Pursuit

"You're saying you couldn't beat him?"

"In a head-on fight, I had no chance of winning." Yi Huainan admitted it frankly. "Assassination might succeed, but the risk is too high."

"My perception-concealment rule is less effective against Xu Wuyi. After throwing his third punch, he glanced in the direction where I was hiding. He may have sensed my presence."

Li Jingliu lifted his fingers from the rim of his cup and lightly tapped the table twice.

"So you came back just like that?"

"I didn't come back," Yi Huainan said. "I'm still in the void region outside the Feathered Human Homeworld. The stealth infiltration ship still has enough energy to maintain itself for a while. I can continue monitoring Xu Wuyi's movements here."

"His business on the Feathered Human Homeworld is over. Next, he'll either return to Federation territory or head for the northern front. Wherever he goes, I can follow."

Li Jingliu leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped over his abdomen. The urgency in his expression gradually turned into deliberation and caution.

"How long do you estimate it will take to find an opportunity to strike?"

"I'm not sure," Yi Huainan said. "It could be soon, it could take a long time, or I might never find one. With assassination, you can't act without absolute certainty."

"Once the attempt fails, I'll be the one who dies. And once the grass is startled and the snake alerted, there will never be another chance."

Li Jingliu fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Then keep waiting. I'll speak to Father Emperor; he won't rush you. Time on the Astral Battlefield is measured in centuries for the Southern Martial Star Realm. There's no need to hurry over this little while."

"Your Highness is wise."

"But I have one requirement."