Yun Mingmie put away the message bead and sneered inwardly. "I'll never have anything to do with you again for the rest of my life. Contact you? Dream on!"
He was just about to leave when a ring of light suddenly burst into being, then shimmered into an image—an unmistakable replay of his conversation with Xu Yi moments earlier.
A few breaths later, the image flickered and vanished.
Yun Mingmie stood there, dumbstruck. Then his expression abruptly changed, and he stared at Xu Yi. "Brother Xu, what do you mean by this?"
"Nothing much," Xu Yi said. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't toss the message bead as soon as you walked out the door."
Yun Mingmie was equal parts furious and alarmed. Had he only just escaped the wolf's den to fall into a tiger's lair? He hadn't let his guard down during their conversation; he'd watched for Xu Yi to pull a trick like this. Yet he hadn't noticed the man make a single move. How had he been caught so completely off guard?
"Brother Yun seems surprised," Xu Yi said. "I told you I'd return your Life-Death Gu bottle, and I kept my word. I left behind this little reminder only to ensure you could contact me in time. Judging by your reaction, you'd rather have nothing to do with me."
Yun Mingmie's thoughts were in a tangle. "I'll say just one thing: whatever you do, don't join the wedding escort. Your life or death hinges on this. You'll have to decide for yourself."
With that, he left.
He knew very well there was no point saying anything else to a man like Xu Yi. The only things that could sway him were profit and loss, life and death.
He also knew that trying to