"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"
"Xuan Qi, you know me well. Do you think I am that kind of person?"
Cheng Hai outwardly fumed, as if greatly wronged.
However, within his heart, he harbored killing intent towards Xuan Sanwu. The fact that this matter was leaked by someone from the Security Department meant that Xuan Sanwu had undoubtedly orchestrated it.
Otherwise, even with immense courage, that person would not dare to speak such falsehoods.
Most importantly, Xuan Sanwu had a motive. He was likely threatened and wished to drag Cheng Hai down with him.
"Lord Cheng Hai is highly respected and has dedicated himself to the Dark Association. How could he possibly engage in such sordid affairs!"
"Therefore, I believe someone is deliberately smearing Lord Cheng Hai's name, intending to stir up trouble!"
"Thus, I suggest Lord Cheng Hai remain at headquarters to ensure everything is clarified, while I handle Shangguan Yanran!"
Ye Cangtian stepped forward to offer an explanation, preventing any suspicion.
"It's fine!"
"With the Security Department here, headquarters will be perfectly safe!"
"You go back and prepare, then get some rest. We will depart shortly."
Listening to Ye Cangtian's words, Cheng Hai pondered and finally made his decision.
At this moment, he believed he had found the root of the problem, and it would not be difficult to resolve.
The key was that he wanted to retrieve Shangguan Yanran, which could also be considered atonement. Even if Xing Yuan returned, he could mitigate some punishment for the matter concerning the women with these contributions.
This was far more advantageous than staying.
On the other side, seeing Cheng Hai's mind made up, Ye Cangtian, while frowning, abandoned any further persuasion.
If he continued, Cheng Hai might suspect his true intentions.
Helpless, Ye Cangtian acknowledged, then turned and withdrew from the great hall.
"Wait, and also inform Xuan Sanwu to come here and see me."
The voice came from behind. Ye Cangtian turned, cupped his hands in acknowledgment, and felt a slight jolt in his heart.
He sensed the chilling killing intent in Cheng Hai's words. It seemed Xuan Sanwu would not live much longer.
...
After Ye Cangtian left, not long after, Xuan Sanwu arrived at the great hall again.
His eyes darted towards Cheng Hai, a clear look of caution in them.
Some subordinates from the Security Department had returned and relayed the rumors from Ghost City to him. He believed Cheng Hai had listened to the rumors, which was why he had been summoned.
However, he could not yet fathom Cheng Hai's thoughts – whether he was being made a scapegoat or if they would join forces to suppress the matter.
"Xuan Sanwu, you have followed me for many years. I haven't treated you poorly, have I?"
"In martial arts, I imparted everything I knew to you. In terms of status, I promoted you to supervisor of the Security Department. In fact, among the Xuan-ranked stewards, your authority was the greatest."
"Yet, why did you betray me?"
Cheng Hai's gaze grew more somber, and a potent killing aura emanated from him.
"Lord Cheng Hai, I haven't. Please don't listen to any gossip!"
Xuan Sanwu was horrified. Cheng Hai had revealed his murderous intent, and he was no match for Cheng Hai. He quickly began to explain.
"Xuan Sanwu, I will not believe anything you say anymore."
Cheng Hai did not give Xuan Sanwu any chance to explain, directly interrupting him.
He continued, "Considering all you have done for me, I will give you a choice: commit suicide, or I will do it."
"You old pervert!"
"I served you diligently, and now you want to kill me! I was truly blind!"
"Damn it, if you want my life, come and take it yourself! I won't wait to be killed!"
Hearing Cheng Hai's words, Xuan Sanwu became instantly furious. He knew that no matter what he said today, Cheng Hai would not let him leave alive.
Since that was the case, there was no need to grovel any longer. He might as well vent his anger.
"Hmph! It was indeed you!"
Cheng Hai snorted coldly. Seeing Xuan Sanwu's hostile attitude, he became even more certain that Xuan Sanwu was behind everything.
The next moment, Cheng Hai's figure vanished from his seat.
In an instant, he appeared before Xuan Sanwu, reaching out with a large hand.
Xuan Sanwu was greatly alarmed and instinctively dodged. However, he had no power to resist and was instantly grabbed by the neck by Cheng Hai.
"Old pervert, are you crazy!"
"Do you think nobody knows about your deeds? They just don't speak of it!"
"And this matter is someone trying to sow discord..."
With his life in Cheng Hai's hands, Xuan Sanwu still wanted to argue, but before he could finish, a cracking sound echoed in his mind.
His neck had been snapped, extinguishing all life.
"Hmph! A lowly worm, trying to frame me even at death's door. Do you think I'm an idiot!"
Looking at Xuan Sanwu's corpse, Cheng Hai snorted coldly and casually threw the body aside.
"Someone!"
The next moment, Cheng Hai summoned a subordinate, instructing him to display Xuan Sanwu's corpse.
Furthermore, he would blame Xuan Sanwu for the deaths of the young girls. Xuan Sanwu, exposed and desperate, had attacked Cheng Hai and was subsequently killed.
In Cheng Hai's view, the priority was to stabilize the populace of Ghost City first.
As for Xing Yuan, Xuan Sanwu was nothing more than an ant in his eyes. With this incident, he believed Xing Yuan would not trouble him over it.
...
In the room.
After resting, Ye Cangtian soon received another message from Cheng Hai.
Ye Cangtian promptly got up and headed to the forests outside the city to meet Cheng Hai.
When he arrived, he was taken aback. There were only two horses and one person in the forest.
This person wore a golden mask, and it was Cheng Hai.
"Uh... Lord Cheng Hai, are we going, just the two of us?" Ye Cangtian asked, perplexed.
"Just the two of us is enough."
Cheng Hai glanced at Ye Cangtian and said, "Bringing those useless people would create too much noise and might alert the Temple of Light. So, those people will remain to confuse the enemy."
Saying this, Cheng Hai paused and continued, "Also, do you remember what I taught you? Only on the brink of death can potential be unleashed for rapid advancement. This is a rare opportunity for you."
"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Cheng Hai. Should I achieve anything in the future, I will never forget your teachings!"
Ye Cangtian appeared respectful on the surface, but inwardly cursed Cheng Hai repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Cheng Hai chuckled and motioned for Ye Cangtian to get on his horse, saying, "It's time to depart..."
...
Reception City.
Riding at full speed, Ye Cangtian and Cheng Hai reached Reception City within a few days.
To avoid alerting the spies of the Temple of Light and the Hidden Group, they deliberately bypassed the branches of the Dark Council in Reception City and camped near the exit of the ruins.
They also took the opportunity to gather intelligence.
What pleased Ye Cangtian was that along the way, in the forests, he found some markers left by Xiao Feng.
As he had predicted, the Temple of Light had not yet brought Shangguan Yanran out of the ruins, otherwise, things would have been difficult.
Soon, the time agreed upon with Cheng Hai arrived. Ye Cangtian quickly returned to the rendezvous point.
Cheng Hai had already returned, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian hurried forward and asked, "Lord Cheng Hai, any good news?"
Cheng Hai glanced at Ye Cangtian and nodded, saying, "The intelligence I just gathered indicates that people from the Temple of Light are about to reach Reception City, and Reception City is currently organizing a team to intercept them!"
"Hmm?"
Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback and quickly said, "Sir, in that case, what are we still doing here? Shouldn't we rendezvous with the team?"
"No!"
Cheng Hai shook his head firmly. "We will wait here!"
If Shangguan Yanran was rescued and Reception City did not intervene, the Temple of Light and the Hidden Group would surely become suspicious.
Therefore, Reception City had to make a move.
At the same time, for the Temple of Light and the Hidden Group to leave the ruins, they would have to pass this hurdle.
However, in Cheng Hai's opinion, the chance of them forcing their way through was slim. They would likely choose a diversionary tactic.
And he and Ye Cangtian were waiting here to prevent that possibility.
"Tsk, this old fellow is truly cunning!"
Ye Cangtian muttered inwardly, but outwardly he offered flattery.
He then started a fire, took out their provisions. Since Cheng Hai was confident and insisted on waiting here like a hunter, he could only adapt to the situation.