Chapter 254: Cooperation
As for the house, Yang Haoran entrusted Wu Laoyezi with its handling. Currently, neither of them cared much for money, so Yang Haoran didn't bring up the topic of payment.
That afternoon, according to Yang Haoran's instructions, all the Night Watchers gathered at the South Lake Death God Temple to receive their first infusion of Soul Qi since becoming Night Watchers. As for the Death God Temples they were individually responsible for, they were temporarily entrusted to their respective followers for management.
The batch of new recruits Wu Laoyezi had brought in had been Night Watchers for almost two months now, while the new recruits from Wu Laoyezi's own batch had been active for over two months. During this time, they had all guided numerous spirits, and in particular, the two who specialized solely in guiding spirits had far more spirits under their care than the other Night Watchers.
Having started as a Night Watcher himself, Yang Haoran naturally understood that this situation was normal. He didn't change the old rules; Night Watchers who served as temple keepers received a fixed salary. However, the two who specialized in guiding spirits did not receive a fixed amount of Pure Yin Qi; the quantity they obtained depended entirely on the number of spirits they guided.
Compared to when Deng Feng was still in charge, Yang Haoran was noticeably more generous. The Pure Yin Qi allocated for each spirit had been doubled from the original amount.
Wu Laoyezi, in particular, received the most Pure Yin Qi.
Although Wu Laoyezi didn't guide the most spirits, his status was different. He was the second-in-command of the Lecheng Underworld Office.
As the second-in-command of the Lecheng Underworld Office, if his strength was too weak, it wouldn't just be a loss of face for Wu Laoyezi, but also for Yang Haoran, and indeed for the entire Underworld Office.
Furthermore, if a second-in-command's strength was too low, how could he intimidate his subordinates? By reasoning with them?
Therefore, for the second-in-command's strength to surpass that of other ordinary Night Watchers, Yang Haoran considered it very necessary.
Besides this, a second-in-command had many daily concerns. Upward, they had to consider the boss's feelings; downward, they had to consider the employees' feelings. If their work displeased the boss, they would certainly face unpleasant consequences. Offending employees was also troublesome, because employees would cause trouble, and even engage in backhanded schemes. Even if all those employees were eventually dealt with, the boss would still perceive you as incompetent.
Thus, being a second-in-command was no easy feat. Do it well, and you'd be second only to one, basking in glory. Do it poorly, and you'd offend both superiors and subordinates, leaving you without a foothold anywhere. Getting fired by the boss in the end would be a certainty.
Wu Laoyezi managed the Lecheng Underworld Office admirably, handling various matters with perfect order, and successfully bringing the Lecheng Underworld Office back on track. This undoubtedly consumed a great deal of his thoughts and energy.
It was precisely for these reasons that Wu Laoyezi received Pure Yin Qi far exceeding that of other Night Watchers.
Of course, his ability to obtain a large amount of Pure Yin Qi was, at its root, thanks to Yang Haoran. If Yang Haoran had treated his subordinate Night Watchers the way Deng Feng had, then not only would Wu Laoyezi not have received so much Pure Yin Qi, but even the other Night Watchers' gains would have been halved.
The main reason Yang Haoran chose to perform the Soul Qi infusion for the Night Watchers that afternoon was because there would be a gathering with the Spirit Police that evening.
The Lecheng Underworld Office's reputation wasn't exactly stellar at the moment. Even the Spirit Police didn't think much of them. The primary cause of all this was the Night Watchers' pathetic lack of strength.
Therefore, Yang Haoran wanted to significantly boost the strength of all his subordinate Night Watchers before the gathering.
This way, not only would his Night Watchers avoid being looked down upon, but he, as the Emissary of Death, would also gain face.
However, giving all his subordinate Night Watchers a significant power boost in one go had noticeably reduced the size of one of his Soul Pills.
On the day he became an Emissary of Death, he had received a total of three Soul Pills. This was his fixed annual salary for the year. Yet, after obtaining these three Soul Pills, he hadn't even had the chance to absorb and refine them, before they were used on his subordinate Night Watchers. To say his heart didn't ache would certainly be impossible.
Compared to Yang Haoran, his Night Watchers were naturally overjoyed. Having already tasted the sweetness that power brought them, they yearned for it even more. Now that their strength had undergone a dramatic leap, they were, of course, exceedingly happy.
Originally, some Night Watchers had harbored grievances against Yang Haoran, feeling he was too irresponsible. But after receiving a substantial amount of Pure Yin Qi from him, they not only had no complaints about him, but instead felt extraordinarily close to him.
Of course, whether this closeness was to curry favor or truly heartfelt remained unknown. However, in Yang Haoran's eyes, it wasn't important, so he couldn't be bothered to care.
After leaving the South Lake Death God Temple, Yang Haoran and the others were all beaming with joy. That the Night Watchers were happy was a certainty, but the reason Yang Haoran, who had lost a large amount of Pure Yin Qi, was happy was because he had harvested a great number of souls.
Once these souls were delivered to the Underworld, it would be entirely his credit as an Emissary of Death. How could he not be happy?
"Old Wu, have the Spirit Police been fully notified? " Yang Haoran asked, smiling at Wu Laoyezi beside him.
Wu Laoyezi, his face wreathed in smiles, respectfully replied, "Rest assured, Boss, they've all been notified."
"Good. In that case, let's head to the hotel and wait for them. We shouldn't keep our guests waiting."
Under Yang Haoran's arrangement, the group headed towards the hotel Wu Laoyezi had booked. Little Kang, the young fellow, was also among them.
At the appointed time, all members of the Spirit Police arrived at the hotel, none absent. This included Vice-Captain Zhou and their Captain Luo.
Upon seeing the Night Watchers again, expressions of surprise appeared on all the Spirit Police's faces. They could all sense the power fluctuations emanating from within each Night Watcher's body, which were more than twice as strong as before.
Especially Wu Laoyezi, the second-in-command, whose strength had at least doubled compared to before. While this shocked them inwardly, it also made them involuntarily think of Yang Haoran.
Before Yang Haoran, the Emissary of Death, had appeared, the Night Watchers' strength was pitifully weak. But now that Yang Haoran had just made his presence known, all the Night Watchers' strengths had experienced a qualitative leap. If anyone were to claim this had nothing to do with Yang Haoran, they wouldn't believe it even if they were beaten to death.
Although they understood this clearly in their hearts, no one was foolish enough to immediately open their mouth and ask. However, the Spirit Police's attitude towards the Night Watchers had undergone a clear shift due to the change in their strength.
It was Yang Haoran's first time meeting Captain Luo. Captain Luo's age was similar to his, and he appeared to be an ordinary person. Yet, Yang Haoran sensed a powerful fluctuation of energy from Captain Luo's body, a power far greater than that of Vice-Captain Zhou.
Yang Haoran had once thought there weren't many masters among the Spirit Police, as the Spirit Police he had encountered previously weren't particularly strong. But after meeting Vice-Captain Zhou last night and Captain Luo tonight, his perception of the Spirit Police had changed.
The strength of ordinary Spirit Police was indeed quite average, but the strength of these two was genuinely not weak. Especially Captain Luo, whose strength was remarkably formidable. Even with his current power, Yang Haoran wouldn't dare underestimate Captain Luo.
If it weren't for him hosting this gathering tonight, he still wouldn't have known that such a prominent figure existed within the Spirit Police.
Yang Haoran didn't know if Deng Feng had ever organized such activities with the Spirit Police before he joined the Underworld Office. However, ever since he became a Night Watcher, this was the very first such event.
There were only four people at Yang Haoran's table: him, Wu Laoyezi, Captain Luo, and Vice-Captain Zhou. As for the other Spirit Police and Night Watchers, they were seated at different tables, and Little Kang had been entrusted by Yang Haoran to a Night Watcher for care.
Even though there were only four people at Yang Haoran's table, the atmosphere was far from dull.
Although Vice-Captain Zhou wasn't old, he was frank and outspoken, and quite talkative.
While Yang Haoran and Wu Laoyezi's personalities were completely different from Vice-Captain Zhou's, both were shrewd and seasoned individuals, so they naturally had plenty to talk about.
Captain Luo, on the other hand, seemed less inclined to speak, his words fewer. Yet, he maintained a perpetual smile.
As for the events of last night, neither party brought them up, as if nothing had happened at all.
After three rounds of drinks, Vice-Captain Zhou proactively brought up the matter of cooperation. This cooperation was similar to past arrangements: if ghosts caused trouble in Lecheng, the Underworld Office would provide assistance to the Spirit Police. The Spirit Police, in turn, would pay the Underworld Office a certain remuneration after the task was completed, and the ghosts would belong to the Underworld Office upon completion of the matter.
Naturally, Yang Haoran wouldn't refuse this, as it was fundamentally within the Underworld Office's purview. Moreover, his main purpose for hosting the gathering tonight, besides fostering closer relations between the two parties, was also to bring this matter to the table for discussion and formalization.
Therefore, Yang Haoran not only didn't refuse, but also showed his sincerity.
Firstly, he wouldn't charge a single penny for helping the Spirit Police deal with ghosts, as this was inherently what the Underworld Office ought to do.
Secondly, apart from ghosts, if the Spirit Police encountered any difficult-to-resolve troubles, they could also seek assistance from the Underworld Office. The Underworld Office was willing to help without compensation.
The sincerity Yang Haoran displayed greatly pleased Captain Luo and Vice-Captain Zhou. And the Spirit Police, likewise, showed their own sincerity: In the future, if the Underworld Office encountered any trouble, the Spirit Police would also be willing to provide assistance without compensation.
This was the exact outcome Yang Haoran wanted. In the past, the cooperation between the Spirit Police and the Underworld Office had only targeted ghosts, with no other forms of cooperation beyond that.
However, this time, the cooperation between the two parties had completely changed. It had become much closer. This alteration brought only benefits and no drawbacks, both for the Underworld Office and for the Spirit Police.
Of course, this agreement only applied to the Lecheng Underworld Office and the Lecheng Spirit Police; it naturally wouldn't involve the Spirit Police or Underworld Offices of other cities.
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