"Dad?"
Ye Ming doubted his hearing.
Just as he was wondering when he had acquired such a grown daughter, Hua Tianmin, who was beside him, walked up with a smile.
"Yue'er!"
He picked up the little girl with one hand, his eyes full of doting and affection.
Seeing this, Ye Ming realized he had made a huge mistake.
It turned out the little girl was Hua Tianmin's daughter—Hua Yue.
At this moment, seeing her good friend being held by her father, Xiao Ai's tiny pupils showed a hint of envy.
To be precise, every time she was picked up from school and saw other children being taken home by their parents, she would wear such an expression.
Just then, a pair of warm, large hands suddenly lifted her, then held her close, and a gentle voice said, "A'yin, will Brother A'ming always be with you, okay?"
Ye Ming looked at the somewhat sad Xiao Ai, feeling distressed. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"A'ming!"
Xiao Ai pounced into his arms, her eyes glistening. Her small hands rested on his shoulders, and her low spirits slowly disappeared.
At this moment!
She was content!
And felt safe!
She knew someone would always protect her.
"Let's go! Brother A'ming will take you to eat something delicious!" Ye Ming ruffled her little head and said with a smile.
"Mm!"
Finally, a smile bloomed on Xiao Ai's face again.
"Lord Hua, shall we find another place to talk!"
After all, their current location had already attracted countless gazes.
"That would be good!"
...
A certain parent-child restaurant.
Xiao Ai and Hua Yue, the two little girls, were happily eating dessert, while Ye Ming and Hua Tianmin discussed internal affairs of the Hua Kingdom.
"So Mr. Ye has also noticed the recent turmoil in the country!" After hearing Ye Ming's words, Hua Tianmin's expression gradually became serious.
However, he had no idea that more than half of the country's unrest was caused by Ye Ming.
"Naturally!"
Ye Ming smiled and continued, "Regarding the internal affairs of the Hua Kingdom, does Lord Hua know of any hidden circumstances?"
Huh?
Hearing this, Hua Tianmin's eyes narrowed, and he immediately realized why Ye Ming had sought him out alone.
"What aspect of affairs does Mr. Ye wish to know about?"
He asked probing.
Hearing this, Ye Ming looked at Hua Tianmin meaningfully, and finally asked a question: "Lord Hua, which side have you chosen?"
Which side have you chosen?
Hearing these five words, Hua Tianmin's mind went blank, his pupils contracted, and he stood frozen.
Clearly, he was stunned by Ye Ming's question.
"Mr.... Mr. Ye! You..."
At this moment, Hua Tianmin's voice even trembled, filled with extreme unease.
Although Ye Ming did not directly answer his question, his question had already provided an answer.
What Ye Ming wanted to understand was the most sensitive topic in the current internal affairs of the Hua Kingdom—the split between the military and the government.
That's right!
It was the military-government split!
When the military forcefully brought the Ancient Martial Arts Association into the open, many people had already smelled something unusual.
As if a great building was about to collapse, the sun and moon revolved!
Upon receiving this signal, everyone became tense.
Hua Tianmin was no exception.
Even though his official position was merely that of a city-level leader, he had to constantly pay attention to the wind direction from above.
Otherwise, it was uncertain whether he could keep his position in the end.
"It seems Lord Hua knows some inside information!"
Ye Ming, having captured the other's expression, chuckled, "Would you care to tell me a bit?"
Hoo!
Hua Tianmin looked at the young man before him and took a deep breath, trying to calm his complex emotions.
He had to remain calm!
"Mr. Ye! Actually, I know very little about the internal affairs of the Hua Kingdom! So..."
In the silence that followed, Hua Tianmin had realized one thing.
The current situation was probably beyond the scope of "small figures" like him to participate in. Since that was the case, why should he get involved in this muddy water?
Therefore, keeping his mouth shut was his best option.
"Oh! That's a real pity!"
Ye Ming had also seen through his thoughts.
However, knowing that Hua Tianmin had some inside information, would Ye Ming easily let go of this opportunity to gather intelligence?
The answer was naturally no.
Pity!
Before Hua Tianmin could comprehend the meaning of this word, he saw a flash of deep blue in the young man's eyes.
The next second, Ye Ming's profound eyes seemed to transform into a bottomless vortex. Hua Tianmin's consciousness was instantly sucked in, without any ability to resist.
At this moment, his eyes were hollow, devoid of any spirit, like a puppet controlled by strings.
"Alas! Being too smart isn't necessarily a good thing!"
Ye Ming sighed slightly, looking at Hua Tianmin before him.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't have chosen this method.
But alas!
Since the other party was unwilling to speak, he could only use the Ming Hun Technique.
Of course, Ye Ming only temporarily suppressed Hua Tianmin's consciousness, and would not cause him any substantial harm.
"Tell me all the intelligence you have regarding the military-government split!"
Ye Ming commanded.
"Yes!"
Upon receiving the command, Hua Tianmin, like a human machine, revealed everything he knew.
Among the intelligence provided by Hua Tianmin, there wasn't much useful information.
Besides what Ye Ming already knew, only two pieces of information were somewhat valuable.
The first was that the military and the government seemed to be in a stalemate, with neither side intending to cause any major upheaval.
As for the root cause of the military-government split, Hua Tianmin did not know.
Apart from this, Hua Tianmin's superior, the number one figure in Hua'an Province (the province where Minghai City was located), had already taken a side.
The side he chose was—the military.
From this point of view, since that person had chosen the military, he must have known some more comprehensive intelligence to make such a quick decision.
Otherwise, why would he have acted so hastily?
"It seems I need to find time to pay a visit!"
After obtaining this news, Ye Ming already had some plans.
And it happened that the other party was in the provincial capital, which could save some trouble.
"Awaken!"
Ye Ming flicked his index finger, and a soft white energy entered Hua Tianmin's forehead.
A moment later, the hollow look in his eyes gradually regained its spirit. Although he still appeared somewhat dull and confused, he was ultimately unharmed.
"This... What happened to me?"
After regaining his senses, Hua Tianmin felt as if he had gone through a lifetime.
It was very strange.
"Lord Hua must be overwhelmed with official duties and is tired!"
Ye Ming smiled, waved at Xiao Ai, and said, "A'yin! It's time for us to go home!"
Seeing this, Xiao Ai obediently ran over and waved goodbye to her friend, saying, "Xiao Yue! See you tomorrow!"
Afterward, Ye Ming took Xiao Ai and left.
Hua Tianmin watched the young man's receding back, his expression complex, and he murmured to himself:
"Mr. Ye, who exactly are you?"