Chapter 957: Perfectly Reasonable
The deaths of the five Spirit Masters and Yang Haoran's vigorous return to health led the Black-Robed Man to believe that it was all a trap set by Yang Haoran, with the sole purpose of luring him, who was lurking in the shadows, out into the open.
With this conclusion in mind, he no longer intended to continue observing from the dark and prepared to leave the area, lest he expose himself.
However, just as he was about to depart, he suddenly made a new discovery, one that made him abandon the idea of leaving immediately.
The moment he turned to leave, his peripheral vision caught sight of Yang Haoran's body seemingly collapsing. He initially thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but when he refocused his gaze on Yang Haoran, he realized he wasn't mistaken—Yang Haoran had indeed fallen to the ground.
The Night Watchers present, who had still been dealing with the three un-subdued Guardian Spirits, abandoned their struggle against the spirits and rushed directly towards Yang Haoran upon seeing him suddenly collapse.
The three Guardian Spirits had already lost all will to fight; their masters were dead, their power limited, and they couldn't stir up any trouble. Desperate to escape, they saw Yang Haoran's sudden collapse not as an opportunity to attack him, but as a chance to swiftly flee.
These three Guardian Spirits were not foolish. They knew that even if they attacked Yang Haoran, it would be difficult to affect him, especially with several powerful Night Watchers still present. If they didn't seize this opportunity to escape, they wouldn't get another chance to leave the area.
The three Guardian Spirits fled in different directions. The Night Watchers present did not pursue them, for compared to Yang Haoran's safety, these three Guardian Spirits were insignificant. If they escaped, they escaped; it was no big deal. After all, protecting Yang Haoran's safety was their primary mission.
The leading Night Watcher, among those who rushed to Yang Haoran's side with the utmost speed, spoke anxiously and quickly helped Yang Haoran up from the ground.
At this moment, Yang Haoran's face was pale, devoid of any color. No sooner had the Night Watcher helped him up than he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood, his entire aura becoming extremely weak.
"Xiao Zhou! Hurry and call Old Master Wu back!"
"Everyone else, come quickly and help carry Boss back to the villa!"
The leading Night Watcher anxiously shouted to the others, his voice so loud that even the Black-Robed Man in the distant dense forest could hear it clearly.
The scene was somewhat chaotic, but just then, a spatial rift appeared, and Bai Xue emerged, her face anxious, before immediately stepping forward to check Yang Haoran's physical condition.
Seeing this, the Black-Robed Man in the dense forest couldn't help but overturn his previous conjecture. He had believed that all of this was a trap designed by Yang Haoran to lure him out from the shadows. But from the current situation, it seemed Yang Haoran was indeed injured, and quite seriously at that.
"Perhaps the rumors were exaggerated, but Yang Haoran's injury is a fact. He's in this state after killing only three small fry; it seems his injuries are indeed severe."
The Black-Robed Man thought this to himself, then continued to watch Yang Haoran from afar. Even after Yang Haoran was carried into the villa, he remained standing, not leaving his spot.
"Pharmacist. . . Heh, it seems you truly need a Pharmacist's treatment. Since you can't find one, I'll be benevolent and help you out."
A few days later, the Lecheng Underworld Division, after a period of fruitless searching for a Pharmacist, finally received a piece of information about one.
According to the intelligence, there was a rumored Pharmacist deep within the Xinyang Mountain Range in New Sun City territory. However, the Pharmacist's power level was unknown, and whether the rumor was true was also uncertain.
Upon learning this news, Bai Xue immediately took Yang Haoran to the Xinyang Mountain Range. After all, she possessed the ability to tear space, so traveling to the Xinyang Mountain Range wouldn't take much time.
Since the Lecheng Underworld Division still needed a master to hold down the fort and prevent others from exploiting their weakness, Old Master Wu stayed behind and did not accompany Bai Xue in escorting Yang Haoran to the Xinyang Mountain Range.
This trip to the Xinyang Mountain Range, besides Bai Xue, also included several Night Watchers of considerable strength. After all, they weren't sure if the rumor was true, and even if it was, the Pharmacist's exact location deep within the mountains still required manpower to find. Bai Xue alone certainly wouldn't be enough. So, Old Master Wu dispatched several capable Night Watchers to accompany Bai Xue and escort Yang Haoran to the Xinyang Mountain Range.
After several days and nights of relentless searching, they indeed found the rumored Pharmacist deep within the Xinyang Mountain Range.
This Pharmacist initially refused to treat the gravely injured Yang Haoran. Not only that, but he also tried to drive Bai Xue and the others away from the Xinyang Mountain Range. Only after Bai Xue's threats and inducements did he finally agree to treat Yang Haoran, but his asking price was steep.
As Yang Haoran was an Underworld Official, he demanded Soul Pills as payment for the treatment. This wouldn't normally be an issue; any payment method was acceptable as long as he was willing to treat Yang Haoran. However, his asking price was exorbitant—five Soul Pills for Yang Haoran's treatment.
Although five Soul Pills were immensely valuable, they paled in comparison to Yang Haoran's life. Yang Haoran was unconscious and naturally couldn't make the decision, so Bai Xue, on his behalf, agreed to the Pharmacist's terms. She was willing to pay five Soul Pills if the Pharmacist would treat Yang Haoran.
However, she had a prerequisite: she would only pay the five Soul Pills after Yang Haoran was completely cured.
The Pharmacist did not agree to Bai Xue's demand. According to him, regardless of whether he ultimately cured Yang Haoran, he must still be paid five Soul Pills as treatment fees. If Bai Xue disagreed, she should immediately take the unconscious Yang Haoran and leave the Xinyang Mountain Range.
Bai Xue had no choice but to eventually agree, and then she sent the unconscious Yang Haoran to the Pharmacist's residence.
However, no sooner had she sent Yang Haoran to the Pharmacist's residence than the Pharmacist tried to drive them away. According to the Pharmacist, he preferred peace and quiet and disliked too many people. The injured person could stay with him, but there was no need for others to remain, as they wouldn't be of any help and would only cause him trouble.
Bai Xue flatly refused the Pharmacist's request. According to her, if they left, who would protect Yang Haoran? What if an accident occurred? Then, not only would Yang Haoran not be cured, but he would lose his life.
The Pharmacist was enraged, believing Bai Xue's words showed a lack of trust and were a great insult to his profession. If Bai Xue didn't comply with his demands, he would refuse to treat Yang Haoran.
The two sides began to argue, a heated dispute, when Bai Xue suddenly received a Communication Talisman.
A major incident had occurred at the Administrative Courtyard: Zhu Rong had been assassinated. If not for the Spirit Police who fought desperately to protect her, she would have lost her life, yet the assassin had not been caught and had successfully escaped.
This incident caused a sensation in Lecheng. Upon learning the news, Bai Xue was both shocked and furious.
As the captain of the Spirit Police, her duty was to protect the Administrative Chief, Zhu Rong, and she was largely responsible for such an event occurring. After much deliberation, she decided to leave the Xinyang Mountain Range and return to the Administrative Courtyard to protect Zhu Rong.
Her decision was motivated, on one hand, by the Pharmacist's refusal to allow others to remain at his residence, and on the other, by Zhu Rong's need for her protection, as no one knew when the escaped assassin would return to strike at Zhu Rong again.
Although Bai Xue was forced to leave, the Night Watchers who had escorted Yang Haoran with her did not. Since the Pharmacist wouldn't allow them to remain, she had these Night Watchers hide in the shadows, ready to act immediately should any unexpected situation arise, and also to monitor the Pharmacist.
The Pharmacist also knew that the Night Watchers who had escorted Yang Haoran had not left, but he did not insist on driving them all away. Instead, he chose to turn a blind eye, his actions seemingly implying his tacit approval for these hidden Night Watchers to remain.
Everything seemed perfectly reasonable: Yang Haoran's injury, the trip to the Xinyang Mountain Range to find a Pharmacist, and the assassination attempt on Administrative Chief Zhu Rong. All of it appeared to be without any issues.
However, only those directly involved knew that none of it was as simple as what met the eye or the ear.
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