Chapter 368: Ghost Gate (Part One)
Yang Haoran’s words made both the mother and son, who were deep in sorrow, freeze. The weeping in the study came to an abrupt halt.
“Uncle Yang, is what you just said true? You really won't take Mama away? ”
Xiao Kang’s face was streaked with snot and tears as he sobbed, asking Yang Haoran for confirmation.
Yang Haoran waved a hand, retrieving a box of tissues from the table. He pulled one out and gently wiped away the snot and tears from Xiao Kang’s face.
“Since Uncle Yang said it, then of course it’s true. Do you think I’d lie to you? ” Yang Haoran said with a smile.
“Uncle Yang, thank you! Thank you! ”
Xiao Kang cried as he hugged Yang Haoran, his mouth overflowing with endless thanks.
“Divine Envoy Yang’s immense kindness, Xiujuan will forever engrave in her heart. Should the Divine Envoy ever be in need, even if it means my Soul Transformation, Xiujuan will repay this grace. ”
Xiujuan wept with gratitude, about to kneel before Yang Haoran, but he held her back.
Xiujuan froze for a moment. Then, as if understanding his meaning, she quickly said, “Xiujuan understands. Xiujuan will immediately take Xiao Kang and leave. ”
“No, no, no, you misunderstood. The reason I told you the original agreement is void wasn’t to chase you away. This home wouldn’t feel right without you and Xiao Kang. ” Yang Haoran chuckled.
“Then what does the Divine Envoy mean? ” Xiujuan asked, her face full of bewilderment.
“My meaning is simple. Since you’re not going to the Underworld, then from now on, you must continue to fulfill your responsibility as a mother. As for me, I’ll just play a supporting role. How Xiao Kang is educated, that’s still up to you. ” Yang Haoran said with a smile.
“Divine Envoy, rest assured. I will certainly fulfill my responsibility as a mother and educate Xiao Kang to become a capable person. ” Xiujuan said gratefully.
Yang Haoran nodded, a smile gracing his lips. “I believe you can do it. And I believe you are a good mother. ”
At this point, Yang Haoran looked at Xiao Kang, then crouched down, asking with a gentle smile, “Xiao Kang, just now when Uncle Yang was preparing to take Mama away, didn’t you feel very pained, very helpless, and very powerless? ”
Xiao Kang didn’t know what Yang Haoran was getting at, but he still nodded lightly.
“Then do you know what the root cause was? ” Yang Haoran asked again.
Xiao Kang shook his head, indicating his ignorance.
“The root cause is that you are too weak. If you possessed absolute strength, who would dare forcibly take your Mama away? ”
“While Uncle Yang is still here, he will naturally ensure your safety. But what if one day Uncle Yang is suddenly gone? Who will protect you then? Do you think crying will solve the problem at that point? ”
“Furthermore, Uncle Yang isn’t omnipotent. He might one day die at the hands of others, or become someone else’s prisoner. At that point, Uncle Yang wouldn’t even be able to protect himself, so what ability would he have to protect you? ”
“Uncle Yang is saying all this, do you understand what it means? ” Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
“Not quite,” Xiao Kang replied to Yang Haoran, his face a mix of understanding and confusion.
“Uncle Yang’s meaning is very simple: you must become stronger. While Uncle Yang is still here, make yourself as strong as possible. Only when you are powerful can you protect yourself, and only then can you protect everything you wish to protect. Do you understand? ”
Xiao Kang wiped his moist eyes, a resolute expression appearing on his tender face as he nodded heavily at Yang Haoran.
“Uncle Yang, rest assured! Xiao Kang will definitely become even stronger! Xiao Kang will not only protect Mama well, Xiao Kang will also protect Uncle Yang! ”
Yang Haoran chuckled, saying, “Good, Uncle Yang will watch your progress. ”
Yang Haoran’s words to Xiao Kang were originally intended merely as a form of encouragement, to provide him with some motivation and a clear direction for his efforts. He had never imagined that Xiao Kang would one day truly reach a level where he could protect him.
But what he never could have anticipated was that these very words would utterly transform Xiao Kang’s life, not only profoundly influencing Xiao Kang but also having a significant impact on himself.
“Xiujuan, while Xiao Kang is studying, also let him learn other skills. Given the environment he lives in now, it’s probably not very realistic for him to wish to be an ordinary person in the future. ” Yang Haoran said to Xiujuan with a smile.
“Divine Envoy, you are right,” Xiujuan said. “Without strength, one can only be slaughtered at will, so I will certainly make sure Xiao Kang learns skills properly. ”
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, then left Xiao Kang’s study.
Watching Yang Haoran’s departing back, Xiujuan said to Xiao Kang, “Child, you must firmly engrave Uncle Yang’s immense kindness and virtue in your heart. You must never forget it for your entire life, understand? ”
“Mama, rest assured, I will never forget,” Xiao Kang said, nodding heavily once more.
After leaving Xiao Kang’s study, Yang Haoran walked directly towards Bai Xue’s room.
Just as he reached the entrance to Bai Xue’s room, the door opened on its own.
“I thought the Underworld Official was going to forcibly separate the mother and son,” Bai Xue said. “I didn’t expect you’d still be soft-hearted in the end. ”
Bai Xue’s voice drifted out from inside the room. Although she was refining spirit fruits in her own room, Xiao Kang’s crying had been quite loud just now, so how could she not have heard it?
Yang Haoran didn’t answer Bai Xue’s question, nor did he enter her room. Instead, he stood outside the door, a smile on his face.
“I’m going to be away for a while. ”
Upon hearing this, Bai Xue seemed to recall something terrifying, and the charming smile on her face instantly froze.
“You’re not thinking of locking me in the room again, are you? ” Bai Xue said, her face full of complaint.
“No, I’m here to ask a favor of you,” Yang Haoran said with a smile. “After I leave, please look after the house. If any trouble arises, immediately inform Old Master Wu. If Old Master Wu can’t handle it either, then contact Luo Dui; he’ll know what to do. ”
Bai Xue’s heart soared with joy. As long as Yang Haoran wasn’t locking her in her room, anything was fine.
“Where are you going? Why don’t you take me along to have some fun? ” Bai Xue asked, her face alight with expectation.
“I’m going to the Underworld for a trip,” Yang Haoran asked with a smile. “Are you truly determined to come with me? ”
The smile on Bai Xue’s face froze once more. Then, her charming grin turned awkward as she let out a forced chuckle towards Yang Haoran.
“Hehe, I suddenly feel that recovering from my injuries is more important,” she said. “So I won’t be accompanying you this time. Next time I have a chance, I’ll go with you. ”
Faced with Bai Xue’s awkwardness, Yang Haoran simply smiled and said, “Since you don’t want to go, I’ll leave the house in your and Old Master Wu’s care. ”
“Go on your way with peace of mind,” Bai Xue said with a laugh. “I’ll take good care of things here at home for you. If some short-sighted fool comes looking for trouble, I’ll just swallow him whole. ”
Bai Xue’s words left Yang Haoran with a mixed feeling of amusement and exasperation. He knew the snake demon was deliberately teasing him, but he didn’t mind.
“Many thanks. ”
Yang Haoran thanked her with a smile, then casually closed the door, returning to his study. There, he immediately called Old Master Wu and gave him a set of instructions.
In the study, Yang Haoran didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he lit a cigarette and carefully considered if there was anything he had overlooked.
When his cigarette was finished, Yang Haoran snuffed out the butt. After confirming nothing was overlooked, he gathered the souls he had prepared and tore through space, leaving the villa.
He didn’t head straight for the Underworld. Instead, he rushed to Ancheng, for he had contacted Xu Meijing that morning, and they had decided to go to the Underworld together that night. This way, if any unexpected situation arose, they could look out for each other.
By the time Yang Haoran arrived in Ancheng and met Xu Meijing, the sky had already completely darkened. The place they met was precisely the Death God Temple, where they had last seen each other.
“Are all the necessary preparations complete? ” Xu Meijing asked Yang Haoran inside the conference room.
Yang Haoran nodded and replied, “All the necessary preparations are complete. What about you? ”
“I’m also ready,” Xu Meijing replied. “We can leave at any time. ”
“Since that’s the case, let’s depart now,” Yang Haoran said. “Although there are still two days until the date specified by the Iron Book Edict, it wouldn’t hurt to go down earlier and take a look. ”
Xu Meijing did not object to Yang Haoran’s suggestion, as her thoughts were quite similar to his.
Seeing that Xu Meijing had no objection, a powerful surge of Yin Qi suddenly erupted from Yang Haoran’s body, enveloping his entire being in a thick layer of black energy. He then closed his eyes and rapidly formed hand seals.
A moment later, Yang Haoran’s eyes snapped open, his hand seals instantly ceasing as he let out a low roar:
“Ghost Gate, open! ”
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