Chapter 1454: What Matters, What Doesn't
Although the Tong Continent’s territory was far smaller than the Eastern Sunrise Ocean’s, it was still quite vast. Like other continents, various forces stood arrayed here, with the Underworld Office alongside other factions.
As a super-power, the Underworld Office naturally occupied a significant area within the Tong Continent. However, due to the fall of the Tongzhou Great Emperor and the subsequent tragic deaths of three Guardians in a short period, the strength of the Tong Continent Underworld Division plummeted. Precisely because of this, the Tong Continent Underworld Division lost some territory during this time. A portion of these lost lands was seized by the Talisman Order, while another part was cleverly acquired by the Saint Mother Sect.
Both the Talisman Order and the Saint Mother Sect were super-powers, each with their own deities. Only such forces dared to pluck food from the tiger's maw. Other factions, lacking the protection of gods, might harbor such malicious intent but lacked the audacity, fearing retaliation from the Underworld Office later on.
All major forces secretly cultivated their own informants, some even infiltrating deep within their target organizations. As a super-power, the Underworld Office inevitably had informants planted by other forces.
Consequently, the death of the Tongzhou Great Emperor and the tragic demise of three Guardians in the Tong Continent Underworld Division in rapid succession could not be kept secret. News quickly spread, and such immense losses not only affected the Tong Continent Underworld Division but also had a considerable impact on the entire Underworld Office. Conversely, for forces hostile to the Underworld Office, this was naturally a good thing. If they lacked strength, it was one thing—they wouldn't dare make a move. But those with power would certainly not miss such a golden opportunity to seize territory.
The Saint Mother Sect had never been openly hostile to the Underworld Office, nor could it be considered an ally. This time, with such major chaos erupting in the Underworld Office, it presented a rare and invaluable opportunity to seize territory. The Saint Mother Sect naturally didn't want to miss it. However, unlike the direct approach of the Talisman Order, the Saint Mother Sect concocted numerous high-sounding pretexts to acquire a portion of the Tong Continent Underworld Division's territory.
The Talisman Order was an enemy of the Underworld Office. When they sought to seize territory from the Underworld Office, they naturally didn't need to invent a bunch of pompous excuses like the Saint Mother Sect. Furthermore, the territory they wrested from the Tong Continent Underworld Division was not just a little, but a considerable amount.
The Underworld Office was helpless in the face of this. On one hand, its strength was severely depleted. If it were to wage war against the Talisman Order and the Saint Mother Sect merely because the Tong Continent Underworld Division lost some territory, the outcome would be unfavorable for the Underworld Office regardless of victory or defeat. Moreover, it was not certain that the Underworld Office would prevail against these two super-powers simultaneously. The Saint Mother Sect had not participated in the recent turmoil, but if they had, and had sided against the Underworld Office, then whether the Underworld Office could have emerged victorious would have been an even greater unknown.
On the other hand, the other four Great Emperors harbored their own selfish motives. In their view, it was the Tong Continent Underworld Division's territory that was being plundered, not their own. If they dispatched their own experts to reclaim territory for the Tong Continent Underworld Division, many of their own masters would surely fall in battle. Thus, the loss would be theirs, while the benefits would not be. The four deeply self-interested Great Emperors naturally did not wish to do this.
For a time, the prestige of the Tong Continent Underworld Division significantly diminished, becoming the laughingstock of other factions. Its personnel consequently couldn't hold their heads high. Even the Underworld Office's allies felt disgraced, let alone the people of the Tong Continent Underworld Division. The Tong Continent Underworld Division quickly descended into a complete mess, especially the areas not managed by a Guardian, which fell into utter chaos.
Yang Haoran’s reputation had now exploded across the four continents. It wasn't that everyone knew him, Yang Haoran—that would be an exaggeration and unrealistic. However, most of the upper echelons across the four continents knew Yang Haoran, because his actions made it difficult for these prominent figures to be unaware of him.
As one of the forty-five Guardians of the Underworld Office, Yang Haoran had flagrantly disregarded the law, deceived his superiors and subordinates, and secretly raised ghostly entities. After his deeds were exposed, he had the audacity to collude with Spirit Mediums, reaching some unspeakable agreement with them. He had gathered a large number of Spirit Medium experts in the Jingling Continent Underworld Division’s Ninth District, including even a Spiritualist King, and caused the deaths of the Tongzhou Great Emperor and two Guardians of the Tong Continent Underworld Division. Afterwards, he had emptied his entire jurisdiction, the Ninth District, and vanished without a trace, furthermore setting his own Guardian District ablaze, burning it to the ground.
Prior to this incident, another Guardian of the Tong Continent Underworld Division had tragically died, allegedly also by Yang Haoran's hand. Due to the Tongzhou Great Emperor issuing a gag order at the time, few people knew about it. Only after the Tongzhou Great Emperor's demise did the news rapidly spread.
Yang Haoran's actions left everyone who learned of them, whether from the Underworld Office or other factions, utterly dumbfounded. They truly couldn't believe Yang Haoran dared to do such a thing—a dignified Underworld Office Guardian colluding with his sworn enemies, the Spirit Mediums, and even causing the death of an Underworld Office Great Emperor and three Guardians. Such shocking revelations were enough to astound them for a long time, leading to Yang Haoran’s reputation becoming extraordinarily widespread overnight.
Any information, once it undergoes the process of word-of-mouth transmission, will inevitably change in flavor, with each person's embellishments causing the facts to gradually exaggerate, eventually spiraling out of control and becoming increasingly preposterous. Yang Haoran's case was a vivid example.
In the battle with the Tongzhou Great Emperor, Yang Haoran had, in fact, not colluded with Spirit Mediums, nor had he reached any agreement with them, let alone set his Guardian District on fire. Yet, the rumors were wildly divergent from the truth.
Moreover, it was true that another Guardian of the Tong Continent Underworld Division had died at Yang Haoran's hands before the Tongzhou Great Emperor's demise, but very few people knew about it. The Tong Continent Underworld Division had no evidence to prove that Yang Haoran was responsible. Yet, it seemed so plausible to pin this on Yang Haoran's head, and everyone believed that the Guardian's death was also Yang Haoran's doing.
Of course, using "pinning a hat" to describe this might be somewhat inappropriate. After all, the Guardian did indeed die by Yang Haoran's hand, so it wasn't exactly 'pinning a hat'. The person who spread this information merely got lucky, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, hitting the mark by sheer accident.
Upon arriving in the Tong Continent, Yang Haoran didn't inquire about the various rumors concerning him from anyone, because he had already learned about them from Tang Shi's report before leaving Half-Moon Island. He also knew that the Underworld Office had offered generous rewards and was globally pursuing him, looking as if they wouldn't rest until they dragged him out.
Yang Haoran didn't pay too much attention to this, nor was he surprised, as it was entirely within his expectations, and he had already taken targeted measures. However, there was one matter that greatly concerned him: the predicament of Xu Meijing, and the circumstances of Gu Yi and Ban Kui from Jingran Pharmacy.
Tang Shi’s intelligence network was extensive; not to mention the four continents, even events in the Underworld couldn't escape his informants. Although he was a ghostly creature and dared not step into the Underworld to walk into a trap, he could acquire all sorts of intelligence by bribing Underworld Officials. The number of Underworld Officials in the mortal realm was countless; not every Underworld Official was a devout follower of the Death God. Even if they all were, when faced with sufficient profit, some Underworld Officials' faith would waver. For Tang Shi, it was no difficult feat to bribe a few Underworld Officials to help him gather information.
Precisely because Tang Shi had such channels, at Yang Haoran’s behest, he thoroughly investigated and clearly reported the situations of Xu Meijing, and of Gu Yi and Ban Kui at Jingran Pharmacy, to his boss, Yang Haoran.
According to the information gathered by Tang Shi, after Yang Haoran’s disappearance, Xu Meijing became a target due to her special relationship with Yang Haoran, and almost lost her Guardian position. If not for the Underworld Office's severe loss of strength and dire need for personnel, particularly the Jingling Continent Underworld Division's shortage of people, coupled with Xu Meijing’s public guarantee and pledge made to all Underworld Officials throughout the entire Underworld Office via the Underworld Iron Tome, Xu Meijing would most likely have been imprisoned already.
Yang Haoran knew the specific content of Xu Meijing's guarantee and pledge. The guarantee letter roughly stated that she and Yang Haoran had long since severed all ties. From the moment Yang Haoran betrayed her on their wedding day, their bond of kindness and righteousness was broken, and they would have no further connection, never to meet again. This was no secret in the Underworld Office, and she guaranteed the truthfulness of this point.
The pledge letter roughly stated that if she were to learn of Yang Haoran’s whereabouts, she would not hesitate to apprehend him. If she could bring a living Yang Haoran back to the Underworld Office for judgment, that would be best. If she couldn't bring him back alive, then she must bring his corpse back to the Underworld Office, even if it meant sacrificing her own life, she would accomplish this.
With Xu Meijing's guarantee and pledge letters, coupled with the intervention of Jingling Great Emperor Luo Yao, Xu Meijing managed to retain her Guardian position and avoid imprisonment. However, the vast majority of Underworld Officials in the Underworld Office still doubted Xu Meijing's stance, and their attitude towards her was naturally far from good, with no small number of people speaking ill of her behind her back.
Luo Yao chose to help Xu Meijing at this critical juncture primarily because helping Xu Meijing was, in fact, helping himself, Luo Yao. If not for this, even with Xu Meijing’s guarantee and pledge, her chances of escaping imprisonment would have been slim.
Since Xu Meijing did not fall from power, Jingran Pharmacy did not close down. Gu Yi and Ban Kui, protected by Xu Meijing, were in a decent situation, though it was much worse than before. This was because Jingran Pharmacy had previously been protected by two Guardians, but now only had one, and this Guardian was in a very precarious position. The entire Jingran Pharmacy was naturally implicated, and the status of Gu Yi and Ban Kui certainly plummeted.
However, under these circumstances, it was already good that Jingran Pharmacy could be preserved; it wouldn't have been surprising if it had gone out of business entirely. Gu Yi and Ban Kui were well aware of this, so not only did they have no complaints, but they also felt quite fortunate.
Xu Meijing did not abandon Jingran Pharmacy, nor did she abandon Gu Yi and Ban Kui, not entirely because of the value Jingran Pharmacy brought her or her good impression of Gu Yi and Ban Kui. There was another very important reason: the arrangements Yang Haoran had made with Gu Yi and Ban Kui beforehand.
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