Inside the inner hall of the Dark Association.
Kong Ling sat in the main seat, eyes closed, listening to Gu Hai's report, his mind on who knew what.
"My lord, I believe that since we've decided to act, the sooner the better."
Gu Hai's voice echoed again, his eyes flashing with icy killing intent.
Not long ago, a guard responsible for monitoring Po Xiao came with a message: Hong Mo had visited Po Xiao.
And before that, he had just told Hong Mo that Kong Ling was planning to make a move against Po Xiao.
The reason was simple: Po Xiao's words in the grand hall had made him suspicious, guessing that Hong Mo was no longer loyal to Kong Ling.
So he had specifically informed Hong Mo of this matter, intending to test him.
But Hong Mo had then gone to Po Xiao's residence. It went without saying that this had basically leaked the matter to Po Xiao.
Now Gu Hai had reported everything to Kong Ling, urging Kong Ling to make a firm decision lest Po Xiao escape.
"Alas! Hong Mo, Hong Mo, for Ba Tian's sake, I've tolerated you for so long, only to find you are still an ungrateful wolf cub!"
Finally, Kong Ling sighed. He glanced at Gu Hai and said indifferently, "There's no rush with this matter. We have no evidence. Killing Po Xiao would be difficult to explain to the entire Dark Association.
As I said before, we must seize the time to gather evidence of Po Xiao's rebellion!"
Kong Ling ultimately decided to endure. After all, Po Xiao had made significant contributions.
If Po Xiao were taken down without concrete proof, many in the Dark Association would not be convinced.
They might even defect to Xing Yuan, which would make things difficult.
"Report!"
Just then, a voice announced a report.
Immediately afterward, another guard walked in and went directly to Kong Ling, saying, "Lord Kong Ling, Man Tuo Luo and Fei Yan are missing!"
"Hm? What's going on?"
Kong Ling looked at the guard in confusion, his brow furrowing instantly.
The guard hurriedly replied, "Before, Man Tuo Luo, Fei Yan, and Lan Yue went out shopping. But as they were shopping, Man Tuo Luo and Fei Yan disappeared, and only Lan Yue returned in the end..."
"Where are they!"
Upon hearing this, Kong Ling's eyes flashed with killing intent as he questioned them.
To have someone disappear from their sight while being tracked was utterly incompetent!
Hearing this, Kong Ling wished he could slap them to death.
"I... I don't know. I've also sent people to seal off the surrounding area, but we haven't found them..."
*Bang!*
Before the guard could finish, Kong Ling waved his hand. A surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from him, killing the guard on the spot.
Gu Hai's heart tightened at the sight.
After a moment of thought, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Lord Kong Ling, it seems that Po Xiao has begun his preparations after receiving the news!"
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Kong Ling glanced at Gu Hai and fell silent.
The next moment, he understood Gu Hai's implication. The latter clearly meant that Po Xiao had deliberately sent the two women away to avoid implicating them.
Thinking this, Kong Ling said indifferently, "Since Po Xiao has a way to send the two women away, why doesn't he escape himself?"
Gu Hai's eyes darted, and he said, "My lord, I believe Po Xiao is doing this to provoke you, thinking that you cannot find evidence of his wrongdoing, hence he remains."
"Hmph!"
Upon hearing this, Kong Ling snorted coldly, his expression instantly turning somber.
The opponent had no chance of winning against him.
Now that he knew Kong Ling's intentions and hadn't fled, it meant he was confident that Kong Ling wouldn't find any fault with him.
Thinking of this, Kong Ling became even more furious. He sneered, "Po Xiao, I'd like to see what kind of ability makes you so confident!"
Hearing Kong Ling's angry voice, Gu Hai felt a surge of joy in his heart. With Kong Ling so enraged, Po Xiao's good days were numbered.
In the next instant, he quickly stepped forward and said, "My lord, since Po Xiao is so unappreciative, let's just capture him and use your Dream Spirit cultivation technique. Whether he is loyal or treacherous will be clear at a glance..."
"No, as I said, Po Xiao has made outstanding contributions. If we use this method and it succeeds, no one will say anything."
"But if it fails, it will cause dissatisfaction among many!"
Kong Ling reprimanded Gu Hai. As he spoke, his eyes darted, and he continued, "However, if this method is used against Lan Yue, there shouldn't be much of a problem."
That's right, Kong Ling was already preparing to make a move against Lan Yue.
Lan Yue had also shown him no respect, speaking defiantly and provoking him, which had stirred Kong Ling's killing intent.
Furthermore, Lan Yue and Po Xiao were birds of a feather, so she likely knew more secrets than Man Tuo Luo.
More importantly, Lan Yue did not have such high military achievements or such great prestige within the Dark Association, so even if something happened to her, it would not cause much of a stir.
Of course, this was also Kong Ling's last gamble. If he won, he would conveniently eliminate Po Xiao.
But if he lost, he would have to abandon his suspicions about Po Xiao.
As he spoke, he glanced at Gu Hai and said, "Tomorrow, invite Lan Yue over. Also, instruct Hei Bai Wu Chang to constantly monitor Po Xiao. If there is any movement, kill him!"
"Yes!"
Gu Hai's eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing this.
...
Time flowed by quietly, and in the blink of an eye, it was early morning.
In the room, Ye Cangtian and Lan Yue had just finished breakfast and were chatting.
"Junior brother, what should we do next?"
"Kong Ling has already developed killing intent towards you and is gathering evidence against you. We can't just wait here for him to make a move, can we?"
Lan Yue glanced at Ye Cangtian and asked.
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "Of course not. How can we just sit idly by?"
*Ding! Ding! Ding!*
Ye Cangtian had only spoken halfway when, before he could reveal his specific plan, a knock came at the door.
He had no choice but to pause their conversation and go to open it.
As soon as the door opened, a dark golden mask that he detested appeared. It was Gu Hai.
Instantly, a sense of foreboding washed over him.
"Good morning, Lord Po Xiao!"
Hearing Gu Hai's mocking voice, Ye Cangtian let out a cold snort and asked, "Gu Hai, you've come so early, what is it?"
"There are two matters this time."
Gu Hai smiled slightly and took out a tray from his Qiankun bag. A piece of red silk was draped over it.
The next moment, Gu Hai pulled off the silk, revealing two dark golden masks.
Then Gu Hai continued, "These are dark golden masks that represent the status of a奉供 (fèng gòng - consecrator/offerer). The patterns on them are the same as the one you're wearing now, only the colors are different, mainly to distinguish status..."
Hearing this, Po Xiao nodded and directly took the tray.
Seeing this, Gu Hai smiled slightly and held up two fingers, saying, "Next is the second matter. Lord Kong Ling heard that Lan Yue is mainly responsible for intelligence work outside of Huaxia.
So he wants to invite her over to understand the situation! And perhaps arrange some tasks!"
Upon hearing that Xing Yuan wanted to summon Lan Yue alone, Ye Cangtian's brow furrowed.
This did not bode well!
Thinking this, he quickly said, "May I ask what Lord Kong Ling wishes to understand?
I was previously in charge of the outside world and have some understanding of the various forces, so I will accompany her."
"Lord Po Xiao, Lord Kong Ling's request to Lan Yue concerns top-secret matters vital to the survival of the Dark Association! It is not convenient to disclose them at this time.
If you force your way in, Lord Kong Ling will certainly not be pleased, so I hope you will stay.
You can rest assured that as long as she is working for Lord Kong Ling, Lan Yue will not suffer any grievances..."
Seeing Ye Cangtian about to step out, Gu Hai moved to block him and said calmly.
"Hm?"
This statement caused Ye Cangtian's brow to furrow. If he insisted on going, he might be accused of defying orders and forcibly seizing secrets.
This would give Kong Ling an opportunity to lash out.
But if he didn't go, he was truly worried about what Kong Ling might do to Lan Yue!
"Po Xiao, you stay. I'll go alone."
Just then, Lan Yue slowly walked to his side and said with a smile.
She had already seen through the current situation. She couldn't implicate Ye Cangtian because of this matter, especially since Ye Cangtian's situation was already precarious.
"Alright."
Seeing Lan Yue's flickering gaze, Ye Cangtian sighed helplessly and agreed.
Then he glanced at Gu Hai and said indifferently, "Please convey to Lord Kong Ling that Lan Yue and I are like siblings.
Therefore, if Lan Yue is harmed during her mission, I will not let this matter rest!"