Ding! Ding! Ding!
The sound of knocking at the door interrupted Ye Cangtian's thoughts. He shot a glance at Yao Bao'er, signaling her to handle it.
*Whoosh!*
Yao Bao'er breathed a sigh of relief and went to open the door without a word.
As soon as the door opened, a figure darted in, looking shifty, like a thief.
"What's going on?"
Ye Cangtian looked at Ye Zheng Hao, who had just rushed in, and asked with annoyance.
It wasn't as if meeting him was some sort of shameful act. Why the secrecy?
Ye Zheng Hao walked over to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and after taking a sip, finally looked at Ye Cangtian.
"Brother, my current identity is very sensitive. If they knew I was here, your place would be swarming with people..."
Ye Zheng Hao explained that the Lie Huo Yuan was the first peak power to arrive at Yan Yu Lou, and many factions were coming to seek cooperation.
In their eyes, as long as it was a peak power that could provide assistance at the Peak Meeting, it didn't matter which peak power it was.
And this time, it was the future Dean of Lie Huo Yuan, a person of high status. Therefore, as soon as Lie Huo Yuan arrived, a crowd of factions sought them out.
Fearing that these people would intercept him, Ye Zheng Hao chose to come at night.
Ye Cangtian heard this and said with a huff, "Heh, who told you not to be low-key and insist on showing off!"
Ye Zheng Hao glanced at Ye Cangtian and said helplessly, "Brother, don't tease me. Am I the kind of person who shows off?
Those were arranged by the people of Yan Yu Lou. It wasn't just for Lie Huo Yuan; other peak powers received the same treatment! It's said this is to showcase the status of peak powers."
"Alright."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian nodded helplessly and then changed the subject, "By the way, who from your Lie Huo Yuan has come?"
"I'm leading the team from Lie Huo Yuan!"
"Senior Yan and my father haven't come. They said they want me to gain some experience. They also said that with you here, I'll be fine!"
As he spoke, Ye Zheng Hao chuckled and said, "So, my safety depends on you..."
If it were anywhere else, Ye Zheng Hao wouldn't need to rely on Ye Cangtian.
However, at the Peak Meeting, where countless young talents gathered, even he couldn't guarantee that he could handle them all.
*Hmph!*
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian glared at him and said with annoyance, "What do these two old fellows mean! Are they treating me like a babysitter!"
Ye Cangtian felt utterly disgruntled!
He had originally thought that Lie Huo Yuan would send a Heavenly-level expert, plus the Heavenly-level expert from Ji Feng Ta. This would give his faction at least three Heavenly-level experts.
With so many experts present, he wouldn't be afraid even if Yan Yu Lou and Fei Yun Ge joined forces.
But now, with one less Heavenly-level expert, he was in a tight spot.
"Heh, many hands make light work!"
Ye Zheng Hao chuckled and scratched his head. "Besides, I'm not exactly a burden, am I? At least I'm an Eighth Heaven realm expert!"
*Sigh!*
Ye Cangtian sighed helplessly. "Right, after destroying the Wu Du Men, why didn't you come to Long Cheng to meet me?"
"I was already on my way to Long Cheng, but I received a message from Lie Huo Yuan saying that I needed to participate in the Peak Meeting..."
Ye Zheng Hao said slowly. Before heading to the Peak Meeting, he had to rendezvous with the people from Lie Huo Yuan.
If he went to Long Cheng again, there wouldn't be enough time.
So, Ye Zheng Hao turned back, abandoning the idea of going to the Hidden Group.
Anyway, Ye Cangtian was also coming to the Peak Meeting, so meeting at Yan Yu Lou was the same.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian slowly nodded.
It was safe to assume that the people from Ji Feng Ta not coming to Long Cheng to meet him was for the same reason.
Thinking about it, he asked, "By the way, what were your casualties when you destroyed the Wu Du Men?"
Mentioning this, Ye Zheng Hao's expression turned grim. "Although Ye Cangtian provided a large number of anti-toxin and antidote pills, Lie Huo Yuan still suffered considerable casualties. The entire detachment lost nearly half its men..."
"What!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's eyes widened, and he asked, "What happened to you? Why such heavy losses?"
Ye Cangtian was very confused. Even when he destroyed the headquarters of the Wu Du Men, he hadn't lost so many men.
And the branches of the Wu Du Men were clearly not as powerful as the headquarters!
Ye Zheng Hao's face darkened as he said, "Our operation was discovered, and there were many poison corpses in the Wu Du Men branch, coupled with the presence of poison formations. Such casualties were difficult to control."
As he spoke, Ye Zheng Hao glanced at Ye Cangtian and continued, "But it was all worth it. In the end, we annihilated the Wu Du Men branch."
*Mm.*
Ye Cangtian nodded. Destroying the Wu Du Men was worth any sacrifice.
After all, if the Wu Du Men were not eliminated, countless people would suffer persecution.
Thinking about it, Ye Cangtian looked at Ye Zheng Hao and changed the subject, "After meeting today, let's maintain some distance. Our cooperation will be sufficient if it's behind the scenes."
Hearing this, Ye Zheng Hao instantly understood his intention.
After all, both the Hidden Group and Lie Huo Yuan were significant powers. If the two forces truly joined forces, it would likely put immense pressure on other factions.
In that case, these factions might band together to guard against the Hidden Group and Lie Huo Yuan for their own self-preservation, which would be detrimental to exploring unknown areas.
Thinking about it, Ye Zheng Hao slowly said, "Even if we do as you say, I'm afraid many people will still be wary of us, especially since our previous joint operation to destroy the Wu Du Men has likely spread."
"I've investigated the situation a bit. This matter hasn't spread yet, and not many people know about it."
Ye Cangtian glanced at him and continued, "Even if these people find out, it doesn't matter. We've only cooperated once..."
In Ye Cangtian's opinion, for many people, only permanent benefits existed.
Therefore, they could easily guide these people, making them believe that the joint operation to destroy the Wu Du Men was merely for mutual gain.
In this way, the alliance between the two parties would naturally not be solid.
"Perhaps that's a way."
Ye Zheng Hao nodded at Ye Cangtian's suggestion and continued, "We can also put on an act, which will make it more believable."
"Exactly, you're teachable!"
Ye Cangtian looked at him approvingly and said with a smile.
Ye Zheng Hao rolled his eyes at Ye Cangtian upon hearing this and then said, "I came today just to give you a heads-up. Now that the matter is settled, I should be going. In the future, when we meet, we'll still use the secret signal to contact each other."
Saying this, and seeing Ye Cangtian nod, Ye Zheng Hao put his hat back on and then stealthily left the room.
*Sigh!*
This Ye Yao Yang is really too trusting, just leaving his son to me like this.
Looking at his retreating figure, Ye Cangtian muttered to himself and shook his head helplessly.
Now, he could only hope that Ji Feng Ta would send a Tower Master-level expert. Otherwise, the Peak Meeting might be very passive.
...
The sun rose.
Shortly after breakfast, the sound of strings and wind instruments drifted over.
Ye Cangtian went to the window and looked down. On the river, a troop clad in green armor was proudly approaching.
It was the people from Ji Feng Ta.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian spread out his spiritual power to sense the aura within the carriages, hoping to see if any Heavenly-level experts had arrived from Ji Feng Ta.
However, to his disappointment, everyone inside the carriages had concealed their auras, making it impossible for him to detect anything.
Helpless, Ye Cangtian decided to contact them later to find out more.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
As Ye Cangtian pondered, a knock sounded at the door.
Turning his head, he saw it was a waiter from the inn.
On the other side, the waiter approached Ye Cangtian, bowed respectfully, and said, "Lord Ye, Miss Yan Yun'er from Yan Yu Lou is here to see you and is waiting downstairs..."
Yan Yun'er?
Ye Cangtian frowned slightly. He had never met Yan Yun'er before and had no previous interactions with her. Now that she was here, what could it be about?
Thinking about it, he looked at the waiter and said, "Go and bring her up."
The waiter acknowledged the order and left the room.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps approached, and the waiter returned, but he was alone.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian looked at him questioningly, "What happened? Wasn't Miss Yan Yun'er supposed to see me? Why isn't she coming up?"
The waiter quickly replied, "Miss Yan Yun'er said she wants you to go down to the lobby to meet her..."