Chapter 812: Turning the Tables
Yang Haoran’s face remained perpetually wreathed in a smile. Even when the two Demon Hunters fixed their gaze upon him, the smile never wavered.
"You are Yang Haoran, the Emissary of Death for the Lecheng Underworld Office?"
The man spoke, his expression icy and his tone far from polite. He wore a superior air, scrutinizing Yang Haoran with his gaze.
Yang Haoran took in their attitude, finding it rather amusing. If they were so arrogant, why not just act directly? Why not shatter the barrier, kill those who needed killing, seize what needed seizing, instead of dutifully waiting outside?
Of course, Yang Haoran understood why they didn't. The reason they were patiently waiting outside wasn't out of fear of him, the Emissary of Death, but out of caution towards the Underworld Office, that colossal entity.
The fact that they had found their way here and knew his name, Yang Haoran, indicated they had already gained a certain level of understanding about him.
They undoubtedly looked down on him, an Underworld Office agent, from the bottom of their hearts. After all, in their eyes, Yang Haoran was merely an Underworld Office agent who had only opened his Earth Soul a few years ago. How could they, as three-star Demon Hunters, possibly respect him?
The reason they hadn't forced their way in, but instead waited patiently outside the barrier, was to give face to the Underworld Office, not to him, the Emissary of Death.
"Heh heh, I am indeed Yang Haoran. And you two must be the two Demon Hunters who recently arrived in Lecheng, I presume?"
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
"Hmph, my wife and I have indeed only recently arrived in Lecheng, but that is none of your business. You only need to know that my wife and I are very displeased right now. Unless you're blind, you should be able to see that."
The man's words were exceedingly arrogant. Not only did Bai Xue, whose mood was already foul, stiffen, but even Old Master Wu's expression immediately turned cold upon hearing the man's declaration.
Yet, neither of them spoke. They simply stared intently at the two Demon Hunters, watching their every move. The moment the two showed any sign of making a move, they would react instantly. Even if they knew they weren't a match for three-star Demon Hunters, they wouldn't surrender without a fight.
Yang Haoran's reaction, however, was different. His expression remained unchanged, still bearing a smile, as if the man's words hadn't provoked him in the slightest.
Yang Haoran's reaction somewhat surprised the two Demon Hunters. They had expected him to be angered, but to their astonishment, not only was there no trace of anger on Yang Haoran's face, but he maintained a faint smile throughout, completely unaffected.
What surprised the couple even more was Yang Haoran's subsequent reply.
"Heh heh, of course I can see that you two are displeased, because I'm not blind yet. However, my own mood is also far from pleasant right now. Have you two managed to see that?"
Yang Haoran countered with a smile. He had originally intended to invite them in for a chat and slowly coax them, but now, he didn't even have the thought of inviting them in.
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, the couple's brows furrowed. They hadn't expected Yang Haoran to pose such a question to them.
"Whether your mood is good or bad has nothing to do with us. However, our displeasure has a great deal to do with you, this Underworld Office agent!"
The man spoke sternly. Yang Haoran immediately shook his head, refuting the man's assertion.
"No, my displeasure has a great deal to do with you two."
Yang Haoran's tone was firm. He glanced at Bai Xue behind him, and without waiting for the two Demon Hunters to respond, continued speaking.
"My friend behind me here was doing perfectly fine in the Spirit Police. For all these years, she has been diligent and conscientious, always rushing to the front for dangerous missions, never considering her own safety, always prioritizing the completion of her tasks, and making immense contributions to the stability of Lecheng. She is deeply beloved by the common people. But the moment you two arrived, not only did she lose her job, but she also became a target for the Administrative Courtyard to eliminate. Tell me, how can I possibly be happy about that?"
Yang Haoran's speech not only startled the two Demon Hunters, but even Bai Xue, who stood behind him, was momentarily stunned. Fortunately, Bai Xue was wearing a mask; otherwise, if her momentary surprise had been seen by the two Demon Hunters, the situation's flavor would have changed completely.
Once she recovered, Bai Xue felt both exasperated and amused. Exasperated by the two Demon Hunters, and amused by Yang Haoran's exaggerated words.
Yang Haoran hadn't said it, but she hadn't realized she was so outstanding, to the point of being deeply beloved by the common people.
However, Bai Xue knew herself. She knew she wasn't that exceptional, nor that selfless. She knew Yang Haoran understood this as well, and that he was saying such shameless things purely because the current situation demanded it.
Though she understood in her heart, she certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to call Yang Haoran out. She forced back the urge to laugh, standing behind Yang Haoran and watching him perform.
Old Master Wu's reaction was somewhat different from Bai Xue's. His face was cold, and compared to before, a distinct anger now clearly marked his features. His expression confirmed that everything Yang Haoran said was true, and that this old man was indeed furious.
Old Master Wu naturally knew Yang Haoran was exaggerating, but to cooperate with Yang Haoran in this act, he quickly got into character. Even without lines, he performed exceptionally well.
The reason Yang Haoran said all this was because he knew the other party was here to cause trouble for him. Instead of passively dealing with it, he decided to turn the tables on them first, preemptively accusing them to prevent them from manufacturing an excuse to act.
These two Demon Hunters were definitely wary of the Underworld Office, otherwise, they would never have waited outside the barrier for his appearance. They would have directly attacked this place, razing it to the ground first.
However, if they were to find or create a reason or excuse to act, then it was highly possible they would directly attack him right here. Even if the Underworld Office later investigated, they would have a justification.
Although this was only Yang Haoran's conjecture, such a possibility was not absent, as he himself had done similar things. Therefore, he had to secure his footing first, so as not to be too passive.
"Her becoming a target for the Administrative Courtyard to eliminate—what does that have to do with us? !"
It wasn't the man who spoke, but his wife. The woman's face was cold as she rebuked Yang Haoran.
"Whether this matter has anything to do with you two, you two know better than anyone, heh heh."
Yang Haoran responded with a smile, his expression never changing, always maintaining a faint smile.
The woman's face was cold, and she wanted to continue rebuking Yang Haoran, but her husband stopped her.
"Did the Administrative Chief tell you about this?"
The man asked Yang Haoran, his face stern.
"Heh heh, this matter has nothing to do with him. Regardless, I am the local magnate of Lecheng, and I have this much of an intelligence network. With a little effort, I can uncover the full story."
Although the Administrative Chief's actions made Yang Haoran somewhat uncomfortable, he wasn't deliberately trying to undermine the Administrative Chief at the moment. As for whether the two believed him, he didn't care and wouldn't bother to.
"If you put it that way, then this matter truly does concern my wife and I. However, we are Demon Hunters. Eliminating demons is within our purview. Since there are demons in Lecheng, we must rid the common people of this menace. We absolutely cannot allow demons to wreak havoc in the mortal world."
At this point, the man paused slightly. Seeing Yang Haoran about to speak, he let out a cold hmph, forcefully cutting Yang Haoran off.
"Hmph, my wife and I are not only deeply disappointed in your Lecheng Administrative Courtyard, but equally disappointed in your Lecheng Underworld Office. I truly never expected the Administrative Courtyard to actually employ a snake demon to do its work. What's even more unbelievable is that you, as the Emissary of Death for the Lecheng Underworld Office, are actually colluding with a demon! Handing over a city to someone like you is simply sullying your Underworld Office's reputation. If your superiors were to find out about this, you should know the consequences."
Comments