The rumbling continued, and Ye Cangtian felt his arms go numb. A sharp pain struck, sending him flying backward.
Sasaki's speed was truly astonishing. Despite giving his all, Ye Cangtian could only withstand a dozen exchanges before his chest was struck by a palm.
*Pfft!*
Unable to contain himself, Ye Cangtian spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Sasaki's face broke into a smile, and he didn't press his attack.
He believed his full-power strike directly to the opponent's chest would severely injure even a Heaven-level expert. For Ye Cangtian, who was merely at the Profound level, it was an insurmountable blow.
"Ye Cangtian, you've lost. Go back and rest well."
With that, Sasaki turned to leave. However, after turning, a cruel smile appeared on his usually placid face.
"Gu Yue, Shangguan Yun, help me up..."
Lying on the ground, Ye Cangtian was contorted in pain. He tried to stand up on his own, but after several attempts, he failed each time, forcing him to ask for help.
Upon seeing this, Gu Yue and Shangguan Yun didn't hesitate and hurried over.
Since the incident had already happened, further words were useless. They could only return to the hotel and then make plans.
...
In the hotel.
Shangguan Yun and Gu Yue collapsed onto the sofas, panting like dogs. They were utterly exhausted.
Ye Cangtian had been severely injured in his fight with Sasaki, to the point where he had no strength to walk.
Thus, the two of them had to carry him back.
And whether it was a coincidence or someone had interfered, they couldn't hail a taxi all the way back. They had truly carried Ye Cangtian all the way from the temple.
Although both of them were not weak, and Ye Cangtian wasn't particularly heavy, they had just finished fighting. Combined with the considerable distance, it was a true test of their stamina.
"Here, have some water and rest for a bit."
"Thank you."
Just then, two cups of water were offered to them.
The two automatically said thank you, but when they looked up, their eyes widened in surprise.
The one offering them water was none other than Ye Cangtian!
What was going on? Wasn't he injured? He had even been unconscious on the way...
How could he stand up and even bring them water?
"Ye... Brother Ye, what's going on?"
"Do you want to exhaust us to death!"
Shangguan Yun said, a look of frustration and speechlessness on his face. It was bad enough that they were exhausted on the way, but they also had onlookers pointing and staring, which was a severe test of one's state of mind.
Although he didn't understand what had happened, seeing Ye Cangtian smiling, he knew that the latter was likely fine.
"Heh, it's nothing."
"Sasaki still underestimated me. I'm not someone who can be easily crippled..."
Ye Cangtian chuckled playfully. His provocation of Sasaki was indeed part of his subsequent plan.
However, he hadn't expected Sasaki to be so formidable; he couldn't even last ten moves against him. It was likely that Sasaki was also an exceptional fighter among Heaven-level experts.
He had initially thought he would be seriously injured, possibly even affecting his subsequent arrangements.
But the moment Sasaki's palm struck his chest, he felt no pain. Instead, a warm current protected his chest.
As for being sent flying, spitting blood, and being severely injured, then carried back, it was all an act.
The one that protected his chest was the Heart of the Relic from the island ruins, that golden leaf on him.
This was the first time he had utilized the golden leaf's power.
Of course, he didn't want to reveal the Heart of the Relic, which was why he fabricated this story.
"Uh..."
"Brother Ye, are you saying you deliberately let Sasaki injure you?"
"But why? You don't have a masochistic tendency, do you?"
On the other side, upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Shangguan Yun became suspicious.
He simply couldn't understand Ye Cangtian's actions.
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly and then explained the reason.
Currently, the Ninja Clan was a hot commodity. Both the Dark Association and the Holy Light Palace wanted to form an alliance with them to increase their strength.
But there was a problem: the Ninja Clan could not ally with both the Dark Association and the Holy Light Palace simultaneously.
After all, the Dark Association and the Holy Light Palace were mortal enemies. If the Ninja Clan were to ally with both factions, it would mean their doom.
No one would tolerate a turncoat.
The Ninja Clan was undoubtedly aware of this, so their choice could only be one.
Thus, regardless of whether they chose the Dark Association or the Holy Light Palace, they would offend the other faction.
This would allow Ye Cangtian to exploit the situation.
For example, he could assassinate Kawada Yuto and others.
Hmm?
Upon hearing this, both Shangguan Yun and Gu Yue's eyes lit up.
If Ye Cangtian's plan was as he described, then even if Kawada Yuto were assassinated, the Ninja Clan would only assume it was done by the Dark Association or the Holy Light Palace.
It was simple: since they failed to cooperate with the Ninja Clan, they would naturally hold a grudge, and retaliation would be expected.
At that time, Ye Cangtian would still be perceived as recovering from severe injuries by outsiders, and Gu Yue and Shangguan Yun would not have the strength to kill Kawada Yuto, especially given the Kawada family's strict defenses.
This way, not only could they successfully deflect blame, but they could also kill Kawada Yuto and avenge the Gu Yue sisters, a perfect plan with a single stroke.
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
"Brother Ye, you are truly wise and mighty!"
Understanding everything, Shangguan Yun immediately gave Ye Cangtian a thumbs-up.
Ye Cangtian waved his hand and then looked at the two, "Alright, from now on, you will take care of me in the hotel. Remember, I am an injured person now, so don't reveal any clues."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yun and Gu Yue nodded solemnly.
...
Several days passed quietly.
Ye Cangtian constantly switched between being Xuan Qi and an injured person, but there were no substantial actions. At most, he obtained some intelligence from the Dark Association's contact points.
Recently, the Heavenly Net and the Holy Light Palace seemed quite anxious.
The young master of the Heavenly Net frequently appeared at the Shangri-La Mansion, undoubtedly wanting to finalize the alliance as soon as possible.
Besides them, Golden Ring of the Rattlesnake also appeared at the Shangri-La Mansion several times.
The reason was simple: they had confirmed cooperation with Dongying, but the Ninja Clan had been slow to send reinforcements, putting immense pressure on the Rattlesnake mercenary group.
Considering that the Pandora mercenary group alone was difficult to deal with, adding the most mysterious Death Squad in the mercenary world made them feel like they were in a nightmare.
Therefore, he had been urging Golden Ring to get the Ninja Clan to send reinforcements as soon as possible.
However, good intentions were difficult to realize.
With the Dark Association, Dragon Group, Holy Light Palace, and Heavenly Net all gathered in Dongdu, the Ninja Clan dared not be careless!
If they were to send personnel away from the Ninja Clan, and something were to happen, they would be unable to intervene.
Therefore, the Ninja Clan's attitude was clear: they would discuss reinforcements only after the alliance was settled and these unwanted guests were sent away.
Jasmine briefly reported the outside situation to Xuan Qi, then sat aside as usual.
"Hey! Didn't you say that the Ghost Dance would come to us?"
"Several days have passed, why hasn't she come yet?"
"Why don't you just admit defeat!"
On the other side, Xuan Liu, after hearing the report, couldn't help but sneer sarcastically.
She hadn't forgotten the bet with the other party!
It seemed she was destined to win this time!
"Why are you in such a hurry? I won't renege on my word! If you truly win, I will fulfill your conditions."
Ye Cangtian smiled calmly and then pointed to his shoulder, "However, I advise you to learn a few more massage techniques. Otherwise, it might not be enough in the future!"
"You!"
Bastard!
Sooner or later, I'll get revenge, with interest!
Looking at Ye Cangtian's gesture, Xuan Liu became furious and reluctantly walked behind Ye Cangtian, placing her hands on his shoulders and slowly began to massage.