Chapter 1037: Killing with a Borrowed Knife
Aside from the Big Sister herself, only her second-in-command refrained from joining the argument. Beyond these two, the other Spirit Masters were divided into two factions, their debate escalating into a full-blown quarrel.
"Alright, every time we hold a meeting, you all manage to turn it into a shouting match. We're all on the same side, not enemies. Just state your opinions; there's no need to argue until your faces are red and your necks are thick."
The second-in-command didn't want to see the two sides continue their dispute, so he spoke up to interrupt them. His prestige among this group of Spirit Masters was second only to the Big Sister, and thus his words carried significant weight. As he spoke, although both sides remained unconvinced by the other, they ceased their arguing.
"In my opinion, both of your arguments actually hold merit. Yang Haoran has only been an Emissary of Death for a few short years. Logically, his strength shouldn't be all that formidable. After all, Lecheng is merely a remote, small city with limited population and resources. For him to achieve a dramatic leap in his power in just a few years is clearly not a very realistic prospect."
Here, the second-in-command paused slightly before continuing.
"However, since the Underworld Office saw fit to send him to clean up the mess that is the Gu Mo City Underworld Office, they must have their reasons. If he didn't possess extraordinary abilities, the Underworld Office wouldn't send him here to embarrass himself. Furthermore, he didn't bring a single trusted subordinate with him to Gu Mo City, nor does he have any exceptionally powerful experts among his Lecheng subordinates. The two followers by his side aren't even his Lecheng subordinates. From this, it seems these two might have been recruited by him along the way. Both of them are quite strong, and their willingness to follow him indicates he certainly has some true capability. Therefore, it would be best if we don't take him lightly."
This second-in-command was named Shang Yuanqi, and he was the Big Sister's capable confidant. Although he appeared quite old, his voice resonated with vigor. Yet, his words at this moment caused many of the Spirit Masters present to frown.
The reason for the Spirit Masters' reaction was simple: Shang Yuanqi's words had not satisfied them.
"Heh heh, but everything said before the 'however' is usually just nonsense. Old man Shang, you've said a lot, but you haven't gotten to the point at all. Are we going to act against this Underworld Official or not?"
The Big Sister looked at Shang Yuanqi and asked with a smile. Although the others wouldn't dare to be disrespectful to Shang Yuanqi, not even a single word or phrase, the Big Sister was different; she showed no deference towards Shang Yuanqi at all.
"Big Sister, your subordinate believes that we absolutely must take action. We cannot allow him to continue developing within our Gu Mo City. If he slowly cultivates Night Watchers and finds allies, then it will be much more troublesome for us to deal with him. However, for the sake of caution, I think we should not act rashly."
Shang Yuanqi responded with a respectful attitude. Hearing this, the Big Sister asked with a smile.
"Then, what would you consider to be not acting rashly?"
Shang Yuanqi thought for a moment, then replied.
"I believe that if we are to act against Yang Haoran, gathering information on his past is only one aspect. It's equally important to ascertain his current whereabouts and to know what his recent activities are. That way, it will be much easier for us to deal with him!"
Regarding Shang Yuanqi's suggestion, the Big Sister neither affirmed nor denied it. Instead, she turned to the other Spirit Masters present and asked.
"The last time I told you to investigate this fellow, a few days have passed now. Don't tell me you haven't uncovered anything at all."
Some of the Spirit Masters lowered their heads, clearly having found nothing. However, a smile appeared on Zhuang Mingzhe's face at this moment, wearing an expression of complete confidence.
"Heh heh, Big Sister, your subordinate was just about to report on this matter to you."
The Big Sister lit another cigarette for herself, then said to Zhuang Mingzhe with a smile.
"Do tell."
Zhuang Mingzhe dared not delay and immediately replied.
"After that traitorous Night Watcher submitted to me, he revealed a lot of information. Among it was a piece of intelligence stating that a small number of Death God worshipers still exist within Gu Mo City, and these worshipers are almost entirely gathered in what was formerly the Underworld Office's jurisdiction, which is now the Holy Mother Cult's territory."
The Big Sister's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure appearing on her face. After taking a drag from her cigarette, she said flatly.
"Get to the point."
Zhuang Mingzhe sensed the Big Sister's displeasure, so he quickly continued.
"The captain of this traitorous Night Watcher had maintained contact with these worshipers. I was thinking, could Yang Haoran be temporarily hiding in the homes of these worshipers?"
As soon as Zhuang Mingzhe spoke, someone immediately interjected to refute him.
"Why would he hide in the homes of worshipers? Is an Emissary of Death from the Underworld Office going to rely on worshipers to conquer the world for him? What can these worshipers do for him?"
Zhuang Mingzhe let out a cold snort, his gaze falling upon the man, a look of disdain on his face.
"If Yang Haoran wants the Gu Mo City Underworld Office to rise again, he needs manpower. If he has no one under him, then he'll have to handle everything personally. Even if he can set aside his Emissary of Death status and do everything himself, he won't be able to manage it all. Therefore, he needs manpower; he needs more Night Watchers to serve him. And these Death God worshipers are the best candidates to become Night Watchers, because their faith in the Death God is sufficiently devout, making the possibility of them betraying Yang Haoran very low. Yang Haoran will definitely select suitable targets from these worshipers to become the new batch of Night Watchers for the Gu Mo City Underworld Office. I've explained it this clearly; if you still can't understand why Yang Haoran would seek out these worshipers, then there's nothing more I can do."
The Spirit Master who had refuted Zhuang Mingzhe frowned slightly. He didn't continue to argue, but instead wore a thoughtful expression, seemingly analyzing whether Zhuang Mingzhe's words made sense.
"Have you sent anyone to investigate this matter? Is the actual situation truly as you've described?"
The Big Sister exhaled a puff of smoke and asked Zhuang Mingzhe blandly.
Zhuang Mingzhe's expression shifted slightly, then showed an awkward look.
"Your subordinate did want to send people to investigate this matter, but that is, after all, the Holy Mother Cult's territory. If their people were to discover it, it would likely attract some trouble. Your subordinate dared not act on my own initiative, so I was just about to report this matter to Big Sister and ask for your decision."
The Big Sister didn't immediately respond to Zhuang Mingzhe. She smoked, her legs crossed, her fingers rhythmically tapping the tabletop.
Seeing this, the others dared not disturb her, waiting quietly instead.
After a short while, the Big Sister finally turned her gaze to Shang Yuanqi and asked.
"What's your take?"
Shang Yuanqi thought for a moment, then replied.
"Little Zhuang's analysis is not without reason. Yang Haoran might truly be hiding in the home of one of these worshipers. However, the Holy Mother Cult's people are indeed a problem. If we rashly investigate this matter, it would be fine if the Holy Mother Cult doesn't discover us. But once their people do find out, it will definitely become a troublesome affair. . ."
The Big Sister waved her hand, a hint of a headache in the gesture, interrupting Shang Yuanqi.
"I'm asking if you have a solution; don't beat around the bush."
Shang Yuanqi smiled, then said.
"Of course there's a solution, and your subordinate thinks it's quite a good one. We can spread this information. Once the Holy Mother Cult learns that there are still Death God worshipers within their territory, and that an Emissary of Death from the Underworld Office is even hiding there, then they will certainly deal with the matter. They won't allow Yang Haoran to hide in their territory. As for us, we don't need to do anything; we just sit back and watch the show. Furthermore, even if Little Zhuang's analysis is flawed and Yang Haoran isn't hiding within the Holy Mother Cult's sphere of influence, we won't suffer any losses. After all, it's the Holy Mother Cult that will be busy, not us."
At this point, Shang Yuanqi's voice paused slightly before he continued with a smile.
"If Yang Haoran truly is hiding in the Holy Mother Cult's territory, and the Holy Mother Cult comes knocking, the two sides might even end up clashing over it. After all, the Holy Mother Cult not only seized territory that originally belonged to the Underworld Office but also brainwashed the Death God worshipers in that area, causing a large number of them to convert to the Holy Mother Cult. This is no small grudge. Yang Haoran has every reason to make a move against the Holy Mother Cult. Once they truly clash, we'll effortlessly find out just how capable Yang Haoran truly is. And if Yang Haoran happens to die at the Holy Mother Cult's hands, then that would naturally be even better!"
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