Ling Tian listened, his expression grave. Master Yan Yu also leaned in, a grim look on her face.
"Speak quickly, what did you find!"
"We investigated those who knew about the change in Ling Tian's flight arrangements. It turns out these individuals used their authority to check Ling Tian's flight schedule, which was basically within their purview.
However, after our extensive inquiries, we discovered that one person inquired about your movements, and their behavior seemed somewhat abnormal. This person is from the Righteous Alliance, and his name is Tian Yiming."
Ling Tian frowned. As far as he could recall, he had never heard of anyone named Tian Yiming.
Qiu Hong continued, "We looked into this Tian Yiming carefully and found that he holds a rather significant position within the Righteous Alliance. His department is the Internal Control Department, primarily responsible for managing the discipline of internal personnel and preventing collusion between members of the Righteous Alliance and the crooked ways.
Logically, even if someone from the Righteous Alliance wanted to know Ling Tian's whereabouts and movements, it shouldn't be him making inquiries. Clearly, something is very wrong!
Then, we checked Tian Yiming's related information and discovered that his direct superior is a high-ranking official of the Righteous Alliance, also a senior member of the Special Operations Department, named Long Ming!"
Upon hearing this name, Ling Tian immediately became vigilant.
"So it was him!"
Ling Tian had a deep impression of Long Ming. He had no prior dealings with Long Ming until recently, when the headquarters of the Yan Yu Pavilion was attacked by the crooked ways.
After repelling the attack, Ling Tian personally went to the capital to report to the high-ranking officials of the Righteous Alliance.
It was at that meeting that Ling Tian was subjected to all sorts of difficulties by Long Ming, who even questioned whether the Yan Yu Pavilion was also associated with the crooked ways.
The two sides immediately erupted in conflict during the meeting. If not for the intervention of the elders, Ling Tian would likely have come to blows with Long Ming on the spot.
"I remember now, during that meeting at the Righteous Alliance headquarters, this old geezer gave me all sorts of trouble, slandered the Yan Yu Pavilion, and even spoke up for the Tianshan Sword Sect!
At the time, it seemed the Righteous Alliance had assigned him to investigate the Tianshan Sword Sect, but nothing came of it!"
Qiu Hong chuckled upon hearing Ling Tian's words.
"Ling Tian, if he could have found any problems with the Tianshan Sword Sect, it would have been a miracle!"
"Oh, what do you mean?"
"Look at this photo!"
As Qiu Hong spoke, she handed Ling Tian a photograph. The photo showed a man and a woman strolling arm in arm on the street, and entering a hotel together.
The man in the photo had sharp features, was handsome and dashing, exuding a strong masculine aura. The woman, on the other hand, was pure and beautiful, radiating an aura of youth.
This pair looked like a perfect match, a golden couple, appearing very well-suited.
"This is?" Ling Tian was puzzled, not knowing who these two individuals were or why Qiu Hong was showing him their photo.
"This man is Yun Zhan. His identity is the only son of Yun Hantian, the Sect Master of the Tianshan Sword Sect, and the future Sect Master of the Tianshan Sword Sect!
And this woman is Long Lingxin, the granddaughter of the current head of the Long family. Long Ming is her paternal uncle!"
Ling Tian finally understood. Everything made sense now. No wonder Long Ming had been so biased towards the Tianshan Sword Sect during that meeting, and had been so eager to cast aspersions on the Yan Yu Pavilion.
It turned out they were family. Of course, Long Ming would protect the Tianshan Sword Sect. It would truly be a miracle if Long Ming were to uncover anything about the Tianshan Sword Sect.
"It seems the mastermind behind my near-fatal plane crash is the Long family?" Ling Tian said with a somber expression.
Master Yan Yu shook her head. "The perpetrator might not be the Long family, but it's not impossible that the Long family used someone else to do their dirty work!
However, the Long family cannot escape their involvement in this matter!"
"I understand. The Long family. I will make them pay!" Ling Tian said through gritted teeth.
Ling Tian detested betrayal more than anything in his life. The Long family colluding with those who had already defected to the crooked ways, like the Tianshan Sword Sect, was an absolute betrayal!
Especially when someone like Long Ming, who held a high position, was a senior member of the Righteous Alliance and part of the Special Operations Department, yet would abuse his authority to show favoritism to the crooked ways, this had undoubtedly touched Ling Tian's raw nerve!
"Ling Tian, what do you plan to do? We will fully cooperate with you!" Qiu Hong said.
"Of course, we must report this matter to the high-ranking officials of the Righteous Alliance and the Special Operations Department, and let them deal with Long Ming properly!
This is a critical period in the struggle between the Righteous Alliance and the crooked ways. If there are traitors within at this time, it will pose a great threat to the Righteous Alliance!" Ling Tian stated.
"Alright, how should we cooperate with you?" Qiu Hong continued to ask.
"No, Master, Ling Tian, we cannot do that!" Master Yan Yu, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke, causing both of them to pause in surprise.
"Master, why?" Qiu Hong asked curiously.
"The Long family! Their strength, connections, and influence within the Righteous Alliance are far beyond your imagination!
Although we have obtained some evidence, it is not direct evidence. Some of the content is based on our deductions!
If you present this evidence, the Long family will vehemently deny it, and what can you do to them?"
Master Yan Yu beckoned, calling over a trusted subordinate. Shortly after, the subordinate returned, holding a thick file. Yan Yu directly handed the file to Ling Tian.
Ling Tian carefully perused the contents of the file, his expression growing more serious with each page. He then passed the file to Qiu Hong, who also fell silent after reading it.
The Long family was far more formidable than any opponent Ling Tian had encountered since descending the mountain!
If the Bai family, whom Ling Tian had just dealt with, was a small mouse, then the Long family was an elephant!
The Long family's financial resources were astonishingly vast, their intelligence network was incredibly powerful, and most importantly, their accumulated connections spanning thousands of years!
Ling Tian's meager connections were utterly insignificant compared to the Long family's.
As Master Yan Yu had said, if this matter were reported to the higher-ups of the Righteous Alliance, even with irrefutable evidence, they would likely just try to smooth things over.
Ling Tian nodded. "You are indeed correct. In that case, Master, do you have any good suggestions?"
"Of course. For this matter, you will pretend you know nothing. You will not reveal yourself. I will continue to eliminate your enemies!
As for the Long family and the Tianshan Sword Sect, we will naturally not let them off the hook!
Ling Tian, put your mind at ease about this matter. Leave it to me and your other masters. We will handle it cleanly!"