"..."
As Gu Hai kowtowed in apology, Xuan Siqi, standing beside him, was utterly dumbfounded.
A quasi-heavenly rank expert, and a favored subordinate of Lord Kong Ling at that, was now bowing and apologizing to Po Xiao. It was a colossal joke.
Furthermore, doing so meant being completely subservient to Ye Cangtian for the rest of his life. Could Gu Hai truly endure such humiliation?
But then again, this Lord Po Xiao was indeed extraordinary.
Even knowing the other party was Lord Kong Ling's subordinate, he showed no mercy, truly unafraid of Kong Ling!
Such a person must never be offended in the future.
On the other side, after kowtowing in apology, Gu Hai no longer had the face to remain and turned to leave.
Ye Cangtian did not stop him. Instead, he turned his gaze to the still bewildered Xuan Siu, saying indifferently, "Xuan Siu, just because I don't speak of certain matters doesn't mean I am unaware of them!"
*Thump!*
The sound of something hitting the ground echoed. Xuan Siu instantly knelt.
He knew precisely what the other party was referring to. It was undoubtedly because Gu Hai had come to confront him, and it was discovered that he had been the one instigating the trouble.
He had no intention of making excuses. The other party was no fool, and any attempt to quibble would be futile and only provoke further resentment.
"My lord, I admit my mistake. I shall never dare again. I beg you to spare my life!"
Xuan Siu kowtowed, pleading desperately.
It was a laughable situation. The other party hadn't spared Gu Hai, who had powerful backing. What was Xuan Siu in comparison?
He finally understood. The only way to ensure his safety now was to obediently apologize; there was no other option.
"Heh heh, you are quite sensible!"
"Very well. Considering your willingness to comply, I shall not punish you too severely this time!"
"Go and kneel at the city gate until tomorrow morning. If I discover you ending your punishment early, I will not hesitate to eliminate you..."
Watching his actions, Ye Cangtian revealed a hint of a satisfied smile.
After all, the other party had guarded Dongjiang City for many years, so it wasn't as if he could simply kill him without consequence.
Therefore, choosing to use this as an opportunity to back down was a good option, at least saving him some trouble.
"Yes, yes, yes. Your subordinate will go and kneel immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Siu felt a wave of relief.
Although kneeling at the city gate would damage his dignity, it was infinitely better than being killed outright.
With that, Xuan Siu turned and left, as if afraid Po Xiao might change his mind.
Only after Xuan Siu departed did Lan Yue, standing beside him, furrow her brows.
"Po Xiao, aren't you worried about retaliation by doing this?"
Lan Yue asked, her brow knit.
Xuan Siu was one thing. Although he possessed Earthly rank strength, he was merely a Xuan rank deacon. Such a punishment would not draw any objections from anyone.
But Gu Hai was a confidant of Kong Ling. Treating Gu Hai in such a manner was tantamount to slapping Kong Ling in the face.
She felt that openly opposing Kong Ling in such a blatant way was extremely inappropriate.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian glanced at Lan Yue and said with a sigh, "Even if I didn't deal with Gu Hai, Kong Ling wouldn't let me off easily. Don't forget, he was the one who drew his sword first!"
Kong Ling had dispatched Gu Hai and Xue He to compete with him for merits.
This already indicated that Kong Ling was extremely wary of him, simultaneously suppressing and ostracizing him, intending to push him out of the core management of the Dark Association.
Coupled with the fact that Xue He had already become suspicious of him, it was likely that this suspicion had reached Kong Ling's ears.
Under such circumstances, Kong Ling might very well use this incident to eliminate him.
Therefore, how he treated Gu Hai now was no longer that significant.
Sigh!
Hearing this, Lan Yue sighed helplessly and said no more.
...
A thousand miles away, Ghost City.
In the grand hall, Kong Ling's gaze was extremely grim, his eyes flickering with suppressed anger.
He had just received news that Hong Mo and Zi Long, who were responsible for the western region, had managed to ascertain the full strength of the Light Hall after a period of maneuvering.
This Light Squad was actually the main force of the Light Hall's operation this time.
They had discovered the overall commander of the Light Hall's operation, Eugene, and Hong Mo had already engaged Eugene in combat.
The result was a defeat. If not for the desperate rescue by members of the Dark Association, Hong Mo would likely have perished there.
This matter was undoubtedly a significant blow to the Dark Association and greatly impacted the morale of the soldiers.
"Greetings, Lord Gu Hai!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the hall. Kong Ling's eyes lit up instantly. He was in a predicament.
To resolve the matters in the western region, the best course of action was to deploy Hei Bai Wu Chang.
However, to be honest, he harbored some reservations about Hei Bai Wu Chang.
After all, Hei Bai Wu Chang was a subordinate of Ba Tian and also referred to Hong Mo as Young Master.
He was concerned that excessive interaction between them might lead to them secretly colluding and supporting Hong Mo's ascension.
Therefore, Kong Ling was fundamentally unwilling to deploy Hei Bai Wu Chang.
Now that Gu Hai had returned, all problems would be solved.
As Kong Ling pondered this, Gu Hai arrived in the hall. With a flicker of movement, Kong Ling was momentarily stunned.
He had sent out both Gu Hai and Xue He. Why was one person missing?
Thinking this, he quickly spoke, "Gu Hai, where is Xue He? Did he not return with you?"
"Reporting to my lord, Xue He returned with this subordinate, but..."
Gu Hai hesitated slightly, then cupped his hands in reply. Immediately afterward, he took out Xue He's corpse from his Qiankun bag.
*Bang!*
Upon seeing Xue He's corpse, Kong Ling directly smashed the table before him, roaring in fury!
"Who! Who the hell did it!"
"Which bastard dared to kill my subordinate! I will tear him limb from limb..."
The news of Hong Mo's defeat had already made him furious. Now, seeing Xue He's corpse, he truly could not suppress his anger.
After all, Xue He had followed him for decades. Whether venturing out into the world or cultivating in seclusion, Xue He had always been by his side, serving him diligently.
After so many years, he no longer viewed Xue He as a subordinate but as family.
Because of this, he could not accept the fact that Xue He had died in battle!
"My lord, please dismiss everyone else!"
"Hmm?"
Kong Ling was slightly taken aback, then looked at Gu Hai with confusion. Did Gu Hai have some confidential report?
Thinking this, he quickly issued an order, not even leaving Hei Bai Wu Chang, who was hidden in the shadows.
Only after everyone had left the hall did he speak, "Gu Hai, you may speak now."
"Reporting to my lord, this time I accompanied Po Xiao to the eastern region. However, when eliminating the Light Squad, we fell into a trap set by the Light Hall, causing Xue He and I to be separated..."
Listening to Kong Ling's words, Gu Hai immediately reported everything that had happened along the way.
From his being lured across the river, to Po Xiao's elimination of the Light Squad's main force, and the attacks on the Dark Association branches by Shadow Tower and the Xue family, he recounted every detail.
"Damn it! This is all Star Abyss's fault!"
Upon hearing of the rebellion of Shadow Tower and the Xue family, Kong Ling roared in anger.
If not for Star Abyss's weak measures, how could Shadow Tower and the Xue family have grown to become such great threats today!
"Lord Kong Ling, these matters are not the priority at the moment."
"What I wish to convey is that Xue He's death is very likely related to Po Xiao!"
Seeing Kong Ling about to fly into another rage, Gu Hai quickly shifted the topic and voiced his suspicions.
Firstly, before Xue He met his demise, he had become suspicious of Po Xiao and had begun investigating him.
Secondly, Xue He was powerful. In Dongjiang City, only two people could match him in strength: one was Po Xiao, and the other was Ye Cangtian of the Huaxia forces.
Finally, after Xue He's incident, Po Xiao was clearly indifferent to the matter, not intervening in the investigation at all, only stating that if the real culprit were found, he would personally take action.
Gu Hai stated that this explanation, while seemingly reasonable, seemed quite suspect upon closer examination.
After all, whoever could kill Xue He would also pose a significant threat to Po Xiao.
Given this, how could Po Xiao not investigate thoroughly? Was he going to allow such a threat to him to remain unchecked?
Therefore, based on all these points, Gu Hai believed that Po Xiao had at least a fifty percent chance of being involved in Xue He's death.
Hmm?
Hearing this, Kong Ling's eyes began to dart around, and the killing intent in his gaze grew more intense.
Although he valued Po Xiao quite highly, if Po Xiao had truly killed Xue He, he would never let him off.
"Oh, right!"
"Furthermore, I had a slight disagreement with Po Xiao, but in the end, Po Xiao forced me to kowtow in apology!"
"His humiliating me is a minor issue, but it clearly shows he holds neither respect for you, my lord, nor any intention of loyalty!"
Sensing Kong Ling's killing intent, Gu Hai's heart bloomed with joy. Po Xiao was likely doomed!
Therefore, to solidify Kong Ling's decision, Gu Hai also recounted his own humiliation, asking Kong Ling to mete out justice for him.