Realm of the Night God

Chapter 60: Nine Dragon Slope

Leaving the residential area where Jiang Zhenzhen resided, Yang Haoran's fate with Jiang Zhenzhen came to an end.

Initially, Yang Haoran had intended to pursue Jiang Zhenzhen, but as soon as he stepped out of the residential area, he dismissed the thought from his mind.

Though his interaction with Jiang Zhenzhen had been brief, she had left a genuinely positive impression on him. This led him to consider pursuing her, despite the few years' age gap between them, which he didn't see as an issue.

However, he ultimately decided to let go.

Yang Haoran wasn't one to easily give up, but the circumstances this time forced him to do so.

Jiang Zhenzhen chose to resign, to relocate, and didn't even leave him a phone call, not even a text message. This spoke volumes.

Either she harbored resentment towards Yang Haoran, simply because rumors caused by him had spread, leading to constant gossip and speculation she endured daily, hence her animosity.

Or perhaps the rumors had made things awkward for her, unsure how to face Yang Haoran or even herself. So, she chose to leave, to gradually forget by escaping, starting anew elsewhere.

In Yang Haoran's view, the absence of Jiang Zhenzhen's phone calls or messages might be due to these reasons.

As for Jiang Zhenzhen's phone being switched off, it likely meant she changed her number.

Regardless of the possibility, Yang Haoran could understand Jiang Zhenzhen's departure. After all, preserving one's dignity and peace of mind mattered. Even a man would find it unacceptable in such circumstances. If the rumors didn't affect him much, why would he relocate?

Choosing to give up was not solely due to one reason. Apart from the mentioned reasons, there were two more.

His fondness for Jiang Zhenzhen was merely wishful thinking on Yang Haoran's part. Whether Jiang Zhenzhen would reciprocate his feelings, let alone see him as more than a friend, remained uncertain.

Then there was another crucial reason, the most important one!

He was no longer an ordinary person but a Night Watch, carrying a heavy Yin Qi. Prolonged contact with him would taint others with Yin Qi. Despite his ability to dispel it, it could still harm others over time, even causing death, which he couldn't bear to witness.

In other words, if this issue remained unresolved, not just Jiang Zhenzhen but anyone who associated with him would suffer, be it Liu Zhenzhen or Ma Zhenzhen!

Walking with a furrowed brow, Yang Haoran sighed inwardly.

"If there's a chance to meet again, I should apologize to her."

With this thought in mind, Yang Haoran finally put a period to this matter in his heart.

Discarding the cigarette butt, he hailed a taxi without looking back and left directly.

In truth, Yang Haoran hadn't done anything wrong in this matter. Yet, it had reached this point, leaving him feeling helpless. It also made him think that perhaps he and Jiang Zhenzhen truly had no fate.

After leaving the residential area, Yang Haoran didn't immediately return to the grocery store. Instead, he bought some fruits and daily necessities and headed to South Lake Death God Temple.

He wasn't one to burn bridges, so he decided to visit Master Jiang at the Death God Temple and other temple attendants. Becoming a Night Watch was a huge favor from Master Jiang. He not only felt grateful but also deeply respected Master Jiang.

When he emerged from the Death God Temple, it was already noon. Yang Haoran didn't stay for lunch but chose to return to the grocery store.

The grocery store was one of his sources of income. Wanting to earn more New Genesis Coins, he wouldn't allow himself to idle without opening the store for business.

Back at the grocery store, he simultaneously conducted business and perused the books Master Jiang had lent him, deeply engrossed.

With his current abilities as a Night Watch, he could easily leave this rundown grocery store and seek more business opportunities, earning a substantial income.

However, he didn't do so. Having just become a Night Watch, his means were limited, his understanding lacking. Going out into the world brandishing a rusty kitchen knife, he could meet an uncertain fate.

He understood the principle of sharpening the axe before cutting the wood. Rushing into anything wasn't wise. With thorough preparation, victory could be assured.

For seven consecutive days, Yang Haoran visited the South Lake Death God Temple several times, shared a few drinks with Guanhai, and did nothing else but immerse himself in reading at the grocery store.

Master Jiang had lent him several books, which Yang Haoran had finished reading in these seven days. Although he couldn't memorize every detail, he had gained substantial knowledge and benefited greatly.

He didn't have any immediate plans to return these books to Master Jiang because he wanted to go through them a few more times from beginning to end. Ideally, he hoped to memorize all the content in the books.

Today marked the seventh day. Yang Haoran didn't continue to look after the shop as usual. Before the night fully set in, he closed the grocery store and hailed a taxi.

"Master, Nine Dragon Hill," Yang Haoran told the driver his destination after getting into the taxi.

Upon hearing the words "Nine Dragon Hill," the driver furrowed his brows, then said, "It's almost dark, heading to Nine Dragon Hill. You've got guts, young man. But I'm not as brave as you. I'll drop you off at the foot of Nine Dragon Hill. If you want to go up, you'll have to walk yourself."

Yang Haoran smiled and simply replied with an "Okay."

The driver's reaction was understandable. Nine Dragon Hill was a cemetery on the outskirts of the city. It was getting dark, so naturally, the driver wouldn't be pleased about going to a cemetery at this hour.

Understanding the driver's sentiment, Yang Haoran didn't insist that he be taken directly to his destination. Being dropped off at the foot of the hill was enough; he could walk up himself in no time.

Half an hour later, the driver hit the brakes, and the taxi stopped at the foot of Nine Dragon Hill.

By now, it was dark, and Nine Dragon Hill appeared particularly eerie in the night.

Perhaps it was the cold winter weather, or perhaps it was the heavy Yin Qi at Nine Dragon Hill, but the driver couldn't help shivering involuntarily.

"Hurry up, I don't want to stay here for even a second longer," the driver urged.

Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, indicating his understanding, then swiftly paid and got out of the car.

After taking the money, the driver muttered a curse under his breath and stepped on the gas, disappearing into the night.

Yang Haoran's reason for coming to Nine Dragon Hill at this late hour wasn't to experience the eerie atmosphere; rather, he had two things to attend to.

Firstly, since Nine Dragon Hill was a cemetery, it inevitably housed the undead. As a Night Watch, Yang Haoran had come here at night specifically for them. It was his duty to collect these undead.

Secondly, today marked the seventh day since Wang Qing's death, also known as the "head seven" in folk tradition. After seven days of gathering, Wang Qing's soul would coalesce into an undead tonight. Yang Haoran needed to collect her.

Whether Wang Qing was a local, Yang Haoran wasn't sure. But he learned that after Wang Qing's death, she was buried in the Nine Dragon Hill cemetery. For some unknown reason, her parents didn't bring her ashes back home for burial.

This suited Yang Haoran's intentions perfectly. If Wang Qing's parents had taken her ashes home for burial, it would have been difficult for him to collect her undead.

Naturally, no one would be visiting Nine Dragon Hill to pay respects at this late hour. However, even if someone did, it was unlikely anyone would inquire.

Walking up the hill, surrounded by the eerie atmosphere, Yang Haoran remained calm, showing no trace of fear on his face.

In the past, being asked to come to a cemetery at night would have been more unbearable than death itself for him. He would rather die than come to such a ghostly place.

But now things were different. He wasn't the charlatan he used to be; he had genuine skills. Consequently, his courage had grown as well.

Despite the eerie environment, Yang Haoran didn't sense the presence of any souls.

Since there were no souls present, he had even less reason to be afraid.

Upon reaching Nine Dragon Hill, Yang Haoran furrowed his brows in puzzlement.

In his view, since Nine Dragon Hill was a cemetery, it should be inhabited by the undead. But to his surprise, he didn't sense any souls in this cemetery.

"How could this be?"

Yang Haoran pondered for a moment, then thought of a possibility. Perhaps someone regularly came to clean up the undead in this cemetery, which explained why it was so clean.

Apart from this possibility, there could be other explanations, but Yang Haoran believed this to be the most plausible.

As for who cleaned up the undead here, Yang Haoran thought it might be other Night Watch members like himself. After all, dealing with the undead was their expertise.

The idea of collecting other undead dashed, Yang Haoran could only temporarily abandon the idea of making a profit here. He would inquire later if this cemetery was affiliated with the Death God Temple.

With the idea of collecting other undead put on hold, Yang Haoran now had to find Wang Qing's grave. Judging by the time, Wang Qing's undead should be forming soon. He had to locate her grave quickly and collect her undead to prevent any unforeseen complications.

Before long, Yang Haoran halted his steps and fixed his gaze on a tombstone ahead.

It was Wang Qing's tombstone, with her photo on it.

Looking at the tombstone before him, Yang Haoran's face broke into a smile. He took out a cigarette and lit it, waiting silently.

Before he could finish smoking the cigarette, Yang Haoran's brows furrowed. It seemed he sensed something.

"Ghost eye, activate!"