In the dense forest surrounding Dragon City, plumes of smoke rose from cooking fires.
Within the woods, a man sat by a bonfire, fiercely tearing a leg of lamb and stuffing it into his mouth, a look of bliss on his face.
Before long, a man in black appeared, instantly materializing behind the seated man and kneeling on one knee.
“Any news?”
The man, without turning his head, inquired, then continued to tear into the lamb leg with gusto.
Seeing this, the man in black nodded repeatedly and said, “Sir, we just received intelligence that Dongfang Mingyue will depart for the Blazing Fire Institute tomorrow, accompanied by Ye Cangtian. The Hidden Group will currently be managed by Lan Yue…”
“Oh?”
Upon hearing this news, the man paused slightly, a faint smile then appearing on his face.
He muttered to himself, “The day I’ve waited for has finally arrived…”
Listening to the man’s words, the man in black’s eyes immediately filled with confusion. He hurried forward and said, “Sir, your subordinate believes this is a golden opportunity! There’s no need for us to proceed with the original plan!”
“Elaborate,” the man said calmly.
The man in black quickly replied, “With Dongfang Mingyue and Ye Cangtian gone, the Hidden Group will lack a leader. If we strike forcefully now, won’t they obediently hand over the Four Great Seals?”
In the man in black’s opinion, the most troublesome individuals in the Hidden Group were Dongfang Mingyue and Ye Cangtian.
As for Lan Yue, he had never even heard of them, likely possessing no significant abilities and thus not worth worrying about.
“Foolish!”
The man turned around, his eyes full of disappointment.
He slowly spoke, “The Four Great Seals are with Ye Cangtian. If they are all gone, even if you destroy the entire Hidden Group, how will you obtain the Four Great Seals?”
Uh…
At his words, the man in black instantly became embarrassed and lowered his head in shame, saying, “My apologies, Sir. Your subordinate’s thinking was insufficient.”
“Hmph.”
The man snorted and said, “Send the word down. We depart now and execute the original plan. As for the specific location of the strike, await my notification!”
Upon hearing this, the man in black responded with an acknowledgment and then instantly vanished from the scene.
After the man in black departed, the man set down the lamb leg, a sinister smile gracing his lips.
“Ye Cangtian, they say you are the pride of the younger generation in the ruins. I’d like to see how long you can last before me. Hehehe…”
…
The next morning, after breakfast, Ye Cangtian arrived at Dongfang Mingyue’s office.
As soon as he entered, Dongfang Mingyue stood up and said, “Yan Biao has arrived and is waiting outside!”
“Heh, he’s quite early, isn’t he!”
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and continued, “Since they’ve arrived, let’s depart.”
Dongfang Mingyue nodded. They had already made their decision and could not back down now, so she stepped forward and left the office.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the Hidden Group, they were greeted by a team of guards in uniform attire. They were mounted on warhorses, exuding an impressive and formidable aura.
Among the convoy was a red carriage. While its color was rather vibrant, it appeared exceptionally large from the outside.
The next moment, Yuan Biao slowly approached, bowed to Dongfang Mingyue, and made an inviting gesture, saying, “Miss Mingyue, please board the carriage.”
Dongfang Mingyue didn’t think much of it and directly got into the carriage.
Just as observed from the outside, the carriage’s interior space was exceptionally spacious and very comfortable.
However, when Ye Cangtian also attempted to board, Yuan Biao extended his hand and blocked him.
As Ye Cangtian cast a confused glance his way, he finally spoke, “Ye Cangtian, this carriage is prepared solely for Miss Mingyue. No one else is permitted to board except her. Furthermore, as a man, you should ride a horse and gallop!”
“Can I assume you are deliberately making things difficult for me?” Ye Cangtian looked at him teasingly.
Yuan Biao paused slightly, sensing a trace of danger in the other man’s gaze.
He waved his hands repeatedly, “Ye Cangtian, you are overthinking. We have merely come to invite Miss Mingyue this time.”
“And you are not part of the invitation, thus you have no right to use the carriage. Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to explain to my superiors!”
“Hm?”
Ye Cangtian’s brow furrowed upon hearing this. It was clear he was being told he was superfluous.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian revealed a disdainful smile. To think of using such a trivial matter to trouble him? Impossible! After all, Dragon City was not lacking in carriages.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian was about to instruct someone to prepare a carriage, but just then, Dongfang Mingyue descended from the carriage.
“Yuan Biao, since your carriage has so many rules, I’d rather not ride it then!”
It was evident that Dongfang Mingyue had perceived the commotion outside.
Moreover, Ye Cangtian was not only her brother but also a Heavenly level expert of the Hidden Group, undoubtedly one of its prominent figures.
Now that he was being insulted by Yuan Biao in such a manner, she would certainly not tolerate it.
Yuan Biao immediately spoke, “Miss Mingyue, you have an old injury. It would be more comfortable to ride in our carriage. This way, it’s better than…”
Before Yuan Biao could finish, Dongfang Mingyue let out a cold snort, interrupting his words.
She looked at him coldly and continued, “Yuan Biao, do not underestimate the Hidden Group. Whether it be carriages or elixirs, anything the Blazing Fire Institute possesses, the Hidden Group also has!”
“Even if the Blazing Fire Institute does not have something, the Hidden Group may very well possess it!”
“This…”
With just one sentence, Yuan Biao was almost enraged.
He had already been displeased with Ye Cangtian, and now seeing Dongfang Mingyue defending him, he became even more irked.
However, despite this, he maintained a smiling demeanor towards Dongfang Mingyue.
He then spoke, “Miss Mingyue, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that this carriage, at the Blazing Fire Institute, is only for two people to ride…”
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian instantly understood the implication.
Simply put, this carriage should only be used by Heavenly level experts of the Blazing Fire Institute. From this, it appeared that the Blazing Fire Institute’s treatment of Dongfang Mingyue had reached the highest tier.
This was definitely not normal!
Even if Dongfang Mingyue was the manager of the Hidden Group, and even if she was Yan Shenghui’s junior, such treatment exceeded the standard.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian couldn’t help but sigh softly. It seemed the Blazing Fire Institute’s intentions were indeed impure!
On the other side, Dongfang Mingyue didn’t think much of it. She looked at him and said, “Even if your carriage is the exclusive carriage of the Blazing Fire Institute’s head, I still don’t care for it!”
Saying that, Dongfang Mingyue looked at Fei Fei and said, “Fei Fei, go arrange a more comfortable carriage!”
Upon hearing this, Fei Fei quickly responded with an acknowledgment and then turned to make the arrangements.
Seeing this, Yuan Biao remained silent for a moment before finally saying no more.
The situation had reached this point; no matter what he said now, it wouldn’t pacify Dongfang Mingyue, and he absolutely couldn’t let Ye Cangtian board.
This destined the conflict between the two parties to be irreconcilable.
Therefore, he could only choose to remain silent to avoid further provoking her.
In about a few minutes, Fei Fei had arranged the carriage.
Yuan Biao’s face darkened as he watched Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue board the carriage.
The Hidden Group’s carriage was large enough for two people, but it was still significantly inferior to the Blazing Fire Institute’s carriage.
Yet, Dongfang Mingyue had chosen the Hidden Group’s carriage, which made him lose face and become the laughingstock of those around him.
“All personnel, receive my order, we depart!”
Yuan Biao quickly issued the command, not wanting to linger any longer. If he continued to see the mocking smiles of those around him, he feared he wouldn’t be able to control his temper.
And so, Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue, escorted by the Blazing Fire Institute’s guards, departed Dragon City in grand fashion.
…
Dragon City Great River.
Elder Zhou, as always, was fishing by the riverbank.
At some point, a figure slowly approached from a distance, eventually standing beside the old man.
“Dragon Elder, you are truly too nonchalant! You just let those two go like that?”
Elder Long glanced at the person beside him and snorted, “Haotian, don’t just blame me. Haven’t you tacitly agreed as well?”
Haotian glanced at Elder Long and said irritably, “I would have liked to accompany them, but my identity is too sensitive, so it’s better for me to remain at the Hidden Group to maintain order…”
After all, the Blazing Fire Institute was a peak power, and it also had Heavenly level experts stationed there.
Therefore, in his opinion, there was still considerable risk for Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue to go alone.
This was also the purpose of his visit, to have Elder Long secretly accompany them, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
After all, in the eyes of most factions, they only knew that the Hidden Group had two Heavenly level experts, Ye Cangtian and Haotian.
As for the identity of the third Heavenly level expert, they remained in the speculative stage.
Therefore, having Elder Long secretly protect Ye Cangtian and the other two was the best option.