Returning to the room.
Mandala had prepared a meal for Ye Cangtian. Under Ye Cangtian's threat, she was now very obedient, quietly serving as a maid.
Seeing Mandala so well-behaved, Ye Cangtian was very satisfied and sat down to eat.
While eating, Ye Cangtian started a casual conversation, "Mandala, how long have you been in the Dark Association?"
"Ten years."
Mandala quickly replied, looking at Ye Cangtian in confusion, "Sir, what is it?"
Ye Cangtian waved his hand and said, "Nothing, I'm just curious, why did you join Tiancan, not the Dark Association?"
Upon hearing this, Mandala put down her chopsticks, a hint of bitterness appearing on her face.
"There's nothing to say. This humble one originally formed a small organization to deal in intelligence, to survive in the ruins."
"Later, Tiancan Tower set their sights on us and took us in, as simple as that."
Listening to Mandala's words, Ye Cangtian frowned. Although her tone was calm, he saw a strange flicker in her eyes.
After a moment of hesitation, Ye Cangtian finally made up his mind, "If you were given a chance, would you be willing to follow this seat?"
Mandala was involved in intelligence work, exactly what he needed.
Furthermore, to have secured a position in Tiancan Tower, her abilities must be considerable. As long as she was loyal to him, she would be a great asset.
After all, he couldn't stay in the ruins for an extended period; he would eventually have to leave.
If his own Hidden Group operatives were to collect information here, it would be significantly delayed.
It could even be bait deliberately released by the Dark Association, making it easy to fall into a trap.
Therefore, Ye Cangtian decided to build his own force to gather various intelligence for him internally.
"Uh..."
On the other side, Mandala had not expected Ye Cangtian to anticipate these things, her mind in a mess.
"Sir, please don't joke. What merit does this humble one have!"
"In terms of strength, there are many people in the Dark Association stronger than me, and in terms of ability, I am not outstanding either!"
"I am also a member of Tiancan Tower. The Dark Association has always been wary of Tiancan Tower. With such a status, even if you trust me, others will keep a close eye on me!"
After a long while, Mandala calmed down and spoke.
Besides what she had said, her greatest concern was Po Xiao himself.
What if one day Po Xiao's primal instincts flared up and drained her life force? Then she would have nowhere to turn to cry.
"Follow me, and you are my siblings. If I have food, I won't let you starve!"
"Of course, I won't force you. I'll give you some time to consider it carefully."
Ye Cangtian said slowly. He was satisfied that she hadn't mentioned Tiancan Tower at all.
This indicated that she was merely residing in Tiancan Tower.
She held no affection for Tiancan Tower, so in the future, when she followed him, there would be no worries about her secretly communicating with Tiancan Tower.
Upon hearing the mention of siblings, Mandala's expression instantly softened.
Once upon a time, she too had siblings. But in the battles for Tiancan Tower, they had all died one by one, leaving her alone now.
Otherwise, if she were to serve Po Xiao, how could it be her turn!
Tiancan Tower felt no guilt for this, and even intended to continue using her as a pawn, which was also the reason for her resentment towards Tiancan Tower.
But no matter how much resentment she held, survival as a woman in the ruins was extremely difficult. Without the protection of Tiancan Tower, she didn't even know how long she could live.
After a long silence, Mandala glanced at Ye Cangtian and said, "Sir, there is a question, please tell me truthfully, does such a cultivation technique really exist?"
Damn, it seems my earlier joke went too far.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian smiled wryly in his heart.
He had found the root of the problem. Mandala was hesitant to accept his offer because she feared that cultivation technique.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian spoke, "The cultivation technique is real, but the only person who knows it is Cheng Hai. I don't know it myself..."
"Ah?"
"Didn't you say that the person who knows this cultivation technique is Xuan Sanwu? Why did it suddenly become Cheng Hai?"
Hearing Po Xiao say this, Mandala breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, became confused.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian said helplessly, "Xuan Sanwu was just a scapegoat. Cheng Hai was highly respected and died fighting for the Dark Association, so the Dark Association did not publicize the matter..."
"Alright, I believe you."
"I'll follow you from now on. I don't ask you to treat me like a sister, just to cherish me and not abandon me easily..."
Saying this, Mandala hesitated for a moment, then knelt on one knee before Ye Cangtian.
She was tired of being used by Tiancan Tower as a bargaining chip.
"You agreed so easily?"
Ye Cangtian was somewhat taken aback by Mandala's actions.
Mandala covered her mouth and smiled, then sat back on the chair, and began to explain.
The matter of Cheng Hai was a decision made by the headquarters of the Dark Association, and it was considered a secret of the Dark Association. Revealing it would definitely affect the reputation of the Dark Association.
Even a Earth-rank executive who revealed it would likely face severe punishment.
Yet Po Xiao had revealed such a matter, which showed Po Xiao's sincerity.
Besides, since the other party did not know that evil cultivation technique, she had nothing else to worry about.
"Good! I promise you won't regret your choice today."
Listening to Mandala's explanation, Ye Cangtian nodded, and then said, "Since you are my person now, I will tell you the truth. I am quite interested in Tiancan Tower."
"Ah?"
Mandala was once again bewildered.
He was an Earth-rank executive of the Dark Association, so why would he be interested in Tiancan Tower?
Tiancan Tower had already defected to the Dark Association.
Thinking this, Mandala quickly said, "Sir, what are you talking about! Shouldn't you be interested in those external forces?"
"I am naturally interested in those, but Tiancan Tower is the same."
"I have received some news that Tiancan Tower has bribed Xuan Sanqi, or reached some kind of cooperation with Xuan Sanqi, and secretly controls the branch."
"At the same time, in the past rebellions, Tiancan Tower suffered very little losses. Compared to the casualties of the Dark Association, Tiancan Tower's losses are almost negligible..."
Ye Cangtian spoke slowly.
Regarding this matter, he was speaking from the perspective of an Earth-rank executive. The reason was simple: he had just taken Mandala in, and there wasn't enough trust built between them yet.
He had to keep something back, he couldn't reveal his identity and sources of information completely; everything still needed to be observed for a period of time.
"Hmm? Come to think of it, I also find it strange!"
Mandala savored his words and agreed.
In past rebellions, it did seem to be the case that all dangerous missions were undertaken by the Dark Association's branches.
Originally, regarding this phenomenon, Mandala had thought it was Xuan Sanqi's eagerness to prove himself, wanting to take the lead.
But now, hearing Po Xiao say this, she suddenly understood.
On the other side, seeing Mandala's reaction, Ye Cangtian hesitated slightly and said, "So, I want to clarify the true relationship between Xuan Sanqi and Tiancan. Do you know anything about this inside information?"
Mandala slowly shook her head, "I don't know any inside information, but I know Xuan Sanqi respects Tiancan very much, and he supports and agrees with Tiancan's proposals on everything."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed again.
He heard two more sensitive words: support and agreement!
If Xuan Sanqi had been bribed or was in cooperation, he would at least have proposed his own views and opinions; there would be no need to agree with everything.
In this situation, it seemed that the initial speculation was likely true: Xuan Sanqi had already surrendered to Tiancan.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian spoke again, "By the way, have you ever discovered anything unusual about Tiancan?"
"Uh, I once heard Tiancan humming a tune, but it sounded like grinding teeth. Does that count..."
Mandala thought for a long time before she recalled an instance when she had passed by Tiancan's room and occasionally heard a sound.
But she hadn't paid any attention to it at all.
"..."
Ye Cangtian couldn't judge what Mandala said. It was normal for humming to produce some strange sounds.
After a brief silence, Ye Cangtian said, "It seems that if there's an opportunity, I should explore Xuan Sanqi's residence."
After all, they were two factions. Frequent meetings would undoubtedly arouse suspicion, so their communication methods were rather secretive.
Perhaps Xuan Sanqi's residence would contain some letters or other items that could reveal something about Tiancan.
Hearing this, Mandala couldn't help but smile wryly.
She truly couldn't keep up with his leaping thoughts!
He had intentions towards Tiancan Tower, so why was he going to explore Xuan Sanqi's residence? Shouldn't he be exploring Tiancan Tower?
However, since the other party had decided this, there must be a reason, so she didn't say much more.
As for helping or assisting, that was out of the question. He was an Earth-rank expert, and he still needed her help?
...