Chapter 1216: A Bit of Trouble
Jing Qi’s words brought a sigh of relief to Jing Miao, for at that moment, Jing Qi’s expression, the tone of his voice, and the content of his words no longer carried the abnormal feeling she had previously sensed.
"I am truly sorry. My brother had some issues with his cultivation, and he wasn't targeting you. Please take this money; consider it compensation."
Before the family of four could even react, Jing Miao slipped a fist-sized bag into the man’s hand, then followed Jing Qi, departing from the area.
Although the bag was only the size of a fist, it was filled to the brim with silver coins. The New Beginning Coins were no longer widely used, with gold and silver coins becoming the mainstream currency. For the family of four, this bag of silver coins was an absolute fortune.
A day later, the siblings returned to Lecheng with a vast amount of resources. Since there were simply too many resources to fit into their personal spatial dimensions, the two siblings had no choice but to use spatial teleportation to continuously transport the resources outside the Lecheng Guardian District. This method worked for short distances, but not for long ones.
The siblings’ triumphant return from their mission, not only unscathed but also laden with abundant resources, greatly astonished Yang Haoran and his confidantes, creating quite a stir throughout the entire Guardian District.
Inside the war room, none of Yang Haoran’s confidantes were absent, and as his trusted subordinates, Jing Qi and Jing Miao were naturally among them.
Yang Haoran sat in the main seat, smoking a cigarette while flipping through the documents in his hand. These documents contained both text and photographs. As he reached the end, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, but quickly returned to normal, and he set the documents down.
The siblings were overjoyed. Ever since they started following Yang Haoran, their days had been filled with nothing but cultivation, with no opportunity to help Yang Haoran with his worries or prove themselves. This time, they had finally showcased their abilities, demonstrated their value, and received Yang Haoran’s approval. Naturally, the siblings were happy from the bottom of their hearts.
After publicly praising the siblings, Yang Haoran kept them behind. As for his other confidantes, he assigned two to process the resources the siblings had brought back, while the rest were instructed to return and rest.
The reason for this arrangement was that from the moment Jing Qi and Jing Miao left until their return, Yang Haoran and his subordinates had remained in the war room, not even closing their eyes once. Although they were vastly different from ordinary people, they still needed rest, especially after prolonged mental exertion.
Furthermore, thanks to everyone’s efforts, their Ninth District had completed its deployment. Forces that needed to be integrated were integrated, and cities that needed to be abandoned were abandoned. Orders had been issued, and now it was up to the execution capabilities of the Emissaries of Death under his command and their ability to handle emergencies.
Therefore, Yang Haoran felt it was fine to let his subordinates rest appropriately, and indeed, they needed to relax their nerves.
After everyone else had left, only three people remained in the war room: Yang Haoran and the two siblings, Jing Qi and Jing Miao.
Yang Haoran’s public praise and recognition had left Jing Qi still basking in internal joy. Although Jing Miao was equally happy, when Yang Haoran kept them behind alone, she had already guessed something and felt a hint of apprehension.
Because she saw a stack of documents on the table in front of Yang Haoran, and she had also noticed the subtle twitch at the corner of his mouth when he was reviewing them earlier. Thus, at this moment, she was not as optimistic as Jing Qi.
"Heh heh, this time, you two siblings have performed a great service. Not only did you resolve the crisis faced by the Ancheng Underworld Division, but you also captured a large amount of resources for my Guardian District. This is no small achievement, and I am very pleased. I will certainly make a note of your contributions in the merit ledger."
Yang Haoran took a puff from his cigarette, then smiled and said to the siblings.
"To be able to ease Master’s worries has always been the dream of us siblings!"
Jing Qi immediately stood up from his seat, bowed respectfully to Yang Haoran, and spoke with an excited tone.
Seeing this, Jing Miao, though she did not speak, also stood up and bowed to Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, I am very gratified that you two siblings have such thoughts. I can also sense your loyalty to me. However, this time, while you did indeed alleviate some of my worries, you also caused me a small bit of trouble."
Yang Haoran flicked the ash from his cigarette, then said with a faint smile. His tone remained unchanged, and his expression likewise. But as soon as Jing Qi heard his words, his face stiffened, then showed a puzzled look.
Jing Miao’s reaction, however, was different from Jing Qi’s. Upon hearing Yang Haoran’s words, her expression remained unchanged, still as serious as before.
Yang Haoran observed both siblings’ reactions. Seeing Jing Qi’s confused expression, he did not make him guess, but spoke directly.
"The Spirit Masters and the Talisman Order have joined forces, putting our Underworld Office in a very passive position. To resist the combined offensive of these two forces, our Underworld Office has tried every possible method to win over other factions. Even small factions are within the scope of our recruitment. Yet, your recent operation wiped out all the factions, large and small, in Ancheng. This approach not only goes against the current direction of our Underworld Office but also offends other factions. If other factions decide to hold it against us, it could be somewhat troublesome."
Yang Haoran smiled faintly. Jing Qi, hearing Yang Haoran’s words, suddenly understood, and a look of anxiety appeared on his face.
"Please punish me, Master. At the time, I couldn't control my killing intent, which led to such an act. However, this matter was entirely my doing and has nothing to do with my sister."
At this moment, Jing Qi realized his mistake. However, to avoid implicating Jing Miao, he readily took all the blame upon himself.
Jing Miao, whose expression had remained largely unchanged, also showed a look of anxiety upon hearing Jing Qi’s words. She was about to speak, but Yang Haoran smiled and waved his hand, interrupting her.
"Heh heh, you two siblings don't need to be nervous, nor do you need to take the blame for each other. The reason I kept you two here alone and brought this up was never to blame you. I was merely giving you a reminder: if you encounter such situations in the future, think carefully before making a decision."
Hearing this, both immediately affirmed, "Yes, Master," though they remained somewhat apprehensive.
"As for the factions that chose to side with the Spirit Masters, killing them is fine; there’s no issue there. However, for those that did not side with the Spirit Masters, in my opinion, killing them would also typically not be a big deal. It’s just that the current situation is different. Killing them not only brings us no benefit but can also cause trouble, especially with major factions like the Saint Mother Cult. Killing them is indeed a headache, so it’s best to avoid killing them if possible."
Yang Haoran said with a faint smile. Although his expression seemed calm at the moment, he was indeed troubled by this matter in his heart. The only thing that truly bothered him was that Jing Qi had even wiped out the Saint Mother Cult in Ancheng, leaving no survivors. If the higher echelons of the Saint Mother Cult learned of this, it might truly cause him considerable trouble.
During the last meeting he attended in the Underworld, the Five Great Emperors of the Underworld Division made it very clear that they would try every possible means to win over other major factions recently, and this, of course, included the Saint Mother Cult.
Although Jing Qi’s destruction of the Ancheng Saint Mother Cult might not necessarily influence the decisions of the Saint Mother Cult’s high command—after all, Ancheng was just a small place, and the Saint Mother Cult’s high command did not pay much attention to Ancheng, nor did they value the Saints and Saint Servants stationed there—what if the high command of the Saint Mother Cult decided to make an issue of it? Then their Underworld Office would definitely be put in a passive position.
No one could guarantee that such a thing wouldn’t happen, and Yang Haoran certainly couldn’t make such a guarantee, so he was quite troubled by this matter.
Hearing this, the siblings involuntarily glanced at each other. Jing Qi knew he had caused trouble this time, so he dared not speak. Jing Miao, however, respectfully said to Yang Haoran,
"Master, it was our oversight that led to this grave mistake. Is there any way to remedy this now? If there is, my brother and I will do anything to fix it."
After Jing Miao finished speaking, Yang Haoran did not immediately respond. Instead, he gently tapped his fingertips on the tabletop. The siblings knew Yang Haoran was considering a countermeasure, so neither of them dared to interrupt.
A moment later, Yang Haoran’s eyes lit up, and his tapping fingers ceased. The siblings had been paying close attention to Yang Haoran’s every move, not missing even a single change in his expression. Thus, they saw Yang Haoran’s current change and knew he must have thought of a good solution, which filled them with joy.
"Heh heh, are you certain you killed everyone from the Ancheng Saint Mother Cult?"
Yang Haoran looked at Jing Qi and asked with a faint smile. The siblings had not expected Yang Haoran to suddenly ask such a question, and both were momentarily stunned.
However, they were stunned and lasted only a split second. They quickly reacted, and Jing Qi, without a second thought, immediately nodded to Yang Haoran.
"Reporting to Master, your subordinate confirms everyone was killed!"
Although Jing Qi didn’t know why Yang Haoran would suddenly ask such a question, he immediately gave a definite answer.
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