Chapter 443: Second Boss
The unkempt man was named Ye Zhiqiu. He looked about thirty-seven or thirty-eight, quite a bit older than Yang Haoran. Despite his beggar-like appearance, his name, however, carried a certain charm.
At this moment, Ye Zhiqiu followed behind the bodyguard, passing through the barrier's opening and successfully entering the interior of Cloud Mist Mountain Manor. However, his expression didn't improve because of this; he still maintained a solemn face.
As his power seal was now completely undone, Ye Zhiqiu no longer worried about opening his independent space and having his power fluctuations detected by others. He casually took out a can of beer from his independent space and began to drink it, engrossed in himself.
Ye Zhiqiu unsealing his power was not his own intention, but a part of Yang Haoran's plan. Yang Haoran had long considered that entering Cloud Mist Mountain Manor would not be easy, so he had Ye Zhiqiu release his power fluctuations to attract the opponent's attention and let them know that a guest like him had arrived.
According to Yang Haoran's estimation, as long as Ye Zhiqiu released his power fluctuations, then, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the other party should not refuse them entry.
Indeed, this was the case. After Ye Zhiqiu released his power fluctuations, the other party sensed it and thus instructed the bodyguard to inquire about their identities. If they hadn't done this, the other party might have still inquired about their identities, but they certainly wouldn't have treated it with such importance; they might not even have been interested in asking about their identities and simply dismissed them as ordinary people.
However, there was one thing Yang Haoran hadn't anticipated. He had thought that after Ye Zhiqiu released his power fluctuations, the other party would make an appearance. After all, Ye Zhiqiu's strength was not weak, and the power fluctuations he released were very strong. Whether for safety considerations or out of politeness, it was highly likely that the other party would appear to greet them.
But what he hadn't expected was that the other party didn't appear, but instead had the bodyguard lead them into the manor.
From this perspective, the other party either looked down on Ye Zhiqiu's strength, or looked down on Ye Zhiqiu as a person, or they were tied up with important matters and couldn't extricate themselves, which was why they didn't appear.
Following behind Ye Zhiqiu, Yang Haoran, though smiling, his gaze intentionally and unintentionally swept over everything inside the manor, including the architectural facilities and the flora and vegetation.
Besides that, he was also sensing the power fluctuations within the manor.
Under his perception, he sensed three power fluctuations: one very strong, and the other two slightly weaker, and these three power fluctuations were distributed in different areas.
And the area the bodyguard was currently leading them to was precisely where the strongest power fluctuation was located.
Neither Yang Haoran nor Bai Xue had unsealed themselves, but both could clearly sense the presence of these three power fluctuations.
According to Ye Zhiqiu, there should be five Demon Hunters here: two slightly stronger than him and three slightly weaker than him. However, at present, they only sensed the presence of three power fluctuations. If Ye Zhiqiu wasn't lying, or if the information Ye Zhiqiu had gathered was correct, then the other two might not be inside the manor right now.
For Yang Haoran and the other two, having two fewer opponents was definitely a good thing.
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that the other two were also in the manor, and the reason they couldn't be sensed might be because they had also sealed their own power fluctuations.
However, completely sealing one's own power fluctuations on their own territory, unless there was a special reason or a peculiar habit, no one would do so. Because there was no need, and such an action would constantly cause a certain degree of consumption to oneself; although the consumption wasn't large, it was indeed present.
Therefore, Yang Haoran felt that the other two Demon Hunters were likely not in the manor. If the truth was as he had guessed, then this operation would be much simpler.
A moment later, a lake appeared in the sight of Yang Haoran and the two others.
The lake wasn't large, but judging by the color of the water, it should be very deep. In the middle of the lake was a pavilion, and outside the pavilion was a man.
Judging by his appearance, the man looked about thirty-three or thirty-four. His appearance was ordinary, without any distinguishing features. If there was anything distinctive about him, it was the small goatee he sported.
The man was reclining on a chair, with his eyes closed, enjoying the warm afternoon sun of winter. Beside him was a pot of hot tea, and in front of him, a fishing rod.
The arrival of Yang Haoran and the others—the goatee man had clearly sensed it—but he didn't get up, nor did he even look towards where they were, as if he were truly asleep.
The bodyguard's footsteps didn't falter. He led Yang Haoran and the two others onto a pathway made of wooden planks.
This pathway led directly to the pavilion in the center of the lake.
In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the bodyguard finally stopped, as he had brought Yang Haoran and the two others to the goatee man's location.
"Second Boss, I've brought the guests."
The bodyguard bowed respectfully, his attitude even more reverent than when he had addressed Yang Haoran and the others earlier. When facing Yang Haoran and the two others before, his attitude, though respectful, had only involved a slight bow.
But now, facing the goatee man, he actually performed a ninety-degree bow.
The goatee man didn't open his eyes. He merely waved a hand slightly, gesturing for the bodyguard to retreat.
The bodyguard didn't utter another word of nonsense, immediately retreating respectfully, leaving Yang Haoran and the two others behind.
As the bodyguard retreated, the goatee man slowly opened his eyes. He sat up a little straighter in his chair, and after adjusting to the most comfortable position, he finally looked towards Yang Haoran and the two others, sizing them up.
While the goatee man was sizing up Yang Haoran and the two others, Yang Haoran and Bai Xue were also sizing up the man.
However, Ye Zhiqiu's reaction was different from Yang Haoran's and Bai Xue's. He seemed as if he hadn't seen the goatee man in front of him, drinking his beer, engrossed in himself, and admiring the surrounding scenery.
The goatee man's gaze first swept over Yang Haoran, but after just a glance, he looked towards Bai Xue.
On Bai Xue's person, the goatee man's gaze lingered slightly longer, giving Bai Xue a rough once-over from head to toe, before finally looking towards Ye Zhiqiu.
Seeing Ye Zhiqiu engrossed in drinking beer and admiring the scenery of the place, the goatee man's brows slightly furrowed, his displeasure clearly written on his face.
"Heh heh, I was just thinking for ages who Ye Zhiqiu was, but I just couldn't place it. Now I finally remember," the goatee man said to Ye Zhiqiu, a hint of reluctance in his smile.
Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu took a gulp of beer, withdrew his gaze, and looked at the goatee man.
"You're a busy man with a lot on your mind, so it's normal that you wouldn't remember me," Ye Zhiqiu said indifferently, his tone neither servile nor overbearing.
"It's not that I'm a busy man with a lot on my mind; it's that you and I never really had any interactions to begin with. So I only remember your appearance, I honestly don't have much of an impression of your name, heh heh."
From the conversation between the two, and the goatee man's attitude towards Ye Zhiqiu, Yang Haoran felt that saying their relationship was one of acquaintance was an exaggeration. This goatee man clearly didn't take Ye Zhiqiu seriously at all.
"I remember you never operated in our New Sun City; why do you have the leisure to visit me today? " the goatee man asked.
Ye Zhiqiu didn't immediately answer the goatee man's question. Instead, he casually tossed the beer can in his hand into the lake, and then took out another can of beer from his independent space.
"It's New Year's, so I came over to pay my respects to a fellow professional like yourself," Ye Zhiqiu said aloud, opening the beer in his hand and tilting his head back to chug it down.
The goatee man looked at the beer can floating in the lake, his brows furrowing slightly once more. After retracting his gaze, he looked at Ye Zhiqiu again.
"Though you and I are in the same profession, we're not cut from the same cloth. It's truly rare for you to come and pay me a New Year's visit. Furthermore, your words and actions don't look like you're here to offer New Year greetings at all; instead, they make me feel like you're here to stir up trouble. " As the goatee man spoke, his tone already carried a hint of coldness.
Seeing this, Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged, though he sighed inwardly. Having Ye Zhiqiu act was simply terrible. It was about to end before it even began. If it weren't for the fact that this scene absolutely had to be played by him, he wouldn't use such an actor even if he were beaten to death. A poker face was one thing, but the key was that he had no acting skills whatsoever.
To prevent this play from ending so quickly, he felt he had to step in and save the situation ahead of time.
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