Chapter 856: News of Death
Yang Haoran had originally considered handing the four souls over to Tang Shi to deal with. After all, when it came to interrogating souls, Tang Shi was a professional, an old hand even, which would save him a lot of trouble. However, the Spirit Master and his Guardian Spirit's souls would ultimately be given to Old Master Wu, and Yang Haoran would not go back on his word regarding this matter. To prevent others from knowing about his cultivation of a large number of ghostly beings, he simply decided to conduct the interrogation himself. While this would consume some of his time, it was time he could afford to spend.
Inside the study, chains forged from Spirit Power bound the four figures tightly. For safety's sake, Yang Haoran also placed seals upon their Spirit Bodies to prevent their souls from playing tricks. Even in such a desperate situation, the likelihood of their souls causing trouble was low, but Yang Haoran still did it, wanting to reduce that low probability to zero. It wouldn't cost him any time; it was merely a flick of his hand.
Yang Haoran first opened his Ghost Eye, reviewing the four individuals' past lives as if fast-forwarding a movie. He gained a rough understanding of whom they had interacted with and what deeds they had committed. However, the Ghost Eye was not omnipotent; some information still needed to be obtained through interrogation.
Interrogating the souls of the two Demon Hunters was merely to gain an understanding of their network, to be prepared should another Demon Hunter come knocking one day, so he wouldn't be completely clueless. Interrogating the Spirit Master, on the other hand, was to ferret out the hidden Spirit Mediums in Lecheng and round them up as thoroughly as possible.
Not all of these Spirit Mediums were necessarily evil beyond redemption, but as Lecheng's Emissary of Death, Yang Haoran had duties he could not shirk. If he were to show leniency and fail to eradicate these Spirit Mediums, it would not only impact his career but also potentially lead him and those around him into mortal peril. Both for public and private reasons, he had to act this way. He believed that if he fell into the hands of Spirit Mediums, he would likewise face a grim fate. Who was stronger, who was weaker, and who could survive—and survive better—depended entirely on their individual capabilities.
Yang Haoran did not intend to waste too much time on the two Demon Hunters. After all, there was no need to spend excessive time on them; he only required a basic understanding of their connections. Even if they refused to speak, his Ghost Eye could reveal most of this information. This was his thought, and this was his action, for he genuinely did not waste much time on the two.
As for the Spirit Master, he desired far more information, yet he still didn't spend much time. This was because the Spirit Master was remarkably cooperative; no matter what he asked, the Spirit Master answered immediately, showing no intention of concealing anything, which allowed his interrogation to proceed very smoothly.
Why would the Spirit Master be so cooperative? Naturally, it was to save his life, to preserve his soul. He wasn't foolish; after all, having fallen into such a predicament, if he said nothing, he would certainly be tortured, just like the two Demon Hunters who immediately started cursing and threatening Yang Haoran, only to be tormented by him until they couldn't even speak. Cooperating with Yang Haoran would at least alleviate some suffering. Moreover, Yang Haoran had even sworn an oath to spare him. Although he didn't fully believe it, a sliver of hope still arose within him, wishing that his cooperation could buy him a chance at survival.
However, when Yang Haoran handed over the Spirit Master's soul and his Guardian Spirit to Old Master Wu, the Spirit Master, including his Guardian Spirit, immediately panicked. A dreadful premonition simultaneously rose in their hearts.
"Divine Envoy Yang, are you going to. . . " The Spirit Master asked, his face a mask of panic and confusion.
"Heh heh, don't panic. I, Yang Haoran, always keep my word. Since I swore not to kill you, I absolutely won't lift a finger. However, as for the grievances between you and Old Wu, you'll have to discuss them with him yourself. If he chooses not to kill you, I'll have no objections. And of course, if he decides to kill you, I won't oppose it either."
Yang Haoran's words shattered the last sliver of hope in the hearts of both the Spirit Master and his Guardian Spirit. If Yang Haoran truly handed them over to Old Master Wu, their fate was unimaginable. The entire Wu family had been massacred by the Spirit Master, leaving only four survivors, and those four included Old Master Wu himself. Apart from these four, every member of the Wu family, and every servant, had perished tragically at the Spirit Master's hands.
Such profound hatred could not be resolved with a few mere words. In this Spirit Master's view, once he and his Guardian Spirit fell into Old Master Wu's hands, it would likely be difficult even to achieve Soul Transformation; they would certainly be tormented to wish for death!
"Divine Envoy Yang, I beg you, please have mercy! Just let me go! For the sake of my cooperation, grant me a way to live! " The disheartened Spirit Master, still clinging to a final sliver of hope, loudly pleaded for mercy from Yang Haoran. The terror in his heart made his voice tremble, and there was even a faint sob in his tone.
"Heh heh, I've said all I can say. Whether you can convince Old Wu, that's up to your own ability. I have other matters to attend to; you two can chat at your leisure."
Seeing that Yang Haoran was determined to wash his hands of the matter, the Spirit Master knew he was certainly doomed this time. He hysterically unleashed a torrent of curses at Yang Haoran.
"Yang Haoran, you bastard! May you die a terrible death! One day! My fate will be your fate! ! !"
The Spirit Master's furious curses echoed from behind him, but Yang Haoran didn't turn back, nor did he stop. He didn't even get angry. As if he hadn't heard the Spirit Master's enraged shouts at all, he slowly moved his feet, walking his own path.
After handing the Spirit Master's soul over to Old Master Wu, Yang Haoran went to Bai Xue's bedroom and found her there.
"Oh, Brother Underworld Official, finished with the interrogation? Did you gain any unexpected insights? " Bai Xue asked Yang Haoran, a charming smile gracing her face.
"Heh heh, no unexpected gains, but plenty of expected ones. I was just about to start dealing with that matter, but since you had something for me, I came here to report first," Yang Haoran said with a chuckle.
"Look at you, Brother Underworld Official, 'reporting to me,' heh heh. I'd love that, but I wouldn't dare. " Bai Xue said with a captivating smile.
"Alright, let's stop with the pleasantries between us. Just get to the point. What's so urgent that you needed to find me? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
Earlier, while Yang Haoran was still interrogating the Spirit Master, Bai Xue had come looking for him. However, Yang Haoran was busy at the time, and it was inconvenient with outsiders present, so Bai Xue hadn't said much, only telling Yang Haoran to come find her once he was finished. Thus, as soon as his matters were handled, Yang Haoran immediately hurried to Bai Xue's bedroom.
"I wanted to chat more about life with Brother Underworld Official, but since you're in such a hurry, I won't keep you in suspense. Let's get straight to the point: the Administrative Chief is dead. " Bai Xue gave a bewitching smile, first teasing Yang Haoran, then delivering a piece of news that somewhat startled him.
"Oh? The Administrative Chief is dead? Is this news reliable? " Yang Haoran asked, a touch of surprise in his voice.
"Absolutely reliable. Originally, there were people in the Administrative Courtyard who wanted to conceal this news, but paper can't wrap fire; the news still spread. " Bai Xue said, though her expression seemed to hold a hint of schadenfreude.
"Heh heh, you seem quite happy," Yang Haoran said, chuckling.
"I wouldn't say 'very' happy, but it's acceptable, I suppose. After all, that old man was unkind to me. Should I really be sad now that he's dead? " Bai Xue asked with a smile. From her words, it was easy to discern that she harbored considerable resentment towards Lecheng's Administrative Chief.
"You're right. From your perspective, he indeed deserved to die, so there's no need for sadness. However, how did you come by this information? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
"Brother Underworld Official, do you think I, Bai Xue, spent these past few years in the Spirit Police for nothing? I merely went out for a stroll today and learned this news. Of course, the other party was also quite curious why I dared to openly appear in the city."
"Moonlit Night God" will continue to be updated without error.
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