Chapter 594: Preparations Before the Operation
You can search "Moonlight Night God Hot" on Baidu to find the latest chapters.
Under Huo Laoban's gaze, Yang Haoran's faint smile appeared, a smile strikingly similar to the one currently on Huo Laoban's face.
"Heh, if I were to say I trust Huo Laoban's strength, you'd surely find me utterly dishonest, as I've never witnessed your power. Yet, if I were to say I don't, that wouldn't seem quite appropriate either."
Yang Haoran's words were ambiguous, but Huo Laoban seemed to have anticipated such a response, so no surprise showed on his face.
"As for my strength, Emissary Yang will witness it tonight. I assure you, Emissary Yang will not be disappointed."
Yang Haoran didn't reply, but Huo Laoban, having prepared for this, continued, "I know you two are quite concerned about my decision. How about this: the acting Emissary can accompany me on a trip through Yunchuan City later; I'll go find a few formidable helpers. That way, everything will be foolproof, and you won't need to worry about this matter anymore."
If they were truly to proceed according to Huo Laoban's plan, finding helpers was indeed a good option.
Finding helpers wasn't the only method; they could call Luo Yao, report the situation in detail, and Luo Yao would naturally dispatch personnel to assist.
Why wouldn't Huo Laoban call Luo Yao for support? In Yang Haoran's view, it was perhaps because doing so would be too much of a loss of face. After all, they had come to support Yunchuan City, yet only a day had passed, and not only was their mission incomplete, but an Undertaker had also gone missing. To now seek assistance would not only be disgraceful but would also make Luo Yao doubt their capabilities.
Furthermore, if Luo Yao were to dispatch other Undertakers to assist in Yunchuan City, it would involve issues of profit. After all, they were all Underworld Officials; their needs were the same, and with more people sharing the spoils, Huo Laoban's gains would naturally diminish.
Perhaps it was precisely due to such considerations that Huo Laoban was unwilling to seek assistance from Luo Yao.
Within Yunchuan City, there were other sects and organizations, and there were certainly experts among them. As long as the benefits were sufficient, it wasn't impossible for them to lend a hand.
And these so-called benefits wouldn't necessarily be material ones; a favor, a promise, an agreement—any could serve as leverage to persuade the other party. After all, they weren't from the Yin Division, so they wouldn't have much interest in the souls of Spirit Mediums or ghosts, and wouldn't compete with Huo Laoban for these things.
Seeing that Yang Haoran still remained silent, Huo Laoban's expression didn't change, nor did he rush him. Instead, he turned his gaze to the Old Crone.
"You're more familiar with the affairs of Yunchuan City than I am. You must also know which experts are in Yunchuan City. Go make a list, and I'll personally pay them a visit later."
The Old Crone accepted the order, bowed to both of them, then turned and departed.
Huo Laoban's words at this moment—asking the Old Crone to make a list was merely a pretense; sending her away was the true intention. Though unspoken, both Yang Haoran and the Old Crone understood this.
The Old Crone was also perceptive; she didn't ask what shouldn't be asked, didn't listen to what shouldn't be heard, and left without a single question.
The three had gathered, ostensibly to discuss strategy, but from Huo Laoban's actions, it was clear he had already made his decision. He had only sent the Old Crone away out of consideration for Yang Haoran's feelings, seemingly wishing to speak with Yang Haoran privately.
After the Old Crone left, Huo Laoban set up a restrictive barrier, enveloping both himself and Yang Haoran.
"Heh, Emissary Yang, now that it's just the two of us here, I won't beat around the bush. For this operation, I'll take the lead in attacking; you only need to focus on rescuing people and preventing any stragglers from escaping. Afterwards, we'll split the benefits equally, and if any problems arise, I'll bear the responsibility alone. What do you think?"
With the Old Crone gone, Huo Laoban no longer bothered with pretenses and directly addressed the practical matters.
Splitting the gains equally was quite tempting for Yang Haoran. After all, his role was only to rescue people and prevent any stragglers from escaping; compared to Huo Laoban, who would be leading the main assault, his task would be considerably easier and much safer.
Moreover, if any problems arose, Huo Laoban would bear all responsibility, absolving Yang Haoran. This way, even if the operation resulted in massive losses, Yang Haoran's culpability would be minimal.
"Heh, if I were to truly act as Emissary Huo suggests, wouldn't I be gaining too great an advantage? " Yang Haoran said with a faint smile on his face.
"If I didn't do this, would Emissary Yang support my operation? " Huo Laoban asked, smiling.
"Emissary Huo, you jest. You are the leader we have chosen; your decision is our decision. Of course, I will support you," Yang Haoran said with a chuckle.
In truth, Yang Haoran understood that Emissary Huo's willingness to split the benefits and shoulder all responsibility wasn't solely to gain his support.
If this operation succeeded, it would be a significant achievement. As the person in charge, Huo Laoban would surely impress Luo Yao, the Guardian, and might even receive additional rewards. Compared to all that, what did splitting a small portion of the benefits with him matter?
Both understood the situation clearly, but neither brought it to the surface.
"From the sound of Emissary Yang's words, you agree to my plan? " Huo Laoban asked, smiling.
"Of course, I must support Huo Laoban's work. Moreover, I also believe Huo Laoban possesses the strength for it."
Yang Haoran responded with a smile that belied his true feelings, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor, yet he felt no awkwardness whatsoever.
"Haha, good! By tonight, Emissary Yang will realize that your decision was not mistaken, nor was your judgment. However, I must ask Emissary Yang not to report the situation here to Emissary Luo for now; it wouldn't benefit either of us. I trust Emissary Yang understands this," Huo Laoban said, seemingly overjoyed, first laughing heartily, then not forgetting to remind Yang Haoran.
"Heh, Emissary Huo, rest assured, I know what to say and what not to say. With Emissary Huo's confidence in tonight's operation, I've actually grown quite excited. I'll go prepare a few things that should prove useful tonight; as for finding helpers, I'll leave that to Emissary Huo. " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Huo Laoban nodded with a smile, then waved his hand, removing the restrictive barrier and watching Yang Haoran depart.
Watching Yang Haoran's retreating figure, Huo Laoban's smile faded, and his expression turned serious.
"That fellow is truly a handful. Without offering substantial benefits, he simply won't be swayed. While I've lost half the gains, at least the objective has been achieved."
The reason Huo Laoban sought Yang Haoran's support was precisely to silence him, to prevent Yang Haoran from reporting the situation here to Luo Yao.
Once Luo Yao learned of Yunchuan City's current state, he would not only deem their trio incompetent but would also very likely dispatch other Undertakers immediately. At that point, they would gain no benefits and only stir up trouble for themselves.
Now that Yang Haoran had successfully been silenced, as long as the mission succeeded tonight, their merits would outweigh their faults, and even a few casualties wouldn't have a significant impact.
After Yang Haoran exited the Death God Temple, he immediately found the Old Crone and asked her to arrange a quiet room for him.
Inside the quiet room, the smile was gone from Yang Haoran's face. His expression was serious as he waved his hand to set up a restrictive barrier, then found a wooden table and cleared away everything that was on it.
Gazing at the empty wooden table before him, Yang Haoran retrieved talisman paper, a talisman brush, and other necessary items for drawing talismans from his independent space.
The reason he agreed to tonight's operation was twofold: first, his assigned task was considerably safer, and second, the immense benefits. If either of these reasons were absent, given his personality, he wouldn't have participated in this operation.
Although he had agreed to participate in this operation with Huo Laoban, he wasn't prepared to stake his life on Huo Laoban, even if Huo Laoban appeared exceedingly confident.
He needed to prepare some life-saving measures for himself. Drawing out the talisman paper and brush now was precisely to draw a lost talisman of the Talisman Order, a Ground-Escaping Talisman specifically for fleeing!
It was still early morning now, with some time left until the night's operation. However, since he had never drawn a Ground-Escaping Talisman before, he wasn't sure if he could succeed, nor if this limited time would be enough.
Nevertheless, whether he succeeded or not, he was prepared to give it a try.
Besides, he had nothing else to do at the moment. Rather than idling, he might as well give it a try. What if he succeeded? Moonlight Night God
Comments