Chapter 348: Spouting Lies
Yang Haoran's stated reason for striking truly infuriated Old Man Zhang. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that Yang Haoran's sudden action would be for such a cause.
"You attack someone just for yelling at you? Is there still any law in this world?"
The words barely left his mouth when Old Man Zhang regretted them, realizing his retort lacked substance and was sure to be thrown back at him by Yang Haoran.
As expected, Yang Haoran chuckled and asked, "You brought people to surround my villa; do you have any regard for the law?"
"You—" Old Man Zhang's expression darkened. He wanted to retort, but Yang Haoran gave him no such chance.
"I saved a Black Talisman Master from your Talisman Order, and not only did you show no gratitude, you came here to cause trouble. Do you have any conscience left? " Yang Haoran again asked with a smile.
"I—" Old Man Zhang's words were cut off, once again rebuffed by Yang Haoran.
"Upholding justice, performing good deeds, accumulating virtue—isn't that the doctrine of your Talisman Order? With no law in your eyes and no conscience in your hearts, what right do you have to speak of upholding justice or accumulating virtue? " Yang Haoran pressed.
No sooner had Yang Haoran's words fallen than Jiang Die spoke, cutting in before Old Man Zhang could utter a sound.
Jiang Die broke free from Wang Yiming's grasp, speaking furiously as she strode towards Yang Haoran. By the time her words concluded, she was back at her previous seat, though she didn't sit, instead glaring fiercely at Yang Haoran.
Behind Yang Haoran, the snake demon Bai Xue's eyes had transformed into a pair of reptilian slits, her gaze fixed on Jiang Die like a predator sizing up its prey, equally brimming with cold killing intent.
As she hadn't received Yang Haoran's permission, she hadn't made a move, but she was now fully prepared. If Jiang Die were to strike, whether her target was Yang Haoran or Bai Xue herself, she would retaliate instantly.
Old Man Zhang remained silent. Jiang Die's rebuttal, in his estimation, was quite forceful, so there was no need for him to add anything. He only needed to guard against Yang Haoran striking again.
At the same time, he wanted to see how Yang Haoran would respond to Jiang Die's interrogation. He needed more reasons for action, and with more justifications, should the matter escalate, neither their superiors in the Talisman Order nor the high-ranking officials of the Yin Division would find them at fault. Thus, he didn't immediately attack, instead waiting for Yang Haoran's reply.
Yang Haoran's face held a smile as he looked at Jiang Die and chuckled, "I thought you were mute. Turns out you're not. That's quite a surprise."
Jiang Die's expression twisted in anger, and she was about to lash out at Yang Haoran, but Old Man Zhang stopped her with a single glance.
Yang Haoran's smile remained unchanged. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one for himself, then placed the pack and lighter on the table, saying with a grin, "Help yourselves if you want a smoke."
Seeing that Yang Haoran completely ignored Jiang Die's questions, Old Man Zhang's brows furrowed deeply. His expression turned grim, and he began to lose his composure.
"Emissary Yang," Old Man Zhang began, "let me be blunt. The snake demon behind you has devoured countless lives. Furthermore, that year, she not only cast a demonic curse that drove Xiao Die mad, but also brutally killed a Yellow Talisman Master from our Talisman Order. Therefore, both publicly and privately, our Talisman Order has no reason to spare her. Hand her over to me today, and I'll leave immediately, offering ten Black Talismans from this Talisman Pouch as a token of gratitude. Should you ever need assistance in the future, our Lecheng Talisman Order will undoubtedly be your strongest ally!"
Seeing Old Man Zhang finally lay his cards on the table, Yang Haoran smiled faintly and asked, "The terms are indeed tempting, but what if I don't agree?"
"If you don't agree, then this old man can only say, forgive my offense. Even if I have to snatch her by force, I will take her today. Or, I will ensure she dies right here."
As Old Man Zhang spoke, his gaze flickered to the snake demon behind Yang Haoran, and a sharp, piercing killing intent erupted in his eyes.
Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged by Old Man Zhang's words. He still smiled faintly and said, "Alright. She's right here. Go on, try your hand."
Yang Haoran's words instantly ratcheted up the tension in the atmosphere.
Wang Yiming, witnessing this, became as frantic as an ant on a hot pan. If the two sides truly came to blows, it would be the outcome he dreaded most.
"Master, Brother Yang! Please calm down! Let's talk this out properly! " Wang Yiming hurriedly interjected, trying to mediate.
Hearing this, Yang Haoran dropped his smile and subtly frowned. Wang Yiming's presence indeed complicated matters for him.
Before, for Wang Yiming's sake, he had endured as much as he could. But if he continued to give ground, he would become extremely passive. Therefore, he had no choice but to display his dominant side, even if it placed Wang Yiming in a very awkward position.
Old Man Zhang also frowned deeply, though his reaction differed from Yang Haoran's.
"Shut up! " Old Man Zhang snapped at Wang Yiming, then turned to Yang Haoran, asking in a deep voice, "Emissary Yang, by protecting her now, are you declaring enmity with our Talisman Order?"
What was originally a grievance between the Talisman Order and the snake demon Bai Xue had, with Old Man Zhang's words, suddenly escalated into a confrontation between the Talisman Order and the Yin Division.
"Can you represent the Talisman Order? " Yang Haoran looked at Old Man Zhang and asked with a smile.
"Since I am the general manager of the Lecheng Talisman Order, of course I can represent the Talisman Order," Old Man Zhang replied.
Yang Haoran nodded, then said with a smile, "Good. Since you can represent the Talisman Order, then I'll tell you this: I can also represent the Yin Division."
Old Man Zhang's face turned as dark as murky water. He opened his mouth and asked, "Listening to Emissary Yang's words, it seems you intend to provoke a conflict between the Yin Division and our Talisman Order?"
Yang Haoran took a drag from his cigarette, chuckled, and leaned back into the sofa, saying with a smile, "Old Man Zhang, please don't speak carelessly. The one provoking this conflict isn't me, but her—someone from your Talisman Order."
As he said this, Yang Haoran pointed at Jiang Die.
Seeing Yang Haoran point at her, Jiang Die's expression erupted in fury. She roared at Yang Haoran, "You're spouting nonsense! When have I ever done such a thing? !"
"A kind word of warning," Yang Haoran said with a smile, his tone laced with menace, "shout at me again, and don't blame me for acting in self-defense."
"Emissary Yang, if all you can do is spread slander, then I truly overestimated you," Old Man Zhang said in a deep voice.
"Spread slander, indeed? Heh heh. It seems Old Man Zhang has some misunderstanding about my character. How could I, a dignified Emissary of Death of the Yin Division, possibly engage in such slanderous behavior? " Yang Haoran said with a laugh.
Old Man Zhang's brows knitted tightly. He remained silent, waiting for Yang Haoran to continue.
Yang Haoran had no intention of keeping them in suspense and continued speaking.
"When I rescued your Black Talisman Master back then, I decided to go up the mountain and resolve the situation completely. Who would have thought that after she woke up, not only did she fail to thank me, she actually activated a Demon Sealing Talisman and attacked me? I was caught off guard and almost died at the hands of your Black Talisman Master. If it weren't for Bai Xue saving me, I might have even had my soul dispersed and scattered!"
Whether the Demon Sealing Talisman's attack was intentionally aimed at him by Jiang Die, he wasn't clear, but the Demon Sealing Talisman had indeed launched an attack on him at that time.
However, at the time, the Demon Sealing Talisman's attack had little impact on him, and breaking it didn't expend much of his power. As for being 'on the verge of death' or the 'snake demon Bai Xue saving him,' that was pure fabrication.
But in the current situation, the truth, of course, couldn't be spoken. Old Man Zhang was trying to find a reason for his actions; why wouldn't Yang Haoran want to find a grandiose reason for his own?
Although he was spouting lies, Yang Haoran's lies sounded utterly convincing, as if such events had truly unfolded.
Yang Haoran's words enraged Jiang Die once more. She roared, "I did activate the Demon Sealing Talisman back then, but my purpose was to slay the snake demon! What does that have to do with you? ! Besides, with your strength, could a few of my Demon Sealing Talismans actually kill you? You're utterly spouting nonsense!"
Hearing this, Yang Haoran looked at Old Man Zhang with a wry smile and said, "Look, she's shouting at me again. I wanted to defend myself, but if I did, you'd surely say I'm feeling guilty. This puts me in a tough spot."
Old Man Zhang ignored Yang Haoran's posturing. He said in a deep voice, "Xiao Die is right. How could a mere few Demon Sealing Talismans possibly kill you, Emissary Yang? Who would believe such a statement?"
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. Before your Black Talisman Master attacked me, I had already fought an Evil Spirit halfway up the mountain. You can ask Spirit Police Zhou Fudui about this; whether I fought an Evil Spirit in the Blackwater Pool at that time. After leaving the Blackwater Pool, I handed the Evil Spirit within it over to Zhou Fudui to handle, and then I had another collision with a different Evil Spirit."
"At that time, I was actually already severely wounded. But considering there might still be threats on the mountain, I dragged my heavily injured body to the summit, thinking I should eliminate these perils to prevent more people from dying tragically at their hands. How was I to know that after reaching the mountain top, I nearly died under a Demon Sealing Talisman, and the one who saved me was precisely the 'threat' I intended to eliminate?"
At this point, Yang Haoran paused, his gaze sweeping over the furious Jiang Die and the ashen-faced Old Man Zhang. He extinguished the cigarette butt in his hand with a smile, then continued.
"You may not understand gratitude, but I do. I can't control you throwing my life-saving grace to the back of your minds, because that's your way of doing things. However, I cannot ignore my savior, because I have my own way of doing things."
"Moreover, she has now become a devotee of our God. As a devout believer in our God, I, as an Underworld Official, have a responsibility to protect her. So, both publicly and privately, what's wrong with me helping her?"
Comments