"Heh, some people are just spineless, nothing can be done!"
"But speaking of which, this Po Xiao really has some tricks up his sleeve! To even come up with such a ruthless method, he's quite a talent."
Seeing Xue He's disdainful expression, Gu Hai said with a slight smile.
Although the two had settled down at the restaurant, a distance away from the inn, they didn't know the specifics of what had happened.
But he was sure it was Po Xiao's doing.
After all, the person kneeling on the street was the young master of the Xue family, and in that inn, only Po Xiao would dare to treat him like that.
"So what if he's a talent? The final credit still goes to you and me!"
"Let him cause trouble!"
Xue He snorted upon hearing this, then said, "Let's get back to the main topic. Why did Bai Lan Yue and Po Xiao disappear from sight so quickly after leaving in the daytime? What were they up to?"
At this question, the smile vanished from Gu Hai's face, replaced by a gloomy expression.
This was indeed a problem.
During the day, the two had been following Po Xiao from a distance, fearing they would miss out on any good opportunities.
Yet, they had lost track of him, which was somewhat unbelievable.
At the same time, this situation made them suspicious. Did Po Xiao have some secrets in Dongjiang City?
As they thought about it, the two began to discuss, vowing to uncover all of Po Xiao's secrets, perhaps leading to unexpected surprises!
...
Time flew to the early morning.
Ye Cangtian and the others were awakened by a noisy commotion. He quickly asked Mantou Luo to go and gather some information to see what had happened.
A short while later, Mantou Luo returned to the room.
"My Lord, something bad has happened. It is said that last night, a group of people raided the branch of the Dark Association and Xuan Sijiu's mansion. The Dark Association branch was wiped out, and Xuan Sijiu was only slightly injured, but his household suffered heavy losses..."
This news had caused a stir throughout the entire city, and Mantou Luo had easily obtained the information.
What!
Upon hearing Mantou Luo's report, Ye Cangtian's brows furrowed immediately.
What exactly was going on!
To be honest, Ye Cangtian had prepared for the Xue family to retaliate last night.
After all, he had not only taught the Xue family's young master a lesson but also made him lose face. The Xue family would likely not let such humiliation pass.
However, the retaliation he awaited did not come. Instead, the news was that the Dark Association and Xuan Sijiu's home had been attacked, which was truly unexpected.
Could it be that Xue Changjiang's earlier provocation was just a distraction?
Making him believe that their target was him, thus creating a diversion?
While Ye Cangtian was pondering, Mantou Luo on the side directly asked, "My Lord, with this happening now, what should we do next?"
"Observe the situation!"
Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment, then slowly said.
He had come to Dongjiang City, and even the Xue family knew about it. Xuan Sijiu, as the supervisor of this place, had no reason not to know.
Since Xuan Sijiu had not shown himself yet, he was clearly feigning ignorance.
In that case, he naturally would not take the initiative to approach. He might as well feign ignorance as well and see what other cards Xuan Sijiu had up his sleeve!
On the other side, hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Mantou Luo frowned and quickly said, "My Lord, after all, the destruction of the Dark Association branch is no small matter. Since we are involved, it's not right to just ignore it, is it?"
"We will intervene, of course, but it depends on how we intervene!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the other party and continued, "You and Fei Yan should go and investigate which families made any moves yesterday. We will handle it slowly."
Upon hearing Ye Cangtian's instructions, Mantou Luo and Fei Yan acknowledged and left the room.
"It seems they are very worried about you joining forces with the branch members!"
As the two women left, Lan Yue looked at Ye Cangtian and said slowly.
In her opinion, the branch and Xuan Sijiu's private army were already quite troublesome. If Po Xiao were to control them, it would likely be a huge problem.
Therefore, these people chose to strike first.
By eliminating Xuan Sijiu and these private soldiers first, they would face much less obstruction when dealing with Po Xiao or taking any other actions.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded. This was the only explanation he could think of at the moment.
With that thought, he glanced at Lan Yue and then said, "Let's go. We'll pay a visit to the Anti-Dark Alliance and see if there's any news there."
...
In Dongjiang City, in a secret chamber, a rich aroma of wine filled the air.
After the operation, Hei Ying, Chang Jiang, and Kuxi reunited here.
Firstly, it was to celebrate the successful operation, and secondly, to deploy the next tasks.
However, although they were celebrating, only Hei Ying and Chang Jiang wore excited smiles, while Kuxi's face was filled with gloom.
In this battle, they had annihilated most of Xuan Sijiu and the Dark Association branch's fighting force, but Xuan Sijiu was not dead, and some of his private army remained.
It could be said that although this operation was successful, it was not perfect!
"Kuxi, cheer up. Is it a big deal that some remnants haven't been eliminated?"
"It's nothing major. Xuan Sijiu and these remnants can't make much of a splash!"
Seeing Kuxi's unhappy demeanor, Hei Ying and Chang Jiang felt it was very disruptive to the atmosphere. Finally, Chang Jiang couldn't help but try to persuade him.
Hmph!
However, Chang Jiang was met with a cold snort.
Kuxi's icy eyes fell directly on him.
"Xue Chang Jiang, I haven't even spoken to you yet. Why did you provoke Po Xiao on your own initiative!"
"Do you know how easily you could have affected yesterday's operation!"
Kuxi was almost driven mad.
He was deeply afraid that Xue Chang Jiang, by provoking Po Xiao, would be targeted by Po Xiao, thus ruining their entire operation.
It could be said that from the beginning to the end of the operation, he had been in a state of trepidation. Fortunately, everything had gone relatively smoothly.
Hearing Kuxi's words, the smile on Xue Chang Jiang's face instantly vanished, replaced by endless coldness.
Mentioning Po Xiao sent waves of roars and resentment through his heart.
Yesterday, being forced to kneel and kowtow his way home, not only had his head split open, but he had also become the laughingstock of the entire city.
Even with the success of the operation today, it was unlikely to wash away his shame!
"Alright, let bygones be bygones. At least the outcome of our operation is good!"
"Besides, we are here to discuss plans, not to argue and complain..."
At a critical moment, seeing the displeasure on both their faces, Hei Ying quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Hmph! Xue Chang Jiang, I warn you. If you continue to be so rash in the future, don't blame me for kicking the Xue family out of this alliance!"
"You will be responsible for the consequences then!"
Kuxi, hearing this, gave a cold warning.
On the other side, seeing Kuxi's icy expression, Xue Chang Jiang gritted his teeth. Although his heart was filled with rage, he ultimately endured it.
There was no other way. For his family's ambitions, he had to maintain a good relationship with the other party...
"Next, our mission is simple, and there are two parts to it!"
"First, to completely eliminate Xuan Sijiu and the remaining remnants!"
"Second, to win over more families to join our ranks!"
Seeing that Xue Chang Jiang had calmed down, Kuxi slowly revealed his plan.
"Why do we still need to target Xuan Sijiu?"
Hei Ying was immediately confused upon hearing this.
Xuan Sijiu and his remnants clearly no longer posed any threat. In his opinion, there was no need to act.
Moreover, Po Xiao and the others were still in Dongjiang City.
Their previous operation was so smooth because Po Xiao and the others had a rift with Xuan Sijiu, or perhaps they did not anticipate their plan, thus being unable to stop them in time.
But if they continued to target Xuan Sijiu, they might be obstructed by Po Xiao.
After all, no matter what, they were members of the Dark Association. With such a major incident, Po Xiao couldn't possibly stand by and do nothing.
And once they provoked Po Xiao, this matter would become more complicated.
Hearing Hei Ying's words, Kuxi glanced at him and slowly said, "Xuan Sijiu is like a banner. Without toppling him, the various families in Dongjiang City will not be able to follow us wholeheartedly!"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "As for Po Xiao, I will find a way to lure them away, and it won't affect our plan..."
Hearing this, Hei Ying naturally had nothing more to say.
Xue Chang Jiang, on the side, although somewhat displeased, also knew that this was not the time to seek revenge on Ye Cangtian, so he could only reluctantly agree.
...