Chapter 1277: Building the Guardian District (Part 1)
Yang Haoran's return sent shockwaves through Lecheng. The Lecheng Underworld Office personnel were ecstatic, while members of other factions in Lecheng felt a profound sense of insecurity. They had no idea how long Yang Haoran would stay in Lecheng this time, nor did they know the purpose of his return. Even more unclear was whether Yang Haoran, upon his return, would make an example of these non-Underworld Office factions to assert his authority.
Some speculated that Yang Haoran's return to Lecheng wasn't merely a casual visit. If it were, he wouldn't have brought so many people with him, unless Yang Haoran was a man who truly valued grandiosity.
The day after Yang Haoran's return to Lecheng, the Lecheng Underworld Office immediately hosted an unprecedentedly grand banquet. The participants of this banquet were not limited to just the Lecheng Underworld Office personnel and Yang Haoran's close confidantes; everyone in Lecheng received an invitation. This included all other Lecheng factions, as well as ordinary citizens.
It was precisely for this reason that the banquet became immensely grand, the most lavish gathering Lecheng had seen since its founding. Neither before nor after the great chaos that engulfed the world, up until that very moment, had any wealthy individual dared to host such an immense banquet. Especially in these turbulent times, when food's preciousness far surpassed that of peaceful eras, organizing such a magnificent feast was something many couldn't even fathom.
Regarding this matter, the happiest were undoubtedly the ordinary people of Lecheng. Their survival in this chaotic world was already incredibly difficult; how could they eat and drink as freely as they pleased, as they had in times of peace?
The ordinary people living in Lecheng were relatively fortunate. Under Zhu Rong's leadership, at the very least, their basic needs for food and warmth were met, and their safety was guaranteed. Unlike ordinary folk in some other places who couldn't even gnaw on tree bark and constantly faced mortal danger, Lecheng, by comparison, was a veritable paradise for the vast majority of common people.
However, while the ordinary people of Lecheng had no issues with basic sustenance, enjoying a meal of lavish meats and fish was still not an easy feat for the majority. Aside from festive occasions, they typically wouldn't indulge in such extravagance; only the more affluent families had the means to do so.
Yet this time, at the banquet hosted by the Lecheng Underworld Office, not only were lavish meats and fish offered in abundance, but fine wines and beverages were also limitless. Attendees could eat as much as they desired, and all expenses were covered by the Lecheng Underworld Office.
Furthermore, to ensure that these ordinary people could enjoy the banquet without a single worry, the Administrative Courtyard even granted everyone a day off. With food and drink, and a whole day to revel to their hearts' content, they were naturally overjoyed.
For the common folk of Lecheng, this was also a momentous occasion. Most of them understood that their survival in these chaotic times, with both their safety and basic needs addressed, was largely thanks to the Lecheng Underworld Office and Yang Haoran. Now that Yang Haoran had become a Guardian, even if they didn't fully grasp what that entailed, they knew he had been promoted, not demoted. Naturally, they were ecstatic, for the stronger Yang Haoran's power and the higher his status, the greater the security would be for them, the common people.
Conversely, Yang Haoran's return greatly displeased the other factions in Lecheng. Their unhappiness intensified particularly after a piece of news concerning Yang Haoran spread throughout the city: Yang Haoran intended to establish the Guardian District of the Jingling Continent's Ninth District in Lecheng! This implied that Yang Haoran would remain in Lecheng indefinitely!
Initially, some believed this news to be nothing more than a baseless rumor, and thus, they didn't believe it at all.
However, once they verified the information and confirmed that the news had indeed originated from Yang Haoran himself, publicly announced by him at the banquet, their suspicions vanished, replaced only by shock.
On the day of the banquet, although the Lecheng Underworld Office had invited everyone in Lecheng, including representatives from other factions, not many from those other factions actually attended. After confirming that Yang Haoran was indeed about to establish a Guardian District in Lecheng, some factions even chose to withdraw from the city that very day.
The factions that opted to withdraw from Lecheng that very day naturally understood what the Underworld Office's Guardian District implied. Once Yang Haoran established a Guardian District in Lecheng, the city would become the converging point for the strongest forces of the Jingling Continent's Ninth District.
In other words, from now on, Lecheng would naturally have no room for other factions besides the Underworld Office. Even if the Underworld Office could tolerate other factions, those factions wouldn't dare remain there, for that would be trifling with their lives, especially in these turbulent times of war.
These factions were well aware of the stakes involved. Thus, upon learning that Yang Haoran would establish the Guardian District in Lecheng, they promptly reported the matter up their chain of command. And when their superiors received this news, they immediately ordered their personnel remaining in Lecheng to withdraw.
In truth, had Lecheng not been sufficiently peaceful, and had the major factions stationed there not been so limited in strength – not just the factions themselves, but even their top leaders in Lecheng were only moderately powerful – they wouldn't have been overlooked by their organizations. That's why these factions hadn't been ordered to consolidate their forces and withdraw earlier.
However, with Yang Haoran's return to Lecheng and his plan to establish a Guardian District, the issues involved became entirely different. The high-ranking members of these factions might not care about their personnel left behind in Lecheng, but they simply couldn't afford to disregard Yang Haoran. Should their remaining personnel inadvertently offend Yang Haoran, the Guardian, then matters would become quite complicated.
Even if their remaining personnel didn't offend Yang Haoran, it didn't mean Yang Haoran wouldn't actively seek trouble with them. After all, Yang Haoran was highly likely to cleanse the Guardian District of all other factions. Should it truly come to that, these factions would not only lose face but might also suffer considerable losses. Therefore, rather than waiting, it was better to proactively withdraw at the earliest opportunity.
The withdrawal of these factions naturally couldn't escape Yang Haoran's notice. However, he chose to turn a blind eye, allowing them to retreat.
The day after the banquet concluded, all other forces in Lecheng, apart from the Underworld Office and the Administrative Courtyard, successively withdrew. This included even those factions that had been on good terms with the Lecheng Underworld Office. Yang Haoran, from beginning to end, had merely announced his intention to establish a Guardian District in Lecheng. He said and did nothing else, yet these factions evacuated completely within less than two days.
Why they did this, some might not understand, but others understood perfectly well. Yang Haoran, of course, also understood the actions of these factions, which was why he didn't secretly scheme to prevent their withdrawal, nor did he try to retain them. For some matters, he had to set aside personal feelings and prioritize the greater good.
Speaking of personal connections, throughout Lecheng, only Wang Yiming from the Talisman Order had some personal ties with Yang Haoran. However, Wang Yiming was no longer with the Lecheng Talisman Order, having been transferred away from Lecheng long ago. Thus, Yang Haoran felt no great psychological burden regarding the Talisman Order's withdrawal.
After all other factions had completely withdrawn, Lecheng was, in essence, left with only one dominant force: the one led by Yang Haoran. For whether it was the Lecheng Underworld Office, the Lecheng Administrative Courtyard, or demons like Bai Xue and Huang Sha, Demon Hunters like Ye Zhiqiu, young devils like the siblings Jing Qi and Jing Miao, or Pharmacists like Feng Xiao and Xiang Chuan, and even the hidden ghosts like Tang Shi — while they didn't all belong to the Underworld Office, they absolutely all belonged to Yang Haoran. Therefore, in the final analysis, Lecheng now possessed only a single power, a force headed by Yang Haoran, the Underworld Office's Guardian.
This force belonged not to the Underworld Office, but solely to Yang Haoran!
As for the ideal location to construct the Guardian District, Yang Haoran had considered building it in his hometown. However, after much deliberation, he abandoned that plan.
It wasn't that his hometown's geographical conditions made it impossible to build a Guardian District; with the capabilities of his subordinates, moving mountains and filling seas would be no issue, let alone constructing a mere Guardian District. The reason he ultimately gave up on establishing the Guardian District in his hometown was simply that he didn't want to spoil the place. He wished to preserve its original appearance as much as possible, even though circumstances had changed drastically.
After careful consideration, Yang Haoran finally decided to construct the Guardian District in the area where his residence was located, expanding outwards from the villa as its center.
This approach also presented a problem: ghosts like Tang Shi would need to be relocated. The Ghost Cave was located behind Yang Haoran's villa, and once the Guardian District was built, the area occupied by the Ghost Cave would fall within the planned boundaries. Therefore, a new base of operations had to be found for Tang Shi and the other ghosts.
After much deliberation, Yang Haoran decided to relocate Tang Shi and the other ghosts to Yangjiawan, his hometown.
However, he wasn't planning to use his old family home as a base for Tang Shi and the others. That ancestral house held his last remaining memories, and he didn't want it to become a ghost-ridden den. Besides, his old home couldn't accommodate a large number of ghosts anyway. The area he chose was the back mountain of Yangjiawan.
That massive upheaval years ago had turned Yangjiawan into a ghost village untouched by human feet. Yang Haoran's parents had also tragically perished in that man-made disaster.
Even before the great chaos, Yangjiawan had already become a ghost village that no one dared to set foot in. After the great chaos, it was even more of a given; no one would wander aimlessly into Yangjiawan.
Therefore, building a new base for Tang Shi and these other ghosts in the back mountain of Yangjiawan would certainly pose no problems for concealment. Moreover, the area of Yangjiawan's back mountain was large enough to accommodate the ghosts currently under Tang Shi's command.
With a decision made, all that remained was to implement it. To expedite the establishment of the Guardian District, Yang Haoran gathered all his trusted confidantes for a meeting, intending to delegate the tasks.
Inside Yang Haoran's villa living room, some individuals stood respectfully, while others sat on the sofas. But whether standing or sitting, all without exception centered their attention on Yang Haoran.
Jing Qi and Jing Miao, clad in their blood-red attire, stood respectfully behind Yang Haoran, like two bodyguards. Though young in age, the aura they exuded was intensely sharp, tinged with a chilling, bloody violence that made one shudder, much like two fierce beasts not yet fully grown.
The reason the two siblings chose to stand behind Yang Haoran was that the seating in the hall was limited and couldn't accommodate everyone present. The brother and sister were well aware of their status; although they were also Yang Haoran's trusted confidantes, they hadn't been with him for a particularly long time, and their young age further played a part. Thus, they didn't contend with others for seats, but wisely and proactively stood behind Yang Haoran.
Moreover, the position behind Yang Haoran wasn't one just anyone could occupy. Yang Haoran's acceptance of them standing there was also a form of acknowledgment for the siblings. In a sense, being able to stand behind Yang Haoran was more significant than simply having a seat.
However, Jing Qi and Jing Miao weren't the only ones who proactively chose to stand. Lu Wu, Shui Ling, Wu Senior, and Wu Xiaoxiao also opted to remain standing, recognizing that their strength and status were not yet sufficient.
As for Old Master Wu, Huang Sha, Zhu Rong, and Feng Xiao, seeing so many others choose to stand, they naturally felt it improper to sit. It was only after Yang Haoran's gesture that they finally found seats.
Of course, there were also those who weren't particular about etiquette, such as Bai Xue, Xiang Chuan, and Ye Zhiqiu, who sat down with a wine gourd and a smiling face. These three showed no reservations whatsoever about such matters; they not only plopped down immediately but also picked what they considered to be good spots.
Ye Zhiqiu's wife, Red Lotus, stood beside him. Although Ye Zhiqiu repeatedly motioned for her to sit, she felt too awkward to actually follow his suggestion.
Strictly speaking, she wasn't one of Yang Haoran's direct confidantes. The reason she remained in Yang Haoran's villa was that Ye Zhiqiu had pledged himself to Yang Haoran, and since their agreed term hadn't expired, Ye Zhiqiu had no choice but to stay and follow Yang Haoran's commands. As Ye Zhiqiu was her man, and he hadn't left, she naturally wouldn't leave either.
Moreover, with the world in chaos, Ye Zhiqiu also wasn't at ease with her leaving. Staying here at least offered a certain level of security, and when Ye Zhiqiu went out on missions, he wouldn't have to worry about her safety.
Thus, although she attended the meeting at Yang Haoran's invitation, she was keenly aware of her status, and therefore knew what she could and could not do.
Currently, Red Lotus still lacked the power to remold her physical body, but with the help of Ye Zhiqiu and Yang Haoran, her soul had successfully reached the Evil Spirit realm. Furthermore, Ye Zhiqiu had custom-made a 'skin' for her, crafted precisely to her appearance before death. Dressed in this 'skin,' she looked no different from when she was alive.
Xiujuan was still her usual self, quietly serving everyone by pouring tea and water. She knew she was a participant in this meeting, but she also understood that there wasn't much she could do to assist Yang Haoran. Therefore, whether she participated or not had little impact on her; she simply wanted to do what she was supposed to do.
Xiujuan's son, Xiao Kang, was no longer the naive little boy he once was. He had grown considerably over the past few years. Although he was younger than Jing Qi and Jing Miao, his maturity was no less impressive than theirs. He knew that, given his current status, he wasn't qualified to sit in on the meeting, so he helped Xiujuan while simultaneously listening intently, making sure to miss nothing.
If the conditions here allowed, there naturally wouldn't be a situation where some stood and others sat, as everyone present was Yang Haoran's trusted confidante. But when conditions didn't permit, then some had to stand while others sat. However, those who were seated had undoubtedly contributed far more to the team, and the value they created through their efforts far exceeded that of those standing. Therefore, those seated indeed had the right to sit, and those standing truly ought to stand. This might seem very pragmatic, but it was, in fact, the undeniable reality.
“Zhu Rong, I'll leave the blueprints for the Guardian District and its construction methods to you to figure out. Among all my subordinates, I believe you are the only one capable of handling this matter properly. ”
Yang Haoran looked at Zhu Rong and said with a smile. The reason he entrusted the Guardian District's construction to Zhu Rong was that her subordinates encompassed every kind of talent imaginable.
While the strength of Zhu Rong's subordinates couldn't compare to Yang Haoran's direct confidantes, with some even being ordinary people currently possessing no power, they were nonetheless talented in various fields. Therefore, entrusting Zhu Rong with the task of constructing a satisfactory Guardian District was the most suitable course of action.
“Boss, rest assured. Your subordinate will certainly handle this matter properly. As for the time required, that will depend on your specific demands for the Guardian District. But I can guarantee that I will construct a satisfactory Guardian District for you according to your requirements, and in the shortest possible time. ”
Zhu Rong accepted the task without a moment's hesitation and gave Yang Haoran her assurance.
“Heh heh, excellent. I trust you to handle things. However, I will detail my requirements for the Guardian District to you privately after this meeting. Discussing them here would waste everyone else's time. ”
Yang Haoran said with a chuckle, and Zhu Rong respectfully assented. After a slight pause, Yang Haoran's gaze shifted to Old Master Wu.
“To construct the Guardian District in a short amount of time, Zhu Rong's forces alone might not be sufficient. Old Wu, I need you to dispatch some personnel and have them assist, along with Lu Wu and Shui Ling's two divisions. That way, the progress should be much faster. ”
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