Chapter 219: Grand Declaration of Loyalty
"Now, you have a new boss. If you're willing to follow me from now on, then stay. If you're not, I won't force you; you can leave now. " Looking at the three figures frozen in place, Yang Haoran said with a smile.
No sooner had his words fallen than, before the three could even reply, the phone rang. Yang Haoran pulled out his phone to check, and the caller ID was, surprisingly, Xu Meijing.
The smile on his face deepened slightly. He didn't answer the call immediately, but instead spoke again to Old Master Wu and the other two, who were still reeling in shock: "I'll give you a moment to consider."
Having said that, Yang Haoran casually deployed a simple soundproof barrier with his Spirit Power, and then answered Xu Meijing's call.
The moment the call connected, Xu Meijing's cold and direct voice came from the other end.
"What exactly is going on?"
Although Xu Meijing was doing her best to suppress her true emotions, Yang Haoran could still discern an undeniable shock in her voice.
"What's going on? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
"Don't play dumb with me. How did Deng Feng die? How did you suddenly become an Emissary of Death? Have you opened your Heaven Soul?"
"Haven't the first two questions already been announced? As for the last question, yes, I have indeed opened my Heaven Soul. " Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
"Heh, do you believe the content of the announcement? " Xu Meijing asked.
"The content of the announcement is certainly true, and we naturally must believe it. Are we to believe rumors instead? " Yang Haoran retorted.
Xu Meijing was quite displeased with Yang Haoran's answer, but she also understood why Yang Haoran would say so, so she didn't press the issue.
Yang Haoran felt helpless at this moment. He wanted to tell Xu Meijing the truth, but if he truly did that, it wouldn't be good for either him or Xu Meijing. Thus, he had no choice but to respond to Xu Meijing with such a perfunctory approach.
Sensing the displeasure in Xu Meijing's tone, Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment, then still spoke: "Some things aren't convenient to discuss over the phone, and now is the most sensitive time. I'll come to Ancheng another day to find you, and then I'll tell you about Deng Feng's heroic deeds."
"No need, I'm not interested anymore. However, congratulations are still in order. " Xu Meijing said.
"Heh heh, just good luck, that's all. Otherwise, how could such a good thing fall to me? " Yang Haoran said very modestly.
"I know that even without you saying it."
Xu Meijing's blunt reply left Yang Haoran somewhat dumbfounded, caught between laughter and tears. However, he didn't retort, but instead smiled and found another topic to chat with Xu Meijing about.
It was just that Xu Meijing didn't seem particularly interested in other topics. They hadn't chatted for more than a few sentences before both parties ended the call.
Although their conversation wasn't long, Yang Haoran was already quite content. He had originally thought last night would be his last chat with Xu Meijing, but he hadn't expected to survive.
As long as he wasn't dead, there would be plenty of opportunities to chat in the future. Naturally, he wouldn't rush things now.
After hanging up the phone, Yang Haoran withdrew the barrier, and his gaze fell once more upon Old Master Wu and the other two.
At this moment, all three seemed to have realized that the Death God Seal within their bodies had vanished. They stood honestly in place, not a single one choosing to leave.
Seeing Yang Haoran hang up and his gaze return to them, Old Master Wu remained relatively composed, while the other two appeared somewhat uneasy. Their gazes towards Yang Haoran were complex.
It was no wonder their expressions turned complex. After all, Yang Haoran had once been a Night Watcher just like them. Although he had become a Night Watcher a few months earlier than them, it was merely a matter of months.
A mere few months was completely negligible. Yet now, Yang Haoran had transformed, from a Night Watcher to an Emissary of Death, becoming their leader. How could their feelings not be complex?
"Have you made up your minds? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
Old Master Wu said nothing, and simply bowed respectfully to Yang Haoran, who was seated in the main position.
"I am willing to follow the Emissary, loyal unto death!"
Old Master Wu was an experienced veteran after all, knowing how to make the right choices in any given situation. Now that Deng Feng was dead and Yang Haoran had risen to power, if he didn't want to leave and wished to remain a member of the Underworld Office, then he could only choose to follow Yang Haoran; there was no other option.
Since there was no other choice, it was better to accept it readily, and be the first to declare his loyalty. At the very least, he could leave a good impression on his new boss.
The other two didn't have minds as sharp as Old Master Wu's. Seeing Old Master Wu's respectful bow and declaration, the two quickly reacted, and hastily bowed to Yang Haoran.
"I am willing to follow the Emissary, loyal unto death!"
Both of their declarations of loyalty were identical to Old Master Wu's. As for whether it was a coincidence, only the two of them knew for sure.
Whether the three were sincere or not, Yang Haoran didn't consider it that important at the moment. His most pressing task was to get the Lecheng Underworld Office back on track.
Once the Lecheng Underworld Office was back on track, he would have plenty of time to cultivate his own trusted subordinates. Therefore, he didn't place too much emphasis on whether the three were loyal to him.
Yang Haoran naturally wouldn't voice these thoughts aloud. Seeing the three express their stances one after another, he smiled and nodded, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.
"Very good. Congratulations on making the right choice. I believe you've already noticed that the Spirit Power within your bodies has completely vanished, and the Death God Seal is nowhere to be found. Thus, at present, you are essentially no different from ordinary people."
"But don't worry. I will now re-implant the Death God Seal for you, and your vanished Spirit Power will recover as the Death God Seal is replanted."
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, joy appeared on all three of their faces. What they most desired at that moment was to regain their Spirit Power and become different from ordinary people once more.
After spending a short while, Yang Haoran re-implanted the Death God Seal for the three of them, and the three consequently regained their Spirit Power.
Although the time spent wasn't long, the toll on Yang Haoran in that brief period was considerable. Each time he implanted a Death God Seal for someone else, it was no small drain on him.
Nevertheless, he was quite pleased at heart, because the three individuals before him were the very first Night Watchers for whom he had implanted the Death God Seal.
The first time always felt particularly novel and exciting, but as the number of times increased, that sense of novelty would fade, leaving behind only nostalgia.
As the South Lake Death God Temple still required Night Watchers to be stationed there, Yang Haoran had the two Night Watchers step down first, leaving Old Master Wu alone.
Although Yang Haoran didn't explicitly state it, Old Master Wu knew clearly in his heart that Yang Haoran had kept him back because there was certainly something he needed him to do.
No sooner had the two Night Watchers left than Old Master Wu respectfully bowed to Yang Haoran.
"Does the Emissary have any instructions?"
Yang Haoran was quite pleased with Old Master Wu's shrewdness. He chuckled and said: "When it's just the two of us, Old Master, don't call me Emissary. It's better to call me Haoran."
Old Master Wu's expression changed, and he hastily said: "That won't do! Now that the Emissary's status is different, how could this old man dare break the rules? That would be disrespectful to the Emissary."
Yang Haoran merely smiled at Old Master Wu's words, and didn't waste time on this issue.
"Most of Lecheng's Night Watchers are dead now. As a newly appointed Emissary of Death, I don't have many subordinates. Therefore, in the future, I might need to trouble Old Master quite a lot. At that time, I hope Old Master won't resent me for it. " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
As these words left his mouth, Old Master Wu's aged face immediately revealed an uncontainable surprise and delight. He was as shrewd as they come in his old age, so how could he not understand the meaning of Yang Haoran's words?
Yang Haoran, this newly appointed Emissary of Death, clearly intended to heavily rely on him, this old man. How could he, an elder with seemingly limited power and a newcomer to this higher circle, not be overjoyed and excited at such a rare opportunity?
"Many thanks for the Emissary's appreciation! Even if this old man dies, I absolutely will not disappoint the Emissary!"
Old Master Wu was deeply emotional. He bowed to Yang Haoran once more, and again declared his loyalty.
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