It was clear that Xu Shi'an was truly afraid of Xiao Feng.
And perhaps he had been punished frequently before, so even if he was made to stand at attention for a minor matter, the kid didn't complain at all!
After a while, Xiao Feng spoke, "Although the Dragon Group is not a military institution, the same discipline must be observed."
"Xu Shi'an, from today onwards, you are officially a member of the Dragon Group, assigned to Zhang Liang's team. From now on, you will obey Zhang Liang's orders!"
"Yes!"
Xu Shi'an responded, then hesitated, and cautiously pointed at Ye Cangtian, "What about him?"
"Him?"
Xiao Feng said lightly, "He will not be assigned for now. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!"
Xu Shi'an immediately shut his mouth, but he was confused. Logically, Ye Cangtian should have been assigned to another team like him.
However, Ye Cangtian's strength was immense, far exceeding that of many team captains, so joining another team would be inappropriate.
As for creating a new team with Ye Cangtian as captain, it was also unlikely, given his lack of experience and seniority.
"Then... what about me? I'm not part of the Dragon Group!" Beside them, Shangguan Yun weakly raised his hand and asked.
He was helpless too. He wasn't part of the Dragon Group, so why was he called here?
Xiao Feng finally looked at Shangguan Yun and frowned, "You? You're running around all day, not doing anything serious?"
Shangguan Yun rolled his eyes. Infiltrating the Dark Association was serious business!
But he was too lazy to argue. Arguing with this person would only lead to more scolding.
"The Shangguan family, in your generation, truly... alas!" Xiao Feng sighed. He wasn't too harsh on Shangguan Yun, perhaps because the latter didn't belong to his circle.
He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Is she... alright?"
Shangguan Yun knew who he was referring to. Upon hearing this, he nodded, "She's okay, but she hasn't been home for a long time. She's very stubborn, just like..."
He was about to say "you," but seeing the look in the other's eyes, he swallowed the words back forcefully!
Xiao Feng sighed softly and turned around, walking to the window, lost in thought.
After a while, he waved his hand.
"You can all go out now! Ye Cangtian, stay behind. I have something to say to you!"
Shangguan Yun and Xu Shi'an breathed a sigh of relief. They gave Ye Cangtian a look of "good luck" before hurrying out.
Ye Cangtian didn't know why he was being kept, but since the other party wasn't speaking, he was too lazy to ask.
A moment later.
Xiao Feng turned around and looked at him, "I heard you want to join the Hidden Group? I also heard you are the son-in-law of the Tang family, and you want to investigate the disappearance of the Tang Qingshan couple?"
Ye Cangtian glanced at him. It wasn't surprising that the other party knew, as Elder Xu was aware, so it wasn't a secret anymore.
Xiao Feng smiled, with a hint of mockery, "Do you know the complexity of this matter? The disappearance of the Tang Qingshan couple involves the entire Hidden Group. If this is all the strength you have, I think you should just give up!"
"What do you mean?"
Ye Cangtian frowned. Was his strength really that poor? He didn't think so.
Although he knew that the Hidden Group generally consisted of powerful individuals, he didn't believe he would be the weakest in the Hidden Group, and it was just an investigation of clues, how dangerous could it be?
Xiao Feng saw what he was thinking and shook his head with a wry smile, "Some things are not as simple as you imagine! Just like when you joined the Dark Association, even if you became a Xuan-level deacon among them, do you really think you understand them?"
"You are right!"
Ye Cangtian took a deep breath and looked at his superior. He chuckled, "My strength may not be as good as yours, nor as good as many people in the Hidden Group, but I have room for growth."
"I don't really understand the Dark Association, but they will eventually be completely exposed, won't they?"
"I want to investigate the Tang Qingshan couple, not just because they are my fiancée's parents, but more importantly, I want to know the answer."
"There are still many mysteries in this world, many unknowns. If I don't even have the courage to explore the unknown, what's the difference between me and a coward? I might as well be a kept man!"
Ye Cangtian was very confident at this moment, not because of his own strength, but because he was confident that he could unravel the layers of mystery and thoroughly understand the entire world.
The Hidden Group, the Dark Association, even the ruins!
Across from him, Xiao Feng fell silent.
The words spoken by the other party left him somewhat stunned!
Recalling the past, he too was full of spirit, venturing and striving with a few friends.
But as he understood more and more about this world, he felt increasingly lost, even despairing. Until later, his friends met with misfortune, and problems began to arise within the Hidden Group.
He became disheartened. He returned to the Dragon Group, preferring to serve as the deputy leader of the Dragon Group rather than face those people and those matters!
Now, Ye Cangtian's words had caused him to feel bewildered, even self-doubting.
Am I a coward?
Xiao Feng smiled bitterly, perhaps he was!
He waved his hand and said to Ye Cangtian, "You may go. However, remember what you said today. I hope you won't regret it in the future!"
Ye Cangtian raised an eyebrow. What did that mean?
But he didn't care much. He nodded and walked out.
In the office!
Xiao Feng stood there in a daze. At this moment, he recalled many things, the first time he entered the Hidden Group, the first time he ventured into dangerous territory, the first time he almost died.
He also remembered past events, remembering that couple.
After a moment, he took a deep breath, "It seems I was the one who faltered. I, Xiao Feng, would actually falter?"
"That kid was right. No matter how desperate reality is, or how complex the Hidden Group is, if there's no will to fight, then what's the point of living?"
"Brother Qingshan, I, Xiao Feng... am back!"
...
Ye Cangtian left the office. He felt that the deputy leader Xiao must have a story. The hesitant and troubled look on his face at the end made Ye Cangtian feel a bit restless.
However, he wasn't interested in knowing. What piqued his interest was the relationship between Deputy Leader Xiao and Shangguan Yun.
Especially Xiao Feng's question to Shangguan Yun, whether he referred to "him" or "her," made Ye Cangtian curious.
Within the mountain villa, the members of the Dragon Group were all present. Although there were armed elites guarding outside, the members of the Dragon Group dared not relax and were patrolling inside and outside the villa.
Ye Cangtian greeted a few people he knew and then went to the open space in the plaza.
Xu Shi'an was still standing at attention. He had to do it for an hour.
He directly said to Shangguan Yun, "Let's go, shall we?"
"En!" Shangguan Yun nodded and followed him.
"Hey, wait for me! It's only an hour, we'll leave together after an hour!"
"You two are just leaving like this?"
"Damn it, not fair!"
Xu Shi'an, standing at attention, cursed a couple of times, feeling dejected, but he didn't dare to leave before the hour was up.
As for Ye Cangtian and Shangguan Yun, they completely ignored him. Wait for an hour?
That was simply being bored to death!