Chapter 48: It's Definitely Related to Her!
How to use Spirit Power to dispel the Yin Qi wrapped around a target – this was naturally taught to Yang Haoran by Jiang Dashi.
This method was not difficult; there were no particular tricks to it. As long as Spirit Power manifested externally, whether concentrated in one's hand or on other tools, a forceful strike could dispel the Yin Qi.
Of course, if the Yin Qi on the target was ridiculously strong, then dispelling it easily with Spirit Power wouldn't be so simple; the Spirit Power would need to reach a certain level.
The Yin Qi clinging to Guan Hai was indeed potent, but only from Yang Haoran's current perspective. Having only recently become a Night Watcher, his experience was limited, and he hadn't witnessed grand spectacles in this domain. Thus, in his eyes, the Yin Qi on Guan Hai was extraordinarily dense.
Fortunately, the density of this Yin Qi had not exceeded his capabilities. Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have been able to dispel the Yin Qi wrapped around Guan Hai with a single palm strike.
Although he hadn't activated his Ghost Eye again and couldn't visually confirm if Yin Qi still lingered on Guan Hai, his Sense Yin ability remained. Even without sight, he could ascertain purely by perception whether the Yin Qi on Guan Hai had been dispelled.
Yang Haoran was quite pleased with Guan Hai's reaction. He genuinely enjoyed seeing the guy look so utterly shocked.
He used to pretend to be a ghost exorcist, and Guan Hai had always dismissed him as a charlatan. Since he genuinely lacked real ability back then, whenever Guan Hai brought up the topic, he would always put on an act to muddle through.
This had been a lingering frustration for him, a deep-seated desire to prove himself to his good brother. Yet, he was helpless without the means. Now, possessing true ability, he hadn't initially intended to display it before Guan Hai. However, since the other party wasn't cooperating, he simply unleashed it right in front of him, satisfying a small measure of his vanity.
Though he spoke thus, the slight smugness on his face was clearly evident. In his heart, he yearned for Guan Hai to be even more astonished.
"I've always believed, Brother Yang, that you possess true ability! " Guan Hai declared excitedly. "Though I've called you a charlatan every time, that was merely to provoke you into revealing some of your genuine skills. Now, it seems I, Guan Hai, truly haven't misjudged you!"
To someone unfamiliar with Guan Hai, hearing his words and seeing his excited expression at that moment would undoubtedly lead them to believe he spoke from the bottom of his heart.
But Yang Haoran knew better. He hadn't known Guan Hai for just a day or two; he understood the guy's character perfectly. Naturally, he didn't believe a word of Guan Hai's nonsense.
"You're trying to fool ghosts, aren't you? If I believed you, I'd truly be seeing ghosts! " Yang Haoran replied with a beaming smile. "Still, even if not a single word of what you said was true, it certainly felt good to hear, brother."
"As long as you're comfortable, as long as you're comfortable! " Guan Hai asked, his face a mask of fawning eagerness. "Brother, do you require any other services?"
Hearing this, Yang Haoran felt a strange discomfort deep inside, and a layer of goosebumps inexplicably rose on his skin.
"Stop trying to gross me out. I don't need your 'services,'" Yang Haoran said with a smile. "I need to learn a few things from you."
"Learn what? We both know each other inside and out. You know my situation; there's nothing to learn."
Guan Hai was about to retort further, but Yang Haoran silenced him with a single sentence.
"This matter concerns your life. If it's not dealt with promptly, you're dead."
Though Yang Haoran's smile remained, Guan Hai sensed that his words were no joke.
"Really? " Guan Hai asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice, after a moment of hesitation.
"Really," Yang Haoran confirmed with certainty.
Receiving such a firm answer from Yang Haoran, Guan Hai put away his playful demeanor, sat up straight, and became serious.
"What do you want to ask? " Guan Hai questioned, puzzled.
"What have you been doing recently? How did you inexplicably get covered in Yin Qi? Have you come into contact with any strange people or evil objects? " Yang Haoran asked.
Hearing this, Guan Hai frowned, not immediately answering Yang Haoran but instead falling into deep thought.
In truth, Yang Haoran already had a suspicion. In his view, Guan Hai's entanglement with Yin Qi was very likely connected to Wang Qing. He didn't expose it directly, but rather questioned Guan Hai this way to see if Guan Hai himself had realized the problem.
Guan Hai pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think I've come into contact with anything or anyone strange."
Yang Haoran was naturally unsatisfied with Guan Hai's answer, but he showed no sign of it. Instead, he asked another question that seemed utterly irrelevant.
"What have you been busy with lately? You haven't even called."
The conversational turn was too swift, and Guan Hai, unprepared, instantly changed expression.
Yang Haoran had been observing Guan Hai's every facial shift with a knowing smile. Seeing Guan Hai's expression turn uneasy, his own smile deepened.
"I've been a bit busy lately, so I didn't get around to contacting you. Anyway, didn't you, you little rascal, fail to contact me either? What were you up to?"
Guan Hai quickly tried to change the subject, but Yang Haoran wasn't buying it.
"Are you involved with that Wang Qing? " Yang Haoran cut straight to the chase.
Guan Hai's expression changed again, then he gave an awkward laugh. "Heh heh, you saw right through me. I've been quite close to that woman recently. Because you strongly opposed me getting near her, I didn't contact you during this time, so you wouldn't be bothered by her."
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised by Guan Hai's answer in the least. The moment he saw Wang Qing at the hospital today, he knew in his heart that Guan Hai must have gotten involved with this university student named Wang Qing.
"Haizi, if you keep going like this, sooner or later, you're going to suffer greatly because of women," Yang Haoran warned Guan Hai, his rare smile replaced by a serious expression.
Guan Hai, however, seemed somewhat unconcerned, smiling as he said to Yang Haoran, "I've lived this kind of life for years. If something were going to happen, it would have happened long ago; why would it wait until now?"
Yang Haoran shook his head, disagreeing with Guan Hai's reasoning. He continued, "Isn't being plagued by Yin Qi 'suffering greatly'? If I'm not mistaken, your being covered in Yin Qi is definitely inseparable from Wang Qing!"
Seeing Yang Haoran speak with such certainty, Guan Hai was half-convinced, saying, "Really? Is that true?"
"I also sensed the presence of Yin Qi on her. The strange thing is, the Yin Qi on her now is much weaker than when I first saw her, while the Yin Qi on you is quite dense."
Yang Haoran's words made Guan Hai frown, and a pensive look reappeared on his face. Yang Haoran, meanwhile, struck while the iron was hot and continued speaking.
"Before you met her, you had no Yin Qi on you. Ever since you encountered her, you've been plagued by it. She has Yin Qi on her, and you haven't come into contact with any strange people or objects during this time. If this matter isn't related to her, then I truly don't know where the Yin Qi on you came from."
Having just witnessed Yang Haoran's abilities, and now seeing him speak with such earnestness, Guan Hai couldn't help but begin to suspect Wang Qing.
"Think again," Yang Haoran asked, "has anything strange happened to you recently?"
Guan Hai's brow furrowed tightly. After a moment of thought, he still shook his head. "I haven't contacted you lately, I've often been with Wang Qing, and I've been getting completely drunk every day. You know how my life is; not a single day is sober. If there's anything strange that happened, it's just that my mental state has been getting worse day by day these past few days."
"Your feeling that your mental state is worsening day by day means you were already plagued by Yin Qi at that time," Yang Haoran said, shaking his head. Guan Hai's words hadn't provided him with any useful information.
However, Yang Haoran suddenly recalled something: when Jiang Zhenzhen was plagued by the rotting old woman, she used to have nightmares every night. So, he asked Guan Hai, "Have you been having nightmares recently?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Hai gave a wry chuckle. "Heh heh, I've had nightmares regularly since I was a child, not just recently."
Hearing that Guan Hai had nightmares, Yang Haoran quickly asked, "Have you been repeatedly having the same nightmare, with the same person appearing repeatedly in it?"
Guan Hai thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, that hasn't happened."
His words, instead, made Yang Haoran frown, a look of confusion on his face.
"Could it be that the Yin Qi on Haizi isn't from a Spirit, but rather from some other malevolent entity? " Yang Haoran couldn't help but wonder.
Yin Qi can form through many channels, not just from the souls of living beings after death. Guan Hai being plagued by Yin Qi without having nightmares led him to some other conjectures.
However, Guan Hai had just made it very clear that he hadn't come into contact with any strange people or objects recently. So how did the Yin Qi get on him?
Unable to comprehend it, Yang Haoran still came up with a plan. He said to Guan Hai, "If we don't find the source of the Yin Qi you've contracted, you're very likely to get afflicted again. Although I have the ability to dispel the Yin Qi on you, your body won't be able to endure it long-term. So, we must find the problem and resolve it to ensure you won't be harmed again."
"So what should we do? " Guan Hai asked.
"As I just said, this matter is definitely related to that university student, Wang Qing. To find the source, we need to start with her. Take a rest this afternoon. Tonight, you invite her out; we should be able to learn some things from her," Yang Haoran said.
"What if we don't get any useful information from her? " Guan Hai asked, a little worried.
"Then I'll have to think of other ways. But don't worry, I'll definitely take care of this for you," Yang Haoran promised.
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