Realm of the Night God

The strength of a talisman depends on its type and grade. Whether it's a low-grade or high-grade talisman, the power varies accordingly. Even among black talismans, the power differs based on their types and grades.

Apart from this, the strength of a talisman is directly related to the skill of the talisman master. The stronger the talisman master, the more potent the talismans they craft.

Yang Haoran wasn't aware of the specific power and type of the ten black talismans Elder Zhang presented at this moment. However, given Elder Zhang's status and position, these ten black talismans should be formidable.

Serpent demon listened to Elder Zhang's words, her expression somewhat grim. She certainly didn't naively believe that Elder Zhang's gesture of giving talismans was solely to express gratitude to Yang Haoran.

In her view, Elder Zhang's actions were undoubtedly directed towards her.

Seeing the displeasure on the serpent demon's face, Old Wu beside her asked softly, "Don't you trust Boss?"

"I certainly trust Underworld Envoy big brother. I just dislike these talisman masters," the serpent demon responded in a low voice.

"If you trust Boss, then control your emotions and don't act recklessly," Master Wu reminded her quietly.

As they were getting closer to where Yang Haoran and the others were, the serpent demon refrained from saying anything further and just nodded in agreement with Master Wu, albeit with a furrowed brow.

Yang Haoran looked at the talisman bag in front of him, his expression unchanged, but he refrained from reaching out to touch it.

In truth, the ten black talismans in this talisman bag weren't specifically prepared by Elder Zhang for Yang Haoran. They were from his own collection. If it weren't for Yang Haoran mentioning saving Jiang Die and the other purposes of their current visit, he would never have taken out these ten black talismans.

However, Yang Haoran showed no intention of accepting this gift. He wasn't surprised by this, seemingly anticipating such a scenario, but he felt somewhat uncomfortable about it.

"What's wrong? Divine envoy Yang doesn't seem to like this gift? If you don't, Old Man can get you something else that you'd like," Elder Zhang said with a smile, concealing any displeasure he might have felt.

As Elder Zhang's words fell, Master Wu and the serpent demon had already arrived by Yang Haoran's side.

"There's no rush for this matter. Let's have some tea first," Yang Haoran said with a smile, then glanced at Master Wu and the serpent demon.

Understanding his cue, the two of them placed the prepared tea and utensils on the table. They were about to pour tea for the three of them, but Yang Haoran stopped them.

"No need for you to do this. Bai Xue, you stay. Old Wu, attend to your tasks," Yang Haoran said.

Having Master Wu and the serpent demon pour tea felt like a gesture of apology, especially for the serpent demon. Asking her to serve tea to Jiang Die would not only be refused by Jiang Die but would also be emotionally taxing for the serpent demon.

Yang Haoran wouldn't allow Master Wu to do such a thing, let alone the serpent demon. By leaving the serpent demon behind and sending Master Wu away, there were undoubtedly other intentions behind his actions, intentions that others might not understand, but he believed Master Wu would.

The tea set was on the table, the aroma wafting from the teapot, yet no one poured the tea. Yang Haoran, as the host, simply smiled at Elder Zhang.

Understanding Yang Haoran's intentions, Elder Zhang smiled coldly inwardly but remained expressionless.

"Yiming, why are you so clueless? In such a situation, don't you know what to do? Do I, your master, have to teach you?" Elder Zhang put away his smile and reprimanded Wang Yiming.

"I'm sorry, Master. I understand, I understand," Wang Yiming's expression changed, apologizing while bypassing the sofa, then hurriedly bent down to pour tea.

Yang Haoran observed this scene, his expression unchanged, but he couldn't help but sigh softly inwardly.

"Yiming, let me handle this," Yang Haoran said with a smile, then took the teapot from Wang Yiming, who looked troubled.

"This..." Wang Yiming was conflicted, glancing at Yang Haoran and then at his master, Elder Zhang, unsure of how to proceed.

"It's alright. As the host, this matter should be handled by me," Yang Haoran said with a smile.

Elder Zhang chuckled and said, "Since Divine Envoy Yang said so, Yiming, you can step back."

Wang Yiming smiled helplessly at Yang Haoran, hesitating to speak.

"It's okay, you can go," Yang Haoran replied with a smile, then slowly poured three cups of tea.

Serpent demon watched this scene with a furrowed brow, feeling quite uneasy.

Elder Zhang, on the other hand, watched Yang Haoran pouring tea with a smile, while Jiang Die remained expressionless, the coldness in her eyes persistent from the beginning until now.

Everyone present was astute. Though there was no physical altercation, the verbal sparring between the two sides had been ongoing. And in this round, it was clear that Yang Haoran had lost.

If Yang Haoran had disregarded Wang Yiming, he would have been on the winning side of this exchange. However, considering Wang Yiming's feelings, he had set up this situation himself and now had to deal with the consequences.

Pouring three cups of tea, Yang Haoran picked up one and handed it to Elder Zhang.

"Divine envoy Yang is indeed too polite," Elder Zhang accepted the tea cup with a delighted smile, knowing when to accept the olive branch.

"It's only natural. You're an elder and a guest. It's my duty to do so," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.

This remark pleased Elder Zhang even more, and his laughter increased slightly.

Yang Haoran paid no attention to Elder Zhang and lifted another cup of tea, offering it to Jiang Die. She glanced at him but didn't take the cup.

This scene infuriated the serpent demon behind Yang Haoran. She was about to erupt in anger, but Yang Haoran gestured to stop her.

Yang Haoran chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Jiang Die's attitude. He gently placed the tea cup in front of Jiang Die and then helped himself to a cup, taking a sip.

Setting down the tea cup, Yang Haoran looked at Elder Zhang, waiting for him to continue.

The pleasantries had been exchanged, and there had been verbal jousting between the two parties. In Yang Haoran's view, if everything went according to plan, Elder Zhang should be getting to the point now.

"Divine envoy Yang, please don't blame Xiao Die for her rudeness. She's just upset, which affected her attitude. There was no intention to disrespect you," Elder Zhang said with a smile, his words devoid of any apology, rather, he seemed to find Jiang Die's earlier behavior justified.

Yang Haoran maintained his friendly smile and replied, "It's alright. After years of isolation and lack of interaction with others, it's understandable if one forgets how to communicate or behave properly. I never discriminate against people with disabilities."

Elder Zhang's smile froze for a moment, while Jiang Die's expression turned furious. She immediately stood up from her seat and shouted angrily at Yang Haoran.

"Who are you scolding?"

Before her roar finished, a chain as thick as an arm struck Jiang Die's chest, sending her flying.

Everything happened too quickly. By the time everyone reacted, Jiang Die's body had already crashed onto the ground.

The people present all had their faces changed drastically. No one had expected Yang Haoran, who had been smiling kindly, to suddenly make a move.

Even serpent demon, who had been suppressing her anger, was stunned by Yang Haoran's sudden action. She had thought Yang Haoran might continue to engage in negotiations, but she couldn't have predicted what had just happened.

Elder Zhang, too, hadn't anticipated the situation would escalate like this. When Yang Haoran spoke earlier, he had expected Jiang Die to get angry, but he hadn't anticipated that Yang Haoran would suddenly attack. His thoughts were similar to those of serpent demon and even Wang Yiming, who remained silent during the whole ordeal.

However, Yang Haoran had played his cards differently than expected.

To Elder Zhang, Yang Haoran's action was a blatant provocation. The smile vanished from his face, and he stood up abruptly from his seat.

"Divine envoy Yang! What is the meaning of this?" Elder Zhang berated Yang Haoran loudly, while Wang Yiming hurriedly ran to Jiang Die's side, helping her up.

In the face of Elder Zhang's anger, Yang Haoran's smile didn't waver. He took another sip of tea and then looked at Elder Zhang, who was now filled with fury.

"Old Zhang, I'm a coward. Whenever someone yells at me, I get scared. When I'm scared, I instinctively defend myself. Did you see her yelling at me just now?"