Chapter 1105: A Difficult Choice
Yang Haoran's words, laced with a strong threat, not only affected Cao Ze but also brought considerable pressure to the other Talisman Masters.
As the leader of the Talisman Masters present, Cao Ze did not act immediately, and naturally, the other Talisman Masters dared not make a move casually either.
“Yang Haoran, it's already spread throughout Gu Mo City today that the recent disappearances here are all your doing. How dare you feign ignorance with me? I don't care what you did to people from other factions, but I absolutely cannot ignore the missing members of our Talisman Cult. If you hand over all our missing people today, there's still room for negotiation. If you don't, or if our Talisman Cult members have already been cruelly murdered by you, then our Talisman Cult will declare war on your Underworld Office and demand justice! ” Cao Ze roared.
Upon hearing Cao Ze's words, Yang Haoran's faint smile remained unchanged.
“Heh heh, I can tell you with full responsibility that these are all rumors. The recent disappearances in Gu Mo City have absolutely nothing to do with me or our Underworld Office. Isn't it a bit too arbitrary to conclude that I'm responsible based solely on these rumors? ”
Yang Haoran asked with a faint smile. Cao Ze's brows furrowed, offering no response. After a slight pause, Yang Haoran continued, pressing his question.
“If I were to send people out tomorrow to spread rumors, claiming that the recent disappearances in Gu Mo City were all the doing of your Talisman Cult, how would you feel? Would you admit that your Talisman Cult truly did it? ”
Though Cao Ze was unwilling to admit it, he had to concede that Yang Haoran's words held a certain logic. Indeed, to judge the truth of a matter based solely on rumors was overly arbitrary.
“There's no smoke without fire. You say you didn't do it, but what evidence do you have? ” Cao Ze asked.
“I don't have evidence for now, but I've already dispatched people to investigate. I believe it won't be long before the truth comes to light, and who orchestrated this whole charade—you'll naturally know then. ”
Just as Yang Haoran's words fell, the space in a corner of the plaza suddenly fluctuated violently. Then, a spatial rift appeared, and two figures emerged from it one after another.
Both were women, dressed in white robes and wearing veils over their faces—they were none other than Xia Xinger and Zuo Meng from the Holy Mother Cult.
Their appearance drew everyone's gaze, Yang Haoran naturally included.
Yang Haoran knew that Xia Xinger and Zuo Meng's presence here at this moment surely shared the same objective as Cao Ze's, but the difference lay in the fact that Xia Xinger had only brought Zuo Meng, while Cao Ze had brought a considerable number of Talisman Masters.
The tense, confrontational atmosphere made Zuo Meng's willow-like brows furrow slightly. However, Xia Xinger showed no emotional fluctuations; her brows remained perfectly still, her gaze as calm as water.
“Divine Envoy Xia, you wouldn't also think that the recent disappearances in Gu Mo City are my doing, would you? ”
Yang Haoran's gaze fell on Xia Xinger. He did not beat around the bush or offer pleasantries, but directly asked the crucial question.
“I also believe Divine Envoy Yang would not do such a thing, which is why I came to verify the matter with Divine Envoy Yang. ”
Xia Xinger replied calmly. Compared to Cao Ze, Xia Xinger seemed far more polite, yet Yang Haoran had the self-awareness to know that Xia Xinger's courtesy wasn't due to her believing him, but entirely a reflection of her personality. If Xia Xinger truly believed he had nothing to do with the matter, she wouldn't have brought Zuo Meng here now.
Xia Xinger's words were impeccable, leaving no room for doubt. Yang Haoran knew that her supposed belief was merely polite rhetoric, yet his face showed no hint of helplessness; instead, he responded with a faint smile.
“That Divine Envoy Xia can believe me, I, Yang Haoran, am deeply grateful and moved. I won't bother with pleasantries, for they are not only meaningless but might also make it seem as though I'm trying to hide something. I can tell you with full responsibility that what's circulating in Gu Mo City today are rumors, their purpose self-evident: to frame me, of course. As for the recent disappearances in Gu Mo City, they are absolutely not my doing. Furthermore, several Night Watchers from our Underworld Office have also gone missing, and it's unclear whether they're dead or alive. To be truly precise, I am the victim in this matter. ”
Xia Xinger's gaze remained calm, showing no emotional fluctuations due to Yang Haoran's words. As for the Talisman Masters present, all their eyes were now fixed on Cao Ze.
Though they had all summoned their talismans at this point, Cao Ze was their leader. Without his command, they naturally dared not act rashly, for if anything went wrong, none of them could bear the responsibility.Gu
Cao Ze was now in a difficult predicament. Yang Haoran had made his position perfectly clear: he either had to believe Yang Haoran and lead his people away, or disbelieve Yang Haoran and directly engage him in a fight.
Both choices gave him a headache. If he chose the former, he felt he would lose face. After all, they had arrived aggressively, issued stern threats, and even brought out their talismans. To retreat with his people after just a few words from Yang Haoran would indeed be quite humiliating.
But if he directly initiated a battle against Yang Haoran, it would be difficult to back down. If the missing members of their Talisman Cult were indeed Yang Haoran's doing, then so be it; at least they would have justice on their side. Even if their Gu Mo City Talisman Cult was no match for Yang Haoran, they could still seek assistance from higher-ups. Conversely, if Yang Haoran was not responsible, then the consequences would fall solely on Cao Ze, and such consequences were far beyond what he could bear.
His arrival at Yang Haoran's Death God Temple today, while seemingly aggressive, was largely meant to intimidate Yang Haoran. For him to genuinely engage Yang Haoran in a fight, he needed a justifiable reason. But now, Yang Haoran denied any involvement in the disappearances, and Cao Ze had no evidence to prove Yang Haoran was lying. In such a situation, directly engaging Yang Haoran in battle would not be a wise move.
At this moment, Cao Ze found himself in a bind. After a moment of hesitation, he chose neither of the two options, instead turning his gaze toward Xia Xinger.
“Divine Envoy Xia, do you truly believe Yang Haoran's words? ”
Cao Ze knew very well that if he were to contend with Yang Haoran alone, he might end up suffering losses. Therefore, he wanted to drag Xia Xinger into the fray. If Xia Xinger stood on the same front as him, dealing with Yang Haoran would be much easier. It was precisely because this thought had occurred to him that he now questioned Xia Xinger in such a manner.
Xia Xinger looked at Cao Ze, hesitated for a moment, and then finally nodded gently.
“I believe Divine Envoy Yang. ”
Xia Xinger gave Cao Ze a definitive answer. Regardless of whether her words were true or false, her stance was unequivocally clear.
Cao Ze's brows furrowed deeply, his expression visibly displeased. Xia Xinger's answer had left him thoroughly unsatisfied, yet there was nothing he could do.
A cold snort escaped his lips. Cao Ze glanced at Xia Xinger, then at Yang Haoran, before finally making a gesture to the Talisman Masters behind him.
“Put away your talismans. We're leaving here. ”
As these words fell, Cao Ze was the first to put away his talisman. The Talisman Masters behind him, upon hearing Cao Ze's command, showed various expressions; some even frowned deeply, clearly quite displeased with the decision Cao Ze had made.
Nevertheless, these Talisman Masters still followed Cao Ze's instructions and put away their respective talismans.
Though Cao Ze did not look at the faces of the other Talisman Masters, he could somewhat guess that some of them harbored dissatisfaction with his decision. And the source of that dissatisfaction was equally clear in his heart.
To save as much face as possible and make his departure appear more graceful, Cao Ze flung some harsh words at Yang Haoran.
“Yang Haoran, I will personally gather evidence in the coming days. If the missing members of our Talisman Cult truly have nothing to do with you, then I will personally come to apologize for today's actions. But if they indeed are your doing, then your Underworld Office and our Talisman Cult are bound to have a major conflict. At that time, we shall see who prevails, depending on our respective abilities! ”
Having thrown down these harsh words, Cao Ze intended to tear open space and depart from the Death God Temple. But precisely at that moment, the space in another corner of the plaza violently fluctuated again, and subsequently, a spatial rift appeared.
The emergence of this spatial rift drew the gaze of everyone else present, and at the same time, it caused the departing Cao Ze to halt his steps.
“Cao Ze, I finally understand why you've managed to survive in Gu Mo City for so long. ”
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