Han Li's mockery left Baiqiao completely unmoved.
He said flatly, "It's easy for True Venerable Qu to go beyond the domain. Whether he can come back is another matter... Or are you hoping he wins a miserable victory first?"
As for what might happen if he lost, Baiqiao did not say it, and there was no need to.
Given True Venerable Qu's pride, everyone could imagine the consequence—he would never want anyone to see him in a wretched state.
"Tch." Han Li shook his head dismissively. Willful as he was, he had lived for more than a thousand years after all.
How could he be so easily swayed by the other man's rhetoric? "You just hate that he cut ties with Lingyun and slipped out of your control, don't you?"
"You're truly wrong about that," Baiqiao said seriously. "Lingyun was already involved long ago."
"The Baiyou Merchant Alliance wanted to send people to infiltrate this realm, but the World Envoy stopped them... Did Lingyun come to you to claim credit for any of that?"
"Fuck," Han Li blurted. His bellyful of anger had been precisely because Lingyun had washed its hands of the matter, so he froze at once when he heard this. "Seriously?"
Baiqiao rolled his eyes at him in speechless exasperation and said nothing, the meaning obvious: would I dare make up something like that?
Qu Jianlei spoke up. "When did this happen?"
If it had been a few years ago, that was one thing. If it was now, that was another.
"The World Envoy's actions..." Baiqiao had originally wanted to keep them guessing, but after glancing at Han Li, he changed his mind. "Not long ago."
Qu Jianlei pondered briefly, then asked again, "Does the other side have a Great Monarch?"
"I don't know," Baiqiao said, shaking