Chapter 717: Do You Dare?
The other party's objective was very clear, and after achieving it, they left immediately after saying just one sentence. Old Master Zhang's words made the doubts in Yang Haoran's heart intensify a few points.
His gaze swept around. Although a good number of buildings in the Zhang family compound had collapsed and there were some casualties, the losses were not considered heavy.
Old Master Zhang was the head of the Zhang family. The other party came seeking revenge, yet didn't kill him, nor did they go on a bloody rampage through the Zhang family compound. It wasn't violent or gory at all. So what was the purpose of their visit? Was it truly revenge?
Before Yang Haoran could voice the doubts in his heart, Old Master Zhang took the initiative to explain.
"The purpose of this spirit's visit to my Zhang family was not to completely wipe us out, but to obtain a spirit. To ensure my Zhang family's cooperation, he forcibly abducted my third son and left a message. If we want my third son to live, we must exchange him for this spirit. Otherwise, he will not only kill my third son but also find every possible way to destroy our Zhang family!"
Yang Haoran's brows furrowed slightly. Old Master Zhang's words only deepened his confusion.
"A spirit demanding that you hand over a spirit?"
Yang Haoran voiced the doubts in his heart, but before Old Master Zhang could reply, a somewhat discordant voice entered his ears.
This discordant voice did not alter Yang Haoran's expression. With a faint smile, he looked towards the person who had spoken.
The sight made Yang Haoran pause for a moment, then he quickly realized.
"Heh heh, so it's Old Zhang. What a coincidence, I didn't expect to run into an elder like you here. It's been a while, and you seem to have aged quite a bit."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile. This person was none other than Zhang Changqing, the head of the Lecheng Talisman Order.
Standing beside Zhang Changqing was a young man, who was Wang Yiming.
After speaking to Zhang Changqing, Yang Haoran shifted his gaze to Wang Yiming and nodded with a smile. The other's reaction was the same as his; they had effectively greeted each other.
Although Yang Haoran and Wang Yiming were more than mere acquaintances, this was not the time for pleasantries, so both simply smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.
"Heh heh, indeed, this old man gets older every day. I can't compare to Divine Emissary Yang. You are an Underworld Official, immortal and coeval with heaven and earth. How could we mortals dare to compare ourselves to you?"
Old Zhang responded with a cold laugh. His words were not flattery towards Yang Haoran but pure sarcasm and mockery, though to outsiders, they sounded somewhat resentful.
Anyone could see that Old Zhang was not friendly towards Yang Haoran, and that there was clearly some past grievance between them.
It was not surprising that the two, both from Lecheng, would have a history. However, Old Master Zhang didn't want to see them start arguing at his place, as they certainly weren't invited there to bicker today.
If they truly started arguing, they might even come to blows, and then his plans would fall through.
So, seeing the brewing conflict, he quickly smiled and began to explain to Yang Haoran.
"Divine Emissary Yang, this is my cousin. I believe you've already met, so there's no need for me to introduce him further."
Old Master Zhang's words indeed surprised Yang Haoran somewhat.
Yang Haoran knew that Old Master Zhang's name was Zhang Changchun, and he also knew that Wang Yiming's master was named Zhang Changqing. After all, Zhang Changqing was the head of the Lecheng Talisman Order, and they had interacted, even having conflicts, so how could he not know Zhang Changqing's name?
However, he truly hadn't realized that Zhang Changqing and Zhang Changchun had this kind of relationship.
Although their names differed by only one character, there were countless people surnamed Zhang in this world. It wouldn't be strange even if their names were completely identical, let alone differing by a single character. After all, their names weren't unique; they were quite common. Furthermore, he hadn't seen Zhang Changqing when he last visited this place, so he hadn't connected the two at all.
Seeing the surprise on Yang Haoran's face, Zhang Changchun quickly explained in a low voice.
"My cousin and I have never really gotten along. Back then, he went to the Lecheng Talisman Order, and I took over the Zhang family. For all these years, my brother and I have had very little contact. If it weren't for our family facing utter annihilation this time, I wouldn't have been able to invite him, so. . ."
Zhang Changchun didn't finish his sentence, but Yang Haoran understood his meaning.
Yang Haoran smiled and said nothing, merely nodding gently at Zhang Changchun.
Gratitude gleamed in Zhang Changchun's eyes, while Zhang Changqing merely snorted coldly, saying nothing further.
Although Zhang Changchun had deliberately lowered his voice when speaking to Yang Haoran, Zhang Changqing had heard everything clearly. He said nothing more, as he also didn't want to break ties with Yang Haoran; it wouldn't benefit him.
Knowing that severing ties with Yang Haoran would do him no good, why had he still uttered those words just now? It was entirely due to his personality. He wanted Yang Haoran to know of his presence, to know of his dissatisfaction, and that this dissatisfaction had not diminished with the passage of time.
Having indulged his tongue and vented his inner displeasure, and with his cousin Zhang Changchun providing an exit, he simply took the offered step down.
Just then, the space where they stood vibrated violently, and a rift tore open. A tall figure stepped out from the spatial rift, hands in pockets, expressionless, looking utterly cool.
The one who arrived at this moment was, naturally, Xu Meijing. She was the Emissary of Death for Ancheng, yet she was the last to arrive at the scene.
However, Yang Haoran had only just arrived a moment ago himself, so the time difference between their arrivals wasn't significant. It was just that compared to everyone else, she had come a little later.
Seeing Xu Meijing appear, Zhang Changchun hastily cupped his fists in salute, forcing a smile onto his face.
Xu Meijing merely nodded slightly. Her face remained expressionless; she didn't formally cup her fists in salute like Old Zhang. She didn't even bother to take her hands out of her pockets, appearing exceedingly aloof and distant.
Zhang Changchun had some understanding of Xu Meijing's personality, so he wasn't surprised or embarrassed, and he withdrew his hands from the salute with a smile.
Xu Meijing's gaze first fell upon Yang Haoran, to whom she nodded slightly, a gesture of greeting. As for the others, she didn't waste any time on them, not even sparing them a glance.
Her gaze swept around, taking in the scene. A slight frown appeared on Xu Meijing's brow.
"It seems I've arrived late."
Xu Meijing could naturally tell that a battle had taken place here. From the situation on the ground, it was indeed true that she had arrived late.
"Hmph, it seems you Underworld Office people are all of the same ilk, dragging your feet no matter what you do."
It was Zhang Changqing who spoke. Now, he seemed to harbor not just dissatisfaction towards Yang Haoran, but a deep resentment towards the entire Underworld Office.
Xu Meijing was also an Underworld Official, and coupled with her arrogant personality, Zhang Changqing felt extremely displeased, thus he couldn't help but speak mockingly.
"Who are you?"
Xu Meijing turned her gaze to Zhang Changqing, her face cold as she asked blandly.
"Zhang Changqing, the person in charge of the Lecheng Talisman Order."
Zhang Changqing, wanting to add a bit of weight to himself and prevent Xu Meijing from looking down on him, specifically emphasized that he was the person in charge of the Lecheng Talisman Order.
However, he hadn't expected that Xu Meijing wouldn't buy into his act at all.
"When did it become the Talisman Order's place to point fingers at how we Underworld Officials do our work?"
With a single sentence, Xu Meijing left Zhang Changqing's face flushed crimson.
"Hmph, I'm not pointing fingers. I merely can't stand your ways."
Zhang Changqing, face flushed, let out a cold snort and retorted, attempting to forcibly salvage his dignity.
"If you can't stand it, then let's fight until one of us is dead. Do you dare?"
Xu Meijing spoke blandly, her words light as a breeze, as if she were discussing a trivial matter. But to Zhang Changqing's ears, those words sent a shock through the old Talisman Master.
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