Gui Xiang Lou.
Across the entire Snow Peak, Gui Xiang Lou was undoubtedly a premier establishment. Not only was its interior lavishly decorated, but its prices were also among the highest on Snow Peak.
After all, Snow Peak was covered in ice and snow year-round, and most supplies had to be transported from the foot of the mountain, which incurred considerable costs.
While supplies were cheap at the foot of the mountain, their prices would at least tenfold upon reaching the peak. This was one of the reasons for Gui Xiang Lou’s exorbitant prices.
However, for ordinary people, prices like these might mean they could barely afford to visit once a year. For the disciples of Snow Peak, it was different.
They were never short of crystal stones and could spend them as they pleased.
Consequently, the disciples of Snow Peak at Gui Xiang Lou were not concerned with how much they spent, but rather with maintaining their prestige and status.
Regarding all this, Xue Qi had already briefed Ye Cangtian on the way here.
Ye Cangtian, attending this meeting, had not brought Ye Zheng Hao and Bing Yao, only himself and Xue Qi.
Firstly, the other party was from the Imperial Dragon Villa. This was a family matter that Ye Cangtian could handle himself.
Secondly, regardless of whether there was a prospect, Ye Cangtian still wanted to create an opportunity for Ye Zheng Hao and Bing Yao to spend time alone together.
As for why he brought Xue Qi, besides creating an opportunity for the two of them, it was also so that Xue Qi could relay the situation here to the Peak Master.
He believed the Peak Master would be very eager to know the situation.
Upon arriving at the entrance of Gui Xiang Lou, Ye Cangtian had already detected it.
In the shadows surrounding Gui Xiang Lou, there were many presences, clearly the arrangements of the Imperial Dragon Villa.
They went directly to the second floor and entered the most luxurious private room.
Inside the room, two people were already present, one standing and one seated.
The one standing was Hei Mo, who had gone to notify Ye Cangtian. The one seated was a middle-aged man.
He was dressed in black, wearing a dragon-patterned gold belt from which hung a dark black pendant, suggesting a person of considerable status.
"You are Yin Long?"
"You truly impress me! I didn't expect you to bring the goddess of Snow Peak, Xue Qi, with you when you came here!"
The middle-aged man sized up Yin Long and then revealed a playful smile.
Clearly, his words were not meant literally, but were referring to the recent widespread rumors about the two of them.
"You..."
Seeing his expression, Xue Qi immediately understood, her face flushing with anger, but she said nothing.
She knew very well that the protagonist of today's meeting was Yin Long.
Furthermore, the other party was from the Imperial Dragon Villa, and she did not wish to offend them, lest she bring disaster upon Snow Peak. Thus, she simply let the man talk as if he were spouting nonsense.
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, sat down directly, and then lit a cigarette.
After taking two puffs, Ye Cangtian looked at the man and said calmly, "There's no point in talking about other things. I think you should introduce yourself first, lest I mistake you for some stray cat or dog!"
"You..."
The man was slightly taken aback, and then anger flared on his face.
Considering his attire, did he look like a stray cat or dog? Did this Yin Long have vision problems!
Hei Mo, standing by, also turned red in the face.
Ye Cangtian's words were extremely familiar to him. He had said the same thing to him yesterday, which brought back memories of his humiliation then.
The next moment, he immediately stepped forward and declared loudly to Ye Cangtian, "Listen carefully, my lord is Master An Yi, under the second disciple of Imperial Dragon Villa, Changsun Ling Xi!"
An Yi? He was An Yi!
Ye Cangtian appeared calm on the surface, but he was inwardly shocked!
Before he had eliminated Chen Yi, a traitor from the Hidden Dragon organization, Chen Yi, in his dying moments to learn the secrets of the Four Seals, had confessed all the forces he had cultivated in the Hua Xia ruins.
This also included Chen Yi's actions against certain forces.
For example, Chen Yi had revealed the actions of the Bing Jia Building, the Du Wu Men, and even the Imperial Dragon Villa.
Among them was a person named An Yi, who, like Hei Yu, was a confidant of Chen Yi.
Chen Yi's actions against various forces were basically controlled by An Yi.
Therefore, after eliminating Chen Yi, Ye Cangtian had mobilized all his resources to secretly investigate An Yi in order to eradicate this menace.
However, after Chen Yi's death, An Yi seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no clues for anyone.
For this reason, upon learning that the man was An Yi, Ye Cangtian was indeed a little shocked.
It was truly a case of "beating a dead horse to find a needle in a haystack."
He never expected this person to be by Changsun Ling Xi's side. However, he did not know whether Changsun Wu Ji had personally defected or had been instigated by An Yi.
If it was the former, then he would have to face family discipline!
But if it was the latter, he could still give the person a chance to turn back.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian looked at the man and said with a smile, "It's just a name, and you've added so many embellishments. It seems you're not doing very well, only able to make a fuss about your name!"
"Nonsense! What do you know!"
"I'm telling you this to let you know that the master of our lord is the second senior brother of Imperial Dragon Villa, so you'd better be sensible!"
"Also, this shows that we keep Master Ling Xi in our hearts at all times!"
Upon hearing this, Hei Mo could no longer stand it and roared out.
Since An Yi was backing him now, he was no longer afraid of Yin Long!
However, despite his extreme anger, what he said was mostly true.
In the past, as long as they mentioned the name of the second senior brother of Imperial Dragon Villa, no one dared to offend them. Even the Peak Master of Snow Peak would show them courtesy.
"An Yi, how do you train your dog? Letting him bark around here like this?"
"If you can't discipline him, I don't mind helping you discipline him!"
Ye Cangtian didn't even look at Hei Mo. He looked directly at An Yi and said calmly.
"Hmph, no need!"
An Yi glanced at Hei Mo, then suddenly waved his hand, landing it on Hei Mo's abdomen, pushing Hei Mo back a few steps.
Seeing Hei Mo grimace and dare not cry out, An Yi then said, "Mind your identity. You have no right to interrupt our conversation!"
The reason for disciplining Hei Mo was not only because of Ye Cangtian's words.
It was also because of Hei Mo's introduction of him.
Although he was indeed a subordinate of Changsun Ling Xi, his introduction made him seem like he was boasting about his connections, which made him feel extremely displeased!
"Yes, yes, it's my fault."
Hearing An Yi's words, Hei Mo nodded repeatedly. He understood An Yi's character very well; he was absolute and not to be questioned.
So, he stopped explaining and retreated to the side, not daring to interrupt casually.
Speaking of which, An Yi looked at Ye Cangtian and said calmly, "Yin Long, are you satisfied now?"
Ye Cangtian sneered and looked at him, "If I say I'm not satisfied, can you kill him?"
"That's impossible!"
An Yi smiled and shook his head, continuing, "Besides, he doesn't deserve to die!"
Ye Cangtian shrugged, his smile even more disdainful, "If you don't have the means, then don't ask such pointless questions! Let's get back to the point. Now that I'm here, you can tell me why you invited me!"
"Straight to the point!"
An Yi clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Then let's talk one by one. The first thing is, I appreciate you all, and I hope to make friends with you!"
"..."
With that sentence, Ye Cangtian and Xue Qi were both stunned on the spot.
Given that Ye Cangtian had just reprimanded Hei Mo twice, they thought the other party should hate him. How could he want to be friends with him?
Hei Mo was also stunned, his gaze falling on An Yi.
He had followed Hei Mo and Changsun Ling Xi for many years, contributing his efforts if not his merits!
Now that he had been humiliated, shouldn't the other party be thinking of revenge, rather than wanting to make friends with his tormentor?
For a moment, Hei Mo felt utterly disheartened.
"Don't look at me like that, you haven't misheard, I do want to make friends with you!"
"After all, having one more friend means having one more path!"
Sensing the gazes of Ye Cangtian and the others, An Yi smiled slightly, his smile full of pride.
He enjoyed their surprised and astonished expressions, feeling a sense of achievement.
Upon hearing the other party's words again, within a few breaths, Ye Cangtian had figured everything out.
The reason the other party wanted to befriend him was very simple: to help Changsun Ling Xi return to Imperial Dragon Villa and take control of it.