Realm of the Night God

Chapter 31: Stubbornness

Master Jiang was a capable individual. Yang Haoran wasn't certain of this before, but after witnessing the brilliance of his Death God pendant, he became convinced that Master Jiang was indeed a master in his own right, fundamentally different from the charlatan he had known.

Now, as Master Jiang produced a transparent bead and Yang Haoran glimpsed the scenes within, his shock only solidified his belief in Master Jiang's skills!

Those thin black threads, resembling strands of hair, occasionally morphing into human forms or terrifying ghostly visages. Though Yang Haoran had only seen them once before, the impression was deeply etched into his mind.

He couldn't mistake this bead; it was the same one the young man with the pointed chin and monkey-like cheeks used to collect the treasures of the Decaying Corpse Granny. And now, here was Master Jiang, possessing a similar bead. Could this not be evidence enough?

It was highly likely that Master Jiang and that young man with the pointed chin were part of the same system!

In response to Master Jiang's inquiry, Yang Haoran calmed his excited emotions and then nodded heavily towards Master Jiang, saying, "Indeed, the bead that the young man had at the time is the same type as yours."

Yang Haoran didn't deny it, giving Master Jiang a definite answer. He had come tonight because of this matter; how could he possibly lie due to inner shock? Moreover, he had no reason to lie about this.

Master Jiang nodded, then asked, "You mentioned knowing that young man. But why do you seek him?"

After the initial shock, all that remained in Yang Haoran's mind was excitement and fervor. Originally, he had just come to try his luck; the miraculous nature of the Death God pendant made him think Master Jiang might know who the young man with the pointed chin was. Hence, he hurried over late at night.

What surprised him was that Master Jiang indeed knew the young man. His accidental discovery had led him to the right person, igniting even more excitement within him.

However, Yang Haoran, being in his thirties, had experienced his share of trials and tribulations. While he was initially excited, he quickly adjusted his emotions and sat back down on the chair.

"Master Jiang, I also wish to possess the same abilities as him. I wonder if he accepts disciples?" Yang Haoran smiled, not beating around the bush, and directly expressed his thoughts to Master Jiang.

Though he wanted to be more subtle, he feared that too much beating around the bush might backfire, so he decided to reveal his true thoughts directly, to see Master Jiang's reaction before proceeding further.

Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Master Jiang's expression first froze, then turned odd, as he asked, "You wish to be his disciple? You're not joking with me, are you?"

Naturally, Yang Haoran noticed the strange expression on Master Jiang's face. He was puzzled but still nodded heavily, saying, "How could I joke with you, Master? I'm serious."

At these words, Master Jiang shook his head, smiling faintly. "I don't know if he intends to take on disciples. But since you've encountered him and he showed no interest in you, even if he did consider taking on disciples, I doubt you'd be among them."

Master Jiang's words were equally straightforward, and Yang Haoran's smile became forced upon hearing them.

He knew Master Jiang wasn't wrong. He had thought about this before coming, but he wouldn't give up just because of a single sentence from Master Jiang. If he were to give up so easily, he wouldn't have hurried over in the dead of night.

With a somewhat strained smile, Yang Haoran continued speaking to Master Jiang, "Master, it's clear you know him well. Could I trouble you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Master Jiang directly interrupted him.

"I do know him, but he won't change his opinion of you because of me. Besides, over the years, I've never seen him take on any disciples. He's a big shot, a real big shot, someone we can only look up to. You wish to be his disciple, and I also wish, but it's up to him."

Hearing Master Jiang's definitive words, Yang Haoran felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. His fiery determination was dampened by half with Master Jiang's words. From Master Jiang's words, he gleaned something—regardless of ability or status, that young man with the pointed chin far surpassed Master Jiang!

Yang Haoran was a rather stubborn person. Once he set his mind on something, he would strive for it relentlessly, no matter how much time, effort, or even suffering it took, he wouldn't stop until he achieved his goal.

Though Master Jiang's words had indeed left him somewhat disappointed, he wasn't hopeless. However, he didn't bring up the matter of the young man again.

Master Jiang had made his stance clear. Persisting on this issue would only breed resentment.

If he had a deep friendship with Master Jiang, he might persist, forcing the other to think of a solution. But his relationship with Master Jiang hadn't reached that point. Persisting would not only fail to achieve his desired result, but might also leave a bad impression on Master Jiang, which wasn't worth the trouble.

Since he couldn't make headway with the young man, achieving his goal required approaching from another angle. What he desired was to obtain extraordinary power. As for finding a mentor, if he couldn't find the ideal one, settling for someone else was also an option. And now, Master Jiang had become his new breakthrough.

Master Jiang evidently possessed capabilities. As he had said, he was not comparable to the young man. But in Yang Haoran's eyes, he was also a true master. If he could become Master Jiang's disciple, though starting from a lower point, it was still better than having no starting point at all.

Moreover, starting from a lower point didn't necessarily mean there would be no achievements in the future. Conversely, starting from a high point didn't guarantee high achievements.

Thinking this, Yang Haoran felt a glimmer of hope again. He smiled at Master Jiang and said, "Master, I genuinely want to integrate into your circle and learn some skills. Do you have any..."

Yang Haoran intended to say, "Do you have any plans to take on disciples?" but before he could finish his sentence, Master Jiang interrupted him again.

"My abilities are limited, taking on disciples would only hinder them," Master Jiang refused firmly. Whether it was due to his limited abilities or reluctance to take Yang Haoran as a disciple, only he knew.

The glimmer of hope that had just emerged in Yang Haoran's heart was extinguished again by Master Jiang's words. It was impossible for him not to feel disappointed. At this moment, he felt not just disappointment but extreme disappointment. This outcome was definitely the worst for him.

At this stage, Yang Haoran naturally wouldn't continue the topic. He concealed his inner disappointment well and chatted with Master Jiang about other things. It must be said that Yang Haoran was good at conversation. The somewhat awkward atmosphere dissipated during their conversation, and by the end, they even felt a sense of regret that they hadn't met sooner. It wasn't until the midnight ceremony to worship the Death God began that they stopped chatting and left the small wooden house.

Although he had already worshipped the Death God at home once, Yang Haoran followed Master Jiang to worship again at the Death God Temple. After that, he left the temple.

The next day, just like yesterday, Yang Haoran got up early, went to the market, and bought many fruits. However, this time, he didn't buy fruits, but bought many daily necessities. Then, he took a taxi and hurried to the South Lake Death God Temple. When he walked out of the Death God Temple, it was already late at night.

The second day...

The fourth day...

For nine consecutive days, rain or shine, Yang Haoran repeated the same actions. The difference was that he bought different things in bulk from the market every day, and without exception, he personally delivered them to the South Lake Death God Temple.

Although he spent a lot of money, Yang Haoran was not stingy at all, and he was afraid of buying too little.

Today was the ninth night. Yang Haoran, as usual, prepared to leave the Death God Temple. He looked tired, obviously exhausted today. However, as he was about to leave the Death God Temple, he was stopped by a voice.

"Xiao Yang, don't rush to leave. Let's talk."

Yang Haoran turned around, and the one who spoke was none other than Master Jiang.

He had always thought that Master Jiang was just one of the temple attendants of the South Lake Death God Temple, but through these nine days of contact, he realized that Master Jiang was not only one of the temple attendants but also the owner of the South Lake Death God Temple.

Seeing Master Jiang suddenly calling him, Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged, but he was somewhat nervous, and there was also some expectation.

"Is it almost time for a result?"

Yang Haoran thought so in his heart and walked towards Master Jiang with a smile.

Everyone was intelligent. What Yang Haoran had been doing these past few days was not known to others, but Master Jiang couldn't possibly be unaware. At this moment, Master Jiang stopped him and wanted to talk to him. In Yang Haoran's view, the result was probably imminent.

He hadn't expected this day to come so quickly, but he was mentally prepared. If the result satisfied him, it would be great! But if not, he still had a back-up plan. Since he had already regarded Master Jiang as his ideal breakthrough, he wouldn't give up easily, even if he encountered setbacks. He was prepared for a protracted battle.