"Hmm?"
This statement left Ye Cang Tian stunned.
He had thought the man was simply a burly brute, but it turned out he had hidden depths.
However, on reflection, one person had concealed his views and the matter of the traitor from him, while the other had revealed these things. Based on this alone, he still couldn't determine which of the two was a good person and which was a spy.
After all, both of them had acted with his best interests at heart.
With this in mind, Ye Cang Tian spoke again to probe, "Some time ago, Yin Tao returned and tried to seize control of the Hidden Group from me. What are your thoughts on this matter, Lord Hao Tian?"
"Yin Tao has recovered from his injuries?" Hao Tian asked, puzzled.
Seeing Ye Cang Tian nod, Hao Tian revealed a gratified smile. But immediately after, his expression turned grim.
"I don't know much about what you're saying, and I don't wish to comment."
"However, from the impression Long Cheng and the Hidden Group have given me since his return, Yin Tao has been somewhat reckless. Now that the Hidden Group is flourishing, he should be more settled and obedient."
Upon hearing Hao Tian's words, Ye Cang Tian quickly interjected, "Yin Tao was instigated by Hei Yu..."
As he spoke, Ye Cang Tian scrutinized the other's expression, trying to find any hint of abnormality.
"Hei Yu? Hmph, Hei Yu is Chen Yi's subordinate. He was indeed plotting something..."
Hao Tian was momentarily taken aback, then gritted his teeth and spoke.
He had been monitoring Chen Yi for a long time and was naturally familiar with the people around Chen Yi.
Not long ago, he had seen Hei Yu in Chen Yi's courtyard. However, due to being occupied with other matters, he hadn't pursued Hei Yu and had instead chosen to continue monitoring Chen Yi.
Because of this, he was unaware of Hei Yu's whereabouts.
Now, he understood everything. Hei Yu's actions were to instigate Yin Tao to seize control of the Hidden Group, thereby making Yin Tao a puppet to control the Hidden Group.
Hearing this, Ye Cang Tian's eyes darted around.
He didn't know if the other was deliberately revealing only half the story and concealing the other half.
Or if the other genuinely didn't know the latter half, with the intention of drawing Yin Tao into his own faction.
For a moment, he thought helplessly that it would be impossible to discern anything from observing their expressions. It seemed he could only uncover the answer bit by bit in the future.
After all, as the old saying goes, time reveals a person's true heart!
...
Emerging from the Hall of Righteousness, Ye Cang Tian was completely bewildered.
Compared to the information he had received from Hao Tian, he had gotten more from Chen Yi.
However, even so, Ye Cang Tian did not have a clear judgment.
He could only say that the true traitor's acting skills were so superb that he couldn't possibly expose their true face.
The next moment, Ye Cang Tian headed directly to the training grounds.
One person's wisdom was limited; perhaps with more people, they could deduce something.
In the lounge of the training grounds, as Ye Cang Tian approached, Elder Long put down his teacup and inquired.
Ye Cang Tian sat down. Seeing that only Elder Long and Dongfang Mingyue were in the room, he began to speak.
"Today, the Heavenly Palace opened, and both Chen Yi and Hao Tian returned simultaneously..."
"What!"
The moment he finished speaking, Elder Long and Dongfang Mingyue's eyes widened.
The return of a Heavenly Realm expert was a major event for the Hidden Group. Moreover, they suspected that one of the two was a traitor.
This meant that from this moment on, Long Cheng's situation would be extremely perilous, and the traitor might strike at any moment.
Seeing their astonished expressions, Ye Cang Tian continued, "Not only did they return, but I also met with each of them separately. However, from our conversations, I gained no useful information..."
As he spoke, Ye Cang Tian roughly recounted his separate conversations with the two and the incident of being attacked the previous night, asking them to make a judgment.
Elder Long remained silent for a moment, then spoke, "Relatively speaking, Hao Tian is more straightforward. I don't think he's likely to be the traitor."
Listening to Elder Long, Dongfang Mingyue was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "But I think Chen Yi not telling the whole truth was for Ye Cang Tian's own good. He doesn't seem like a bad person!"
"Not necessarily, girl!"
"Don't forget, he still tried to deal with this kid last night!"
Elder Long, hearing Dongfang Mingyue's defense of Chen Yi, immediately retorted.
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Mingyue quickly replied, "But Elder Long, don't forget that Chen Yi explained himself today, saying it was to test his cultivation and strength.
Therefore, we can't just believe Hao Tian's one-sided account, can we?"
On the other side, listening to Elder Long and Dongfang Mingyue argue back and forth, Ye Cang Tian's head began to ache immensely.
His current dilemma was precisely this problem. He had considered all the points they had raised, which was why he couldn't distinguish between loyalty and treachery.
"Alright, what you're both saying has some merit."
Thinking this, Ye Cang Tian interrupted their argument. He was beginning to understand Dongfang Hongwu's approach back then.
When both sides had valid points, Dongfang Hongwu had also been unable to resolve it, so he had shelved the matter.
After all, the matter was of great importance, and no hasty conclusions could be drawn.
The next moment, Dongfang Mingyue glanced at Ye Cang Tian and slowly said, "Stinky brother, you've fallen into a misconception."
"What misconception?" Ye Cang Tian asked Dongfang Mingyue curiously.
Seeing this, Dongfang Mingyue said, "We don't need to judge what Chen Yi and Hao Tian said. That would be letting them lead us by the nose. We should take the initiative."
Hmm?
Hearing this, Ye Cang Tian was immediately stunned, then reacted and said, "Sister Mingyue, you mean we should take the offensive, but against whom?"
"Silly brother, you still haven't grasped it."
Dongfang Mingyue rolled her eyes at Ye Cang Tian and continued, "We can lure the snake out of its hole!"
*Slap!*
Upon hearing this, Ye Cang Tian heavily slapped his forehead. It was like a sudden enlightenment, and he understood everything.
All along, he had been fixated on distinguishing between the loyalty and treachery of the two, getting stuck in a rut, trying to find the traitor's weakness through various clues.
This was precisely how they were being led by the nose.
In fact, he no longer had this need.
They only needed to present a sufficiently tempting bait, and the true traitor would definitely make a move.
Thus, he wouldn't have to painstakingly gather evidence to prove the loyalty or treachery of the two.
Moreover, the current situation was different from before.
Previously, with just him and Dongfang Mingyue, they were truly helpless against the traitor and had to be constantly vigilant, as they couldn't deal with Heavenly Realm experts.
But now that Elder Long had recovered his strength, he had the qualification to contend with the traitor.
Furthermore, with one loyal and one treacherous among Chen Yi and Hao Tian,
In that case, even if the traitor were to attack them, the battle situation would likely be two against one, giving them the advantage of two Heavenly Realm experts.
With this thought, a smile appeared on Ye Cang Tian's face. "Sister Mingyue, you're still the smartest! So, tell me, what bait should we throw out now?"
"There are three baits."
Dongfang Mingyue extended three slender fingers and spoke slowly.
Since it was a bait, it had to be something that the other party would not tolerate.
Therefore, considering the current situation, she could only think of three baits.
The first was the second batch of Earth Realm experts in the training grounds.
If these experts reached their destination, it would undoubtedly enhance the overall strength of the Hidden Group by a notch.
At the same time, due to the numerous cities within the ruins and their scattered nature, it would take a considerable amount of time for the traitor to eliminate them in the future.
Therefore, for the traitor, the best time to act would be during the period shortly after this batch left Long Cheng.
The second was Yao Bao'er.
In terms of strength alone, Yao Bao'er would absolutely not attract the traitor's attention.
However, if it came to her achievements and talent in alchemy, the traitor would certainly not tolerate Yao Bao'er.
Therefore, as long as the news of Yao Bao'er refining the inferior Nine-Turn Golden Elixir was spread, the likelihood of the traitor making a move would be very high.
The last one was Elder Long.