Three days passed.
Ye Cangtian waited for mission members, but no one dared to accept the missions he had previously taken.
Ye Cangtian was not surprised by this. In pursuit of higher contribution point rewards, he had accepted missions with relatively high risk factors. It was normal for no one to dare to accept them.
Out of boredom, Ye Cangtian continued his cultivation.
After an unknown amount of time, Dongfang Mingyue's assistant found him, saying that Dongfang Mingyue wished to see him.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian put aside his cultivation and left with the assistant.
"Haha, Sister Mingyue, you finally remembered me."
"Are you here to cash in your promise?"
Upon entering and seeing Dongfang Mingyue, Ye Cangtian laughed heartily and walked over.
"What promise?" Dongfang Mingyue asked, confused.
"Uh... you don't remember?"
"You made me suffer in prison and said you would give me some compensation after I got out."
Ye Cangtian was stunned for a moment and quickly spoke.
To be honest, he didn't care about compensation, but he still needed to maintain the relationship, as he would have to ask Dongfang Mingyue for favors in the future!
"Oh, right, there was such a thing."
Dongfang Mingyue suddenly realized and then said with a smile, "But the offer is no longer valid. Several days have passed! The condition is void! Just consider these days of leisure as your compensation."
"I... this is acceptable?"
Ye Cangtian's eyes widened. The manager of the Hidden Group was openly reneging on her word, leaving him speechless.
Seeing Ye Cangtian's expression, Dongfang Mingyue smiled slightly and changed the subject, "Alright, enough nonsense, let's talk about business!"
This isn't business?
Ye Cangtian muttered to himself, but he still walked over.
Over the past few days, messages had been pouring in from various channels.
Dongfang Mingyue had a certain grasp of Tingfeng City's situation. The culprits who attacked the Hidden Group branch in Tingfeng City had been identified as the Black Wind Sect.
At the same time, she had also gathered some clues about the Black Wind Sect.
The Black Wind Sect had not retreated after the incident but had gone into hiding in the mountains and forests surrounding Tingfeng City, specifically within a secret realm.
However, the exact location had not yet been confirmed and was still being investigated.
She had summoned Ye Cangtian this time to handle the matter.
"No problem, leave it to me."
"Are you really sure the Black Wind Sect is responsible for this?"
Ye Cangtian agreed and raised his doubts.
He was the one who had destroyed the Black Wind Sect's influence in Tingfeng City, so they had a motive for retaliating against the Hidden Group.
But the question was, did the Black Wind Sect have the strength and the courage to do so?
As far as he knew, the sect leaders of the Black Wind Sect were only at the Profound grade, their captains were at the peak of the Yellow grade, and the rest of the members were even less capable, with varying levels of skill.
After all, most members of the Hidden Group were around the Profound grade.
Even if the Black Wind Sect mobilized all its members, they might not be able to take down a single Hidden Group branch, let alone an entire branch.
The gap between the two was simply too vast.
Furthermore, based on Cui Fengxi's attitude before, the Black Wind Sect was very afraid of the Hidden Group. How could they dare to retaliate? They even wiped out a branch of the Hidden Group?
As he thought about it, Ye Cangtian voiced his concerns to Dongfang Mingyue.
"This matter is certain!"
Dongfang Mingyue was very confident and continued, "We suspected it initially, but now that all the intelligence from various sources has come in and corroborated each other, I have no choice but to believe it."
Dongfang Mingyue suggested that perhaps the Black Wind Sect had stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter in ruins, obtaining some cultivation techniques or formations, which had led to an increase in their combat power.
But regardless, now that they knew the general hiding place of the Black Wind Sect, they had to act and completely eradicate these troublesome elements.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded resignedly, tacitly agreeing, and then said, "Sister Mingyue, I'll head out now."
"Wait."
Dongfang Mingyue stopped Ye Cangtian. Seeing him halt, she continued, "You are not going alone this time."
"Haha, Sister Mingyue is so thoughtful, you've even prepared teammates for me," Ye Cangtian said with a laugh.
"I truly wish you were going alone, as it might have been safer that way."
Dongfang Mingyue glanced at Ye Cangtian and continued helplessly, "Bai Zhenshan also knows about this and insists on interfering, so your teammates are from their side..."
Dongfang Mingyue understood Bai Zhenshan's actions perfectly. It was merely to gain merit by dealing with the relatively weak Black Wind Sect and to restore his damaged reputation.
It was for this reason that Dongfang Mingyue had no choice but to send Ye Cangtian.
Firstly, dealing with a weak force like the Black Wind Sect did not require the deployment of Earth-grade powerhouses.
Secondly, if the Bai family tried any tricks or harbored malicious intentions, they would not be able to do anything to Ye Cangtian.
And Ye Cangtian understood her intentions, knowing that she did not want a complete break with the Bai family, so he would act with restraint, not causing irreconcilable enmity.
The last point, and the most important.
This matter could not be delayed. As long as the Black Wind Sect was not eradicated, the people on that side would not be at peace.
Therefore, Dongfang Mingyue did not have the time to argue with Bai Zhenshan and directly agreed to his request.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian let out a wry smile and said, "Sister Mingyue, you've really found me a 'good job'!"
"Stop dawdling. If you perform well on this mission, I'll give you a reward when you return. This time, I won't go back on my word!"
Dongfang Mingyue glared at Ye Cangtian and said somewhat crossly.
"Tch! As if I care!"
Ye Cangtian snorted lightly and then waved his hand, leaving the room.
...
The main gate on the north side of the city.
A carriage from the Bai family was waiting there, and two middle-aged men were conversing beside it.
"Chen Wu, who do you think Dongfang Mingyue will send this time?"
"I'm not sure. Regardless of who it is, they will probably be difficult to deal with!"
"Whether they are difficult to deal with is secondary. The key is whether they know their place..."
The two conversing were Bai Ying, a rising star from a branch of the Bai family, and Chen Wu, a servant of the Bai family.
However, before Bai Ying could finish speaking, he saw a figure walking from a distance. The figure was not moving fast, but its presence was remarkably familiar.
Ye Cangtian!
The next moment, Bai Ying instantly recognized the person and his eyes widened to the point of almost screaming.
No way?
Why is it this jinx?
Hate him though he did, Bai Ying wished he could tear Ye Cangtian to shreds.
But the problem was, did he have the ability to do so?
Ye Cangtian had fought against many Bai family experts by the river and had the upper hand. The battle was vivid in his memory, and he still shuddered at the thought.
He had been one of them that day!
If so many experts couldn't do anything to Ye Cangtian, could he and Chen Wu?
"Yo! So the Bai family sent you two!"
"What were your names again?"
Just as the two were sweating profusely, Ye Cangtian had slowly but surely reached them and greeted them with a smile.
Damn it!
With just one sentence, Bai Ying almost spat out blood. The first half of his sentence sounded as if they were old acquaintances, but the second half indicated he didn't recognize them at all. Wasn't he making fun of them?
"Chen Wu."
"This is Bai Ying."
Chen Wu, seeing Bai Ying remain silent, quickly stepped forward to introduce them.
"Oh, nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
"I don't need to introduce myself, right? I assume you are all too familiar with me."
"Huh? Your faces look a bit pale. Are you ill? Should you go home and rest, and send someone else?"
Ye Cangtian cupped his hands, a mischievous smile on his face. He had noticed their unusual nervousness and deliberately teased them a bit.
"No need. It's just a bit hot today."
Bai Ying gritted his teeth and subconsciously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
If they were to request a replacement, what dignity would they have left in the family?
"Mr. Ye, since everyone is here, let's get in the carriage and be on our way!"
Chen Wu quickly changed the subject. He realized that Ye Cangtian was intentionally mocking them.
If this continued, it was uncertain whether they could endure it, so it was better to get on the road quickly.
"Alright."
Ye Cangtian nodded and walked towards the carriage.
...