"You! How dare you hit me, do you know the consequences?"
Heimo touched his increasingly red and swollen cheeks, roaring furiously at Yinlong.
In his eyes, Yinlong was merely a hermit and would never dare to lay a hand on him.
But reality had brutally taught him a lesson he couldn't accept.
"Hmph! You are not worthy of discussing consequences with me!"
"If you don't scram, I don't mind beating you into a pig's head, or crippling your cultivation!"
Hearing the other party's words, Ye Cangtian let out a cold snort.
"Damn it, a hermit dares to be so arrogant, I'll fight you to the death today!"
Hearing the threat, Heimo's anger knew no bounds. He drew his long sword and thrust it towards Ye Cangtian.
Sigh!
Seeing this, Ye Zheng hao couldn't help but sigh. The gap in their cultivation was too vast, and Heimo had no chance of winning.
It was just that Heimo was too overconfident, insisting on seeking trouble.
Hmph!
Ye Cangtian gave a cold snort, slowly raised his hands, and though his movements seemed slow, he precisely caught the opponent's long sword.
Then, with a flick of his other hand, with a 'slap', Heimo was sent flying again.
As a mouthful of blood spurted out, Heimo's other cheek also swelled up.
"Before I lose my temper and decide to kill you, hurry up and get lost!"
"Also, I am at Xuefeng. If you want revenge, let your master, Changsun Lingxi, come herself!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the slowly rising Heimo and said coldly.
Now that he had met his second senior brother here, he felt it was best to resolve his second senior brother's issues directly.
This way, he wouldn't allow the other party to continue scamming people under the guise of Yulong Mountain Villa.
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Heimo was stunned. He hadn't expected the other party to know that his master was Changsun Lingxi.
Thinking about it, he looked at the other party and said fiercely, "Fine, Yinlong, you win today. The next time we meet, I will definitely make you pay for today's actions!"
With that, Heimo scuttled out of the hall.
Watching him leave, Ye Cangtian looked at Han Chengze and said lightly, "One is dealt with. Now it's time for our grievances!"
"Don't worry, I'm not someone who bullies others. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, Liehuo Courtyard will not retaliate against you!" Ye Cangtian added.
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Han Chengze's eyes darted around. He didn't believe Ye Cangtian's assurance.
He found Yinlong extremely displeasing and wished he could discipline him personally, but doing so would surely draw the wrath of Liehuo Courtyard onto Xuefeng.
However, if he stopped now, Heimo and the others would definitely seek revenge on Yinlong.
If Yinlong were to lose, Liehuo Courtyard's anger would be borne by Yulong Mountain Villa, and Xuefeng would be unaffected.
Furthermore, if Liehuo Courtyard and Yulong Mountain Villa went to war, Yulong Mountain Villa would not be able to spare any attention to deal with Xuefeng.
Xuefeng's urgent crisis would thus be resolved.
With this thought, Han Chengze slowly opened his mouth and said, "We'll talk about our matters later. You should focus on surviving first! See the guest out!"
What a cunning old fox!
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself upon hearing this, seeing through the other party's intentions at a glance.
The other party intended to use Yulong Mountain Villa to deal with him, and at the same time, to gauge his strength.
Thinking this, he said, "Since you dare not make a move, then forget it."
Ye Cangtian tried to provoke the other party into fighting him. However, after he turned to leave, he never received a response.
Helpless, he could only return to the pavilion.
On the other side, watching Yinlong swagger away, Han Chengze's aged hands clenched into fists, trembling incessantly.
He was suppressing his anger with all his might, fearing that if he lost control, he would disrupt the plan.
After a moment, his gaze fell upon Xue Qi, who was about to leave, and he said, "Qi'er, you stay behind!"
After everyone had left the hall, Han Chengze's gaze softened, and he said, "Qi'er, how have I treated you?"
"Master loves Qi'er dearly."
Xue Qi looked at him and answered without hesitation.
Then, she quickly added, "Master, please forgive Qi'er's filial impiety, but Qi'er truly cannot make a move against her savior!"
In her opinion, since Han Chengze and Yinlong had reached such a point, the only reason he kept her behind was to help him deal with Yinlong.
This was something she absolutely could not accept.
"Qi'er, I know you're in a difficult position, which is why I made you face the wall and reflect previously, as I didn't want you to interfere in this matter."
"As for the five-year restriction, it was just talk. After this storm passes, I will find a reason to release you. I hope you don't resent me."
Han Chengze explained first, then began, "As for keeping you here, it's not for you to deal with Yinlong. I won't put you in a difficult position caught between us."
Hearing Han Chengze say this, Xue Qi's heart relaxed. As long as it wasn't to deal with Yinlong, she didn't care about anything else.
Thinking this, she cast a confused glance at him.
Seeing this, Han Chengze said, "Tell me, which faction does this Yinlong belong to?"
Given his lavish spending and his strong stance against Xuefeng and Yulong Mountain Villa, Han Chengze simply didn't believe that the other party was just a hermit.
Moreover, Ye Zheng hao was the future head of Liehuo Courtyard, so how could he follow a mere hermit?
Therefore, Han Chengze wanted to investigate Yinlong's identity and background before making any moves.
And currently, the closest people to Yinlong were none other than Xue Qi and Bing Yao.
He had already questioned Bing Yao, and she knew nothing of Yinlong's identity. He could only place all his hopes on Xue Qi.
"This..."
Upon hearing this question, Xue Qi immediately realized that Han Chengze's inquiry was ultimately aimed at dealing with Yinlong.
However, fortunately, she didn't know anything about it.
The next moment, she slowly said, "Master, Qi'er swears on her life that she truly doesn't know Yinlong's identity. However, judging by his actions, his background must be very powerful, no weaker than a peak force!"
Xue Qi stated her guess, not to harm Yinlong, but to make Han Chengze back down.
Hearing this, Han Chengze nodded. Knowing Xue Qi as he did, he knew she wasn't lying at this moment.
Alas!
Sighing, Han Chengze glanced at her and said, "I didn't expect this Yinlong to be so well-hidden! Qi'er, are you willing to investigate his background for me?"
"Qi'er is willing."
Xue Qi agreed immediately. Since the other party was still persistent, she would accept this task.
She didn't believe that if Yinlong was indeed from a peak force, Han Chengze would still dare to act against him?
"Good, good, good, you are truly my good disciple."
Seeing Xue Qi agree, Han Chengze was very pleased and burst into laughter!
...
The Pavilion.
After returning from the main hall, Bing Yao went to the kitchen.
Thanks to Yinlong's help today, Han Chengze had spared her punishment.
Coupled with Yinlong's Nine Heavens Life Continuation Pill, she decided to personally cook to thank Yinlong and the other person.
In another room, Ye Zheng hao walked in and sat directly beside Ye Cangtian.
Seeing Ye Zheng hao's hesitant appearance, Ye Cangtian said impatiently, "If you have anything to say, just say it."
Okay.
Ye Zheng hao responded, then looked at him and said, "I don't quite understand your actions today. I have a feeling you deliberately angered the Peak Master, forcing him to fight you!"
Hearing his words, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said playfully, "Heh heh, alright, who said you're a brute with no brains? Aren't you seeing through my intentions too?"
"You!"
Ye Zheng hao's face flushed at the taunting compliment.
Then he looked at him and said, "Is that really how it is? But what good does it do to force him to act! In this way, how will Xue Qi and Bing Yao, caught in the middle, handle themselves?"
Ye Cangtian rolled his eyes at him and said impatiently, "Idiot, I just praised you once, and you're back to your old self. Use your brain and think carefully!"
Huh?
Ye Zheng hao was slightly taken aback, then began to ponder. But after pondering for a while, he still couldn't figure out the other party's intentions.
So, he had no choice but to look at him and say, "Brother, you are unfathomable, I can't compare. Just tell me directly, don't torture me!"
Hmph!
Ye Cangtian let out a soft snort and said helplessly, "Alas, considering your identity was exposed today, I'll give you a hint."
"You said there's someone hiding in the dark, instigating conflict between us and Xuefeng. What is their purpose?"
Hmm?
Hearing this, Ye Zheng hao's brows furrowed immediately.
He looked at him and said, "The one hiding in the dark should be from Yulong Mountain Villa, right? Didn't they already state their purpose? They want to use our conflict to force Xuefeng to cooperate with them!"
Although he said this, Ye Zheng hao felt that this answer was probably incorrect, but he couldn't think of any other answer.
"Idiot!"
Ye Cangtian glared at him and said impatiently, "You think the person hiding in the dark is from Yulong Mountain Villa?"
As expected, it wasn't the correct answer.
Ye Zheng hao muttered to himself, then retorted, "If it's not Yulong Mountain Villa, then who is it?"
Ye Cangtian glanced at him and explained helplessly.
After he and Ye Zheng hao arrived at Xuefeng, it was only today that Ye Zheng hao's identity was exposed.
Before that, no one knew their identities.
Under such circumstances, who would know that they could contend with the Peak Master? Provoking the relationship between the two sides would naturally be meaningless.
But the person in the dark still did it. This could only mean one thing.
That is, the other party knew their identities, and these people were most likely those petty thieves from Feiyun Pavilion...