Chapter 130: The Abuser and the Victim
Approaching Xu Meijing for this matter was certainly a good idea. The awkward truth, however, was that Yang Haoran didn't have her contact information.
Among all the Night Watchers in Lecheng, he had everyone's contact details except for Xu Meijing's. Without her contact information, if he wanted to consult her about the Sunken Yin Stone, his only option was to pay her a visit.
However, Yang Haoran quickly dismissed this idea. During the New Year, it was hard to say if anyone would even be home, and rushing over might very well be a wasted trip.
Besides, he didn't want to go anywhere during this time; he just wanted to stay quietly at home, as he would have to return to Lecheng in just a few days.
Of course, besides a personal visit, there was another method: asking other Night Watchers for Xu Meijing's contact information.
But Yang Haoran also dismissed this idea. The reason was simple: he and Xu Meijing didn't get along, a fact known to every Night Watcher in Lecheng. If he suddenly inquired about her contact details, especially during the New Year period, it might arouse her suspicion. Even if the possibility was slight, he wanted to reduce the risk to zero.
After much thought, he finally decided to ask Xu Meijing only after returning to Lecheng. Anyway, she had also said she wouldn't be staying at her grandmother's house for more than a few days.
For the sake of caution, he had to suppress his inner restlessness and push the matter back.
“Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot something very important. ”
The Soul-Gathering Bead, set in his ring, detached itself, quickly returning to its original appearance, and floated suspended before him.
Counting the time, Zhou Daoshi's soul should have awakened by now. Yang Haoran hated this Zhou Daoshi to his very bones; never in his life had he loathed anyone so intensely. This seemingly benevolent Zhou Daoshi was the only one.
At this thought, he didn't hesitate, directly extracting Zhou Daoshi's soul from the Soul-Gathering Bead.
No matter how capable Zhou Daoshi had been in life, or how deep his schemes, the spirit formed from his soul after death was ultimately just an ordinary spirit. To Yang Haoran, a Night Watcher, such an ordinary spirit posed no threat; indeed, even escaping his grasp was a mere pipe dream.
Zhou Daoshi had harbored resentment before his death, and a similar unwillingness in his heart. Furthermore, he originally possessed some abilities. If he had made preparations in advance during his lifetime, the spirit formed from his soul after death might indeed have been different; it was even possible he could have become an Evil Spirit.
However, his spirit body wasn't formed naturally; instead, Xu Meijing had forcibly extracted his soul from his corpse and then forcibly condensed it. A spirit formed under such circumstances, let alone its strength, was so weak it couldn't even compare to an ordinary spirit.
No sooner had Zhou Daoshi's soul been extracted than a white shadow darted towards the wall, seemingly attempting to use it as cover to escape the room.
Yang Haoran was well-prepared. Seeing this, he remained utterly unperturbed. Sitting in his chair, he didn't even shift his rear; he merely waved a hand towards Zhou Daoshi's spirit body.
With a wave of his hand, Spirit Power whistled forth, and a black chain rattled into existence, instantly appearing around Zhou Daoshi's form, firmly binding his lower half. Zhou Daoshi's upper half, meanwhile, had already merged into the wall.
One end of the black chain bound Zhou Daoshi's spirit body, while the other was clutched in Yang Haoran's hand.
With a forceful tug of his arm, Yang Haoran violently ripped out Zhou Daoshi's half-merged spirit body from the wall, pulling it before him.
Zhou Daoshi's expression faltered. Seeing Yang Haoran so close, he desperately squeezed out a faint smile.
This smile lacked the confidence he'd displayed inside the mountain cave; it held only thinly veiled panic.
“Haoran, I—”
The moment Zhou Daoshi opened his mouth, Yang Haoran slapped him across the face.
His palm cloaked in Spirit Power, the slap left Zhou Daoshi's spirit body noticeably dimmer.
Before Zhou Daoshi could even react, Yang Haoran landed several more smacking slaps. With each blow, Zhou Daoshi's spirit body grew a shade fainter.
For anyone, being slapped across the face was a humiliation. And more humiliating than being slapped was being continuously slapped without a chance to speak.
This was precisely what Yang Haoran was doing. After extracting Zhou Daoshi's soul from the Soul-Gathering Bead, he said nothing, but first greeted him with a flurry of slaps, leaving Zhou Daoshi utterly bewildered.
“Stop hitting me! Haoran, please stop! I beg you, I beg you! ”
Zhou Daoshi pleaded in terror, but Yang Haoran ignored him, one hand yanking the chain to prevent Zhou Daoshi's escape, the other still mercilessly lashing out with slaps.
It wasn't until Zhou Daoshi's spirit body had become exceedingly faint, appearing as though it could dissipate at any moment, that Yang Haoran finally ceased.
It wasn't that the fire in his heart had dwindled; his hatred for Zhou Daoshi wouldn't lessen because of a few slaps. He stopped because if he continued, Zhou Daoshi's soul would be utterly destroyed.
The future was still long, and Yang Haoran had no intention of letting Zhou Daoshi off so easily. He would properly 'educate' Zhou Daoshi, ensuring the man understood that mistakes came with a price, even if his teaching methods were somewhat violent.
“You don't need to feign pity in front of me. After being deceived by you once, do you truly believe I'd fall for it a second time? ” Yang Haoran asked, his gaze chilling, his voice frigid as he stared at Zhou Daoshi.
At that moment, Zhou Daoshi indeed looked pathetic. He ceaselessly begged for mercy, pleaded for reprieve, yet Yang Haoran continued to slap him. What's more, given his advanced age, it only made his plight seem even more pitiful.
Anyone unaware of the situation, witnessing this scene, would almost certainly deem Yang Haoran a monster, treating an elder's soul in such a manner—it was utterly inhumane.
This world has never lacked such people. They don't understand the full circumstances, relying solely on a superficial understanding of people or events, yet believing they grasp the entire story. They verbally assault those they've labeled as perpetrators, raising the banner of justice high, clinging to their perceived righteousness. But they never realize that their actions ultimately only protect the true abuser and harm the actual victim.
At present, Zhou Daoshi appeared every inch the victim, exuding pity and helplessness. Yang Haoran, on the other hand, wore a fierce and sinister expression, the spitting image of a villain.
But who could know that this Zhou Daoshi, who seemed to radiate pity and helplessness from every pore, was the culprit who had turned all of Yangjiawan into Corpse Puppets? He had transformed everyone, targeting elders, women, and children alike, sparing not a single soul. Was he truly pitiful?
Seeing his pleas for mercy had no effect, Zhou Daoshi did not become disheartened. He wasn't foolish enough to confront Yang Haoran head-on; he clearly understood his current predicament—one slip, and his soul would be utterly destroyed. Thus, he could only make himself appear even more pathetic, hoping to gain Yang Haoran's sympathy while also wishing for a miracle to occur, for some powerful expert to pass by, witness his misery, and rescue him from his dire straits.
“Haoran, listen to me, please, just listen! I have my reasons, I—”
Smack!</>
Before he could finish, Yang Haoran slapped him again, and Zhou Daoshi's voice abruptly ceased.
By now, Zhou Daoshi had become extremely weak; if Yang Haoran slapped him a few more times, his soul would be dispersed.
He dared not speak again. He was afraid that if he did, Yang Haoran would deliver yet another slap.
Although he knew Yang Haoran hated him to the bone and wouldn't let his soul be utterly destroyed so easily, surely intending to torment him with various methods, he dared not gamble. He couldn't afford to lose, for if he did, it would be true, eternal damnation.
Seeing Zhou Daoshi slumped on the ground like a dead dog, his spirit body rendered ethereal, only a faint white outline remained. If one didn't look closely, it would be easy to overlook this translucent form entirely.
Yang Haoran didn't strike again. Instead, with a flick of the chain in his hand, Zhou Daoshi's spirit body landed before the offering table.
He didn't release the chain binding Zhou Daoshi. Instead, he channeled Spirit Power, causing the single chain to branch into several, firmly pinning Zhou Daoshi's spirit body to the ground and forcibly making him kneel before the offering table.
“You can kneel there and rest for now. The future is long, and I'll enjoy playing with you slowly. ”
Zhou Daoshi's back was to Yang Haoran. Hearing these words from behind him, a cold glint erupted in his eyes, and his expression turned vicious.
This demeanor was a stark contrast to the pitiable and helpless act he had just put on for Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran couldn't see Zhou Daoshi's expression at that moment. Even if he could, he wouldn't have cared, because he already knew that Zhou Daoshi's display of pity in front of him was an act.
He said he was letting Zhou Daoshi rest, but how could Yang Haoran truly let him rest? Besides, who ever heard of resting while kneeling?
Yang Haoran ignored Zhou Daoshi kneeling before the offering table. He suddenly recalled that before leaving the mountain cave, he had specifically taken Zhou Daoshi's satchel. He hadn't opened this satchel since taking it from the cave. Now that he had nothing else to do, it was the perfect time to see what might be inside; perhaps he would discover something useful.
He didn't know what was in Zhou Daoshi's satchel, but back in the mountain cave, he had seen Zhou Daoshi take talismans from it. Having suffered at the hands of Zhou Daoshi's sealing talismans and witnessed the marvel of the Ground-Escaping Talisman, he instinctively believed there might be other magical talismans in Zhou Daoshi's satchel. That's why he took it with him before leaving.
However, after returning to Yangjiawan, he hadn't had the presence of mind to bother with the satchel, thus he couldn't confirm what it contained. Now was a good opportunity to check: keep what was useful, and destroy what wasn't.
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