Chapter 677: Selling Out Friends for Profit
As for Yang Haoran, he truly didn't care what others thought of him. What he cared about more was his own strength. Once his strength increased, then when he reasoned with others, his words would carry far more weight.
Thus, the words he spoke to the pale-skinned man now weren't meant to deceive him, but were the honest truth.
However, his heartfelt words, the pale-skinned man didn't take to heart. What the pale-skinned man cared about more was the condition Yang Haoran had put forth.
"Every profession has its specialties. I'm a Demon Hunter, not an Underworld Official, nor a Spirit Medium. Where am I supposed to get ghostly entities for Emissary Yang? I have encountered some ghostly entities before, including Wanglings and Evil Spirits, but I've directly used my Star Spirit Power to utterly destroy their souls. Currently, I don't have any ghostly entities on hand. Besides, even if I did, ordinary Wanglings and Evil Spirits, if not in sufficient numbers, would likely not impress Emissary Yang," the pale-skinned man said with a smile.
Yang Haoran felt a pang of disappointment. He didn't know if the pale-skinned man genuinely had no ghostly entities on hand, or was merely feigning it, but since the conversation had reached this point, he could only settle for the next best thing and propose a new condition.
"Young man, you're right, every profession has its specialties. It's indeed not quite appropriate to ask you for ghostly entities, as it's outside your professional scope. How about this: give me Demon Pills, and I'll help you. You're a Demon Hunter, so Demon Pills should definitely be within your professional purview, right? " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"Heh heh, is Emissary Yang joking with me? If you're interested in Demon Pills, then why did you previously gift the corpses of two great demons to Officer Bai? Isn't that a contradiction? " the pale-skinned man said with a smile.
"It's not that I'm uninterested in Demon Pills; it's that I'm uninterested in just two Demon Pills. Two Demon Pills are too few; I might as well have done a favor instead. A few more, and it's a different story," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Yang Haoran didn't speak, but instead nodded with a smile.
"This time, to enlist Emissary Yang's help, if I were to follow Emissary Yang's suggestion and choose to pay with great demon Demon Pills, how many great demon Demon Pills would it take to impress Emissary Yang? " The smile on the pale-skinned man's face receded slightly as he asked Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran smiled and extended both hands, spreading all ten fingers wide. The meaning was clear.
The pale-skinned man's gaze swept over Yang Haoran's hands, and the smile on his face froze. When he understood, his gaze towards Yang Haoran was filled with disbelief, as if he were looking at an idiot.
"Emissary Yang, are you mistaken? You actually want ten great demon Demon Pills as payment? I know your heart is dark, but isn't this a bit too dark? Is your heart made of coal? If I give you ten great demon Demon Pills as payment, then what's the point of me hunting demons? What's the significance of this trip?"
Just a moment ago, the pale-skinned man had spoken of demon hunting with such righteous fervor, even elevating it to the level of racial duty, but now that his own interests were involved, his rhetoric immediately changed.
"As for the significance of this trip, I believe you, young man, should be perfectly clear. After all, you are a clever individual; with your intelligence and wisdom, how could you possibly not know the significance of this trip?"
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, seemingly not feeling that he was making an exorbitant demand at all; on the contrary, he felt his asking price was entirely reasonable.
However, the pale-skinned man's reaction was far from as calm as Yang Haoran's.
"I don't know what Emissary Yang is talking about. Ten great demon Demon Pills are absolutely impossible. Counting the two great demons you previously slayed, plus this Officer Bai, that's only three great demon Demon Pills in total. Furthermore, once Officer Bai is killed, the great demon corpse she stores within her personal spatial dimension might not necessarily drop. This means that, at that time, I would most likely only obtain one great demon Demon Pill. I would be exchanging ten great demon Demon Pills for Emissary Yang's help, only to end up with just one great demon Demon Pill. If you were in my shoes, Emissary Yang, would you make such a deal?"
The pale-skinned man's emotions ran a little high. Here, his voice paused slightly, and after a cold snort, he continued to speak.
"Hmph, there's another very important point: I only wish for Emissary Yang not to interfere in this matter; I didn't necessarily have to ask for Emissary Yang's help. My side has three two-star Demon Hunters, which is absolutely more than enough to deal with Officer Bai. There's no need at all to pay a high price to enlist Emissary Yang's assistance."
Facing the agitated pale-skinned man, the smile on Yang Haoran's face remained unchanged, as composed as before.
"Let's address the first issue. I said you, young man, knew the significance of this trip, but you claimed not to know what I was talking about. So, I'll give you a little reminder. After Officer Bai is slain, indeed, only one great demon Demon Pill can be extracted from her body. However, if Officer Bai doesn't die, her value alive is far more than just ten great demon Demon Pills. Given Officer Bai's appearance, I believe her value could multiply tenfold or even a hundredfold beyond ten great demon Demon Pills. I believe you, young man, also believe this, don't you?"
Yang Haoran asked the pale-skinned man with a smile, while the latter furrowed his brow and, with clumsy acting, denied it.
"Emissary Yang, that joke has gone too far. Even if a great demon is a little pretty. . ."
The pale-skinned man wanted to explain, but Yang Haoran cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Alright, young man, there's no need to hide it anymore. It's no secret that you Demon Hunters trade high-value demons, using them as playthings or presenting them as gifts to other esteemed individuals. And as it happens, I know the details of this trade. Therefore, I know exactly how many Demon Pills Officer Bai is worth; I would never quote a random price."
After hearing Yang Haoran's words, the pale-skinned man no longer even entertained the thought of explaining. He knew Yang Haoran was right. Since both sides were aware of this matter, continuing to argue would just be like 'burying one's head in the sand'.
Seeing the pale-skinned man's displeased expression, Yang Haoran inwardly sneered, but the expression on his face didn't change, still bearing the same faint smile as before.
"I believe you, young man, also know there's no issue with what I said about the first point. So now, let's discuss the second issue. According to you, young man, you have three two-star Demon Hunters, and even without my help, you can handle Officer Bai. I can't agree with that statement. This is Lecheng, and Officer Bai is a veteran Spirit Police officer here. Are you really so certain that Officer Bai doesn't have some means of escaping or calling for help from her comrades?"
Facing Yang Haoran's smiling inquiry, the pale-skinned man remained silent, not uttering a single word.
Yang Haoran observed the pale-skinned man's reaction and expression, and continued to speak with a smile.
"If she has no such means, then of course, that's for the best. With the strength of your three two-star Demon Hunters, you could certainly subdue Officer Bai with ease. But if she does, how confident are you that you'll be able to leave Lecheng then? Never mind whether you can escape Lecheng. As for me, if this matter is exposed, my reputation will be utterly ruined. Everyone will know that I, Yang Haoran, am a scumbag who sells out his friends for profit. And I would also have to endure retaliation from the Spirit Police. If you were me, would you take this deal?"
After a slight pause, Yang Haoran continued to speak with a smile.
"With my intervention, I guarantee this matter will be foolproof. Not only can I capture Officer Bai alive for you, but I can also prevent her from calling for outside help. Considering the first and second points together, young man, think about it carefully again: are ten great demon Demon Pills truly expensive?"
After his words fell silent, Yang Haoran no longer spoke, but instead wore a smile, quietly waiting for the pale-skinned man's reply.
"Before, I thought Emissary Yang's mind wasn't quite sharp. Now it seems, my discernment was poor. Yang Haoran is a clever man; I'm impressed. Alright, then, let's do as you demand. Ten it is!"
A smile reappeared on the pale-skinned man's face. His previous unpleasant expression had merely been an act, intended to guard against Yang Haoran arbitrarily raising his price. Now, having heard Yang Haoran's lengthy discourse, he knew this price would be difficult to negotiate down. After all, they were both intelligent individuals who understood Bai Xue's true worth. Therefore, he stopped haggling, simply let his inner delight show on his face, and readily agreed to Yang Haoran's demand.
The pale-skinned man waved his hand, and five great demon Demon Pills were retrieved from his personal spatial dimension, floating suspended in the air before Yang Haoran.
"I trust Emissary Yang can see that I'm not a fool. Paying the full amount upfront isn't something a smart person would do. So, I'll pay you half first. As for the remaining half, once the deed is done, I'll give you every single one."
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