Chapter 1203: The Talisman Order's Official Declaration
Yang Haoran's reminder jolted Bai Xue, bringing to mind the fox demon arts she had always yearned for. A smile blossomed on her face.
"I actually overlooked that! If Brother Underworld Official hadn't reminded me, I'd probably still be worrying about whether Bai Jiumeng would betray us in the future. Brother Underworld Official, tell me, does Bai Jiumeng know these two great fox demon arts?"
Bai Xue, her face alight with smiles, asked Yang Haoran, her voice brimming with anticipation.
"Haha, I can't be sure about that. But from now on, she'll be living in our Guardian District, so wouldn't it be simple enough to find out?"
Yang Haoran responded with a smile. He genuinely couldn't be certain, so he naturally wouldn't make a rash judgment. If his judgment proved wrong, it wouldn't just be embarrassing; it could also mislead Bai Xue.
"Haha, Brother Underworld Official is right. Now that Bai Jiumeng has joined our Flock of Demons Society and will even be living in our Guardian District, I'll have plenty of opportunities to get close to her. It really won't be difficult to find out if she has cultivated these two great fox demon arts. It seems I should set aside my small prejudices against her and get along with her properly. Not only will this benefit the development of our Flock of Demons Society, but it might also allow me to acquire the Fox Charm Art."
Yang Haoran had no doubt that a good relationship between Bai Xue and Bai Jiumeng would benefit the future development of the Flock of Demons Society, and he readily agreed.
However, whether Bai Xue could acquire the Fox Charm Art by fostering a good relationship with Bai Jiumeng was something Yang Haoran couldn't be certain of. After all, Charm Art was one of the two great fox demon arts, and Bai Jiumeng might not proactively share it with Bai Xue just because their relationship was good. And if Bai Jiumeng didn't know these two demon arts to begin with, then there was even less to say.
Yang Haoran said with a smile. With his promise, Bai Xue's mood instantly brightened further, and the charming smile on her face became even more alluring.
"Then thank you, Brother Underworld Official. However, if I can handle this myself, I certainly won't trouble you, Brother Underworld Official. This Fox Charm Art is something I must obtain; even if I have to use every means available, I will get my hands on this demon art!"
Bai Xue replied with a smile. From her words, it wasn't hard to discern her longing for the Fox Charm Art, as well as her unwavering determination to obtain it.
Over the following period, the two discussed matters concerning the Flock of Demons Society once more, before stepping out of the study together.
Bai Xue had to deal with the gag order. This matter was of great importance, and she needed to implement it promptly. Even a minute's delay in implementation could mean one more person became aware of it, which was not ideal. Therefore, it required immediate handling, ensuring as few people as possible knew about it.
Since Bai Xue was handling this matter, Yang Haoran naturally wouldn't worry about it anymore. With Bai Xue's capabilities, dealing with a small matter like a gag order was certainly child's play; he had no need to waste more time on it.
After leaving the study, Yang Haoran headed to the Medicine God Society.
Over this past year and more, the number of Pharmacists in the Medicine God Society had also increased to a certain extent, though this increase paled in comparison to the growth in membership of the Flock of Demons Society.
To date, the Medicine God Society had added a total of eight Pharmacists: two Medicine Spirits and six ordinary Pharmacists. This number was a mere drop in the ocean compared to the increase in Flock of Demons Society members. However, the value and importance these eight Pharmacists could create, even if not entirely surpassing the added members of the Flock of Demons Society, would certainly not be far behind. At least, that was how Yang Haoran saw it.
Pharmacists were highly impactful but few in number, making them extremely sought after. Furthermore, many Pharmacists possessed arrogant dispositions and were unwilling to yield to others, making it quite difficult to recruit one. For the Medicine God Society to have added eight Pharmacists in just over a year, including two at the Medicine Spirit realm, was already a remarkably impressive achievement.
Many factors contributed to such achievements. Strength, connections, and intricate networks of relationships were all indispensable elements. Of course, Feng Xiao, as a Pharmacist of the Medicine Sect realm, also played a decisive role.
The members of the Medicine God Society differed from those of the Flock of Demons Society. Only a very small portion of the Flock of Demons Society members resided in the Guardian District, whereas all members of the Medicine God Society lived there, receiving the Guardian District's powerful protection. Even the lowest-ranking ordinary Pharmacists were no exception.
Although there was a significant difference in treatment, the members of the Flock of Demons Society had no complaints. They understood this arrangement perfectly well, and they themselves were beneficiaries of the Medicine God Society. The Dānyào they used almost all originated from the Medicine God Society, not only of good quality but also abundant in quantity—something they could never have imagined before. So, naturally, they had nothing to complain about.
Yang Haoran's main purpose in visiting the Medicine God Society was to confirm the progress of a batch of Dānyào being refined for the Underworld, especially the Rising Yin Pills.
Since the Rising Yin Pills were made available at Jingran Pharmacy, their impact had been no less impressive than Yang Haoran had anticipated. As for sales, there was simply nothing to say; no matter how many were stocked, they were quickly snatched up, with demand far outstripping supply.
In the entire Medicine God Society, there was only one person capable of refining Rising Yin Pills: Xiang Chuan, their developer. Since he was the only one who could refine them, he naturally couldn't meet the demand of Jingran Pharmacy.
In response, Yang Haoran merely told Xiang Chuan to refine as many as he could, without asking him to hand over the pill formula and arrange for other Pharmacists to mass-produce. After all, every Pharmacist regarded their pill formula as their very lifeblood. Let alone handing it over to other Pharmacists, it was absolutely impossible for them to surrender it even to their own disciples unless the time was right. Moreover, this formula was Xiang Chuan's own creation, for which he had poured countless efforts, making him even less likely to give it up.
Yang Haoran understood what a pill formula meant to a Pharmacist, so he wouldn't force Xiang Chuan to hand it over. As for the Rising Yin Pills, Xiang Chuan was to refine as many as possible within his limited time. While this wouldn't satisfy Jingran Pharmacy's demand, it could also achieve a hunger marketing effect.
As for later, if it truly reached the point where mass production of Rising Yin Pills became unavoidable, he could discuss it properly with Xiang Chuan then. He certainly still wouldn't make Xiang Chuan hand over the formula, but he would propose that other Pharmacists refine them on his behalf, with Xiang Chuan retaining control of the core techniques. He believed Xiang Chuan should agree to such an arrangement.
Upon arriving at the Medicine God Society, Yang Haoran confirmed that the requested Dānyào and other medicines had all been refined. He handed all these medicines over to one of his subordinate Emissaries of Death.
Yang Haoran had long since stopped personally delivering the Dānyào and other medicines refined by the Medicine God Society to the Underworld.
Instead, he entrusted the task to his subordinate Emissaries of Death. Initially, this task was entirely handled by Lu Wu. Later, Yang Haoran cultivated another Emissary of Death who had opened their Heaven Soul and entrusted this task to that individual.
It wasn't that Lu Wu's work displeased Yang Haoran, nor was it that Yang Haoran distrusted Lu Wu. Rather, there were many matters in the Guardian District that required Lu Wu, as captain, to handle. If he frequently traveled between the Underworld and the mortal realm, many affairs in the Guardian District would be delayed.
Taking this into consideration, Yang Haoran specifically selected one person from among the many Night Watchers. After training and assessment, he was very satisfied with the results, and only then was he willing to expend resources to transform this person from a Night Watcher into an Emissary of Death.
This person's main task was singular: to facilitate the mutual transfer and replenishment of resources between the mortal realm and the Underworld, ensuring the full realization and utilization of their value.
Yang Haoran was quite at ease with this person's work; both their ability and loyalty were beyond reproach. After all, this was a talent he had personally selected and assessed, so there naturally wouldn't be any major issues. If there were, they wouldn't escape his eye, and he certainly wouldn't use them. Therefore, upon arriving at the Medicine God Society, he simply confirmed that all the necessary medicines were in order, then instructed the individual to take these medicines and some collected spiritual herbs to the Underworld.
Days later, a piece of news shook the entire New Beginning Realm to its core: the Talisman Order officially announced its allegiance to the Spirit Mediums, becoming an adversarial force against the Underworld Office. It was also the first superpower to officially side with the Spirit Mediums since the world fell into chaos.
The Talisman Order's official declaration greatly excited and thrilled the Spirit Mediums. Apart from them, other factions who had chosen to stand with the Spirit Mediums were also overjoyed. This was because the Talisman Order, just like the Underworld Office, was a colossal entity in this world, both possessing True Gods. Now that their side had the Talisman Order's participation, the ultimate victory in this great war was surely destined to be theirs. How could they not be happy or excited at such a thought?
In contrast to the Spirit Mediums' side, the Underworld Office and its supporting factions couldn't be happy. They, too, understood the immense impact and blow the Talisman Order's official alignment with the Spirit Mediums would inflict upon them, so they couldn't possibly rejoice.
Precisely because everyone understood this principle, some factions that had originally been hesitant about siding with the Underworld Office decisively abandoned that notion. Even some forces already aligned with the Underworld Office began to beat a hasty retreat, intentionally gravitating towards the Spirit Mediums.
They acted this way, of course, because they didn't want themselves or their factions to become sacrifices in this great war. Knowing that the Underworld Office was now at a disadvantage, to still side with them — wasn't that just seeking death?
However, not all factions thought this way. Some still believed that the situation might reverse, and thus had not yet abandoned the Underworld Office.
There were also some factions who had been contemplating joining the Spirit Mediums. The Talisman Order's alignment this time finally helped them make up their minds, choosing to side with the Spirit Mediums.
The choices made by these factions had a tremendous impact on the entire Underworld Office. In an instant, the Underworld Office's situation became even worse.
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