Chapter 70: The Talisman Order and Exorcists
After the man and the woman beside him appeared, their words confirmed one thing: they both sensed the Yin Qi emanating from Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised by this. After all, the Yin Qi on his body couldn't be dispersed or entirely drawn back inside him. Let alone those with supernatural abilities, even an ordinary person would be able to sense the Yin Qi on him.
Ordinary people might not know what Yin Qi was, but once they got close to Yang Haoran, they would definitely feel a chill deep within their souls.
The presence of Yin Qi on a living person doesn't prove they are from the Underworld Office, but anyone from the Underworld Office absolutely possesses Yin Qi.
Yang Haoran couldn't yet be certain if the man and the long-legged beauty beside him had recognized him as someone from the Underworld Office, but one thing he was sure of was that they had definitely sensed the Yin Qi on him.
From the long-legged beauty beside him, Yang Haoran sensed a faint power fluctuation, a type of power completely different from the Spirit Power within his body. As for what exactly this power fluctuation was, he couldn't yet be certain.
The man, on the other hand, was a bit strange. Yang Haoran hadn't sensed any unusual power from him; the man seemed as ordinary as any regular person, with nothing remarkable about him.
However, Yang Haoran knew clearly that if he were an ordinary person, Old Master Wu wouldn't have invited him here, let alone treated him with such fervent hospitality.
As Yang Haoran scrutinized the long-legged beauty and the man, they, too, were assessing him. They were quite curious about Yang Haoran.
If such a dense amount of Yin Qi clung to an ordinary person, they would undoubtedly appear extremely listless, looking as if they were gravely ill and on the verge of death.
Yet, Yang Haoran showed no signs of illness whatsoever, nor the typical appearance of someone on the brink of death. Instead, he was full of vigor and radiating health — clearly a person with genuine abilities.
The atmosphere grew subtle. Old Master Wu chuckled heartily, then said, "Come, come, let me introduce you two. This young man is named Wang Yiming, and he's from the Talisman Order."
Of the man and woman, Old Master Wu first introduced the man, who appeared to be only twenty-two or twenty-three. His name was Wang Yiming, unremarkable in itself, but the sect he belonged to caused Yang Haoran's eyebrow to twitch slightly.
Like the Underworld Office, the Talisman Order also has its own deity. The Underworld Office believes in the Death God, while the Talisman Order believes in the Talisman Ancestor. The Underworld Office has its duties, and the Talisman Order has its doctrines. The Underworld Office uses Spirit Power to wield its might, whereas the Talisman Order uses Talismans.
Among the few books Jiang Dashi had lent to Yang Haoran, there were some records of the Talisman Order, so he was somewhat familiar with this sect.
The long-legged girl beside him, however, didn't react much. Unlike Yang Haoran, she seemed to have known Wang Yiming's identity for a while.
After introducing Wang Yiming, Old Master Wu turned to the long-legged girl. Just as he was about to introduce her, the girl preempted him, smiling at Yang Haoran and introducing herself: "Ma Ling, Exorcist."
Ma Ling's introduction was straightforward, yet it completely ignored everyone else, as if she were introducing herself solely to Yang Haoran.
Wang Yiming seemed to have known Ma Ling for a long time, so he wasn't surprised by her identity as an Exorcist. Yang Haoran, however, was a little surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter a Talisman Master from the Talisman Order, only to have an Exorcist pop up right after.
Yang Haoran was also familiar with Exorcists; the term was merely a general designation. Unlike the Underworld Office and the Talisman Order, they had no organization, no sect, no deities they worshipped, and no specific duties or doctrines. They simply acted according to their own preferences.
The sources of an Exorcist's abilities were diverse: some were passed down by masters, others inherited through family lines, and some Exorcists became self-taught by collecting various folk texts.
In addition to these, there were also members who had left or been expelled from various major sects or organizations, who then became Exorcists. Their abilities stemmed from their former organizations or sects.
Although the power within their bodies would typically be reclaimed upon leaving their original organizations or sects, it was inevitable that some "fish slipped through the net," and such individuals were usually classified as Exorcists.
Though somewhat surprised that Ma Ling, at only seventeen or eighteen, was already an Exorcist, Yang Haoran didn't let his inner astonishment show on his face. He merely smiled and nodded at Ma Ling.
Yang Haoran's calm reaction clearly disappointed Ma Ling. She had hoped to discern something from his expression, but the man before her merely maintained a perpetual smile, utterly devoid of any other change in emotion. It was as if he only possessed that one expression, and thus she couldn't glean anything.
"Young man, let me apologize for what happened earlier. I hope you won't take it to heart."
At this moment, Old Master Wu directed his gaze at Yang Haoran. His first action was to apologize, doing so to extend as much goodwill as possible towards Yang Haoran.
"It's perfectly normal for Old Master Wu to have doubts about someone he doesn't know," Yang Haoran said. "You haven't done anything wrong. If I were in your position, I might have already kicked them out."
Yang Haoran said this with a smile, speaking very naturally, as if he genuinely would have thrown someone out if he were truly in Old Master Wu's shoes.
However, Old Master Wu was an old fox, shrewd and worldly. He heard the hidden meaning in Yang Haoran's words but pretended not to understand, glossing over it with a hearty laugh.
Some things were best understood implicitly. There was no need to pierce that window paper until absolutely necessary; without the veil, both parties would be left awkwardly exposed.
"Young man, you're Xiaoxiao's friend, but I don't know how to address you. Though I'm old, I truly enjoy meeting extraordinary individuals like yourselves. And as it happens, young brother Wang Yiming and young lady Ma Ling are also your colleagues. I'm sure they'd be eager to get to know you."
Old Master Wu didn't pursue the previous topic, but instead shifted the conversation, inquiring about Yang Haoran's identity.
"My name is Yang Haoran. I've merely picked up a few minor skills, nothing worth mentioning. " At this, Yang Haoran looked at Wang Yiming and Ma Ling, offering an apologetic smile. "I didn't know Old Master Wu had invited the two of you when I came. Had I known, I wouldn't have come to steal this business."
Yang Haoran's words were, of course, disingenuous. Even if he had known others would intervene, he would still have snatched this business. Setting aside the matter of subduing the remnant souls, the compensation from the Wu family afterward would have been enough to compel him to do so.
Currently, he desperately needed souls, but he also desperately needed money. Given his nature, he wouldn't easily give up a chance to kill two birds with one stone.
Naturally, he couldn't voice his true thoughts. Not only did he keep them to himself, he lowered his posture considerably and offered the two of them an expression of profound apology.
At the same time, his words conveyed a message to the Wu family: his involvement in resolving this matter would require payment.
With the Wu family's wealth, they naturally wouldn't care about a small sum, but he had to state his position beforehand.
Wang Yiming and Ma Ling, upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, reacted differently.
Wang Yiming furrowed his brow, his thoughts unknown.
Ma Ling, meanwhile, offered a sweet smile, her gaze at Yang Haoran growing more curious.
"Are you an Exorcist too? You have so much Yin Qi on you. What kind of abilities have you learned?"
Yang Haoran simply chuckled, saying nothing more, which instantly displeased Ma Ling. The slight goodwill she had just developed for Yang Haoran vanished into thin air.
"For a living person to have such heavy Yin Qi, no matter what abilities you've cultivated, you won't live long," she warned. "Since we're all Exorcists, I'll advise you: deal with the Yin Qi on your body as soon as possible. If too much time passes and it erupts, it'll be difficult even for you to handle."
Ma Ling's words weren't meant to deliberately scare Yang Haoran, but rather a warning based on her own understanding. Although her tone might have been a bit uncomfortable to hear, she genuinely was trying to advise Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran thanked her with a smile, still offering no further comment. Wang Yiming, however, had heard enough. He interjected, "Since we're all here to help Old Master Wu with the strange occurrences in his home, I believe what we should do now is first understand the specific situation, rather than talking about irrelevant nonsense here."
Ma Ling glared discontentedly at Wang Yiming, then wrinkled her nose and huffed a few times, as if protesting against him.
However, her protest, while appearing rather cute, carried no deterrent power. Nevertheless, she didn't continue her unreasonable antics and instead turned her gaze to Old Master Wu.
"Fine then, Old Man Wu," she chirped. "Go ahead and tell us what's happening at your place. This young lady here will prescribe the right remedy and sort out your household issues in minutes. They can just watch. After it's done, whether they get paid is your business, but my share – not a single coin less!"
Old Master Wu understood the implication of Yang Haoran's words. Far from getting angry, he was delighted. His Wu family had plenty of money. As long as Yang Haoran could truly resolve the strange occurrences in their home, what was a little money?
Hearing Ma Ling's words, Yang Haoran understood a few things. Although Ma Ling and Wang Yiming had been invited by Old Master Wu, neither of them knew what exactly had happened in the Wu family home.
Furthermore, Ma Ling's words revealed another piece of information: Old Master Wu had invited Wang Yiming and Ma Ling not for them to resolve the Wu family's troubles unconditionally, but rather that, like him, they also required compensation.
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