"How do we explain this to Great Yan?" the Silver Frost Envoy asked, surprised.
"Tell them the truth. Say it was lost."
"Wouldn't that be… ill-advised?"
"This place is guarded by the Three Great Yan Institutes, so the search is their responsibility. I will not compensate for any wasted time. A deal is a deal," Jiang Shan said calmly, his heart as still as water.
"Saint Monk, do you know who stole it?"
"I have a good idea. It was likely one of the two groups from earlier today."
"Are you referring to the Eighth Prince and the Seventh Prince?"
"Precisely." Jiang Shan nodded slightly. Gripping his Zen Staff, he glanced in a certain direction and instructed, "Report it to the officials. If the Relic is lost, the Three Academy Cultivators will bear the greatest responsibility. Great Yan will not let the matter rest; they'll surely search high and low for it. If we get involved, we risk attracting trouble. It won't be fatal, but it will be a nuisance."
