Realm of the Night God

Chapter 29: Master Jiang

Leaving the hospital, the sky had already grown dark. Yang Haoran pondered for a moment, then hailed a taxi back to his grocery store.

Due to the incident with Decaying Corpse Granny, the grocery store hadn't operated for the day, resulting not only in no income but also an expenditure.

The reward he received from Jiang Zhenzhen, for breaking open the door, was all given to the middle-aged man. He hadn't informed Jiang Zhenzhen about this, so the money essentially came out of his own pocket.

Perhaps due to some fondness for Jiang Zhenzhen, or maybe because Jiang Zhenzhen evoked a sense of empathy in him, Yang Haoran felt too embarrassed to ask her for the money.

Girls, especially pretty ones, often held certain advantages. If it were a man in her place, Yang Haoran might not have demanded more money, but he would have definitely asked for the portion he had contributed.

Of course, if the girl had a difficult temperament, no matter how attractive she was, if she didn't suit his taste, Yang Haoran wouldn't engage in such unprofitable dealings, and he wouldn't even bother with such trivial matters.

Truth be told, in the matter of Jiang Zhenzhen, Yang Haoran bore an undeniable responsibility. Since he had taken on the job and accepted the payment, he had to ensure good after-sales service. If he didn't address any issues with the product's quality, who would come to buy things from him in the future?

Back at the grocery store, Yang Haoran immediately went to the Death God statue and devoutly made his offerings.

Having only retrieved the statue the day before and not having offered timely prayers, he felt somewhat ashamed. It was still a few hours before midnight, so he chose to offer incense at this time. He wasn't certain if he could make it back before midnight, so he had to offer his prayers in advance.

This action indeed broke the rules, but Yang Haoran believed that sincerity mattered most when offering prayers to deities. While punctuality was preferable, if it couldn't be achieved due to special circumstances, he had to settle for what was possible.

As he burnt incense and made his prayers, Yang Haoran explained his reasons, feeling somewhat like an employee asking his boss for leave.

After a moment, Yang Haoran took his yellow satchel and grabbed a bread roll and a bottle of drink from the shelves before rushing out of the grocery store.

In the taxi, Yang Haoran nibbled on the bread and sipped his drink, gulping them down quickly. Then, he took out his mobile phone and found a contact, sending a message to the person.

Moments later, his phone buzzed, and the ringtone played.

"I'm as free as the wind..."

The quirky tune amused the taxi driver, and Yang Haoran chuckled too, though his smile didn't seem entirely natural at the moment.

Indeed, his smile wasn't entirely genuine because he had something important on his mind, something that caused him considerable stress. Seeing the incoming call, he grew even more nervous.

Though he was nervous, he took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Little Yang, I'm free. Why are you in such a hurry to talk to me?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the line, sounding puzzled.

Upon hearing that the man was free, Yang Haoran's expression brightened, and he quickly replied, "It's hard to explain over the phone. I'll tell you when we meet."

"Alright, I'll wait for you," the middle-aged man responded before ending the call.

Hearing the beeping signal, Yang Haoran also hung up, feeling relieved. His biggest worry was hearing the words "not free." Fortunately, the man said he was available, which made him quite happy.

Seeing Yang Haoran's cheerful expression, the driver couldn't help but jest, "Brother, are you going to see your future father-in-law? You seem so happy."

"Driver big brother, you're joking. I'm single as can be, where would I find a father-in-law?" Yang Haoran replied with a smile.

"No girlfriend either? You're almost thirty, aren't you? At this age, you should find someone for yourself. If you keep delaying, it'll be troublesome to find someone later, unless you're very wealthy, otherwise..." The driver didn't finish his sentence, but Yang Haoran understood what he meant.

"It seems big brother here is experienced and knowledgeable. Every word is true!" Yang Haoran replied, flattering him.

People like to hear flattering words, and this driver was no exception. Upon hearing Yang Haoran's compliment, he laughed proudly, saying, "Of course, I'm nearly fifty this year and still single. In this aspect, experience is essential. Without it, it's difficult. Strength doesn't permit, haha!"

Yang Haoran's mouth twitched slightly, and he didn't dare to say more, hastily chuckling.

"Here we are, brother. What are you doing here so late at night? Are you also a follower of Death God?" the driver asked as Yang Haoran paid the fare.

Yang Haoran smiled in response, not denying the driver's assumption.

The taxi had stopped in front of the Death God Temple at South Lake. Yang Haoran got out and headed towards the temple through the cement path down the mountain.

Nowadays, Yang Haoran could truly be considered a follower of the Death God. Before last night, he was only half-hearted, but after witnessing the power of the Death God pendant, he truly believed in Death God and became one of its followers.

However, although he considered himself a follower of the Death God, he didn't exhibit the same fanaticism and obsession as those followers depicted in movies.

He believed in the Death God, but he did so with reason.

Under the cold moonlight, Yang Haoran stood in front of the Death God Temple. It wasn't yet nine o'clock, and occasionally, people would enter or leave the temple.

Those who visited the temple at this time were naturally not here for sightseeing; barring any accidents, they were all followers of the Death God. It was precisely because of this that the taxi driver earlier assumed Yang Haoran was a follower of the Death God.

If one wasn't a follower of the Death God, why come here so late at night?

Yang Haoran hurried to the Death God Temple for a reason. The youth with sharp features and cheekbones had deeply affected him. He wanted to become someone like that youth!

As long as he could have the abilities of that youth, he would be willing to become as sharp-featured as him!

He wanted to enter that circle, to make himself a truly capable person. But he couldn't find his way in; between him and the youth was an invisible barrier, separating them into two different worlds.

The youth with sharp features appeared in his world, but didn't take him along. Instead, he closed that invisible door. What Yang Haoran wanted now was to find a way to approach that door and open it himself!

It was so late, yet he didn't care about eating or resting. He hurried here because he wanted to find a breakthrough from the temple.

He didn't know when other temples closed at night, but this Death God Temple closed only after midnight, once the incense was burned. During the New Year, it would even remain open all night.

Yang Haoran rubbed his somewhat dry face, rubbing at the bruised areas. A sharp pain shot through him, stimulating him, reminding him, igniting a fire within him. Despite the pain, he didn't stop, continuing to rub vigorously.

After a moment, he felt all exhaustion vanish, feeling much more refreshed. However, the bruises on his face stood out glaringly in the moonlight.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Haoran entered the Death God Temple and took out his phone, dialing a number.

The number he dialed was the same as the one that had called him earlier.

"Master Jiang, I've arrived. I apologize for disturbing you so late. Mm, alright, I'll come over now. Thank you so much."

As Yang Haoran spoke on the phone, he identified a direction and hastened towards it.

About ten minutes later, Yang Haoran arrived at a small wooden house.

The wooden house was simple, with nothing but a wooden bed, an old Eight Immortals table, four rectangular stools, and some basic living supplies.

Yang Haoran sat on one of the wooden stools, with a cup of hot tea placed on the Eight Immortals table in front of him. Steam rose from the tea, but there wasn't much fragrance, indicating it wasn't high-quality tea.

As the saying goes, one should sit and stand properly. At this moment, Yang Haoran sat up straight, with his hands resting on his knees and his face adorned with his signature amiable smile. Sitting across from him was a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's attire was different from Yang Haoran's. He wore a black robe, seemingly made from ordinary materials. However, embroidered on the front of the black robe was a vivid depiction of the Death God, occupying most of its front.

The robe was accompanied by a large, deep hood. However, facing Yang Haoran, the man didn't pull the hood up, revealing everything openly.

Though the black robe seemed mysterious, it wasn't unusual attire in the Death God Temple. Those who served as temple priests here wore this black robe all day long. While this attire might seem novel at first sight, it ceased to be strange after seeing it frequently.

The person sitting across from Yang Haoran at the moment was one of the temple priests in the Death God Temple. The number Yang Haoran had just called belonged to this temple priest. He sought out this temple priest to see if he could obtain some useful information.

Actually, Yang Haoran and the person across from him didn't share deep feelings. They couldn't be called friends, but they were better than strangers.

Since returning to Lecheng, Yang Haoran had often visited the Death God Temple. Over time, he got to know this temple priest. The Death God pendant he lent to Jiang Zhenzhen, including the pendant he had just acquired, were both consecrated by this temple priest.

The Death God pendant had shown significant effects in facing the decaying corpse old lady, but whether this was due to the pendant's inherent power or the consecration, or perhaps both, Yang Haoran couldn't confirm at the moment.

However, the main purpose of his visit to Master Jiang today wasn't for this.