Chapter 255: Clearing Impurities
Working with the Spirit Police was tantamount to gaining the official support of Lecheng. This would greatly facilitate future endeavors, especially in handling the aftermath of incidents. With official intervention, the Underworld Office would be spared a great deal of trouble.
As for the Spirit Police, in their mission to protect Lecheng, they faced more than just ghosts. Beyond spectral entities, they were tasked with handling all manner of special incidents. These incidents carried extremely high risks, often leading to potential loss of life with no guarantee of mission completion. However, with the assistance of the Underworld Office, the situation would undoubtedly change.
Both parties had their respective needs, and both demonstrated their sincerity, making this gathering quite successful.
Furthermore, the relationship between the ordinary Spirit Police and the Night Watchers grew considerably closer due to this meeting. Future cooperation between the two sides was inevitable, making it essential to foster good relations in advance.
It was precisely because this gathering yielded significant benefits that Yang Haoran decided to hold more such meetings in the future.
After leaving the hotel, Yang Haoran sent Xu Meijing several text messages. The two chatted for a while, inquiring about each other's recent circumstances.
Since becoming an Emissary of Death, Yang Haoran found himself with a newfound courage and confidence when facing Xu Meijing. These feelings, naturally, stemmed from his increased strength.
Of course, while his courage and confidence had indeed grown, he still didn't dare to speak carelessly. Every message he sent was meticulously considered, only dispatched after he was certain there were no issues.
When it came to romance, he wasn't as adept as Guan Hai, let alone an expert. However, there was one truth he understood: "impatient eaters can't enjoy hot tofu."
Yang Haoran was genuinely happy for Xu Meijing on this point. He decided that once his own issues were fully resolved, he would go to Ancheng to see her, and if the opportunity arose, he would then voice the feelings he held in his heart.
Over the next few days, Old Master Wu arranged for the entire second floor of Yang Haoran's shop to be renovated. A staircase was also built, leading directly to the ground floor shop, and Yang Haoran and Xiao Kang promptly moved in.
Although the newly renovated space still carried a lingering scent, this was nothing to Yang Haoran. With a casual wave of his hand and a bit of his power, he completely dispelled the odors.
Old Master Wu had originally intended to also renovate the third floor and connect it to Yang Haoran's second floor. However, Yang Haoran declined, as he and Xiao Kang simply didn't need such a large living space; the entire second floor was already more than enough.
After moving into his new home, Yang Haoran now had his own bedroom, his own study, a small gym, and a dedicated room for offerings and worship. There, the spirit tablets of his parents and a statue of the Death God were reverently placed.
Xiao Kang, too, had his own independent bedroom, study, toy room, and more.
Compared to Yang Haoran's previous "dog kennel" of a home, this was a world of difference. As for Xiao Kang, it went without saying; his former home hadn't even been as comfortable as Yang Haoran's old "dog kennel".
With the new living quarters, the space previously used for dwelling on the ground floor of the shop was no longer needed. Old Master Wu then renovated the first floor as well, giving the entire general store a fresh, clean, and impressive new look.
Yang Haoran didn't concern himself with any of these matters, entrusting everything to Old Master Wu.
Yang Haoran naturally had complete faith in Old Master Wu's efficiency, and the results indeed left him thoroughly satisfied.
In the days that followed, Yang Haoran focused his main efforts on clearing the impurities within his body. He worried that these impurities might hinder his future progress, and thus dared not allow them to accumulate for too long.
It took him half a year, but he finally succeeded in purging all the impurities from his body.
Had it not been for gaining more experience as he went along, he wouldn't have been able to eliminate all the impurities within half a year.
After successfully clearing all the impurities from his body, the stone weighing on Yang Haoran's heart finally lifted completely. And the Spirit Power within him once again became pure.
Having finally resolved a troublesome matter, Yang Haoran felt an immense lightness throughout his entire being. He finally had time to continue practicing talisman drawing.
Due to a series of unexpected events, he hadn't practiced drawing talismans in a long time. He had expected to be quite rusty when he picked up the brush again, but to his surprise, the results were better than he'd imagined.
However, this "good result" was merely relative, as he still hadn't successfully drawn a single true talisman.
Yang Haoran wasn't in a hurry. Previously, he had been eager to draw talismans, hoping they might be useful when facing Du Da and Deng Feng. However, now that both of them had undergone Soul Transformation, and he faced no other threats, his mindset was perfectly calm. Even when looking at a table full of ruined attempts, the smile on his face remained unchanged.
It was precisely this calm state of mind that allowed him to become increasingly familiar and experienced with talisman drawing.
Besides drawing talismans, Yang Haoran also set aside some time to study the Porcelain Bottle he had acquired from Deng Feng's home, and to cultivate several secret arts recorded in the black leather book that required Spirit Power to be wielded.
Cultivating the secret arts proved simple; he didn't spend much time before successfully mastering all of them. But as for the milky-white Porcelain Bottle, he still hadn't figured out what on earth it was.
Naturally, curiosity gnawed at him, but it was merely curiosity, not impatience. He wasn't even hurried about talisman drawing, so he certainly wouldn't be rushed about something like this. He possessed an immortal, unaging body; time was abundant. As long as no one managed to kill him, even if the bottle shattered and weathered away, he would still be alive. What was there to panic about?
Yang Haoran spent his days tinkering with his own affairs in the study, occasionally stepping out for a stroll, though such times were rare.
As for Xiao Kang, half a year had passed, and he had completely become the administrator of the small general store. Under his mother's guidance, he managed Yang Haoran's shop commendably, and the neighboring residents now all knew of the little rascal's existence.
It was also due to Xiao Kang's presence that the number of people cursing Yang Haoran as a "scumbag" behind his back increased. They found the idea of a four-year-old boy minding the shop all day to be utterly perverse. They didn't care if Yang Haoran had other reasons for doing so; they'd curse him behind his back first and ask questions later.
The reason they cursed him behind his back and not to his face was simple: they didn't dare.
It wasn't that they knew Yang Haoran's true identity, but rather that they frequently saw Old Master Wu visiting the general store to find Yang Haoran. It was Old Master Wu they feared.
Many of these neighbors didn't recognize Old Master Wu, but some did. So, whenever Old Master Wu visited the general store, the former group remained indifferent, while the latter was utterly shocked.
Subsequently, through word of mouth from those who recognized him, all the neighbors on the street learned Old Master Wu's identity.
In their eyes, a man of Old Master Wu's status and position shouldn't have any dealings with a poor nobody like Yang Haoran. But to their surprise, Old Master Wu not only had dealings with Yang Haoran but was also incredibly close to him, their relationship intimately excessive.
And Yang Haoran, who was originally just a penniless vagrant living in the shop, suddenly became wealthy within just a few months, acquiring luxury cars, houses, and renovating his shop.
How could he suddenly become so rich?
The neighbors naturally thought of Old Master Wu.
Those with more active imaginations even suspected that Yang Haoran was actually Old Master Wu's illegitimate son, which explained why Old Master Wu frequently visited, simply to see his son, Yang Haoran.
Others had even more bizarre ideas, believing that Old Master Wu had "special hobbies," and that Yang Haoran wasn't his illegitimate son at all, but rather his "little lover."
Whether he was an illegitimate son or a "little lover," one could not deny that Yang Haoran and Old Master Wu's relationship was far from ordinary. Thus, they naturally dared not gossip about Yang Haoran to his face. On the contrary, some people's attitudes towards Yang Haoran had markedly improved compared to before, some even bordering on sycophancy.
Yang Haoran was somewhat aware of these rumors, but he never took them to heart, nor did he bother to dispute them.
The peaceful days continued for a while, but soon, that tranquility was shattered.
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