Chapter 1496: Disagreement
Bai Xue knew that Lei Bao and Hou Yu harbored some dissatisfaction with her as their president. Although they didn't express it overtly, over the years, she had been able to detect and confirm this from various subtle details.
Precisely because she was so acutely aware of this, she understood clearly that Lei Bao's words at this moment were not born of concern, but rather a veiled enjoyment of her predicament. As for why he was urging her, even bringing Yang Haoran into it, that was even easier to grasp. Many erroneous decisions are made in haste. Lei Bao's promptings now were clearly intended to rush her, hoping she would make a mistake.
"Vice President Lei, it was my suggestion to wait for the Emperor here. Since you claim that merely waiting isn't a solution, am I to understand that you've devised a better plan?"
Bai Xue scoffed, a glint of cold light flashing in her eyes as she questioned Lei Bao.
Normally, when Bai Xue interacted with Lei Bao and Hou Yu, she would rarely show anger, having to consider the larger picture. She also understood why they might be dissatisfied with her. While it was inevitable she would feel annoyed, she largely empathized with their feelings, thus she would always try her best to control her emotions whenever they deliberately picked a fight.
This time, however, was an exception. She was already burning with anxiety. Not only was Lei Bao indifferent to the situation, but he dared to play mind games. How could she not be furious? Her attitude towards Lei Bao was far from her usual politeness.
This was evident from her facial expressions, her tone of voice, and her choice of words.
Lei Bao froze for a moment. He clearly hadn't expected Bai Xue to be so impolite to him today. More importantly, Bai Xue had thrown this difficult question back at him.
Lei Bao's expression turned somewhat ugly as he reacted. Bai Xue's words were not only impolite but also sharply provocative. Although there were only five people present, he still felt his face burning.
"If you, as president, have no solution, what good solution could I possibly have? I merely felt that waiting here idly was inappropriate. Do you need to use barbed words to mock me?"
Though Lei Bao was quick-tempered, he wasn't a fool. Even with Bai Xue's attitude infuriating him, he didn't explode in a rage. Instead, he retorted with what he considered appropriate language.
"Who said I haven't thought of a solution? Waiting here *is* the solution, but we're not waiting idly. We're doing so to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated. If you have a better idea, then by all means, present it. If you can't, then please keep your mouth shut and wait quietly here. If any problems arise because of my command, then I alone will bear the consequences. It will not implicate you, nor will it implicate them!"
Bai Xue's words struck Lei Bao squarely in the chest again. Lei Bao, already simmering with anger, felt his rage ignite like gasoline had been poured over it, intensifying several times over. The rationality he still possessed vanished almost entirely. At this moment, he had completely forgotten his original purpose for speaking. Impulsive and with his fury fully kindled, all he wanted was to exchange curses with Bai Xue, or even come to blows!
Among the five people present, the one who understood Lei Bao best was undoubtedly Hou Yu. Seeing Lei Bao's explosive temper rising, Hou Yu quickly interjected a reminder.
"Lei Bao, the president is right. If you don't have a better plan, then keep your mouth shut to avoid doing anything out of line. Otherwise, you'll be the one to suffer the consequences."
Hou Yu's reminder seemed to bring Lei Bao back to his senses. He let out a discontented snort, forcibly suppressing the anger within him, and said nothing further. Clearly, his cold snort was directed at Bai Xue.
Bai Xue naturally knew Lei Bao's snort was meant for her, but she didn't dwell on it. Now was not the time to argue with Lei Bao. They were already facing a major problem, and if they, as allies, started fighting amongst themselves without considering the bigger picture, it would only complicate the situation further.
What Lei Bao did was his business; as the president of the Flock of Demons Society, she certainly couldn't act as rashly as him.
Lei Bao was the one who initiated the conflict first, and Bai Xue, as the president, chose not to pursue the matter. Hou Yu also found it difficult to escalate the issue, especially since there were people from the Myriad Ghost Grotto and the Iron Blood Demon Hall present. It wouldn't look good for outsiders to witness the Flock of Demons Society making a spectacle of themselves; as members of the society, they too would feel humiliated.
Furthermore, he was not only not the direct party involved, but also the one who had just warned Lei Bao. If he were to act as another troublemaker after Lei Bao, it would be quite inappropriate.
Both Lei Bao and Hou Yu only held grievances against Bai Xue, not deep-seated animosity. Therefore, neither of them would do anything truly out of line. Even though Lei Bao was fuming just moments ago, he wouldn't have gone too far. Even without Hou Yu's reminder, at most he would have engaged in a heated argument with Bai Xue, but it wouldn't have escalated to physical violence, because once hands were laid, the nature of the conflict would completely change.
As for the representatives of the Myriad Ghost Grotto and the Iron Blood Demon Hall, they had witnessed everything from start to finish but showed no intention of speaking. The tent thus fell silent once more.
As time ticked by, not only was the impatient Lei Bao struggling to endure, but even Bai Xue herself began to feel restless. Just as Bai Xue was considering whether to continue waiting, a strong spatial fluctuation suddenly emanated from outside the tent. They were all familiar with this type of fluctuation; it was the kind that occurred when a spatial rift appeared. The emergence of this fluctuation invigorated Bai Xue's spirits.
Outside the tent, the guards looked cautiously in one direction, adopting combat stances. They were equally familiar with this situation, knowing that someone was about to arrive via a spatial rift. The question, however, was who it would be. If they didn't remain vigilant, it would be troublesome if it turned out to be an enemy. Well aware of the stakes, none of them dared to let their guard down.
In the blink of an eye, a spatial rift appeared in the area where the vibrations had occurred, and a figure stepped out. Upon recognizing the newcomer, the guards present immediately lowered their weapons and knelt on one knee.
"Greetings, Emperor!"
At the same time, Bai Xue and the other four inside the tent rushed out at top speed. Seeing who had arrived, they, like the guards, quickly saluted the newcomer!
"Greetings, Emperor!"
The newcomer was none other than Yang Haoran, who had rushed to Fire Rock Island at the fastest possible speed after receiving Bai Xue's Communication Talisman.
Although the distance between Fire Rock Island and the Great Night Empire was not short, with Yang Haoran's current strength, each teleportation covered a vast distance, and he traveled without rest. Thus, it didn't take him too long to reach Fire Rock Island.
Of course, given the distance between Fire Rock Island and the Great Night Empire, Yang Haoran couldn't teleport there in a single jump, but he genuinely didn't need to rest during his journey.
"Heh heh, rise,"
Yang Haoran said with a smile, his usual faint, enigmatic smile gracing his face. Although he didn't yet know what major crisis had occurred, as the central pillar, he absolutely could not lose his composure. No matter how grave the situation, he had to remain calm and collected. The more composed and serene he appeared, the more confidence he could instill in his allies.
"Emperor, you've finally arrived, I. . ."
Bai Xue's words were cut short by a wave of Yang Haoran's hand.
"No rush, let's go inside and talk slowly."
Yang Haoran said with a smile, then led the way into the tent. Bai Xue and the other four followed quickly. The guards continued to stand by the tent, weapons in hand, protecting it. However, compared to before, they were even more cautious. Even though Fire Rock Island was completely under their control, they remained fully focused, vigilant of their surroundings. Not even the slightest rustle of grass or shift in the wind could escape their perception!
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