The Heavenly Cripple Tower.
Inside the main hall.
Xuan Sanqi and Feichen were drinking tea and chatting in hushed tones.
"Did you find out anything on your end?"
As Tian Can's voice echoed, Xuan Sanqi put down his teacup.
He slowly shook his head and sighed, "Nothing specific was found, but those petty thieves have started to stir. I believe it won't be long before they make a move."
"It's the same on my side."
"However, I feel something is not quite right!"
Tian Can glanced at Xuan Sanqi and continued, "They've been in Youming City for some time now. If they were going to act, they would have done so earlier. Why are they choosing to act now?"
Xuan Sanqi nodded in agreement, "I find it strange too. Now that Po Xiao has arrived in Youming City, if they make a move, it would be courting their own death!"
"Do you think it's possible that what they're doing is just a facade?"
Hearing Tian Can's words, Xuan Sanqi's eyes began to dart around. "You mean they have another motive?"
"It's hard to say, but there must be a reason why they came here."
"Xuan Sanqi, I think we should intensify our search efforts and try to capture a few informants. That should yield some results."
Tian Can said slowly, his demeanor carrying a strange, indefinable aura.
"If I intensify my search and capture a few informants, that wouldn't be a problem!"
"But the people from those factions are very tight-lipped."
"To take a step back, even if they were to confess something, Po Xiao would probably find out..."
Xuan Sanqi said with a frown. Po Xiao had humiliated him before, and he didn't want such a meritorious deed to be snatched up by Po Xiao.
Furthermore, if that happened, he would essentially be providing intelligence to Po Xiao, which would go against Hong Mo's intentions. Hong Mo would surely find trouble with him then.
"Let them know if they know."
"The existence of those factions is ultimately a great risk. We cannot let them truly gain power, or we will be in a passive position."
"As for Hong Mo, we can't explain it either. The branch cannot just sit idly by. It's normal for Po Xiao to overhear some information..."
Hearing this, Xuan Sanqi remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding his assent.
...
On the other side, upon seeing Ye Cangtian return.
Mandala quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.
"My lord, I just received news that Xuan Sanqi led his men to the Heavenly Cripple Tower."
Hm?
Ye Cangtian glanced at Mandala and smiled, "I didn't expect that, staying at home and not venturing out, you could still get news!"
"My lord, are you praising me?"
"If I couldn't even do these things, what use would I have to you!"
Mandala couldn't help but roll her eyes at Ye Cangtian. They both lived in the branch, so it wasn't difficult for her to obtain information about the movements of the branch personnel.
"Heh heh."
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly and said, "Alright then, tell me, what was Xuan Sanqi's purpose in going to the Heavenly Cripple Tower?"
"I don't know. You yourself said I stay at home and don't venture out, how would I know!"
"Besides, even if I wanted to know these things, I would have to wait for Xuan Sanqi to return before I could find out!"
Mandala shrugged her shoulders, stating it righteously.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian was speechless and said with annoyance, "Your abilities still need improvement. You can analyze the current situation combined with the information you've received.
Never mind, I don't have time to talk about this with you. I'm going out."
With that, Ye Cangtian left the room, leaving Mandala speechless.
He had just returned, hadn't even warmed his seat, and how could he be rushing out like this?
On the other side, Ye Cangtian left the branch, changed his attire, took off his mask, and headed directly towards the most luxurious residence in the city center.
That was Xuan Sanqi's home.
Now that Xuan Sanqi had led his men to the Heavenly Cripple Tower, it was the perfect time to investigate his home. Moreover, the distance between the branch and the residence was not far, so it wouldn't take too long.
...
Xuan Sanqi's residence.
The guards here were very lax, and coupled with Ye Cangtian's Earth-level cultivation, his own senses had become much stronger than before, allowing him to easily evade all the guards.
After a while, Ye Cangtian arrived at the most luxurious main house in the compound and began to search stealthily.
Creak!
No one knew how long he had been searching when Ye Cangtian moved a vase on a shelf, and suddenly a sound came.
Immediately after, the wall behind him opened like a large door.
A secret room!
Ye Cangtian did not hesitate and walked into the secret room.
The light in the secret room was very dim, with only a long corridor. The sides of the corridor were like prison cells.
The cells were covered in dark bloodstains, giving off an eerie feeling. However, there was nothing in the cells at the moment.
Soon, Ye Cangtian reached the deepest part and looked at the large iron door in front of him.
Behind the iron door was a neat room. Inside the room, there was a table and chairs, a cabinet, and a bed, and nothing else.
A lounge?
Ye Cangtian was somewhat disappointed. The simple furnishings in front of him clearly indicated a place where one would rest after torturing prisoners. What secrets could there be?
However, when Ye Cangtian opened the cabinet, he was stunned.
Inside the cabinet was a set of clothes and a samurai sword.
The clothes were arranged very neatly, but their style was a bit peculiar. Upon picking them up and examining them closely, he found they were a set of Japanese attire, albeit somewhat outdated in style.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian was stunned, his mind racing.
This secret room should belong to Xuan Sanqi alone, which meant that this set of clothing should be Xuan Sanqi's.
Could it be that Xuan Sanqi is Japanese?
No!
More accurately, Xuan Sanqi should be a spy from the Japanese ninja clan, planted within the Dark Association.
In an instant, Ye Cangtian understood everything.
Xuan Sanqi had worked tirelessly to gain the trust of the Dark Association headquarters and was transferred here to manage Youming City.
And the team of a dozen people who founded the Heavenly Cripple Tower should be a team sent by the Japanese ninja clan, using Xuan Sanqi's position as the person in charge to establish their influence here.
And to collect all information about the Dark Association and send it back to Japan...
The ninja clan's move was very clever!
At the same time, Tian Can was quite cunning, having hidden for decades without being discovered by the Dark Association.
Thinking back to Tian Can's attitude towards him now, it was probably not one of neutrality.
The real reason was likely to make him and Hong Mo clash, instigating internal conflict within the Dark Association.
This way, not only would no one notice them, but they could secretly develop and grow, and even consume the Dark Association's strength.
"Damn it, you old scoundrel Tian Can, you've played a good hand!"
"But since you have ill intentions towards me, don't blame me for not being polite..."
With a cold smile, Ye Cangtian left the secret room.
Now that he had stumbled upon and exposed the true identities of Tian Can and Xuan Sanqi, the next steps would be easier.
Given that they were all ninja spies, even if he were to go on a killing spree now, the headquarters would not blame him!
...