After escaping Pope Hall with his life that night, Dai Weisi used the imperial family's highest-level channels to send a secret letter to Dai Tianfeng in the distant Star Luo capital.
The letter mixed truth with lies.
He said nothing about seeking out Zhu Yan himself. Instead, he claimed that Spirit Hall's Pope, Qian Xunji, had secretly pressured him through a voice transmission during the match.
Qian Xunji had demanded that the Star Luo Empire secretly pay Spirit Hall one million Gold Soul Coins in "tribute" each year. If they refused, Spirit Hall would kill both heirs to the throne, Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai, in Spirit City. Then it would march south and put the surname "Qian" on every future ruler of Star Luo.
When Dai Tianfeng received the letter, thick with threats and extortion, he smashed three entire tea sets in the Imperial Study.
He was furious, but he understood the situation all too well.
Spirit Hall had grown powerful, and Qian Xunji's strength was unfathomable.
With the resources of an entire empire behind him, he could afford a million Gold Soul Coins. But he could not afford the humiliation!
Yet to save his two sons and buy the empire time to prepare for war, Dai Tianfeng could only allocate one million Gold Soul Coins from the treasury. He also wrote five letters berating Dai Weisi for his incompetence and ordered a special envoy to deliver them at once.
"Your son thanks you for your guidance, Father." Dai Weisi swallowed the blood in his mouth and spoke respectfully.
The envoy gave a cold snort. Without lingering, he turned and strode out of the room.
Only when the footsteps faded down the corridor did Dai Weisi slowly straighten up.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth,