Chapter 680: As Expected, He Has Backing
As Yang Haoran extracted the souls of the two, Bai Xue gleefully devoured the Human Spirits contained within their flesh and blood.
Both were two-star Demon Hunters, and the Human Spirits within their flesh and blood were far more potent than those of ordinary people. Devouring the Human Spirits from both of them greatly aided Bai Xue, leading to a noticeable increase in her strength. The effects were truly instantaneous.
After Bai Xue had completely devoured all the Human Spirits within the two corpses, Yang Haoran retrieved three Fire Talismans from his independent space. With a flick of his wrist, the three talismans whistled forth, affixing themselves precisely onto the two corpses.
As the fair-skinned man's corpse had been severed at the waist, it required an extra Fire Talisman from Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran felt no pang of regret over this; after all, it was just an ordinary Fire Talisman. Besides, the fair-skinned man had gifted him five Great Demon Pills.
The Fire Talismans ignited, and in moments, the two corpses were reduced to ashes. Bai Xue wore a charming smile, her red lips slightly parted as she softly exhaled a fragrant breath. Instantly, a demonic wind arose, scattering the ashes and turning them into fertilizer for the local soil.
After destroying the bodies and erasing all traces, Yang Haoran walked towards Ye Zhiqiu. Seeing this, Bai Xue followed closely behind, still wearing her charming smile.
At this moment, Ye Zhiqiu had already sheathed his Demon Weapon. He was frowning, drinking his wine, his face etched with worry.
He seemed not to have sensed the arrival of Yang Haoran and Bai Xue, minding his own business, drinking, smoking, and still as grumpily cool as ever.
"When have you ever seen me happy? " Ye Zhiqiu didn't even spare Yang Haoran a glance. He took a drag from his cigarette and replied indifferently.
Yang Haoran didn't feel awkward in the slightest. He chuckled softly, then continued speaking.
"Let's go. If we stay here, I'm worried that all manner of fiends and monsters will pop up. Let's head inside first, then talk."
The three walked into the barrier created by the Mountain River Grand Array. Inside the barrier, Xiujuan and the other two were not busy with their own affairs; instead, they were waiting.
After they had entered the barrier earlier, Xiao Kang noticed that Yang Haoran and Bai Xue hadn't followed. Curious, he glanced towards the outside of the barrier, and with that single look, immediately spotted the arrival of Ye Zhiqiu and his two companions.
Alerted by Xiao Kang, Xiujuan and Feng Xiao also noticed the situation outside. However, due to the presence of unfamiliar outsiders, none of the three stepped out of the barrier. Instead, they observed the unfolding events from within, naturally witnessing with their own eyes the tragic demise of the fair-skinned man and his companion.
Seeing the three enter the Mountain River Grand Array, Xiao Kang wanted to rush over and ask Yang Haoran what exactly was going on, but Xiujuan stopped him.
Feng Xiao disliked fighting and killing. At Yang Haoran's signal, she returned to another villa to refine medicine. Yang Haoran, meanwhile, took Ye Zhiqiu and Bai Xue back to the study. Xiao Kang wanted to join the excitement, so Yang Haoran brought him along too.
As for Xiujuan, she generally didn't concern herself with external matters. Unless Yang Haoran specifically requested it, she never inquired, so she didn't follow Yang Haoran to the study. Instead, she began bustling about in the kitchen.
"You've been with those two for the past few days? " Yang Haoran asked Ye Zhiqiu with a smile inside the study.
Xiao Kang listened with pricked ears while serving tea and pouring water for the three. In the past, Yang Haoran always did such things himself, but today, with Xiao Kang present, he absolutely refused to let Yang Haoran do it, eagerly taking on the task himself. Yang Haoran was greatly gratified and naturally let him have his way.
Ye Zhiqiu nodded, then responded.
"That's right, I've been with them."
Seeing that Yang Haoran seemed rather unsatisfied with his answer, Ye Zhiqiu took a gulp of wine, then offered a more detailed explanation.
"Following your instructions, that day I reported the discovery of two Great Demons in Lecheng to the Association. The higher-ups selected these two individuals to come to Lecheng for support. However, at that time, mobile phones were already unusable. To get in touch with me, the two deliberately emitted their Star Spirit Power and successively fired two signal flares unique to the Demon Hunter Association. Knowing it was someone from the Association, I proactively sought them out. At their request, I had to accompany them until their mission was complete before I could leave. That's why I've been with them these past few days."
After Ye Zhiqiu's detailed explanation, Yang Haoran gained a deeper understanding of the matter.
"Heh heh, looking at your worried expression, those two guys who just got killed probably had some significant background. " Yang Haoran took a sip of the tea Xiao Kang had brewed, then cheerfully asked Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu took another gulp of wine and slowly nodded.
"That woman wasn't much of a problem; her death is her death. But that effeminate man, his death is going to be a bit troublesome."
Hearing this, Yang Haoran's face showed no surprise, as he had long since discerned that the fair-skinned man's background was not simple. To reach the two-star Demon Hunter realm at such a young age without a certain level of resource backing would be extremely difficult.
Besides this, the fair-skinned man could retrieve five Great Demon Pills at any time, and when he paid Yang Haoran, he showed no hint of reluctance. This indicated that the fair-skinned man was extremely wealthy; five Great Demon Pills were simply not worth grieving over for him.
Given the fair-skinned man's age and intellect, he absolutely wouldn't be so wealthy. This point further demonstrated that he had significant resources backing him.
Having already made his conjectures, Yang Haoran wasn't surprised by Ye Zhiqiu's answer. However, he was still a little curious about who was backing the fair-skinned man.
"What's the background of that effeminate man? " Yang Haoran voiced the question in his mind.
"His parents are members of the Demon Hunter Association's headquarters. He was sent here to gain experience. Lecheng is just a small city; in their eyes, it's not a place filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and only two Great Demons have appeared here. Compared to other cities, Lecheng is considered the safest, so they were both dispatched here," Ye Zhiqiu answered.
This time, a hint of surprise appeared on Yang Haoran's face. First, he was surprised by the fair-skinned man's identity; second, by the fact that Ye Zhiqiu knew so much.
"Heh heh, I really underestimated that effeminate man. I never thought his background would be even more formidable than I imagined. But how do you know such details? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
"That effeminate man himself said it. As soon as he saw me, he started using his status to pressure me. I couldn't help but know. As for whether his parents are high-ranking members of the headquarters or just ordinary ones, I'm not clear on that. If it's the latter, it'll be a bit better, but if it's the former, it'll probably be even more troublesome," Ye Zhiqiu explained.
"Heh heh, it seems this time, I've actually caused you trouble. My apologies," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Ye Zhiqiu took a gulp of wine, glanced at Yang Haoran, then replied indifferently.
"Before the deadline arrives, this life of mine belongs to you. There's no such thing as harming or not harming. Let alone that effeminate man, even if his mother came, I'd still kill her if I had to."
Ye Zhiqiu's words were casual, yet they revealed a domineering aura.
Yang Haoran burst out laughing at this. He lit a cigarette for himself, then tossed the pack to Ye Zhiqiu.
The latter didn't stand on ceremony with Yang Haoran either. He took the pack, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it, his movements fluid and accomplished in one smooth motion.
"Since you're taking it so lightly, why the long face? " Yang Haoran asked, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"I'm afraid if you die, I won't be able to deal with my wife's situation. Besides, when have you ever seen me cheerful? " Ye Zhiqiu retorted.
Yang Haoran was truly unable to refute that. He took another puff of his cigarette before continuing.
"Nowadays, mobile phones are unusable, and the network is down too. I'm not sure if it's the same in other cities, but it's certainly true for Lecheng and Ancheng. Consequently, the Demon Hunter Association definitely won't be able to get the latest information from Lecheng immediately. They also won't know if any more powerful demons or monsters have appeared here. For the two dispatched individuals to die at the hands of powerful demons or other enemies, that's a perfectly normal occurrence. After all, it's a chaotic era now; the entire New Beginning Realm is in utter chaos, and such things are happening every minute of every day. There's nothing to be surprised about."
Both Bai Xue and Ye Zhiqiu understood the meaning of Yang Haoran's words, though Xiao Kang was the only one present who didn't.
They both knew that Yang Haoran intended to deny responsibility, to utterly refuse to admit he had killed anyone, and to pretend to be an ignorant bystander.
Whether his trick would work, Ye Zhiqiu couldn't be sure, but Bai Xue completely trusted Yang Haoran. She had, after all, witnessed Yang Haoran's ability to turn the tables in the past, and she had even been directly involved.
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