Chapter 782: Retaliation
With the Great Emperor having fallen and the Underworld Office in turmoil, Yang Haoran, as Lecheng's Emissary of Death, should have been overwhelmed with work. However, thanks to Old Master Wu, his life as a hands-off boss was quite comfortable. Unless it was something Old Master Wu couldn't handle, he never disturbed his boss.
Early this morning, Yang Haoran left his villa, tearing through space to travel to Ancheng.
His injuries had now fully recovered, and his strength had even increased to some extent. His mental state was excellent; compared to when he was lying in bed like a corpse, he was now a completely different person.
Upon arriving in Ancheng, Yang Haoran didn't find Xu Meijing. After some searching, he located Chu Jiu, Xu Meijing's trusted second-in-command.
Chu Jiu was naturally no stranger to Yang Haoran, recognizing him at a glance. She wasn't surprised by his arrival either.
"Greetings, Emissary Yang!"
Chu Jiu bowed to Yang Haoran, her attitude extremely respectful.
"Heh heh, where is your Emissary?"
He had just been through a battle of life and death, nearly losing his own life, yet Yang Haoran's personality seemed to have remained unchanged. As he spoke, he still wore his usual smile, his expression and tone no different from before.
"The Emissary has gone to the Zhang Family."
Chu Jiu answered straightforwardly, without any pretense of concealment.
If anyone else had asked her this question, she certainly wouldn't have casually revealed her Emissary's whereabouts. But Yang Haoran was different; she knew her Emissary had a deep relationship with Yang Haoran, and she also knew that her Emissary had frequently traveled to Lecheng recently. Therefore, she had no intention whatsoever of concealing anything from Yang Haoran.
Furthermore, Xu Meijing had specifically instructed her that no matter when Yang Haoran came to find her, she was to be informed immediately. If she happened to be out handling affairs, she didn't need to hide her whereabouts from Yang Haoran either.
Learning that Xu Meijing had gone to the Zhang Family, a hint of confusion appeared in Yang Haoran's eyes.
"The Zhang Family? Which Zhang Family?"
Although Yang Haoran had a rough idea which Zhang Family Chu Jiu was referring to, he still asked.
"The Exorcist Zhang Family."
Many people in Ancheng had the surname Zhang, and there were many Zhang Families, but there was only one Exorcist Zhang Family. Chu Jiu's answer confirmed that Yang Haoran's guess was correct.
"The Zhang Family hasn't been wiped out yet?"
Yang Haoran asked, a trace of doubt in his heart.
"No, the current Zhang Family, though far from its former glory, still exists."
Chu Jiu's reply not only failed to resolve Yang Haoran's confusion but deepened it.
He had thought the Exorcist Zhang Family had already been annihilated. After all, those who died in that great battle were all prominent figures in Ancheng. They had fallen into the Zhang Family's trap and lost their lives, and their relatives and friends would certainly not let the matter rest. It was entirely possible they would move to exterminate the Zhang Family, and they certainly possessed the power to do so.
The Zhang Family, without Zhang Changchun and his son, simply lacked the ability to withstand the others' furious revenge; their annihilation was a certainty.
However, Chu Jiu's current answer proved that the Zhang Family had not been destroyed, which made him feel somewhat peculiar.
What made him even more perplexed was why Xu Meijing would personally go to the Zhang Family.
In Yang Haoran's view, Xu Meijing certainly wasn't going with good intentions; it was definitely to cause trouble for the Zhang Family. Yet, one question puzzled him: with Xu Meijing's strength, having opened both her Heaven and Earth Souls, there was no need for her to go personally if she wanted to deal with the Zhang Family. It was simply using an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken.
Yang Haoran pondered for a moment, guessing it was probably because Xu Meijing was angry, which was why she went to the Zhang Family herself, to wipe them out and vent her anger.
But if this possibility held true, then a new problem arose: why would Xu Meijing wait until now to personally decide to exterminate the Zhang Family?
Although he was confused, Yang Haoran didn't question Chu Jiu further, as there were some matters Chu Jiu couldn't provide him with accurate answers for.
He nodded slightly to Chu Jiu, indicating he understood the situation, and after thanking her, he tore through space and headed for the Zhang Family.
When he arrived at the Zhang Family's residence, two individuals were locked in a fierce battle above, their clash creating a considerable commotion that echoed far and wide.
One of the two, Yang Haoran didn't recognize and had never seen before. The other he did recognize; it wasn't Xu Meijing, but Zhang Li.
Besides the two currently fighting, there were many other people present, roughly divided into two factions. The Zhang Family members formed one faction, while everyone else formed the other.
Apart from the two clashing above, no one else present made a move. Some watched the battle in the sky, while others glared furiously at the people in the other faction, constantly wary of each other.
Xu Meijing was indeed among the faction outside the Zhang Family. Although their numbers were few, the power fluctuations emanating from each of them were extremely formidable.
Conversely, the Zhang Family's faction had more people, but the power fluctuations they emitted were uneven—some were strong, some pitiably weak. Compared to the former, the Zhang Family was far too weak.
Leaving Xu Meijing aside, none of the other individuals present could be resisted by the Zhang Family's current strength. Judging by the power fluctuations released by these Zhang Family members, Zhang Li, who was battling in the sky, was ironically the strongest among their faction.
Yang Haoran's sudden arrival drew everyone's gaze. The two battling in the sky also stopped their attacks and looked towards Yang Haoran.
When they clearly saw that the newcomer was Yang Haoran, their expressions varied: some showed surprise, some confusion, some hatred, and of course, some were expressionless.
Xu Meijing's face registered surprise, and then her figure flickered, appearing directly before Yang Haoran.
"Why are you here?"
Xu Meijing asked, her tone tinged with curiosity.
"I came to find you about something. After I learned you were at the Zhang Family, I rushed right over."
Yang Haoran replied with a smile, then his gaze swept over everyone present, pausing for a moment on Zhang Li before finally returning to Xu Meijing in front of him.
"What's the situation here?"
Based on what he saw, Yang Haoran could somewhat guess, but a guess was still just a guess. To know exactly what had happened, he naturally needed to ask Xu Meijing.
"Of course, we're here to seek revenge on the Zhang Family. If it weren't for that kid obstructing us, and these people not knowing if Zhang Changchun and his son are dead or alive—thus having reservations—this Zhang Family would have been annihilated by these avengers on the very day of the great battle."
As she spoke, Xu Meijing looked towards Zhang Li. The "kid" she referred to was none other than Zhang Li.
"Why would he obstruct them?"
Yang Haoran felt perplexed. He clearly remembered that Zhang Li had specifically rushed to the battle scene that day to warn them not to trust Zhang Changchun, and had even helped them. At the time, Zhang Changchun wanted nothing more than to kill Zhang Li immediately.
From that perspective, Zhang Li should have completely fallen out with the Zhang Family, which was why he opposed Zhang Changchun. But why would he protect the Zhang Family afterwards?
"If you don't even know, how would I? If it weren't for your apparent connection with that kid, this Zhang Family would have been wiped out by me long ago. If he dared to obstruct me, I'd have slaughtered him along with them!"
Xu Meijing shot Yang Haoran a glare, speaking with a frustrated expression. Her tone carried icy killing intent. From this, it was clear that her hatred for the Zhang Family was exceptionally strong. If it weren't for Zhang Li's obstruction, she would definitely have annihilated the Zhang Family, using that method to vent her inner fury.
She wasn't like the others present; they didn't know if Zhang Changchun and his son were dead or alive, and thus had reservations.
But she was different. She knew that Zhang Changchun and his son had been taken into a Soul-Gathering Bead, and would never be able to continue protecting their Zhang Family. Moreover, even if the Zhang Family had the protection of Zhang Changchun and his son, they lacked the ability to stop her, who had opened both her Heaven and Earth Souls.
Therefore, for her, annihilating the Zhang Family was no difficult task, regardless of whether Zhang Changchun and his son were present or not.
She hadn't done so because of Zhang Li's obstruction, and her reason for not attacking Zhang Li was entirely out of consideration for Yang Haoran.
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