Black Tiger Gate.
Black Tiger sat at a wooden table covered with tea sets. However, at this moment, he had no intention of making tea, his expression was very solemn.
Opposite him was a man in a cloak. This person was the Left Protector mentioned by Lin Cangyun earlier.
"I didn't expect the Du family to act so quickly and completely disrupt my plan," Black Tiger said in a deep voice.
According to the original plan, Black Tiger had instructed Lin Cangyun to secretly monitor the Nangong family. Tonight, he and Lin Cangyun would join forces to snatch the item from Nangong Li.
After all, with two Martial Kings acting simultaneously, Nangong Li, who had just stepped into the Martial King realm, would be no match for them.
However, Du Yuemian's unceasing visits to Nangong Li forced Lin Cangyun to make a move earlier. This directly led to the abortion of Black Tiger's plan.
"Fortunately, Left Protector, you arrived in time. Otherwise, Lin Cangyun would probably not have returned," Black Tiger said, cupping his fists in gratitude to the Left Protector.
The Left Protector remained unmoved, saying coldly, "I already reminded you earlier that the people sent by the headquarters, even if they die, must die with value. As it stands, I haven't seen their value."
Black Tiger had nothing to say to this.
If the Left Protector hadn't intervened today, Lin Cangyun might have been sacrificed in vain.
"You are currently in your assessment period, and this is an excellent opportunity for you to seize the remaining spot among the Twelve Generals," the Left Protector's tone softened, implying something. "You should understand that you are not the only one with your eyes on that position."
Twelve Generals assessment?
"Thank you for your guidance, Left Protector!" Black Tiger stood up and bowed respectfully.
He had received the Twelve Generals assessment two years ago.
Due to a special mission, one of the Dragon Gate's Twelve Generals, Black Tiger, had fallen. Thus, to fill this vacancy, the Twelve Generals assessment was held.
Black Tiger's assessment task was to unify all the dark forces in Minghai City within two years.
If he succeeded, he would be officially promoted to one of the Dragon Gate's Twelve Generals.
However, with less than a month left before the deadline for the assessment, he had not yet been promoted. This meant there were still dark forces in Minghai City that he had not yet won over or eliminated.
"If you can hand over those two divine artifacts to the Dragon Gate headquarters this time, with this merit, you will naturally be promoted to the Twelve Generals ahead of schedule," the Left Protector said, patting Black Tiger's shoulder.
Clearly, he intended to mentor Black Tiger.
Within the Dragon Gate, having another trusted subordinate at the general level would greatly benefit him, the Left Protector.
However, for Black Tiger to obtain those two divine artifacts was no easy feat.
"What the Left Protector said is very true. But..." The thought of the families from the provincial capital made Black Tiger feel somewhat powerless. "But the two families from the provincial capital are also eyeing those two divine artifacts. I'm afraid..."
"Are you very worried?" The Left Protector frowned, seemingly a little disappointed.
"I..."
"Hmph! If you only know how to contend with brute force, then what difficulty is there to speak of?" The Left Protector reminded him, "Sometimes, a brain is a good thing."
En!
Black Tiger's eyes lit up, as if he suddenly understood something.
"Let me tell you another piece of news: the secret societies from outside the province are also making a move. As for how to use this information, that's up to you."
After speaking, the Left Protector left.
Some things only needed to be hinted at.
"It seems I need to be the oriole this time," Black Tiger said to himself after the Left Protector left, feeling somewhat lost.
...
"Thank you for saving my life, Left Protector!" Lin Cangyun said respectfully, kneeling on one knee.
"Mm!" The Left Protector asked indifferently, "You had a brief exchange with Nangong Li. Did he just step into the Martial King realm?"
Lin Cangyun pondered for a moment and said, "From that encounter, Nangong Li's aura seemed somewhat unstable. He should have just entered the Martial King realm."
"Oh!"
Hearing this, the Left Protector frowned, "How did he advance without the help of the Crimson Heart Fruit?"
"Was it a coincidence?"
"This..." Lin Cangyun trembled, clearly understanding the implications.
"Interesting!" The Left Protector mused with his hands behind his back, his expression profound. "It seems this play will not end easily."
...
After finishing the call with Loliya, Ye Ming returned to the villa and personally guided Nangong Qianyu in her cultivation.
"Ah! This... this feels so good!" Nangong Qianyu's face was slightly flushed, and although her voice trembled, she seemed to be enjoying it.
At this moment, she was being embraced from behind by someone.
"Try it like this!" Ye Ming felt the warmth from the delicate body in his arms, suppressing the surging emotions within him and stabilizing his breathing.
It turned out that to help Nangong Qianyu better circulate the essential techniques, Ye Ming was personally guiding her practice.
However, why he chose such an "ambiguous" posture for their practice was unknown.
"Wow! How has my hearing become so good!"
After completing one cycle, Nangong Qianyu could actually hear some subtle sounds around her. Not only that, she could even hear her own heartbeat.
"This is natural. Only when you truly step into the realm of sensing all things will you be able to truly feel how close all things are to you," Ye Ming said, feigning calmness, as he smelled the faint fragrance wafting from her hair.
"Really!" Nangong Qianyu turned her head, asking excitedly.
"Ahem! Really!"
Looking at Nangong Qianyu's blushing face, just a few centimeters away, Ye Ming felt a little flustered.
"Ah! I..."
At this moment, Nangong Qianyu also noticed Ye Ming's proximity, and the blush on her face deepened.
"What... why are you staring at me!" Nangong Qianyu's gaze flickered, avoiding direct eye contact.
"What do you think?"
Ye Ming smiled charmingly, gently squeezing the hands around Nangong Qianyu's waist. A soft, yielding sensation met his palm.
"Ah!"
Ye Ming's sudden action made Nangong Qianyu feel like she had been electrocuted. Her entire body sagged, collapsing into Ye Ming's arms.
Her breath was fragrant.
"You... you're bullying me!" Nangong Qianyu whispered, her face full of shyness.
"Alright! Since you've said so, I won't accept this accusation for nothing." Ye Ming rested his head on Nangong Qianyu's shoulder, breathing hot air near her earlobe.
"Ah! It tickles!"
This tingling sensation was definitely something Nangong Qianyu had never experienced before. As a result, she was unable to resist now, almost letting Ye Ming tease her.
Nangong Qianyu's delicate appearance, as if she were ripe for the picking, caused Ye Ming's breathing to visibly deepen. He tilted his head forward, following Nangong Qianyu's exquisite earlobe.
Perhaps due to some kind of magic, Nangong Qianyu unconsciously began to turn her head backward, her eyes hazy.
But just as their lips were about to meet, the sound of a key unlocking the door, "click," broke the ambiguous silence in the room.
The two froze in place as if struck by lightning.