The Taihu Lake Plan

Just as everyone nodded in agreement with the deployment...

A voice, somewhat grating, broke the solemn hush in the hall.

"Wait."

The speaker stood below the Gold Robes.

He wore a silver-white brocade robe with a jade belt at his waist. His face was pale and beardless, his eyes proud.

He was Zhao Feng, one of the Silver Robe inspectors who had come south.

Zhao Feng stepped forward. His gaze swept over Cross-Mountain Ferry, the most critical point on the map, before turning to Lu Jingchun.

"Commander Lu, since Inspector You has declared Cross-Mountain Ferry the throat of this hunt, its defense is our foremost concern."

"If that beast breaks through there and the defender fails to stop it—even for a single breath—this inescapable net will become a joke."

At that, his eyes narrowed, and he asked in a low voice:

"Who is defending Cross-Mountain Ferry?"

Lu Jingchun's expression did not change. She cupped her hands and replied:

"Yue Huaiyuan, Yuhang's Demon-Suppression General."

Zhao Feng frowned and searched his memory for the name, but found nothing.

"An unknown... What realm is he?"

"Ink-Point Perfection."

Zhao Feng froze for a moment, then gave a cold laugh.

"Ink-Point Perfection?"

"Commander Lu, as the commander of the East Riverlands, you should know better than anyone how powerful a Demon King of the Lotus-Seeding Realm is."

"Even wounded and fleeing, that beast is still in the Lotus-Seeding Realm! A mere fighter in the Ink-Point Realm, even at perfection, would be a mantis trying to stop a cart. He'd crumble at the first touch."

Zhao Feng swept his sleeve aside and declared:

"If this place is so important, why not station stronger forces there? If we lack the manpower..."

He gestured toward the other Silver Robes beside him, then himself.

"We Silver Robes are all