Chapter 1011: Decisive
Xiang Chuan's sudden utterance truly startled the yellow-clothed man, for Xiang Chuan's words might cause Yang Haoran to form an unfavorable opinion of him, influencing Yang Haoran's final decision—which, naturally, was whether to kill him or spare his life.
It was precisely because of his deep concern over this point that his face immediately changed color upon hearing Xiang Chuan's remark. After all, such a matter would not only fail to be lauded, but would also be scorned by many.
He didn't know what kind of person Yang Haoran was, whether his heart was filled with a sense of justice or riddled with evil. Thus, he couldn't be absolutely certain that Xiang Chuan's words would indeed affect Yang Haoran. But with his life at stake, how could he not be worried? So, he quickly began to explain.
"Underworld Official, please, don't listen to his nonsense. If I truly had such a thought, why would I reveal it? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? I'm not a fool; how could I possibly do such a stupid thing?"
Yang Haoran smiled. Apart from his smile deepening slightly, his expression remained almost unchanged.
"Heh heh, someone who does that isn't necessarily a fool. And someone who doesn't do that isn't necessarily clever."
Yang Haoran's words were a bit convoluted. The yellow-clothed man froze for a moment, and after he processed it, his expression changed again.
"Underworld Official, I. . ."
"Everyone has a past. I don't particularly like to dwell on other people's pasts, nor am I interested in the truth of this matter. I'm giving you two choices now: either follow me from now on, or. . . die right now."
Yang Haoran's words made Xiang Chuan, who was standing nearby, involuntarily curl his lips.
"That damned Yang Haoran, playing these tricks again!"
Naturally, Xiang Chuan only dared to say this in his mind, not daring to voice it aloud, because he didn't want the one who died in a moment to be him, instead of the yellow-clothed man.
However, immediately afterward, a sense of schadenfreude swelled within him. After all, he was also a victim in this regard, and now there was another victim, and this victim was someone he particularly disliked. How could he not be pleased?
He really wanted to see how the yellow-clothed man would choose, and if the yellow-clothed man refused, whether Yang Haoran would truly kill him.
"Out of respect, I'll give you the time it takes to smoke one cigarette to consider. When I extinguish the butt, I'll immediately want an answer. At that time, I don't want to hear a single word of nonsense."
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile, while simultaneously taking a cigarette from his independent space. By the time his words finished, he had already taken a cigarette from the pack and put it in his mouth.
"No need to consider. I am willing to follow Underworld Official, sir! From this day forward, I will be your ox and horse, and will never have a single word of complaint!"
The yellow-clothed man agreed decisively. By the end of his declaration, he had even knelt on one knee, bowing respectfully to Yang Haoran.
Seeing the yellow-clothed man agree so decisively, Xiang Chuan couldn't help but freeze on the spot. He had originally been prepared to enjoy the show, but he hadn't expected such an outcome.
Not only had Xiang Chuan not expected it, but Yang Haoran likewise hadn't anticipated the yellow-clothed man being so decisive. However, compared to Xiang Chuan, he was much calmer. Aside from a slight pause in his motion of lighting the cigarette and a hint of surprise on his face, he showed no other reaction.
Lighting the cigarette, Yang Haoran took a puff, and then asked the yellow-clothed man, who was still kneeling before him.
"What is your name?"
The yellow-clothed man dared not be slow, and immediately replied respectfully.
"My name is Huang Sha. Because I am a sand spirit, formed from yellow sand, without a given name or surname, I simply gave myself this name."
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, and then spoke.
"Huang Sha, a very easy name to remember. You may rise now."
Upon hearing this, Huang Sha immediately straightened his back. Yang Haoran took another puff of his cigarette, and then continued speaking.
"My name is Yang Haoran. From now on, you can call me boss. I won't let you work for me for nothing; you work for me, and I'll pay you a salary, so it's only right that you call me boss. If you have anything you need to pack, do it quickly. We'll be hitting the road again soon."
Yang Haoran's words brought a hint of joy to Huang Sha's face.
"Gu Mo City is in chaos, and this desert I reside in is also far from peaceful. Therefore, all my valuable possessions are already in my independent space. Aside from these Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers, this subordinate has nothing left to pack."
At the mention of Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers, Yang Haoran couldn't help but glance at Xiang Chuan. The main reason they were lingering in this desert was primarily because Xiang Chuan needed Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers. Otherwise, he would have left this desert after a brief rest.
Once they found the Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers and took them, their purpose for staying in the desert would be achieved, and they could leave for Gu Mo City.
However, the situation was now different. Since Huang Sha had decided to follow him from now on, Huang Sha was now one of their own. And these Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers belonged to Huang Sha. It would certainly be inappropriate to simply seize them, and it would also be unsuitable to make Huang Sha give these Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers to Xiang Chuan. Therefore, he had to find a solution that satisfied both parties.
When Yang Haoran looked at Xiang Chuan, Xiang Chuan also looked back at Yang Haoran. However, what the two of them were thinking at that moment was entirely different.
"Hey, Big Brother, do you really trust this sand monster so easily? He says he's willing to follow you, and you just believe him? You weren't like this with me back then. Aren't you going to give him some kind of fate token or something?"
Xiang Chuan's words revealed obvious dissatisfaction, and this dissatisfaction was naturally directed at Yang Haoran. Back then, Yang Haoran hadn't treated him this way. He had talked himself hoarse, but Yang Haoran had consistently refused to trust him. In the end, he had even been given a fate token, which controlled his life and death at all times; only then did Yang Haoran relent.
But now, Yang Haoran's attitude towards Huang Sha was precisely the opposite. Not only had Yang Haoran left no contingencies on Huang Sha, he hadn't even asked a single extra question, simply believing Huang Sha's words just like that. This made him feel puzzled, but even more so, resentful.
It was precisely because of this that he now voiced his dissatisfaction directly in front of both Yang Haoran and Huang Sha.
"You are different from him. You are a Pharmacist, a person of noble status. Many people would try to poach you away, and your personality makes me very uneasy. That's why I had to leave a contingency on you."
At this point, Yang Haoran looked at Huang Sha.
"As for you, although I don't know you well yet, I'm willing to trust you based on my intuition. So don't disappoint me. However, there's a harsh truth I must state upfront: My trust in you is not a license for you to betray me. Once I discover anything amiss, don't blame me, your boss, for being merciless. Of course, the same goes for Xiang Chuan."
Yang Haoran's words did not satisfy Xiang Chuan. Although he still felt discontent, he didn't persist in arguing, only curling his lips in an uncomfortable expression.
Huang Sha's reaction, however, was different from his. After hearing Yang Haoran's words, he immediately saluted and made a pledge.
"Boss, rest assured. This subordinate would absolutely never do anything to betray you!"
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, without continuing the topic, but instead brought the conversation back to the Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers.
"These Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers are yours. How you deal with them is your right. However, Xiang Chuan is a Pharmacist, and he needs Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers for alchemy. Comparatively, he should need the Quicksand Four-leaf Flowers more than you. I won't force you on this matter. You two can discuss it yourselves. I'll wait for you outside."
As his words fell, Yang Haoran left Xiang Chuan and Huang Sha behind and turned to leave. He had only taken a few steps when Yang Haoran suddenly remembered something important. So he paused, and turned back to look at Huang Sha.
"Oh, right. There's one more thing I forgot to tell you. His name is Xiang Chuan, but it's best not to mention this name in front of outsiders. When in front of outsiders, you can. . . you can call him Xiang Hai."
Yang Haoran thought for a moment, then casually gave Xiang Chuan a name. He didn't care whether Xiang Chuan agreed or not. After dropping this remark, he left this special underground planting field, leaving behind Huang Sha, who was bowing respectfully, and Xiang Chuan, who had a bewildered expression on his face.
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