Chapter 1685: Chapter 974: "Ghost Foot" Zhou Ran
In the car on the way back, Yang Xiao sat in the passenger seat and took a black bank card from his pocket, with a six-digit password written on the back.
This card was given by Captain Zheng, and he had no choice but to take it; it was a token of appreciation from Captain Zheng.
He gently rubbed the card with his fingers, estimating that this "little" token of appreciation would be a huge sum for ordinary people.
At their level, simple money no longer had much practical value; what they needed were victories and top-grade magic artifacts, which couldn’t be bought with money.
However, this was also a way for Captain Zheng to express gratitude, and besides... who would dislike having more money?
After putting the bank card away, Yang Xiao took out his phone and sent the Human Skin Map to Tong Han; this was his biggest gain from this trip.
Including this one, Yang Xiao now had two maps in his hand.
The last one was with the Great Protector from the Withered Bone Pavilion. This person was a tough nut to crack, reportedly at a half-step Nether Realm level, comparable to Chief Wu and the Demon Sect’s Vajra.
With Yang Xiao’s current strength, confronting him directly was not an option; he could only rely on strategy.
Unfortunately, even the Funeral Guanyin, one of the Five Guardians, didn’t know the whereabouts of this Great Protector, causing the trail to break off. Yang Xiao had to plan long-term.
His lantern handle was still in the hands of the Master of the Bone Pavilion. Every time he thought of this, Yang Xiao was troubled and vowed to retrieve it.
Upon arriving in Qinglan City, it was already evening, and the sky had become unusually overcast. The branches along the road swayed violently as the wind picked up. The weather forecast predicted rain, heavy rain, later.
After safely escorting Ku Daoist and his group back to the research base, Yang Xiao left. Throughout the journey, Ku Daoist and the others behaved themselves, doing whatever was asked of them, enduring all hardships without complaint, which pleased Yang Xiao greatly.
Of course, before leaving, Yang Xiao did not forget to fulfill his promise by giving the three of them antidotes and advising them to rest well.
Originally, he had brought four antidotes with him, but since the Butterfly Lady had died, one was spared.
After resting at home for a night, the next morning, Yang Xiao went to the Provincial Office building. Acting as if everything was normal, he sat in his office, handling various work tasks.
He primarily oversaw discipline, and while there weren’t many major responsibilities, there were numerous trivial matters, many of which required his personal signature.
In the afternoon, Yang Xiao received a call from Hong Anguo, asking him to come to the office. Yang Xiao immediately set off, and upon opening the door, he realized that Hong Anguo was not alone in the office; Wu Qingcang was also there. The two were sitting by a tea table made from dead wood, drinking tea.
"Director Hong, Captain Witch." Yang Xiao nodded to each in turn, acknowledging them as a greeting.
"Captain Yang, come, have a seat." Hong Anguo waved, his face wearing a warm smile, without any trace of the Provincial Bureau Chief’s aloofness.
Yang Xiao walked over somewhat reservedly and sat opposite Wu Qingcang. Hong Anguo thoughtfully poured him a cup of tea and then laughed, "Congratulations to Captain Yang on a successful first mission. Truly, a lucky charm you are!"
"Not at all, not at all, it was all due to Director Hong’s strategic planning and Chief Wu’s capable command. I’m just an errand runner; how dare I... claim credit." Yang Xiao knew the ways of the bureaucracy well: subordinates didn’t have achievements; at best, they had hard work. The credit belonged to the leaders.
"How is it? Were the losses significant?" Hong Anguo asked as if making casual conversation.
"Not too bad. One died, and the others were injured, but not seriously. They should recover after some time," Yang Xiao replied honestly.
"Don’t worry too much about the losses. If you lack people, go to Captain Witch; our Captain Witch’s ability to hunt evil cultivators is well-known."
As he spoke, Hong Anguo reached out and patted Yang Xiao on the shoulder, suddenly changing to a serious tone, "Captain Yang, I’m only concerned about your safety. You’re one of us, the spiritual leader of this team; the others... they’re expendable. They were evil cultivator criminals originally."
Hong Anguo deliberately emphasized the words "evil cultivator," and Yang Xiao understood. This old guy was hinting to him that if he behaved, then Ming Emperor Ye Xiao was nothing more than a remnant of the Yu Yuan Sect with a mysterious identity. If he didn’t, then Ming Emperor Ye Xiao was himself, Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao had his own way of dealing with such people. He immediately stood up to express his loyalty, "Reporting to Director Hong, I, Yang Xiao, am willing to risk my head and spill my blood for the Jiangbei Provincial Office. Under your and Chief Wu’s wise leadership, I vow to lead this team well and contribute to our Jiangbei Provincial Office!"
Yang Xiao’s speech was also a reminder to Hong Anguo and Wu Qingcang not to fool him like a fool, spewing sweet words when they needed him, calling him Captain Yang, young and promising with a bright future, and then tossing him to the evil cultivators when they didn’t, slapping the hat of Ming Emperor Ye Xiao on him.
In the end, everyone was in on this and knew about it. Once the higher-ups started investigating, the three of them were in it together, like grasshoppers on a rope; no one could escape.
If they pushed too hard without giving him a way out, when pushed to the brink, he could always confess everything, disclose his identity, and take everyone down with him.
Yang Xiao had only joined the Patrol Defense Office for a few years, but Hong Anguo and Wu Qingcang had been operating there for half their lives. Trading one for two in this situation was no loss.
Hong Anguo obviously sensed the meaning in Yang Xiao’s words, but the smile on his face didn’t diminish in the least. He was a man of deep scheming, and, changing the topic, he directed the conversation to Wu Qingcang, "Captain Witch, why don’t you share the findings from your investigation with us?"
