Xu Yi ignored Huang Mei and suddenly burst out laughing before heading into the underground refining room. He was at it for an entire day and night. When he finally emerged, he was so exhausted he could barely stand. He called on Huang Mei to keep watch, then sank into a deep sleep. He slept until the next day, when Director Long came calling. Huang Mei woke him.
"Here we go again. What kind of trouble are they cooking up this time?" Xu Yi cursed under his breath. Sprawled across the chair, he said, "Old Long, go ahead. How are you planning to screw me over this time? I'm already in this state, and you people still won't leave me alone. Isn't that going too far?"
Long Guang was stunned by Xu Yi's barrage of three questions. He hadn't expected the man to say anything and everything to his face. It was downright unbelievable. In all his years as an official, he'd never encountered anyone who ripped off the fig leaf the moment they met. How was anyone supposed to have a pleasant conversation like this?
Long Guang had prepared plenty of things to say, but in the end he left a document and a single sentence, then went on his way. He had come to convey Envoy Xia's order: Xu Yi was to deliver the document to Tongcheng Academy, where Envoy Huang Keda would personally sign for it.
Tongcheng Academy handled the submission of official documents and served as a vital hub for passing orders up and down the chain. Its address was only three thousand li from the Immortal Forest Gathering, practically along the way; dropping off the document would be a simple matter. The problem was, Xu Yi thought it was a trap.
And it was a