Realm of the Night God

Chapter 62: A Clue

With no taxis in sight, Yang Haoran had to resort to walking back to the city. In the past, he dreaded walking alone at night, fearing encounters with terrifying entities. But now, he actually hoped to come across something eerie.

However, as he walked, he noticed several passing vehicles but didn't sense any presence of undead or similar entities.

Before becoming a Night Watcher, he had believed that the world harbored countless ghosts and monsters in its shadows. But now it seemed that they weren't as abundant as he had imagined.

Upon reaching the city, he still hadn't sensed the presence of a single soul. Disappointed, he decided to head back to the grocery store.

Arriving back at the store, it was still early, so he opened up for business and resumed reading the books Master Jiang had lent him.

Having gone through them once already, he remembered much of the content, which made the second reading much quicker.

The night passed without event, and the next morning, Yang Haoran received a call from Master Jiang.

Seeing Master Jiang's call, Yang Haoran was surprised because Master Jiang rarely called him unprompted. Whenever he did, it meant there was something important to discuss, not just idle chatter.

As expected, Master Jiang's call did indeed bring news, and it was significant!

Today was the last day of the month. For those who received their salary at the end of the month, today was the best day of the month, as it marked the culmination of their month-long efforts.

However, for those who didn't get paid at month's end, today was a tough day. As the end of the month approached, finances tightened, making leisure activities a luxury.

These were concerns for ordinary people. For Yang Haoran and his fellow Night Watchers, today was also a day of recompense, akin to receiving a salary.

Master Jiang had mentioned this to him before, but he had forgotten about it recently. If Master Jiang hadn't reminded him, he might have completely overlooked it.

"It's payday today, but..."

A wry smile appeared on Yang Haoran's face as he retrieved his soul gathering bead. Inside, there were only two soul threads.

With just two soul threads, he wasn't sure how much Soul Qi he could exchange them for, but he was certain it wouldn't be much.

As he took out the soul gathering bead, Gao Liang and Wang Qing inside seemed to react. Both of them appeared with fierce expressions, glaring at Yang Haoran as if they wished to devour him whole!

Though their angry voices couldn't escape the confines of the bead, Yang Haoran could guess what they were saying by their lip movements.

Seeing their reaction, Yang Haoran couldn't help but smile. He knew Wang Qing now understood that Gao Liang had been manipulated by him, which had terrified her. And Gao Liang, undoubtedly, realized Yang Haoran had deceived him; the promise of being with Wang Qing was merely a ploy.

With this understanding, neither Gao Liang nor Wang Qing had any goodwill towards Yang Haoran. Their furious reactions were expected.

"May you live a long and happy life together."

Yang Haoran offered his blessing with a smile before putting away the soul gathering bead. Although he knew they couldn't hear his words, his expression and lip movements would convey his message.

Yang Haoran hadn't intended to provoke them, but his words nearly caused their ethereal forms to burst with anger.

Nevertheless, Yang Haoran wasn't interested in their reactions. After putting away the soul gathering bead, he fell into deep thought.

According to Master Jiang, Divine Envoy Deng Feng could be excused from work at the end of the month if there were important matters. Since he received his salary himself, Divine Envoy wouldn't insist on his attendance.

Given the circumstances, Yang Haoran felt he could find a reason to take the day off. But would it be proper for him to do so right after joining the Night Watch?

Besides, he wanted to see the other Night Watchers in Lecheng and witness the Soul Qi infusion firsthand.

After weighing his options, he decided to go.

The payday wasn't at Divine Envoy Deng Feng's mansion but at the South Lake Death God Temple. It was scheduled to start at nine in the morning, and Yang Haoran realized it was already eight.

Since he had made up his mind, Yang Haoran wasted no time. He closed the grocery store and hailed a taxi to South Lake Death God Temple.

Normally, at this hour, one would see temple priests at the South Lake Death God Temple. But today, the temple was devoid of any priests; only believers bustled about.

To these believers, it was a regular occurrence for the temple master to convene all the temple priests for a meeting at this time every month. This tradition extended beyond their Death God Temple; all Death God Temples in Lecheng would have their priests gathered here. To the believers, this routine was nothing out of the ordinary.

After arriving at the Death God Temple, Yang Haoran called Master Jiang, and shortly after, Master Jiang appeared before him.

Under Master Jiang's guidance, Yang Haoran entered a secluded small house. He had spent some time at the Death God Temple doing odd jobs, so he was familiar with this small house.

However, it was unusual for anyone to enter this house, and its door had always remained tightly shut. So Yang Haoran had no idea what lay inside.

Today, however, the door was wide open. Upon entering, Yang Haoran found nothing remarkable about the simple decor and furnishings of the house, except for himself and Master Jiang.

"This is..." Yang Haoran couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Wasn't it supposed to be payday?

Weren't there other Night Watchers?

Why was it just him and Master Jiang?

Seeing Yang Haoran's confusion, Master Jiang smiled and said, "Don't worry."

With that, Master Jiang walked towards a wall. It looked ordinary, leaning against the rock wall.

However, if Master Jiang was approaching the wall at this moment, it definitely meant there was more than meets the eye.

Thinking of this, Yang Haoran suddenly remembered his ghost eye!

Wasn't the ghost eye capable of seeing things invisible to the naked eye?

With this thought in mind, Yang Haoran decided to try. Without hesitation, he murmured softly, "Ghost eye! Activate!"

As the ghost eye activated, the ordinary wall transformed. Faint Yin Qi emanated from it. Additionally, Master Jiang's body also emitted Yin Qi, although denser compared to that from the wall.

Turning around, Master Jiang smiled at Yang Haoran, who, in turn, saw the Death Mark Seal at Master Jiang's brow.

The tiny Death Mark Seal emitted a faint black smoke from Master Jiang's brow, mysterious and eerie. Normally invisible to the naked eye, it appeared clear as day under the ghost eye.

"Heh, you're quite clever," Master Jiang chuckled before gesturing towards the wall. "Come here."

Yang Haoran smiled, deactivating the ghost eye before approaching the seemingly ordinary wall.

"This is your first time here, so I'm guiding you. In the future, you won't need my assistance," Master Jiang said.

"Please guide me, Master Jiang," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.

"I wouldn't call it guidance. You just need to infuse a bit of Yin spirit power into this wall, and you'll understand," Master Jiang explained.

Yang Haoran nodded, not bothering with further questions. He channeled his Yin spirit power into his hand, causing it to emit visible black smoke.

Pressing his hand lightly against the wall, a strand of Yin spirit power entered it. The wall creaked, then split apart, revealing a passage leading into the rock wall.

"Only members of our Yin Division can open this passage normally. Those outside the Yin Division without Yin spirit power won't be able to open it by conventional means," Master Jiang explained.

Yang Haoran sensed there was more to Master Jiang's explanation. He asked, "Normal means require Yin spirit power. Are there abnormal means?"

"Yes, many powerful individuals possess various methods. Even without Yin spirit power, they can open this passage. However, there's nothing secretive inside. Strong individuals wouldn't bother coming here. The primary purpose of sealing this passage is to prevent inadvertent intrusion by ordinary people," Master Jiang clarified.

Yang Haoran nodded in understanding. Master Jiang continued, "We come here every month to submit souls to the divine envoy. From now on, you just need to come here at the end of each month and open the passage."

Yang Haoran nodded again.

"You go in first. As the temple master here, I must stay and welcome others," Master Jiang said.

Yang Haoran bowed to Master Jiang, expressing his gratitude, before stepping into the passage.

As he entered, the wall slowly closed behind him. After a few breaths, it returned to its original state, appearing normal to the naked eye.

Yang Haoran had expected the passage to be dark and damp, filled with an eerie atmosphere like in the movies, with cobblestone floors and torches lining the walls.

However, upon entering, he was pleasantly surprised. The reality was different from his imagination.

There were no torches or cobblestones. Instead, the floor and walls were tiled with shiny porcelain. Beautiful tiles adorned the walls and ceiling at regular intervals. Moreover, lamps hung from the ceiling, illuminating the passage brightly.

Additionally, various types of bonsai were placed at intervals along the passage. A new red carpet stretched from the entrance all the way down the passage.

Walking on the red carpet, Yang Haoran couldn't believe his eyes.