Chapter 930: A Step Too Late
Yang Haoran hadn't completely sealed his powers. The moment he arrived outside the An City Administrative Courtyard, a Spirit Police officer sensed his presence.
A whoosh echoed through the air as a figure blocked his path. It was a young man, appearing to be in his early twenties, dressed in the uniform of the Spirit Police.
The fact that the man appeared before Yang Haoran so quickly suggested he was very likely responsible for guarding the area. Thus, when any non-ordinary person approached, he could sense them immediately and rush to the scene.
"May I ask who you are, and what brings you here?"
The man's attitude towards Yang Haoran was quite polite; neither his words nor his tone conveyed any provocation or disdain.
This was quite normal. In the current climate, if they were to act hostile or arrogant towards every non-ordinary person who showed up, the An City Administrative Courtyard might not be razed to the ground, but it would certainly offend many people.
The An City Administrative Courtyard, much like the Le City Administrative Courtyard, was in desperate need of capable individuals. In such a situation, unless the Administrative Chief was an idiot, they would surely have repeatedly instructed the guards of the Administrative Courtyard to be courteous towards non-ordinary individuals.
Yang Haoran's target this time was the Administrative Chief Qin Yefeng. As long as others didn't actively seek death, he wouldn't kill them. The one currently blocking his path was, of course, no exception.
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, his face devoid of any anger. As usual, he wore a kindly smile, looking utterly harmless.
Judging by his appearance, he didn't look like he was here to kill anyone; rather, he seemed to be visiting friends and relatives.
"May I ask if you are a Night Watcher from the An City Underworld Office, friend? How is it that I've never seen you before?"
The man answered Yang Haoran's question with one of his own, inquiring about Yang Haoran's identity instead.
Although the man's attitude towards Yang Haoran was polite, it didn't mean he would answer every question Yang Haoran posed, especially since Yang Haoran was asking about their Administrative Chief.
As for why he thought Yang Haoran was a Night Watcher from the An City Underworld Office, it was because Yang Haoran subtly emanated Yin Qi, and he could clearly sense its presence.
However, his assessment of Yang Haoran's identity was merely a guess; he didn't dare to confirm it.
"Heh heh, excellent perception, my friend. I am indeed a Night Watcher from the An City Underworld Office. Emissary Xu just recruited me recently, so it's no surprise you haven't seen me before."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, then pulled out his Death God Pendant from his pocket and released some Spirit Power to prove his identity.
Of course, the Death God Pendant alone couldn't prove Yang Haoran's identity, but the power Yang Haoran released was genuine Spirit Power. This indeed confirmed that he belonged to the Underworld Office.
"You are indeed a friend from the Underworld Office. May I ask what business you have with our Administrative Chief?"
The man no longer doubted Yang Haoran's identity, but he didn't let Yang Haoran enter, nor did he inform him of Qin Yefeng's current whereabouts. Instead, he posed a second question.
"Heh heh, I'm truly sorry, but our emissary specifically instructed that this matter can only be relayed to Administrative Chief Qin alone. I absolutely cannot leak a single word to anyone else, so. . . heh heh, this puts me in quite a predicament. " Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, a look of embarrassment on his face.
The man had also recently felt a sense of impending storm, as more and more people were coming to the Administrative Courtyard to see their Administrative Chief. This wasn't the first time he'd encountered a situation like Yang Haoran's, so he wasn't angry; in fact, he didn't even feel suspicious.
"Friend, you've come at a really inconvenient time. The Administrative Chief left the Administrative Courtyard early this morning and hasn't returned yet," the man said.
"Left at dawn?"
Yang Haoran thought to himself. Then he recalled the time the woman died by his hand, which was roughly around then. It seemed Qin Yefeng had immediately left the Administrative Courtyard the moment she died.
As for why Qin Yefeng would leave the Administrative Courtyard immediately, in Yang Haoran's view, it was probably because Qin Yefeng knew he might come looking for trouble, so he had departed the Administrative Courtyard in advance.
Although these were all Yang Haoran's unilateral conjectures, he felt it was highly probable that the truth was as he suspected.
Yang Haoran didn't let his inner emotions show on his face. After hearing the man's reply, he deliberately put on a puzzled expression.
"He went out at dawn and still hasn't returned? Could something have happened?"
Yang Haoran muttered to himself, acting genuinely concerned. Although he seemed to be speaking to himself, his words were meant for the young man, primarily to lower the latter's guard and coax out some useful information.
The moment the man heard his words, his expression subtly shifted, and worry flashed in his eyes. It was at this moment that Yang Haoran spoke again.
"Do you know where the Administrative Chief went?"
The man shook his head, indicating he didn't know.
"Given my status, I'm not privy to the Administrative Chief's whereabouts, so I cannot answer your question. If you genuinely wish to see the Administrative Chief, you may wait inside the Administrative Courtyard. When he returns, I will immediately report to him."
Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment, then responded to the man with a smile.
"No need. If I wait inside, there's no telling how long it would take. After all, no one knows if he'll even return today. I think I'll just come back tomorrow."
Yang Haoran was unwilling to wait inside the Administrative Courtyard, and the man didn't try to stop him. He felt Yang Haoran had a point; no one could say for certain when the Administrative Chief would return. If he were to wait inside the Administrative Courtyard, heaven knew how long it would be. Lingering here would only delay other matters.
Of course, the words Yang Haoran spoke to the man weren't true. Talk of coming back tomorrow was just for the man's ears. Since he had decided to eliminate Qin Yefeng, how could he possibly give up just because Qin Yefeng wasn't present?
After leaving the Administrative Courtyard, Yang Haoran tore open space and headed for his next destination: the An City Talisman Order.
If his previous conjecture was correct and Qin Yefeng left the Administrative Courtyard primarily to evade his retribution, then Qin Yefeng would very likely seek refuge at the Talisman Order.
Because, according to the information he obtained from the woman's soul through his Ghost Eye, the An City Talisman Order was very close with the An City Administrative Courtyard, and Talisman Master Han of the An City Talisman Order had been present when the Black-Robed Person delivered the Lock Yin Talisman to Qin Yefeng.
Since the woman's assassination attempt failed, Qin Yefeng would naturally worry about his retaliation and seek sanctuary at the Talisman Order. After all, the Talisman Order was one of the few major powers in the New Beginning Realm; not just anyone could run wild there. Anyone wanting to cause trouble at the Talisman Order would first have to weigh their own capabilities.
Therefore, in his opinion, the probability of Qin Yefeng seeking refuge at the Talisman Order in such a situation was quite high. If he went to the Talisman Order, he should be able to find Qin Yefeng.
Of course, before tearing space, he had already weighed his own capabilities. He felt that this time, he could absolutely make a commotion at the An City Talisman Order. Power aside, the crucial point was that he held the moral high ground.
Moreover, even if he misjudged and Qin Yefeng wasn't at the An City Talisman Order, he would still make the trip there regardless.
Not for any other reason than that the An City Talisman Order was also involved in this matter. He absolutely had to go teach them a lesson, and at the same time, he could get some justice for Wang Yiming.
There was more than one Talisman Order temple in An City. When Yang Haoran reappeared, he was already outside the largest Talisman Order temple in An City.
Normally, the head of an organization would undoubtedly stay in the largest temple, or at least frequently operate within it. Therefore, in Yang Haoran's view, it was highly probable that Talisman Master Han would be in this largest temple. And since Qin Yefeng had a cooperative relationship with Talisman Master Han, he would naturally seek sanctuary with him at this largest temple.
Since many believers would come to burn incense and pray before the divine statues during the day, the temple would not activate its restrictive barriers. However, Yang Haoran didn't directly materialize inside the temple. Instead, he adhered to his own rules, appearing outside and then walking towards the temple's interior.
His appearance immediately drew the attention of the Talisman Masters. Before he had taken more than a few steps, the Talisman Master responsible for guarding the temple appeared before him, blocking his path.
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