Chapter 264: Going in Person
For something like this to happen in Lecheng was indeed no small matter, but in Old Master Wu's view, Yang Haoran personally taking the field for this matter was a bit excessive. After all, the Spirit Police had only dispatched Vice-Captain Zhou at most.
Yang Haoran was the head of the Lecheng Underworld Office. His personal involvement would carry an entirely different weight.
However, Yang Haoran responded to his surprise with an affirmative answer.
The reason Yang Haoran decided to personally go to the scene to see for himself was ultimately because he had hit a bottleneck in talisman drawing. Continuing in this state would yield no results and only make things worse, so he wanted to distract himself by doing other things first.
Old Master Wu had originally wanted to go with Yang Haoran to support the Spirit Police, but Yang Haoran stopped him.
Old Master Wu was needed to oversee the overall situation in the city. If both of them left, in the event of an unforeseen incident, the Lecheng Underworld Office would be left without management.
Yang Haoran would never naively believe that opening his Heaven Soul made him invincible. There was no telling how many powerful beings existed in this world. Eccentric individuals, strange masters, demons, ghosts, and monsters far stronger than him were everywhere. Therefore, acting cautiously and prudently was absolutely necessary.
After learning the exact location of the incident, Yang Haoran did not leave immediately. Instead, he first returned to the first floor to check on Xiao Kang.
The little fellow was still as usual, managing the general store for Yang Haoran, while simultaneously learning some preschool knowledge on the computer in front of the counter.
Although the female ghost had been in the Soul-Gathering Bead on Xiao Kang's chest, the ghost herself barely recognized any characters. Naturally, she couldn't teach Xiao Kang. That's why Yang Haoran found some preschool educational videos online for Xiao Kang to watch and learn from.
After sending the female ghost to the Underworld at the end of the year, Yang Haoran decided to send Xiao Kang to school to receive professional, systematic education.
The reason he hadn't sent Xiao Kang to kindergarten yet was simply that he wanted the mother and son to have as much time together as possible in the limited period they had.
Although Xiao Kang was not old, he managed the general store meticulously. For someone his age to achieve this, his ghost mother's guidance and help were naturally indispensable.
Sometimes Yang Haoran also felt his approach might be a bit cruel. After all, the child was still too young, and some tasks were not suitable for his age. But after careful consideration, Yang Haoran still decided to proceed this way. Letting him grow up earlier might not be all beneficial for his future, but it would certainly do more good than harm.
Yang Haoran's appearance brought a look of delight to Xiao Kang's face. He jumped down from the chair and threw himself into Yang Haoran's embrace.
"Uncle Yang!"
Yang Haoran smiled as he picked up Xiao Kang. He first ruffled the boy's head, then asked, "How's your studying coming along?"
"Mm, I learned a few more characters today! I can already write my own name now! I'll write it for Uncle Yang to see right now! " the little fellow said with a joyful expression.
Yang Haoran had originally intended to say a few words to Xiao Kang and then rush to the scene of the incident, not wanting to waste time on other things. But seeing Xiao Kang's joyful expression, he still nodded with a smile.
"Alright, write it for Uncle Yang to see."
Yang Haoran smiled as he put the little fellow down. The little fellow was full of excitement and quickly climbed onto the chair, picked up paper and pen, and began to write.
He wrote very slowly. But even so, each stroke was still wobbly. Yang Haoran watched the entire time with a smile, not saying a word to disturb him.
Finally, Xiao Kang wobbily wrote two characters on the paper: Yang Kang.
"Uncle Yang, look!"
Xiao Kang happily handed the written name to Yang Haoran. The latter took the small notebook Xiao Kang used specifically for writing, looked at the two characters very seriously, and then nodded with a smile.
"That's very well written, but there's still room for improvement. Uncle Yang hopes you can write even better in the future."
In truth, the two characters Xiao Kang wrote were so wobbly that they bore no relation to "well written" at all. However, both characters had quite a few strokes. For a child under five, being able to write both characters completely, in Yang Haoran's eyes, was already quite good.
Receiving Yang Haoran's affirmation, Xiao Kang was very happy. A cute smile blossomed on his face.
"Mommy said she hopes I'll be healthy and well my whole life, so she named me Kang. Now I'm not surnamed Song anymore; I'm surnamed Yang, like Uncle Yang. So I'm called Yang Kang."
Yang Haoran smiled again and patted his little head. He said, "Xiao Kang knows so much. Uncle has to go out for a while and might come back late. Do you still remember the potato braised duck Uncle Yang taught you yesterday? Since Uncle Yang isn't here today, why don't you try making it yourself? How about Uncle Yang tastes your cooking another day?"
Xiao Kang nodded his little head vigorously. Then he said, "I remember how to make it! I'll make this dish for lunch. When I've perfected my skill, I'll definitely make it for Uncle Yang to eat. Uncle Yang, don't worry about me. With Mommy accompanying me, I'll be fine."
"Good, Uncle Yang will look forward to tasting your cooking. " After saying this, Yang Haoran looked at the Soul-Gathering Bead hanging on Xiao Kang's chest. He continued, "Xiujuan, I'm entrusting Xiao Kang to your care."
This Xiujuan was the female ghost, meaning Xiao Kang's mother. After a period of getting along, Yang Haoran naturally learned the female ghost's name.
"Emissary, is there some danger on this trip of yours? How about you take me with you? Although my power is limited, I can still be of some help," the female ghost said with some worry.
Yang Haoran smiled and shook his head, saying, "Whether there's danger or not, I'm not yet sure. When ordinary people go out, they also don't know if they'll be hit by a car. You don't need to worry about me; just take good care of Xiao Kang. If you really leave with me, what about Xiao Kang?"
"This. . ."
The female ghost didn't know how to respond. Meanwhile, Yang Haoran extended his hand. Streaks of black smoke rose from his palm. As the black smoke dissipated, a pair of bells appeared in his hand.
He hung one bell in an inconspicuous corner by the general store's entrance, while the other bell he directly placed into his pocket.
This pair of bells was obtained when Deng Feng's home was raided. Not only did they possess considerable defensive power, but they could also provide warnings.
Yang Haoran hung one in the general store. If any formidable character intruded into the general store, then the bell would issue a warning, and the other bell in his pocket would also react.
Having completed all this, Yang Haoran then spoke, "I'm leaving now. I'll rush back as soon as the matter is handled."
"Emissary, be careful! " Xiujuan's voice came from within the Soul-Gathering Bead.
"Uncle Yang, be careful! " Xiao Kang also spoke up.
Yang Haoran smiled, then nodded. He then went up to the second floor. According to the address provided by Old Master Wu, he directly tore through space and stepped into the spatial rift.
As the spatial rift healed, Yang Haoran also vanished without a trace.
In the remote mountain village that Happy visited yesterday, in an inconspicuous spot, space inexplicably fluctuated. Then a rift opened in space, as if it had been forcibly torn apart. A young man with a face full of stubble, hands in his pockets, walked out of this spatial rift.
This person was none other than Yang Haoran.
Stepping out of the spatial rift, Yang Haoran looked around. What entered his sight were large mountains, a few dilapidated mud houses, and weeds taller than a person.
"According to the address Old Wu gave me, the incident site should be nearby."
Yang Haoran was not in a hurry. He lit a cigarette for himself, then walked towards a dilapidated mud house.
There were several mud houses in view, varying in distance. However, Yang Haoran deliberately did not choose the one closest to him, but rather one a little further away.
The reason he chose this mud house was because Yang Haoran sensed signs of life and a not-insignificant power fluctuation within it.
As for the other mud houses, he didn't sense any power fluctuations or the presence of people. That's why he walked towards the mud house he had chosen.
Although he was walking, Yang Haoran's body flickered a few times, and he arrived at the mud house.
At the entrance of this mud house, a woman was standing. The woman's hair, like tangled weeds, covered half her face, leaving only the other half visible. She was filthy from head to toe. Even before getting close, one could smell a foul odor emanating from her.
This woman was none other than the Madwoman whom Happy first encountered yesterday.
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