Neither Di Renchen nor Wei Lue said a word about the underground training camp Pan Long had destroyed. Nor did they mention the hundred-odd Shadow Guard recruits and instructors who had vanished without a trace, or Zhao Xianda, the Duke of Chen.
To them, all of it had already been counted as "losses."
The Conservative Faction had broken the unspoken rules, enraged the Wind Patrol Office, and provoked Pan Long into action. None of that surprised them. If anything, they would have been worried if the Wind Patrol Envoys had remained calm and rational under such circumstances instead of flying into a rage and throwing their usual respect for the law beyond the Nine Heavens.
It was only natural for the Wind Patrol Envoys to strike back. Even if they struck a little too hard, that was hardly strange.
If they had not struck back, that would have been a problem.
An oddity was bound to hide a demon. As long as events followed their natural course, there was nothing to worry about.
The deaths of more than a hundred Shadow Guard recruits were not worth their concern. As for Zhao Xianda... political struggles always needed sacrifices. He had simply been unlucky.
Di Hedong, however, could not take it so lightly.
"The Duke of Chen is missing too?" At the news, he sprang to his feet, his expression changing drastically. "How could this happen? How could Pan Long have killed him as well?"
"Please, Your Highness, don't be alarmed." Zhang Hao, seated across from him, smiled and said calmly, "I believe the Duke of Chen is still alive."
Di Hedong froze for a moment. "What makes you say that?"
"Why did Pan Long make his move?" Rather than answer, Zhang Hao posed a question of his own.
"Because the Wind