Listening to Old Zhou’s thoughts, Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment.
He immediately recalled the matter of Huangshan and Luoluo. The two had narrowly escaped death, having been harmed by traitors within the Hidden Organization.
Moreover, there had always been an invisible hand obstructing everyone from uncovering the truth. Even Dongfang Mingyue dared not touch this matter.
From this, it could be seen that the mastermind behind the scenes must possess immense power.
Now that Old Zhou mentioned traitors again, and judging from the apprehension on his face, the opponent's strength should be at least Heavenly rank.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian looked at Old Zhou and asked, “Master, there shouldn't be many Heavenly rank experts in China’s Hidden Organization, right? Have you still not discovered the traitor’s identity?”
“No, they are too well hidden.”
“Apart from Dongfang Hongwu, whom I can trust, the remaining two Heavenly rank experts leave no trace.”
“Furthermore, I’m also unsure if anyone else in the Hidden Organization has secretly advanced to the Heavenly rank realm over the years…”
Old Zhou shook his head helplessly, speaking with a sense of resignation.
He had also investigated the traitor matter, but ultimately, there was no progress. Later, he had to let it go, waiting for the other party to reveal themselves again.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment, then asked, “Master, what about Old Long?”
Ye Cangtian thought of Old Long. Old Long was once a Heavenly rank expert and quite renowned in the China Ruins. However, he suffered severe injuries during a later exploration mission.
Ye Cangtian had also become acquainted with Old Long and was quite close to him, so he wanted to inquire about his master’s attitude towards Old Long, which would also determine whether he could continue to associate with him in the future.
“Long Xuefeng?”
Old Zhou was taken aback. After thinking, among the Heavenly rank experts he knew in the China Ruins, Long Xuefeng was the only one with the surname Long.
Seeing Ye Cangtian’s bewildered expression, he immediately understood that Ye Cangtian did not know the other party’s full name.
After a moment of thought, Old Zhou said, “That old fellow Long Xuefeng is not a bad person, but as far as I know, he is no longer a member of the Hidden Organization, nor is he a Heavenly rank expert anymore…”
Old Zhou had heard some things about Long Xuefeng.
Back then, as one of the Hidden Organization’s Heavenly rank experts, he had formed a formidable team and later ventured into the western regions for exploration.
As a result, all team members perished, and only a severely injured Long Xuefeng returned. It was also during that operation that Long Xuefeng was gravely wounded, causing his status to fall from Heavenly rank.
It was also due to that operation that the Hidden Organization’s strength plummeted. Long Xuefeng, out of self-blame, eventually withdrew from the Hidden Organization.
Listening to Long Xuefeng’s story, Ye Cangtian confirmed that this Long Xuefeng should indeed be Old Long.
Through Old Zhou’s narrative, he also confirmed another matter: apart from Dongfang Hongwu and Old Long, the Hidden Organization had two other Heavenly rank experts.
And among these remaining two Heavenly rank experts, one of them was likely the traitor.
Thinking thus, Ye Cangtian posed his final question, asking, “Master, I want to know what the relationship is between the Imperial Dragon Manor and the Hidden Organization!”
Through Lan Yue, Ye Cangtian knew that the Imperial Dragon Manor was also loyal to China.
But if they were loyal to China, why had they not merged with the Hidden Organization?
Upon hearing this, Old Zhou smiled slightly and said, “This is a long story…”
Initially, he established the Imperial Dragon Manor entirely because the Hidden Organization’s rules were too numerous, and Dongfang Hongwu was too rigid and conventional.
Taking the Listening Wind Tower as an example, Old Zhou incorporated it into his own use.
If this matter were handled by the Hidden Organization, there would only be two outcomes: either the Listening Wind Tower would be destroyed by the Hidden Organization, or the Listening Wind Tower, under the pursuit of the Hidden Organization, would be forced to cooperate with other forces.
This was because Dongfang Hongwu dared not break China’s decisions. Since China did not permit the nurturing of other forces, he dared not take over the Listening Wind Tower.
In comparison, the Imperial Dragon Manor had far fewer constraints.
It was also because the Imperial Dragon Manor did not abide by the rules that Dongfang Hongwu had considerable opinions about it, but was helpless.
After all, regardless of how it was, the Imperial Dragon Manor was loyal to China.
Uh…
Listening to Old Zhou’s explanation, Ye Cangtian’s mouth twitched, and he said, “Master, I am now a member of the Hidden Organization. If Dongfang Hongwu finds out I’m from the Imperial Dragon Manor, will he tear me apart?”
“He dares! If he dares to deal with you, I’ll beat him so badly that even his mother won’t recognize him!”
Seeing Old Zhou’s imposing demeanor, Ye Cangtian immediately gave him a thumbs up. At the same time, he felt for the first time how satisfying it was to have a backer!
However, before he could let out a laugh, Old Zhou’s voice came again.
“Don’t get too carried away. If you are wronged, I naturally won’t stand idly by!”
“But if you act recklessly, let alone Dongfang Hongwu, even I will not let you off!”
Old Zhou paused, pondered for a moment, and continued, “Besides, I’ve also realized over the years that the Imperial Dragon Manor constantly competing with the Hidden Organization is not good for China.”
As he spoke, Old Zhou roughly outlined his thoughts.
Due to the Imperial Dragon Manor’s fewer restrictions, it had gathered many experts from the China Ruins.
Over the years, because Old Zhou had been in the Light Ruins and managed them loosely, they had become rather lax, with some even harboring ill intentions.
If this continued, the Imperial Dragon Manor would not only lose its purpose but even become a cancerous growth within the China Ruins.
Therefore, Old Zhou’s first task for Ye Cangtian was to completely consolidate the Imperial Dragon Manor and guide it back onto the right path.
Secondly, the Imperial Dragon Manor could become the most solid backing for the Hidden Organization in the future. For any matters concerning the Hidden Organization, they could seek assistance from the Imperial Dragon Manor.
Of course, this was only a general idea, and the specific implementation depended on Ye Cangtian.
“You old rascal, I knew you had ulterior motives when you made me the Young Manor Master!”
“As expected, you want me to clean up your mess!”
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian was speechless.
He hadn't even had a moment of leisure yet, and now he was given a new task. It was as if they didn't consider him human at all!
Old Zhou snorted dismissively and said, “Hmph! You know nothing. I’m tempering you!”
I believe you, my foot!
Ye Cangtian muttered inwardly, then asked, “I heard you have quite a few beloved disciples. Why don’t you hand over the reins to them?”
“They don’t have your talent or your brains.”
Upon hearing this, Old Zhou glared at Ye Cangtian.
Mentioning those registered disciples, he slowly continued, “Those few disciples have good talent, but if they go astray, you don’t need to show mercy!”
“Alright!”
Ye Cangtian agreed directly.
He knew that since Old Zhou was entrusting everything to him, he had no room to refuse.
Mentioning these registered disciples was also to gauge Old Zhou’s attitude, so he could act accordingly in the future.
Thinking thus, Ye Cangtian suddenly remembered a question and quickly said, “No, since you’re back, you should take over the Imperial Dragon Manor yourself. Why are you still leaving it to me! Could it be…”
Before Ye Cangtian could finish, Old Zhou nodded. “You’re right. I don’t plan to stay for long. Now that I know the Light Seal is in the Inner Chamber of Light, I need to think of a way to snatch it!”
Originally, Old Zhou’s sudden return was just to remind Ye Cangtian to be careful, and he hadn’t planned to stay long. He intended to return to the Light Hall afterward.
Now that he knew the whereabouts of the Light Seal, he was even less likely to stay.
He understood clearly that the Light Hall, whether they possessed the Light Seal or not, would not remain quiet.
In that case, why not bring this supreme treasure to China for its use?
“This…”
At these words, Ye Cangtian’s expression changed drastically. He was very aware of how dangerous this mission was.
Thinking thus, he quickly said, “Hey, you’re already so old. Let’s forget about such thrilling things. Go home and manage the Imperial Dragon Manor, and leave this matter to me!”
“You?”
Old Zhou glanced at Ye Cangtian with a playful smile on his face, as if to say, ‘Do you not know your own strength?’
Ye Cangtian rolled his eyes. ‘Fine, you’re the great one, okay?’
“Alright, you brat, stop fussing. Do what you can with the strength you have!”
“As long as we old guys can still move, when we can no longer move, you can take over then!”
Saying this, Old Zhou stood up, took a look, and then left the pavilion.
Looking at Old Zhou’s departing back, Ye Cangtian spat lightly, “This old rascal, his words are always so unpleasant…”
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian slowly bowed to Old Zhou’s receding figure.
…