The sunset blazed red across the entire horizon.
Its light poured through the transparent window and fell on Ye Guyi's sleeping, pallid face, lending her the delicate beauty of a sickly maiden.
Xu Lanqing picked up the White Jade Token from the table beside him and sat down by the bed. He didn't look at Ye Guyi, but instead turned his thoughts to Xu Tianran.
He'd guessed that Long Xiaoyao wasn't in the imperial palace, but afterward he'd sent the Ice Empress to sense carefully. It was a risky move, but Long Xiaoyao really wasn't there.
As for whether he was still in Mingdu, something this major had happened. There was no way he didn't know.
Even if he disliked the Holy Spirit Cult, he should at least have intervened to help Ye Xishui preserve its strength. Yet Xu Lanqing hadn't even seen a trace of him.
Either he'd already left Mingdu for the Demonic Forest or somewhere else, or he was deliberately staying out of it.
Based on what Xu Lanqing knew of Long Xiaoyao, the man was so devoted to Ye Xishui that the first possibility was far more likely. Xu Lanqing hoped that was the case, too.
Something else had caught his attention: Luan Feng, who had been guarding the border all this time, had returned. She'd come back alone. He didn't know whether the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion had returned with her, but something had certainly happened that he didn't know about.
That was the downside of lacking intelligence. He was completely in the dark and could only guess at what was going on.
In the future, he would have to establish an organization that could oversee the entire world and keep him informed of everything at all times.
Xu Lanqing looked down at Ye