Chapter 39: Soul-Gathering Bead
"Besides these abilities, there's one more ability after activating the Death God Seal."
Just as Yang Haoran was still startled by how terrifying his Ghost Eye was, Jiang Dashi's voice brought him back to his senses.
He dispelled the Spirit Power from his eyes, and they instantly returned to normal, no longer frightening, with no black smoke emanating from them. He put down the mirror and looked at Jiang Dashi.
"We in the Underworld Office constantly deal with Wánglíng, and naturally, our bodies accumulate a large amount of Yin Qi. If ordinary people were to be exposed to this Yin Qi, the harm to their bodies would be considerable. However, because we have the Death God Seal on us, this Yin Qi won't cause us any harm. This ability, like the sensing ability, is what you young people would call a passive skill."
Jiang Dashi's words genuinely amused Yang Haoran. He hadn't expected Jiang Dashi to describe it that way, but he had to admit, it was quite fitting.
"I didn't realize, Jiang Dashi, that you have quite a sense of humor," Yang Haoran said with a chuckle. As soon as he spoke, a question suddenly popped into his mind. Before Jiang Dashi could say anything, he quickly added, "Oh, right, Jiang Dashi, didn't you say earlier that the Spirit Power in our bodies is condensed from Yin Qi? Wouldn't being surrounded by Yin Qi be a good thing for us then? Like in novels, couldn't we just refine this Yin Qi directly to enhance our own Spirit Power?"
"You missed two words," Jiang Dashi replied. "Spirit Power is condensed from Pure Yin Qi, not ordinary Yin Qi. Although it only seems like a difference of two words, the meaning is worlds apart."
"This ordinary Yin Qi, especially the Yin Qi from ghosts, is far too impure. If we were to forcibly absorb and refine it, not only would we be unable to enhance the Spirit Power within our bodies, but we would instead harm ourselves, even risking our lives. Pure Yin Qi, however, is precisely the opposite. It is perfectly suited for our bodies to absorb and is the only way for us to increase the Spirit Power within us," Jiang Dashi explained.
Yang Haoran showed a look of understanding. Immediately after, he asked, "Then what about the Soul Qi Infusion you mentioned earlier?"
"How do we obtain the opportunity for Soul Qi Infusion? " Yang Haoran asked again.
This time, Jiang Dashi didn't answer Yang Haoran immediately. Instead, he dragged a box from under the bed, then picked it up and placed it on the table.
The box wasn't large, roughly the size of a computer tower. It was ordinary, with nothing particularly special about it.
"How to obtain Soul Qi Infusion – even if you hadn't asked, I would have told you next," Jiang Dashi said, taking a seat and opening the wooden box.
Yang Haoran's gaze was drawn by Jiang Dashi's movements. As the wooden box opened, all his attention shifted to its interior.
Inside the wooden box were several smaller boxes, and a few thick books.
The boxes were brand new, and Yang Haoran felt a sense of déjà vu. Upon closer thought, he remembered where he had seen such boxes before.
A few days ago, when he first sought out Jiang Dashi, Jiang Dashi had taken out a brand new wooden box. Inside that box was the magical transparent bead Deng Feng had used. And now, the boxes inside this wooden chest were precisely those same boxes that held the magical beads—identical.
As for the other few thick books, they were yellowed and old, exuding a sense of age. One look was enough to tell they had been around for years, much like the martial arts manuals in movies. However, their covers were blank, with not a single word like "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" written on them.
This time, Yang Haoran didn't ask any questions. Under his watchful gaze, Jiang Dashi took out the thick, worn books and handed them to Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran didn't understand the reason, but he didn't hesitate in the slightest, quickly taking the books.
"These books are for you to borrow. Remember to return them after you've read them. It would be best if you memorized all the content within; it will be of great help to you in the future," Jiang Dashi said with a solemn expression.
Seeing Jiang Dashi's solemn expression, Yang Haoran quickly nodded. He had intended to casually open one of the books to see what was recorded inside that would make Jiang Dashi so earnest, but before he had the chance, Jiang Dashi took another wooden box from the chest and handed it to him.
"Here, take it and open it," Jiang Dashi instructed.
Yang Haoran had no choice but to put the books down. He then took the wooden box, opened it with a crisp snap, and peered inside.
Upon seeing its contents, Yang Haoran's expression instantly changed. As he expected, inside the box was a transparent bead.
"This bead is called a Soul-Gathering Bead. Its only purpose is to collect souls. As for what happens to souls once they're collected into the Soul-Gathering Bead, you witnessed it firsthand when the Emissary of Death acted that day, so I won't explain it further. This bead is yours from now on. As for how to use it, simply inject Spirit Power into it, and it can collect souls. Of course, it must be within its collection range; if it's beyond the Soul-Gathering Bead's range, it cannot collect souls," Jiang Dashi explained.
"Soul-Gathering Bead? " Yang Haoran gazed at the transparent bead in the box, an expression of unbidden delight spreading across his face. He hadn't imagined he would also be able to possess such a miraculous bead.
Seeing Yang Haoran's delighted expression, Jiang Dashi shook his head with a smile. "This Soul-Gathering Bead is just an ordinary item; it has no other abilities besides collecting souls."
Although Jiang Dashi reiterated this, Yang Haoran's fondness for the Soul-Gathering Bead didn't diminish because of his words; in fact, the more he looked, the more he liked it.
To him, such a miraculous item was a treasure. Before meeting Deng Feng, he had only ever seen such things in movies, never in reality. That day, when he saw Deng Feng use the Soul-Gathering Bead to collect the rotting old woman's corpse, it was impossible for him not to feel envious. A few days ago, when Jiang Dashi took out a Soul-Gathering Bead in front of him, it sparked envy in his heart once more. But he never expected that now, he would possess one himself.
For Yang Haoran, who had never before possessed anything so magical, the Soul-Gathering Bead was the first treasure he had ever received, making its significance extraordinary.
"All right, put the Soul-Gathering Bead away for now. You'll have as many of these as you need in the future, so there's no shortage. Now, calm down and listen to me continue," Jiang Dashi prompted.
Hearing this, Yang Haoran carefully closed the Soul-Gathering Bead's box. After all, this Soul-Gathering Bead was now his, and he would have plenty of opportunities to examine it once he returned.
"The Emissary of Death bestowed upon you abilities that ordinary people do not possess, not to fulfill your desires, but because from the moment the Death God Seal was planted in you, a responsibility, a mission, was placed upon your shoulders."
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised by Jiang Dashi's words at all. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world; if you wanted to gain something, you naturally had to give something in return. That was a given. He and Deng Feng were complete strangers; how could the other party so easily grant him abilities that ordinary people didn't possess?
"What do I need to do? " Yang Haoran asked.
"Collect souls, the more the better. Didn't you just ask me how to obtain Soul Qi? Now I'll tell you: by collecting souls for the Emissary of Death, you can exchange them for Soul Qi from the Emissary of Death. The more souls you collect, the more Soul Qi you'll receive in return. You submit your collected souls once at the end of each month, and the Emissary of Death will distribute Soul Qi based on how many souls each person collected that month. You can also think of it as receiving a salary, a piece-rate salary, where your earnings entirely depend on your performance for the month," Jiang Dashi explained.
"So that's how it is," Yang Haoran nodded, an expression of understanding on his face.
"Guiding Wánglíng and subduing Evil Spirits—these are the duties of the Underworld Office, and likewise, our duties," Jiang Dashi continued.
"Are we what ordinary people call 'Underworld Officials'? " Yang Haoran asked.
"Underworld Official? " Jiang Dashi's expression became somewhat complex, appearing disgruntled yet also hopeful. Nevertheless, he nodded to Yang Haoran. "You could say that, but our group has another name."
"What name? " Yang Haoran inquired.
"Night Watcher. Our group is called Night Watchers, and you and I are both members of the Night Watchers," Jiang Dashi replied.
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