Chapter 169: Soul Dispersing Needle
Du Da's final words truly startled Yang Haoran. He genuinely hadn't expected that he had still underestimated Du Da's maliciousness. This old man, who appeared frail and leaned on a crutch, could act with such venom. "Vicious" couldn't describe even one percent of his depravity.
However, what shocked Yang Haoran the most internally was still Du Da's demand of him—
To lure Deng Feng into the Ghost Building and make the two sides fight. What did he want?
This was clearly a scheme to "reap the fisherman's profit."
Yang Haoran knew what "Ghost Building" Du Da was referring to. This Ghost Building was the very one where, before he joined the Night Watchers, he had to spend a night to pass the trial.
Lecheng had several notorious ominous places. And this Ghost Building was the most malevolent among them. Thus, many capable individuals, despite knowing spirits resided within, never dared to step foot there. It wasn't that they didn't want to subdue the spirits inside, but that they feared becoming one themselves.
What truly happened that night when Yang Haoran entered the Ghost Building, he had never mentioned to outsiders. And neither Master Jiang nor Deng Feng had ever inquired about it. But his experience in the Ghost Building that night was something he would likely never forget in this lifetime.
"I know the Ghost Building you're talking about," Yang Haoran began, a smile on his face. "The reason that Ghost Building has remained standing until now is because the entity within has always cooperated with our Lecheng Underworld Office. Under such circumstances, putting aside how difficult it would be to lure Deng Feng into the Ghost Building, even if I managed to somehow get Deng Feng inside, there's no way they would fight each other. Old man, you're not making such a demand just to joke with me, are you?"
Despite Yang Haoran's face radiating amiability, internally, he had already cursed Du Da's ancestors eighteenth-generation deep. In his eyes, Du Da's demand was nothing less than sending him to his death.
The smile on Yang Haoran's face became somewhat unnatural. He gave a wry smile and said, "Old man, aren't you making things difficult for me? If I truly possessed such ability, would I be oppressed by you to this extent? Why don't you suggest a different condition?"
Du Da gently shook his head and said, "Your value in my eyes extends only this far. This is your sole chance to save your life. If you seize this opportunity, at the very least you'll live for another month. If you don't, you won't even have a chance to reincarnate."
The smile on Yang Haoran's face stiffened. Du Da's threat was too crude, yet he could find no words to retort. He fell silent.
Du Da, however, continued to speak while looking at Yang Haoran: "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. To gain something, you must pay a price. If you want to preserve your life, then naturally you must risk it to accomplish certain tasks. Only such an equitable transaction is fair and trustworthy."
"Trustworthy? Trustworthy, my foot! If I actually believed your nonsense, I'd truly be a fool!"
Yang Haoran cursed inwardly. For a treacherous person like Du Da, Yang Haoran would absolutely not take his words seriously.
Setting aside whether he could meet Du Da's demand, even if he could, he couldn't guarantee that Du Da would let him go. The Evil Spirit behind Du Da had been greedily staring at him all night. After the task was done, he would most likely be fed to that Evil Spirit by Du Da.
Although he didn't believe Du Da's words in his heart, there was one reality he had to face: currently, he had no choice at all.
If he agreed, the worst outcome would be to die a month later.
If he didn't agree, he would lose his life immediately. There was no doubt about that.
Yang Haoran was naturally very clear in his heart which was lighter and which was heavier.
"No matter what, I need to stabilize this old geezer first. A month's time is enough for me to do many things. Perhaps I can even come up with other solutions."
Even if he could think of many more solutions in a minute, they would definitely not be as reliable as a plan pondered over a month.
Yang Haoran had already made up his mind on how to make the choice.
"Alright, I'll do my utmost to accomplish this. Whether it succeeds or not will depend on fate. Old man, if you have any other contingencies you wish to leave on me, go ahead. I have no objections whatsoever. " Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Since he had already made his decision, Yang Haoran naturally wouldn't hesitate further. As for why he reminded Du Da to leave a contingency, it wasn't because Yang Haoran was being masochistic, but rather he said it deliberately. His main goal was merely to appear indifferent, thereby giving the other party the illusion that it didn't matter whether a contingency was left or not.
Unfortunately, Old Man Du Da didn't fall for his act at all.
"You don't need to deliberately put on an indifferent act. I knew you would agree to my terms. Therefore, I've already prepared a gift for you."
As his words fell, Old Man Du Da pretended not to notice Yang Haoran's awkward smile. He opened his mouth and sprayed, and a black needle shot out from within, hovering in front of him.
The needle was entirely black. Its thickness was similar to a regular shoemaker's needle, but much longer, about the length of an adult's middle finger. While emitting a strong aura of Yin Qi, it also exuded a foul stench.
The Yin Qi was one thing—Yang Haoran dealt with Yin Qi daily, so he naturally didn't mind it. But the overpowering stench that assailed his nostrils made him feel an uncontrollable wave of nausea.
Whether this foul odor came from the black needle itself or from Old Man Du Da's bad breath, Yang Haoran genuinely couldn't be sure.
However, Yang Haoran was somewhat surprised by one thing: how Old Man Du Da managed to fit such a long black needle into his mouth.
Just as Yang Haoran was still reeling in surprise, Old Man Du Da blew a breath towards the black needle. The black needle, hovering upright, seemed to receive some command, transforming into a streak of black light and shooting towards Yang Haoran's glabella.
Yang Haoran instinctively tried to dodge, but the black needle was simply too fast. Just as he reacted, the black needle had already pierced his glabella.
The Death God Seal at his glabella showed no reaction. The Talisman Master Power Seed also remained unresponsive. He felt no pain whatsoever. The black needle, like air, directly integrated into his glabella.
Yang Haoran's heart suddenly leaped. He quickly circulated his Spirit Power to sense the black needle's presence, but the black needle seemed to have vanished within his body, leaving no trace.
Suddenly encountering such a situation, Yang Haoran's smile became forced.
The fact that he could still manage a smile was already a testament to his composure. The technique Du Da had just used on him at this moment, anyone could guess with their toes that it was certainly no ordinary method, otherwise, how could it serve as a contingency?
But what if Yang Haoran knew?
What else could he do but accept it?
They say if you can't resist, then try to enjoy it. Although Yang Haoran couldn't resist the current situation, telling him to enjoy it. . . haha, that was another puzzle he wouldn't solve.
"Old man, you're truly straightforward. Now that you've left your contingency, can you tell me what exactly that black needle is? " Yang Haoran asked Old Man Du Da, forcing a somewhat awkward yet polite smile on his face.
"This needle is called the Soul Dispersing Needle. Once implanted in your body, I can activate it at any time. It will rapidly disperse your soul. Once your soul dissipates and your Pò soul remains within your body, then from now on, you will no longer be a Night Watcher, but a vegetable. Of course, if you're lucky enough for your Pò soul to completely merge with your body, you might even turn into a Corpse Ghoul."
The forced smile on Yang Haoran's face stiffened. He hadn't expected this Soul Dispersing Needle to be so potent. However, Old Man Du Da's subsequent words made the smile on his face vanish completely.
"This Soul Dispersing Needle was implanted by me within your body. Therefore, no one else can remove it, save for me. If you don't believe me, you can go ask Deng Feng; he should be able to give you a definitive answer."
"However, if you tell him about this, the difficulty of luring him into the Ghost Building will likely increase then. Whether or not to ask him, that's your decision."
Du Da's words were very simple in meaning: if you don't trust me, you can go ask your superior Deng Feng. But if Deng Feng cannot be lured into the Ghost Building because of it, then only one path awaits you: death.
So, you'd best quietly keep mum and cooperate with him, Du Da, to lure Deng Feng into the Ghost Building. Then, at least you'll have a slim chance of survival.
Although Du Da didn't explicitly state this, how could Yang Haoran not understand the underlying meaning of his words?
To put it nicely, Du Da was reminding him. To put it harshly, he was threatening him. Faced with such a threat, no matter how composed Yang Haoran was, it would be difficult for him to smile.
At this moment, Du Da, who had been sitting, struggled to stand up, leaning on his crutch. From his appearance, he genuinely looked like a frail old man incapable of tying a chicken. Yet, as Yang Haoran watched his act, he wished he could slap him across the face!
"Ah," Old Man Du Da sighed. He then quite theatrically pounded his own back and said, "Everything that needed to be said has been said. Everything that needed to be done, I've done. As for what you do, that's entirely up to you."
As his words fell, Old Man Du Da prepared to leave. But before departing, he seemed to recall something and spoke again: "Oh, right, I forgot to remind you. I've specially treated the Soul Dispersing Needle in your body. Even without my activation, its power will erupt on its own after one month. If you genuinely manage to lure Deng Feng into the Ghost Building and get him to fight the entity within, I will naturally appear then. However, you'd best pray that the ultimate victory belongs to me. Otherwise, if anything untoward happens to me, you'll still turn from a Night Watcher into a vegetable."
After saying all this, Old Man Du Da, accompanied by his Guardian Yin Spirit, vanished without a trace, just as he had arrived, leaving behind a gust of Yin wind. Only the green curtains were left violently swaying, and Yang Haoran, ruffled by the Yin wind.
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