Realm of the Night God

Chapter 18: Why Didnt You Catch Him?!

On the steep stairs, Yang Haoran wasn't alone. Apart from him, there were many others choosing to ascend this steep staircase. People of all ages, men and women alike, were among them.

Among these people, not all were followers of the God of Death. Some were climbing the stairs purely to exercise their bodies, while others were doing it just for fun or out of curiosity. And then there were the followers of the God of Death, walking with solemnity, step by step, towards the summit of the Death God Temple. With each step they took, they would bow respectfully, palms together.

Yang Haoran admired the actions of the followers, but what caught his eye the most was a young man.

The way this young man ascended the Death God Temple was rather unconventional. He didn't walk; instead, he hopped up the stairs like a frog, swiftly and with remarkable agility, even faster than many who walked.

Undoubtedly, this young man was the most eye-catching figure on this long staircase. He not only drew Yang Haoran's attention but also that of many others, especially some girls who were there just for fun. They looked at the young man, giggling and chatting amongst themselves, probably discussing something embarrassing. Some girls even held bottles of water, looking eager to offer it to the young man, with the simple intention of getting close to him, maybe even exchange contact information and develop a romantic relationship. If he would accept her water, well, that would be even better.

Yang Haoran also admired this young man. Jumping up such high stairs, one by one, was indeed challenging. He himself couldn't do it. He'd rather roll down from the top and die than jump up from the bottom.

Jumping up was difficult for Yang Haoran, but walking up was not much of a challenge for him. Though not as agile as Brother Frog, he kept himself in shape and could manage the ascent without much trouble.

Halfway up the stairs, Yang Haoran showed no signs of exhaustion. Coincidentally, Brother Frog was on the same step as him.

Brother Frog was sweating profusely, panting heavily. It was evident that he was already quite exhausted from jumping up from the first step.

Because Yang Haoran admired this guy, he stopped and gave him another look. This young man was dressed in sportswear, handsome in appearance, though not as charming as Guanhai, but still quite attractive.

As Yang Haoran looked at Brother Frog, Brother Frog also looked at him. Yang Haoran smiled kindly at Brother Frog, but the latter glanced at him disdainfully, then snorted arrogantly and continued hopping, leaving Yang Haoran somewhat puzzled.

Brother Frog jumped a few more steps before Yang Haoran snapped out of it. He realized he had been looked down upon by Brother Frog.

What to do in such a situation? Return the disdain, or in order to regain his dignity, choose to catch up with the other by jumping like a frog? Or perhaps resort to violence to teach that guy a lesson?

None of these seemed appropriate. They were all adults, and Yang Haoran, having lived to the age of thirty, was not someone to engage in childish fights. It would only make him a laughingstock.

Faced with such a situation, he decisively chose a "mature" way to handle it. Watching Brother Frog's body jumping upwards, he sighed softly, shook his head, and said in a tone of elder wisdom, "Ah, young people nowadays are so arrogant. As soon as they have a bit of skill, they think they're invincible. It's fine if nothing happens jumping like this, but once something happens... sigh, I just hope you don't fall to your death."

As he finished speaking, a sudden cry came from above, drawing Yang Haoran's attention. When he looked up towards the source of the sound, he saw Brother Frog, who had been hopping up to the temple, either due to exhaustion or carelessness, losing his balance and falling down.

Panic and screams erupted from Brother Frog's mouth as he plummeted downwards at an alarming speed, heading straight for Yang Haoran.

"Ah!!!"

There was a chorus of gasps and screams from the surrounding crowd, all clearly startled by Brother Frog's plight.

"Young man, catch him!"

An anxious voice came from behind, naturally addressing Yang Haoran.

Brother Frog's body was rolling straight towards Yang Haoran. Faced with this situation, instead of immediately preparing to catch Brother Frog, Yang Haoran turned around to look at the old man behind him, anxiously asking, "Old Gentleman, are you calling me?"

As he turned, he cleverly avoided the rolling Brother Frog. With a worried expression, he questioned the old man, but Brother Frog, already rolling down at a considerable speed, was heading towards the ground below.

The old man, momentarily taken aback by Yang Haoran's question, quickly shouted at him, "Quick, save him! He's about to die!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran quickly assessed the situation. Brother Frog's body was rolling faster and faster. At this rate, in just three more breaths, Brother Frog would crash heavily onto the hard ground at the bottom of the stairs!

What could be done in three breaths? Besides inhaling and exhaling, what else could be done?

Yang Haoran showed everyone that there was something else that could be done.

With an anxious expression, Yang Haoran cried out in alarm and quickly rushed down the stairs. It seemed he was preparing to intervene and help Brother Frog. However, before he could take more than a couple of steps, Brother Frog's body collided with the ground below.

Yang Haoran paused in his tracks, looking down at the motionless Brother Frog with a regretful expression, shaking his head and sighing.

The others around, shouting and fretting, were full of righteousness and urgency, but none of them took any real action. They watched, wide-eyed, as Brother Frog successfully returned to where he started.

"Oh dear, oh dear, how did this happen? This could have been fatal!" the old man who had yelled at Yang Haoran before muttered as he hurried down the stairs to see what had happened.

"Young man! You, you! If you had caught him just now, this tragedy wouldn't have occurred. You've practically killed this young lad with your inaction!" The old man, full of regret, loudly accused Yang Haoran as he passed by.

Yang Haoran's reaction to the old man's words became intense. He retorted loudly, "Sir, if you hadn't distracted me from behind, this young man wouldn't have fallen in the first place. Although I'm not very strong, I could have caught him. If we're blaming someone, it should be you!"

The old man's expression changed, and noticing the attention they were attracting, he angrily shouted at Yang Haoran, "Nonsense! With such high stairs, if you had reached out to catch him, both of you would have been in trouble!"

Leaving behind this nonsensical statement, the old man seemed unwilling to engage further with Yang Haoran. He swiftly descended the stairs, eager to witness the commotion.

Yang Haoran had no intention of following the crowd to watch the excitement. He watched the old man's departing figure, then glanced at Brother Frog surrounded by the crowd below. He couldn't help but smile wryly and lightly tapped his lips with his fingers, expressing a mixture of emotions.

"Engaging in dangerous activities should involve some protective measures. Young lad, oh young lad, you're still too young. It's not that I'm being harsh, but if we're pointing fingers, it's your fault, not mine. I didn't do anything."

Muttering to himself, Yang Haoran turned and continued towards the Death God Temple. Whether Brother Frog lived or died didn't concern him much. If he survived, it was fortunate for him. If he died, it was his own fault.

This was the Death God Temple, not a circus. If you dared to act recklessly in front of the god of death, no one could save you.

As Yang Haoran stepped onto the last step, the sound of sirens came from below, indicating that the ambulance was arriving late. He glanced down, shook his head, and entered the Death God Temple.

What caught the eye most in the Death God Temple was naturally the huge statue of the death god. Yang Haoran had been here before, but every time he saw this towering statue, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and reverence.

Regardless of size, the appearance of this Death God Statue was identical to the one on the pendant Yang Haoran had given to Jiang Zhenzhen. The same ferocious look, the same three eyes, three hands, and three feet.

The Death God Temple was quite famous in Lecheng, visited by many. However, Jiang Zhenzhen didn't seem to belong to this category, as she couldn't even recognize the Death God Statue, probably having never been here before.

In front of the Death God Statue was a large incense burner, not as large as the Death God Statue, but still as tall as an adult.

Many believers were burning incense and paying their respects devoutly in front of the incense burner. The giant burner was filled with burning incense, some already extinguished, while others were just lit. Yang Haoran joined the queue of worshippers.

Today, he didn't come to the Death God Temple just for sightseeing. After paying his respects, he left the Death God Statue and headed in a specific direction, walking briskly.

After about an hour, Yang Haoran appeared again in front of the Death God Temple. The yellow satchel around his waist looked bulging, concealing its contents.

With a smile on his face and a good mood, it seemed he had achieved his goal by coming to the Death God Temple today.

Leaving the Death God Temple, Yang Haoran didn't linger. He hurriedly returned home.

Once back home, as usual, he opened his door to do business, but instead of staying behind the counter, he immediately disappeared behind the green curtain, where he busied himself with something. Only when there were customers selling things outside would he emerge from behind the curtain to make the transactions. After collecting the money, he would swiftly return behind the curtain.

Half an hour later, the noise behind the green curtain ceased. At this moment, Yang Haoran, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked at his work of the past half hour with satisfaction on his face.