Chapter 1162: From Peer to Superior
After Shi Kai and Gan Ning, the other two Emissaries of Death also hurriedly paid their respectful greetings to Yang Haoran.
In truth, these four had wanted to salute Yang Haoran earlier, but he hadn't given them the opportunity. Upon arriving, Yang Haoran had first rallied the surviving members of their Underworld Office faction, then shifted his attention to the leaders from other non-Underworld Office forces. Thus, it was only now that they had the chance to properly perform a subordinate's bow to Yang Haoran.
Of these four Emissaries of Death, Yang Haoran had not known the latter two previously, but they had introduced themselves while saluting, so Yang Haoran now recognized them.
Apart from them, Yang Haoran actually knew the other two Emissaries of Death: Shi Kai and Gan Ning. He recognized them from when he had assisted Cloud River City back then.
Yang Haoran remembered Shi Kai and Gan Ning, and they remembered him too. However, given the current circumstances, after introducing themselves, they merely bowed respectfully to Yang Haoran, showing no intention of reminiscing.
In fact, as they saluted Yang Haoran, although their faces betrayed nothing, their hearts were filled with deep sighs of emotion. The Yang Haoran of yesteryear had been an Emissary of Death just like them, but now he had become a Guardian, and furthermore, their direct superior. How could they not be moved by such a change?
It was true that there was only one rank separating an Emissary of Death and a Guardian, but this single rank was a position that many Emissaries of Death could never ascend to, even if they exhausted their entire lives. It was a fact that Emissaries of Death did not die naturally, yet ninety-nine percent of them met the fate of "Soul Transformation" before ever reaching the Guardian rank.
Veteran Emissaries of Death like Ding Tianhua were already rare. Although he hadn't died and had even broken through to the mid-stage Earth Soul realm, he remained merely an Emissary of Death, not a Guardian.
Therefore, it was not easy for an Emissary of Death to become a Guardian. Both strength and experience were crucial, and luck and connections were equally indispensable.
Yang Haoran, on the other hand, had gone from Emissary of Death to Guardian in merely a few short years. As Emissaries of Death with more seniority than him, it was easy to imagine the depth of their emotions.
However, their feelings were merely ones of admiration. They held no resentment towards Yang Haoran whatsoever. Yang Haoran's strength was undeniable, a fact they had witnessed with their own eyes. Compared to him, they felt like mere ants. In their view, it was only right that Yang Haoran, with such formidable power, should occupy the position of Guardian.
Beyond his formidable strength, Yang Haoran had also shown kindness to them both, so they naturally felt even less inclination to reject him. It was precisely because of this that their respectful bows to Yang Haoran appeared quite natural.
"Haha, I won't bother with pretty pleasantries for you all. Your efforts in supporting Tongyou City this time were highly meritorious. Once the battlefield is cleared, I will bestow appropriate rewards based on your contributions, and I will also make a record of your achievements in the merit ledger of our Ninth District. As long as I, Yang Haoran, remain the Guardian of the Ninth District for even a day, I will reward those with merit. Of course, I will also punish those who err."
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. Shi Kai and the others all nodded in agreement, Ding Tianhua included, though compared to the other four, Ding Tianhua's expression seemed a little unnatural.
Yang Haoran noticed Ding Tianhua's somewhat awkward expression. He chuckled, then asked,
"Haha, Ding Tianhua, you are the Emissary of Death for Tongyou City's Underworld Office. Given the heavy losses suffered by Tongyou City's Underworld Office this time, I imagine you have something to say, don't you?"
Ding Tianhua's expression shifted upon hearing this. He bowed slightly, then shook his head, hesitating for a moment before speaking.
"This subordinate has nothing to say. This subordinate is willing to accept any punishment."
Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged. He did not immediately respond, only after observing Ding Tianhua for several seconds did he speak with a smile.
"I am very pleased that you possess such awareness. However, I have no intention of blaming you. After all, I would never force a rooster to lay an egg. The Spirit Masters' attack on our Tongyou City Underworld Office was simply beyond your control. You fought with all your might to resist them and did not flee the battle. You have only merit, no fault, and therefore, I will reward you just the same."
Yang Haoran's words caused Ding Tianhua to momentarily freeze in surprise. He hadn't expected Yang Haoran to say such a thing. He had fully anticipated that Yang Haoran would likely make an example of him this time, because the Tongyou City Underworld Office had nearly been annihilated by the Spirit Masters. As the Emissary of Death for Tongyou City's Underworld Office, he was undeniably responsible, no matter how one looked at it, and Yang Haoran punishing him would have been entirely reasonable.
Yet, the reality was precisely the opposite of his conjecture. Not only did Yang Haoran have no intention of punishing him, but he intended to reward him instead. For a moment, Ding Tianhua thought he had misheard, and couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
Upon regaining his composure, he didn't show joy on his face, but rather a look of bewilderment. Nevertheless, he bowed once more to Yang Haoran and offered his thanks.
Yang Haoran noted the confusion on Ding Tianhua's face. He didn't offer a detailed explanation, but instead ordered the five to clean up the battlefield as quickly as possible, as there were many more matters that needed to be handled later.
The scope of this great battle in Tongyou City was quite extensive. Aside from the areas governed by a handful of major powers who had remained uninvolved and thus avoided catastrophic damage, nearly all other regions had been reduced to ruins, with corpses scattered everywhere. Therefore, clearing the battlefield would take some time.
Under Yang Haoran's arrangements, the five Emissaries of Death, including Shi Kai and Ding Tianhua, were free to manage their time during this period. They could supervise their Night Watchers to speed up the cleanup of the battlefield, or, of course, find a quiet place to heal and recover.
As for other important matters, Yang Haoran decided it wouldn't be too late to arrange them after the battlefield was cleared, as some things were difficult to organize before the cleanup was complete.
The battlefield cleanup proceeded smoothly. No Spirit Masters unexpectedly launched a counterattack, nor did any major powers, who had been secretly watching from the sidelines, suddenly jump out to seize spoils. Thus, although the entire cleanup process took some time, it wasn't excessively long.
After the battlefield cleanup concluded, Yang Haoran once again gathered all personnel. Many post-war issues needed to be addressed, such as tallying personnel losses, distributing rewards for meritorious service, arranging the souls of their fallen comrades, and the subsequent reconstruction of Tongyou City's Underworld Office. A series of problems like these all required planning and resolution.
Some of these issues required Yang Haoran's direct oversight or even personal involvement, while others merely needed to be delegated. Ding Tianhua and the other Emissaries of Death knew how to handle them; Yang Haoran simply needed to review the results.
Ding Tianhua had made promises to the other factions who had come to support the Underworld Office in Tongyou City. So, after the battlefield cleanup, without waiting for these factions to press him, Yang Haoran instructed Ding Tianhua to honor those commitments.
With Yang Haoran's oversight, Ding Tianhua, whether he liked it or not, certainly wouldn't dare to renege on his promises, and thus these factions received what was due to them.
As for the resources seized from the battlefield, Yang Haoran allocated a portion as rewards, distributing them among all participants, including the non-Underworld Office factions, who also received considerable benefits.
The majority of the remaining resources, Yang Haoran did not take, but rather left them with the Tongyou City Underworld Office. After all, the Tongyou City Underworld Office had suffered heavy losses this time. To restore its strength to its former peak would require not only time but also a vast amount of resources. Therefore, considering the future development of Tongyou City's Underworld Office, Yang Haoran did not take these resources.
However, for these resources to be truly useful, they first needed to be transformed. Whether it was the souls of Spirit Masters, their Guardian Spirits, or various magical artifacts and talismans, all needed to be converted into Soul Pills to genuinely aid the Tongyou City Underworld Office.
Yang Haoran didn't trouble himself with this matter. He trusted that Ding Tianhua could handle it. After all, Ding Tianhua was a seasoned Emissary of Death and a mid-stage Earth Soul expert; handling such minor affairs would certainly be no problem, let alone that it wasn't a major issue to begin with.
The factions who had come to support Tongyou City, having received greater benefits than they had imagined, left Tongyou City with joy in their hearts. As they departed, the vast majority of their leaders and ordinary members alike believed that the sacrifices made on this trip had been well worth it.
When these factions decided to leave, Yang Haoran had spoken up to try and persuade them to stay, hoping they would recover from their injuries in Tongyou City before departing. However, his suggestion was politely declined by these forces.
Yang Haoran could somewhat guess why these factions refused. Seeing that they were determined to leave, he did not press them further, and personally watched as they opened spatial rifts and departed Tongyou City.
After these factions left, the other Emissaries of Death who had come from various cities to assist, apart from Shi Kai and Gan Ning, also decided to leave Tongyou City. After all, the current situation in Jingling Continent was highly complex, and their respective cities required their presence as Emissaries of Death. Thus, they dared not linger in Tongyou City for too long.
If the great battle hadn't concluded, they certainly wouldn't have left. But now that the major conflict in Tongyou City was over, they definitely didn't want to risk staying there any longer.
Shi Kai and Gan Ning did not leave with the other two. One reason was that the cities they were responsible for were in different directions, so their paths didn't align. The other reason was that they still had some matters to attend to.
Under Ding Tianhua's arrangements, Tongyou City's largest Death God Temple had already begun reconstruction. To provide Yang Haoran, the Guardian, with a better resting environment, Ding Tianhua first constructed a temporary resting house specifically for him. Although this house couldn't be described as grand or majestic, it lacked nothing essential and even included servants to attend to Yang Haoran.
At this moment, two servants stood respectfully outside, while Yang Haoran was inside, healing his injuries. After the great battle, he had been constantly occupied, dealing with one matter after another, and thus had never found the chance to properly recover. Now that all pending issues were addressed and his arrangements made, he finally had the opportunity to focus on healing.
In the great battle of Tongyou City, Yang Haoran was actually quite badly wounded, especially by the blow from the Spirit Aspect that sent him flying, which inflicted the most severe damage. However, compared to those who were nearly beaten to death, his injuries weren't considered that serious.
If Yang Haoran ignored his injuries and didn't take any healing Dānyào, merely allowing his body to recover naturally, then it would likely take a very long time for the wounds to fully heal.
However, if he was willing to spend some time focusing all his energy on healing, along with consuming healing Dānyào, then given the quality and efficacy of the Dānyào in his possession, his injuries could fully recover within a few days at most.
He didn't immediately leave Tongyou City after making a series of arrangements, and this was one of the reasons, as he needed some time to recover from his injuries.
Of course, this was just one of the reasons he didn't immediately leave Tongyou City. Besides this, there were naturally other reasons. Otherwise, he could heal anywhere; there was no need for him to insist on staying in Tongyou City. If he returned to the Guardian District, his injuries would undoubtedly recover faster given the medical conditions there.
Just as Yang Haoran was still healing in his room, Shi Kai and Gan Ning arrived outside his residence.
"Two beautiful ladies, may I ask if Divine Emissary Yang is inside?"
It was Shi Kai who spoke. He was still wearing a baseball cap, just as Yang Haoran had first seen him. What was different, however, was that his clothes were no longer as casual as before. Instead, he had changed into the Death God uniform, just like the other Underworld Officials.
Judging by the power fluctuations emanating from the two young women guarding the door, both of them should have been Night Watchers. However, the power fluctuations they emitted were very faint; even within the entire Night Watcher community, they belonged to the weakest category.
The two women were indeed Night Watchers of Tongyou City's Underworld Office, but they were not the combat type. Rather, Ding Tianhua had meticulously selected them as servants from among numerous believers. Their primary duty was service, which was why their strength wasn't formidable. Ding Tianhua had never intended for them to go to battle, and thus hadn't invested heavily in their cultivation. Their meager strength was merely what Ding Tianhua had given them to handle some minor, trivial tasks.
Although their strength was not great, their appearances were certainly not lacking; in fact, they could be considered rare beauties. After all, Ding Tianhua had chosen them from a multitude of believers. If their looks and figures couldn't impress Ding Tianhua, how could he possibly have taken a liking to them?
The two women were merely Night Watchers, whereas Shi Kai was an Emissary of Death of an entire city's Underworld Office, holding a position equivalent to their own Divine Emissary. For the two women, such an Emissary of Death was an unapproachable, high-ranking figure. For Shi Kai to be so polite to them now momentarily left them flattered and overwhelmed.
However, the two women were, after all, professionals in the realm of service. Moreover, they had been with Ding Tianhua for quite some time, so their experience and perceptiveness were quite good. Thus, despite being somewhat overwhelmed, they did not show it excessively on their faces.
"Replying to Divine Emissary, Divine Emissary Yang is indeed inside, but he seems to be healing his injuries. If the two Divine Emissaries wish to see Divine Emissary Yang, I'm afraid. . ."
Although the woman's words trailed off, Shi Kai and Gan Ning were not fools; they naturally understood what she meant.
Shi Kai remained silent, turning his gaze towards Gan Ning. Gan Ning, feeling Shi Kai's gaze, also looked back at Shi Kai.
Their eyes met, and then they shook their heads in unison.
If Yang Haoran wasn't healing, the two might have asked the two female guards to announce their presence. However, the woman had made it very clear that Yang Haoran was currently recuperating. Disturbing him at this time would be rather inappropriate.
Furthermore, even if they bothered the two women to report, the women wouldn't necessarily do so. It wasn't because the women had any issues with them, but because if they knew Yang Haoran was healing and still went in to report, wouldn't they be asking for trouble themselves?
If Yang Haoran didn't mind, it would be fine. But if he did, the two of them would be in deep trouble. Although Yang Haoran appeared to have a gentle personality, the two women didn't truly understand his character and weren't familiar with him at all. Moreover, their status was miles apart from Yang Haoran's, so they wouldn't dare to do such a thing.
Shi Kai and Gan Ning understood this, so neither of them put the two women in a difficult position. Their shaking heads essentially meant they had given up the idea of seeing Yang Haoran again before their departure.
The two women, responsible for waiting outside for Yang Haoran's commands, also somewhat guessed what the two men's headshakes meant. Neither woman spoke, as they knew their own limitations. They couldn't assist these two Divine Emissaries in any way, so speaking would be meaningless.
"Since Divine Emissary Yang is healing, we naturally wouldn't dare to disturb him. After Divine Emissary Yang finishes healing, please convey our farewells to him on our behalf. Just say that we are busy returning to handle matters in our respective jurisdictions and cannot remain in Tongyou City any longer."
Shi Kai instinctively adjusted the brim of his cap a few times, then spoke to the two women with a smile, his tone revealing a hint of regret.
Upon hearing this, both women nodded, and one of them responded to Shi Kai.
"Divine Emissary, please rest assured. After Divine Emissary Yang finishes healing, this subordinate will report every single word of your message to Divine Emissary Yang, without missing anything."
Receiving the woman's affirmative reply, Shi Kai nodded with a smile.
"Haha, then I thank you both."
As his words fell, Shi Kai glanced at Gan Ning. Gan Ning, understanding his unspoken cue, was about to turn and leave with Shi Kai. However, just at that moment, a voice suddenly emanated from within the room.
"Haha, there's no rush with my healing. It's fine to put it aside for now. I actually wanted to have a chat with you two anyway. Come on in."
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