"What do you think? Can this man be trusted enough to remain aboard the ship, or even join us?"
At that moment, Ye Tianming turned his gaze toward Xie You beside him and asked.
Xie You was overwhelmed by the favor. This was the sort of question one asked only of trusted confidants; an outsider would never hear it.
Even so, he dared not offer too much commentary. After thinking carefully for a long while, he said cautiously, "You need only exercise your sole authority, Ye Zun. Why ask me?"
Ye Tianming smiled and waved a hand. "It is fine. Just tell me what you think."
Only then did Xie You say, "Ye Zun, you went to such great lengths, even attacking the Azure Cloud Sect's Mountain Gate yourself, to rescue him. Naturally, you intend to accept him and put him to use. Otherwise, wouldn't everything you did before have been wasted?"
Ye Tianming burst into laughter. "A sound argument!"
After a while, Ye Tianming made further arrangements for various minor matters. Xie You had other business to attend to, so he took his leave.
He did not notice that the instant he stepped out of the hall, the smile on Ye Tianming's face vanished, and his expression swiftly darkened.
"Ye Zun, do you suspect something is wrong with them?" An old man with crane-white hair and a youthful face emerged through a small door at the side of the hall.
He was Elder Fu, one of Ye Tianming's staff advisors within the alliance. His cultivation was only at early Earth Rank, but his strategic insight was exceptional, and he excelled at managing internal affairs and arranging all manner of minor matters.
Ye Tianming had just summoned Yu Sande and Xie You and asked them a few seemingly inconsequential questions.