Inside the teleportation channel, Li Guanqi asked, “Where is the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion’s main branch?”

Tu Yongsi glanced at him. The question alone showed how little attention Li Guanqi usually paid to such things.

Song Yunshu, though, wasn’t surprised. A faint smile curved her lips. She said softly, “It’s in the Daochan Territory.”

Li Guanqi nodded. The location was within his expectations.

Among the Six Territories, the Falling Sunset Territory was already very far from the Daxia Territory, but the one farthest from all the others was the Daochan Territory. According to legend, it was a continent floating on the sea, rivaling the Daxia Territory in size, yet so remote that most cultivators would never visit it in their entire lives. Even now, as an Illusory Refinement Realm cultivator, Li Guanqi had never imagined he might one day set foot there.

“I’ve heard that in Daochan Territory, it’s easy to attain sudden enlightenment from comprehending the world,” Li Guanqi said. “Is that true?”

Song Yunshu couldn’t help but smile. “It’s not as exaggerated as the rumors say. The Daochan Territory has certain places where sudden enlightenment comes easier due to divine resonance, but the major sects have claimed every one of them.”

Li Guanqi pursed his lips. He’d thought the Daochan Territory would be as mystical as the rumors suggested.

The waves of energy pulsing through the channel told Li Guanqi that the journey would take at least seven days. It was no short trip, especially through a directional teleportation channel built from a scroll. Even more so since Song Yunshu had used a high-grade scroll worth a fortune.

Li Guanqi settled cross-legged on the floor and gestured to the empty space in front of him with a smile. “Sit. Let’s talk. What’s the current situation with the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion? I want to see if I can coast through this as a useless nobody. Also, how long will I be leading the place?”

Song Yunshu lifted her skirt slightly and sat across from Li Guanqi. A hint of awkwardness crossed her face. “At the shortest, just over a month. At the longest...”

Li Guanqi’s mouth twitched. “So if Old Gu doesn’t emerge from seclusion, I’m basically trapped in the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion forever?”

She nodded awkwardly, then added quickly, “Don’t worry. During this time, the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion will provide whatever cultivation resources you need—anything, so long as it’s not unreasonable. We can even send resources to the Daxia Sword Sect if you wish.”

Li Guanqi shook his head and said softly, “I have no interest in any of that. I can earn my own spirit stones. If necessary, I can hunt monsters daily to sustain my cultivation. Those things don’t appeal to me. They feel too constraining.”

Song Yunshu lowered her head in silence. She knew she had somewhat overstepped.

Li Guanqi pondered for a long moment before saying, “Three years. I can stay in the Intelligence Pavilion for a maximum of three years.”

Song Yunshu pressed her lips together. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at him.

Li Guanqi’s expression didn’t change. “You know how things are across the Six Territories now. The Abyssal Demon incident has everyone on edge, and now the Sha organization is sowing chaos everywhere. I think their ambitions are enormous. Three years. By then, Wanshu will have broken through, so that’s my absolute limit.”

He spoke entirely from his own perspective, with little regard for how Song Yunshu felt. To him, her feelings didn’t matter. If not for his curiosity about how the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion operated, he wouldn’t have agreed at all.

Tu Yongsi, silent until now, spoke. “Fine. Three years it is. Three years!”

Song Yunshu turned to the old man, a hint of impatience in her voice. “Senior Tu! Three years might not be enough for Grandfather to break through. If he takes longer, what then?”

Tu Yongsi opened his murky eyes, his gaze resolute. “If that time comes, then I will assist you in taking charge.”

Though the old man’s words held firm, Li Guanqi caught the worry in Song Yunshu’s eyes. It seemed Tu Yongsi wasn’t the strongest cultivator in the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion. If he were, brute force would have settled everything.

Before Song Yunshu could let her emotions rise further, Li Guanqi spoke. “Come, tell me about the current situation.”

Song Yunshu looked at Li Guanqi with a trace of grievance, feeling that he was rather insensitive. If it had been anyone else, they would have been eager to show off and take charge. Yet, on second thought, perhaps it was precisely that detached personality of his that had unconsciously drawn her to him.

She knew about his bond with Meng Wanshu, the niece of the Divine Treasure’s Territorial Lord. But in the cultivation world, it was perfectly normal for someone to have multiple Dao companions. Even mortal emperors kept thousands of concubines, and nobles and officials took numerous wives and concubines too.

She would have been content to be with Li Guanqi even as a concubine, but he seemed utterly uninterested.

Slash!

In her agitation, her intertwined fingers caught the hem of her clothing and tore it.

Li Guanqi paid it no mind. Song Yunshu quickly adjusted her posture, then carefully explained the current situation within the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion.

Tu Yongsi no longer sat with his eyes closed. He listened quietly from nearby, offering clarification whenever Song Yunshu seemed uncertain, untangling the intricate relationships between high-ranking figures that even she didn’t fully grasp.

Li Guanqi’s frown deepened as he listened. The web of relationships was a mess. Sworn enemies shared hidden interests, while apparent allies nursed private rifts. He gave Tu Yungsi a long look, amazed that he could map so many tangled connections so clearly.

“Senior Tu, what exactly is your role within the pavilion?”

Tu Yongsi turned to him. “I’m in charge of the Heavenly Intelligence Guard.”

Li Guanqi’s heart skipped a beat. The unassuming old man before him held a much higher position than he initially realized. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Li Guanqi nodded silently, then flicked his fingers, conjuring a blank chessboard of spirit light. Three black pieces sat on the board, each restraining the others. Surrounding them were many more black pieces, representing the three largest branches of the Intelligence Pavilion.

Li Guanqi held a white piece and set it at the edge of the board, his brows furrowing. He had to capture every black piece with only a handful of his own. His position was dire. He murmured, “This game... is a bit difficult.”