"Alas!"
"I've offered you a way out, but you refuse to take it. Then don't blame me!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian sighed, and his gaze turned sharp. "I received news that you brought all the captives back to your home and interrogated them privately, which is against the rules!"
"Nonsense!"
"Lord Po Xiao believes such groundless talk and comes to search and arrest. Don't you find it ridiculous?"
Xuan Sanqi had long anticipated the other party's objective and had prepared his response. As soon as he heard Ye Cangtian speak, he retorted immediately.
"Heh, whether it's nonsense or not is not important!"
"What's important is that I want to prove your innocence!"
"After all, you are a city official and represent the face of the Dark Association. If such rumors are allowed to spread, it will be detrimental to both you and the Dark Association!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the other party and said indifferently.
"You!"
His words left Xuan Sanqi speechless.
If he refused the search, Po Xiao would surely accuse him of interrogating captives privately and violating the rules.
At that time, Po Xiao might act first and report later, meaning he would be apprehended before any report, putting him in a very disadvantageous position!
Thinking this, Xuan Sanqi snorted, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Po Xiao. Since you wish to prove my innocence, please proceed."
As he spoke, Xuan Sanqi revealed a look of disdain. His secret chamber was extremely well-hidden.
These guards who accompanied the other party had no idea. He didn't believe these guards could find the secret mechanism!
"Search!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the confident Xuan Sanqi and then calmly gave the order.
All the guards exchanged glances. Who dared to search the home of their superior?
Seeing the situation, Xuan Sanqi's face showed a mocking smile, as if he were boasting to Ye Cangtian.
These were his own men; they would not obey your orders.
"What? Don't you want to prove Xuan Sanqi's innocence?"
"Or are you deliberately disobeying my orders?"
Seeing Xuan Sanqi's smile, Ye Cangtian's gaze turned icy, and a powerful killing aura emanated from him.
"This..."
In an instant, all the guards trembled. Large beads of sweat rolled down their faces.
The next moment, the guards scattered and began searching the courtyard.
They had no choice. If they didn't comply, Po Xiao would definitely kill them, and they didn't want to die like that.
"Xuan Sanqi, I'm visiting your residence, and as your subordinate, aren't you going to offer me a cup of tea?"
Seeing all the guards in action, Ye Cangtian turned to Xuan Sanqi and said.
"Hmph!"
Xuan Sanqi snorted, his anger rising.
He wished he could kick Po Xiao out for trying to seize the captives. Now, Po Xiao had the audacity to ask for tea. He couldn't fathom what was going on in the man's mind.
Seeing Xuan Sanqi unmoved, Ye Cangtian said, "Since you refuse to offer tea, I can only wander around and take a look."
You!
His words almost drove Xuan Sanqi mad.
If he had known Ye Cangtian's intentions earlier, he would have offered tea immediately.
After all, Ye Cangtian was a Heavenly level deacon with extremely keen senses, and he might have detected the screams from the secret chamber.
But now, he couldn't stop him!
If he changed his attitude now, wouldn't it be obvious that he had something to hide?
With this thought, Xuan Sanqi could only steel himself and follow behind Po Xiao, praying that the man wouldn't discover anything.
However, the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen!
Po Xiao wandered around the villa several times and finally entered the room where Xuan Sanqi worked.
Although there were no confidential documents here, it was where the secret mechanism was located.
"Oh, you have collections here!"
Upon entering the room, Ye Cangtian scanned the surroundings and his gaze settled on the shelf in the corner.
"If you like them, sir, please take them. They're not worth much anyway!"
To avoid being seen through by Po Xiao, Xuan Sanqi quickly replied, though his heart had already turned cold.
"From the moment I arrived here, you've been very hostile towards me."
"Are you trying to bribe me now?"
Ye Cangtian's expression turned gloomy, and he glared at Xuan Sanqi, slightly angered.
"Not at all!"
"I just feel that if these items can be used to dispel your dissatisfaction with me, then it's making the best use of things! I have no other intentions!"
As Xuan Sanqi finished speaking, Ye Cangtian burst into laughter.
"You make a good point. Both of us are working for the Dark Association, and there's no need to strain our relationship!"
"I'll accept this token of your regard!"
"Guards, take all the bottles and jars from this shelf for me. Remember to be careful; they are Xuan Sanqi's sentiments. If they are damaged, I will punish you severely!"
Listening to Ye Cangtian's words and seeing several guards coming to carry away the collectibles from the shelf, Xuan Sanqi truly wanted to slap himself.
At first, seeing the man's attitude of refusal, he had intended to yield and avoid drawing his attention.
But who would have thought that Po Xiao would change his expression and accept everything? This made him feel like he had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot!
At the same time, he knew that the secret chamber would likely be exposed to the other party, and his mind was racing on how to deal with it.
"Lord Po Xiao, there's something wrong with this vase..."
As expected, the guard soon discovered the problem. Before he could finish speaking, a creak was heard, and the adjacent wall instantly opened.
The next moment, piercing screams erupted from within.
This...
The guard was instantly stunned, his gaze flickering towards Xuan Sanqi.
He truly hadn't expected a mechanism here. Now, it was probably too late to explain anything, and he would surely be dealt with by Xuan Sanqi later!
However, in the next instant, the guard's gaze became resolute.
Since he had already offended Xuan Sanqi, he would continue. Only by bringing Xuan Sanqi down could he possibly avoid punishment!
"Sir, there are screams coming from below. I volunteer to go down and investigate!"
The guard hurried to Ye Cangtian and said loudly, appearing fearless.
"Very well, you lead the way."
Ye Cangtian glanced at the guard and nodded, then looked at Xuan Sanqi and said, "Lord Xuan Sanqi, things are getting interesting. Don't you have anything to say?"
Hmph!
Xuan Sanqi snorted and remained silent.
Now that his secret had been discovered by Po Xiao, he wasn't guilty enough to warrant death based on this alone!
When he reached headquarters later, with Hong Mo speaking for him, he still had hope of regaining his position.
Therefore, as long as he didn't further anger Po Xiao, everything would be fine.
On the other side, seeing Xuan Sanqi say nothing, Ye Cangtian wasted no more time and walked directly into the secret chamber.
The secret chamber was filled with a strong smell of blood. Most of the cells were occupied, with two or three burly men in each cell subjecting others to severe interrogation.
However, these burly men were now motionless, looking at Ye Cangtian and his group in bewilderment.
They didn't understand why Po Xiao would appear here!
"Reporting to you, sir, I have just confirmed that these prisoners are indeed spies from various factions among the captives..."
Before Ye Cangtian could speak, the guard who had gone down first rushed forward, as if seeking credit.
He could clearly see the animosity between Po Xiao and Xuan Sanqi. Since he had offended Xuan Sanqi, he could only side with Po Xiao.
This was his perfect opportunity to prove himself.
You scoundrel!
I treated you so well in the past!
Just you wait, after this is over, I'll make your life worse than death!
Seeing his own subordinate pledge loyalty to Po Xiao, Xuan Sanqi was almost furious enough to die.
Before, the man might have stumbled upon it by accident, and he could forgive him. But now, he was definitely doing it intentionally, and he couldn't tolerate it!