The journey back was without any stops for Ye Cangtian, and within a mere few days, he returned to the capital.
Although the mission had been somewhat melodramatic for him, the mere thought of seeing Tang Xinwan again made him eager to return.
It was just past morning when he arrived back in the capital.
Knowing that Tang Xinwan was busy at her company, Ye Cangtian didn't disturb her. Instead, he headed directly to the family compound.
Having been away for almost two months, he was unaware of the current situation in the capital.
He needed to update himself from Elder Xu beforehand to prepare for any retaliations from the Guangming Hall.
...
In the compound.
Elder Xu was leisurely enjoying his tea, reclining on a chair.
Upon suddenly spotting a familiar figure, Elder Xu's spirits immediately lifted, and he sat up straight.
"You brat, you're finally back! You had me worried sick!"
Elder Xu was somewhat emotional. When Xiao Feng had brought Shangguan Yanran back, he hadn't seen Ye Cangtian, and he had been completely bewildered.
The Dark Ruins were not territories that the Dragon Group or the Hidden Group could control. They were filled with dangers, not only from the Dark Association but also from various ancient creatures.
If Ye Cangtian had met with any mishap within, he would be unable to account for it to the Hidden Group, and more importantly, China would have lost a great genius.
Now, seeing Ye Cangtian standing before him unharmed, his suspended heart finally settled.
"Haha, Elder, are you feeling bored? So you want me to come back and play chess with you?"
Ye Cangtian chuckled heartily and stepped forward, giving Elder Xu a big hug.
Afterward, he sat down beside him and poured himself a cup of tea.
"It's true that I want you back to play chess with me!"
"However, this old man hasn't been bored lately; I've been swamped!"
Elder Xu glanced at Ye Cangtian and sat down as well.
After Ye Cangtian's departure, the capital had been unusually lively. To put it bluntly, it hadn't quieted down yet.
First, the video deifying Xuan Qi by the Dark Association had attracted the attention of some ignorant factions.
They had come to the capital one after another, inquiring about Xuan Qi's whereabouts.
Although most of these factions had remained relatively stable before meeting Xuan Qi, it was enough to make the Dragon Group anxious.
The people who had arrived were all ruthless individuals, and if they lost their minds, the capital would be in danger.
As China's protector, the Dragon Group naturally could not stand by and do nothing, so they dispatched some of their experts to secretly monitor these individuals.
Secondly, there were also some factions that, seeing the emergence of extraordinary figures in the capital, harbored malicious intentions, causing trouble with the aim of depleting the Dragon Group's strength.
The Dragon Group had to guard against this!
Within the capital, the Dragon Group had recently engaged in several battles, managing to drive these people out, but the Hidden Group had also lost a few of their brethren.
In short, the Dragon Group had a difficult time during this period, and it had continued to the present without being fully resolved.
"It seems you've had a tough time, old man!"
Ye Cangtian sighed. It was truly arduous for Elder Xu, at his age, to still be working tirelessly for the nation.
"Hmph! It's good that you know."
"Come, tell me about your situation. Was it exciting?"
Elder Xu snorted and began to speak.
He was basically aware of the events of killing Cheng Hai and rescuing Shangguan Yanran, and he applauded them.
This strategy of manipulating both the Guangming Hall and the Dark Association was something even he couldn't achieve, making it truly legendary.
Because of this, he was even more interested in the subsequent events, knowing that Ye Cangtian, by staying with the Dark Association, would surely not be idle.
"Nothing particularly exciting."
"It was just by chance that I helped the Dark Association expose the Ninja Division's forces in Ruin No. 3 and eliminated a Heaven-level ninja..."
Ye Cangtian shrugged. These matters were largely coincidental, and he was serving the Dark Association, so he didn't want to elaborate.
He simply mentioned it to keep Elder Xu informed, hoping he might be able to leverage this information.
Killing a Heaven-level ninja?
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Elder Xu's eyes widened.
Although the latter's tone was calm, he believed the process must have been extremely perilous.
After all, the Heavenly Cripple Tower had been lurking in the Dark Ruins for decades and had undoubtedly accumulated formidable strength.
"Oh, right, Elder."
"Although you haven't had an easy time recently, there's something I must add to your troubles!"
On the other hand, seeing Elder Xu remain silent for a long time, Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment before finally speaking.
"Hmm?"
Elder Xu cast him a questioning glance.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian said helplessly, "The Dark Association has framed me for the death of Badak, so I expect people from the Guangming Hall will be looking for trouble with me soon..."
"This..."
"When did the Dark Association become so insidious!"
Upon hearing this, Elder Xu was slightly taken aback, and his face instantly flushed red.
In his opinion, the Dark Association was merely ruthless in their actions, but they were not adept at such insidious schemes.
"Heh, I'd like to know why myself!"
"The most disgusting part is that old ghost Xing Yuan also wants to eliminate Ye Cangtian and has assigned this task to me!"
Ye Cangtian said speechlessly.
"These things are normal. It's because you have two identities and belong to two different factions."
Elder Xu smiled slightly. After all, Xing Yuan did not know that Ye Cangtian and Dawn were the same person, so such a situation was normal.
"Yes, I know, but I have a feeling that Xing Yuan is forcing this task upon me."
Ye Cangtian nodded, then dismissed these scattered thoughts, saying, "Elder, be vigilant lately. I suspect it's not just the Guangming Hall that wants to kill me..."
Elder Xu nodded. He naturally knew that many factions wanted to take advantage of the situation.
By pulling China down from its pedestal, these factions could obtain more resources.
"By the way, how is Shangguan Yanran doing?"
Ye Cangtian inquired. He believed that Shangguan Yanran had been successfully rescued, but he was very concerned about her condition.
"Sigh!"
Elder Xu sighed and said, "Her condition is still the same. When she's lucid, she's perfectly normal, but once the lucid period passes, she becomes incredibly violent, injuring quite a few people."
"Hmm? Haven't you asked the Hidden Group for help with this condition?"
Ye Cangtian asked in surprise. It was clear that Shangguan Yanran was affected by some ancient cultivation technique, and only the Hidden Group would likely have a solution for this.
"I've already contacted Dongfang Mingyue regarding this matter, and she is also helpless."
Elder Xu sighed again. The Hidden Group had always been weak in the refinement of ancient elixirs and in the aspect of physicians.
Almost all of their elixirs were obtained from ruins.
It wasn't that the Hidden Group didn't want to cultivate powerful physicians, but reality simply didn't permit it.
Firstly, there were very few individuals with talent in the field of medicine.
In modern society, there was a greater emphasis on modern scientific medicine, and the old methods of healing were hardly practiced, even risking the loss of inheritance.
Secondly, among the ancient texts discovered in ruins, there were not many related to physicians, and more importantly, the language barrier made translation difficult.
Due to these two factors combined, the Hidden Group's development in medicine was very slow.
Of course, even the Guangming Hall and the Dark Association faced similar difficulties in this regard.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian felt a bit speechless. He was also helpless in these matters.
Thinking about it, Ye Cangtian asked, "Is Shangguan Yanran safe now?"
"Mm!"
Elder Xu nodded and said, "She has been sent to the Hidden Group."
"She could pass the Dragon Cleansing Abyss?" Ye Cangtian asked with confusion.
The entrance to the Hidden Group required jumping into the Dragon Cleansing Abyss from a cliff hundreds of meters high, enduring immense impact force.
In addition to that, there was the challenge of passing through formations.
He truly didn't believe Shangguan Yanran could pass through these two obstacles consecutively.
"She could."
"With the protection of the ink jade, she could withstand the immense impact, and with her lucid periods, passing through the formations wouldn't be difficult either."
Elder Xu knew what Ye Cangtian wanted to ask and directly explained.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian understood everything.
The two chatted, drank tea, and played chess, and before they knew it, it was already afternoon.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ye Cangtian took his leave from the family compound.