In the temporary interrogation room.
When Yin Tao was brought in and saw Ye Cangtian, he immediately asked,
“Qiao Guanglin, have you caught him?”
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian slowly shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, he resisted arrest and died in combat.”
“Did he say anything before he died? Why did he frame me?” Yin Tao quickly asked.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded and said, “Yes, he confessed to everything…”
Ye Cangtian recounted Qiao Guanglin’s previous confession to Yin Tao verbatim.
Everything, from Yin Tao being framed to leave the Hidden Group to being framed again, was told without omission.
This…
Listening to Ye Cangtian’s account, Yin Tao’s expression changed, and his large hands clenched into fists, making a clanging sound.
He was very unwilling to believe it, but he thought Ye Cangtian had no reason to lie to him about such a matter.
He also didn’t know what forces were behind Qiao Guanglin, nor the specific situation of those forces.
After a long while, Yin Tao nodded to Ye Cangtian and said, “Thank you for telling me this. What do you want to say next?”
Yin Tao believed that Ye Cangtian wouldn’t have come specifically just to talk about Qiao Guanglin…
“Tell me about your future.”
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said lightly.
“Future? Do I still have a future?”
“Whether it was me vying for control of the Hidden Group with you, or me sneaking in here, it has already ruined my reputation.”
Yin Tao coldly glanced at Ye Cangtian and sneered dismissively.
It was true that he was resentful, but what could be done about it?
Frankly speaking, even if Ye Cangtian handed over the leadership of the Hidden Group to him now, he wouldn’t be able to control it.
Because his reputation was already ruined, no one would heed his command.
He had gone from a hero of the Hidden Group to a traitor, what future could he possibly have? Moreover, Ye Cangtian, as the victor, would not let him go.
“To err is human, to forgive is divine.”
“As long as you sincerely repent, I will not speak of what happened last night. You still have a chance to regain your dignity and honor.”
Ye Cangtian glanced at Yin Tao, was silent for a moment, and then slowly said.
Hearing this, Yin Tao was stunned.
It was only then that he realized that what happened last night had not yet spread, and it seemed Ye Cangtian had suppressed it.
If not for the attack last night, then based solely on the competition for power with Ye Cangtian, even if his reputation was damaged, it would have been within controllable limits.
After all, he had not done anything that substantially harmed the Hidden Group.
Thinking of this, Yin Tao glanced at Ye Cangtian and said, “You want me to be your dog?”
“No!”
Ye Cangtian shook his head and slowly said, “I never thought of you as a dog, nor would that be meaningful to me.
You should know that I am only managing it temporarily, and I will not hold this position for long.”
Listening to Ye Cangtian’s words, Yin Tao became impatient and said grimly, “What exactly do you want? Just say it! Don’t waste everyone’s time.”
“It’s very simple, continue to serve the Hidden Group, just like before.”
“In this way, in the future, you can use your contributions one by one to restore your damaged reputation and welcome respect and glory again.”
“And the Hidden Group will not hold grudges against you and can still provide you with full support!”
Ye Cangtian said lightly. In fact, this was the best option he could offer the other party.
Hearing this, Yin Tao frowned deeply.
To be honest, he had never resented the Hidden Group, only those within the Hidden Group who had kicked him when he was down.
Therefore, he wanted to contend for power and crush those scoundrels under his feet.
Now that everything had come to light and he knew it was Qiao Guanglin’s conspiracy, he had no problem returning to serve the Hidden Group.
However, he still had concerns. Ye Cangtian said he would let bygones be bygones, but who could guarantee that he wouldn’t be targeted and framed in the future?
Moreover, he had intentionally disrupted Dongfang Mingyue’s seclusion last night. Even if Ye Cangtian let him go, would Dongfang Mingyue let him go?
Thinking of this, Yin Tao looked at Ye Cangtian and asked, “How can you guarantee that you won’t secretly attack me?”
“I will try my best to keep the promises I make. I cannot give you any guarantees!
However, you can refer to the Bai family for this. I believe you must have heard about the matters between the Bai family and me. Yet, the Bai family is now safe and sound, and even supports me. This should explain everything, right?”
Hmm?
Upon hearing this, Yin Tao’s eyes darted.
The conflict between the Bai family and Ye Cangtian was basically known throughout the city.
Frankly speaking, if he were in Ye Cangtian’s place, he might have seized the opportunity to eliminate the Bai family.
However, after the entire incident, the Bai family did not suffer any significant losses. Furthermore, Bai Yuanhang had publicly supported Ye Cangtian before.
This indicated that Ye Cangtian had absolutely no intention of calculating against the Bai family behind the scenes, otherwise, the Bai family would not have supported Ye Cangtian.
This matter proved that Ye Cangtian was a man of his word.
Thinking thus, Yin Tao slowly nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll agree to your terms for now, but if the Hidden Group or you betray me, I will definitely leave!”
At this point, Yin Tao had no other choice, as he did not want to remain a prisoner for the rest of his life.
Therefore, if there was an opportunity, he still wanted to try. Moreover, Ye Cangtian’s conditions were not harsh, and he could accept them.
“Deal.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Ye Cangtian’s face. He continued, “Don’t think too much about it. You probably won’t have such an opportunity in your lifetime.”
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian did not hesitate. He took out the antidote for the Spirit Sealing Pill and threw it to the other party, signaling that he was free to leave at any time.
Hmph!
Looking at Ye Cangtian’s smug smile, Yin Tao snorted coldly, took the antidote, and left the room directly.
On the other side, after dealing with Yin Tao’s matter, Ye Cangtian went directly to the Bai family.
Seeing that the Bai family had already begun arranging affairs for Bai Yuanhang, Ye Cangtian called Bai Sulan into a room alone.
“Lord Ye is looking for me?”
Bai Sulan looked at Ye Cangtian with a confused expression. It had only been a few hours since they last parted, and now he was looking for her again, which genuinely puzzled her.
Ye Cangtian nodded and said, “The murderer of Bai Yuanhang was named Hei Yu, and I have already killed him. His body should have been cleared by the Hidden Group. I came specifically to inform you.”
“Lord Ye, you’re not lying to me, are you?”
Upon hearing this, Bai Sulan’s expression was filled with disbelief.
Dragon City was the largest human settlement within the entire ruins.
To find someone in Dragon City within just a few hours seemed like wishful thinking to her, almost an impossible task.
“I never lie.”
“Although this may seem incredible to you, I have my methods, but I cannot tell you. I hope you can understand.”
“However, I can confirm that he was definitely the real culprit…”
Ye Cangtian looked at Bai Sulan’s slightly doubtful expression, paused for a moment, and said slowly.
After all, he had just promised Yin Tao to suppress what Yin Tao had done, so he did not tell Bai Sulan.
Otherwise, everything he said would have been even more convincing.
“Okay, I won’t question how you found him.”
“But I want to know why he attacked my father!”
Bai Sulan was silent for a moment. Still finding it hard to believe, she asked.
“Alright.”
Ye Cangtian agreed and said, “On one hand, the culprit wanted to sow discord between me and Yin Tao, so that Yin Tao would leave the Hidden Group and join the culprit’s faction.”
“On the other hand, he wanted to use Bai Yuanhang’s death to affect the combat strength of the Bai family at the entrance, thus allowing the Guangming Hall to advance unimpeded, enter the ruins, and confront the Hidden Group…”
Listening to Ye Cangtian’s explanation, Bai Sulan fell silent again.
After a short while, Bai Sulan directly knelt on the ground and bowed, saying, “Thank you, Lord Ye, for avenging my father…”
Seeing Bai Sulan’s actions, Ye Cangtian quickly stepped forward and helped her up.
“Don’t thank me. During my management of the Hidden Group, for such an incident to occur within the Bai family is also my oversight. As long as you don’t blame me, that’s enough.”
“Besides, this is what I should have done.”
Bai Sulan immediately said, “No, my father’s matter has nothing to do with Lord Ye. Lord Ye avenging my father makes you my benefactor. From now on, whatever you command, I will obey without fail…”
“Alright, let’s leave it at that for now. You should get busy, and I need to return to the Hidden Group.”
“As I said before, if you need anything here, just notify me, and I will do my utmost to help.”
Seeing that Bai Sulan did not blame him and did not say more, Ye Cangtian chose to leave directly.
There was no other way. As the person in charge of the Hidden Group, his workload was considerable. Many matters required his decision and approval, so he truly didn’t have time to stay.
…