Chapter 988: Emerging from Seclusion
Aside from feeling helpless, Wang Yiming harbored a deep sense of guilt, especially towards Administrative Chief Zhu Rong, the remorse in his heart was profound.
"This matter was not something you could control, so you don't need to feel guilty. I believe the Administrative Chief will also understand you, after all, you were merely acting under orders."
Yang Haoran said with a smile, trying to persuade him. Although Wang Yiming nodded in agreement with Yang Haoran's words, the helplessness on his face did not disappear because of it.
Seeing this, Yang Haoran could only try to persuade him again. After some effort, the look of helplessness on Wang Yiming's face finally receded slightly.
Afterwards, the two chatted about other things. Although there was no wine or food, their friendship still grew considerably.
Yang Haoran's trip was not only to inquire about matters concerning the An City Talisman Order but also to visit his friend Wang Yiming and have a chat, as everyone was usually very busy.
Once his objective was achieved, Yang Haoran did not linger at Wang Yiming's place. Seeing that it was time, he bid farewell and left, with Wang Yiming personally seeing him out of the Talisman Ancestor Temple.
During this time, Jiang Die did not utter a single word, neither to Yang Haoran nor to Wang Yiming. It was only after Yang Haoran had left the Talisman Ancestor Temple that she turned her gaze to Wang Yiming, speaking with a serious expression.
Jiang Die had said similar things to Wang Yiming more than once, but Wang Yiming had never taken them to heart. It was the same before, and it was the same this time.
"Martial Aunt, although Brother Yang is a Death God believer, and his faith is different from ours, my interactions with him won't conflict with the doctrines of our Talisman Order. So, I don't think this will have much of an impact on me."
Jiang Die gently shook her head, not agreeing with Wang Yiming's assertion.
"Just because it doesn't conflict with our doctrines doesn't mean it won't affect you. If others want to frame you and use this matter against you, then you'll be in trouble."
This time, Wang Yiming did not immediately answer Jiang Die. After a slight pause for thought, he nodded.
"I understand what Martial Aunt means. But Martial Aunt can rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
Jiang Die knew that Wang Yiming hadn't truly taken her words to heart. If Wang Yiming really knew what he was doing, she wouldn't be speaking like this now. It was precisely because she was worried that she felt compelled to remind him.
However, since Wang Yiming had already spoken to this extent, she naturally couldn't say much more.
"As long as you know what you're doing. Just don't wait until you've suffered a loss to regret it; by then, it'll be too late."
Jiang Die was no longer the impulsive and restless young girl she once was. As she aged and experienced more, her mind had gradually matured and become more composed. Moreover, an outsider often sees more clearly. From her perspective, she could see the relationship between Wang Yiming and Yang Haoran with greater clarity—at least, so it seemed to her.
As Yang Haoran left the Talisman Ancestor Temple, inside the largest Death God Temple in New Sun City, Huo Laoban leaned back on a sofa, his expression grim. Three figures stood respectfully before him, their heads slightly bowed, their faces equally unpleasant.
Huo Laoban did not speak, and the other three naturally dared not either. The atmosphere in the room was exceptionally oppressive, making one feel as if they couldn't breathe.
After an unknown amount of time, Huo Laoban finally let out a soft sigh and slowly began to speak.
"This seclusion brought considerable gains, and I was originally very pleased. But I never imagined that grim tidings would await me upon my emergence. It was I who harmed her."
Hearing this, none of the other three spoke. Although Huo Laoban was not in a thunderous rage, they all knew that he was in a very bad mood at the moment, so it was best not to speak. Moreover, even if they did speak, they wouldn't know what to say.
As his voice fell, Huo Laoban directed his gaze towards the table in front of him. On the table lay a black bead, but it was not intact; it looked as if it had suffered a heavy blow, shattered into several irregular pieces.
Behind him was a high platform, and on the platform stood a shelf. Several identical beads were displayed on the shelf, only these beads on the shelf were perfectly intact, unlike the one on the table that had shattered into pieces.
"Although Xia Yu had only recently opened her Heaven Soul, Yang Haoran has also only been an Emissary of Death for a mere few years. Even if there's a difference in their strengths, the gap shouldn't be too significant. So why did Xia Yu die like this, and even suffer the fate of Soul Transformation?"
The shattered bead on the table was a special artifact used to determine whether its owner was alive or dead. Its owner was Xia Yu, as spoken by Huo Laoban, who was also the black-robed assassin sent to kill Yang Haoran.
This bead had a special connection to Xia Yu. Once Xia Yu died, the bead would immediately sense it and develop cracks corresponding to her death. In the current situation, with the bead shattered into several irregular pieces as if struck by a heavy blow, there was only one explanation: not only had Xia Yu's physical body died, but even her soul was utterly destroyed.
Previously, Huo Laoban had been in seclusion, so he was unaware of outside matters. Xia Yu's Life Bead was not in his possession but was placed right here.
Only he and his trusted subordinates could enter this place. The Life Beads displayed here were not just Xia Yu's; the Life Beads of his other trusted subordinates, including his own, were also kept in this very spot.
The reason these Life Beads were placed here was to easily ascertain if others were safe. Should anything happen to anyone, they would immediately know. If a Life Bead were kept on a person, then once something happened to that person, the other Life Beads would either fall into someone else's hands or disappear along with their independent spatial realm. Thus, only by placing the Life Beads in a safe location could they fulfill their intended purpose.
Some time ago, when Xia Yu's Life Bead shattered, Huo Laoban's other trusted subordinates knew something had happened to Xia Yu. At the time, some advocated for directly confronting Yang Haoran and avenging Xia Yu, but others argued against acting rashly, insisting on investigating the matter thoroughly first.
As the matter was of great importance and Huo Laoban was in seclusion, his trusted subordinates discussed it and decided to wait for Huo Laoban to emerge from seclusion to personally decide. In the meantime, they only needed to do their best to uncover the truth of the matter, to find out if Xia Yu had indeed died at Yang Haoran's hands.
After Huo Laoban emerged from seclusion, the three individuals immediately brought him to this place. Upon seeing Xia Yu's shattered Life Bead, Huo Laoban knew, without them having to say a word, that Xia Yu had suffered Soul Transformation.
As for why Xia Yu had suffered Soul Transformation, the first person Huo Laoban thought of was Yang Haoran.
The reason he thought of Yang Haoran first was because, before entering seclusion, he had given Xia Yu a mission: to secretly find an opportunity to eliminate Yang Haoran without anyone knowing. Now that Xia Yu was dead, it was only natural that he would immediately think of Yang Haoran.
Whether Yang Haoran was still alive, he didn't know yet. But one thing he knew very clearly was that Xia Yu was dead, and she had suffered the fate of Soul Transformation.
Seeing that the other three present remained silent, Huo Laoban knew why they were doing so. He did not vent his inner fury on them; instead, he took a deep breath, calming his anger as much as possible.
"Is Yang Haoran still alive?"
Huo Laoban asked. Although the mission to assassinate Yang Haoran had been given to Xia Yu, the other three present also knew about it. So even if they had no personal dealings with Yang Haoran, they all knew who he was.
Moreover, based on his understanding of the three, it was impossible for them not to have investigated the matter after Xia Yu's death. Therefore, they should be well aware of whether Yang Haoran was alive or dead.
"Replying to Lord Emissary, Yang Haoran is still alive."
The one who answered Huo Laoban was a young man. His answer did not surprise Huo Laoban, but it intensified the discomfort in Huo Laoban's heart by a few degrees.
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