Chapter 159: Suspicion
Whenever Deng Feng appeared in the past, although he wouldn't show much happiness, he rarely wore a dark expression. Once such a situation arose, it could only mean one thing: their boss's mood at that very moment was exceptionally foul.
Clearly seeing that their boss was in a bad mood, and still daring to make a racket—wasn't that just openly asking for a beating?
The spatial rift slowly closed. Deng Feng then walked towards the main seat and sat down with a dark expression.
"Greetings, Emissary!"
All the Night Watchers stood up from their seats and bowed in unison, saluting with cupped hands.
As for Deng Feng, he merely grunted in response and offered no further words.
None of the Night Watchers dared to breathe loudly, let alone speak. The entire hall's atmosphere instantly became exceedingly oppressive.
In this situation, Yang Haoran naturally wasn't foolish enough to be the bird that stuck its head out. He stood rooted to his spot, head bowed, a thoughtful expression on his face, his mind lost in who knew what thoughts.
Yang Haoran wasn't foolish, and the other Night Watchers were equally clever. No one was willing to court disaster at this moment.
As soon as these words were uttered, a Night Watcher hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, still brought his Soul-Gathering Bead towards Deng Feng.
There weren't many souls inside the Soul-Gathering Bead, only about a dozen or so. Deng Feng merely glanced at it and then impatiently waved his hand.
This Night Watcher didn't dare utter another word, quickly bowed, and then retreated, as if a great burden had been lifted.
As he retreated, another Night Watcher immediately stepped up, offering his Soul-Gathering Bead with both hands. He wouldn't dare make Deng Feng wait even a second longer.
This one's haul was somewhat better than the previous one's, with roughly twenty-plus souls inside the Soul-Gathering Bead. But this did not cause Deng Feng's expression to improve in the slightest; he still wore a dark expression and still impatiently waved his hand.
This Night Watcher naturally dared not show any dissatisfaction with Deng Feng's attitude. Like the previous one, he heaved a sigh of relief inwardly while quickly retreating, unwilling to stay in Deng Feng's presence for even another second.
Following this, the third, fourth, and fifth individuals successively approached Deng Feng with their Soul-Gathering Beads. Although the number of souls in their Soul-Gathering Beads varied, Deng Feng's expression not only failed to improve but grew progressively darker.
The already exceedingly oppressive hall, as time passed bit by bit, grew increasingly oppressive, and the atmosphere became heavier and heavier!
In just a short while, it was Yang Haoran's turn!
Yang Haoran took a deep breath, then donned his signature smile and, carrying the Soul-Gathering Bead he had long prepared, walked briskly towards Deng Feng.
The grim expression on Deng Feng's face didn't change with Yang Haoran's appearance. He still wore a dark expression, as if the whole world owed him money.
However, when his gaze fell upon the Soul-Gathering Bead Yang Haoran offered, his grim expression finally showed a hint of change.
The reason Deng Feng's expression changed was because there were simply too many souls within Yang Haoran's Soul-Gathering Bead—at least eighty or more!
It was precisely because of this that Deng Feng's grim expression showed a hint of change.
Immediately after, when Deng Feng noticed the Skin-Borrowing Ghost inside the Soul-Gathering Bead, his expression changed again, becoming much softer.
Deng Feng, who had always been impatient with the other Night Watchers, now actually nodded at Yang Haoran. His demeanor seemed to acknowledge Yang Haoran's achievements.
Seeing Deng Feng's expression soften, all the other Night Watchers let out a sigh of relief. The sheer number of souls in Yang Haoran's Soul-Gathering Bead truly shocked them profoundly, especially the Half-step Evil Spirit, the Skin-Borrowing Ghost, which delivered the strongest psychological impact.
At the end of last month, Yang Haoran had already submitted a Half-step Evil Spirit. They hadn't expected that this month, Yang Haoran would subdue another such formidable entity. Furthermore, the number of spirits he guided was also quite astonishing. They found it hard to imagine how a newcomer could achieve such a feat?
The Night Watchers were perplexed, and Deng Feng, in his heart, was similarly perplexed.
In the past, Deng Feng would never bother with such trivial matters. What he cared about most was the number of souls his Night Watchers could submit each month; the more, the better. As for how these souls were obtained, he typically wouldn't care.
However, things were different now. He was worried that another Xu Meijing might emerge from his subordinates.
As an Emissary of Death, for a Night Watcher under him to suddenly become an Open Soul realm expert, and furthermore, to coincidentally become an Emissary of Death just like himself—while he was shocked inwardly, it was naturally accompanied by no small amount of anger.
He had originally thought he had a general understanding of the strength of his Night Watcher subordinates, but now he seemed to realize he was mistaken.
Therefore, this time, when he saw Yang Haoran had actually subdued another Half-step Evil Spirit, he first felt a surge of joy, but then a wave of doubt still arose in his heart.
"Although these spirits vary in strength, they are still merely wánglíng after all and cannot cause much trouble. With your strength, even the strongest wánglíng poses no threat to you. I'm not surprised at all that you can subdue them."
Deng Feng looked at the Soul-Gathering Bead, then paused. He pointed to the soul of the Skin-Borrowing Ghost inside the Soul-Gathering Bead, his tone becoming very low, and continued to speak: "But, with your strength, how could you possibly subdue a Half-step Evil Spirit? Did you find someone to help again this time?"
Yang Haoran's heart was vigilant, but his face showed no trace of nervousness.
"Indeed, I sought help from a friend," Yang Haoran chuckled, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "Otherwise, as a newcomer, how could I possibly deal with a Half-step Evil Spirit? When facing such a ghost, it would be good enough if I could just preserve my life."
"Oh? Is that so? You found another helper. Your luck is truly good."
Deng Feng's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. Anyone could hear the implied meaning in his words; judging from his reaction, he didn't seem to entirely believe what Yang Haoran said.
Yang Haoran naturally understood the hidden meaning in Deng Feng's words. He feigned a shy expression and continued to speak: "This Half-step Evil Spirit is the Skin-Borrowing Ghost that caused such a commotion at Tianhe Hospital a while ago. When I first discovered this ghost, the Spirit Police happened to have also targeted it. So, I teamed up with the Spirit Police, and only then were we successfully able to subdue this Skin-Borrowing Ghost. Without them, relying solely on my own strength, I would have been unable to subdue this Skin-Borrowing Ghost."
After hearing Yang Haoran's explanation, Deng Feng's expression improved somewhat. He wasn't worried that Yang Haoran would deceive him, because he believed Yang Haoran wouldn't dare. Since this matter involved the Spirit Police, whether it was true or not, he could find out with a single phone call. If Yang Haoran dared to lie to him, he would be seeking death.
However, Yang Haoran indeed hadn't lied this time. Even if Deng Feng contacted the Spirit Police, the results he'd get would be no different from what Yang Haoran had said. Therefore, he wasn't worried.
Actually, Yang Haoran had not intended to submit this Half-step Evil Spirit, the Skin-Borrowing Ghost. If he successfully refined the Soul-Refining Cauldron in the future, then a malevolent spirit like the Skin-Borrowing Ghost would be an excellent material for refining Soul Crystals. Preparing materials in advance, even before the Soul-Refining Cauldron had been refined, was extremely necessary.
However, he had the thieving heart but not the thieving courage. Because his subduing of the Skin-Borrowing Ghost was no secret, if he didn't submit the soul to Deng Feng and Deng Feng found out about it, Yang Haoran didn't know how serious the consequences would be, but it would definitely bring him a series of troubles, and could even anger Deng Feng!
Therefore, Yang Haoran had no choice. He could only hand over the Skin-Borrowing Ghost. This way, he could not only exchange it for some Soul Qi to improve himself but also ensure his own safety. It was the most rational course of action.
"You did well. You may step down."
Deng Feng didn't inquire further. After collecting the Soul-Gathering Bead, he directly dismissed Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran smiled and bowed, then respectfully retreated. If it were in the past, he would have complained in a very subtle manner, to tell his boss how much suffering he endured to subdue this Half-step Evil Spirit and how much risk he took.
But this time, he didn't do so. He clearly knew that Deng Feng was in a bad mood at the moment; if he still foolishly went to complain, it would be no different from seeking death.
Deng Feng at this moment was like a powder keg, the kind that would explode with a single spark. Therefore, no matter how he complained, it would only backfire.
After Yang Haoran, several more Night Watchers submitted their Soul-Gathering Beads. However, when they took out their Soul-Gathering Beads, Deng Feng's expression, which had somewhat improved, instantly darkened again!
After everyone had successfully submitted their Soul-Gathering Beads, Deng Feng took out a wooden box and proceeded to infuse Soul Qi into everyone based on their respective achievements.
However, what Yang Haoran and the other Night Watchers hadn't expected was that this time, during their Soul Qi infusion, the amount of Soul Qi they received was pitifully small!
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