As a direct disciple of the True Martial Gate, Guo Kai knew perfectly well that activating an Ironblood Heaven-Sealing Formation of this caliber meant the words to follow were absolutely taboo—leaking so much as a syllable would bring extermination upon one's entire clan.
Zhang Yunqing did not answer Guo Kai's question.
He did not even glance at him.
The Young Marshal of the Tianjin Clique, usually so lofty, languid, and arrogant, seemed like a different person.
He slowly turned, leaning against the completely sealed mahogany door, his narrow phoenix eyes fixed on Li Xiang.
The wild joy of their reunion had vanished from his eyes, as had the authority he carried as Juntong's Deputy Director.
In their place was a profound exhaustion, one that seemed almost capable of swallowing a person's soul.
"Click."
With trembling hands, Zhang Yunqing pulled a box of matches from his uniform pocket. It took several strikes before he finally managed to light the cigar in his hand.
He drew deeply on it. Thick smoke circulated through his lungs before slowly spilling from his mouth and nose, shrouding his handsome but deathly pale face in an ashen cloud.
"Li Xiang."
Zhang Yunqing's voice was terribly hoarse, like two pieces of dried old bark scraping violently together, its rasp enough to make one's bones ache.
"Your plan is flawless."
"Draw on the reserves of Beiyang and Juntong, gather Grandmaster-level experts to protect you, force your way into the Linjiang Forbidden Zone, dig up Qin Zhong's Innately Immaculate Body, then coordinate from inside and outside to sever Yin Tianzi's karmic ties."
The fingers holding Zhang Yunqing's cigar trembled faintly. Looking at Li Xiang, he forced a bleak smile a hundred times uglier than tears.
"If this were half a month ago, I, Zhang Yunqing, would have helped you