Song Yunshu looked at Li Guanqi with a playful expression.

His face remained calm as ever. He glanced at her and said, “That’s enough. Give me the item.”

Song Yunshu’s expression turned serious. She looked at him and said, “Let’s talk inside first.”

Li Guanqi frowned, sensing their visit was about more than just the Heavenly Intelligence Map.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

The three of them made their way to Xiao Chen’s study. The moment they stepped inside, the old man Tu produced a white jade array tray and tossed it into the air.

A mysterious spatial fluctuation spread outward. Fluorescent light flickered across the tray, and a milky-white barrier descended over the room.

Li Guanqi could feel that Xiao Chen’s entire study had been sealed behind something far stronger than he’d expected. He reached out and touched the barrier beside him, eyes narrowing. Even at full strength, perhaps he couldn’t break it.

He turned to find Song Yunshu standing before him, a scroll held in both hands. The Heavenly Intelligence Map reacted on its own, streaking into his forehead as a bolt of light.

Song Yunshu’s voice was grave. “This barrier array tray only lasts as long as a stick of incense, so I’ll keep it short.”

Huff...

She drew a deep breath, then met his gaze. “The old pavilion owner has entered seclusion to prepare for a breakthrough.”

Li Guanqi’s heart jolted. A breakthrough now? He’s trying to reach the Mahayana Stage...

Song Yunshu continued, “So I came to see you not only to return the Heavenly Intelligence Map, but also to discuss another matter.”

Li Guanqi, who had been expressionless, furrowed his brows. “What is it?”

“During this period, the old pavilion owner hopes you can temporarily take charge of the Intelligence Pavilion,” Song Yunshu said solemnly.

A storm surged in Li Guanqi’s heart. He wants to leave the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion in my hands?

He glanced at the old man behind her. Tu sat motionless, eyes closed, offering nothing. Li Guanqi looked back at Song Yunshu. “Why me? The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion is a massive organization. There should be plenty of people capable of managing things temporarily.”

This news was far too shocking for him. It was the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion—the largest intelligence organization across the Six Territories, at least on the surface. And Li Guanqi was an outsider.

Li Guanqi paused. The imposing pressure of someone long accustomed to authority spread from him. He asked in a deep voice, “And you, what exactly is your relationship with Senior Gu?”

Song Yunshu found it hard to breathe. Li Guanqi hadn’t drawn on the slightest bit of vital force. A single look and a calm sentence were enough. To her, someone at the late Divine Transformation Realm, he seemed shrouded in a faint crimson haze. Within that mist, it felt as if there were endless mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The black-robed old man behind her frowned and planted his cane on the ground, preparing to rise. “You only need to say whether you agree or refuse. As for the rest... you don’t need to know that much.”

A vast pressure rolled off him. Li Guanqi read it instantly—Combined Body Realm. Yet his expression didn’t change. He tilted his head, studying the old man, and spoke softly. “What if I insist on knowing the reason?”

The old man straightened his back. Their pressures collided, and the desk between them exploded.

Bang!

The study was reduced to a wreck. Outside the barrier, Xiao Chen and Yuan Chen sat atop a nearby peak, drinking wine. Xiao Chen’s head snapped toward the courtyard, a cold glint in his eyes.

“Picking a fight with Boss?”

Boom!

Rocks shattered across the mountaintop as a blood-red spear tore through the void and slammed into the barrier.

Boom!

It sank half a cun in before the rebound hurled it back. Xiao Chen caught it one-handed, but the recoil dragged him back over a hundred zhang. The shaft shuddered in his grip, and the friction had shredded his palm raw.

He was gathering his full strength when Li Guanqi’s voice reached his ear. “It’s fine. No need to act.”

Only then did Xiao Chen suppress his surging vital force.

Inside the study, Li Guanqi looked at Song Yunshu. Song Yunshu glanced back, signaling Tu to stay calm. After a moment’s hesitation, she turned to Li Guanqi and spoke quietly. “The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion... has serious problems right now. The pavilion elders have split into factions. They believe that the Six Territories will face chaos as the ancient clans emerge, and stronger forces will swallow the pavilion. They think it’d be better to find a powerful backer now and cooperate for mutual benefit.

“On top of that, some of the third-generation descendants want to seize the opportunity and rise to power. Using their fathers’ reputations, they plan to hollow out the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion and take control of certain branches.”

A trace of exhaustion crossed Song Yunshu’s eyes. When she looked up again, they were rimmed with red. “I... am Gu Yong’s granddaughter.”

Li Guanqi raised his brows, his heart jolting. If he remembered correctly, Gu Yong had only one son, named Gu Ze. Meng Jiangchu had mentioned that Gu Ze and his Dao companion were ambushed and killed twenty years ago, which meant that Song Yunshu had to be Gu Ze’s daughter.

“Miss! How can you reveal something like that?!” Tu shouted.

Song Yunshu fixed her beautiful eyes on Li Guanqi, perfectly calm. “Since Grandfather sent me to find him and is willing to give him the chance to lead the Pavilion, that means he is worthy of trust.”

Tu Yongsi’s murky eyes stared straight at Li Guanqi, who tilted his head and met his gaze. The old man was clearly Song Yunshu’s hidden guardian, and his vitality wasn’t strong. His next Combined Body Realm reincarnation tribulation couldn’t be far off.

The old man sighed softly and sat back down, hands tucked into his sleeves. He closed his eyes. “If that’s the case, then you two can talk it out.”

Li Guanqi gave the old man a deep look, then turned toward Song Yunshu and said softly, “I’ll think about it.”

Song Yunshu’s eyes stung. He was supposed to agree. Why does he need to think about it?

Li Guanqi sat back in the chair, watching her struggle with tears, and spoke calmly. “Crying won’t help. You wouldn’t naively think that just because you’re pretty, I’d agree the moment you said it, right? This is a real mess. If things go wrong, lots of people could die.”