Swish, swish, swish…
The sounds grew louder, the approaching figures moving with incredible speed.
Soon, silhouettes flickered from the surrounding forests, encircling the three individuals.
Then, a man clad entirely in black, with a hurricane emblem emblazoned on his chest, slowly approached the trio.
“I thought today would be another boring one, but who knew you three would pop out! Tell me, do you wish for a peaceful resolution, or a forceful one!”
The man’s gaze swept over Ye Cangtian and the other two before he spoke with a sneer.
“How do we resolve it peacefully? And how do we resolve it by force?” Ye Cangtian asked with a bright smile, glancing at the surrounding onlookers.
Damn it!
This brat still has the nerve to joke around. We should just fight him!
Bai Ying shot a glance at Ye Cangtian, grumbling inwardly. What was the point of joking like this? Could it persuade them to surrender?
Despite his dissatisfaction, Bai Ying held his tongue.
This was good too; he could observe Ye Cangtian’s style of handling affairs. If they were to face off in the future, he would be mentally prepared.
“A peaceful resolution means handing over everything valuable you possess.”
“A forceful resolution is simple: we fight until you surrender everything, or until we kill you!”
The man flicked his gaze at Ye Cangtian, a dismissive cold smile on his face.
Someone like this, who couldn’t even afford a carriage for a mission, must have limited strength and not much wealth or crystals. He truly didn’t hold them in high regard.
But, what could he do? His brothers had been bored all day, so they might as well have a little fun with them.
“Brother, don’t get agitated!”
“These two methods aren’t suitable for us. We’re practically kin!”
“I’m good friends with Hall Master Cui Fengxi of the Black Wind Sect!”
Ye Cangtian said with a smile. Those who resorted to robbery were merely low-level thugs, and he had little interest in them.
His true objective was to locate the Black Wind Sect’s hidden base and uproot them completely.
“What? You know Hall Master Cui Fengxi?”
The man’s eyes widened instantly, his face displaying a look of suspicion.
It wasn’t difficult to know they were from the Black Wind Sect; it was practically common knowledge throughout the city.
However, knowing Cui Fengxi and knowing his position as a Hall Master of the Black Wind Sect, those people were definitely few.
“Of course I know him. When he was in Changyang City, I even visited his home! Cui Yi was there too. If you don’t believe me, you can ask them…”
Hearing Ye Cangtian’s reply, a smile spread across the man’s face.
Hall Master Cui Fengxi had indeed been lurking in Changyang City, and Cui Yi was his most trusted subordinate.
Thinking this, the man quickly stepped forward and extended his hand, saying, “Ah, a misunderstanding between kin! We didn’t recognize each other, my apologies, brother!”
With that, the man waved his hand and glared at his subordinates, growling, “You bunch of brats, get lost! This is one of our own, what are you blocking for!”
“Haha, no trouble, no trouble!”
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t reveal my identity early enough, so you can’t be blamed for the misunderstanding!”
“May I know your esteemed name, brother!”
Ye Cangtian chuckled heartily, clasping the man’s hand and speaking humbly.
“I am Tu Jiu, under Butcher Hall Master! A pleasure, brother!”
“And how should I address you, brother?”
The man laughed heartily and spoke quickly.
What the hell! What’s going on!
Seeing Ye Cangtian and Tu Jiu acting like sworn brothers, extremely chummy, Bai Ying and Chen Wu were stunned.
They were here to suppress bandits!
Upon seeing members of the Black Wind Sect, shouldn’t they kill them all without mercy?
Why were they getting so friendly?
And, was what Ye Cangtian just said true? Did he really know someone named Cui Fengxi?
Heavens! Could Ye Cangtian possibly be one of them from the Black Wind Sect?
Overwhelmed by so much information, Bai Ying’s mind was a jumbled mess, and he began to speculate wildly.
However, he still chose to remain silent. If this matter were confirmed, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.
If Ye Cangtian was associated with the bandits, it would imply that Dongfang Mingyue was also linked to them, which would undoubtedly affect Dongfang Mingyue’s status.
Therefore, he decided to note it down for now and also send a letter to the Bai family, so Bai Zhensan could be mentally prepared.
“So you are Brother Tu Jiu! A pleasure, a pleasure!”
“Just call me Grim Reaper!”
“Brother, do you know where Hall Master Cui Fengxi is? We haven’t seen him in a long time, and I’d like to have a drink with him?”
On the other side, Ye Cangtian casually picked a codename and continued to get closer to Tu Jiu, probing him.
“Your codename is quite cool, brother!”
Tu Jiu laughed heartily, then continued, “You took a wrong turn, brother. Elder Cui just entered the city today and went to the Hu family. Rumor has it the Hidden Organization sent more people, so he went to gather information!”
The Hu family?
At this mention, a hint of surprise flashed in Ye Cangtian’s eyes, followed by an internal murmur.
The Hu family truly wouldn’t rest, would they!
He had planned to let them off the hook, but they insisted on colluding with the Black Wind Sect. They truly had no regard for their own lives!
“Uh, right, how did you end up taking on this mission?”
“The Black Wind Sect is currently cracking down hard on mission-taking squads. Your actions make things very difficult for me, brother!”
Tu Jiu steered the conversation back. The order from above was a kill order, and no one was to be let go.
Therefore, Tu Jiu was in a predicament. On one hand, the other party was an old friend of Elder Cui’s, and he couldn’t make things difficult for him. On the other hand, he couldn’t let him go.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian replied, “I thought I had some connections and wanted to take a shortcut. The key was to earn some contribution points, exchange them for some pills, and have them as a life-saving trump card!”
“Sigh! I understand, I understand!”
Upon hearing this, Tu Jiu nodded understandingly. The China Ruins were fraught with danger, and having some pills on hand was very necessary.
Saying this, Tu Jiu cast a troubled glance at Ye Cangtian and said, “Brother, even with what you’ve said, I can’t let you pass. I can’t defy the orders from above! Please forgive me!”
“We’re all brothers, why say such things? I can complete missions in other cities, and not causing trouble for you is the best way.”
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and waved his hand.
He then pondered for a moment and whispered, “Brother, forgive me for asking, but with the Black Wind Sect rising so rapidly and their attitude changing so drastically, have they obtained some great fortune?”
“This matter cannot be spoken of. If you speak of it, then…”
Tu Jiu glanced at Ye Cangtian, his words trailing off as he made a throat-slitting gesture.
“Understood, understood!”
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian immediately changed the subject and asked, “Brother, if I want to see Hall Master Cui, should I go back with you, or…”
“I can’t help you there!”
“Although you are a friend of Hall Master Cui, my position is too low to bring you back. If you wish to see Hall Master Cui, perhaps you should go to the Hu family. Even if Elder Cui isn’t there, they will help contact him!”
Tu Jiu looked helpless and then glanced at Bai Ying and Chen Wu, asking, “Who are they?”
Tu Jiu was aware of the missions from the Hidden Organization. At least, if three people were on a mission together, they might not all be from the same group; they could be assembled.
Now that Bai Ying and Chen Wu had been listening for so long and knew a bit too much, if they weren’t his own people, he would have to deal with them.
“Them? They’re my subordinates! Don’t worry, they have tight lips!”
Ye Cangtian immediately understood Tu Jiu’s intention and quickly replied.
What the hell! Who the hell is your subordinate!
With that statement, Bai Ying and Chen Wu inwardly roared, but they remained silent.
After watching for so long, they had figured out Ye Cangtian’s intentions.
He had initially thought of writing to Bai Zhensan, but now it seemed unnecessary. Ye Cangtian was clearly trying to extract information, and trying to frame him for colluding with bandits was impossible!