Just then, a guard who hadn't lowered his weapon stepped forward. "Death God, you preach righteousness and oppose infighting, yet why did you strike Lord Fang Deming? Isn't that infighting?"
"Well said! Yu Long Mountain Villa striking against the Hidden Group is infighting, but the Hidden Group striking against Yu Long Mountain Villa isn't? What kind of logic is that?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Deming's eyes lit up, and he quickly spoke.
As his voice faded, the surrounding guards erupted in discussion again, their expressions shifting. They were awaiting an explanation from Ye Cangtian. If this explanation didn't satisfy them, they wouldn't hesitate to pick up their weapons again and fight Ye Cangtian to the death!
"The Hidden Group has been bullied by Yu Long Mountain Villa for so long. My action was merely to teach them a lesson and seek justice for the Hidden Group!"
"Furthermore, as you have seen, I did not kill a single person from Yu Long Mountain Villa during this time!"
Facing this question, Ye Cangtian replied calmly.
*Clap! Clap! Clap!*
As the words fell, nearly half of the hundred people present dropped their weapons. It was clear that Ye Cangtian's reasoning had persuaded them. If it were other powerful factions retaliating, blood would have been shed by now. But Ye Cangtian hadn't, indicating that he not only had a bottom line but also showed great sincerity.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian looked at the remaining individuals who hadn't dropped their weapons and slowly asked, "What is your intention?"
"Hmph! Your smooth talk can only fool them, but not us!"
"Therefore, we have decided to fight you to the death!"
One of the guards said fiercely to Ye Cangtian, and his companions immediately echoed his sentiment. Seeing this, Ye Cangtian frowned. Such obstinate individuals were like rotten fish in a pond; in essence, eliminating them wouldn't affect the overall situation. However, he did appreciate their courage to charge forward despite the odds. Although it was misplaced loyalty, they were still passionate men. After a brief silence, Ye Cangtian slowly said, "You don't need to do this. In the end, we are all one family."
"Pah!"
The guard cast a disdainful look and continued, "Who is your family? You are the Hidden Group, and we are Yu Long Mountain Villa. We can never be family!"
"Wrong!"
Ye Cangtian directly interrupted him and said, "Firstly, both the Hidden Group and Yu Long Mountain Villa are Chinese forces. It's not an exaggeration to say we are one family! Secondly, although I am from the Hidden Group, I am also a member of Yu Long Mountain Villa!"
What!
At this statement, the guards before him were stunned, and even Fang Deming was dumbfounded. Even in the past, Yu Long Mountain Villa and the Hidden Group were clearly distinct, with no one being a member of both. Yet, this person claimed a dual identity, which immediately perplexed everyone. The most crucial point was that they had served Yu Long Mountain Villa for many years and had never heard of the name "Death God."
"Hmph! Death God, you can't lie just anywhere. I'm not dead yet!"
"I've been in Yu Long Mountain Villa for at least twenty years, why haven't I ever seen you?"
The next moment, Fang Deming, standing nearby, suddenly spoke. A smug smile played on his lips, tinged with a hint of triumph, as if he had exposed Ye Cangtian's lie.
Ye Cangtian glanced at him, chuckled, and then looked at Lan Yue beside him. "Senior Sister, would you please reveal your identity to them?" Ye Cangtian didn't wish to reveal his own identity at this moment, as the status of the Young Villa Master, once leaked, would undoubtedly cause a massive upheaval. Thus, he could only ask Lan Yue to reveal hers first.
Lan Yue nodded at his words, then stepped forward and took out a token from her Qiankun bag, displaying it to the crowd. The token was made of jade with gold inlay around the edges. The front was inscribed with the characters "Xiao Yue," and the back bore the symbol of Yu Long Mountain Villa – a lifelike divine dragon. As Old Zhou had been traveling extensively, seeking out exceptionally talented individuals to take as disciples, and fearing that these disciples might conflict with each other or that someone might impersonate them, he had specifically issued each disciple a token to represent their identity upon their acceptance. Furthermore, this token was extremely difficult to forge, and only in its owner's possession would the name on the token emit a glow.
"I am Xiao Yue, a disciple of the Yu Long Mountain Villa Master, from the outside world!"
"The person beside me is my junior fellow disciple, he is also from the outside world. Can you believe this?"
Lan Yue introduced herself and questioned them loudly.
This…
When everyone saw the token, they were stunned into silence. Others might lie, but the token wouldn't. Thinking of this, everyone fell silent, and their expressions improved considerably. The next moment, even the last few dozen people dropped their weapons. The matter of someone from Yu Long Mountain Villa being disciplined by their own people was an internal affair, and there was no need to fight to the death. Moreover, no matter what, the person was a disciple of the Villa Master, holding a far higher status than they did. They naturally wouldn't dare to defy him. As for Lan Yue's question, they implicitly accepted it. Firstly, the way they addressed each other as senior and junior clearly indicated they were from the same lineage. Secondly, Yu Long Mountain Villa had extremely strict rules. Even a Villa Master's disciple, if caught fabricating such a lie, would have their identity and cultivation revoked and be expelled from Yu Long Mountain Villa! Therefore, they also believed that "Death God" before them was their fellow disciple.
On the other side, seeing everyone put down their weapons, Ye Cangtian finally showed a satisfied smile. He then cleared his throat and said, "Excellent, you have not disappointed me. Now, listen to my command: everyone will temporarily be under the command of the Hidden Group. Cooperate fully with Hu Qing's work and restore the relationship between the Hidden Group and Yu Long Mountain Villa!"
"Yes!"
As the words fell, all the guards immediately responded. After all, the status of a Villa Master's disciple was far superior to that of Fang Deming, even on par with those currently managing Yu Long Mountain Villa. Therefore, these guards naturally obeyed his commands without question. As for Yu Long Mountain Villa, it was up to "Death God" and his companions to negotiate directly; it had little to do with them.
"Very good, return to your posts!"
"Also, from now on, all city gate guards are to be withdrawn. Anyone can enter or leave Han Shuang City freely..."
Ye Cangtian's voice rang out again, and all the guards immediately acknowledged it. After bowing, they left the hall. Watching the guards depart, Fang Deming's face turned ashen. His plan had failed, and wouldn't that mean severe punishment from Ye Cangtian awaited him? What made it worse was that the other person was also a disciple of the Villa Master. If the higher-ups knew that such a person was disciplining him, they would likely turn a blind eye and ignore the matter.
"Fang Deming, you placed Hu Qing under house arrest. Although you were instigated, you were ultimately involved."
"Therefore, I sentence you to experience some of the living conditions of the Hidden Group previously. Do you have any objections?"
Just then, Ye Cangtian's voice echoed, and Fang Deming trembled instantly. He glanced at the other person but couldn't utter a single word of defense.
"Damn it, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to express your gratitude?"
Before Fang Deming could speak, Hong Da, standing beside him, quickly reprimanded him. At this point, he no longer cared about hierarchy; pleasing Ye Cangtian was what mattered. Only by doing so could he avoid punishment.
"You..."
Seeing Hong Da's fawning demeanor, Fang Deming wished he could slap the man to death. Truly, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes! In the past, Hong Da would have bent over backward to serve him, but now that he was down and out, Hong Da was the first to betray him. Most importantly, Hong Da was at least half responsible for his current predicament. Wasn't it all because of Hong Da's involvement that he had provoked "Death God"? Yet, now, the man was the first to switch sides, leaving him so angry he couldn't speak.
"What 'you'! Your actions towards the Hidden Group over the years mean that killing you ten times over wouldn't be excessive. Now, just letting you experience life is already a great mercy from Lord Death God!"
"If you still refuse to accept, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Hong Da sneered at Fang Deming's indignant expression and began to scold him. As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, as if ready for a fight. In any case, Fang Deming was already severely injured, so even in a one-on-one confrontation, he wasn't afraid of him. Furthermore, he thought it would be even better that way. The more he helped "Death God," the more he could quell "Death God's" anger, and perhaps he could avoid punishment.