Chapter 1494: Departure (Part Two)
The farewell feast lasted all night, with everyone drinking themselves into a stupor. Even Feng Xiao, who never touched alcohol, was somehow persuaded by Xiang Chuan to down a cup.
This banquet deepened their bonds, and their attitudes towards Ye Zhiqiu changed as well, becoming much more amicable than before. It was a pity, though, that Ye Zhiqiu was now leaving.
Dawn broke, and with it, the time for Ye Zhiqiu to depart. Everyone understood, and so they mobilized their inner power to expel the alcohol, restoring their minds to a state of clarity.
Yang Haoran did not intend to publicize the impending departure of Ye Zhiqiu and his wife. Doing so would bring no benefits and might even lead to misunderstandings among some. Thus, for now, only Yang Haoran's trusted confidants were aware of the matter.
"Everyone, the time for my wife and I to depart has come. For all these years, thank you for your understanding and assistance!"
Ye Zhiqiu rose from his seat, his expression solemn, and spoke to everyone with great courtesy. It was the first time in all these years that he had addressed them with such formality.
Red Lotus also stood up, bowed to everyone, and offered her thanks.
"Thank you, everyone!"
"You are always welcome to return and visit. The Great Night Empire will forever be your second home."
Yang Haoran smiled faintly. Ye Zhiqiu simply nodded upon hearing this, saying nothing further. Immediately after, he waved his hand, tearing space asunder, and a spatial rift appeared.
Before attending the banquet, Ye Zhiqiu and his wife had already stored their luggage in an independent space, so they did not need to return to their residence to retrieve it now. They could depart directly.
"Everyone, take care. We shall meet again if fate allows!"
With those words left behind, Ye Zhiqiu and his wife stepped into the spatial rift under the gazes of everyone present.
"Take care!"
"Take care!"
"Take care!"
Amidst the farewells of the crowd, the spatial rift healed, and Ye Zhiqiu and his wife completely vanished from sight. This great hero, who had rendered outstanding service to both Yang Haoran and the Great Night Empire, now departed to embark on a completely new life—a life they, as a couple, had long yearned for.
Ye Zhiqiu made no promises to Yang Haoran upon his departure, nor did Yang Haoran make any to Ye Zhiqiu. Their farewell was simple and straightforward.
From this moment onward, Ye Zhiqiu was no longer Yang Haoran's top enforcer. That position would naturally be filled by someone else, but as things stood, Yang Haoran had no expert stronger than Ye Zhiqiu under his command. Even if someone took Ye Zhiqiu's place, their strength would not reach his height.
The previously lively banquet grew instantly cold with the departure of Ye Zhiqiu and his wife, as if summer had suddenly plunged into the depths of winter.
"Haha, joy and sorrow, union and separation; the moon waxes and wanes, cloudy and clear. There is no feast that does not end; one simply gets used to it. Disperse now, everyone, and go about your duties."
Yang Haoran spoke, and of course, no one objected. After bowing to Yang Haoran, everyone departed with complex emotions. They each indeed had their own matters to attend to; if not for Yang Haoran's sudden summons, they would not have had the leisure to be here, feasting and enjoying themselves.
Ye Zhiqiu's departure was a loss for Yang Haoran, and equally a loss for the entire Great Night Empire. However, Yang Haoran did not forcibly retain Ye Zhiqiu for his own selfish reasons, because he had long considered Ye Zhiqiu one of his own. When it came to his people, he never wished to resort to coercive methods; he would always respect their choices.
Although Ye Zhiqiu's departure was a loss for Yang Haoran and the entire Great Night Empire, it did not affect the Great Night Empire's normal operations. Firstly, because only Yang Haoran's trusted confidants were aware of the matter; apart from them, no other high-ranking officials of the Great Night Empire knew. The fewer people who knew, the smaller the impact would naturally be.
Although paper cannot wrap fire, and this matter would eventually spread, there would certainly be a process involved. At least in the short term, it would not become widely known. By the time it truly spread, a considerable amount of time would have passed, and the resulting impact would naturally be even smaller.
On the other hand, although Ye Zhiqiu was Yang Haoran's top enforcer, he held no official position, unlike Bai Xue, Old Master Wu, and others who managed an organization or a department. Therefore, his departure would only cause Yang Haoran to lose a powerful general, without affecting the Great Night Empire's operations in any way.
Of course, Ye Zhiqiu's lack of a position was not because Yang Haoran refused to give him one, but because he himself desired no official role. He found it tiring and troublesome, entirely unsuited to his personality.
By Yang Haoran's command, Bai Xue dispatched personnel to send all the sea demons subdued during the expedition back to the Great Night Empire, where they were to receive professional ideological education from the Great Night Empire's experts, first stabilizing their minds. As for the vacancies left by these departing sea demons, Yang Haoran transferred a significant number of personnel from the Iron Blood Demon Hall and Myriad Ghost Grotto to fill them.
More personnel were drawn from the Myriad Ghost Grotto than from the Iron Blood Demon Hall, but these only constituted a small fraction of the Myriad Ghost Grotto's strength. The Iron Blood Demon Hall, while contributing fewer in number than the Myriad Ghost Grotto, saw the majority of its members dispatched, leaving only a small portion to guard the Night God Palace.
The reason Yang Haoran did this was his desire for the members of the Iron Blood Demon Hall to gain more combat experience, thereby enhancing their individual fighting capabilities.
The members of the Iron Blood Demon Hall were all meticulously selected. Though few in number, every single one was an elite. As they bore different responsibilities, Yang Haoran held high expectations for them, and consequently, his demands were equally stringent.
Deploying the vast majority of the Iron Blood Demon Hall's members to the front lines naturally weakened the Night God Palace's defensive strength. However, Yang Haoran was not unduly concerned about this, as he, the Emperor himself, personally presided over the Night God Palace. Furthermore, the power of the Funerary Division was not to be underestimated, to say nothing of the island-protecting grand array set up by Ma Ling. If any foolhardy individual truly dared to attack, they would certainly suffer a bitter fate.
According to the original plan, Yang Haoran, in addition to dispatching personnel from the Myriad Ghost Grotto and the Iron Blood Demon Hall to the front lines, had also intended for Ye Zhiqiu to participate in the support efforts. The main purpose was to protect Bai Xue and handle any emergencies that Bai Xue found difficult to manage. However, Ye Zhiqiu's sudden departure forced him to alter his plans.
After careful consideration, Yang Haoran decided to entrust this task to Young Mistress Zhong Siyu.
In terms of raw strength, Zhong Siyu's power was undoubtedly far superior to Ye Zhiqiu's. With her protecting Bai Xue, Bai Xue's safety would absolutely be guaranteed to the greatest extent. The reason Yang Haoran hadn't considered this from the start was, naturally, due to his own considerations.
Firstly, Zhong Siyu's personality: Zhong Siyu's temperament was extremely volatile and not easily managed by just anyone. Many times, she wouldn't even give Yang Haoran face, let alone Bai Xue. Therefore, if Bai Xue and Zhong Siyu's opinions diverged, Zhong Siyu would, more often than not, refuse to act according to Bai Xue's wishes, which was certainly not a good thing.
Secondly, the price of enlisting Zhong Siyu's aid was simply too high. Unless it was absolutely unavoidable, Yang Haoran truly preferred not to call upon her.
In order to ensure Bai Xue's safety and the smooth progress of this expedition, Yang Haoran genuinely had no other more suitable candidate apart from Zhong Siyu. Thus, he could only brazenly go and invite Zhong Siyu to act.
As for whether Zhong Siyu would refuse, Yang Haoran was not worried. Such acts of fighting and killing were Zhong Siyu's greatest pleasure, and with generous rewards to be had, Yang Haoran saw no reason whatsoever for Zhong Siyu to decline.
The outcome did not deviate from Yang Haoran's expectations. Not only did Zhong Siyu not refuse, but she was quite pleased and agreed without hesitation.
However, to prevent Zhong Siyu from causing any trouble, Yang Haoran specifically instructed her repeatedly: once on the front lines, she must absolutely obey Bai Xue's arrangements, or she would be immediately recalled. Although Yang Haoran knew his instructions might not necessarily be effective, having them was better than none at all. Perhaps they might even serve as a crucial reminder to Zhong Siyu at a critical moment.
In Zhong Siyu's eyes, Yang Haoran's approach was a naked threat. Had it been anyone else, she would certainly have been unable to resist striking out, making them understand the consequences of threatening her. But facing Yang Haoran, she did not do so. Instead, she reluctantly chose to compromise, agreeing to Yang Haoran's demands, though her assent was exceedingly unwilling.
From Yang Haoran's perspective, no matter how unwilling Zhong Siyu was to agree, an agreement was certainly better than a refusal. His internal anxieties consequently lessened by a few points.
In the period immediately following Ye Zhiqiu's departure, Yang Haoran was still somewhat unaccustomed to it, occasionally finding his thoughts drifting to Ye Zhiqiu. However, as time wore on, he gradually grew accustomed to Ye Zhiqiu's absence and fully accepted this reality.
Meanwhile, the Great Night Empire rapidly developed under everyone's efforts. The number of believers who worshipped Yang Haoran, the Night God, grew daily. Everything was progressing in a positive direction, and as long as no unforeseen circumstances arose, the time required for Yang Haoran's plans would be significantly shortened.
Yet, accidents do not refrain from happening simply because one wishes them away. Several months later, on a certain day, an accident indeed occurred!
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