Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty-Seven: Ma Ling's Call
After leaving the villa, the four-person group would periodically report their progress to Yang Haoran via text message. Ordinarily, unless it was something major, they wouldn't call Yang Haoran. The reason he received a call from one of them this time was because a significant discovery had been made, which prompted him to interrupt his Soul Pill consumption and power enhancement.
After leaving his study, Yang Haoran went straight to Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu was practically going stir-crazy from idleness during this period. When he had initially agreed to Yang Haoran's request, he had assumed he would likely be treated as a laborer by Yang Haoran for the next ten years. But what he had never expected was that Yang Haoran hadn't assigned him anything at all.
This left him feeling both puzzled and incredibly bored. However, to his surprise, Yang Haoran now appeared before him.
“I thought you'd be holed up in your study for a year. Looks like I was wrong,” Ye Zhiqiu said blandly, sipping his wine.
Yang Haoran didn't answer Ye Zhiqiu's question, but instead asked with a smile, “How is Red Lotus's soul recovering? ”
“She's recovering very well, much better than when she first awakened. Spit it out. Do you have a task for me? ” Ye Zhiqiu spoke.
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, then said, “Indeed. There's a task that requires you to make a trip. ”
Yang Haoran chuckled, remaining silent, then took out an empty Soul-Gathering Bead from his personal space.
“A Soul-Gathering Bead? You want me to catch a ghost? ” Ye Zhiqiu's brows couldn't help but furrow slightly as he looked at the Soul-Gathering Bead Yang Haoran had taken out.
“I have information about an Evil Spirit, but this Evil Spirit isn't within Lecheng's borders. It's not convenient for me to act there, so I need you to make the trip,” Yang Haoran said.
“I understand. ” Ye Zhiqiu didn't ask any further questions, and gave Yang Haoran a straightforward, affirmative reply.
Following that, he gently waved a hand at the Soul-Gathering Bead Yang Haoran had produced, and collected it into his own personal space.
“Your Star Spirit Power isn't inherently restraining for ghosts, so you need to be careful. If you truly can't subdue them, don't force it. ”
He paused, Yang Haoran continued, “You don't have Spirit Power in your body, so you can't activate the Soul-Gathering Bead. However, I've already employed some minor tricks on the Soul-Gathering Bead you just placed into your personal space. When the time comes, as long as you cripple the target and render her unable to resist, you can forcibly stuff her into the Soul-Gathering Bead. Once she's collected into the Soul-Gathering Bead, not only will her Yin Qi no longer be detectable, but even if she recovers her strength, she won't be able to escape the Soul-Gathering Bead. ”
Ye Zhiqiu nodded, then asked, “The address? ”
Yang Haoran informed Ye Zhiqiu of the detailed address. After Ye Zhiqiu learned the address, he didn't say another word, nor did he make any move to prepare. He tore open space and departed the villa directly.
Yang Haoran had merely given Ye Zhiqiu the detailed address, and hadn't instructed him to contact the four-person group who provided the information. He naturally had his reasons for deciding to do this.
Given Ye Zhiqiu's strength, an ordinary Evil Spirit certainly wouldn't be his match. From the information he had received, it seemed Ye Zhiqiu should have no major issue subduing this Evil Spirit, which was why Yang Haoran had entrusted the matter to him.
If he had known Ye Zhiqiu wasn't a match for this Evil Spirit, he wouldn't have bothered sending Ye Zhiqiu to his death. After all, Ye Zhiqiu was currently working for him.
After seeing Ye Zhiqiu off, Yang Haoran left Ye Zhiqiu's room. He didn't immediately return to his own room but instead strolled around the villa.
Only Xiujuan was cleaning the villa; everyone else, including Xiao Kang, was out of the villa.
Seeing Yang Haoran appear, Xiujuan immediately put down what she was doing and quickly bowed.
“Just you alone? Where is everyone else? ” Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
“Old Master Wu went out early this morning, seemingly to handle matters at the Death God Temple. Miss Bai Xue seems to be on a special mission; she's been gone for nearly a week already,” Xiujuan replied.
“What about Xiao Kang? How come I haven't seen that little fellow? ” Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
At the mention of Xiao Kang, a smile appeared on Xiujuan's face, and she quickly replied, “Xiao Kang went to school early this morning. Old Master Wu personally arranged it, so Xiao Kang skipped kindergarten and went straight to primary school. ”
Hearing this, Yang Haoran's smile deepened a little, and he said, “Now that you mention it, it really is time for him to go to school. Alright, you carry on. I'll go check on the villa's expansion. ”
Xiujuan continued with her tasks. After bidding Xiujuan farewell, Yang Haoran left the villa and looked towards its rear.
Now, behind his villa, another villa had appeared. This one was larger than the villa Yang Haoran currently resided in. The two villas connected, making the entire property appear exceptionally grand.
This new villa was different from the one Yang Haoran currently lived in. The villa Yang Haoran currently inhabited had no underground space, but the one now being constructed was different. The villa above ground was only a minor part; the major portion was the underground space beneath it. Therefore, this villa would take more time to build.
However, with the funds in place, the construction team was naturally proactive and even more motivated in their work. Thus, the project was now nearing completion.
Yang Haoran merely stood outside and briefly observed the situation. He had no intention of entering the villa to inspect it, because he trusted Old Master Wu's capabilities. Since this matter had been entrusted to Old Master Wu to handle, he believed the final result would certainly not be bad.
Of course, even if the final result differed somewhat from what he imagined, he could always make changes then.
After a casual stroll, Yang Haoran took a breath of fresh outdoor air, then returned to the villa.
He first took a comfortable bath, then, with a look of pure enjoyment, lay on his bed and lit a cigarette.
Although this room was his, he rarely stayed in it throughout the year. Instead, he spent far more time in his study.
Despite this, his room was kept spotlessly clean. Without needing to think, it was clear Xiujuan was the one doing it.
Yang Haoran lay on his bed, smoking, while his thoughts drifted to other matters. Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was Soul Pills.
He thought of Soul Pills because they were simply too important to him. Not only were they crucial for him personally, but they were also extremely important for his entire current team. Thus, he couldn't help but think of them.
Twenty-eight Soul Pills remained from this batch of refining. Adding to that the three Soul Pills he originally possessed, this meant he currently had thirty-one Soul Pills.
Thirty-one Soul Pills was no small number. Even though he could now refine Soul Pills, thirty-one of them still constituted a considerable fortune to him. The question he was currently pondering was whether or not to take out some more Soul Pills to enhance the strength of Old Master Wu and Xiujuan.
He wanted to take out some Soul Pills to improve Old Master Wu and Xiujuan's strength. Even if he gave one to each of them, it would be an immense help to both, allowing their strength to increase significantly.
But once he did that, he worried it might attract unnecessary trouble.
Xiujuan was one thing; after all, she always remained in the shadows, having no interaction with others. But Old Master Wu was different from Xiujuan. Not only did he have to manage affairs at the Death God Temple, but he sometimes also had to deal with people from other sects. If his strength increased too rapidly, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
It wasn't just Old Master Wu; even he, as he was now, couldn't casually display his full abilities in front of outsiders. If it came to a point where he absolutely had to use them, then he would either have to find a way to kill the opponent, or be killed by them.
Therefore, if he were to boost Old Master Wu's strength, then many things would have to be explained to Old Master Wu.
However, this matter, after all, involved the Soul-Refining Cauldron. Would explaining it clearly guarantee safety?
In Yang Haoran's view, not necessarily. For this matter not to implicate the Soul-Refining Cauldron, he would need to possess a massive enterprise of his own in the Underworld. Otherwise, once the truth came out, it would be difficult for him to provide a convincing explanation.
As he was pondering this, the sudden ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts. He picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID, which left him both surprised and puzzled.
The sudden caller was none other than Ma Ling!
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