Realm of the Night God

Chapter 103: Talisman

2 апреля

Under Master Zhou's gesture, Yang Haoran followed him out of the courtyard.

It was somewhat ironic; Yang Haoran hadn't spent much time in his Third Uncle's courtyard since he arrived, yet he had already come and gone twice during that time.

Master Zhou wasn't like Mother Yang; he didn't shout at Yang Haoran as soon as they left the courtyard, saying something like "Your second uncle is dead." Instead, he led Yang Haoran to a more secluded place, didn't speak immediately, but instead scrutinized Yang Haoran with a furrowed brow.

Yang Haoran was slightly surprised, wondering if Master Zhou had sensed his identity as a Night Watcher.

Though he had this suspicion, he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he looked puzzled and asked Master Zhou, "Master Zhou, why did you call me out?"

Master Zhou's expression was solemn as he waved his hand to interrupt Yang Haoran and then said, "No mistake. There is indeed Yin Qi entangled around you. Previously, from a distance, I only vaguely sensed the presence of Yin Qi around you. Now, being closer to you, the sensation of this Yin Qi is much stronger."

Hearing this, Yang Haoran forced a smile. His expression seemed somewhat curious yet also concerned as he asked, "What is this Yin Qi you're talking about, Master Zhou? I don't understand any of it."

Master Zhou didn't answer Yang Haoran's question. Instead, he continued to ask, "Have you experienced anything strange recently?"

"Strange?" Yang Haoran looked puzzled, pondered for a moment, and then tentatively asked, "Would recurring nightmares count?"

"Yes!" Master Zhou replied bluntly, his gaze fixed on Yang Haoran. He continued, "Since when have you been having these nightmares? Before the nightmares started, did you go to any special places? Or encounter any strange people or events?"

"I went to the cemetery once, and the nightmares started the night I came back. I haven't had a peaceful sleep for several days." Saying this, Yang Haoran looked at Master Zhou with some concern and asked, "Master Zhou, from what you're saying, have I encountered something..."

"Of course, you have... well, forget it. It's not as frightening as you think. Your yang energy is too low, and the cemetery has heavy Yin Qi, so you've been affected by the Yin Qi, causing you to have nightmares every night."

Seeing Master Zhou's expression, Yang Haoran initially wanted to give him a definite answer. But perhaps fearing it might frighten Yang Haoran, he abruptly changed his words halfway through.

Then, from his pocket, Master Zhou took out an object. After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly handed it to Yang Haoran, showing a reluctant expression.

Yang Haoran's gaze was also drawn to this object. It was a triangular talisman folded from yellow paper. Apart from the paper appearing somewhat special, there was nothing else remarkable about it.

"This is a talisman. Keep it with you, and it will prevent you from having nightmares in the future. However, this talisman is very important to me, so I can't give it to you. I can only lend it to you temporarily. Remember to return it to me when the Yin Qi around you dissipates."

With one hand, Master Zhou handed the talisman to Yang Haoran, while with the other, he took a deep drag of his cigarette, appearing as though he was lending out a piece of his heart.

Looking at the talisman Master Zhou handed him, Yang Haoran couldn't help but feel guilty. He hadn't told the truth. Everything he said to Master Zhou just now was a lie. But Master Zhou not only believed it all but even took out his own talisman to lend to him for protection. This made him feel somewhat ashamed.

The experiences over the years had made Yang Haoran very cautious. Apart from his closest relatives and best friends, he trusted only seventy percent of what others said. He didn't harbor ill intentions toward others, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down. In this world, not harming others didn't mean others wouldn't harm you. For some lunatics, there was no need for a reason to harm someone.

So, to avoid being taken advantage of, he couldn't afford to be taken advantage of. He always maintained a strong guard against outsiders.

However, at this moment, facing Master Zhou, his mindset seemed to loosen somehow. He even began to wonder if his overly cautious approach to others was wrong. Should he try to trust others more?

"What are you standing there for? Take it and keep it safe," Master Zhou couldn't help but urge when he saw Yang Haoran just staring at the talisman in his hand, showing no intention of reaching out to take it.

Yang Haoran snapped out of his thoughts, looking embarrassed, and said, "I think I don't need it. This talisman looks valuable, Master Zhou. You should keep it for your own protection."

"Why be so polite with me? Both our names were given by my master, and we have this special relationship between us. You don't need to be so formal. Just take it. Besides, I'm only lending it to you. It's not a gift. You'll have to return it. So, you don't need to feel any psychological burden," Master Zhou said, and without waiting for Yang Haoran's response, he forcefully stuffed the talisman into Yang Haoran's pocket.

"There, it's done. Don't go losing it on me," Master Zhou said, lightly patting the pocket containing the talisman.

Yang Haoran smiled bitterly. Although he felt guilty, he didn't refuse Master Zhou's kindness again.

In his view, Master Zhou's strength shouldn't be strong because he had a heavy presence of Yin Qi. If he were a skilled practitioner, he would have sensed this strong Yin Qi from afar. However, Master Zhou needed to get close to him to clearly perceive the Yin Qi around him. Through this, Yang Haoran felt that Master Zhou's strength might be weaker than he had imagined.

And that talisman he received might be the fundamental thing he relied on for survival over the years. It could be the reason why he had never encountered any trouble in his line of work.

Of course, all of these were just personal speculations in Yang Haoran's mind. He couldn't be certain if it was true. However, he could feel Master Zhou's warmth and sincerity at the moment, so he felt too embarrassed to refuse his kindness.

"Well then, thank you, Master Zhou. Once I stop having nightmares, I'll return this talisman to you."

Yang Haoran smiled awkwardly and said to Master Zhou. He had already made a decision. After a few days, he would return the talisman to Master Zhou.

However, he couldn't do the job of returning the talisman himself because of the Yin spirit power in his body. The entangled Yin Qi wouldn't disappear. Once he got close to Master Zhou, the latter would still sense the Yin Qi around him. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and trouble, he decided that he would ask his mother to go instead and bring some gifts and money to express his gratitude to Master Zhou.

Master Zhou threw away his cigarette butt, nodded, and said, "As long as you stop having nightmares, it means the Yin Qi around you has dissipated. Avoid going to places with heavy Yin Qi recently. It's also good to soak up some sunlight. It will accelerate the dissipation of Yin Qi in your body."

"Alright, thank you very much, Master Zhou. By the way, what exactly happened to my second uncle? My mother said he was bitten by a poisonous snake, but in this season, where would a poisonous snake come from? Could they be mistaken?" After expressing his gratitude, Yang Haoran shifted the topic to his deceased second uncle.

He had always felt that there was something suspicious about his second uncle's death. He found his mother's explanation too far-fetched. With Master Zhou right in front of him now, he thought that asking Master Zhou might dispel his doubts because Master Zhou was the one conducting the funeral rites and should have examined his second uncle's body.

"What poisonous snake? That's just a random guess made by your second uncle's family members. They came up with what they considered the most reasonable explanation, spreading rumors. That's why everyone in Yangjia Bay believes that your second uncle was bitten by a poisonous snake."

"However, your second uncle did indeed die from being bitten by something and poisoned afterward. But I don't think it was a poisonous snake. It could have been some other venomous creature. There are many poisonous creatures in the mountains behind Yangjia Bay. Since you grew up here, you should know better than I do."

Yang Haoran nodded, agreeing with Master Zhou's words. Indeed, he was born and raised here, so he knew that there were many poisonous creatures in the mountains behind Yangjia Bay. Adults had to be extra careful when going up the mountain, to avoid being harmed by these creatures. As for children, they were usually not allowed to go up the mountain by their families.

However, he still had some doubts in his mind.

"I know there are many poisonous creatures in the mountains behind, but according to the elders, these creatures rarely appear in winter. Besides, our Yang family has been living here for generations, and we often have to deal with these venomous creatures due to various reasons, so we have gradually summed up some methods to repel toxins. Although I don't understand these methods, many elders in the family do, and my second uncle was one of them. He dared to go up the mountain alone to chop firewood, probably because of this. But unexpectedly, he still met his end. I wonder what kind of venomous creature he encountered."

Master Zhou shook his head, with a bitter smile on his face, and said, "As for which kind of venomous creature it was, I can't say for sure at the moment. So, regarding your second uncle being bitten by a poisonous snake, I neither agree nor disagree. But the mountains behind Yangjia Bay are vast. Who knows how many types of poisonous creatures there are? What if your second uncle encountered a species that could remain active even in the dead of winter?"

After thinking about it, Yang Haoran felt that what Master Zhou said was also possible.

"Don't think too much about it. Your second uncle is already dead. What we need to do now is to let him rest in peace and send him off on his final journey. Alright, I've been out for so long. It's time for me to go back and continue chanting scriptures for your second uncle's salvation. You kid, take it easy recently."

After saying that, Master Zhou walked back to the courtyard to continue his busy work, while Yang Haoran remained in place.

"Maybe I'm just being too sensitive and overthinking things."

With a self-deprecating smile, Yang Haoran lit a cigarette and then took out the talisman Master Zhou had lent him from his pocket.

He didn't sense any special power fluctuations from this talisman. But he didn't understand talismans in the first place. Not sensing any power fluctuations didn't mean that the talisman was useless.

He had wanted to dismantle the talisman and send a picture to Wang Yiming, a professional, to see if he could identify what kind of talisman it was and what its specific purpose was. Perhaps then, he could learn more about it.

But after a moment's thought, he felt that doing so might be disrespectful to Master Zhou. Regardless of what kind of talisman it was or whether it had any effect, it was still a kindness from Master Zhou. He couldn't measure the real value of this kindness. So, he put the talisman back into his pocket and didn't pay any more attention to it.