In the following period, Ye Cangtian, who had some suspicions about Tian Can Lou, did not take any substantive action. Striking now might alert the enemy, and there were many other factions watching closely, potentially doing work for others. Therefore, Ye Cangtian chose to wait and see, spending his days wandering around You Ming City. Firstly, he aimed to confuse the various factions through the eyes and ears of different powers. Secondly, he was waiting for news from Wei An. The Yin Zu intelligence department had already been mobilized, working to gather information on all factions. He believed that news would arrive soon.
Indeed, within three days, Ye Cangtian saw a signal left by Wei An and hurried to the agreed-upon meeting place. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they sat down.
"There has been some progress with the intelligence," Wei An said, getting straight to the point. The informants previously dispatched had sent back some information. Over a dozen factions had been investigating the branches of Tian Can Lou and the Dark Association. If he wasn't mistaken, they were planning to make a move against them. This information was later confirmed; these factions seemed to be in the midst of planning.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's eyes flickered with doubt. "This news is hard to believe!"
"Why?" Wei An asked, looking at Ye Cangtian in confusion. He mused, "The news has been confirmed, they have indeed started planning. Could there be a falsehood?"
"That's not what I meant. I mean there are some discrepancies in this news," Ye Cangtian waved his hand and continued, "There are quite a few Dark Association branches in the ruins. Why specifically target this one? What is the motive?"
Why such a coincidence! They specifically chose this location, and the branch manager here just happened to lean towards Tian Can. Was it all coincidence? Or was it deliberate? How could it be so much like producing a tumor for the Dark Association? Moreover, these factions, though more than a dozen in number, acted in unison. Ye Cangtian couldn't help but overthink things.
On the other hand, Wei An could not explain Ye Cangtian's doubts. This was all the information he had obtained. After a brief silence, Wei An said, "Since the situation is not yet clear, let's wait a while longer. I will continue to send people to investigate."
"Thank you for your trouble." Hearing this, Wei An waved his hand and then left without further ado. This matter required further investigation, and he also feared falling into a trap, doing work for others.
After Wei An left, Ye Cangtian continued to drink tea alone at the teahouse. After an unknown amount of time, a knock came at the door. Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback. Wei An couldn't have gathered new information so quickly, but besides Wei An, who else would look for him in You Ming City?
"Please come in!" As the voice fell, the door opened. A thin man walked in. Ye Cangtian sized him up; he looked somewhat familiar, so he asked, "Who are you? Are you looking for me?"
The man slowly nodded and said, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Fei Chen, the sect leader of San He Men."
"A pleasure," Ye Cangtian cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Fei Chen, do you have something to discuss with me?"
As his voice fell, the man bowed respectfully to Ye Cangtian three times. "Thank you, Mr. Ye, for saving me the other day. Otherwise, San He Men would likely have suffered greatly."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian finally remembered. This person should be from the smaller faction that was being brutalized by Lu Fang and others that day. If he hadn't intervened, they might indeed have been wiped out by Lu Fang. Thinking of this, Ye Cangtian waved his hand and said, "Since you know my identity, there's no need for thanks. Even if it weren't you, I wouldn't stand by and do nothing."
Fei Chen nodded at his words. The other party was Ye Cangtian of Yin Zu, naturally an adversary of the Dark Association, just like Yin Zu. Therefore, even if it wasn't about them, Ye Cangtian would likely stir up trouble and strike at the Dark Association. Thinking of this, he sat down and then said, "These days, people have been investigating us. I assume there are Yin Zu members among them, right?"
"Naturally." Ye Cangtian was very candid about this question; there was no need to lie. He glanced at the other person and continued, "With so many factions suddenly appearing, even Yin Zu is very tense. Please excuse us."
"It's nothing. It's just that being watched by a giant like Yin Zu makes us feel a chill down our spines." Fei Chen glanced at Ye Cangtian and said with a wry smile. Although most members of Yin Zu were upright individuals, in Fei Chen's eyes, with a large forest, there were all sorts of birds. Yin Zu might stab them in the back at any moment, and their credibility was not high. If Ye Cangtian hadn't intervened this time, he would never have approached Yin Zu. After all, Yin Zu was one of the world's three major powers. Without extraordinary means, how could it hold such a position?
Meanwhile, Ye Cangtian also understood Fei Chen's, or rather other factions', attitude towards Yin Zu through this remark. They were still very wary of Yin Zu. In their eyes, Yin Zu was not an enemy, but it was certainly not a friend.
"Since you are so wary of Yin Zu, you shouldn't be sitting here. If you have nothing else, Mr. Fei Chen, please be on your way!" Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and made a gesture of invitation. Regardless of what cooperation the other party intended to achieve by coming here, trust was the most basic prerequisite. Without trust, any further discussion would be meaningless.
"Indeed, I should have left." However, Mr. Ye's act of saving me has given me more trust in Yin Zu. I believe we can try to cooperate and achieve a win-win situation." Fei Chen was not surprised by Ye Cangtian's attitude, as his own demeanor was not very friendly. He poured a cup of tea and, as he spoke, pushed it towards Ye Cangtian.
"Cooperate?" Ye Cangtian's gaze swept over the other person as he took a sip of tea. "Cooperation is not difficult, but at least you must reveal your purpose!" On the surface, he appeared very calm, but inwardly he smiled. He was just worried about not understanding their intentions, and now they were delivering themselves, what luck!
After a brief silence, Fei Chen pondered for a moment. After a full ten minutes, he finally said, "San He Men's purpose is very simple: to destroy Tian Can Lou and the Dark Association branch in You Ming City! We have no conflict on this point!"
"Mr. Fei Chen, cooperation requires sincerity!" Ye Cangtian said slowly, putting down his teacup. His gaze held a hint of disdain, as if to say, since you're treating me like a three-year-old child, there's no need to talk further! It was simple: if the dozen or so factions were of the same scale and strength as San He Men, destroying the Dark Association branch and Tian Can Lou would be a joke! And if they had even a little strength, they should have made a move long ago, at least before Po Xiao arrived. But now that Po Xiao had arrived, their chances of success were even slimmer. Therefore, Ye Cangtian judged that everything the other party said was a lie.
"Mr. Ye, I'm telling the truth, we're not deceiving you..." Seeing Ye Cangtian's attitude, Fei Chen quickly tried to explain, but before he could finish, Ye Cangtian stopped him with a hand.
"If you're not leaving, then I will!" With that, Ye Cangtian stood up and walked directly towards the door. Watching Ye Cangtian leave, Fei Chen's expression changed from pleased to displeased. He hadn't expected Ye Cangtian, despite his youth, to be so astute in handling matters!
"Wait!" Finally, just as Ye Cangtian was about to open the door, Fei Chen called out to him.