Chapter 436: Am I an Outsider or One of Your Own?
Yang Haoran's answer made the slovenly man pause. He had expected Yang Haoran to beat around the bush, trying to wring more benefits out of him, but never thought Yang Haoran would directly ask when they should depart.
Yang Haoran asked about their departure so readily because he felt it was enough. Pushing for more would seem overtly greedy, and there was a risk that the deal might slip through his fingers.
In truth, even if the slovenly man hadn't offered more, Yang Haoran would have eventually agreed. The reason he hadn't agreed immediately was simply to circle around a bit, to see if the slovenly man would voluntarily add more benefits.
The result was highly satisfying to him. The slovenly man had, quite consciously, added another Demon Pill of a Great Demon's caliber. Thus, Yang Haoran no longer hesitated and immediately inquired about the slovenly man's preferred departure time.
His answer signaled his acceptance of the deal.
The slovenly man was stunned for only a fleeting moment before he quickly recovered.
"Time is tight, let's leave now!"
As the slovenly man uttered these words, he immediately rose from his seat. But just as he stood up, a sharp pain shot through his body, causing his expression to change dramatically.
Yang Haoran watched the scene unfold. He took a sip of tea and chuckled, "If we leave right now, what about your injuries? In your current state, you won't be much help and will only be a burden. We're going to rescue someone, not to commit suicide."
"Tell me where the destination is and how much time we roughly have," Yang Haoran asked.
"The destination is New Sun City. The person might be sent away tomorrow night, at the very latest, not past the morning after tomorrow," the slovenly man replied in a deep voice, his anxiety barely concealed.
When the slovenly man mentioned New Sun City, Yang Haoran couldn't help but think of Huo Laoban, whom he had met in the Underworld. New Sun City was his territory.
Yang Haoran felt a surge of wariness and aversion towards this Huo Laoban. He had absolutely no desire to deal with him, yet it was beyond his wildest expectations that their destination this time would be Huo Laoban's New Sun City.
Although Yang Haoran didn't want any interaction with Huo Laoban, since he had already promised the slovenly man, he naturally wouldn't go back on his word.
Besides, even going to New Sun City didn't guarantee they'd run into him. After all, their target this time was a Demon Hunter, not one of the Yin Division's Funeral Directors.
Yang Haoran dispelled Huo Laoban's image from his mind, shifting his focus to the timeframe the slovenly man had mentioned, as that was the issue he needed to consider right now.
"The person won't be sent away until tomorrow evening at the earliest, so we still have some time," Yang Haoran mused, then said.
"But what if their plans change? If we arrive late, we'll just find an empty house," the slovenly man said, his face filled with worry.
"I completely understand your eagerness to save this person, but haste makes waste. What good will it do to rush over in your current state? Besides getting yourselves killed, you might only manage to briefly touch the heart of the person you're trying to save before you both perish, and even drag me down with you. Moreover, if no unexpected events occur, why would they change their plans for no good reason?"
Hearing Yang Haoran's words, the slovenly man fell silent, his expression hesitant. On one hand, he was desperate to save the person; on the other, he felt Yang Haoran's words weren't unreasonable.
"How about this, then? It's morning now. We'll depart tomorrow at noon. In the meantime, I can make some preparations, and you can recover from your injuries," Yang Haoran suggested.
The slovenly man's face was still etched with hesitation, as if he were making a final decision in his mind. After a few breaths, he nodded lightly at Yang Haoran.
"Alright, we'll do as you say. We'll depart tomorrow at noon."
"How much of your injuries can you recover in one day? " Yang Haoran asked again.
The slovenly man's injuries were all inflicted by Bai Xue today. Although not fatal, they were quite severe.
However, each person's physique differs, and with varying internal powers and methods, the speed of recovery from injuries is entirely different. Yang Haoran didn't know how long it would take for the slovenly man's injuries to heal, so he needed to understand the situation to make targeted arrangements.
"The injuries aren't particularly severe; one day should be enough to recover most of them," the slovenly man replied.
"Only most of them? " Yang Haoran pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Only recovering most isn't enough. If your strength isn't at its peak, it will leave me feeling insecure."
Given the slovenly man's injuries, recovering most of them in a day was already quite good. But no matter how fast the recovery, if he couldn't return to peak condition, it would be in vain, as he wouldn't be able to unleash his full combat power.
"In one day, I can only recover to this extent. If I could have one more day, I'd fully recover, but time doesn't allow it," the slovenly man said, his expression tinged with helplessness.
Yang Haoran didn't answer immediately. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. Although the tea was long cold, he didn't mind.
Seeing Yang Haoran deep in thought, the slovenly man didn't speak further.
A moment later, Yang Haoran set down his teacup. He seemed to have thought of something, and a smile blossomed on his face once more.
"I have a solution!"
"What solution? " the slovenly man quickly asked.
Yang Haoran didn't answer the slovenly man's question; instead, he turned his gaze to Old Master Wu, who had remained silent by his side.
"Old Wu, I'll trouble you to take him to the Spirit Police headquarters. The treatment conditions there are excellent, and combined with his own decent recovery speed, a day might just be enough to get his body back to peak condition."
Old Master Wu nodded and rose. Then, Yang Haoran had the slovenly man tear open space, taking Old Master Wu with him as they departed the villa and headed to the Spirit Police headquarters.
After the two left, Yang Haoran called Luo Dui. Although Yang Haoran was confident that Old Master Wu could handle the matter, he felt it was necessary to inform Luo Dui, as it was a basic sign of respect for a friend.
The call connected, and Yang Haoran explained the situation to Luo Dui. Luo Dui didn't refuse and even asked about Yang Haoran's situation, inquiring if they needed support.
According to Luo Dui, their mission had concluded successfully. He had left a portion of his men to clean up the battlefield, while he himself and Vice-Captain Zhou were preparing to set off to assist Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran declined Luo Dui's kind offer, informing him that all issues had been resolved. In addition, he also requested a few days leave for Bai Xue.
Bai Xue was inherently a special presence within the Spirit Police team. Not only was her identity unique, but her treatment also differed greatly from other Spirit Police. Compared to them, she enjoyed more freedom, and Luo Dui never restricted her. Let alone a few days, even if she left for dozens of days, Luo Dui wouldn't say much.
Hanging up the phone, Yang Haoran looked at Bai Xue and smiled, "Want to come with me for a big score this time?"
"Hehe, didn't Big Brother Funeral Director already make the decision for me? " Bai Xue purred with a charming smile, her voice returning to its usual alluring tone, devoid of the anger she had shown towards the slovenly man.
"Although I made the decision for you, couldn't you still refuse? " Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
"No, there's nothing to refuse. Your decision is my decision. Although I don't want to help that guy, since you've agreed to, I naturally can't stand idly by," Bai Xue said with a charming smile.
Yang Haoran chuckled, and then a ball of green light suddenly appeared in his hand. Within this green light was a green Demon Pill, the size of a grape.
This Demon Pill was precisely the deposit the slovenly man had paid earlier.
"Although you weren't seriously injured just now, you expended quite a bit of Demon Power. With this Demon Pill as an aid, you'll not only recover your energy quickly but also advance your strength further. However, we're short on time, so don't foolishly swallow this entire Demon Pill directly. We don't have enough time for you to refine the whole thing. It's best to absorb the Demon Pill externally; absorb as much as you can within the limited time, and you can seal the rest to absorb and refine later when you have more time."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, and the Demon Pill in his hand flew towards Bai Xue, stopping before her.
Bai Xue took the Demon Pill, and the corners of her mouth beneath the mask turned upward, revealing her evident happiness.
"Thank you, Big Brother Funeral Director, you're so good to me," Bai Xue said with a laugh.
"Of course, one must be good to one's own people. As for outsiders, that depends on my mood."
As he spoke, Yang Haoran seemed to recall something from the past and couldn't help but sigh, "Outsiders are, in the end, just outsiders. Playing along with them for a performance is fine, but to ask me to open my heart to an outsider? The current me is no longer so naive. I firmly believe that if one day I fall on hard times, and someone is still willing to stand by my side, those are definitely the 'own people' whom I acknowledge in my heart. Perhaps all of them, or just one of them. As for the outsiders I don't acknowledge, it's already quite good if they don't kick me when I'm down."
Seeing Yang Haoran's face full of emotion, Bai Xue couldn't resist asking with a laugh, "Did Big Brother Funeral Director ever suffer a loss in this regard? Tell me about it."
"It's ancient history, nothing worth talking about. In life, some people grow more naive the longer they live, while others become more realistic. I don't want to make any judgments about the former, because I'm not good at judging others, but I know that I don't belong to the former," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"What you said is too profound. However, I'm very curious: in your heart, do I belong to your 'own people' or am I an 'outsider'? " Bai Xue asked with a smile.
Hearing this, Yang Haoran looked at Bai Xue and asked with a smile, "That's a good question. Do you really want to know?"
"Of course, why else would I ask you? " Bai Xue replied.
Yang Haoran's smile didn't falter, but an object suddenly appeared in his hand: a snow-white Snake Scale.
Outsiders might not recognize what this Snake Scale was, but Bai Xue certainly did, because it was a scale she had painstakingly plucked from her own body.
"You return the Demon Pill to me, and I'll return the Snake Scale to you," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Bai Xue was momentarily startled, then, realizing his intent, she grinningly tucked the floating Demon Pill in front of her into her independent space.
"Hehe, I have plenty of scales. You can keep that one for yourself!"
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