Chapter 353: This Life of Yours Is Mine
Following the logic of a normal person, at a time like this, Yang Haoran's best course of action would have been to say nothing further, to let Old Man Zhang and his people leave, so as to avoid any further conflicts between the two sides.
However, Yang Haoran had his own thoughts and considerations. His sudden interjection at this moment was, naturally, the result of careful deliberation.
"Is there anything else, Emissary Yang? " Old Man Zhang asked, his face grim.
He had never interacted with Yang Haoran before, so he didn't understand the man. After today's encounter, he genuinely wished to avoid any further contact with this fellow.
Although Captain Luo had stepped in to resolve today's matter, and their Talisman Order had also benefited, he still felt deeply uncomfortable. A suffocating frustration was lodged in his chest, neither rising nor falling, so his tone towards Yang Haoran was naturally far from pleasant.
Yang Haoran picked up a cigarette pack, offered one to Captain Luo and another to Vice-Captain Zhou, then looked at Old Man Zhang, smiling faintly. "Today, I'm very grateful to Captain Luo for mediating and resolving the conflict. Now, the dispute between your Talisman Order and Bai Xue has been settled—Captain Luo and Vice-Captain Zhou witnessed this and it's already decided. In that case, it's time to settle the debt between your Talisman Order and our Underworld Office."
As Yang Haoran's words left his lips, everyone else present, with the exception of Old Master Wu, whose expression remained calm, changed color—the snake demon standing behind Yang Haoran included.
The snake demon's expression was quite something. She had thought the matter was perfectly resolved, but she hadn't expected Yang Haoran to suddenly launch an attack at this moment.
He hadn't spoken earlier, nor later. He had waited untilafter</> the Talisman Order had agreed to let bygones be bygones before opening his mouth. His intentions were obvious.
Her inner conjecture made the snake demon feel a faint thrill of excitement. If the occasion hadn't been so inappropriate, she might have already burst into laughter.
In truth, Yang Haoran hadn't originally intended to press the Talisman Order at this moment, as he had to consider Wang Yiming's feelings.
However, if he didn't use this opportunity to teach them a lesson, the same thing might happen again in the future. That was a result he didn't want to see.
Yang Haoran's words brought everyone back to their senses. However, Captain Luo and Vice-Captain Zhou didn't understand what had happened before, so they were filled with doubt.
Old Man Zhang and his two companions, however, understood perfectly well what Yang Haoran's words implied.
"Emissary Yang, don't you think you're being a bit excessive? " Old Man Zhang asked in a deep voice.
"Excessive? " Yang Haoran chuckled, then said, "You brought people to blockade my residence. Is that excessive of you, or of me? If I pretend this never happened, how will I manage to get by in Lecheng in the future? Anyone who's in a bad mood could just blockade my place, and I wouldn't say a word, wouldn't do a thing, letting them blockade it however they please. Tell me, will our Underworld Office still have any standing in Lecheng then?"
Yang Haoran's barrage of counter-questions truly left Old Man Zhang dumbfounded for a moment. However, Old Man Zhang's mind was quick; he was only momentarily stunned before immediately recovering.
"The reason I blockaded your residence today was entirely because of the snake demon. If not for the snake demon—"
Old Man Zhang hadn't finished speaking when Yang Haoran cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Old Man Zhang, don't give me that 'snake demon or no snake demon' excuse. Even if you wanted to capture the snake demon, couldn't you have waited until she had left my residence? You just blockaded my home without so much as a greeting—what kind of behavior is that? If you think your actions were justified, then I can tell you with certainty: tomorrow, there'll be ghosts I need to catch right inside your Talisman Ancestor Temple. Not just tomorrow, but the day after too. And then I won't say a word, I'll just surround your Talisman Ancestor Temple first. Does that sound fair to you? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
Old Man Zhang was so enraged his lungs nearly burst. He gritted his teeth and said, "This matter, I was too rash."
Having spoken, Old Man Zhang looked at the Talisman Pouch he had taken out earlier on the table and continued, "There are ten Black Talismans in the Talisman Pouch. Consider them my compensation to Emissary Yang. I wonder if Emissary Yang is satisfied?"
Yang Haoran glanced at the Talisman Pouch, nodded with a smile, then slowly took a drag from his cigarette and said, "Old Man Zhang, you're truly too kind. Compensation or not, it's actually not important; that wasn't my intention at all. But since Old Man Zhang is so sincere, I'll accept it."
Yang Haoran chuckled, picked up the Talisman Pouch from the table, and handed it to Old Master Wu, who was standing behind him.
"This matter is concluded. Let's move on to the next."
As Yang Haoran spoke these words, Old Man Zhang's face immediately twisted in a grimace.
"Emissary Yang, these ten Black Talismans of mine are extremely precious Black Talismans, part of my personal collection. Since you've accepted them, then all our past grievances are wiped clean. I implore you, do not be endlessly nitpicking."
Old Man Zhang knew that Yang Haoran was certainly going to bring up the Talisman Order's attempt to assassinate him, so he simply spoke first, preemptively refuting everything Yang Haoran was about to say.
However, what Old Man Zhang didn't realize was that his action played right into Yang Haoran's hands. Yang Haoran was practically hoping he would do this. If he had truly brought up that matter with Vice-Captain Zhou as a witness present, it would undoubtedly have led to another round of bickering and evasion.
The reason Yang Haoran initiated this was, in fact, to give Old Man Zhang a scare and, at the same time, deliver a warning, ensuring he remembered this trip more deeply.
"Since Old Man Zhang has put it that way, there's naturally not much more for me to say. I won't bring up that matter, however—" At this point, Yang Haoran paused, then looked at Jiang Die, whose expression was equally grim, and continued, "However, there's one thing I hope you'll remember: your life was saved by me. You owe me a life."
From the moment Jiang Die had first met Yang Haoran today, she had been subjected to constant provocation. Not only could she not out-talk Yang Haoran, she couldn't defeat him in a fight either. She could only endure the fury churning within her.
Having endured until now, she had thought the matter was finally coming to an end. Yet, Yang Haoran, instead of showing mercy despite being in the right, not only extorted ten Black Talismans from her senior brother but also prepared to continue bringing up issues regarding her. The rage in her heart surged to her head, and she instantly lost all reason.
However, she didn't lash out at Yang Haoran. Instead, she made herself the target of her own action.
"I'll return this life to you right now! " Jiang Die declared, her expression twisted in fury. As she spoke, a talisman appeared in her hand, and she slapped it towards her own chest.
Jiang Die's sudden movement startled Old Man Zhang, Captain Luo, and the others. It happened too quickly; they wanted to intervene but it was already too late.
Just as the talisman in Jiang Die's hand was about to strike her chest, the space beside her suddenly warped, and a chain as thick as an arm whipped out, lashing at her hand and knocking the talisman flying.
The one who struck was, naturally, Yang Haoran. The reason he was able to stop Jiang Die so promptly was that he had already prepared for such a possibility.
And why did he save Jiang Die? The reason was simple: Jiang Die couldn't die, at least not here, owing him a life.
If Jiang Die truly died at his hands, then his entire act today would collapse, and it would cause him significant trouble—trouble that he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of with just a few words.
"I'm lending you this life for now. I don't have any immediate plans to reclaim it. When the day comes that I need it, I'll come to you myself."
With his words spoken, Yang Haoran ignored the grim-faced Jiang Die and the equally sullen Old Man Zhang, turning to Old Master Wu with a smile. "Old Master Wu, I'm truly sorry to trouble you again, but please escort our friends from the Talisman Order out."
Old Master Wu nodded respectfully, then, with a smile, walked towards Old Man Zhang and made a polite gesture to invite them.
"The three of you, please."
Old Man Zhang didn't leave immediately. Instead, he looked at Yang Haoran and said, "Emissary Yang, I've truly witnessed your methods today, old man that I am. We'll meet again in the future. Hmph!"
As his words fell, Old Man Zhang turned and departed. Jiang Die cast a cold glance at Yang Haoran, said nothing, and followed Old Man Zhang closely.
As for Wang Yiming, he offered Yang Haoran a wry smile and a nod by way of farewell. Then he looked at Captain Luo and Vice-Captain Zhou and said, "Captain Luo, Vice-Captain Zhou, I'll be taking my leave."
Immediately after, Wang Yiming quickly followed, not daring to linger even for a moment. With things having escalated to this point, how could he possibly stay any longer?
Under Old Master Wu's guidance, the three quickly left the villa, taking the Talisman Order's people with them.
The departure of the Talisman Order's people left the Night Watchers extremely excited and thrilled, for they had all noticed Old Man Zhang and Jiang Die's unpleasant expressions. What did that signify?
It meant that these two Black Talisman Masters had suffered a loss at their boss's hands! Judging by the severity of their grim faces, it wasn't a minor setback—they had definitely taken a huge hit!
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