Chapter 1165: A Dilapidated Small Village
According to Ding Tianhua's intention, departing at this moment would be perfect, but Yang Haoran, however, gave him ten minutes to prepare briefly. He had originally intended to refuse, because he had nothing to prepare whatsoever. However, the words of refusal still didn't leave his lips, because ten minutes wasn't a long time for him; it would pass in a moment. Thus, he felt there was no need to refuse Yang Haoran, lest he displease Yang Haoran and affect their subsequent actions.
"Alright, your subordinate will go prepare now. In ten minutes, your subordinate will return here to meet the Guardian!"
Ding Tianhua said, and after these words fell, he prepared to leave the place. Though he had nothing significant to prepare, he still had to put on the appropriate act. However, just as he turned to leave, Yang Haoran suddenly called out to him.
"Heh heh, wait."
Yang Haoran said with a faint smile. Ding Tianhua turned to look at Yang Haoran, unable to help but show a bewildered expression.
"Does the Guardian have any other instructions?"
Ding Tianhua asked, while Yang Haoran simply smiled faintly and said.
"Heh heh, I have a question for you."
Ding Tianhua didn't understand why Yang Haoran would ask him a question at this particular moment, why he didn't ask earlier, but chose this very instant for such a display. He truly couldn't fathom what Yang Haoran was thinking.
"Guardian, please ask any question you have. As long as your subordinate knows, I will tell the Guardian everything without any reservation."
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile upon hearing this, then asked with a chuckle.
"Heh heh, the question I want to ask you isn't really a complicated one. I just want to ask you, during this battle in Tongyou City, was my appearance timely?"
Ding Tianhua had thought Yang Haoran was about to ask some world-shattering, ghost-sobbing question. He hadn't expected him to merely ask such a simple question. Without overthinking why Yang Haoran would suddenly ask such a question at this moment, he immediately gave Yang Haoran an affirmative answer.
"Of course it was timely. The Guardian's appearance during this great battle in Tongyou City was simply too timely. If you had appeared even a little later, your subordinate would surely have died by Cold Yue's hand. Not only that, but once I died, the Tongyou City Underworld Division would certainly have been swiftly wiped out by the Spirit Masters. This is a fact recognized by everyone, Guardian. Do you think your appearance was timely or not?"
Receiving Ding Tianhua's affirmative reply, Yang Haoran nodded with a smile.
"Heh heh, good, it's good that I appeared timely. That puts my mind at ease. Alright, you go prepare quickly. We'll depart in ten minutes."
Ding Tianhua found Yang Haoran's words utterly perplexing. He simply couldn't comprehend what Yang Haoran meant by these words spoken at this moment.
However, for him, if he didn't understand, then so be it. He didn't have the leisure to delve deep into the meaning of Yang Haoran's words, nor did he have such a hobby.
"Your subordinate takes his leave. In ten minutes, your subordinate will return to fetch the Guardian, and we two shall go together to the village where the Spirit Masters are secretly gathered, killing them all, leaving not a single one behind!"
After leaving these words, Ding Tianhua quickly left the living room. Yang Haoran watched Ding Tianhua's retreating back, his smile undiminished. He didn't speak to himself, merely shaking his head gently.
After Ding Tianhua exited the main door, he vanished with a single flash. The two maids remained kneeling on the ground. From the moment Ding Tianhua appeared, they had been kneeling, not daring to rise. They had initially thought that when Ding Tianhua left, he might tell them to rise, but to their disappointment, Ding Tianhua didn't even glance at them when he left, let alone tell them to get up.
Bearing their disappointment and helplessness, the two maids could only remain kneeling, not daring to rise on their own. However, just at that moment, Yang Haoran's voice came from inside the room.
"Heh heh, you two may rise. There's no need to continue kneeling."
The two maids exchanged a glance upon hearing this. On each other's faces, they saw no joy, only apprehension. Therefore, even though they yearned to stand up, they didn't dare, despite Yang Haoran having already given the command.
"Heh heh, don't worry. If the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you. So there's no need for you to have any concerns."
Only after receiving Yang Haoran's assurance did the maids' worries diminish somewhat. They stood up from the ground, but a degree of concern still lingered in their hearts.
Yang Haoran was a Guardian, and they dared not disobey his command. If it weren't for this, if another Emissary of Death had told them to rise and made promises to them, they would absolutely not have gotten up. Even though Yang Haoran was a Guardian and had made promises to the two of them, a degree of worry still lingered in their hearts. It wasn't because they distrusted Yang Haoran; it was because they didn't trust Ding Tianhua.
In the maids' eyes, given Yang Haoran's esteemed status as a Guardian, there was certainly no need for him to deceive them, two mere maids. Since Yang Haoran had made a promise to them, he would definitely fulfill it. With Guardian Yang Haoran backing them, even if Ding Tianhua wanted to hold them accountable for rising without permission, he would have to give face to Guardian Yang Haoran and wouldn't dare to act recklessly. However, Yang Haoran was a Guardian, not the Emissary of Death of Tongyou City, and he would one day leave Tongyou City. Once Yang Haoran left Tongyou City, if Ding Tianhua brought up this matter to settle accounts with them later, then they would naturally be in for a round of punishment, and might even lose their lives. It was precisely because of this that, even with Yang Haoran's guarantee, a degree of concern still lingered in their hearts.
Of course, Ding Tianhua might also not bother with the matter, as he seemed not to have paid it any mind at all. Thus, at this moment, the two maids were only somewhat worried, rather than intensely worried. Inside the living room, Yang Haoran leaned back in his chair, smoking. After Ding Tianhua left, he didn't vacate his seat but continued smoking, a pensive expression on his face as he pondered something.
About a few minutes later, Yang Haoran took out a Communication Talisman. However, this Communication Talisman was not a low-grade Yellow Talisman, but a higher-grade Black Talisman.
This Black Talisman was personally drawn by Yang Haoran. With his current strength, he could draw even some high-level talismans as Black Talismans, let alone a low-grade talisman like a Communication Talisman. Compared to a Yellow Talisman-grade Communication Talisman, a Black Talisman-grade Communication Talisman not only transmitted sound over a greater distance, but it was also not a single-use consumable, with its number of uses significantly increased. Therefore, from every perspective, a Black Talisman-grade Communication Talisman was much superior to a Yellow Talisman-grade Communication Talisman.
After Yang Haoran took out the Communication Talisman, he spoke only a short sentence into it.
"Come to Tongyou City with utmost speed. Remember not to alert anyone."
A black light flashed across the Communication Talisman, and the message was successfully sent. However, the Black Talisman in Yang Haoran's hand did not turn to ash.
The Black Talisman didn't immediately turn to ash because its available uses hadn't been fully expended. However, if one observed carefully, they would notice that the Black Talisman between Yang Haoran's two fingers was noticeably duller in luster compared to before.
After putting away the Communication Talisman, Yang Haoran took out another Dānyào and consumed it. He knew that in the time to come, he likely wouldn't have the opportunity to focus on healing his injuries. Thus, he could only be a little extravagant and take an extra Dānyào to accelerate the recovery of his injuries. While doing so wasn't as effective as dedicated healing, it was still better than letting his physical body repair itself.
After consuming the Dānyào, Yang Haoran didn't prepare anything else. Instead, he stood up and walked out of the living room.
Yang Haoran actually had nothing to prepare in the first place. The main reason he gave Ding Tianhua ten minutes to prepare was simply to send Ding Tianhua away, so he could have the chance to send a Communication Talisman without Ding Tianhua knowing. As for whether Ding Tianhua actually needed to prepare anything, Yang Haoran didn't care in the slightest.
As Yang Haoran exited the main door, the maids standing guard immediately saluted him. Just as their legs were about to kneel, a force propped up their bodies. Their knees felt as if cushioned by sponges, causing their legs to merely bend without them directly kneeling on the ground.
"You've already knelt long enough. There's no need for the full prostration."
Yang Haoran said with a smile, not putting on any airs of a Guardian in front of the two maids.
"Thank you, Guardian!"
The two maids quickly expressed their gratitude, but still bowed to Yang Haoran, though it wasn't the full prostration.
At the same time, a surge of Yin Qi suddenly rose not far in front of Yang Haoran. As the Yin Qi dissipated, a figure emerged. This person was none other than Ding Tianhua, who had left earlier. Yang Haoran checked his watch. From the moment Ding Tianhua left until now, exactly ten minutes had passed, not a second more or less.
"Heh heh, you're very punctual. Ten minutes, just as you said."
Yang Haoran looked at Ding Tianhua and said with a faint smile. His tone was very calm as he spoke, devoid of any hint of sarcasm. It sounded more like he was praising Ding Tianhua for his strong sense of time.
"How could your subordinate dare to be unpunctual when carrying out a mission with the Guardian? Even if I were given a hundred times the courage, your subordinate wouldn't dare make the Guardian wait."
Ding Tianhua said with a smile, his mood seemingly quite good. Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, then said.
"Let's go. Don't waste time. Just as you said, every second wasted could lead to variables."
Ding Tianhua responded, then immediately waved his hand, tearing space. A spatial rift quickly formed. He looked at Yang Haoran and made a gesture of invitation towards him.
"Guardian, please!"
Yang Haoran didn't say anything more, nor did he ask anything more. With a faint smile on his face, he flashed into the spatial rift torn open by Ding Tianhua.
After Yang Haoran entered the spatial rift, Ding Tianhua wasted no time, also flashing into the spatial rift. However, as he entered the spatial rift, the smile on his face couldn't help but deepen by a few shades. From this, it was clear that he was very pleased at this moment.
The spatial rift quickly healed, vanishing completely in the blink of an eye. When the two emerged from the spatial rift again, they found themselves in a desolate, overgrown wasteland.
Yang Haoran's gaze swept across the area, seeing only waist-high weeds as far as his eyes could reach. As for the abandoned village Ding Tianhua spoke of, he didn't see even a hint of it.
"Heh heh, there doesn't seem to be a village here. I also haven't sensed any power fluctuations from Spirit Masters."
Yang Haoran withdrew his gaze, then looked at Ding Tianhua and asked with a smile. Hearing this, Ding Tianhua immediately replied with a chuckle.
"Guardian, we are still some distance from our destination. If we were to directly descend upon the destination, the other party would surely sense our arrival. Doing so would easily beat the bush and alert the snake. Therefore, descending here is the most suitable. For the remaining distance, we will try our best to suppress our power fluctuations as we travel. Only then can we catch all these Spirit Masters in one net without alarming them, ensuring that not a single one escapes."
Speaking up to this point, Ding Tianhua paused slightly, then continued to speak.
"As for why the Guardian didn't sense any power fluctuations emanating from Communication Power, it's easily explained. These Spirit Masters, by gathering together, are already prone to exposure. If they don't suppress all their own power fluctuations, they'll only expose themselves even more easily. So how could they dare to let their power fluctuations spread out?"
Yang Haoran appeared thoughtful, then nodded with a smile, seemingly agreeing with Ding Tianhua's explanation.
"Listening to your analysis, it indeed seems to be the case. I hadn't even figured out such a simple principle. I'm truly ashamed."
Ding Tianhua's face was full of smiles, and he even buttered up Yang Haoran, to alleviate his supposed embarrassment. However, his thoughts were completely different from the expression on his face.
Although both of them had suppressed all their own power fluctuations and couldn't use powers ordinary people didn't possess, their travel speed wasn't too slow, at least considerably faster than an ordinary person. Nevertheless, even so, they still spent some time before a dilapidated small village finally appeared before their eyes.
Since Yang Haoran didn't know the village's exact location, Ding Tianhua had led the way throughout their journey. When the village finally appeared in their sight, both of them simultaneously halted their steps.
"Guardian, do you see? That abandoned village ahead is our destination this time!"
Ding Tianhua pointed at the village ahead and said to Yang Haoran. As he spoke, he deliberately lowered his voice, seemingly afraid that his words might be overheard by others, thus exposing him and Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran cast his gaze around the village from a distance. He indeed saw the village's dilapidation, but he saw no one, much less a large number of Spirit Masters.
Ding Tianhua, seeing that Yang Haoran didn't respond but instead continued to survey everything in the village on his own, quickly asked.
"Guardian, what's wrong? Is something amiss?"
Hearing this, Yang Haoran replied with a faint smile.
"Heh heh, it's not exactly that something's amiss; I just find it a bit strange. You said there's a large gathering of Spirit Masters here, so how come not a single ghost figure is visible in this village?"
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Ding Tianhua's expression shifted slightly, but then quickly returned to normal, and he immediately began to explain to Yang Haoran.
"Guardian, Spirit Masters gathering here doesn't necessarily mean they'll be aimlessly wandering around the village. This village is their secret rallying point, not their recreational club. So it's perfectly normal not to see their figures in the village, because they must all be hiding inside these dilapidated houses."
Not only did Ding Tianhua speak with certainty, but his tone also subtly carried a hint of amusement. This amusement was, naturally, directed at Yang Haoran, the Guardian. Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged, the smile on his face as before. After listening to Ding Tianhua's explanation, he immediately responded with a smile.
"Mm, what you said seems very reasonable. If I were a Spirit Master, I would certainly not wander aimlessly around the village, exposing myself to the sight of others."
Ding Tianhua quickly nodded, looking as if he strongly supported Yang Haoran's statement.
"Yes, yes, if it were me, I wouldn't carelessly wander around like that either. Wouldn't that be asking for trouble? Any person with a bit of sense wouldn't do such a foolish thing. Anyway, I'm not that kind of fool, and I wouldn't do such a foolish thing."
Yang Haoran glanced at Ding Tianhua and nodded with a smile. In Ding Tianhua's eyes, this nod was an agreement, but Ding Tianhua didn't know that Yang Haoran's nod this time had nothing to do with agreement at all.
"Heh heh, let's go. Victory lies ahead. Let's not waste any more time here. I believe my gains from this trip today will certainly not be small; they might even be much greater than I imagine."
"Hahahaha, rest assured, Guardian. What you said is a certainty. If I gain nothing from this trip, I, Ding Tianhua, might as well not live. There would be no point in continuing to live!"
After their words fell silent, neither of them spoke again. Instead, they rapidly approached the direction of the village. During this process, Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged; he still wore a faint smile, his gaze utterly calm, showing no fluctuations whatsoever. However, Ding Tianhua, who had come to execute this mission with him, was different. Ding Tianhua appeared very excited. Although it was clear he was trying his best to suppress his inner agitation, a considerable amount of his inner excitement and eagerness still showed on his face. From his facial reactions, it wasn't hard to see that he was full of anticipation for this operation, as if, just as he had said, this operation would bring him immense gains!
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