Chapter Sixty: Nine Dragons Slope
Leaving the residential complex where Jiang Zhenzhen lived, Yang Haoran’s connection with her also came to an end.
Originally, Yang Haoran had intended to pursue Jiang Zhenzhen, but the moment he stepped out of the complex, that thought vanished from his mind.
He hadn't known Jiang Zhenzhen for long, but she had left a truly good impression on him, which sparked the idea of pursuing her. Although there was an age gap of a few years between them, he didn't see that as an issue.
However, he ultimately decided to give up.
Yang Haoran wasn't one to easily abandon something, but this situation forced his hand.
Jiang Zhenzhen chose to resign and move, without so much as a phone call or even a text message. This alone spoke volumes.
Either she harbored a certain resentment towards Yang Haoran—the reason being simple: the rumors that had spread because of him led her to constantly hear gossip and endure whispers and pointed fingers, thus making her hate Yang Haoran.
Or the rumors made her feel awkward, unsure how to face Yang Haoran or herself, so she simply chose to leave, hoping to gradually forget by escaping, and start fresh somewhere new.
In Yang Haoran’s view, the lack of any calls or messages from Jiang Zhenzhen was likely due to these two reasons.
Regardless of the possibility, Yang Haoran could understand Jiang Zhenzhen’s departure. After all, everyone values their reputation, and it wasn't just Jiang Zhenzhen as a woman; even a man would find it unacceptable to face such a situation. The middle-aged man was a perfect example—if the rumors hadn't caused him significant harm, why would he have moved?
His decision to give up was merely one reason; beyond that, there were two more.
His fondness for Jiang Zhenzhen was simply a one-sided affair. Whether Jiang Zhenzhen would take a liking to him, an 'old uncle,' was uncertain. It was entirely possible she felt nothing for him at all, seeing him only as a friend, and even if he pursued her, she wouldn't accept him.
There was another reason, and this one was the most crucial.
He was no longer an ordinary person; he was a Night Watcher. He carried a heavy burden of Yin Qi, and anyone who spent prolonged periods with him would become tainted by it. Even with his Spirit Power, which could dispel Yin Qi, over time, it would still affect and even kill the other person. This was something he absolutely did not want to see happen.
In other words, if this problem couldn't be resolved, it wasn't just Jiang Zhenzhen who would suffer by being with him; anyone else would suffer the same fate.
Walking along with a troubled expression, Yang Haoran sighed inwardly.
"If we ever meet again, I'll apologize to her."
Thinking this, Yang Haoran drew a definitive line under the matter in his heart.
He flicked his cigarette butt away, hailed a taxi, and left without looking back.
Truth be told, Yang Haoran hadn't really done anything wrong, but things had still come to this point, which left him feeling helpless. It also made him think that perhaps he and Jiang Zhenzhen truly had no fate together.
After leaving the residential complex, Yang Haoran didn't immediately return to his convenience store. Instead, he bought some fruits and daily necessities and headed for the Death God Temple in South Lake Park.
He wasn't the kind of person to burn bridges, so he decided to visit Jiang Dashi and the other temple keepers at the Death God Temple. Jiang Dashi had been a tremendous help in his becoming a Night Watcher, and Yang Haoran felt not only gratitude but also immense respect for him.
By the time he emerged from the Death God Temple, it was already midday. Yang Haoran didn't stay for a meal, choosing instead to return to his convenience store.
The convenience store was one of his sources of income, and eager to earn more New Beginning Coins, he naturally wouldn't let himself idle without opening for business.
Back at the convenience store, he opened for business while engrossed in the books Jiang Dashi had lent him.
With his current abilities as a Night Watcher, Yang Haoran didn't have to confine himself to this dilapidated convenience store. If he went out and took on a few more cases, his income would undoubtedly be astonishing.
However, he didn't do that. He had only just become a Night Watcher; his methods were limited, his knowledge restricted. Charging into the world with a rusty cleaver, he wouldn't even know how he died.
He naturally understood the principle that "sharpening the axe will not hinder the work of chopping wood"—meaning, doing anything rushed would be detrimental. Only with complete preparation could one guarantee victory.
For seven consecutive days, Yang Haoran visited the Death God Temple a few times and had drinks with Guan Hai twice. Other than that, he went nowhere, spending all his time holed up in his convenience store reading.
He had finished all the books Jiang Dashi lent him within those seven days. While he hadn't memorized every single detail, he had significantly broadened his knowledge and gained invaluable insights.
He had no immediate intention of returning the books to Jiang Dashi, as he wanted to reread them several times from beginning to end, ideally memorizing all their contents.
Today was the seventh day, and Yang Haoran didn't continue tending to his store as usual. Before nightfall, he closed the convenience store and hailed a taxi.
"Driver, Nine Dragons Slope. " Once inside the taxi, Yang Haoran told the driver his destination.
Upon hearing "Nine Dragons Slope," the driver's brows immediately furrowed. He then spoke, "It's almost dark, and you're going to Nine Dragons Slope? Young man, you're pretty gutsy. But I'm not as brave as you. I can only take you to the base of Nine Dragons Slope. If you want to go up, you'll have to walk the rest of the way."
Yang Haoran chuckled, simply replying, "Alright."
The driver's reaction was understandable because Nine Dragons Slope was a public cemetery on the city's outskirts. With night approaching, naturally, the driver wouldn't be pleased about heading to a graveyard at that hour.
Yang Haoran understood the driver's feelings, so he didn't insist on being taken all the way to the destination. Getting dropped off at the base was fine; walking up wouldn't take much time.
Half an hour later, the driver hit the brakes, and the taxi pulled to a stop at the foot of Nine Dragons Slope.
By then, the sky had fully darkened, and under the cover of night, Nine Dragons Slope appeared especially eerie and desolate.
Perhaps it was the cold winter, or perhaps the Yin Qi at Nine Dragons Slope was too dense, but the driver couldn't help but shiver.
"Hurry up, I don't want to stay here for another second," the driver urged.
Yang Haoran smiled, nodded in understanding, then promptly paid and got out.
The driver took the money, muttered "Damn bad luck" under his breath, then floored the accelerator and vanished without a trace.
Yang Haoran's reason for choosing to come to Nine Dragons Slope so late at night wasn't, of course, to simply experience the eerie atmosphere. He had two tasks to accomplish.
First, Nine Dragons Slope was a public cemetery, so there were bound to be spirits present. As a Night Watcher, coming here late at night was naturally for these spirits; collecting them was his duty.
Second, today was the seventh day since Wang Qing's death, what is commonly known as the Head Seven. After seven days of accumulation, Wang Qing's soul would coalesce into a spirit tonight, and he intended to collect her.
Yang Haoran wasn't sure if Wang Qing was a local, but he had found out that she was buried in the Nine Dragons Slope cemetery after her death. For some unknown reason, her parents hadn't taken her ashes back home for burial.
This suited Yang Haoran's intentions perfectly. If Wang Qing's parents had indeed taken her ashes home for burial, it would have been quite difficult for him to collect her spirit.
Naturally, no one would be visiting Nine Dragons Slope to pay respects late at night. However, if someone absolutely insisted on doing so, normally no one would question it.
Walking up the slope, Yang Haoran's expression remained calm despite the eerie environment; no trace of fear was visible on his face.
If it had been in the past, asking him to come to a cemetery so late at night would have been worse than killing him. He would have preferred to die than come to such a haunted place.
But things were different now. He was no longer that charlatan trickster he once was; he possessed true abilities, and as a result, his courage had grown.
Walking all the way up, although the environment was eerie and the air chilling, Yang Haoran didn't sense the presence of any Spirit Bodies.
Since there were no Spirit Bodies, he naturally had no reason to be afraid.
Upon reaching the top of Nine Dragons Slope, Yang Haoran couldn't help but frown, a look of confusion on his face.
In his estimation, since Nine Dragons Slope was a public cemetery, there should have been no shortage of spirits. Yet, to his surprise, he didn't sense the presence of a single Spirit Body in the entire cemetery.
"How can this be?"
Yang Haoran pondered deeply, then considered a possibility: perhaps the spirits in this cemetery were regularly cleared out by someone, which explained why it was so "clean."
Of course, other possibilities couldn't be ruled out, but in Yang Haoran's opinion, this was the most likely scenario.
As for who was clearing out the spirits here, Yang Haoran believed it must be Night Watchers like himself, since this kind of work was precisely their area of expertise.
He wasn't the only Night Watcher in Lecheng; there were sixteen in total. If he could think of coming to a cemetery to collect spirits, how could other Night Watchers not?
Unable to sense the presence of other spirits, Yang Haoran could only temporarily abandon his idea of making a score here. He decided to ask Jiang Dashi later if this cemetery was a "partner unit" of the Death God Temple.
With his plan to collect other spirits thwarted, Yang Haoran could only search for Wang Qing's grave first. Judging by the time, Wang Qing's spirit should be close to forming. He needed to find her grave as quickly as possible and collect her spirit to prevent any complications.
Soon after, Yang Haoran stopped, his gaze falling upon the tombstone before him.
This was Wang Qing's tombstone, and her photograph was still on it.
Looking at the tombstone, Yang Haoran's face broke into a slight smile. He then pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and waited quietly.
Before he had even finished his cigarette, Yang Haoran's brows twitched. He seemed to have sensed something.
"Ghost Eye, activate!"
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