Chapter 592: Discussion
When Yang Haoran spoke those words, Huo Laoban’s expression remained unchanged. He seemed as though he hadn't grasped the subtext of Yang Haoran's statement, yet he nodded with a serious face, seemingly agreeing with Yang Haoran's assertion.
Huo Laoban was an intelligent man, so Yang Haoran didn't believe for a moment that Huo Laoban hadn't understood his words. His unchanging expression merely indicated that he wasn't displaying his inner emotions.
As for why Huo Laoban nodded, in such circumstances, he naturally had to. After all, there was nothing wrong with what Yang Haoran had said; not nodding would have seemed strange.
"Emissary Yang is right," Huo Laoban said. "We truly cannot jump to conclusions on this matter. No one can be certain if Emissary Shi was captured by Spirit Mediums without concrete evidence. However, it is a fact that the Emissary of Death of Cloud River City was captured by Spirit Mediums."
This time, Yang Haoran remained silent. With Huo Laoban present, he felt it was best to speak less, as loose lips sink ships.
Although he didn't know if Huo Laoban would seize an opportunity to scheme against him, he couldn't help but be more cautious around someone of Huo Laoban's character. Before Huo Laoban schemed against him, he naturally wouldn't go plotting against Huo Laoban either. However, it was wise to be wary of others; he might not harm Huo Laoban, but who could guarantee that the other party wouldn't harm him?
To survive in this treacherous world, and to survive better, it was ultimately never wrong to be cautious.
Seeing that Yang Haoran had no intention of speaking, the Old Crone spoke again.
"Your Emissary is still alive, but I estimate he probably won't live much longer," Huo Laoban replied. "As for where he is being held, I have also extracted that information."
The Old Crone was a mix of joy and worry. Her joy stemmed from knowing their Emissary was alive and discovering his place of confinement. Her worry was that their Emissary wouldn't live much longer, evidently having sustained severe injuries at the hands of the Spirit Mediums.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go rescue him quickly, or it might be too late!"
The moment the words left her mouth, the Old Crone knew she had lost her composure. The disparity in their statuses compelled her to be mindful of what she should and shouldn't say, and in what tone she should speak. Her urgency had made her momentarily forget such considerations, and only after speaking did she realize her impropriety.
"My apologies, two Emissaries, I was too anxious just now. Please forgive me."
The Old Crone quickly apologized. Status aside, Cloud River City's Underworld Office still relied on Huo Laoban and Yang Haoran. Rescuing their Emissary also depended on their actions. Without the two of them, Cloud River City's Underworld Office, with its current strength, couldn't hope to escape its present predicament, much less fantasize about rescuing their Emissary. She understood the stakes, so she immediately apologized, fearing the two might become displeased by her lapse in composure.
Yang Haoran said it was fine, while Huo Laoban waved his hand lightly, signaling to the Old Crone that she needn't worry.
"I can understand your feelings," Huo Laoban said. "Moreover, I don't think what you said was wrong. We truly should find a way to rescue your Emissary now, or it might be too late even to collect his body. While we can't be certain that Emissary Shi's disappearance is related to the Spirit Mediums, the possibility is very high. If Emissary Shi's disappearance was indeed their doing, then it's very likely the work of a single individual. If we find your Emissary, we might also find Emissary Shi."
The Old Crone's eyes filled with gratitude. Huo Laoban's words made her feel strong and powerful support. As long as Huo Laoban was willing to help rescue their Emissary, the chances of their Emissary surviving would greatly increase. Thus, at this moment, she was filled with immense gratitude towards Huo Laoban.
"Many thanks, Emissary! " the Old Crone quickly said, expressing her gratitude to Huo Laoban. The depth of her thanks at that moment could not be summarized by those four simple words.
"You don't need to be so polite," Huo Laoban said. "Our purpose in coming to Cloud River City this time is to resolve all your troubles. These are merely our duties, so you don't need to thank me."
After speaking, Huo Laoban turned his gaze to Yang Haoran and continued, "I've decided to rush to where the Cloud River City Emissary of Death is being held to rescue him. I wonder if Emissary Yang agrees with this decision?"
"I have no objection to rescuing him," Yang Haoran responded, his expression serious. "However, we cannot rush in blindly, or we might not only fail to rescue the person but also get ourselves caught in the process."
Yang Haoran spoke, his expression serious, in response to Huo Laoban. He had originally not wanted to speak, but in the current situation, he had no choice but to do so.
"Emissary Yang has a point," Emissary Huo said. "However, please rest assured, Emissary Yang, I, Huo, do not fight unprepared battles. I will first share the information I've obtained with both of you, and then we can immediately formulate an action plan based on the current situation. What do you two think?"
Yang Haoran nodded, indicating his agreement. Although the Old Crone was anxious, she didn't object. After all, she also understood that blindly rushing to rescue someone usually didn't end well.
"According to the information I've obtained, the Emissary of Death of Cloud River City is currently imprisoned in the abandoned Hongyu Cement Plant outside the city. The Spirit Master who orchestrated the capture of the Cloud River City Emissary of Death is currently using this Hongyu Cement Plant as a temporary base. This Spirit Master is very powerful, and several other Spirit Masters of considerable strength follow him. Furthermore, this Spirit Master has also made a deal with some formidable ghosts, and these ghosts are now working for him."
Upon hearing Huo Laoban's words, both Yang Haoran and the Old Crone's expressions changed. Yang Haoran's change was feigned, while the Old Crone's astonishment was genuine.
Yang Haoran had already learned this information from the female ghost, so he felt no surprise at this moment.
Although he wasn't surprised inwardly, he could only feign astonishment to pretend he knew nothing.
The Old Crone knew nothing of this information, so the surprise she displayed was absolutely heartfelt.
"I know the Hongyu Cement Plant," the Old Crone said. "It has been abandoned for many years, and due to issues involving interests, this derelict factory has never been dealt with. Almost no living people set foot there, so the Yin Qi is heavy, and many ghosts like to gather there. For a time, it was an area of particular concern for us. After our Underworld Office paid attention to it, all the ghosts there were successfully guided by us. Gradually, ghosts no longer dared to go there, and our attention to the area diminished accordingly. I never imagined it would now become a temporary base for Spirit Mediums, and that our Emissary would be imprisoned there. Alas, this is all due to our negligence."
Seeing the Old Crone's remorseful expression, Huo Laoban said, "You can't be blamed for this. Even if you continued to monitor the Hongyu Cement Plant, what was meant to happen would still have happened. At most, these Spirit Mediums would have simply found a different base."
After speaking, Huo Laoban continued, "Tonight, the leading Spirit Master will gather all Spirit Mediums within Cloud River City to the Hongyu Cement Plant. It is said that he has something important to announce."
Huo Laoban's words caused expressions of surprise to appear on Yang Haoran's and the Old Crone's faces once more. However, this time, the surprise on Yang Haoran's face was not feigned but genuine.
He had not obtained this information from the female ghost. Perhaps the female ghost simply didn't know, or perhaps she deliberately concealed it. However, judging from the circumstances at the time, he felt the former possibility was greater.
After all, this Spirit Master was summoning Spirit Mediums within Cloud River City. The female ghost was a ghost, not a Spirit Medium, so it was perfectly normal that she hadn't been informed.
Rather than pondering why the female ghost didn't know this news, Yang Haoran was more concerned with the content of the news itself at that moment. What truly surprised him now was also the content of the news.
"Gathering all Spirit Mediums of Cloud River City, what does he intend to do? " Yang Haoran asked. "Clash head-on with our Underworld Office in the open?"
Huo Laoban shook his head. "It's not entirely clear what he intends to do. The Spirit Master I interrogated only received the notification; he had no idea what the gathering of all Spirit Mediums was actually for."
"This Spirit Master has quite the nerve," the Old Crone said. "He says 'gather,' and they'll gather? Other Spirit Mediums might not necessarily obey him."
"You're right," Huo Laoban replied. "Other Spirit Mediums might not necessarily obey him. This Spirit Master is well aware of that, which is why he issued a harsh threat: any Spirit Medium who doesn't attend will be sought out by him one by one afterward, and he will personally cause their souls to scatter and dissipate."
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