Chapter 381: Another New Year
Yang Haoran intensified the activation of the secret art, and the suction force released by the Soul-Refining Cauldron consequently grew stronger, significantly accelerating the speed at which it absorbed Yin Qi.
However, this speed still didn't achieve the ideal effect Yang Haoran had envisioned.
His ideal effect was to push this secret art to its absolute limit, but with his current strength, he simply couldn't achieve that.
After a day, his Spirit Power was once again completely depleted. He had no choice but to halt the refining process of the Soul-Refining Cauldron, as he needed time to recover the Spirit Power he had consumed.
During the period of Spirit Power recovery, he deliberated carefully and decided to first use Soul Pills to enhance his strength. This way, his Spirit Power reserves would become more substantial, making it easier to activate the secret art for refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron.
Having made his decision, he only kept two Soul Pills. One he saved for his subordinate Night Watchers, and the other he kept for himself as a life-saving measure. As for the rest of the Soul Pills, he decided to absorb and refine them all to significantly boost his own power.
Thus, he paused the refining of the Soul-Refining Cauldron and first refined the Soul Pills to enhance his strength.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but aside from the two Soul Pills he had kept, all the other Soul Pills had been refined and absorbed by him, and his own strength had consequently soared dramatically.
After his strength increased, activating the secret art for refining the Soul-Refining Cauldron became much simpler for Yang Haoran. Not only could he push the Soul-Refining Cauldron to its limit, but he could also maintain a balance between consumption and recovery.
As in previous years, Lecheng was still bustling with people, and the scent of the New Year permeated everywhere. Shops were decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and every household had put up Spring Festival couplets.
Inside Yang Haoran's villa, Xiao Kang had also properly put up Spring Festival couplets, and the house was stocked with plenty of New Year's goods. However, Yang Haoran wasn't home, which left Xiao Kang feeling like something was missing, a hollowness in his heart.
"Grandpa Wu, is Uncle Yang really not coming back for New Year's this year? " In the living room, Xiao Kang looked at Old Master Wu and asked.
Although Xiao Kang had asked this question more than once, Old Master Wu had answered him seriously every time.
This time, of course, was no exception.
Old Master Wu patted Xiao Kang's head, then said, "Your Uncle Yang still has important matters to attend to and can't get away, so he won't be back for New Year's this year. But don't worry, Grandpa Wu will keep you company."
Hearing this, Xiao Kang, just like the previous times, showed a look of disappointment.
A while ago, he had celebrated his fifth birthday, and Yang Haoran had already left the villa by then. At that time, he had truly hoped Yang Haoran would appear, but he hadn't seen him.
He had expected Yang Haoran to return for the New Year, but even today, Yang Haoran still hadn't appeared.
Today was already the last day of the year. After today, it would be another new year.
"Xiao Kang, I know you miss your Uncle Yang very much, but your Uncle Yang isn't an ordinary person. He has many things he needs to handle. You might not understand these things right now, but I hope you can look at this issue correctly. " Xiujuan floated out from within the Soul-Gathering Bead and spoke earnestly to Xiao Kang.
Xiao Kang nodded, but the disappointment on his face showed no sign of diminishing.
Compared to children his age, Xiao Kang was already much more sensible, but he was still just a child. In a child's eyes, wanting to see someone they liked was a very normal phenomenon.
If it had been any other child, they might have already started crying and throwing a tantrum, but Xiao Kang merely showed some disappointment on his face, without even a hint of complaint.
"Heh heh, I really don't understand you humans. I don't know what's so great about celebrating the New Year; everyone treats it like it's the most important thing in the world. It's much better for us demons; we don't bother with such customs."
Bai Xue's alluring laughter rang out as she swayed her hips, walking towards the living room and speaking with a smile.
Old Master Wu looked at Bai Xue and responded with a smile, "You haven't been in the human world for long enough. Give it more time, and perhaps you won't feel this way anymore."
"Sister Bai Xue, New Year's is so much fun! You can buy lots of delicious food, and wear new clothes! Most importantly, you don't have to study; you can play to your heart's content!"
Xiao Kang, who had previously worn a look of disappointment, now had all traces of it vanish from his face as he spoke of the New Year's delights, appearing greatly excited. However, as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt something was amiss and looked up at Xiujuan, only to find her gazing at him with a serious expression.
"Xiao Kang, this is not the time for you to be overly playful. Your mother won't restrict you during the New Year period, but you can't just think about playing all the time. I believe you understand what your mother means."
Faced with Xiujuan's sternness, Xiao Kang stuck out his tongue, not daring to retort.
"Alright, Xiujuan, it's the New Year; let the child have a good time. Xiao Kang works quite hard normally," Old Master Wu said with a smile.
Since Old Master Wu had spoken, Xiujuan naturally couldn't say much more. Her expectations for Xiao Kang were simply too high, which was why she was so strict with him.
"How about this, why don't we all come to my house for New Year's Eve tonight? " Old Master Wu suggested.
Bai Xue shook her head, not agreeing to Old Master Wu's suggestion.
"In the human world, this is my home. I'm still used to staying in my own house."
After Bai Xue finished speaking, Xiujuan also chimed in, rejecting Old Master Wu's proposal.
"Like Miss Bai Xue, I also consider this my home. For New Year's, of course, I should stay at my own place. Furthermore, I am an Evil Spirit; it would be somewhat inconvenient to go to Old Wu's house. Besides, I carry extremely heavy Yin Qi, and if I were to appear at Old Wu's house, it would also affect the health of his family members."
Xiao Kang was just a child. In this situation, he would naturally listen to Xiujuan. If Xiujuan decided to go to Old Master Wu's house, he would certainly follow along to join the fun. If Xiujuan didn't want to go, he wouldn't fuss about it.
Seeing that both Bai Xue and Xiujuan were unwilling to go, Old Master Wu naturally couldn't force them.
The reason he made this suggestion was mainly to go home and see his family. It was New Year's, and he also wanted to reunite with his loved ones. But with Yang Haoran absent, only one demon, one ghost, and one child remained here. If he were to leave as well, the place would become too desolate.
If Bai Xue and Xiujuan were willing to spend the New Year at his house, he would not only be able to reunite with his family but also look after Bai Xue and Xiujuan, killing two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, Bai Xue and Xiujuan did not accept the suggestion.
"Since none of you want to go over, then we'll celebrate the New Year here tonight. However, I still need to go back home later; my family is waiting for me," Old Master Wu said with a smile.
"Old Wu, you don't actually need to worry about us. Since your family is waiting for you at home, you should go back and spend time with them. After all, you're different from us," Bai Xue advised.
"That's right, Old Wu," Xiujuan added, "There's no need for you to make such a special decision because of us. Miss Bai Xue and I aren't children; we don't need someone to be with us all the time."
Old Master Wu chuckled, saying, "You two may not be children, but Xiao Kang is a real child through and through. Besides, I just promised Xiao Kang; if I were to go back on my word now, wouldn't I be contradicting myself?"
As soon as he said this, Old Master Wu saw that Xiujuan still wanted to say something, so he spoke first, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I can handle this small matter. It's decided, and you don't need to persuade me any further."
That evening, all of Lecheng was brightly lit, and the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers were incessant. Even though Yang Haoran's villa was some distance from the county town, the sounds could still be heard clearly.
Under such an atmosphere, Bai Xue was also affected, allowing her to experience a festive New Year's spirit she had never known before. She was not a quiet person to begin with, and influenced by this, she became even more lively.
Coupled with Old Master Wu's intentional guidance, the atmosphere inside the villa was quite pleasant, with laughter occasionally ringing out.
However, the only regret in their hearts was that Yang Haoran did not return that night.
Not only did Yang Haoran not return that night, but even after the entire New Year's celebration had passed, he still didn't appear. It wasn't until the end of May, after nearly half a year of absence, that Yang Haoran finally showed up.
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