Chapter 18 Why Didn't You Catch Him!
Yang Haoran was not alone on the steep steps. Besides him, many others, men and women, young and old, had chosen to ascend this challenging path.
Among these people, not everyone was a follower of the Death God. Some climbed the steps purely for physical exercise, others simply for fun, wanting to test themselves. Then there were the devout followers of the Death God, who ascended step by step, with pious hearts, slowly making their way towards the Death God Temple at the summit. With each step they took, they would press their palms together in a respectful bow.
Yang Haoran rather admired the devotion of the followers. However, what truly captured his attention wasn't these worshippers, but a young man.
The young man's method of ascending to the Death God Temple was quite peculiar. He wasn't walking; instead, he was frog-hopping, leaping up the steps one by one. And his speed wasn't slow either; in fact, he was moving faster than many who were walking.
Undoubtedly, this young man was the most striking individual on these long steps. He not only drew Yang Haoran's gaze but also that of many others, especially some girls who had come to climb the steps for recreation. They frequently glanced at the young man, laughing and playfully scolding each other, no doubt exchanging embarrassing whispers. Some girls even held bottles of mineral water, looking ready to act, as if they wanted to offer the young man a drink. Their intention was simple: to get closer to him, ideally exchange contact information, and then develop a romantic relationship. If he actually drank their water, well, that would be even better, wouldn't it?
Yang Haoran was equally impressed by this young man. Leaping up such high steps, one by one, was indeed incredibly difficult. He, for one, absolutely couldn't do it. He'd rather roll down from the top and die than hop up from the bottom.
While hopping up was incredibly difficult for Yang Haoran, walking up posed little challenge. Though he wasn't as fierce as Frog Bro, he did exercise regularly, so walking up wasn't a problem.
Halfway up the steps, Yang Haoran's face wasn't flushed, his heart wasn't pounding, and his breathing was steady, showing that his physical condition was quite good. Coincidentally, Frog Bro was on the same step as him.
Frog Bro was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily. He had frog-hopped all the way from the first step to this point in one go, clearly quite exhausted.
As Yang Haoran looked at Frog Bro, Frog Bro also looked at him. Yang Haoran offered a friendly smile, but the latter glanced at him with a look of disdain, then snorted haughtily, and continued frog-hopping away, leaving Yang Haoran utterly bewildered.
Frog Bro had already hopped up several more steps before Yang Haoran snapped back to reality. It was then that he realized he had been looked down upon, disdained by this very Frog Bro.
What to do when something like this happens? Should he disdain him back? Or, to reclaim his dignity, should he choose to chase after him by frog-hopping? Or perhaps, simply meet violence with violence and go up there to give that brat a beating?
None of the above. They were all adults, and Yang Haoran was already thirty. How could he act like a child, always looking for a fight? That would only make him a laughingstock.
For such a situation, he decisively chose a very "mature" approach. Watching Frog Bro's body continuously hop upwards, he let out a soft sigh, shook his head, and then, in an old-fashioned tone, murmured, "Ah, young people are truly arrogant. A little bit of ability, and they look down on everyone. It's fine if nothing happens while jumping like that, but if something does. . . sigh, I just hope you don't fall to your death."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a startled cry suddenly came from above. This cry, without a doubt, drew Yang Haoran's attention. When he looked up towards the source of the sound, he saw none other than Frog Bro, who had been frog-hopping up to the temple. Whether it was due to exhaustion or carelessness, he lost his footing upon landing and tumbled down from above.
A panicked scream erupted from Frog Bro's mouth as his body hurtled downwards towards Yang Haoran at an incredibly fast speed.
"Ah!"
Gasps and cries of alarm echoed from all around, clearly from people terrified by Frog Bro's current predicament.
"Young man, quickly catch him!"
An anxious voice of an old man came from behind him. That "young man" was naturally directed at Yang Haoran.
Frog Bro's tumbling body plummeted directly towards Yang Haoran. Faced with this situation, Yang Haoran did not immediately brace himself to catch Frog Bro. Instead, he turned to look at the old man behind him, and with a look of feigned anxiety, asked, "Old sir, were you calling me?"
With that turn, he cleverly dodged the falling Frog Bro. As he anxiously questioned the old man, Frog Bro let out a string of desperate screams, already tumbling downwards at a considerable speed.
The old man was momentarily stunned by Yang Haoran's question. Snapping back, he quickly yelled at Yang Haoran, "Quick, save him! Save him! That young man is going to fall to his death!"
Yang Haoran glanced, and indeed, Frog Bro's tumbling body was accelerating rapidly. At this speed, in no more than three breaths' time, Frog Bro would violently slam into the hard ground at the very bottom of the steps!
What could be done in three breaths' time? What else could one do in such a situation besides inhaling and exhaling?
Yang Haoran showed everyone that some things could still be done.
Yang Haoran, feigning extreme anxiety, let out an "Ah! " of surprise, then quickly ran down the steps. From his posture, it seemed he was preparing to offer aid to Frog Bro. However, he had barely run two steps when Frog Bro's body crashed onto the ground below.
He paused, halting his steps. Looking at the motionless Frog Bro on the ground below, he wore a look of regret, shaking his head with a sigh.
The other people shouting and screaming were each more righteous, more anxious, and louder than the last, yet none took any actual action, simply watching as Frog Bro successfully returned to his starting point.
"Oh dear, oh dear, how could this happen? A life is lost! A life is lost! " the old man who had yelled at Yang Haoran before muttered, quickly walking down the steps, eager to go watch the commotion.
"Young man, oh you, you, you! If only you had caught him, this tragedy wouldn't have happened! This young fellow was killed by you this time! " The old man accused loudly, his face full of anguish, as he passed by Yang Haoran.
Upon hearing the old man's words, Yang Haoran's reaction immediately became vehement. He loudly rebuked the old man, "Elder, if it weren't for you calling out to me from behind and distracting me, this young fellow wouldn't have fallen! Although I'm not exceptionally strong, I could have caught him! Truth be told, this matter is your fault!"
The old man's expression changed. He glanced around, noticing that some people were already looking their way, and immediately roared at Yang Haoran, "What nonsense are you spouting? ! Such high steps! It's a good thing you didn't reach out to catch him, or both of you would have been in trouble!"
Leaving behind this nonsensical remark, the old man seemed unwilling to get further entangled with Yang Haoran. He nimbly walked down the steps to watch the commotion.
Yang Haoran, however, had no intention of going down to join the spectacle. Watching the old man's retreating back, and then glancing at Frog Bro surrounded by the crowd below, he looked utterly dumbfounded, lightly smacking his own lips, his expression a sight to behold.
"Dangerous activities should always have more protective measures. Oh, young one, you're still too young. It's not that I have a venomous tongue; if there's truly anyone to blame, it can only be yourself. I didn't do a thing."
Yang Haoran muttered to himself, then turned and continued walking up towards the Death God Temple. As for whether Frog Bro was alive or dead, he genuinely didn't care. If he wasn't dead, it meant he was incredibly lucky. If he was dead, he had brought it upon himself.
This was the Death God Temple, not a circus. If you courted death before the Death God, who could possibly save you?
As Yang Haoran ascended the last step, police sirens wailed from down the mountain. The ambulance arrived belatedly. He glanced down, shook his head, and stepped into the Death God Temple.
What was most striking within the Death God Temple? Naturally, it was the enormous statue of the Death God. It wasn't Yang Haoran's first time visiting the Death God Temple, but every time he saw this towering deity, he felt a tremendous sense of oppression, involuntarily giving rise to a feeling of awe and reverence.
Size aside, the appearance of this Death God statue was practically identical to the Death God on the pendant Yang Haoran had lent Jiang Zhenzhen. The same ferocious countenance, the same three eyes, three hands, and three feet.
This Death God Temple held a certain reputation in Lecheng, and many people had visited it. However, Jiang Zhenzhen clearly wasn't among them, as she couldn't even recognize the Death God statue, suggesting she had likely never been here before.
In front of the Death God statue stood a massive incense burner. Though not as colossal as the statue itself, it was still as tall as an adult.
Before the incense burner, many devout followers lit incense and worshipped, their faces filled with piety. The enormous censer was packed with burning incense sticks; some had already burned out, while others had just been lit. Yang Haoran, naturally, was no exception and joined their ranks.
His visit to the Death God Temple today wasn't for sightseeing. After offering incense and performing his devotions, he left the area in front of the Death God statue, fixed on a direction, and quickly walked away.
About an hour later, Yang Haoran reappeared in front of the Death God Temple. The yellow shoulder bag at his waist was bulging, filled with unknown contents.
A smile played on his lips, and he seemed to be in good spirits. It appeared his visit to the Death God Temple today had achieved its purpose.
Leaving the Death God Temple, Yang Haoran didn't linger. He rushed back home in a hurry.
Back home, he, as usual, first opened his doors for business. However, instead of tending the counter, he plunged behind the green curtain, making a clatter as he busied himself with unknown tasks. Only when a customer came to buy something would he emerge from behind the green curtain, sell the item, collect the money, and then rush back behind the curtain without delay.
Half an hour later, the noise behind the green curtain finally ceased. At that moment, Yang Haoran, a cigarette dangling from his lips, gazed at his half-hour's handiwork, a satisfied expression on his face.
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