"Ahem, with Mr. Ye's assistance, we managed to eliminate the Hall Master of the Poisonous Snake Hall without any major incident," Ye Zhenghao coughed lightly, saying awkwardly.
The mention of this matter made him feel depressed. He, the future dean of the Blazing Fire Institute, was actually subdued by the Poisonous Snake Hall's formations and almost lost his life there. It was incredibly humiliating.
"Uh…"
Seeing Ye Zhenghao's expression, Yan Biao seemed to guess something and quickly stepped forward, speaking in a voice only they could hear, "Brother Zhenghao, were you also subjected to abuse?"
"You were also abused?"
Ye Zhenghao reacted quickly, instantly understanding what was meant and retorted. Yan Biao coughed lightly upon hearing this, trying to alleviate his own awkwardness.
Seeing this, Ye Zhenghao burst into laughter, "Haha, so you were abused too, kid? Alright, good, I'm not alone anymore. Finally, someone is with me…"
"Keep your voice down! Do you think this is something to be happy about?"
Yan Biao's expression darkened as he watched Ye Zhenghao's excited demeanor. For someone to laugh about such a shameful event, was there something wrong with his head?
On the other side, Ye Cangtian, listening to their conversation, walked forward with Dongfang Mingyue and said, "Now that the mission is complete, let's first take stock of our casualties!"
Yan Biao looked at Ye Cangtian and replied, "We've already tallied them. The Poisonous Snake Hall was annihilated. Our Blazing Fire Institute lost twenty men, one of whom was a squad leader. Two were severely injured, and ten lightly injured…"
Although these casualties were not significant compared to the Poisonous Snake Hall, Yan Biao's expression was still extremely somber when mentioning them. Out of the hundred-person team that had set out, a full fifth had perished here, which pained him greatly. He knew this was even with the antidotal pills. Without them, it was quite possible that, as Ye Cangtian had predicted, they would have been completely wiped out. Therefore, this outcome was somewhat difficult for Yan Biao to accept.
"War always involves casualties. They died for a worthy cause; they are heroes of the Huaxia Ruins. No one will forget their names…" Ye Cangtian glanced at Yan Biao and slowly spoke to comfort him.
Yan Biao nodded and said, "Let's go, we should head back…"
…
Blazing Fire Institute, the Great Hall.
A disciple of the Blazing Fire Institute reported on the entire operation in the Great Hall. This was the person who had been ordered to return in advance to deliver news.
Upon hearing that Yan Biao's team had successfully eliminated the Poisonous Snake Hall with only twenty disciples lost, the Dean and everyone in the hall wore smiles. Despite the loss of twenty disciples, they found this cost acceptable for annihilating the Poisonous Snake Hall.
However, the subsequent report caused the Dean to frown. He learned from the disciple that if not for the antidotal pills, the casualties of this operation would have been far greater, and they might not have even completed the mission.
When Ye Yaoyang inquired about the source of the antidotal pills, his face turned completely ashen. He now understood that the task force's movement at night was not for stealth but to delay time for Ye Cangtian to acquire the antidotal pills. He had already clashed with Ye Cangtian over this matter previously, and now Yan Biao and Ye Zhenghao making this decision privately was akin to openly defying him. It felt as if they were slapping him across the face.
However, the most critical point was that he couldn't say anything now. The facts proved that the antidotal pills were effective, and none of the fallen died from poisoning. Furthermore, with Yan Biao and Ye Zhenghao having the credit for eliminating the Five Poisons Sect, he couldn't possibly punish the two. Thus, the only thing he could do was suppress his anger and deal with everything after the team returned.
…
Approximately two days passed.
Yan Biao and the others, leading the task force, returned to the Blazing Fire Institute. In front of everyone, Ye Yaoyang did not say much to Yan Biao and the team, only bestowing some rewards. However, none of them were particularly valuable, appearing more like a perfunctory gesture.
It wasn't until nightfall that Ye Yaoyang summoned Ye Zhenghao directly to the True Fire Hall. Seeing Ye Yaoyang's ashen face, Ye Zhenghao already knew that the other party was likely upset about the matter of the antidotal pills. With this thought, Ye Zhenghao quickly stepped forward and volunteered, "Father, I was responsible for the antidotal pills. Those were all disciples of our Blazing Fire Institute. I truly couldn't bear to see them die!"
"The facts prove that without the antidotal pills, the task force might have been completely annihilated!" Ye Zhenghao added.
"Nonsense! It was just the Poisonous Snake Hall, what ability did they have to wipe you all out?"
"It's just a few more deaths, what's the big deal!"
"And by doing this, aren't you helping Ye Cangtian slap my face?"
Hearing Ye Zhenghao's explanation, Ye Yaoyang became furious and roared. What angered him the most was that his own son was siding with an outsider against him, leading to his immense fury.
Ye Zhenghao quickly replied, "Father, I'm not lying. In fact, even with the antidotal pills, Yan Biao and I were almost killed by the Poisonous Snake Hall. Fortunately, Mr. Ye rescued us…"
"What!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Yaoyang's eyes widened. While he was angry, he became extremely anxious upon hearing that Ye Zhenghao had encountered danger and immediately pressed for details. This was how he learned that they had underestimated the Five Poisons Sect and had not investigated their background thoroughly, leading to them not discovering the formidable formations they had hidden. Ultimately, Yan Biao, Ye Zhenghao, and even Dongfang Mingyue were almost killed there.
With this in mind, Ye Yaoyang sat down on his chair, appearing somewhat dejected. Not only had the other party provided antidotal pills, but they had also saved Ye Zhenghao. Now, the debt of gratitude owed to Ye Cangtian was immense.
However, there was a sliver of comfort in this. His own son had protected Dongfang Mingyue during the crisis, which might stir some feelings of gratitude in Dongfang Mingyue. Moreover, in his opinion, Dongfang Mingyue's ferocity towards Manba was partly to vent Ye Zhenghao's anger. With this thought, he said, "You may go down now. Tomorrow, we will take substantial gifts to visit Dongfang Mingyue…"
…
The Imperial Palace.
Not long after their return, Yan Shenghui brought Yan Biao to the Imperial Palace. Upon meeting, Yan Shenghui immediately bowed before Ye Cangtian.
"I have heard about the matter. Thank you, Mr. Ye, for saving my nephew's life. I will remember this kindness. If you need anything in the future, please do not hesitate to inform me…"
When Yan Shenghui learned of Yan Biao's ordeal, he was also filled with trepidation. Had it not been for Ye Cangtian, he might have been separated from Yan Biao by death. Therefore, he was exceedingly grateful to Ye Cangtian and immediately came to express his thanks.
Ye Cangtian quickly helped Yan Shenghui to his feet and said, "Your reverence is too kind. Sister Mingyue said we are all family. It was only right for me to save him, and it doesn't deserve such a grand gesture from you!"