"You damn cur, even you dare to walk all over me now!"
Fang Deming was so enraged by this that he nearly died. He glared fiercely at the other man, forcing himself to stand.
Not only had the other man defected, but he was also trying to attack him. This was absolutely unbearable for him. He wanted to make the other man remember one thing for the rest of his life: a starved camel is still bigger than a horse!
"Hmph!"
Just as the two stood poised to strike, a cold snort echoed through the air.
The bodies of both men trembled instantly, and their gazes simultaneously shifted to Ye Cangtian, who stood nearby.
"If you continue to make trouble, I won't mind increasing your punishment!"
At these words, Fang Deming immediately became obedient. Hong Da, on the other hand, quickly approached Ye Cangtian and explained, "Lord Death God, I was speaking up for you!"
*Slap!*
As soon as Hong Da finished speaking, Ye Cangtian backhanded him. Hong Da was sent flying sideways, spitting blood all over the ground.
"Hong Da, let me tell you, I despise men who grovel and beg the most!"
"Not only have you done that, but you've also been a fence-sitter, planning to attack your superior. You spineless coward like this doesn't deserve to remain in the Imperial Dragon Villa!"
"Therefore, starting today, you get out of the Imperial Dragon Villa!"
Ye Cangtian said coldly, looking at the stunned Hong Da.
"Lord, I know I was wrong. Please spare me this once!"
Upon hearing this, Hong Da quickly crawled back to Ye Cangtian's side, tightly gripping his pant leg.
Over the years, as a city gate guard, he had offended many people. Normally, these people dared not to hold grudges against him out of respect for the Imperial Dragon Villa.
But if he were to leave the Imperial Dragon Villa, those people would surely come seeking revenge. He couldn't even imagine what would happen then.
"Hmph!"
Ye Cangtian snorted coldly and kicked Hong Da away.
He said in a deep voice, "A kind reminder: do not use the name of the Imperial Dragon Villa to deceive others or commit evil. Otherwise, you will die a miserable death! Get out!"
Feeling the coldness in Ye Cangtian's eyes, Hong Da shivered, knowing there was no room for negotiation. He didn't dare to say another word and left the great hall.
Watching Hong Da's fate, Fang Deming's face showed a scornful cold smile. He quietly uttered two words: "Serves him right!"
"Hu Qing, call the two guards from the entrance of the office."
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Hu Qing left without a word.
A short while later, he brought two trembling guards to the great hall.
When the two guards saw Ye Cangtian, their hearts chilled. Without a doubt, they knew Ye Cangtian had come to settle accounts with them.
"Normally, you've been using the identity of the Imperial Dragon Villa to act as bullies, haven't you?"
"You even charge two purple crystal stones for directions. It seems you truly don't know how hard it is to obtain crystal stones!"
As Ye Cangtian spoke, the two guards broke out in a cold sweat, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
Ye Cangtian paid them no mind and directly said, "Since you don't know the value of crystal stones, I will help you recall it.
From now on, you will participate in various exploration missions. When your points increase to one hundred, and you obtain and submit one hundred purple crystal stones during the missions, then you may return..."
*Thump! Thump!*
Hearing this, the two guards immediately knelt down. The younger guard then said, "Lord Death God, you can't do this! You're going to kill us!"
"My lord, please spare us. We will definitely reform..." the older guard also pleaded for mercy.
There were still some exploration missions in human living areas, but they were generally not difficult, so the points obtained were very low.
It wasn't that there weren't missions with high points, but the higher the points, the greater the danger. It was unknown whether the two of them, with their cultivation, could even make it out alive.
Under normal circumstances, low-level exploration missions would only yield around ten points. This meant they would have to complete at least ten exploration missions to reach one hundred points.
It was important to note that even though they were low-level exploration missions, they were not entirely safe for them.
After all, everything they encountered was unknown. Who knew if there were any powerful beings hidden within?
The most crucial part was the hundred purple crystal stones.
The probability of obtaining purple crystal stones in low-level exploration missions was not high, and the quantity was very limited.
Even if purple crystal stones were obtained, the two of them might not be able to get their hands on them.
If that were the case, they might not even get a hundred crystal stones after completing a hundred missions!
"Hmph!"
Facing the pleas of these two, Ye Cangtian simply snorted and said, "Hu Qing, take them down. Also, assign people to keep an eye on them to prevent them from escaping!"
Ye Cangtian ignored their pleas and directly issued his order.
He had to deal ruthlessly with such negative trends to serve as a warning to others.
Hu Qing didn't hesitate and dragged the two guards out.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian looked at Fang Deming and smiled faintly.
Feeling Ye Cangtian's gaze, Fang Deming immediately trembled. Before the other man could speak, he quickly said, "I am willing to experience the hardships of the Hidden Group!"
Compared to the punishments of Hong Da and the two guards, he could accept the punishment for himself.
"Very good."
Seeing that Fang Deming had agreed willingly, Ye Cangtian directly took out a Spirit Sealing Pill.
Only after Fang Deming had swallowed it did he change the subject and say, "Now tell me about the current situation of the Imperial Dragon Villa. Who is managing it?"
Fang Deming's heart suddenly tensed at Ye Cangtian's question.
Needless to say, the other party was inquiring about the Imperial Dragon Villa, intending to go back and seize power!
If it was discovered later that he had sold the information, he would surely not have a good outcome.
After hesitating for a long time, Fang Deming finally said, "I have been in Frost City for many years. I am not clear about the specific situation of the Imperial Dragon Villa. I only know that the Villa Master's third disciple is currently acting as the manager of the Imperial Dragon Villa."
"En?"
Ye Cangtian looked at Fang Deming with confusion and continued, "If we go by seniority, it should be the eldest disciple who takes charge, shouldn't it? Why the third disciple? Is his strength very high?"
"I am really unsure about the third disciple's strength, but in my opinion, the strength of the top few disciples is about the same."
"As for why he is the acting manager, I am not clear about that. You will need to investigate or ask others yourself."
Fang Deming said, looking at Ye Cangtian.
For the sake of vying for the position of Villa Master, disciples turning against each other was not uncommon, but he couldn't say that!
After all, none of the Villa Master's disciples were people he could afford to offend.
"Hmph!"
Listening to Fang Deming's reply, Ye Cangtian snorted. He could naturally see Fang Deming's ulterior motives and his reluctance to answer directly.
Thinking about it, Ye Cangtian said, "It seems you have no confidence in me!"
Confidence my foot!
Fang Deming muttered to himself. Could the third disciple, who had gained control, be easily dealt with?
To be honest, compared to the third disciple, Fang Deming didn't have high hopes for Ye Cangtian from the bottom of his heart.
There was only one reason: after witnessing Ye Cangtian's actions today, he admitted that Ye Cangtian had ability, courage, and means, but he was too upright.
In his opinion, how many people who could achieve great things were not ruthless or lacked extraordinary methods?
But these were things he didn't see in Ye Cangtian...
Thinking about it, Fang Deming waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Lord Death God misunderstands. You are all the Villa Master's disciples. Of course, I will look favorably upon each of you."
"Heh heh."
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly but cursed inwardly, "This old fox is truly watertight!"
Thinking about it, Ye Cangtian said, "My final reminder is that telling me about the Imperial Dragon Villa now will yield the greatest benefits.
If I find out myself, these benefits will be gone."
"Lord Death God, everything I've just said is true. That's all I know!" Fang Deming quickly replied.
Are you kidding? If he cooperated with Ye Cangtian, and the third disciple found out later, what would happen to him?
So now was not the time to think about benefits. He definitely had to keep his mouth shut, and that would bring him greater benefits in the future.