Chapter 701: I'll Take You To See Him
The moment Yang Haoran expressed his desire to meet the Spirit Medium who had exorcised the ghost in the small town that day, the Old Town Head's expression shifted from confusion to a heightened sense of vigilance.
"Officer, why do you suddenly want to see the Spirit Master?"
The Old Town Head, his face etched with caution, asked Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran observed the Old Town Head's reaction. He feigned hesitation, pondered for a moment, and finally seemed to come to a resolute decision.
"Since the Old Town Head has asked, I won't conceal it any longer. I wish to speak with this Spirit Master to see if he has any interest in cooperating with our Administrative Council. As you know, Old Town Head, these times are not peaceful, and our Administrative Council greatly needs an expert of his caliber."
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, the vigilance in the Old Town Head's eyes lessened somewhat. However, he shook his head at Yang Haoran.
"I'm afraid the chances of success are not high," the Old Town Head stated. "Though I am not well acquainted with this Spirit Master, I can tell he is a reclusive master. Someone like him would not pursue fame or fortune."
"Even if he does not pursue fame or fortune, he still has reason to cooperate with us. Because our Administrative Council represents the official authority. As long as he agrees to cooperate with us, we can allow him to choose a suitable location to build a Spiritual God Temple, and we can also help him propagate his teachings, recruiting more believers for our God. As a devout follower of our God, he has every reason to cooperate with our Administrative Council. Furthermore, recruiting more believers for our God and allowing more people suffering in hardship to receive our God's protection – how can that be considered pursuing fame or fortune?"
The Old Town Head did not answer immediately. Instead, he furrowed his brow, seemingly pondering Yang Haoran's words. After a brief contemplation, he then gently nodded.
The Old Town Head's words caused Yang Haoran to sigh inwardly. In such a short span of time, this Old Town Head's faith in the Spiritual God had reached such a profound level. He wasn't sure whether to say that Spirit Master was impressive, or if the Old Town Head himself was impressive.
Though he was sighing inwardly, outwardly, Yang Haoran readily agreed with the Old Town Head's sentiment.
"The Old Town Head sees things with remarkable clarity, and his thoughts perfectly align with mine. From the villagers' attitude towards the Old Town Head, I can see that the Old Town Head holds a position of great prestige and virtue in this small town. That's why I came to consult with the Old Town Head about this matter. I hope the Old Town Head can help introduce me, and then perhaps also persuade that Spirit Master, to cooperate with our Administrative Council."
The Old Town Head hadn't even agreed to introduce Yang Haoran yet, but Yang Haoran had already brought up the topic of persuasion. Coupled with Yang Haoran's string of flattery, it made the Old Town Head feel somewhat lightheaded and flattered for a moment. He actually overlooked the first question, and shifted his focus to the second.
"In this small town, I naturally hold some prestige; that is a fact all villagers must acknowledge. However, the Spirit Master is not from our town. He might not necessarily heed my persuasion, so don't hold too much hope. To convince the Spirit Master, you'll have to rely on your own abilities."
The Old Town Head's words deepened the smile on Yang Haoran's face. This smile wasn't feigned; it was entirely sincere.
With a smile plastered on his face, Yang Haoran temporarily placed the Spiritual God statue on a nearby offering table. Then, he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket. He quickly offered the Old Town Head a cigarette, and personally lit it for him, while refraining from taking a cigarette for himself.
Accepting favors makes one indebted. As he puffed on Yang Haoran's cigarette, the Old Town Head wore a look of utter enjoyment.
"Haha, Officer, you really are different," the Old Town Head chuckled. "The cigarettes you smoke are all high-class. Though I don't know how much a pack of these cigarettes costs, I know the price certainly isn't cheap. This smoke, tsk tsk, it's so smooth on the palate, not harsh at all. This old man has never smoked such a fine cigarette in his entire life!"
The Old Town Head spoke with a smile, taking puff after puff from the cigarette in his mouth.
"If the Old Town Head doesn't mind, please take this pack of cigarettes for now. I'll bring you some more later."
Yang Haoran smiled as he slipped the pack of cigarettes into the Old Town Head's hand. The latter half-heartedly resisted, but in the end, Yang Haoran's enthusiastic insistence forced the pack into the Old Town Head's pocket.
"Officer, what are you doing? What is this? Oh, you are truly too kind, really too kind!"
Though he said this, the Old Town Head did not take the cigarettes out of his pocket. After taking another puff, he continued speaking.
"Don't worry," he continued. "When we see the Spirit Master, I will certainly speak highly of you. Though it might not necessarily work, as the former Old Town Head of this small town, I still hold some prestige here, and the Spirit Master will give me some face, at least. Come, let's go out and eat first. After the temple fair ends, I'll take you to see the Spirit Master."
Upon hearing this, an awkward expression appeared on Yang Haoran's face.
"Old Town Head, I came out this time to carry out a mission. Logically, after understanding the situation in your small town, I should immediately return to report. Though the mission has changed now, I don't have much time."
The unspoken meaning of Yang Haoran's words was actually very simple: he didn't have much time to waste. The Administrative Council was still waiting for his report, so there was no need to eat again. It would be best to immediately head to the Spirit Master's location.
However, the Old Town Head seemed not to have understood the hidden meaning in Yang Haoran's words. Of course, it was also possible he had understood, but merely pretended not to.
"Oh, come now," the Old Town Head insisted. "'Man is iron, food is steel; how can one work without eating? ' Listen to me, you won't go wrong. Eat first. Once you've eaten, I'll take you to see the Spirit Master."
Saying this, the Old Town Head, without waiting for Yang Haoran's consent, pulled him and walked towards the outside of the temple.
Yang Haoran felt a little helpless, but he could only go along with the Old Town Head. After all, to find that Spirit Master, he still needed the Old Town Head to lead the way.
But fate had other plans. When the two returned to their original seats, they found the plates on the table already completely empty. Not even a scrap of leftover food remained. All the broth in the dishes had been mixed with rice and devoured by the villagers.
This behavior was even more ferocious than a swarm of locusts. However, one couldn't blame these villagers. It wasn't easy to get food these days. Normally, these villagers lived frugally, never daring to eat their fill without restraint. With such a good opportunity today, they naturally wouldn't miss it. Besides, they had also contributed funds for these items. How much they could eat depended on their own ability; there was absolutely no reason to be polite, and at the very least, they couldn't let themselves suffer a loss.
Without food to eat, the villagers present continued to drink their plain wine and chatted happily. As for the arrival of Yang Haoran and the Old Town Head, they merely glanced at Yang Haoran, then shifted their gaze to the Old Town Head beside him.
"Old Town Head, quickly, sit down, sit down! Though the dishes are gone, there's still some wine. If you had come back any later, haha, there wouldn't even be any wine left!"
A villager said with a laugh to the Old Town Head. The other villagers, hearing this, also chuckled in agreement. As for Yang Haoran, the outsider, they couldn't be bothered to greet him. Not drawing their guns on him was considered polite enough.
The Old Town Head looked at the empty plates, his expression a little helpless, and then a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"I rushed out of the temple," he said with a bitter chuckle, "originally hoping to salvage some leftovers to eat. But from the current situation, it seems I still came out too late. What a regret! If I had known this would happen, I should have eaten my fill before entering the temple. My brain short-circuited in excitement just now, and I actually didn't think of this, letting you fellows clean everything up, without leaving a single chopstick-full for me!"
The Old Town Head's words did not elicit any embarrassed or ashamed expressions from the villagers. Instead, it caused them to burst into hearty laughter.
"Haha, Old Town Head, didn't I tell you? " a villager said with a laugh. "The dishes are gone, but there's still wine. Hurry up and sit down and have a few sips."
"Never mind, never mind. From what I can see," the Old Town Head replied, "there probably aren't many sips of wine left either. I'd sit down and before I've even had two sips, the wine would be gone. I won't do something that's all talk and no substance. You all can drink the rest of the wine yourselves. I'm taking this officer to meet someone. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you: this officer is now also a believer in our God. From now on, we're all family, so next time you see this officer, be more polite."
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