Chapter 955: The Fish that Missed the Net
"Master, Yang Haoran, that detestable Underworld cur, is gravely wounded and on the verge of death. This is our perfect chance to eliminate him. If we miss it, I fear we'll rarely get another opportunity like this. How can you seem so utterly unconcerned about this matter!"
Inside a spartan room, a young man, his face etched with anxiety, pleaded with the elder before him.
The two were currently in Lecheng's urban district, and the house they inhabited had been allocated to them by the Administrative Council. Though somewhat spartan, lacking any proper furnishings, it was already quite decent compared to the dwellings in some impoverished small towns. Before the world descended into chaos, this house would have fetched a considerable sum, its price certainly not low even without any proper furniture.
In times of turmoil, securing such a safe haven was no easy feat. Even without proper furniture, ordinary folk would certainly not complain.
Moreover, it was a free house, making it all the more impossible for anyone to refuse.
To outsiders, the elder and the youth appeared to be father and son; however, in private, they were master and disciple. Their true identities were indeed not father and son, but master and disciple.
Besides being master and disciple, they shared another identity: both were Spirit Mediums.
Almost all Spirit Mediums in Lecheng had been rooted out and exterminated by Yang Haoran. However, because the master and disciple had remained well-hidden and rarely interacted with other Spirit Mediums, they had become the fish that slipped through the net.
The master and disciple had originally considered leaving Lecheng for another city; after all, Yang Haoran's crackdown on Spirit Mediums was simply too severe. Should they accidentally expose their identities, their situation would become incredibly perilous, and they might very well die by Yang Haoran's hand.
However, they were somewhat unwilling to leave so easily, for both master and disciple shared a common desire: to kill Yang Haoran, that detestable Underworld cur. Thus, they did not depart, choosing instead to risk staying.
For them, as Spirit Mediums, Lecheng's urban district was absolutely a forbidden zone. Not only were there many Underworld Office personnel here, but also individuals from other factions. In their eyes, Lecheng's urban district was a veritable den of dragons and a tiger's lair.
However, the most dangerous place is often the safest. The master and disciple ultimately decided to enter Lecheng's urban district, and successfully blended in with the ordinary populace of Lecheng.
Recently, news of Yang Haoran's grave injuries had caused a considerable stir, and the master and disciple had, of course, also learned of it.
However, the young man's master had not uttered a single word about the matter. The young man was puzzled; at first, he managed to suppress his doubts and remain silent, but as days passed, his master still hadn't brought it up, as if he knew nothing about it at all. Thus, today, he could hold back no longer and spoke to his master.
Hearing this, the elder did not immediately respond. He sat hunched on a stool, a pipe in his hand, sucking on low-quality dried tobacco with a smacking sound, as if he hadn't heard the young man at all.
Seeing his master ignore him, the young man's expression grew even more anxious than before.
"Master, please say something! Yang Haoran has killed so many of our Spirit Mediums, leaving us Spirit Mediums no path to survival. Now, only the two of us, master and disciple, remain as Spirit Mediums in all of Lecheng. Have you forgotten such a deep, bloody grudge?"
The elder's brow furrowed slightly. After taking another drag from his pipe, he finally spoke.
"You rascal, you're a grown man now, but your speech is still the same—utterly illogical, with no coherence between your thoughts."
The elder's words revealed his displeasure, but the young man paid him no mind. He cared not whether his words made sense; overwhelmed by anxiety, he simply blurted out whatever came to mind, how could he bother with logic or illogic at a time like this?
"Master, have you forgotten why we stayed in Lecheng? Or have you forgotten that too?"
The elder was somewhat displeased. After a moment's thought, he finally replied.
"Of course I haven't forgotten why the two of us, master and disciple, stayed in Lecheng. Nor have I become senile; I know that Yang Haoran is gravely wounded, and this is a good opportunity to get rid of him. But have you considered one thing? With just the strength of the two of us, master and disciple, can we truly eliminate Yang Haoran?"
To the elder's words, the young man responded immediately, without a moment's thought.
"Why can't we kill him? No matter how powerful he is, gravely wounded, he's just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Even if our strength isn't equal to his, there'll be no problem killing him under these circumstances!"
The young man spoke with absolute certainty, and his words severely angered the old man. In his fury, the old man rapped the young man on the head with his pipe.
"How could I have been so blind as to take you on as a disciple? Please, use your pig-headed brain and think properly! Since Yang Haoran is gravely wounded, his powerful subordinates will undoubtedly be guarding him day and night to protect him. If it's just the two of us, master and disciple, tell me, with what will we kill him?"
The young man looked unconvinced, clearly disagreeing with his master's assertion.
"Master, you have now successfully broken through to the Spirit Master realm. You are at the same realm as Yang Haoran. Forget about him being gravely wounded now; even if he were at his peak, you'd have the power to fight him. Why are you afraid of him? Did your courage shrink after your breakthrough?"
The young man's words intensified the anger on the old man's face by several shades.
"You rascal, you have no respect! Is that how you speak to your master?"
Seeing his master enraged, the young man dared not speak further, though his expression remained unconvinced.
The old man saw the stubbornness in his expression, and could only patiently explain.
"Sigh. If we're only talking about cultivation realms, a Spirit Master among us Spirit Mediums is indeed at the same realm as an Underworld Official who has opened their Heaven Soul. But being in the same realm doesn't mean equal strength. Don't you understand this principle?"
The young man remained silent. Seeing this, the old man took another drag from his pipe, and then continued.
"From what I know, Yang Haoran's strength is not weak; he is at least above me. If he were alone, I might try to test his limits. But he isn't alone, and it will be difficult to deal with him, even though he is gravely wounded right now."
Seeing the old man's tone soften considerably, the young man couldn't help but speak again.
"Yang Haoran is the only one in the Lecheng Underworld Office who has opened his Heaven Soul. He's gravely wounded now, so his combat strength surely can't be much. And his lackeys have limited power; they're no match for you, Master. Under these circumstances, what if you just storm Yang Haoran's residence? Who could possibly stop you?"
The old man, whose anger had only just begun to subside, heard the young man's words, and the fury in his heart ignited anew.
"Oh, you! What am I to do with you? You truly have a pig's brain! Don't you know about Spirit Police captain Bai Xue? This demon is said to have reached the peak of a great demon, just one step away from entering the Demon King realm. Although she is a Spirit Police captain, in reality, she is Yang Haoran's person. And she lives in Yang Haoran's villa. If I blindly charge into Yang Haoran's villa, tell me, who will be the one to die? Do you really think I'm invincible after breaking through to the Spirit Master realm? Against a great demon of that caliber, they could kill me in an instant!"
The old man's words made the young man's face fall. He knew about Bai Xue, but he hadn't considered her just now. It was only when the old man reminded him that he suddenly realized he had overlooked such an important figure as Bai Xue.
Although he wasn't clever, he wasn't so foolish as to blindly believe his master was already invincible. If his master truly faced Bai Xue, it would undoubtedly be a dead end.
"Then. . . then are we really going to miss this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity?"
The young man asked, his tone no longer anxious as before, but filled only with uncertainty.
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