Returning to the capital, Ye Cangtian's first stop was the family compound.
Old Master Xu was still cooling himself under the grape trellis, but his face was clearly filled with gloom.
"Kid, did that girl Mingyue send you back?"
Upon seeing Ye Cangtian, Old Master Xu immediately understood everything, and his expression improved considerably.
Ye Cangtian's capabilities were beyond doubt, and he was very familiar with the Dragon Group. Collaborating with him would be seamless, far better than with others.
Ye Cangtian nodded, stepped forward, and said, "Old Master, tell me the specifics."
Hearing this, Old Master Xu did not hesitate and quickly began to explain.
Everyone knew the importance of the Relic Heart; Old Master Xu was naturally aware of it as well.
Therefore, after the Saudi Arabian ruins concluded, he and the Shangguan family had hidden Shangguan Yanran.
The purpose was simple: to allow Shangguan Yanran to fully control the Relic Heart, thereby strengthening the capabilities of China's Hidden Group or the Dragon Group.
On the other hand, the Relic Heart possessed a spirit. They also wished to glean some secrets from Mo Yu.
From ancient texts, customs, and cultivation techniques, to the secrets of ancient wars, China desperately needed all of it.
Everything was initially proceeding in secret.
But for some reason, Shangguan Yanran's location was leaked.
Just a short while ago.
All the guards at Shangguan Yanran's residence were killed, and Shangguan Yanran disappeared.
Upon learning of this, the Dragon Group immediately began an investigation. However, during the investigation, they suffered heavy losses, with at least two squads perishing.
The situation had escalated to an uncontrollable state, prompting Old Master Xu to request aid from the Hidden Group.
"Where did those lost squads last lose contact?"
Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment after hearing this and inquired.
"All over the place!"
Old Master Xu's face turned grim.
Those two squads, in their pursuit of clues, had dispersed widely across the country, and some had even gone abroad.
But after that, they vanished without a trace, as if they had sunk into the sea.
Clearly, these were bait set by the adversary, intended on one hand to confuse the Dragon Group and on the other to secretly deplete its strength.
This was also why Old Master Xu was at a loss, and dared not be careless.
"Have other forces received news?" Ye Cangtian continued to ask, knowing that the Dragon Group had informants among various factions.
When Old Master Xu heard this, he still shook his head and replied, "No, all informants claim to know nothing about this matter. They are all currently investigating."
Good heavens!
Who exactly orchestrated this operation!
To operate within China and achieve this level of secrecy was truly remarkable.
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself, his expression also growing somber.
As it stood, he had no useful information whatsoever. How was he supposed to start investigating?
Thinking this, his gaze fell on Old Master Xu. "Old Master, how do you intend for me to proceed with this matter?"
"I don't know, but Shangguan Yanran's whereabouts are your responsibility."
"You can utilize the Death God Mercenary Group to investigate the outer web. Don't you have a hacker expert? Perhaps they can gather some information."
"You can also mobilize all personnel of the Dragon Group to cooperate with you. In short, I only care about the results; the rest is up to you to decide."
Old Master Xu glanced over and said calmly.
"Oh, come on! Old Master, that's not fair!"
"You're not giving me any useful information and you just want to wash your hands of it. How am I supposed to investigate!"
Ye Cangtian's eyes widened at this.
He currently had no leads whatsoever, and finding Shangguan Yanran would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
"That's your problem."
"Can't be helped, I'm old and don't have that much energy anymore."
Old Master Xu smiled slightly, and before Ye Cangtian could retort, he changed the subject. "By the way, your fiancée has shifted her focus of work to the capital. Aren't you going to see her?"
"..."
Ye Cangtian was about to say something else, but upon hearing that Tang Xinwan was in the capital, his heart felt like it was growing grass, and he couldn't focus on anything else.
He glanced at Old Master Xu and said, "Old Master, don't think this matter is settled. We'll talk after I see Xinwan!"
With that, Ye Cangtian left the family compound.
Since he had no leads anyway, he wouldn't mind a little time to reunite.
...
Beijing Branch Company.
As the last light in the building extinguished, Tang Xinwan, dragging her tired body, headed towards the company's underground parking garage.
As soon as she entered the underground garage, Tang Xinwan became instantly vigilant.
The underground garage was originally empty. The parked vehicles had left with the employees after work. Most importantly, there was no light in the garage.
The pitch darkness made Tang Xinwan tense up.
*Click!*
At that moment, a faint sound was heard, and a soft light appeared in front of her.
Tang Xinwan froze, then covered her mouth.
On the ground before her appeared a giant red heart, entirely composed of rose petals.
There were countless mini-lights around, like stars, making it look exceptionally beautiful.
"Who is it!"
The next moment, Tang Xinwan calmed down, her expression turning cold.
Although the scene before her was romantic, and indeed to her liking, it was not given by the person in her heart.
The person in her heart had gone to the Hidden Group and had not returned since.
Therefore, whatever was before her must be from someone else, but her heart was already occupied and would not accept anyone else.
So she would not show anyone a good face, nor give anyone any opportunity.
"Uh... it's me, Wife."
A familiar voice came, and a slender figure slowly walked out from the corner.
It was none other than Ye Cangtian.
He walked step by step, a hint of a bitter smile on his face.
He had intended to bring some romance to Tang Xinwan, but he hadn't expected her voice to be so cold, making him feel as if he had misjudged the situation.
"You scoundrel..."
Seeing the familiar figure, Tang Xinwan's body trembled, and tears of excitement welled up in her eyes. She quickly rushed towards Ye Cangtian.
Ye Cangtian, seeing this, opened his arms immediately.
However, the next moment, he awkwardly discovered that Tang Xinwan had stopped several meters away from him, and a chilling voice came from her.
"Hmph! Who's your wife! After being out of contact for so long, I've long since remarried!"
Uh...
Ye Cangtian was instantly speechless. Old Master Xu hadn't told him any of this.
Needless to say, Tang Xinwan must be doing this deliberately to tease him.
Thinking this, he quickly stepped forward and said, "My dear wife, please calm your anger. It's all my fault. Let's not waste this beautiful moment."
Hmph!
Tang Xinwan looked at the sincere Ye Cangtian, then stamped her heel down hard and angrily said, "You're such a scoundrel..."
As she spoke, Tang Xinwan threw herself into Ye Cangtian's embrace, her small fists hitting his chest fiercely.
She had intended to maintain a cold demeanor and teach Ye Cangtian a lesson he would never forget, but the longing that had built up day and night made her unable to persist, and tears began to flow.
Holding each other tightly, feeling each other's breath and heartbeat, Ye Cangtian wanted to say something more.
But at that moment, a slightly cool red lip landed on his mouth, and his mind went blank.
...