Chapter 519: Human Relations and Worldly Wisdom
"As long as Emissary Yang likes it, hehe, let me introduce myself first. My name is Ma Yuanjin, and this is my son, Ma Hongcheng."
Speaking of which, Old Master Ma's gaze shifted to the woman standing behind Ma Hongcheng, and he continued the introduction: "This is my daughter-in-law, Ma Ling's mother."
"Hello, Auntie. My name is Yang Haoran, and I'm Ma Ling's friend. " Yang Haoran quickly rose, introducing himself with a smile.
"Hehe, Emissary Yang is too polite, please, please, do sit down quickly. " The woman chuckled.
Yang Haoran offered an apologetic smile, then settled back into his seat.
"Just now, outside, there wasn't enough time to properly thank Emissary Yang. Now, this old man, on behalf of my entire Ma Family, young and old, expresses our deepest gratitude for your assistance this time. " The Old Master said with a smile.
The Old Master's words were not mere pleasantries, but genuine. Yang Haoran could discern the sincerity in his tone.
"Indeed. If our daughter hadn't contacted Emissary Yang in advance this time, she likely wouldn't have returned from this trip."
Upon hearing this, Ma Ling's mother shot Ma Hongcheng a glare from behind him, her face revealing dissatisfaction. However, in the current setting, to preserve her husband's dignity, she said nothing. As for whether she would settle accounts later, that remained to be seen.
"This time, I was careless. I never expected such an unforeseen turn of events. I had only intended for her to gain some experience, who would have thought it nearly cost her life? " Ma Hongcheng said with a bitter smile.
Yang Haoran only half-believed Ma Hongcheng's words. He hadn't visited the Ma Family before, so he wasn't entirely clear on Ma Ling's status within the household. Now, however, he had his own observations.
Ma Ling's status in the Ma Family was certainly not as formidable as she claimed, but she was undoubtedly a cherished darling within the Ma Family. For such a beloved daughter, Yang Haoran found it hard to believe that Old Master Ma and Ma Hongcheng wouldn't have left some life-saving measures on her, perhaps even unknown to Ma Ling herself.
If his guess was correct, then even without Yang Haoran's presence today, Ma Ling's crisis might still have been averted.
Of course, this was merely his personal speculation. Whether the truth was indeed as he surmised remained unknown.
Nevertheless, the gratitude Ma Yuanjin and Ma Hongcheng currently expressed towards him was undeniably sincere; he could feel that much.
Though he harbored his own suspicions, speculation remained speculation. He still had to speak as the situation demanded.
"Hehe, there's no need for the two of you to be so polite about this. Since I promised to help Ma Ling, I naturally couldn't just stand by and watch her face danger. I merely did what any friend should do."
Yang Haoran was exceedingly modest. His words prioritized the bonds of friendship, making no mention of his own efforts, which greatly increased the goodwill of Ma Yuanjin and his son, as well as Ma Ling's mother, present in the room.
"This old man can sense that Emissary Yang's aura is somewhat weak at the moment. I presume you were injured while dealing with the Corpse Driving Master, which makes this old man feel quite apologetic. " Ma Yuanjin said with a smile.
Yang Haoran's aura was indeed slightly weakened at this moment, but his physical weakness had absolutely nothing to do with that Corpse Driving Master from before; it was entirely self-inflicted to throw off suspicion.
Yang Haoran, of course, wasn't foolish enough to reveal the true reason. His face full of smiles, he replied.
"Old Master, that's far too formal. In battles and conflicts, how can one avoid getting injured? When I agreed to help Ma Ling, I had already prepared myself for this."
Ma Yuanjin burst into laughter, saying, "Hahahaha, Emissary Yang's character truly suits this old man's taste! I have some healing medicine here with quite excellent effects, and I hope Emissary Yang will accept it."
As his words fell, Ma Yuanjin waved a hand, and a square wooden box appeared on the table. The box was small, only palm-sized, and adorned with beautifully carved patterns, appearing exquisitely crafted.
Yang Haoran didn't know what kind of medicine was inside the box, but considering such an exquisite box was used, the medicine certainly couldn't be ordinary.
Moreover, given Ma Yuanjin's status, he wouldn't offer common medicine in front of Yang Haoran.
To say Yang Haoran wasn't curious would be impossible. He was not only curious but even felt a slight stir of desire.
However, he was very clear about the purpose of his visit. Therefore, even with that slight temptation, he couldn't accept Ma Yuanjin's kind offer.
Furthermore, it wouldn't be appropriate to simply accept something the moment it was offered; it would give the impression of someone who came solely to reap benefits.
Of course, Yang Haoran truly had come to gain something, but even if he was there for benefits, he couldn't make it too obvious.
Strictly speaking, for Yang Haoran to proactively visit today, to call it "reaping benefits" might be an exaggeration. The accurate description should be "having a request for someone. " However, given the current circumstances, whether this "having a request for someone" would ultimately turn into "reaping benefits" in the eyes of outsiders was hard to say.
"I appreciate the Old Master's kindness. It's just a minor injury; I'll recover in a few days, no need for such trouble. " Yang Haoran said with a smile, politely declining Ma Yuanjin's offer.
Seeing Yang Haoran decisively refuse his kind offer, Ma Yuanjin chuckled mysteriously, saying, "Hehe, Emissary Yang, what's in this box is quite a treasure. If you don't accept it, you might regret it someday when you learn how valuable it truly is."
Hearing Ma Yuanjin say this, Yang Haoran grew even more curious about the contents of the box. However, his purpose for coming today was very clear, so even with intense curiosity, he still managed to suppress it.
Ma Yuanjin's face was full of smiles as he cheerfully waited for Yang Haoran to change his mind. He believed that after his words, Yang Haoran would certainly be extremely curious about the item in the box.
And indeed, that was the case. Yang Haoran did develop intense curiosity about the contents of the box, but his curiosity did not alter the original purpose of his visit.
However, at that very moment, Ma Ling and her second brother entered the courtyard. Two Corpse Ghouls, bound by chains, were also thrown into the yard by the pair.
The two Corpse Ghouls fell into the courtyard, emitting ferocious roars. If not for their bodies being bound by chains formed from Yang Haoran's Spirit Power, they would surely have lunged at Ma Ling and her second brother.
After a period of recovery, although the two Corpse Ghouls were still very weak, their condition had significantly improved compared to when they were in Yellow Ox Town.
The appearance of the two Corpse Ghouls instantly made the quiet courtyard noisy. At the same time, the foul stench emanating from them permeated the entire yard.
In the living room, the gazes of Yang Haoran and the other three were, at this moment, drawn to the two Corpse Ghouls in the courtyard.
Ma Ling excitedly rushed into the living room at this moment, while her second brother remained in the courtyard to guard the Corpse Ghouls, preventing their escape and also guarding against any other unforeseen incidents.
"Grandpa, Dad, do you need to examine these Corpse Ghouls? I think these two fellows are recovering quite quickly. " Ma Ling burst into the living room, asking Ma Yuanjin and Ma Hongcheng.
Yang Haoran wore a smile on his face. Ma Ling appearing at this moment, and bringing the two Corpse Ghouls with her, was a good thing for him.
He was the one who captured these two Corpse Ghouls, and he was the one who gifted them to Ma Ling, or rather, to the Ma Family. For the Ma Family, who enjoyed studying zombies, two Corpse Ghouls were quite a grand gift.
He naturally wouldn't bring this up himself, as that would make him appear stingy. But if the Ma Family brought it up, that would be different.
Now that Ma Ling and her second brother had appeared with the two Corpse Ghouls, based on Yang Haoran's own experience, as long as the Ma Family possessed even a little worldly wisdom, they would definitely bring up this matter themselves and undoubtedly express their gratitude to him once more.
And he, in turn, could seize this opportunity to voice his request, which was the purpose of his visit.
The Ma Family naturally understood worldly wisdom. Ma Yuanjin had lived almost his entire life; if he didn't even understand the most basic human relations, how could he establish himself in the circle and make the Ma Family thrive within it?
Thus, the Ma Family's subsequent reaction was not far from Yang Haoran's expectations.
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