Chapter 654: Please Change Your Surname
The middle-aged man's brow was deeply furrowed, the young man's expression had turned somewhat unpleasant, and the young boy looked a little nervous.
From the young boy's reaction, it was clear he was feeling extremely anxious, and beyond that, there was a strong sense of hope.
Yang Haoran, however, remained unchanged, a faint smile on his face, looking utterly unperturbed, as if he hadn't realized that his request was somewhat excessive.
"My friend, I'm truly sorry, but I cannot agree to your request."
The middle-aged man refused Yang Haoran without even a moment's thought, his tone absolutely firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Yang Haoran had no intention of asking why, because he knew that under these circumstances, asking for a reason wouldn't change the outcome.
Moreover, even if he did ask, the other party would likely ignore him, and if he insisted on questioning, it would only be he and the kneeling young boy on the ground who would be humiliated.
Therefore, he decided to tackle the problem in another way. Although this method might make many people feel uncomfortable, even disgusted, in his view, it was the most effective and direct way to achieve his goal.
Yang Haoran's words brought a look of gratitude to the young boy's face, while the middle-aged man and the young man's expressions changed drastically once more, their gazes shifting as they looked at Yang Haoran.
"So it is Emissary Yang. My apologies for the oversight, I hope you will not take offense."
The middle-aged man once again cupped his fist in salute to Yang Haoran, his attitude shifting from polite to considerably more respectful. Seeing this, the young man beside him also quickly bowed to Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, you are too kind. It is I who came uninvited and caused you trouble," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"For Emissary Yang to honor us with your presence, our Zhang Family is greatly blessed. How could we feel troubled? It's just that I didn't expect Emissary Yang to have time to visit our Ancheng in the current situation."
The middle-aged man's words carried a hidden meaning, and Yang Haoran understood that the other party was doubting his identity.
"Heh heh, some important matters are inconvenient to state explicitly, please forgive me. As for my identity, you don't need to doubt it. Since Emissary Xu is with your Zhang Family, she will naturally be able to verify my identity when she sees me," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"Emissary Yang, please do not misunderstand. I certainly did not mean to doubt your identity, and our Zhang Family is endlessly grateful that you are willing to help us resolve our troubles. My father will surely be overjoyed to learn of your arrival."
At this point, the middle-aged man once again gestured for Yang Haoran to enter, but unlike before, this time he bowed slightly.
"Please, Emissary Yang, let us discuss this further inside the mountain. I fear we will need your assistance with today's matter," the middle-aged man said.
"Heh heh, I will do my best to help if I can. If I truly cannot, please do not blame me. After all, my abilities are very limited," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
"Emissary Yang exaggerates. Your willingness to help is already something our Zhang Family is immensely grateful for. As for whether you can truly assist us, that will depend on fate," the middle-aged man said.
"Rest assured, I will do my utmost."
Speaking of which, Yang Haoran's gaze once again fell upon the young boy kneeling on the ground.
The middle-aged man understood Yang Haoran's implication. Although he felt extremely awkward, he immediately gave Yang Haoran a satisfactory answer.
"Since he is Emissary Yang's friend, there's certainly no problem with Emissary Yang bringing him into the mountain. I will take the liberty of making this decision, and I will accept any reprimand from my father afterward."
Although the middle-aged man answered readily, his words primarily conveyed his difficulty, but Yang Haoran pretended not to understand.
Seeing that Yang Haoran had no intention of changing his mind, the middle-aged man had no choice but to look at the young boy kneeling on the ground.
"Get up. You may follow Emissary Yang into the mountain."
Facing the young boy, the middle-aged man lacked the politeness he showed Yang Haoran. His expression was cold, his tone indifferent. From his attitude towards the boy, it was clear he held a strong opinion of him.
The young man, as before, remained silent, standing respectfully to the side. But at this moment, he cast a glance at the kneeling young boy, his expression cold, his eyes filled with aversion. It was clear he had a strong dislike for the boy.
The attitude of these two Zhang Family members towards the young boy was somewhat subtle; though cold and disapproving, there was no overt hatred. Yang Haoran observed this, feeling a mix of curiosity and confusion, but his expression remained unreadable.
"Thank you, Third Uncle."
The young boy spoke respectfully, his tone and demeanor polite, yet there was an indescribable sense of forlornness.
Yang Haoran's eyebrow twitched slightly. The young boy's address to the middle-aged man surprised him a little, but no surprise showed on his face.
The young boy was originally an exorcist, and the Zhang Family was a renowned exorcist family in Ancheng. The fact that he was kneeling outside the Zhang Family's barrier, seeking atonement, indicated an unusual relationship with the family.
Yang Haoran had already noticed this earlier and had made a guess. Whether the young boy was a member of the Zhang Family was one of his conjectures about the boy's identity.
Although he had entertained such a guess, a guess was merely a guess and did not represent the truth. So, when the young boy referred to the middle-aged man as "Third Uncle" at that moment, he still felt a slight surprise.
However, his doubts did not lessen; instead, they intensified. Since they were family, why were the two so cold towards the young boy?
Could it be that the young boy had caused immense trouble, implicating the entire Zhang Family? Was that why these two Zhang Family members treated him so coldly, and why he was kneeling here to atone?
After a brief thought, Yang Haoran considered this possibility. Although the young boy gave him a righteous impression, righteous people also make mistakes, and causing enormous trouble was perfectly normal.
However, Yang Haoran couldn't know what kind of trouble the young boy had caused. After all, with such limited information, he couldn't deduce much. Perhaps it was related to the Zhang Family's current great trouble.
The middle-aged man remained expressionless. Although the young boy respectfully called him "Third Uncle," he acted as if he hadn't heard anything at all.
Seeing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed the young boy's eyes. Apart from that trace of disappointment, he showed no other emotions.
"Heh heh, so you're from the Zhang Family. I really underestimated you before; I didn't expect you to have such an impressive background. By the way, what's your name?"
Feeling the atmosphere become a bit stiff, Yang Haoran smiled and spoke to the young boy, subtly flattering the Zhang Family to shift their attention and bring the boy up the mountain. As for what help the young boy needed, he would find an opportunity to ask later.
"My name is Zhang Li, the'li' from'standing tall' [standing tall]. My father hoped I would be a man who stands tall, so he gave me this name," Zhang Li replied, his tone neither obsequious nor arrogant.
Hearing this, Yang Haoran was about to speak, but the young man, who had been quietly standing by, suddenly spoke up.
"You haven't been surnamed Zhang for a long time. You can use any surname you wish, but please do not use Zhang as your surname anymore," the young man said, his voice low, devoid of mockery, but filled with strong aversion.
Zhang Li said nothing. The middle-aged man frowned, turning his gaze to the young man, and couldn't help but scold him.
"No manners! Is this a place for you to speak? How did I teach you at home?"
The young man lowered his head slightly, then quickly responded in a low voice.
"Dad, I'm sorry, I couldn't hold myself back just now."
Seeing the young man apologize and admit his mistake, the middle-aged man did not press the issue. After all, Yang Haoran, an outsider, was present, and there were some things he couldn't say aloud, nor could he let Yang Haoran make a joke of them.
The middle-aged man looked back at Yang Haoran, his unpleasant expression replaced by a smile.
Yang Haoran smiled and nodded, then gave a meaningful glance to the grim-faced Zhang Li and walked towards the shimmering light curtain of the barrier.
Zhang Li did not immediately follow Yang Haoran. Instead, he waited until the middle-aged man and the young man began to move before following behind them into the barrier.
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