The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

Li Shaoyuan sat alone in the private room of Wangjiang Tower for the entire night.

The Gan River outside the window flows from the deep of night to the first light of dawn.

More and more merchant ships appeared on the river, and the boatmen's shouts rose and fell, but he paid no attention.

The wine jug in front of him was empty, but he hadn't touched a single dish.

He was waiting for Scar; he knew Scar would definitely come back.

The assassins of the Li family of Jinyang will not rest until their mission is completed.

At 3:45 AM, the door to the private room was gently knocked three times from the outside, the rhythm short and muffled.

Li Shaoyuan did not respond, and the door was pushed open a crack.

Scar staggered across the threshold, his black cloak torn in half, revealing blood-soaked clothes underneath.

The deep, bone-revealing sword wound on his chest was still bleeding.

He pressed his left hand firmly against the wound, his right arm hanging limply at his side, the long sword having been left behind on the "battlefield" at some point.

He leaned against the door frame and slowly slid down to the ground. He looked up at Li Shaoyuan, his lips moved several times, and then he uttered a few words in a hoarse voice: "Young Master... I failed."

"Xu Jie is secretly protected by a master of the seventh rank. I am no match for him. Please punish me, young master."

Li Shaoyuan's wine glass paused in mid-air before he slowly put it down.

He did not get angry, nor did he smash the cup.

He simply looked at Scarface with an extremely calm gaze, a calmness that sent chills down one's spine.

Born into the Li family of Jinyang, he grew up under the influence of his father and deeply understood a principle.

The real danger is not anger itself, but the things that allow a person to suppress their anger.

A seventh-rank expert secretly protecting a fourth-rank deputy inspector is a resource that a censor from a humble background could not possibly mobilize.

Xu Jie had powerful backers, and they weren't ordinary people.

"Who is the expert who injured you?" Li Shaoyuan's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable chill.

Scarface, breathing heavily, replied haltingly, "I can't see through his methods."

"He didn't use any particular school's techniques; every sword strike was improvised."

"His soft sword was hidden in the lining of his belt. He could draw it extremely fast and with great force, at least a seventh-rank sword."

"His last message to his subordinates was, 'The affairs of Jiangxi are none of your master's business.'"

"He saw through his subordinate's blood-burning technique and knew that his subordinate was a member of the Li family of Jinyang."

Li Shaoyuan's fingers slowly traced the rim of the wine glass, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He certainly knew what that meant.

The other party not only knew that Scarface was a member of the Li family of Jinyang, but also deliberately let Scarface come back to deliver a message.

This is not a warning to Xu Jie's enemies, but a warning to the Li family of Jinyang.

He waved his hand, signaling his attendants to help Scarface away to treat his wound.

Then he walked to the window alone, looked at the shimmering Gan River in the morning light, and remained silent for a long time.

He remembered what his father had told him before he left.

Jiangxi is not like the northern border; the officialdom in Jiangxi is very murky.

When making moves on someone else's turf, leave yourself some room for maneuver. If you win, don't be ostentatious; if you lose, don't linger in the fight.

He didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking that it was just dealing with a deputy provincial inspector, how difficult could it be?

Now he understood what his father meant by "room for maneuver".

Xu Jie was not alone; he had a powerful force behind him that even the Li family of Jinyang couldn't fathom.

The reason why that seventh-rank expert didn't kill Scarface and instead sent him back with a message was to tell him something.

I'm being lenient with you this time, but I might not do it next time.

But Li Shaoyuan is never one to give up easily.

He took out a small bronze token from his pocket; it was the clan emblem of the Li family of Jinyang.

It was also a token used to mobilize all of the Li family's resources in Jiangnan.

He summoned his attendant, handed him the token, and gave the instructions.

"First, withdraw all personnel from Nanchang Prefecture and avoid any direct conflict with Xu Jie for the time being."

"Second, have someone investigate the background of the seventh-rank expert who is with Xu Jie."

"Don't investigate openly. Start with the martial arts forces in Nanchang Prefecture and check if there are any traces of seventh-rank masters recently appearing."

"Third, transfer Eagle Elder to Jiangxi."

"Elder Ying is one of the guest elders supported by the Li family of Jinyang, with a peak seventh-grade cultivation level."

"On the northern battlefield, he once fought three Hu warriors of equal rank single-handedly without being at a disadvantage."

"With him in charge, no matter how strong the expert beside Xu Jie is, he can't turn the tide."

After arranging all this, Li Shaoyuan called the waiter to bring him a fresh pot of hot wine.

He poured himself a drink, and his usual calm smile returned to his face.

He lost one move in this game, but that doesn't mean he lost the whole game.

Whether it's Xu Jie or the people behind him.

Li Shaoyuan will remember you.