Chapter 351: Good News
Luo Dui and Zhou Fudui arrived in the living room, led by Old Master Wu. The scene before them caused them to involuntarily exchange glances, both seeing surprise and confusion in the other's eyes.
On their way into the villa, a question formed in their minds: who had gained the upper hand in this clash between the Underworld Office and the Talisman Order?
Both Luo Dui and Zhou Fudui had assumed the Talisman Order would hold the advantage. The reason was simple: in their view, the Talisman Order stood on the side of justice, while Yang Haoran, by protecting a snake demon, was clearly in the wrong.
Yet, seeing Yang Haoran calmly smoking on the sofa, a smile on his face, and then observing Elder Zhang and Jiang Die's grim expressions, along with Wang Yiming's anxious one, the two realized they had likely guessed wrong.
Though they didn't know what had transpired, from the current situation, it was clear that Yang Haoran firmly held the upper hand.
The arrival of the two caught the attention of everyone present; all eyes, including Yang Haoran's, turned towards them.
Elder Zhang was secretly delighted, his grim expression easing considerably. The Talisman Order had always strongly supported the Spirit Police's work, and the Spirit Police had always been favorable towards their sect. In his eyes, Luo Dui and Zhou Fudui's arrival signaled friends, not foes.
Yang Haoran found their arrival a bit of a headache, as it disrupted his plans. However, he wasn't flustered; since he dared to let Old Master Wu escort them into the villa, he naturally had his own considerations and contingencies.
If he could have chosen, he certainly wouldn't have wanted them to appear at this moment. But since they had arrived, it was an unchangeable fact, and he couldn't very well make them wait outside the villa. After all, they were the top and second-in-command of the Spirit Police, and their relationship was usually good. He had to show them basic respect, which was why he reluctantly allowed Old Master Wu to lead them into the villa.
“Luo Dui, Zhou Fudui, what a coincidence you've arrived,” Yang Haoran said with a smile.
“I hope we're not disturbing you? ” Luo Dui glanced at Elder Zhang, then asked Yang Haoran with a smile.
“Not at all, how could you be? Your esteemed presence is most welcome. Come, come, let's sit and chat,” Yang Haoran said, warmly ushering them.
The two didn't understand what had happened before their arrival. Filled with doubt and curiosity, they sat down at Yang Haoran's invitation.
“Elder Zhang, the witness has arrived. Would you like to ask him directly if I was lying earlier? ” Yang Haoran looked at Elder Zhang and asked with a smile.
Luo Dui and Zhou Fudui didn't grasp the meaning of Yang Haoran's words, but Elder Zhang and Jiang Die understood perfectly.
Elder Zhang snorted coldly, saying nothing more and making no move to verify with Zhou Fudui.
He dared not ask for verification, especially in this situation. The fact that Yang Haoran actually prompted him to verify with Zhou Fudui made him even more hesitant.
In his opinion, if Yang Haoran dared to challenge him to verify it in front of Zhou Fudui and Luo Dui, it meant that the incident where Yang Haoran almost died under the Demon Sealing Talisman might indeed have been true. Otherwise, Yang Haoran wouldn't dare to bring it up now.
By not asking for verification, he could still leave himself some leeway, at least deny it stubbornly and flatly refuse to admit such a thing ever happened. But once he asked for verification, he would be cutting off his own retreat, and things would become even more troublesome.
Thus, Elder Zhang merely snorted coldly and said nothing.
In truth, Yang Haoran was gambling when he prompted Elder Zhang, betting that Elder Zhang wouldn't dare to ask Zhou Fudui for verification at that moment.
His words were originally half-true, half-false. If Elder Zhang sought verification, his so-called facts would become ambiguous, so he eagerly hoped Elder Zhang wouldn't speak.
As long as Elder Zhang didn't speak up to verify, Yang Haoran could continue to hold the initiative and keep Elder Zhang under his thumb.
Of course, his daring to prompt Elder Zhang at that moment also meant he was prepared for the worst. If Elder Zhang was truly determined to uncover the truth, then Yang Haoran would similarly deny stubbornly, insisting firmly that he had indeed been gravely wounded at the time and almost died under the Demon Sealing Talisman.
After all, Zhou Fudui couldn't possibly confirm whether he was seriously injured at the time.
Furthermore, Zhou Fudui hadn't seen if he nearly died under the Demon Sealing Talisman; by the time Zhou Fudui appeared, the battle was already over.
Zhou Fudui could not provide a definitive answer on these two crucial points. Once Elder Zhang asked Zhou Fudui for verification, he would discover that these two crucial points were merely Yang Haoran's one-sided story, which would undoubtedly lead to another round of wrangling.
Faced with such a situation, Yang Haoran would naturally have to deny stubbornly, firmly insisting that everything he said was true. After all, Zhou Fudui couldn't prove he was telling the truth, but neither could he prove he was lying.
However, Yang Haoran had gambled correctly. The worst outcome didn't materialize; Elder Zhang chose silence on the matter, which filled him with secret delight.
Yang Haoran took out two teacups and, smiling, poured a cup of tea for Luo Dui and Zhou Fudui.
Luo Dui, meanwhile, spoke with a smile, “Everyone here is a friend. If there's anything, let's sit down and talk it over slowly, without damaging our harmony. Conflict doesn't solve problems; it only makes them worse. ”
Yang Haoran merely smiled, saying nothing. Elder Zhang, too, only let out a cold snort and remained silent.
Seeing this, Luo Dui continued with a smile, “I'm not sure what just transpired between the two of you, but I do know how your conflict began. If this continues to escalate and truly blows up, it will be difficult to resolve. ” rA+NO!BЕS
With those words, Luo Dui looked at Elder Zhang. In his view, no matter what had just happened, Elder Zhang was definitely the one who had come here to cause trouble today. Therefore, he decided to address Elder Zhang's issue first.
“Elder Zhang, would you mind sitting down first? I have some good news for you,” Luo Dui said, smiling.
“Hmph, good news? I've been quite unlucky lately, what good news could there possibly be? ”
Though Elder Zhang spoke these words, he still sat down with a grim expression.
Yang Haoran said nothing more, nor did he stop Elder Zhang from sitting. Instead, he smiled as he watched Luo Dui, wondering what trick Luo Dui was up to.
“Elder Zhang, hasn't your Talisman Order always wanted to rebuild a larger Talisman Ancestor Temple in Lecheng? ” Luo Dui asked with a smile.
Elder Zhang's expression subtly changed. He looked at Luo Dui and asked in a deep voice, “What do you mean by that, Luo Dui? ”
“I mean, you choose a plot of land, and as long as it's not too unreasonable, I can help you,” Luo Dui said with a smile.
Elder Zhang froze for a moment, then gave a cold laugh. “Heh, you'll help me? Will your Administrative Courtyard agree? Will your Administrative Chief consent to this? I've approached your Administrative Chief many times, but I've never gotten the result I wanted. Can you truly do it? ”
“I will communicate with the Administrative Chief regarding this, so you don't need to worry. You just need to wait for my good news. However, I have one condition,” Luo Dui said with a smile.
Elder Zhang's expression changed once more due to Luo Dui's words; he seemed tempted. However, when Luo Dui mentioned there was still a condition, a sense of vigilance arose in his heart.
“I knew pies wouldn't just fall from the sky. What's the condition? Speak,” Elder Zhang replied in a deep voice.
“Regarding the snake demon matter, I ask Elder Zhang to show leniency and drop the matter here. What do you think, Elder Zhang? ”
No sooner had Luo Dui's words fallen than Jiang Die's emotions flared.
“No! The snake demon matter cannot be dropped just like that! If it weren't for her, I—”
Before Jiang Die could finish speaking, Elder Zhang interrupted her.
“Junior Sister, calm down a little,” Elder Zhang reminded her with a solemn face. Then he turned his gaze to Luo Dui, and after several seconds, he finally spoke. “I had thought our Talisman Order and your Spirit Police had a decent relationship. I assumed that in a situation like this, your Spirit Police would surely stand with our Talisman Order. But to my surprise, I guessed wrong. ”
No sooner had Elder Zhang finished speaking than Yang Haoran, before Luo Dui could respond, spoke with a smile.
“Elder Zhang, the Spirit Police *are* already on your side. Think about it carefully, and you'll realize I'm not trying to fool you. ”
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