to Great Yuan. Even if it didn’t lead to war, he, an Elder of the Aika Tribe, would pay a terrible price. The matter would certainly not be dropped easily.

As for the potential threat Guo Wei posed?

’That’s far less important than my own prosperity and the future of my tribe.’

He raised a hand, signaling his warriors to sheathe their weapons. Then, he clasped his hands in a gesture of respect toward Guo Wei. "Visitors are our guests, Master Guo. Please rest assured, no one in the Aika Tribe would dare to harm you or your disciples."

"Elder Ma!"

Xie Xiaohuan cried out in alarm.

"Clan Leader Xie, say no more. Whatever business you have, you can settle it yourselves after you leave the Aika Tribe’s territory."

Mahmoud said with a meaningful look.

Xie Xiaohuan froze for a moment before slowly sinking back into his seat.

Guo Wei understood the underlying meaning. He did a quick mental calculation. ’By now, Zhuoyi and the other two should have already entered Turkic territory, and may even be on their way to the Aika Tribe.’

Given the current situation, it would be impossible to arrest Xie Xiaohuan through official channels.

He had originally thought Xie Xiaohuan was just bait laid by Mahmoud, and that if he just took the bait, Xie Xiaohuan would be trapped. But now he realized Xie Xiaohuan had already established a firm foothold in the Turkic Kingdom.

The title "Clan Leader Xie" meant he was now the leader of his own tribe.

For a man like that, even if Guo Wei had an arrest warrant, a capture decree, or even official approval from the Turkic Kingdom itself, Mahmoud would never let him take Xie Xiaohuan. And the experts surrounding Xie Xiaohuan would certainly not let him succeed.

Everything had happened too quickly. He had been overconfident, underestimating the complexity of the situation.

’Dealing with Xie Xiaohuan will require a long-term plan,’ he thought. ’There’s nothing I can do today.’

With that, Guo Wei rose to his feet. "Elder Ma, I have urgent matters to attend to. We shall meet again another day!"

"Oh? In that case, I will not insist you stay."

Mahmoud also rose to see them off.

He was a very clever man. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

With tensions between Xie Xiaohuan and Guo Wei at a breaking point, sending them away as soon as possible was the only way to keep the Aika Tribe from being dragged into their conflict.

The warriors of the Aika Tribe were not afraid of war, but none of them wished for it.

As the tribe in the Turkic Kingdom closest to the Great Yuan Dynasty, they would be on the front lines the moment war broke out between the two nations.