Chapter 168: Human Hearts are Treacherous (Patreon)

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Yang Haoran had long suspected that the old man before him, Duda, was the master of Du Xiao. The words spoken by Duda at this moment only confirmed his suspicions.

Du Xiao did indeed perish by his hands, and Duda was aware of this fact. It was impossible for Yang Haoran to be completely unsurprised by this revelation. However, any surprise he felt flashed briefly and did not linger. He wasn't affected by it.

Why should it be strange that Duda sought him out tonight, knowing that Du Xiao had died by his hand?

Moreover, as a man facing imminent death, Yang Haoran's thoughts were consumed with how to splatter Duda with blood before his demise. He had no room for astonishment. He was not naïve enough to believe that Duda would spare him.

"What are you talking about, old man? I don't quite understand this Du Xiao you speak of. It's not a joyous occasion for your disciple to have died, but what does it have to do with me?" Yang Haoran replied with a smile. He had no intention of admitting to anything. Until now, he hadn't figured out what was going on in Duda's mind, so there were things he couldn't confess, and he wouldn't.

Not admitting may not have any benefits, but once he did, the situation would likely worsen.

Duda showed no sign of anger at Yang Haoran's response. He remained indifferent, as if he hadn't heard Yang Haoran's words at all, or as if he didn't care about whatever response Yang Haoran gave.

"When Du Xiao's parents were killed, I took him in. I invested a lot of effort and sweat into him," Duda said.

"That's truly unfortunate," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.

But Duda shook his head. "No, not at all. Because his mission is complete."

Duda finally answered Yang Haoran's question directly, but this answer left Yang Haoran somewhat puzzled.

What did he mean by mission accomplished?

Yang Haoran didn't quite understand the meaning behind Duda's words, but then Duda's following words clarified Du Xiao's mission.

"From the moment I obtained Du Xiao, his fate and his mission were predetermined. Although he was my disciple, he was more of a pawn, a bait, a lure for me to deal with the Lecheng Underworld Envoy and Deng Feng."

"I started cultivating him from a young age, not his strength, but his character. I didn't want him to be cautious. What I hoped for was for him to become arrogant and unreasonable because such a person is easier for me to control. What gratifies me is that he didn't disappoint me. He achieved it."

"I knew his character too well. I knew he wanted to prove himself, to graduate, to have his own guardian yin spirit. So I gave him a chance. I casually found a reason to leave on purpose, and he didn't disappoint me. He secretly left the mountain to search for the guardian yin spirit he deemed suitable. From the moment he left the mountain, my lure, nurtured for over a decade, was released."

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran couldn't help but furrow his brow. From Duda's words, he discerned many meanings, all of which he hadn't considered before.

He had thought Du Xiao's character was a result of his master's indulgence, but he hadn't expected it was all intentional on Duda's part. He deliberately guided Du Xiao towards being arrogant and unreasonable just to shape his character!

And the main purpose of shaping such a character was apparently to better control Du Xiao, to control this so-called bait!

What's even more terrifying is that Duda, as Du Xiao's master, had been using his disciple as bait all along. Even a dog would develop feelings over a decade, let alone a person!

He had thought the deaths of the three Night Watch members during the day were retaliation from Du Xiao's master, revenge for his beloved disciple's death. But now it seemed that wasn't the case at all. Perhaps Duda was seeking revenge, but it had absolutely nothing to do with Du Xiao's death.

Of course, all of this depended on whether everything Duda said was true. If it was just a lie, that would be another matter.

However, from the current situation, Yang Haoran didn't believe Duda's words were false. In his view, Duda had no reason to deceive him in this matter.

Duda must deeply resent the Underworld Envoy, which is why he had been planning how to deal with Lecheng Underworld Envoy and Deng Feng over a decade ago!

"Many years ago, I learned a technique called Soul Eye. When this technique is applied, it doesn't affect the target's life or cultivation, nor can they sense it. However, once their soul condenses into a spirit after death, I can see everything their soul sees through Soul Eye, though I cannot hear anything, I can learn a lot."

At this point, Duda paused, then continued, "The moment my incompetent disciple died, I knew, but at that time, I couldn't learn some details, so I didn't dare to act rashly. However, as his soul awakened, I learned that he had been collected into the Soul Gathering Bead. Although the Soul Gathering Bead has a seal that prevents me from seeing the outside situation clearly, I was still satisfied at the time. As long as Du Xiao's soul was collected into the Soul Gathering Bead, it meant his soul had fallen into the hands of the Underworld Envoy, and my plan could proceed as normal."

"Due to the hostile relationship between our Spirit Masters and the Yin Division, often a Spirit Master's soul can fetch quite a reward. Therefore, the Underworld Envoy places great importance on the souls of Spirit Masters and desires to obtain more."

"When Du Xiao was released from the soul gathering bead, I saw Deng Feng through Soul Eye, and I saw you. At that time, I didn't feel anger, only satisfaction. I was pleased that my good disciple had successfully completed his mission because he had finally fallen into Deng Feng's hands."

"Deng Feng obtaining Du Xiao's soul means he will undoubtedly extract all valuable information from Du Xiao. And my disciple will definitely not keep his mouth shut; he will tell Deng Feng everything. He will betray me; that's for sure. But this is exactly what I want to see because it's also part of my plan."

"Du Xiao's mission was to successfully fall into Deng Feng's hands so that I could gain a better understanding of Deng Feng through Soul Eye. In this way, I can carry out a series of actions more effectively. Now that his mission is complete, I naturally have to proceed with my next plan."

"Today, I decided to take action because I felt the timing was right. Although I only killed three people during the day, that was just an appetizer. The real main course is tonight."

Even though Yang Haoran had mentally prepared himself for death and thus almost didn't care about anything else, he was focused solely on getting back at the old man Duda. Yet, upon hearing Duda's words at this moment, he couldn't help but shiver inwardly.

This old man Duda was too terrifying, not just because of his strength but also because of his cunning and ruthless heart!

With Duda saying so much now, Yang Haoran certainly didn't think it was a good thing. Duda could plan and manipulate so many things over a decade just to deal with the Lecheng Underworld Envoy, even using his own well-raised disciple as a pawn. Every word spoken by such a person needed to be handled with extreme caution!

Though filled with wariness towards this old man, Yang Haoran's smile didn't diminish from his face; he still looked very friendly and amiable.

"Old man, I'm curious why you're telling me so much?" Yang Haoran asked with a smile.

"I'm telling you all this because I want to convey one thing: I can do anything to achieve my goals, even sacrifice my own family. If you can help me achieve my goals, it won't be difficult for me to spare your life," Duda said.

"Me help you achieve your goals? Ha, are you joking with me? You can't even handle your own affairs. Do you think I can do it?" Yang Haoran countered with a smile.

Duda maintained his calm expression. In response to Yang Haoran's reply, he shook his head and calmly said, "Whether you can do it or not, I'm not sure. But among all the Night Watch members in Lecheng, you are the most likely to do so. That's also why you're still alive now. If it were any other Night Watch member, they would already be a cold corpse."

"Why am I the most likely one?" Yang Haoran asked with a smile.

"I've already learned from the deaths of the three Night Watch members. Currently, among the Lecheng Night Watch, Deng Feng values you the most. They all believed this. So besides you, I can't find a more suitable candidate."

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's smile grew even broader. The three Night Watch members who were killed must have thought he was Deng Feng's favorite because Deng Feng had left him alone at the end of last month. In their eyes, Deng Feng's decision to leave him alone meant he had performed outstandingly, so Deng Feng wanted to give him special treatment. But they had no idea that he had nearly been purged by Deng Feng that day!

Perhaps this was fate. The misunderstanding of the three people about Yang Haoran unexpectedly made Duda feel that Yang Haoran still had some value to exploit, so he didn't immediately kill Yang Haoran, allowing him to survive until now.

Although Yang Haoran had already resolved to die, at this moment, a glimmer of hope emerged in his heart. If there was still a chance to survive, he certainly didn't want to die. Even if this hope was only faint, he would strive with all his might to grasp it.

"What do you want me to do?" Yang Haoran asked with a smile, not showing his excitement on his face. He didn't even change his smile.

"I'll give you a month. If you can lure Deng Feng into the Ghost Tower and make them fight each other within that month, I'll spare your life. But if you can't, then I'll kill you. It's to avenge my incompetent disciple. After all, his life was too pitiful, and as his master, I should do something for him."

When Duda mentioned avenging Du Xiao, it sounded hypocritical and disgusting. However, when he said these words, he appeared extremely natural, almost as if he meant it.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Du Xiao's parents were actually killed by me. It was necessary for raising ghosts, and I had no choice."

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! BokuBoku]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 169: Soul Scattering Needle