Chapter 1233: Cleaning House
Although he couldn't discern any useful information from Luo Yao's face, Yang Haoran's own face showed not the slightest hint of disappointment. His expression, as before, carried a faint smile, utterly unchanged.
"Heh heh," Yang Haoran began, "when the Great Emperor summons a subordinate, how could a subordinate dare to be remiss? Upon receiving the Great Emperor's Communication Talisman, this subordinate immediately dropped everything and rushed here."
Yang Haoran's tone was sincere, and his attitude appeared exceptionally respectful. He wasn't lying in his words, for he had indeed done exactly as he said.
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Luo Yao's expression softened slightly. This subtle change in expression naturally registered in Yang Haoran's eyes.
"Please, have a seat first," Luo Yao said. "We are still waiting for others."
Luo Yao's words, coupled with the subtle shift in his expression, made Yang Haoran feel that today's summons from Luo Yao was not directed at him.
Firstly, the change in expression: if Luo Yao had intended to target him, his expression certainly wouldn't have softened due to a few words from him.
Secondly, the meaning behind Luo Yao's words: It wasn't difficult to discern from Luo Yao's statement that today, Luo Yao had summoned more than just Yang Haoran. From this perspective, Luo Yao wasn't targeting him, because if Luo Yao had been targeting him, there would have been no need to involve anyone else. Luo Yao alone would have been sufficient, at least from Luo Yao's perspective. Therefore, he believed Luo Yao's summons was not directed at him, but rather an intention to convene some important secret meeting.
Approximately one minute later, the second person entered the room and respectfully bowed to Luo Yao. This person was none other than Yang Haoran's mortal enemy, Huo Laoban.
Recently, the internal struggle between the two had grown increasingly brutal, reaching a point where they wished to kill each other upon sight. However, in Luo Yao's presence, neither showed the slightest hint of this animosity; instead, they appeared like harmonious good partners.
"Heh heh," Huo Laoban chuckled, "Guardian Yang's speed is truly remarkable. He manages to arrive before me every time. It truly makes me feel a bit ashamed."
After respectfully bowing to Luo Yao, Huo Laoban then smiled and addressed Yang Haoran, his tone mild and devoid of any killing intent, just as if greeting an old friend.
"Heh heh," Yang Haoran responded, "I merely arrived a little while before Guardian Huo, that's all."
Yang Haoran smiled in response, his tone equally mild and devoid of killing intent, and he appeared very humble.
Seeing this, Luo Yao's face not only showed no relief, but his brows subtly furrowed.
"Alright, quickly sit down," Luo Yao stated.
Although Luo Yao didn't explicitly call them out, the tone of his voice clearly betrayed his impatience. He had directed his words at Huo Laoban, but both knew his impatience wasn't solely for Huo Laoban.
Huo Laoban respectfully assented, and then found a seat. This position was directly below Luo Yao and opposite Yang Haoran.
Since Luo Yao had already spoken, Yang Haoran naturally wouldn't dare to go against the Great Emperor's wishes in his presence. So, like Huo Laoban, he also remained silent.
Over the next five minutes, three more people arrived consecutively, Xu Meijing among them.
Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing hadn't seen each other in some time. Naturally, both were happy to meet today, but considering the circumstances, neither of them spoke aloud. They merely exchanged glances.
The other two were Yongle and Lang Ze. Yongle had become a Guardian before the great war, while Lang Ze had become one after the war. Several Guardians had fallen in the battle of Snow Fox Mountain, and the Jingling Continent Yin Division had also lost Guardians. Lang Ze was one of the Guardians who filled a vacant position after the war.
Although Lang Ze and Yongle became Guardians at different times, one thing remained the same: both were Guardians directly promoted by Luo Yao, without undergoing any selection process.
Since they were all Guardians personally promoted by Luo Yao, Yang Haoran and Lang Ze naturally had their share of interactions. Especially when Luo Yao convened secret meetings, they would all gather and meet.
Previously, Yang Haoran hadn't been entirely certain that Luo Yao's summons today was for a secret meeting. However, now that he saw all the Guardians personally promoted by Luo Yao had arrived, he confirmed that his inner conjecture was correct. rAN0B$Е^s
"The five of you are Guardians I personally promoted, and it can be said you are all my trusted confidantes. Therefore, I won't beat around the bush; let's get straight to the point. Today, I have secretly gathered the five of you here because I intend to take you to clean house. To prevent any leaks, I chose this tavern to meet with you."
After all five had arrived, Luo Yao spoke directly and to the point. Upon hearing Luo Yao's words, the expressions of the five changed, to varying degrees.
None of them had expected that Luo Yao had gathered them here today with the intention of secretly cleaning house. Thus, they were all somewhat surprised in their hearts. As for who the traitors Luo Yao intended to purge were, the five all had some conjectures.
Luo Yao's gaze swept over the five, and he saw the changes in their expressions.
"Do any of you have any questions? " Luo Yao asked.
Luo Yao asked, and Lang Ze hesitated for a moment, then spoke his thoughts with a serious expression.
"Great Emperor, this matter is no small affair. Should we not take some time to prepare?"
Luo Yao heard this and gently shook his head.
"What I want is to catch them off guard. If we spend time preparing, we will not only miss the best moment to act, but there's also a chance the news might leak. Therefore, there's no need for such trouble."
Luo Yao's refusal was decisive. Seeing that Luo Yao's mind was made up, Lang Ze nodded seriously and said no more.
"Heh heh," Yang Haoran said with a faint smile, "I have no objections. Everything will follow the Great Emperor's arrangements."
Yang Haoran smiled faintly, first stating his attitude and loyalty. Luo Yao grunted in acknowledgment, saying nothing more.
"That guy beat me to it again!"
Huo Laoban thought to himself, a hint of reluctance in his heart, but he didn't let that reluctance show on his face.
"Heh heh," Huo Laoban swiftly declared, "I also have no objections. Whatever the Great Emperor arranges, I shall do. Even if it means climbing mountains of blades or plunging into seas of fire, this subordinate will absolutely not even frown."
Huo Laoban, a half-beat too slow, hastily expressed his stance after Yang Haoran finished speaking. After that speech, he might as well have knelt directly before Luo Yao to declare his loyalty.
Luo Yao's lips curved slightly upwards. His formerly stern expression revealed a faint smile. However, he merely nodded at Huo Laoban, again saying nothing.
"I have no objections," Xu Meijing also stated.
Xu Meijing also stated her position. Unlike Yang Haoran and Huo Laoban, who made grand declarations of loyalty, she maintained her usual aloof expression, speaking casually.
"Haha," Yongle chuckled, "I also have no objections. Since the Great Emperor has already made a decision, I naturally cannot disappoint him. However, I am a bit curious: are the traitors the Great Emperor intends to purge this time just one person, or multiple?"
Yongle let out a hearty laugh. The smile on his face was completely different from those of Yang Haoran and Huo Laoban. His smile gave off a feeling of carefree spontaneity, rather than mildness.
"Of course, there is more than one traitor, and they won't be easy to deal with. But you don't need to worry. This operation will be personally led by me. We will strike them without warning, catching them completely by surprise. Even if they are troublesome, they will be unable to escape, even with wings. I am bringing all five of you along as a precaution, because I don't want to see a single one of them escape from my grasp, not one. I believe that with the strength and methods of you five, you will certainly not allow any traitor to successfully escape, am I right?"
Yongle asked two questions, but Luo Yao only answered one. He seemed to have no intention of answering the other question. Since he didn't want to answer, the five present naturally weren't foolish enough to press further.
Facing Luo Yao's rhetorical question, Yang Haoran and the other four immediately expressed their resolve, guaranteeing that they would use every means necessary to detain the traitors, and not allow a single one to escape successfully.
After receiving the five's assurances, Luo Yao wasted no more words, and immediately issued a solemn command.
"Since none of you have any objections, we will depart now!"
After these words fell, Luo Yao personally tore open space, and was the first to step into the spatial rift. Although the five didn't know where Luo Yao intended to take them, they still closely followed Luo Yao into the spatial rift. Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing walked at the very end. The two exchanged glances, communicating silently with their eyes, before stepping into the spatial rift.
Comments