"Haha, Brother Dawn, I heard you're back, how did everything go smoothly?"
Huang Shan laughed heartily at Ye Cangtian, picked up the wine pot he was carrying, clearly intending to drink with Ye Cangtian.
"Quite smoothly."
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly, invited them into the room, and then ordered Manduo Luo to prepare some snacks.
After the three were seated, Ye Cangtian spoke, "Brother Huang Shan, where have you been lately? I couldn't find you when I wanted to have a drink."
"Ah, don't mention it, we are destined for hard work!"
"We received news earlier about the direction those small forces from Nether City were fleeing, so Lord Xing Yuan sent the two of us to intercept them."
"In the end, we returned without success; we were a step too late, and those small forces had already vanished..."
Huang Shan sighed and recounted his recent whereabouts.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian couldn't help but mutter to himself, it seemed the Anti-Black Alliance had some capability, otherwise, how could they have escaped so easily.
They must have received the news in advance.
Thinking about it, he smiled and said, "Haha, so Brother Huang Shan was cleaning up my mess, I'm truly sorry! It looks like I'll have to toast you properly today."
"We are all for the Dark Association, so it's not really cleaning up a mess."
"However, having a few more drinks today is certainly possible, hahaha..."
Huang Shan glanced at Ye Cangtian, chuckled, his gaze swept over Manduo Luo and Fei Yan, and then he gave Ye Cangtian a thumbs-up.
The meaning was obvious, implying that Ye Cangtian had good taste, even taking in Manduo Luo, and the other was also not bad, truly blessed with good fortune.
In response, Ye Cangtian smiled bitterly and said, "They are all working under me now, please, Brother Huang Shan and Sister Luo, take care of them in the future."
After all, he would be leaving the headquarters in the future, and by maintaining good relations with Huang Shan and Luo, Manduo Luo and Fei Yan would be safer.
"No problem, no problem." Huang Shan understood with a smile and said teasingly.
Luo, on the other hand, let out a soft hum, "You little brat, your mouth isn't sweet at all, am I that old? Don't call me Big Sister, call me Sister!"
"..."
Women are so troublesome!
Listening to Luo's words, Ye Cangtian muttered to himself; he was just trying to get closer.
It was just a term to foster familiarity, why be so sensitive?
Besides, they were all wearing masks, who knew if this Luo was a little girl or an old hag!
Thinking to himself, Ye Cangtian quickly cupped his hands and said, "Sister Luo, this junior brother misspoke, please don't mind."
"Good boy!"
Luo smiled with satisfaction and continued, "They can come to me if they need anything, but since Cheng Hai is dead, they will be much safer. It's unlikely they'll need me..."
Upon mentioning Cheng Hai.
Manduo Luo's body trembled, and her eyes clearly showed a few more glances of apprehension.
Without needing to say it, she knew that Luo was referring to the evil cultivation technique Cheng Hai practiced.
While Ye Cangtian on the side pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Sister Luo, I had some dealings with Cheng Hai, and I could tell that Cheng Hai didn't like you much. Why is that?"
Hearing this, Luo's gaze turned somewhat somber, and she snorted, "What else could it be, isn't it because of women..."
Huh?
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian's mouth twitched instantly, and his gaze became incredibly strange. Could it be that Luo had some issues with her orientation in certain aspects?
Hmph!
Sensing Ye Cangtian's gaze, Luo snorted again, and said irritably, "What are you thinking! I have no problems at all!"
Giving Ye Cangtian a glare, Luo then began to explain.
She and Huang Shan had discovered Cheng Hai's secret long ago, but even Xing Yuan didn't inquire much about such matters, so it was natural for them to not speak directly.
Thus, the two could only try to stop Cheng Hai openly and secretly.
For example, when they went to judge before, Luo deliberately brought Xuan Er.
In fact, even Xuan Er realized that Cheng Hai was eyeing her covetously and secretly came to seek Luo's help.
That's why Luo chose Xuan Er when selecting an assistant last time.
Similar incidents had happened more than once, and Cheng Hai had also noticed their intentions, and subsequently never gave them any good looks.
"Well done, Sister Luo, my admiration for you grows. I'll toast you!"
Listening to Luo's words, Ye Cangtian gave Luo a thumbs-up and his impression of Luo and Huang Shan improved further.
It seemed that not everyone in the Dark Association was a heinous villain; there were still good people.
"Stop mocking me."
"In fact, what we can do is also very limited. After all, Cheng Hai held a high position and power. For those ordinary women, we are still powerless."
Luo waved her hand, speaking with bitterness, and then picked up her wine glass before downing it in one go.
There was no way around it; the Dark Association treated human lives as worthless, and they simply didn't care about the lives and deaths of ordinary people.
"Let's put that heavy topic behind us. Fortunately, Cheng Hai is dead, and no more girls will be harmed."
Huang Shan saw Luo looking a bit downcast and quickly spoke to change the subject, "Brother Dawn, regarding the small forces you encountered on this mission, what are your thoughts?"
"Those small forces formed an alliance, called the Anti-Black Alliance!"
"Their combat power is not high, composed of various forces, and there should be internal conflicts between them, but their strength should not be underestimated."
"Especially being able to evade your interception and pursuit, they must not be simple. I'm afraid their spies have already infiltrated the Dark Association."
Ye Cangtian pondered for a moment, then slowly said.
These were not secret matters, and anyone with intentions could analyze them, so there was no harm in saying them.
Hearing this, Huang Shan nodded and smiled, "Brother Dawn still sees it so clearly! It seems we'll have to investigate within the Dark Association next and find out these spies..."
At these words, Ye Cangtian's mouth twitched, thinking to himself: I just made a simple analysis, will this cause trouble for the Anti-Black Alliance?
As an enemy of his enemy, Ye Cangtian didn't want to see the Anti-Black Alliance annihilated.
After all, their existence could tie down the Dark Association's energy.
However, he wasn't overly worried; even with internal investigations, it would likely not be easy to find the spies of the Anti-Black Alliance.
Thinking this, he picked up his wine glass and drank heartily with Huang Shan.
...
The hourglass of time was fixed at morning.
Ye Cangtian opened his eyes from meditation. Several days had passed, and he could clearly feel the benefits brought by the growth of his spiritual power.
The first was the resolution of his sleep problem.
As long as he meditated at night, even without sleeping, he would wake up refreshed, a feeling a hundred times stronger than sleeping.
The second was the impact on his combat power.
One must know that in combat, perception is extremely important. The improvement in spiritual power had greatly enhanced his perceptual abilities, which would definitely impact his combat strength.
"Boss, are you awake?"
"Lord Xing Yuan just sent someone to tell you to go see him."
Ye Cangtian was still savoring the wonderful feeling of enhanced spiritual power when Manduo Luo's voice came through.
Ye Cangtian responded, then tidied himself up briefly before heading to the headquarters' main hall.
...