Ye Feipeng frowned at Ye Cangtian’s words.
Naturally, the fewer people who knew about the alliance, the better, but Ye Cangtian’s open arrival here likely meant many had already noticed something amiss.
Most importantly, Ye Cangtian had no particularly urgent business here, making his visit seem rather abrupt.
Just as Ye Feipeng was about to say something, the sound of knocking came again.
The one entering was still a guard from the Gale Tower. He walked directly to Ye Feipeng and gave him a questioning look.
Seeing this, Ye Feipeng waved his hand and said, "It's alright, Mr. Ye is one of us. Report whatever news you have."
The guard heard this, responded with an "Understood," and then spoke, "The Deputy Master of the Ink Feather Gang requests an audience..."
Ink Feather Gang?
Ye Cangtian’s mind quickly searched for information, and he recalled it after a moment.
The Ink Feather Gang was a significant force within the ruins, though their actions were neither purely righteous nor evil, and they had conflicts with many other factions.
With this in mind, Ye Cangtian looked at Ye Feipeng and cupped his fists. "Since a guest is visiting, I shall not disturb you further."
Ye Feipeng nodded in response.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian hesitated before speaking, "The Pinnacle Gathering is fraught with undercurrents; at times, one needs to be cautious!"
After speaking, Ye Cangtian left the room without waiting for a reply.
He was not part of the Gale Tower, and he had no say in which factions they chose to cooperate with, so he could only offer a hint of advice.
Watching Ye Cangtian’s departing back, Ye Feipeng’s eyes began to move.
After a moment, he understood the implied meaning. The Pinnacle Gathering, on the surface, was a harmonious gathering of various major factions.
But in reality, their relationships were far from harmonious, marked by open contention and hidden struggles.
Some sought various heavenly treasures, while others schemed for their own factions, leading to numerous open conflicts.
It was even possible that after the Pinnacle Gathering, some factions might cease to exist.
In such a life-or-death struggle, factions would resort to almost any means to protect themselves and pursue their interests.
Therefore, any cooperation needed to be approached with extreme caution, as a potential partner might turn out to be a harbinger of death rather than an ally.
...
Meanwhile, after leaving the Gale Inn, Ye Cangtian departed from the Upper Reaches.
Along the way, Ye Cangtian encountered people from many factions.
He paid them no mind; they were merely striving for self-preservation and a sliver of opportunity.
Thus, he returned to the Lower Reaches’ living area.
As soon as he returned, before he could even reach the inn, Ye Cangtian spotted a familiar coded signal.
This signal originated from the Dragon Taming Manor, indicating that the advance party from the Dragon Taming Manor had arrived, a detail he had previously arranged to be informed about.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian immediately went to the inn and instructed, entrusting the Hidden Group to Rose for the time being.
He then left the town and headed to rendezvous with the Dragon Taming Manor.
In less than half a day, Ye Cangtian spotted the Dragon Taming Manor’s contingent.
The Dragon Taming Manor’s convoy was currently encamped and resting in the forest, more than ten li outside the town.
"Who goes there!"
As he approached the vicinity of the camp, two figures shot out from the shadows.
One person moved to stand before Ye Cangtian, while the other remained on alert, ready to act at any moment.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian let out a soft snort and said impatiently, "Take a good look at who I am!"
Uh...
The guard who stepped forward, upon hearing this, peered closely again under the moonlight. Then, with a thud, he immediately knelt on one knee before Ye Cangtian.
"My apologies, Young Manor Lord. Your subordinate’s eyesight is poor and failed to recognize you. Please forgive me, Young Manor Lord!"
As the words fell, the other guard also knelt on the ground.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian waved his hand and said, "Never mind. Take me to see Hong Liu."
The guards, not daring to hesitate, immediately stepped forward to lead the way.
Inside the main tent, Yuan Hao was quietly sipping tea.
Beside him, Hong Liu appeared visibly worried.
After a moment, Yuan Hao glanced over and said plainly, "Hong Liu, calm yourself. Since things have happened, face them with composure..."
"Mhm."
Hong Liu glanced at Yuan Hao and nodded.
Though she said this, she still felt rather uncertain in her heart.
Originally, for this Pinnacle Gathering, the person appointed by Zhan Wufeng was not her, but Yun Yi.
It was only before their departure that Zhan Wufeng received a letter from the Death God Manor Lord, which led to her replacing Yun Yi.
It was clear that the Death God’s purpose in sending her was to inquire about matters concerning the Five-Colored Grass Hall.
This made her feel extremely uneasy.
After all, within the entire Dragon Taming Manor, besides Zhan Wufeng, only they, the five commanders, knew the Death God’s true identity.
Now that she had a conflict with Zhao Jie of the Hidden Group, and it had resulted in severe consequences, how could the Death God easily forgive her for this situation!
Tap, tap, tap...
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached, and both Hong Liu and Yuan Hao instinctively looked over.
"Greetings, Young Manor Lord!"
Yuan Hao and Hong Liu quickly rose and bowed.
However, upon seeing Ye Cangtian, Hong Liu’s face turned noticeably paler, and her gaze flickered, as she dared not look up at Ye Cangtian.
Glancing at the two, Ye Cangtian waved his hand, and a gentle aura directly helped them back to their feet.
Following that, Ye Cangtian moved to the main seat and sat down.
Only then did he look at Hong Liu with spiritual energy and say plainly, "Hong Liu, tell me, what exactly is going on with the Five-Colored Grass Hall? Did I not admonish you all to repair relations with the Hidden Group with all your might?"
This...
Upon hearing this, cold sweat beaded on Hong Liu’s forehead.
After a moment of hesitation, she quickly replied, "Young Manor Lord, it truly wasn't my fault..."
"Explain in detail."
Seeing her extreme nervousness, Ye Cangtian continued, "Relax, I won't favor anyone. If it truly wasn't your fault, I won't blame you."
Hearing this, Hong Liu felt somewhat more reassured and began to explain.
Originally, upon arriving near the Five-Colored Grass Hall, Hong Liu had contacted Zhao Jie immediately.
Firstly, it was to understand the situation.
Secondly, it was to join forces with the Hidden Group branch to jointly eliminate the Five-Colored Grass Hall.
For this operation, Zhao Jie was initially uncooperative. Not only was he uncooperative, but he also harbored strong reservations towards the Dragon Taming Manor.
He had even dispatched numerous spies to conduct comprehensive surveillance on the Dragon Taming Manor.
Hong Liu did not pay much attention to this, constantly offering kind words of persuasion, as the Death God had given prior instructions. However, the other party consistently refused to yield.
Fortunately, at a crucial moment, an order from higher up in the Hidden Group was issued, which compelled Zhao Jie to cooperate with the Dragon Taming Manor.
But even this was merely superficial cooperation. In reality, Zhao Jie remained highly wary of the Dragon Taming Manor and kept delaying their actions.
Ultimately, even with Zhao Jie’s cooperation, it was only on the surface. In reality, the tough fighting was handled by the Dragon Taming Manor, while the Hidden Group guards led by Zhao Jie did not advance.
Not only did they not advance, but they deliberately created a great stir, intending to lure the disciples of the Five-Colored Grass Hall, thus aiming to deplete the Dragon Taming Manor’s combat strength.
In the end, through Zhao Jie’s series of maneuvers, the Five-Colored Grass Hall discovered their intentions, prepared an ambush, and caused the casualties of both sides to soar.
Only at this point did Zhao Jie lead the Hidden Group to participate in the battle, breaking through the encirclement.
She had originally thought that all of this would pass. After this battle, the Hidden Group had also suffered losses, and Zhao Jie should have cooperated with the Dragon Taming Manor to eliminate the Five-Colored Grass Hall together.
But who knew that Zhao Jie did not act accordingly and remained indifferent to the operation.
Only in the end, when the people of the Five-Colored Grass Hall were on the verge of annihilation, did Zhao Jie’s men arrive again, attempting to snatch the credit.
To avoid inter-faction disputes, Hong Liu eventually led the Dragon Taming Manor away, ceding the credit to the Hidden Group branch.
However, Zhao Jie and his men had limited strength. Even though the Five-Colored Grass Hall’s momentum had been broken, the Hidden Group branch still paid a heavy price...
Zhao Jie?
Ye Cangtian’s eyes began to move. He truly hadn't expected that some of the branch heads of the Hidden Group’s various regions would disregard the headquarters’ orders.
If that were indeed the case, Zhao Jie deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces!
With this thought, Ye Cangtian’s gaze turned sharp, and he said plainly, "Is everything you've said true?"
Hong Liu heard this and raised her hand, saying, "If I have uttered a single lie, may lightning strike me dead, and may I suffer a terrible end!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian gazed at Hong Liu for a long time. Seeing no sign of evasion in her eyes, he believed she was likely not lying.
The next moment, a cold killing intent flickered in Ye Cangtian’s eyes.
If what Hong Liu said was true, then not killing Zhao Jie would be insufficient to quell his rage, and not killing Zhao Jie would be insufficient to console the departed heroic spirits!
With these thoughts, Ye Cangtian spoke, "I will continue to investigate this matter after the Pinnacle Gathering. If it is as you say, I will surely kill Zhao Jie!"