Chapter 346: A Token of Gratitude
Ever since Yang Haoran became an Emissary of Death, he hadn't worried much about the affairs of the Lecheng Underworld Office. All the work had been entrusted to Old Master Wu to handle.
As for achievements, there were definitely some. If the Underworld Office had been inactive, then Lecheng would probably be overrun with ghosts now. Although the Spirit Police also dealt with such matters, there were only so many of them, and their strength was generally low. Relying solely on them, how could they possibly manage everything?
But the old man's words right now, while seemingly praising him, were actually just polite formalities. Of course, Yang Haoran wouldn't take them to heart.
Seeing Yang Haoran smile without speaking, the old man continued, saying, "Look at me, my memory's failing with age; I even forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Zhang, and I'm currently in charge of managing all the Talisman Orders, big and small, in Lecheng. If Emissary Yang doesn't mind, you can just call me Old Man Zhang."
"Old Zhang, you're joking. You are highly respected; how could I possibly address you that way? " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Old Man Zhang let out a hearty laugh and said, "It's fine, it's fine. Whatever you call me is fine."
Old Man Zhang said it was fine verbally, but if Yang Haoran really called him "Old Man Zhang," he probably wouldn't be able to crack a single smile.
"Oh, right, this person behind me is my apprentice. I heard the two of you have a good relationship, so I brought him along today. I trust Emissary Yang won't mind," Old Man Zhang said with a smile.
"Of course, I don't mind. When I was still a Night Watcher, I already had a good relationship with Yiming. He's welcome to visit me anytime he wishes. I just didn't expect that Old Zhang would actually be Yiming's master," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Furthermore, the fact that Old Man Zhang was Wang Yiming's master indeed surprised him slightly. He knew Wang Yiming had a master, and that he was a Black Talisman Master, but he didn't know that this Black Talisman Master was the Old Man Zhang currently in charge of all Talisman Orders in Lecheng.
However, it was only a minor surprise to him, and it didn't cause much fluctuation in his emotions.
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Wang Yiming was naturally quite moved in his heart. Although Yang Haoran's status had changed now, and the time they spent together was decreasing, Yang Haoran still treated him as a friend. This indeed made him very happy.
However, constrained by the circumstances, he could only remain silent and say nothing.
"Haha, since Emissary Yang still acknowledges Yiming as a friend, many things will be easier to handle. Come, come, let me introduce you to this one. " Old Man Zhang laughed heartily, then turned his gaze towards the madwoman.
"Our Lecheng Talisman Order doesn't have many Black Talisman Masters; she is one of them. Her surname is Jiang, given name Die. She was once the youngest Black Talisman Master in our Lecheng Talisman Order, with exceptionally astonishing talent in talismans. It's a pity, many years ago, she met with an unfortunate incident during a mission. Otherwise, with her talent, she would probably have broken through the bottleneck of a Black Talisman Master by now and become a Gold Talisman Master," Old Man Zhang said with a look of regret.
These words made Yang Haoran feel a bit amused. How could Gold Talisman Masters be so easy to break through to? Even if Jiang Die had extremely high talent in talismans, it wasn't as if breaking through to Gold Talisman Master was a given. There were many talented Talisman Masters, but how many could actually break through to Gold Talisman Master?
Yang Haoran was also a Talisman Master now. Even he, a Yellow Talisman Master, understood this principle. Old Man Zhang, as a Black Talisman Master and the head of the Lecheng Talisman Order, how could he not understand?
The answer was certainly that Old Man Zhang understood. Since he understood this principle, yet still said such things to Yang Haoran, he naturally had other intentions.
Old Man Zhang's true intention was not in his words. What he wanted to tell Yang Haoran was very simple: because of the snake demon, this Black Talisman Master, Jiang Die, suffered immense losses, and these losses were irreparable.
He was laying the groundwork for his next words. First, he portrayed his side as victims, allowing them to seize the initiative.
Yang Haoran understood what was happening. However, he didn't tear through this layer of window paper. He smiled as he looked at Jiang Die. Jiang Die, however, maintained a somber expression, said nothing, and showed no intention of greeting Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran maintained a smile, as if he didn't care at all about Jiang Die's attitude. However, deep down, he was somewhat uncomfortable. After all, he had saved Jiang Die back then. If it weren't for him, Jiang Die would most likely still be an unknown madwoman.
Yet, after Jiang Die woke up, not only did she not visit to express her gratitude, but now that they met, she still didn't mention the matter at all. It would be strange if Yang Haoran felt pleased; he wasn't a saint, after all.
Seeing that Jiang Die had no intention of acknowledging him, Yang Haoran said with a smile, "Heh heh, although I didn't know this Black Talisman Master's name before, we have met. Her life was, after all, saved by me. I had intended to prepare some gifts and then make time to visit the Talisman Order to see how her recovery was progressing, but alas, I never found the time. Truly, I apologize, I am ashamed."
As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Old Man Zhang's face froze. Jiang Die's expression also changed. As for Wang Yiming, he wore a look of shame.
All three understood the meaning behind Yang Haoran's words. While seemingly talking about himself, he was actually "pointing at the mulberry and cursing the locust tree."
When Yang Haoran saved Jiang Die back then, although he didn't personally send her back to Lecheng, he was the one who discovered Jiang Die, and broke the demon curse on her, forcing out the curse's trigger planted by the snake demon within her. So, saying he saved Jiang Die was not wrong at all.
Yang Haoran had saved Jiang Die's life. Not only did Jiang Die not "return a spring for a drop of water," she didn't even say thank you. Any normal person would find such behavior excessive.
Originally, Yang Haoran hadn't given this matter much thought. After all, saving Jiang Die back then was merely something he did in passing. He hadn't intended to gain any benefits from Jiang Die, nor had he thought of asking for any repayment. However, the other party, well, they had actually come knocking on his door now. So, he might as well bring up this matter.
In comparison, Yang Haoran felt that this Black Talisman Master, Jiang Die, was even worse than the snake demon. When he saved the snake demon back then, it wasn't for free; it was conditional.
After the transaction with the snake demon was complete, the snake demon even forcibly tore off one of her scales from her body. Regardless of how valuable that scale was, at least it was the snake demon's heartfelt gesture; the snake demon knew to thank him.
At this moment, Yang Haoran couldn't help but recall the story of the snake god that the snake demon had told him. In this story, the snake demon recounted how she came to bear a grudge against the Black Talisman Master. At the time, Yang Haoran had approached that part with a skeptical attitude and hadn't fully believed it, because the story was entirely narrated from the snake demon's perspective.
But now, it seemed, Yang Haoran felt that the snake demon might not have lied to him. The reason the snake demon came to resent the Black Talisman Master back then was very likely exactly as the snake demon had described.
Old Man Zhang's reaction was swift. The expression on his face stiffened for only a moment before returning to normal.
The Black Talisman Master also reacted. Her expression was displeased, and she wanted to say something, but she was stopped by a single glance from Old Man Zhang. Then Old Man Zhang laughed heartily at Yang Haoran, not feeling awkward in the slightest.
"Emissary Yang, what are you saying? It should be us who are embarrassed. If you hadn't intervened and saved her, our Talisman Order would have lost a genius Talisman Master. That would have been an immense loss for our Talisman Order."
"The life-saving grace of Emissary Yang, our Talisman Order has kept it firmly in our hearts. As Xiaodie's injuries had not yet fully recovered, we didn't have the chance to pay a visit and express our gratitude. But now, today, Xiaodie's injuries have just taken a turn for the better, so I brought her here bright and early, precisely to thank Emissary Yang for his life-saving kindness that day."
Speaking up to this point, Old Man Zhang paused. As he extended his palm, an item appeared in its center: a Talisman Pouch.
"Emissary Yang is an Underworld Official. Ordinary items would hardly catch your eye. And this old man, apart from drawing talismans, knows nothing else. So, I specially prepared ten Black Talismans for Emissary Yang. These ten Black Talismans are not ordinary low-level talismans, but high-level talismans from our Talisman Order. Each has a different function, and drawn by my own hand, their power is quite remarkable. This is a small token of gratitude; I hope Emissary Yang will like them."
As Old Man Zhang spoke these words, Old Master Wu and the snake demon happened to return, carrying tea. And the snake demon heard every single word of Old Man Zhang's speech, clear as day.
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