Turning his head, in a few flashes, Qiangwei had already arrived beside Ye Cangtian.
Previously, she had followed Wan Mingxuan and others to the vicinity, and upon seeing the argument, she had prepared to intervene.
But at that moment, he noticed Long Lao turning around. Such an unguarded movement, turning his back to the giant bear, could only mean one thing.
That was, even without dodging or evading, the giant bear could not harm Long Lao.
As expected, in the next instant, with his decent mental power, she sensed Ye Cangtian's aura, and thus abandoned the idea of acting.
Now that Wan Mingxuan had left, she finally revealed herself.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian glanced at Qiangwei and smiled, saying, "Let him go. He's a troublesome fellow, and he gave me no reason to act!"
Hearing this, Qiangwei gave Ye Cangtian a deep look. She knew in her heart that Ye Cangtian was a person with principles and would not act without cause.
Thinking this, she said, "Alright, they are almost gone. I need to catch up."
Ye Cangtian nodded and said, "Be careful. Wan Mingxuan and the others have accumulated a lot of anger!"
From the mountain leopard to the giant bear, Wan Mingxuan had suffered losses twice. The other party must have been harboring deep resentment.
If they discovered they were being followed by the Death Squad at this moment, they would likely attack the Death Squad with all their might. At that time, with the strength of Qiangwei and the others, it would be very dangerous.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian still spoke up to remind her.
Qiangwei, who had already left, paused and nodded slightly in response. Then, without looking back, she left the place.
...
Returning to headquarters.
Ye Cangtian sat in his office chair. Seeing him return, Dongfang Mingyue got up, poured him a cup of hot tea, and handed it over.
"What's the situation?"
Hearing Dongfang Mingyue's question, Ye Cangtian sighed helplessly and said, "It's fortunate I went in time. Otherwise, Long Lao would have been exposed!"
Recalling Wan Mingxuan's attitude, Ye Cangtian felt that the other party had not noticed Long Lao's flaw.
This also brought some comfort to Ye Cangtian.
Looking at Ye Cangtian's expression, Dongfang Mingyue had basically guessed what happened and asked, "Did you force them to act? But it didn't go as planned?"
"Not exactly! It's just that the other party was too aggressive, and I didn't give them any face."
"Before I could force them to act, they had already wisely retreated."
Ye Cangtian glanced at Dongfang Mingyue and continued, "None of this matters. What worries me is that this continuous friction is not a good thing!"
Ye Cangtian had his own considerations in mind.
The other party first killed the mountain leopard, and that grudge would definitely be held against him.
Afterward, he had severed the giant bear's arm. He was worried that the other party's resentment would deepen, leaving no room for reconciliation.
Alas!
Listening to Ye Cangtian's explanation, Dongfang Mingyue also sighed.
She was helpless in this situation.
Even though the Hidden Group had repeatedly tolerated and held back, the other party only remembered grudges and not favors. Who could do anything about that!
After all, they couldn't control everyone's thoughts, and not everyone could understand their mercy.
Thinking this, Dongfang Mingyue said helplessly, "When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road. We'll take it one step at a time. If we really can't change it, then we'll face it with a calm heart!"
"That's all we can do."
Ye Cangtian shrugged helplessly. He also understood what the other party meant, but he was unwilling for it to escalate into a war.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two had barely chatted for a while when a knock came from the door.
Feifei walked into the office. She bowed to the two and said, "My lords, someone wants to see you. I have already brought him to the secret room."
Hmm? Secret room?
Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue were immediately stunned. Normally, if someone wanted to see them, they would just be brought to this office.
Only very special people would meet in a secret room.
Thinking this, Dongfang Mingyue asked, "Feifei, who is it?"
Feifei quickly replied, "The other party did not specify, and he is completely covered by a cloak, so his appearance cannot be seen. He only requested a secret meeting..."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue exchanged glances and finally decided to meet this person.
Perhaps this person could provide them with some important information.
Soon, led by Feifei, Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue arrived at the secret room.
As soon as they entered the secret room, they saw a black figure, just as Feifei had said, completely covered by a cloak.
Let alone their appearance, it was impossible to even distinguish their gender.
However, just as the two were about to question the other party, the figure turned around, removed the conical hat from his head, and knelt on one knee before Ye Cangtian.
"Young Master, forgive this subordinate for daring to meet in such a manner!"
Uh...
Looking at the familiar face before him, Ye Cangtian forced a wry smile. The other party was none other than Sikong Longyin's confidant, Long Yi.
However, compared to their last meeting, Long Yi now had no arrogance at all, only boundless reverence. He was indeed a different person.
"Get up!"
With a wave of his hand, Ye Cangtian sent a surge of spiritual energy to lift Long Yi up, and continued, "Long Yi, why are you dressed like this to see me?"
Yes.
Long Yi nodded, stepped forward quickly, and said, "Just now, people from the Gale Tower found us and said that Wan Mingxuan wants to meet my lord tonight..."
"My lord specifically asked me to inform the Young Master!"
The recent events between the Hidden Group and the Gale Tower had been widely spread.
Now that the Gale Tower had contacted Sikong Longyin, Sikong Longyin believed that this was an attempt to cooperate.
Therefore, Sikong Longyin wanted to ask for instructions on whether he should cooperate with them or if there were other arrangements!
This way, he would not disrupt Ye Cangtian's plans.
Hmm? So fast!
Hearing Long Yi's words, Ye Cangtian couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The Gale Tower's actions were so swift.
They had contacted Sikong Longyin so quickly.
However, this was also normal. After all, he had already instructed Sikong Longyin not to deliberately hide his whereabouts.
This was precisely to allow people from major forces to come and seek cooperation.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian looked at Long Yi and said after a moment of silence, "Tell Long Yin that he can cooperate, but don't agree too readily. Make things a little difficult for them..."
Cooperation that is agreed to easily is not cherished by anyone and will instead arouse suspicion from the other party. To avoid this, making things difficult for them is also necessary.
And with Sikong Longyin cooperating with the Death Squad, the Gale Tower would essentially be unable to cause any significant trouble.
What remained was how, with what intensity, to resolve the other party.
"Yes, this subordinate will convey your words back."
"Does the Young Master have any other instructions?"
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's instructions, Long Yi quickly responded.
Ye Cangtian shook his head and said, "There's nothing else. You may go."
Hearing this, Long Yi responded, then put on his cloak again and quietly left the secret room.
...
As night fell, outside a private room in a restaurant in Yulong City, guards were stationed.
Inside the room, two men were drinking and chatting leisurely.
"Brother Sikong, what are your thoughts on my proposal just now?"
As they pushed cups back and forth, Wan Mingxuan once again brought up the matter of the alliance.
He had proposed this idea before, but Sikong Longyin had not paid attention to it at the time.
Now that they had a few rounds of drinks and were somewhat familiar, he brought it up again.
On the surface, his face was full of anticipation, but in his heart, it was the opposite. He deeply despised his current decision.
He himself had said in front of his subordinates that he would never cooperate with the stray dogs of Yulong Villa, yet now he was the one proposing it.
Thinking of this, he wished he could burrow into the ground.
However, there was nothing he could do. He could only blame Ye Cangtian.
The other party was too powerful. Only by truly facing him did one realize the terrifying pressure of a Heaven-tier expert.
If it were any other time, and someone forced him to kill the mountain leopard and then severed the giant bear's arm in front of him, he would have unhesitatingly avenged them and killed the culprit.
But facing Ye Cangtian, a sense of fear always lingered in his heart, making him hesitant to become his enemy without reservation.
To put it bluntly, it was due to the significant gap in their cultivation.
Therefore, he needed to seek an alliance to have a greater chance of success.
"Oh, you're talking about our joining forces!"
On the other side, Sikong Longyin glanced at Wan Mingxuan and said after a moment of silence, "Cooperation is indeed beneficial and harmless for both of us, but why should I trust you? This meal doesn't seem to show much sincerity, does it?"
Damn it! Everyone says Sikong Longyin is a martial arts fanatic, how can he do such a thing?
Hearing the other party's words, Wan Mingxuan cursed inwardly. He knew that Sikong Longyin was trying to extort him.
But for such a matter, he could only acquiesce.
There was no other way. Ye Cangtian was too difficult to deal with. Without allies, he truly lacked confidence in completing the mission.
Thinking this, he gritted his teeth and took out more than a dozen purple spirit stones from his Qiankun bag, along with some pills and rare metals.
Hmm?
Looking at the items on the table, Sikong Longyin raised an eyebrow and said, "Wan Mingxuan, is this your sincerity? Are you treating us like beggars!"