"Fast work."
Li Xiang saw nothing strange about their exposure.
Although the battle between Zhang Yunqing and Lin Xuanshu in a remote town beside the Desolate River had ended quickly last night, and Zhang Yunqing had even used military qi to seal off the surrounding space, a Fourth Realm energy fluctuation had erupted right under the River Warlord's nose. If the force guarding the Two-River Basin failed to notice, Marshal Cao's reign as a regional lord might as well be over.
What Li Xiang had not expected was such a direct, forceful response.
No covert probing. No men sent to follow them. They had simply deployed elite troops to block them at the ferry.
They really had the nerve.
This was the River Warlord's stronghold, after all. Even a mighty dragon did not press down on a snake in its own den.
Marshal Cao, however, had clearly underestimated Zhang Yunqing's temperament.
"Hey. Are you trying to tell me, Zhang Yunqing, what to do?"
Zhang Yunqing's casual words fell across the silent ferry like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
Veins bulged on the officer's face. He had invoked the marshal's name, yet the man before him refused to give him even a shred of face.
"Young Master Zhang..." Suppressing his anger, the officer took half a step forward. "The marshal has prepared—"
"Can't you understand a word I say?"
Zhang Yunqing did not spare the officer a glance. He turned and casually beckoned to Li Xiang, Lin Xuanshu, and Guo Kai behind him.
"Keep up. Let's see who dares stop us today."
With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked straight toward the soldiers, his military boots striking the flagstones with steady, forceful clicks.
Li Xiang followed half a step behind without hesitation. Lin Xuanshu formed a