Chapter 681: Capabilities in That Regard
Ye Zhiqiu and Bai Xue hadn't guessed wrong; Yang Haoran had indeed made those remarks with the express intention of welching on his deal.
Anyway, the man was dead now, his soul in Yang Haoran's hands. No one else knew about this besides the few of them. So what if the fair-skinned man's parents came looking for him in Lecheng?
However, to ensure everything was foolproof, there were still some questions he needed to clarify with Ye Zhiqiu so he could formulate a better plan.
"After you met with the two of them, did anyone else find out? " Yang Haoran asked.
Ye Zhiqiu shook his head without a second thought.
"We met in the mountains and then searched the mountains for the two great demons. We only rushed here directly after sensing your battle with them. We didn't have any contact with outsiders during that time."
Yang Haoran smiled and nodded, his grin widening a little, then he asked another question.
"After you met with them, did either of them use any special means to contact their superiors?"
"No, at least not in front of me. As for whether they did so behind my back, I don't know."
Ye Zhiqiu's answer was a bit vague, but Yang Haoran was already very satisfied.
"Perhaps I should just withdraw from the Demon Hunter Association directly," Ye Zhiqiu said after a moment of thought. "My original purpose in joining was to acquire more information to find my wife. Now that I've found her, there's no point in staying in the association; it only ties my hands. It'd be more straightforward to just leave."
"If you choose to withdraw from the Demon Hunter Association now, how do you think the effeminate man's parents will interpret that? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
At Yang Haoran's reminder, Ye Zhiqiu immediately understood.
"I think the best approach is to stay put," Yang Haoran said with a smile. "If, one day, the effeminate man's parents truly come to Lecheng to investigate his death, they'll certainly look for you. At that point, you can simply say you never met either of them."
Ye Zhiqiu's movements paused. He put down his liquor flask and looked at Yang Haoran.
"Will that work?"
Seeing Ye Zhiqiu's disbelief, Yang Haoran smiled and explained.
"There's no one left alive to provide proof, and no one saw you have contact with them. Why wouldn't it work?"
Yang Haoran countered. Ye Zhiqiu frowned slightly, took a gulp of liquor, and upon closer thought, realized Yang Haoran's words weren't without reason.
"If you're still worried, you can just avoid them entirely at that time, making them think you're dead. That way, they'll still be helpless."
Yang Haoran finished with a smile. After a slight pause, he added another remark.
"Relax. I've got this. When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll cover it with earth. Besides, I'm the one who killed him; it has nothing to do with you."
Ye Zhiqiu took a deep drag from his cigarette. Only after slowly exhaling did he softly say,
"I'm not worried about myself; I'm worried about you. Since you're so confident, then this is naturally for the best."
Bai Xue, who had been silent, also spoke upon hearing Ye Zhiqiu's words.
"You don't trust Brother Undertaker because you've never seen his capabilities in *that* area. I have, so I absolutely trust Brother Undertaker's ability in *that* regard."
Bai Xue said with a flirtatious smile. Ye Zhiqiu's eyebrow twitched slightly as he coolly retorted,
"Capabilities in what area?"
At his question, not only Bai Xue but also Yang Haoran froze.
"Whatever capabilities you think they are, that's what they are," Bai Xue replied, her face not reddening, her heart not skipping a beat, once she recovered.
Yang Haoran sensed the situation was amiss. He coughed awkwardly twice, quickly cutting off the conversation. If Ye Zhiqiu had retorted again, he didn't know what else Bai Xue might have said.
Not to mention that this was entirely fabricated, but with Xiao Kang present, such jokes were simply inappropriate.
"Heh heh, look how scared you are. A straight body fears no crooked shadow, Brother Undertaker, what are you so embarrassed about?"
Bai Xue asked with a flirtatious smile, her gaze fixed on Yang Haoran, as if trying to discern something from his expression.
"Embarrassed about what? There's a child here! What do you think I'm embarrassed about? From now on, when Xiao Kang is around, no 'speeding,' no, not even 'lighting a fire' is allowed."
Yang Haoran replied with a wry smile. Xiao Kang looked confused. He didn't understand how this matter had involved him too. He, who had been silent all this time, also spoke up now.
"Uncle Yang, what exactly are the 'capabilities in that area' that Sister Bai Xue and Uncle Ye were talking about?"
Xiao Kang asked earnestly. The strong liquor Ye Zhiqiu had just poured into his mouth hadn't even had time to go down. The moment he heard Xiao Kang's question, he promptly sprayed it out.
Bai Xue covered her mouth with her hand, laughing so hard she was bent double. Yang Haoran's smile froze, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
And Xiao Kang, who had originally been full of questions, became infected by Bai Xue's joyous laughter and, without understanding why, started giggling foolishly along with them.
"Heh heh. . . what. . . what's wrong with you guys?"
Xiao Kang laughed as he looked at Bai Xue, then at Ye Zhiqiu, and finally at Yang Haoran. He hoped to get an answer from the three of them, but none of them enlightened him.
"Heh heh, this question. . . I don't really understand this question myself. It's all. . . it's all hearsay, so I don't. . . I don't know how to explain it to you. But. . . heh heh. . . but I believe you'll find the answer yourself someday."
Bai Xue explained to Xiao Kang while laughing loudly. Her words became increasingly fragmented, and towards the end, she simply laid her arms on the table and buried her head between them, bursting into laughter.
Xiao Kang didn't actually understand anything, but since Bai Xue had said so, he still nodded and continued to giggle foolishly.
"Um. . . I still have some things to deal with, so I need to go out for a bit. Make yourselves at home."
Yang Haoran said, looking embarrassed, and prepared to leave the study. But just then, Bai Xue stifled her laughter and raised her head.
"Wait. . . wait, I have another question."
Yang Haoran looked at Bai Xue. Seeing her expression, struggling to hold back her laughter, was particularly amusing, and he found himself infected, letting out an involuntary chuckle.
It would have been fine if he hadn't laughed, but the moment he did, Bai Xue's suppressed laughter naturally couldn't be contained, and she burst into hearty laughter once more.
A moment later, Bai Xue finally managed to suppress her laughter and continued to ask Yang Haoran,
"Earlier, I saw you seemingly make a deal with that effeminate man inside the barrier. You even accepted the demon cores he offered. How did you kill him in the blink of an eye?"
The question Bai Xue posed was not only perplexing to her, but also to Ye Zhiqiu.
"If I hadn't killed him, you might have ended up living a life worse than death. He had already set his sights on you. Once you fell into his hands, whether you'd become his plaything or a gift he gave away, that would be hard to say. Those five demon cores were his payment for me to make a move, and his target was you. It's just that I don't have much integrity; after accepting the benefits, I immediately killed him, and by means of a sneak attack at that."
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, the smile slowly vanished from Bai Xue's face, replaced by a cold killing intent in her eyes. Even Ye Zhiqiu, who was drinking, darkened his expression.
Bai Xue's expression changed because she hadn't expected the fair-skinned man to actually be plotting against her. She had initially thought Yang Haoran killed him because of something he said that offended Yang Haoran. But it turned out he wanted to capture her as a plaything, so how could she not be furious?
And Ye Zhiqiu's expression changed, not because of Bai Xue, but because of his wife, Red Lotus. His wife had suffered a similar fate in the past, eventually losing her life because of it. Of course, his expression wouldn't be pleasant.
"That damned effeminate man, I didn't provoke him, yet he dared to scheme against me. Letting him die instantly was too good for him," Bai Xue said angrily.
"If you don't want to be captured by some ill-intentioned Demon Hunter someday, remember my words: wear your mask when you go out. But this incident isn't your fault; after all, it happened too suddenly."
As his voice fell, Yang Haoran retrieved the five great demon's demon cores from his independent space.
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