Until Sikong Longyin departed, Lan Yue approached Ye Cangtian, her tone tinged with a hint of reproach. "Junior brother, in your eyes, am I that old?"
Huh?
The sudden question left Ye Cangtian quite bewildered.
He looked at Lan Yue doubtfully and asked, "Senior Sister, why would you say that? I didn't say you were old!"
Hmph!
Lan Yue let out a soft huff, her displeasure evident. "You didn't say it, but you acted as if you did. You had Sikong Longyin call me Eldest Senior Sister, but did you even consider his demeanor..."
"This..."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian finally understood.
The next moment, he looked at her and said helplessly, "Senior Sister, that's just a title to highlight your status, it has nothing to do with age. I can't have everyone call you Junior Sister, can I?"
"If that were the case, after you become the Manor Lord, how would you establish your authority?" Ye Cangtian added.
"Fine, you have a point."
Lan Yue shot him a sideways glance and reluctantly accepted his explanation.
After all, if she were to take over the Imperial Dragon Manor as the youngest junior sister, it would indeed be rather inappropriate.
Were there no one else in the Imperial Dragon Manor? Did it have to be the junior sister ranked last who became the Manor Lord?
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
After this minor interlude, a familiar figure appeared before them. It was Fei Fei, Dongfang Mingyue's assistant.
She bowed to Ye Cangtian and then said, "Lord Ye, Lord Mingyue requests your presence..."
"So late?"
Lan Yue's eyes were filled with confusion. It was already deep in the night!
Had something major happened? Otherwise, why would Dongfang Mingyue be in such a hurry?
On the other side, upon hearing Lan Yue's voice, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "Sister Mingyue probably heard about Sikong Changfeng's matter, which is why she's asking me to come over."
"Didn't you inform her properly?" Lan Yue asked doubtfully.
Ye Cangtian nodded with a wry smile. He had indeed intended to notify Dongfang Mingyue, but since he had offended her, he was too busy trying to escape at the time.
With that, he left the Qingfeng Hall with Fei Fei.
...
Office.
As Ye Cangtian entered the office, the first thing he saw was Dongfang Mingyue standing by the window.
Bathed in the moonlight, Dongfang Mingyue's skin glowed. Coupled with her already ethereal beauty, she was a true vision under the moon.
Ye Cangtian couldn't help but marvel inwardly. However, the next moment, he noticed the gloom and worry on Dongfang Mingyue's face.
"You're here."
Dongfang Mingyue put down her teacup, turned around, and spoke slowly.
"Mmm."
Ye Cangtian responded and, at her gesture, sat down.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally asked, "Sister Mingyue, what's wrong?"
Dongfang Mingyue poured Ye Cangtian a cup of tea and then said, "Did you order the release of Sikong Longyin and the others?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded.
He noticed that Dongfang Mingyue didn't seem overly agitated when mentioning this matter, indicating that this was likely not the cause of her distress.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian asked, "Did something happen?"
"Yes."
Dongfang Mingyue shook her head. "Someone from the Gale Tower has arrived!"
"Gale Tower?"
The mere mention of the name caused Ye Cangtian to pause. He was not unfamiliar with the Gale Tower.
It was one of the five peak forces in the Huaxia Ruins, on par with the Imperial Dragon Manor.
Legend had it that the Gale Tower was an reclusive force. Although their disciples might not be numerous, their combat prowess was second to none.
Ye Cangtian had previously anticipated that the other four peak forces would not remain indifferent to the Four Seals.
However, now that they had truly sent people, he felt a moment of heaviness.
But this feeling quickly dissipated, as he had already made certain arrangements for such a situation.
"Sister Mingyue, where are the people from the Gale Tower?"
After calming himself, Ye Cangtian inquired. Since they had come, he was eager to meet them.
Dongfang Mingyue glanced at him and then slowly shook her head. "I'm not sure. The news came from other cities..."
Speaking of which, it was somewhat coincidental.
The people from the Gale Tower had a conflict with people from a nearby city, and it was only when they revealed their identities that the Hidden Group learned of their presence.
Otherwise, it would have been difficult for the Hidden Group to discover them even if they had entered Long City.
As she spoke, Dongfang Mingyue glanced at him and said, "If they come openly, I won't worry too much. I'm afraid of them causing trouble in the shadows; that would be impossible to guard against..."
"It's alright, leave it all to me."
Ye Cangtian comforted Dongfang Mingyue and continued, "These people from the peak forces all share a common trait: arrogance. They are all incredibly conceited..."
In Ye Cangtian's opinion, it was highly probable that the people from the Gale Tower would come openly.
In their eyes, the Imperial Dragon Manor was one entity, and the Hidden Group was another. They were distinct forces.
Therefore, they would likely view the Hidden Group as weak and unworthy of their attention.
In essence, their arrival was an act of descending to crush them.
Under such circumstances, the possibility of them causing trouble in the shadows was very small. After all, such actions would be considered low-class and would tarnish their reputation.
Mmm.
Hearing this, Dongfang Mingyue nodded in agreement, finding some logic in his words.
Contemplating this, she remained silent for a moment. "Even so, we must be fully prepared. I will deploy all of the Hidden Group's informants."
In Dongfang Mingyue's view, when dealing with the Gale Tower, every possibility had to be considered, and no carelessness was permissible.
Deploying these informants would also help them monitor the Gale Tower's every move.
"Actually, in my opinion, that's unnecessary."
Ye Cangtian slowly continued, "The people the Gale Tower has sent this time are unlikely to be minor figures. Therefore, those informants might not be effective and could even be exploited by the opponents."
Ye Cangtian's words were not unfounded.
The opponents would undoubtedly detect the presence of these informants. If they were to fabricate false information, it could easily mislead the Hidden Group.
In that scenario, the situation might become disadvantageous.
"I won't feel at ease if we don't deploy these informants," Dongfang Mingyue said, frowning, and then sighed.
"It doesn't matter. We'll do as you say. With three Heavenly-tier powerhouses guarding the place, even if the Gale Tower wants to do something, they'll have to weigh the consequences."
Ye Cangtian shrugged.
According to the records of the Hidden Group, these reclusive forces, while existing in a morally ambiguous state, generally had no grievances with the Hidden Group. It was unlikely they would resort to underhanded tactics right from the start.
On the other side, having discussed the matter with Ye Cangtian, Dongfang Mingyue's worried expression had lessened considerably, and her confident smile returned.
She glanced at Ye Cangtian and said, "You little rascal, it's so good to have you by my side, sister."
Ye Cangtian rolled his eyes at Dongfang Mingyue upon hearing this and said grumpily, "I don't think so. You're calling me over this late at night, not even letting me sleep!"
"Don't you start with me!"
Dongfang Mingyue glared at Ye Cangtian. "Even without me, you wouldn't have gone to bed this early. Don't forget, you were the one who let Sikong Longyin go!"
Uh...
Ye Cangtian smiled helplessly upon hearing this. Seeing that her mood had improved somewhat, he then said, "It's late, let's go back and rest."
Mmm.
Dongfang Mingyue suddenly paused, then nodded in agreement and left the office with Ye Cangtian.
...
As dawn approached, tendrils of smoke rose from the mountain forests outside Long City.
Beneath the smoke was a small encampment.
At this moment, a bonfire had been lit in the camp, and a circle of burly men sat around it, roasting dried rations.
These men were uniformly dressed, with the same emblem embroidered on their chests – a pagoda.
Indeed, these were the people from the Gale Tower. Their leader was Wan Mingxuan, the fourth disciple of the Gale Tower Master, and a talented young figure among the younger generation of the Gale Tower.
"Lord Mingxuan, beyond this forest lies Long City!"
As everyone was eating breakfast, a burly man, holding a map, approached Wan Mingxuan and said in a low voice.
Wan Mingxuan glanced at the map and smiled. "Wasn't this confirmed last night? What, do we need to prepare anything for going to Long City?"
The burly man waved his hand, quickly stating, "We are going to Long City to show respect to the Hidden Group, so we naturally don't need to prepare anything. Rather, the Hidden Group should come out to greet us..."