Chapter 171: I Want to Put on a Good Show
Yang Haoran quietly chatted with Jiang Dashi for a few moments, learning that Jiang Dashi and his group had escaped danger because Deng Feng had arrived in the nick of time. Otherwise, their group wouldn't have merely been injured; a few might have died, or they might have been completely wiped out.
However, by the time Deng Feng arrived, the Evil Spirit that had trapped Jiang Dashi and the others had already fled in advance, causing Deng Feng to come up empty-handed.
It wasn't just Jiang Dashi's location where Deng Feng came up empty-handed; he also found nothing at the other site. When he arrived, only two corpses remained on the ground; he saw no trace of the Evil Spirit, nor did he sense its presence.
Deng Feng didn't know what method the Evil Spirit had used to completely wipe clean any residual Yin Qi. If he couldn't sense any lingering Yin Qi, then no matter how strong he was, it was useless.
After Jiang Dashi's explanation, Yang Haoran finally understood why Deng Feng had flown into such a rage. Coming up empty twice in a row, losing two Night Watchers, and seeing the others all injured, almost completely annihilated—this was a resounding slap to his face. It would be strange if he didn't get angry.
"Yang Haoran, where did you run off to?"
Deng Feng, seated at the head, opened his eyes. His gaze landed on Yang Haoran as he spoke with a grim expression.
Before, he had kept his eyes closed, seemingly suppressing the anger within him. Although his eyes were closed, he had still sensed Yang Haoran's arrival.
Yet, upon seeing Yang Haoran completely unscathed, he felt not a shred of joy. The anger he had just suppressed almost flared up again uncontrollably.
Deng Feng was slightly puzzled but didn't stop him. After Yang Haoran reached his side, he leaned down and whispered something in his ear.
Deng Feng's expression remained unchanged. He simply grunted in response and waved Yang Haoran away.
"I hope that everything that happened today will be kept absolutely silent. Do not speak of it to anyone. " Deng Feng swept his gaze across the Night Watchers present and said in a deep voice.
Though each Night Watcher was injured, they all respectfully affirmed. After all, this was nothing to brag about; speaking of it would not only cause them, as Night Watchers, to lose face, but it would also completely strip Deng Feng, the Emissary of Death, of his.
Beyond this consideration, Deng Feng had another thought.
In his eyes, Night Watchers were mere cannon fodder. If they were gone, he could just recruit more. However, if this matter spread, the Underworld Office would likely question his capabilities, and other Emissaries of Death might try to squeeze him out or suppress him, affecting his career in the Underworld Office.
Therefore, he could only handle this discreetly, without making a fuss, to avoid negative repercussions for himself.
In the time that followed, Deng Feng spoke much to the Night Watchers present, making a series of deployments and arrangements, all of which were naturally aimed at the Spirit Mediums.
Finally, Deng Feng even took out some protective items and bestowed them upon the surviving Night Watchers. If it had been in the past, these Night Watchers would have been overjoyed to receive such treasures from Deng Feng. But now, their reactions were remarkably calm, showing not the slightest excitement at receiving the items.
This situation arose not because the Night Watchers had too high standards, but because the Death God Pendant Deng Feng had previously given them hadn't been very effective. That was why they remained calm, showing no signs of excitement.
Naturally, Deng Feng was incredibly annoyed by this. The protective items he had bestowed upon the Night Watchers this time were genuine treasures, completely incomparable to the previous Death God Pendant. It was a pity these Night Watchers didn't know a good thing when they saw it, so how could he not be annoyed?
Annoyed though he was, Deng Feng didn't take the items back. Five Night Watchers had died in a single day. Even if Night Watchers were cannon fodder, they couldn't keep dying like this. If they continued to perish, who would work for him? Who would manage all the Death God Temples in Lecheng? Was he to go personally?
That was clearly impossible. So, to ensure all Death God Temples in Lecheng could operate normally, he could only endure the heartache and bring out genuine treasures for the Night Watchers' defense.
After the other Night Watchers left, only Yang Haoran and Deng Feng remained in the hall.
"Do you have something important to report to me? You can speak now. " Deng Feng said, his gaze fixed on Yang Haoran.
Earlier, when Yang Haoran first entered the hall, Deng Feng's displeasure towards Yang Haoran had been quite evident. However, after Yang Haoran whispered something to him, Deng Feng forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart and didn't continue to question Yang Haoran in front of all the Night Watchers.
At that time, Yang Haoran had only said one thing to Deng Feng: that he had something important to report, but it wasn't convenient with so many people present.
Deng Feng, of course, wasn't worried that Yang Haoran would play any tricks. After all, the enormous disparity in their strength was clear for all to see. So, he hadn't pressed the matter then. Only now, after he had made all the arrangements and only the two of them remained, did he ask.
"Emissary, the reason I didn't rush over to assist tonight is because I was trapped. I was trapped by an old man named Du Da."
After careful consideration, Yang Haoran decided to tell Deng Feng about his encounter with Du Da tonight. He did so because he already had his own plans and intentions.
That old man, Du Da, had said a lot to him tonight. And in Yang Haoran's view, the reason he said so much was to convey one thing: Du Da was insidious and ruthless; he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Therefore, Yang Haoran had better cooperate with him, or he would die a miserable death, for Du Da was capable of anything.
Yang Haoran understood Du Da's meaning, but while he grasped the man's ruthlessness, he also understood his untrustworthiness. He felt that Du Da had no intention of letting him live, and even if Du Da's plan succeeded in the end, he would still meet the fate of Soul Transformation.
In other words, no matter what he did, death was the only outcome.
Since death was inevitable either way, shouldn't he do something?
Indeed, he should. And what Yang Haoran wanted to do was simple: even if he was to die, he would take enough people down with him. Du Da was to be one of them.
With this goal in mind, Yang Haoran conceived a plan, and the first step of this plan was to tell Deng Feng everything he had experienced tonight.
At that moment, as soon as Deng Feng heard Yang Haoran's words, his expression instantly changed, and he shot up from his seat.
"Du Da? You met that old bastard tonight?"
Deng Feng was first startled, then a look of confusion appeared on his face, and his gaze towards Yang Haoran also showed caution.
"Since you met him, how could you still be alive?"
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised in the slightest by Deng Feng's question; it was already within his expectations.
"He believes I am very close to the Emissary and that the Emissary values me highly, so he threatened me into doing something. " Yang Haoran replied.
"You agreed? " Deng Feng frowned and asked.
Yang Haoran nodded straightforwardly, saying, "I did. If I hadn't, I'd probably be a cold corpse right now."
Hearing this, Deng Feng's gaze turned cold, and he let out a cold snort. "Hmph, you certainly admit it readily. As a member of the Underworld Office, to accept a Spirit Medium's threat just to save your life. . . to put it lightly, it's acting under duress; to put it harshly, it's betraying the Underworld Office. And you still have the nerve to tell me directly?"
A bitter smile appeared on Yang Haoran's face. He said, "That old bastard Du Da planted a Soul Dispersing Needle in my body. He promised that if I helped him achieve his goals, he would spare my life. But I don't believe him. I know that regardless of whether I help him achieve his goals, I would eventually die anyway. That's why I decided to report all this to you. I hope, Emissary, you will put on a show with me."
Deng Feng's eyebrow twitched. He asked, "Put on a show? What kind of show?"
"A good show. A good show aimed at playing him to his death. " Yang Haoran's smile vanished, his gaze turning cold, and a surge of killing intent emanated from his body.
Looking at the coldness in Yang Haoran's eyes, Deng Feng didn't speak immediately. Instead, he stared at Yang Haoran for a long time, as if trying to see through to Yang Haoran's innermost thoughts.
After a moment, Deng Feng withdrew his gaze and sat back in his seat. The coldness on his face vanished, replaced by a look of curiosity.
"What did he ask you to do? " Deng Feng asked, picking at his fingernail with one hand.
"He gave me one month to lure you into the Ghost Building, and then find a way to make you fight the entity inside the Ghost Building. " Yang Haoran replied.
As soon as these words left his mouth, Deng Feng's hand paused, and his expression stiffened. After recovering, he laughed.
"Heh, that old bastard certainly plays a good game, doesn't he? Is he trying to reap the benefits of others' struggles? Indeed, to eliminate both me and that entity in one go—his ambition truly knew no bounds. " Deng Feng chuckled as he continued to pick at his already clean fingernail with his thumb.
"Old man Du Da said that if I could successfully accomplish these two things, he would then reveal himself. " Yang Haoran said.
"Tell me your thoughts. How do you plan to stage this show? " Deng Feng asked.
"The entity in the Ghost Building has always cooperated with our Underworld Office for many years. If the Emissary were to intervene and ask her to cooperate, given your status as Emissary, it probably wouldn't be difficult. " Yang Haoran said.
Deng Feng paused his fingernail-picking once more, then shifted his gaze from his hand to Yang Haoran.
"You want the entity in the Ghost Building to also join your 'cast'? " Deng Feng asked.
Yang Haoran nodded, saying, "Without her, this show would lack its soul. Do you think that old bastard would believe it?"
"And with her, that old bastard will believe it? " Deng Feng retorted.
A cold smile appeared on Yang Haoran's face.
"As long as the Emissary doesn't question my actions over the next month and listens to my suggestions, I'm confident I can make that old bastard come watch this death play. It's impossible to make him fully trust me, but he has desires, and he wants to achieve his goals. So, even if he doesn't fully believe it, he'll still risk a try. Luring him into the Ghost Building is something I'm confident I can do, but the prerequisite is that you and the entity in the Ghost Building must cooperate with me to put on this show well."
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