Yuan Hongyi was drenched in sweat. He’d spent a full hour drinking with Li Guanqi. At this point, even a fool could tell what Li Guanqi was doing. Yuan Hongyi ran all the businesses and industries of the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion across the Six Territories. He was no fool.

Li Guanqi had said nothing of substance the entire time. No questions, no business. He’d simply dragged Yuan Hongyi into a chair and kept him there, chatting about nothing. The longer Yuan Hongyi stayed, the more the others would assume they were plotting something, trading secrets behind closed doors.

Yuan Hongyi had tried every excuse he could think of to leave, but Li Guanqi had refused each one with a polite smile. Cold sweat covered his forehead.

“Pavilion Master... I really must go back. There’s too much to handle in the tower. If I don’t return, things will fall apart!”

Li Guanqi calmly took a sip of wine and glanced at him with a smile. “Don’t rush. Look, I still have plenty of wine left.”

He leaned back lazily. “Today, even if your wife dies, you’re waiting until I finish this wine. Understand?”

The veins on Yuan Hongyi’s forehead throbbed. He finally understood Li Guanqi’s intention. Today, Li Guanqi intended to keep him here until he himself was satisfied. Only then would he be allowed to leave.

But the other three tower masters were drawing their own conclusions. Jiang Yi’s expression was dark as water. Tu Yongsi wore a thoughtful look, his cloudy eyes flickering as he pondered something. Ji Yuchuan rose from the great formation and looked toward Li Guanqi’s courtyard, his eyes gleaming.

“That punch carried quite some force,” he murmured. “But if that’s all there is, I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

After saying this, he raised a hand and drew several strands of spirit light from the void. Within those lights were reports concerning Tu Yongsi and Jiang Yi.

Meanwhile, Tu Yongsi set down a blood-red jade slip and murmured quietly, “So... he’s planning to make his move against the Yellow Tower?

“But where exactly is the old Pavilion Master’s life soul lamp...”

Back in the courtyard, Yuan Hongyi regained his composure. He rested both hands on the armrests and spoke calmly. “Since you’re in the mood to relax... I’ll keep you company. We can drink as long as you like.”

Li Guanqi blinked. Why isn’t he anxious anymore? Has he found a way out?

Li Guanqi smiled faintly, stood, and walked toward the backyard. After what felt like nearly two hours, he said casually, “Alright, that’s enough drinking. Brother Yuan, go take care of your affairs. If there’s anything I don’t understand, I’ll call for you again.”

Yuan Hongyi’s face fell like he’d swallowed a fly. He’d just steeled himself for a long confrontation, and now Li Guanqi had pulled his punch. Yuan Hongyi said nothing. After bowing, he quickly left the courtyard. The moment he stepped outside the barrier, his face darkened. He didn’t dare reveal too much here. The space beside him twisted slightly, and he vanished.

As he returned, his expression shifted. Both Jiang Yi and Tu Yongsi had sent him messages. He returned to his study in the Yellow Tower and channeled vital force into a jade slip. Jiang Yi’s voice came through at once.

—You stayed with Li Guanqi for two full hours. What exactly did you talk about? Are you planning to stand on his side now?

The barrage of questions made Yuan Hongyi’s jaw tighten. “If I said nothing happened, and that I simply drank with him for two hours... would you believe me?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he cursed under his breath. He wouldn’t have believed it either.

As expected, neither did the other tower masters.

—Two hours? You just drank with him? Didn’t say anything at all?

—Yuan Hongyi! Do you think we’re idiots?! Two whole hours drinking wine?! Then what about the hundreds of jade slips you gave him? Are you planning to hand over the entire foundation of the Yellow Tower?!

Yuan Hongyi’s face twisted. “Those were his jade slips! I only gave him three! Just three!”

—You’re full of shit! When he came out, there were nearly three hundred jade slips floating behind him! His own jade slips? You think we’d believe that?

—He said he’d ask you if he didn’t understand something. And then you followed him and stayed for two hours!

Yuan Hongyi had no defense. All he could do was repeat himself. “I’m not an idiot! How could I possibly tell him everything?! I’ll say it one last time—I didn’t say a damn thing! We talked about nothing! Believe it or not!”

Bang!

In a fit of rage, he smashed the jade slip to pieces. His chest heaved, his breath ragged and uneven.

A cold realization crept over him. Cold sweat broke out across his body. They’d walked straight into a net Li Guanqi had woven with nothing more than a few words and a seemingly casual gesture. Now, all of them were suspecting each other.

Tu Yongsi had asked the same questions earlier. Yuan Hongyi had given the same answers before tossing the jade slip back into his storage ring. Furious, he pulled out a jar of strong liquor and gulped it down. Before long, the study echoed with the sound of smashing objects and angry curses.

After the barrier around the Yellow Tower dissipated, Jiang Yi, who managed intelligence, quickly confirmed that Yuan Hongyi had indeed retrieved only three jade slips for Li Guanqi.

Jiang Yi sat in his chair, eyes narrowing as he tapped his fingers on the table. “Three, huh... Yuan Hongyi isn’t completely stupid. At least he made sure people saw him holding the jade slips... But still, it was two whole hours. Did nothing really happen between them?

His eyes narrowed. “Li Guanqi... You’d better behave yourself and remain a decorative puppet.”

Elsewhere, Tu Yongsi sat in a pitch-black secret chamber. His voice was low. “Still haven’t found it?”

A whisper came from the darkness. “Still searching.”

At the window of the Blue Tower, Ji Yuchuan gazed out over the domain and murmured, “Dark clouds press against the city, threatening to crush it... It seems rain is about to fall.”

Back in his study, Yuan Hongyi stared at the jade slip in his hand, cold light in his eyes. He gritted his teeth. “Xiao Mingtang! I need you to repay that favor now!”

In a desolate valley, the ground lay ravaged. A gaunt man, his face smeared with blood, slowly cut off the head of the man in his grip and grinned. “Oh? Go on. What do you want?”

“Kill someone.”

“Give me the location. Once they’re dead, the favor is repaid.”

“Deal.”

Yuan Hongyi sent void coordinates via the jade slip, then destroyed it.

He leaned back in his chair, eyes cold.

“Li Guanqi... What a move.”