Chapter 643: Prejudices Dispelled
Watching the two great demons escape like that, Bai Xue felt a pang of unwillingness, but since Yang Haoran had spoken, she naturally wouldn't pursue them.
Besides, Yang Haoran's warning wasn't unfounded. It was still unknown what the situation would be like tonight, so preserving more strength now was absolutely necessary.
Green Demon Power emanated from Bai Xue's body. Her enormous form rapidly shrank, her snake body quickly transforming into a human shape. Snowy white arms and slender legs appeared in succession.
However, only so much could be seen, and this scene lasted for merely an instant. Immediately after, her entire being was enveloped in a layer of green light. Forget about catching a glimpse of anything more alluring, even her hands and legs vanished from view; all that remained was a humanoid mass of green light.
In the blink of an eye, the green light dissipated, revealing Bai Xue dressed in her Spirit Police uniform, a mask now covering her face.
«Underworld Official, Big Brother, you truly arrived in the nick of time! Another moment, and I might have suffered a loss,» Bai Xue said, a charming smile playing on her lips as she addressed Yang Haoran.
«Alright, stop flattering me. Let's go down and check on Captain Luo. You're in much better shape than him; compared to you, he's the one who truly suffered a loss. »
Yang Haoran said with a smile, then, enveloped in Yin Qi, he flew towards Captain Luo.
Upon reaching Captain Luo, the other Spirit Police officers saluted Yang Haoran, who responded with a smile before turning his gaze to Captain Luo.
«How are you? Your injuries aren't serious, are they? » Yang Haoran asked Captain Luo, a faint, habitual smile on his face.
«It's not a big problem. Once I go back and treat it, it should be fine,» Captain Luo replied, waving his hand with a smile.
Despite his words, Yang Haoran could tell that Captain Luo's injuries were not light. However, the Spirit Police had their own medical team, so Yang Haoran wasn't particularly worried about Captain Luo's condition.
«Those two great demons were truly too strong. If Sister Bai Xue hadn't single-handedly withstood all of the cat demon's attacks, we might have been in serious trouble this time. »
A Spirit Police officer exclaimed, a mix of relief and lingering fear on his face. It was clear the recent battle had left a deep impression on him.
«Sister Bai Xue really exerted herself this time. If she hadn't intervened in time just now, my life would have surely ended here today. I will never forget this life-saving kindness, not for an eternity. »
Another Spirit Police officer echoed, even bowing to Bai Xue to express his heartfelt gratitude.
«If we're truly talking about life-saving kindness, who among us here doesn't owe Bai Xue a life? Myself included, and Captain Luo is no exception. I wonder if we'll ever get a chance to repay this debt in this lifetime. »
It was Vice-Captain Zhou who spoke this time, and not only did the other Spirit Police officers present not refute his words, but they all wore expressions of agreement. Even Captain Luo nodded. From this, it was clear that Vice-Captain Zhou's words were not false.
That such words would come from Vice-Captain Zhou's mouth surprised Yang Haoran somewhat. Back then, Vice-Captain Zhou had a very poor impression of Bai Xue and held significant prejudices against her—something Yang Haoran had noticed from the start.
But what surprised him was that Vice-Captain Zhou would now utter such words.
Regarding Vice-Captain Zhou's initial prejudice against Bai Xue, Yang Haoran had indeed not been mistaken. At first, Vice-Captain Zhou had very strong opinions about Bai Xue, especially concerning her joining the Spirit Police. He was the first to object, and it was only after Captain Luo's guidance that he refrained from contradicting, yet his mental prejudice against Bai Xue had not been dispelled.
It wasn't just him; initially, all the Spirit Police officers, with the exception of Captain Luo, held prejudices against Bai Xue to varying degrees. This was because Bai Xue was different from them: they were humans, while Bai Xue was a man-eating demon.
To prevent internal conflict, Captain Luo had put in no small amount of effort in ideological work with the other Spirit Police officers, all in the hope that they might let go of their prejudices against Bai Xue.
Captain Luo's actions at the time merely suppressed the conflict, preventing it from erupting. As for dispelling the other Spirit Police officers' prejudices against Bai Xue, his approach had no effect whatsoever.
The true reason for the Spirit Police officers' prejudices against Bai Xue being dispelled was Bai Xue repeatedly saving their lives. It was precisely because she pulled them back from the brink of death time and again that their deep-seated prejudices against her were finally eradicated.
Not only were the prejudices dispelled, but Bai Xue also attained a significant standing within the Spirit Police organization, second only to Vice-Captain Zhou. In the eyes of some Spirit Police officers, Bai Xue's status was even on par with Vice-Captain Zhou's, though she held no official position.
Yang Haoran was naturally unaware of these internal Spirit Police matters, but he could clearly see that, apart from Vice-Captain Zhou and Captain Luo, all the other Spirit Police officers present showed great respect towards Bai Xue.
«Now is not the time to discuss this. Save your thanks for the next celebratory banquet. What we're currently experiencing is merely the beginning; tonight's situation will only be worse than now. We absolutely cannot let down our guard, nor should we naively assume everything is over,» Captain Luo reminded them.
The other Spirit Police officers nodded in agreement, while Yang Haoran, still smiling, asked Captain Luo, «Captain Luo, do you have any good plans moving forward? »
Captain Luo shook his head, a helpless expression on his face, and said, «Everything happened too suddenly. The hastily made plans from before are completely useless. We'll return to Spirit Police headquarters immediately to re-discuss our countermeasures and request instructions from higher-ups. If we can get some support from them, that would be for the best, otherwise, our Spirit Police might struggle to last through tonight. »
By the end of his words, Captain Luo's expression was grim, his brows tightly furrowed.
The 'higher-ups' Captain Luo referred to were naturally Lecheng's Administrative Council. Previously, Lecheng's Administrative Council was under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Administrative Council, but now that the Supreme Administrative Council had disintegrated and Lecheng's Administrative Council had become independent, the 'higher-ups' Captain Luo spoke of could only be Lecheng's Administrative Council.
«Captain Luo, there's no need to worry so much about this. I actually have a suggestion. Heh heh, Captain Luo might want to give it a try,» Yang Haoran said with a chuckle.
Upon hearing this, Captain Luo's eyes lit up, and he quickly pressed, «Please speak, Emissary Yang. »
«Heh heh, though our Lecheng is merely a small temple, this small temple houses quite a few worshipped deities. In broad daylight, with civilian riots, malevolent ghosts causing mischief, and demons devouring people—amidst such chaos—have you seen any other sects or organizations come out and do anything? »
At this point, Yang Haoran seemed to recall something suddenly, lightly tapping his forehead. He continued, «Look at my memory, I did just encounter someone from the Saint Mother Cult. Apart from her, I haven't seen anyone from other sects yet. »
Captain Luo's brows furrowed slightly, and he then said, «If they don't show up to help, there's nothing we can do. In the past, we had ways to give them a hint and even pressure them with our official status, but the situation is different now. They might not pay us any mind. »
Yang Haoran shook his head with a smile and said, «I don't agree with your assessment, Captain Luo. Although the situation is different now, Lecheng still stands, and you still represent Lecheng's official authority. If they want to continue operating in Lecheng, how will they get along without fostering good relations with the authorities? »
Captain Luo didn't respond immediately. Instead, he frowned, deep in thought, while Yang Haoran continued to speak with a smile.
«Please don't be offended, Captain Luo, but to speak frankly, even if the Administrative Council has fallen, Lecheng will still have an official presence; it's just a change of personnel. If other sects wish to spread their teachings in Lecheng, how can they conduct their work without establishing good relations with the authorities? Unless they decide to permanently abandon Lecheng. But do you think they would do that? »
Pausing, Yang Haoran continued, «Although the current situation is chaotic, your Administrative Council has not yet fallen. As long as your Administrative Council stands, it will remain Lecheng's official power. If you appear in an official capacity, then even if other sects harbor hidden intentions, they will more or less show some face to the authorities, because they must at least maintain their relationship and not completely burn bridges. Of course, this doesn't include those sects that have never regarded your authority with respect. »
This time, Captain Luo didn't remain silent. Instead, he nodded to Yang Haoran and said, «Thank you for the reminder, Emissary Yang. »
«This is just my personal opinion; feel free to consider it,» Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Yang Haoran said with a smile, then turned his gaze to Bai Xue, taking a Death God Pendant from his independent space and handing it to her.
«Wear this. You can take off the previous Death God Pendant now. If you encounter any danger, remember to activate this pendant. »
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