Chapter 1113: All Bark and No Bite
Big Sister’s words caused Zhuang Yingjie’s brows to furrow deeply. His face grim, he pondered what thoughts brewed in his mind.
“To make your branch’s vice-president disappear without a trace—none of us Spirit Masters in Gu Mo City possess such ability. But Yang Haoran is different; Yang Haoran absolutely has that capability. Of course, what I mean is not Yang Haoran's personal strength, but the power he can wield. ” Big Sister said with a smile.
Zhuang Yingjie’s expression subtly shifted. He understood what Big Sister implied.
“In the last battle against the Corpse Driving Sect, we saw that Yang Haoran’s strength is commendable. But to make your branch’s vice-president suddenly vanish into thin air, I don’t believe he possesses that level of power yet. However, there was also a Three-Star Demon Hunter who stood up for him at the time. For a Three-Star Demon Hunter to make a Two-Star Demon Hunter disappear without a trace, I believe it wouldn’t be a difficult task. ”
Before coming here, Zhuang Yingjie had considered this point. He also wondered if Yang Haoran had asked Ye Zhiqiu for help. But he truly couldn't fathom Yang Haoran's motive for doing so. On the contrary, the Spirit Masters had such a motive, as they could 'borrow a knife to kill' someone, which is why, after leaving his branch, he didn't go to the Death God Temple but came here instead.
“It’s true that it wouldn’t be difficult for a Three-Star Demon Hunter to achieve that, but I don’t believe Yang Haoran has such a motive. After all, I have no personal grudge with him, and our Demon Hunter Association has no grievance with their Underworld Office. He wouldn’t need to do something like that,” Zhuang Yingjie stated.
“Heh, whether you, President Zhuang, have a grievance with Yang Haoran, I don’t know. But if you claim your Gu Mo City Demon Hunter branch has no grievance with the Gu Mo City Underworld Office, then you are sorely mistaken,” Big Sister said with a smile.
“What do you mean by that? ” Zhuang Yingjie asked with a frown.
Zhuang Yingjie knitted his brows tightly, remaining silent. Seeing this, Big Sister leaned back comfortably in her chair, took a drag from her cigarette, and then continued.
“I don’t know if President Zhuang truly doesn’t understand or is merely pretending not to. Since I’ve already laid my cards on the table, I might as well tell President Zhuang all my thoughts. As for whether what I say makes sense, President Zhuang can ponder it himself. ”
Zhuang Yingjie still didn’t speak. Big Sister paused slightly before continuing.
“How the former Emissary of Death of the Gu Mo City Underworld Office died, and how the Gu Mo City Underworld Office was forced out, I believe President Zhuang surely remembers. Many forces were involved in that incident, and your Demon Hunter branch was among them. You say your branch has no grievance with the Underworld Office? That’s clearly not true,” Big Sister declared.
“Our branch was indeed involved in that matter, but that’s ancient history. Moreover, the Emissary of Death at that time wasn't Yang Haoran. Do you think Yang Haoran would seek revenge on our branch because of that? ”
Zhuang Yingjie asked in a deep voice. From his tone, he seemed to disagree with Big Sister’s conjecture.
“Why wouldn’t he? He is an Underworld Official. Since he took over the Gu Mo City Underworld Office and became its Emissary of Death, of course he wants to reclaim the Gu Mo City Underworld Office’s 'face' and wipe away their past shame. Furthermore, if he wants to achieve remarkable results in Gu Mo City, the major forces are the best targets. Not only your Demon Hunter branch, but other forces will also be within his scope of attack, naturally including us Spirit Masters, after all, we Spirit Masters are mortal enemies of their Underworld Office. If he can eliminate all the major forces, it would not only restore the 'face' the Underworld Office lost in Gu Mo City but also allow him to achieve astonishing success. Do you think Yang Haoran has a motive? ”
Big Sister’s words caused Zhuang Yingjie’s brows to knit even tighter, and his face grew darker and darker.
“Your words are identical to the rumors circulating in Gu Mo City these past few days,” Zhuang Yingjie said in a low voice.
Big Sister nodded, not denying it.
“That’s right, they are indeed identical. But that’s not the point; the point is whether there’s truth to them. And in my opinion, it’s not necessarily a rumor; perhaps it’s truly how things are,” Big Sister stated.
Zhuang Yingjie didn’t answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“The three-day deadline ends today. If Yang Haoran cannot produce conclusive evidence of his innocence by tomorrow morning, his fate will be worse than the previous Emissary of Death’s, perhaps even more tragic. Not even a Three-Star Demon Hunter will be able to protect him. ”
With these words, Zhuang Yingjie stood up, his face grim. He fixed a cold gaze on Big Sister, then continued.
“How deep the animosity between you Spirit Masters and the Underworld Office runs is well-known to all major forces. I’m not a fool, don’t think I’m easy to trick. My stance remains: you can touch others, but not my subordinates. If Yang Haoran can uncover who is truly behind this incident, I will definitely not let the mastermind off the hook. If Yang Haoran fails to uncover the truth, then he is doomed, and the Underworld Office will certainly be driven out of Gu Mo City once again. However, my Demon Hunter Association's investigation into this matter will not end with Yang Haoran’s death; we will continue to investigate until 'the truth comes to light'. No matter who the culprit is, I, Zhuang Yingjie, will make them pay a bloody price! ”
Zhuang Yingjie left these words and then departed the Spirit Master Temple. Big Sister and the other two did not leave despite Zhuang Yingjie’s departure. As for the unspoken implications in Zhuang Yingjie’s words, Big Sister naturally understood them.
“Big Sister, Zhuang Yingjie is too arrogant! He completely disregards us Spirit Masters! How could you let him leave so easily? ” Zhuang Mingzhe fumed.
Big Sister took a drag from her cigarette, then shifted her posture, crossing her legs comfortably once more.
“President Zhuang came here to find trouble with us today; we weren’t seeking trouble with him. His anger is far more intense than ours. If we were to attack him, our two forces would inevitably be dragged into a major conflict. What good would that do us? ” Big Sister asked.
“But. . . ”
Zhuang Mingzhe wanted to retort, but Big Sister turned her head to look at him. Their eyes met, and Zhuang Mingzhe felt a slight tremor in his heart. The words on the tip of his tongue were forcibly swallowed back, and he lowered his head.
Big Sister withdrew her gaze, took a puff from her cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and then continued.
“Don’t let the fact that your cousin came alone to my Spirit Master Temple today deceive you. If my estimation is correct, he must have made a series of preparations before coming. Otherwise, do you think he’d be foolish enough to come here by himself to cause trouble? ”
“Big Sister is right; I was too impulsive,” Zhuang Mingzhe quickly replied. By now, his tone no longer conveyed anger, but rather awe.
“If I had truly acted against him today, not only would we gain another enemy, but he would also be convinced that the disappearances in Gu Mo City were indeed our Spirit Masters’ doing. Once that news spread, our Gu Mo City would become a target of public criticism, and our fate would be similar to, or even worse than, the current Underworld Office’s. Do you think I could have made a move? ”
Hearing this, Zhuang Mingzhe quickly affirmed, not daring to say anything more.
Big Sister no longer paid attention to Zhuang Mingzhe, nor did she offer further explanations. Instead, she turned her gaze to Shang Yuanqi.
“Old man, speak your mind; don’t keep it bottled up. It doesn’t matter if your opinion aligns with mine. Be bold. ”
Shang Yuanqi smiled at her words, then spoke.
“I believe Zhuang Yingjie came today simply to test us. In truth, he isn’t entirely certain that this matter was our Spirit Masters’ doing. ”
Big Sister nodded, took a drag from her cigarette, and asked again.
“Anything else? ”
Shang Yuanqi replied immediately, without even thinking.
“Also. . . a threat. ”
Shang Yuanqi’s reply was concise, but Big Sister understood what he meant.
“You’re right, Zhuang Yingjie was indeed threatening us. However, I didn’t take his threats seriously. Everyone in Gu Mo City knows that Zhuang Yingjie is 'all bark and no bite'; as long as you don’t push him too far, he won’t do anything too extreme without evidence. Besides, we didn’t do this in the first place; we merely spread rumors. The disappearances have nothing to do with us. Even if he investigates until 'the truth comes to light', it won’t affect us. On the other hand, Yang Haoran and his Gu Mo City Underworld Office, I wonder if they can last until tomorrow. ”
At this point, Big Sister paused, elegantly took another drag from her cigarette, her red lips slightly parted as she exhaled a puff of smoke, then chuckled.
“Heh heh, tomorrow will certainly be an exciting day. ”
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