After Yan Qing passed Jiangyang City, he spurred his horse rapidly and arrived in Youzhou City in just thirteen days since his departure from Caojun.
He arrived half a day earlier than Wen Xingzhi.
This half-day was enough for him to accomplish many things.
Enough time to find out that Wen Xingzhi hadn't returned to Youzhou, enough time to establish contact with Zhang Wang, a trusted aide sent to Youzhou by Duanyang and Zhang Yanting, and enough time to detect through the Shadows, who were dispatched by Wen Xingzhi to gather information, that Wen Xingzhi had returned and was just thirty miles away.
Thus, he took the lead with Ye Yan and sought out the resting place of Wen Xingzhi.
So, just when Wen Xingzhi had the Shadows release a signal flare and was waiting for the Wen Family's branch member, Wen Shi, to lead a hundred thousand troops out of the city to welcome him, Yan Qing found him first.