However, their base of operations is located within a labyrinth of subterranean caverns heavily warded by ancient illusion arrays. An army could search these woods for a decade and never find the entrance."
The pieces clicked together in Ji'an's mind, creating a picture of such profound, ruthless manipulation that it made her physically nauseous.
"So you used us as bait," Ji'an whispered, her grip on the spatula tightening until her knuckles turned white. "You knew I was traveling with the runaway heir to the General's Estate. You knew Xuan possessed the Iron-Marrow Physique. You deliberately flaunted his presence on the open road, knowing the Syndicate would sense his constitution and ambush us."
