Chapter 995
Luo Yao, through his Ghost Eye, witnessed Xiujuan's tragic and short life. However, no sympathy appeared on his face; it remained as calm as before.
He did not speak. Instead, he gently waved a hand towards Xiujuan and her son, and a surge of power enveloped the kneeling pair, causing their bodies to stand up involuntarily.
Seeing that Luo Yao had not expressed an opinion and his expression remained unchanged, the mother and son attempted to kneel again. But this time, no matter how hard they tried, their knees would not bend, let alone allow them to kneel.
Ye Zhiqiu, who had been standing alone to the side, drinking and smoking, had originally intended to leave upon seeing that the newcomer was from the Underworld Office, unwilling to stay and watch Yang Haoran's hypocritical performance. However, seeing Luo Yao target Xiujuan the moment he arrived, he hesitated, ultimately abandoning the idea of immediately returning to sleep.
As he had sealed most of his power within his body, the power fluctuations emanating from him at that moment were not strong.
Although he did not speak or emit powerful energy fluctuations, Luo Yao did not ignore him. After making Xiujuan and her son stand up, Luo Yao's gaze settled on him.
However, Luo Yao merely gave him a glance before refocusing his attention on Yang Haoran, seemingly without much interest in him.
"Before coming here, I made some slight inquiries about you. I learned that you not only keep ghosts but also associate with demons. Initially, I found it hard to believe, but now it seems the rumors were not wrong. Your audacity has exceeded my expectations."
"Indeed, I do have a demon friend, but this demon friend of mine never harms people indiscriminately. Furthermore, she has made significant contributions to Lecheng, and is now the Spirit Police captain of the Lecheng Administrative Courtyard. She is deeply beloved by the common people and has an excellent reputation in Lecheng. Moreover, she is also a worshipper of our God. Since our faiths align, we were able to become friends."
Yang Haoran forced a smile onto his face and explained to Luo Yao. He did not deny Bai Xue's existence and even proactively informed him of their friendship, as it was no secret and impossible to conceal, thus there was no need to hide it.
"Your association with demons is not an issue. Our Underworld Office has no explicit regulation prohibiting interaction with demons. Furthermore, she is a believer in our God, so your friendship with her is entirely unproblematic."
After a slight pause, Luo Yao continued speaking.
"However, the fact that you keep ghosts is undeniable. As an Underworld Official of our Underworld Office, you knowingly break the law despite being aware that keeping ghosts is forbidden. Do you still have any regard for the laws of our Underworld Office?"
Luo Yao's voice became much deeper than before, and his expression gained a seriousness it had previously lacked.
Yang Haoran wanted to explain, but he had only just opened his mouth, not yet having uttered a single word, when Luo Yao waved his hand to stop him.
"You needn't explain, nor find excuses for yourself. Regardless of your reasons for keeping ghosts, you have violated the regulations of our Underworld Office and transgressed its laws. This is an undeniable fact. Since you have broken the laws of our Underworld Office, you should receive the appropriate punishment, and even being 'my man,' Luo Yao's, is no exception."
The moment Luo Yao's words fell, Xiujuan and Xiao Kang's expressions changed drastically. Xiujuan, anxious, quickly spoke up.
"Emissary, please calm your anger, this matter. . ."
Before Xiujuan could finish speaking, Luo Yao silenced her with a cold glance.
"Be quiet. When I'm speaking, I do not wish to be interrupted."
Luo Yao spoke slowly, his voice imbued with a distinct chill. Although his tone was less than pleasant, he was rather polite to Xiujuan. After all, Xiujuan was merely a ghost, while he, Luo Yao, was one of the nine great Guardians of the Jingling Continent Underworld Office. Their statuses were as different as heaven and earth. Not speaking ill of Xiujuan or threatening her truly counted as being quite courteous. Had it been a more irritable Guardian, they might have directly attacked Xiujuan without wasting time on a warning.
Xiujuan dared not speak again. It wasn't her own safety she worried about; she was concerned about causing Yang Haoran more trouble. In her estimation, if she continued to speak, she would surely enrage Luo Yao. Should Luo Yao lose his temper, her suffering would be secondary; what she truly didn't want was for Luo Yao to unleash his fury on Yang Haoran because of her.
If it truly came to that, she would not only have failed to help Yang Haoran but would have harmed him instead. Therefore, even with much she wished to say, she dared not open her mouth under the circumstances.
Yang Haoran, for his part, did want to speak, but Luo Yao had already made himself clear: he did not wish to be interrupted. From the current situation, Luo Yao evidently hadn't finished speaking, so Yang Haoran wasn't in a hurry. He decided to wait until Luo Yao had said his piece before speaking himself.
Although he wasn't anxious internally, he didn't let it show on his face. On the contrary, he stood obediently in place, looking like a good employee who had made a mistake, his face filled with shame, humbly accepting his boss's criticism.
Seeing that Xiujuan dared not speak again, Luo Yao returned his gaze to Yang Haoran and continued.
"Since you've made a mistake, you must receive the appropriate punishment. Do you have any objections?"
Luo Yao spoke indifferently. Yang Haoran shook his head with a wry smile, replying against his true feelings.
"This subordinate has no objections. When I decided to do this, I had already prepared myself mentally for it. Therefore, no matter what the punishment, this subordinate will not utter a single complaint."
Hearing this, Luo Yao showed no significant change in expression but gave Yang Haoran a slight nod. Whether this nod signified satisfaction with Yang Haoran's answer or an affirmation of Yang Haoran as a person was unknown.
"Before I came here, besides learning about your ghost-keeping, I also received some other information. Under your leadership, the Lecheng Underworld Office has developed quite well, and you have struck Spirit Mediums with considerable force. It is said that all Spirit Mediums in Lecheng have been wiped out, and no trace of them has appeared for a long time. This is a great accomplishment, and I am very pleased about it, and I affirm your capabilities."
Hearing this, Yang Haoran couldn't help but inwardly rejoice. Anyone hearing Luo Yao's words would know there was still a chance, and he, of course, understood this. Thus, joy blossomed in his heart, and he even felt that the strategy he had prepared in advance might not be needed this time.
After a slight pause, Luo Yao continued speaking.
"You have rendered meritorious service to our Underworld Office, and by rights, you should be rewarded. However, at the same time, you have committed an error. Therefore, your original rewards are hereby canceled. As for the mistake you made, there will be no need for punishment; consider it compensation for your merits."
Luo Yao spoke in a deep voice. Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran immediately, and deliberately, put on a surprised expression, hastily thanking Luo Yao.
"Many thanks, Emissary!"
Luo Yao waved his hand, indicating that Yang Haoran did not need to thank him.
"You don't need to thank me. If you must thank someone, thank this chaotic era. This matter of yours, neither great nor small, would have been somewhat difficult to handle in the past. But now, it's relatively much easier to deal with. At present, our Underworld Office is in need of personnel, especially our Jingling Continent Underworld Office, which lacks capable talents. You are my man, Luo Yao's, and naturally, I do not wish to lose a competent subordinate. If you had not performed meritorious service, then I would have to act according to the rules, punishing you as appropriate. But with your merits, it's different. Atone for your transgressions through your merits — that is also a rule of our Underworld Office, though only a temporary one for now."
Luo Yao spoke indifferently, his words devoid of strong emotion. Despite this, Yang Haoran once again expressed his gratitude to Luo Yao.
"In any case, this subordinate must thank the Emissary for this matter. This kindness will forever be etched in my heart."
This time, Luo Yao did not wave his hand but nodded slightly, as if accepting Yang Haoran's thanks.
"I came to find you this time not to cause you trouble, but because there is another important matter I need you to attend to."
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