Chapter 63: It's Actually You!
Stepping through the passage paved with a red carpet, everything that met Yang Haoran’s gaze made his eyes light up.
This was a luxuriously decorated hall, filled with various grand pieces of furniture that left Yang Haoran dazzled. Although he didn’t recognize the brands of these furnishings, their luster suggested they were quite valuable.
It was hard to imagine that walking from a dilapidated room into a rock wall could lead to such a magnificent hall. In his years as a sham spiritualist, Yang Haoran had entered a few wealthy homes, but their interiors were worlds apart compared to the hall before him.
Aside from Yang Haoran, several individuals had already arrived in the hall. Some sat on sofas, smoking, while others helped themselves to famous wines from the liquor cabinet.
Among these individuals, Yang Haoran recognized some: they were the temple keepers of the South Lake Death God Temple, all clad in Black Robes. There were also two others similarly dressed in the Death God Temple keepers' Black Robes, whom he didn't recognize. They likely hailed from other Death God Temples within Lecheng.
Yang Haoran’s appearance caught the attention of these temple keepers. Upon seeing that it was Yang Haoran, the temple keepers from the South Lake Death God Temple immediately broke into smiles.
"Little Yang, come, come, come, quickly come and sit down," one of the temple keepers called out with a smile, waving to Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran nodded with a wide smile and walked towards the man's spot.
Reaching him, he didn't immediately plop down. Instead, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to each of them.
"What are you talking about? We're all family here, no need for such formality. Come, come, come, quickly sit down, sit down."
The temple keeper who had greeted Yang Haoran accepted the cigarette and spoke, shifting his body to signal Yang Haoran to take a seat.
Although they were all Night Watchers, Yang Haoran treated these temple keepers with extreme courtesy. His actions, naturally, had a reason.
Every circle has its own rules. If a newcomer is too eager to show off, it's never a good thing; it might even cause unnecessary trouble. Being polite, humble, and keeping a low profile makes it easier and faster to integrate into the circle.
Yang Haoran had drifted for over a decade, encountering all sorts of people and beasts. He had been arrogant, high-profile, foolish, endured much aggravation, made many blunders, and even suffered significant losses. These experiences gradually wore down the sharp edges of his personality, teaching him humility, modesty, and how to quickly adapt and integrate into any given circle.
"Little Yang, let me introduce you. This is. . ."
A temple keeper began to introduce Yang Haoran. After all, there were two temple keepers he didn’t recognize among them. The temple keepers from the South Lake Death God Temple had a very good impression of Yang Haoran, and knowing he didn’t know these two, they proactively introduced him without waiting for him to ask.
With each introduction, Yang Haoran would stand up and bow, appearing very polite. This attitude naturally earned him some goodwill from the two newcomers.
After the introductions, they began to chat, mostly about spirits and Evil Spirits.
Yang Haoran didn't interject carelessly, but he listened intently. Although they were just chatting, some of the topics they discussed were quite helpful to him, broadening his horizons.
However, he didn't remain silent the whole time. Occasionally, he would grasp the essence of the conversation and add a few remarks, not only making their chat more enjoyable but also ensuring others noticed his presence and didn't treat him as if he were invisible.
Before becoming familiar with a new circle, it's best to speak less, for much talk often leads to missteps. Without understanding others' personalities, the more one speaks, the more mistakes one makes, ultimately leaving a poor impression.
However, one cannot remain entirely silent either. If one says nothing at all, it's easy to be ignored by others, which does little to help integrate into the circle.
Knowing when to speak and what to say is crucial; speak well and gain friends, speak poorly and gain enemies.
Fortunately, Yang Haoran was an experienced hand at this. He handled the situation with ease, and with just a few well-placed remarks, the two newly introduced temple keepers developed an even better impression of him.
While they chatted, people continuously entered the hall from the passage, all of them wearing the Black Robes of Death God Temple keepers.
Within Lecheng, including Yang Haoran, there were sixteen Night Watchers in total. Of these sixteen, fourteen were temple keepers of the Death God Temple, with only two operating independently, not as temple keepers.
Yang Haoran didn't know who the other independent Night Watcher was, but he was very curious and eager to find out.
As fellow independent operators, if they could build a good relationship, perhaps they could help each other in the future. After all, he was still a newcomer, and having an experienced hand guide him would undoubtedly make his tasks twice as easy.
However, what puzzled Yang Haoran was that as time slowly passed, all the Night Watchers who were temple keepers had arrived, yet this other independent Night Watcher had still not appeared. This only piqued his interest even further.
From the others, Yang Haoran learned that this Night Watcher was a woman, and she was young and beautiful, so stunningly beautiful that calling her a beauty that would make fish sink and geese fall wouldn't be an exaggeration. He was eager to see if she was truly the rare beauty others had described.
Of course, Yang Haoran's eagerness to meet this beauty also harbored a slight hope. He happened to be lacking a girlfriend, and if he could form a relationship with her, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?
However, this thought was merely a fleeting fancy in his mind. He knew his own limitations. Even if he found her attractive, she likely wouldn't be interested in him, especially a beauty of her caliber. Unless she was blind, he probably didn't stand much of a chance.
Though he understood this, he couldn't help but cling to a sliver of hope. As fellow Night Watchers, proximity might breed opportunity; he wasn't entirely without a chance.
Just as Yang Haoran was lost in thought, a temple keeper next to him gently nudged him. He snapped out of his reverie, and before he could ask, the temple keeper spoke first.
"She's here, she's here. She's arrived."
She's arrived?
Yang Haoran naturally understood what that meant. With a surge of curiosity, he looked towards the exit of the passage.
It would have been better if he hadn't looked. The moment he did, the smile on his face froze instantly.
The Night Watcher beside him, seeing Yang Haoran's expression, gave him a knowing smile—a smile any man would understand—and teased, "Isn't she beautiful? I didn't lie, did I? Don't even talk about you, the first time I saw this beauty, her looks startled me too. Her appearance and figure are simply unparalleled, it's just her temper that's a bit bad."
Judging by the Night Watcher's words, Yang Haoran's frozen expression was entirely due to being stunned by the woman's captivating beauty.
However, the truth was far from it.
This woman was indeed exceptionally beautiful; her delicate features, pretty face, snowy-white skin, and flawless figure truly made her a rare gem in this world. But what astonished Yang Haoran wasn't her beauty; it was the fact that he knew this woman!
More precisely, he didn't "know" her, but he had "met" her—twice, in fact. The most recent encounter had been just last night, and both times their meetings had ended unpleasantly.
"Damn it, how could it be her?"
Yang Haoran muttered, barely believing his eyes. He rubbed them and looked at the woman again; she was still herself, unchanged, but Yang Haoran felt a wave of disarray.
This woman was none other than the one he had encountered last night at Nine Dragons Slope cemetery. Although they had exchanged only a few words, every single one had been utterly scathing.
Before last night, they had met once before, outside the hospital morgue. Though they had exchanged only a few words then too, those words were equally cutting, each like a dagger.
Yang Haoran had never in his wildest dreams imagined that the other independent Night Watcher, like himself, would turn out to be this woman!
The most dreadful thing is when the air suddenly falls silent. At this moment, Yang Haoran felt completely out of sorts. This face, which he found utterly obnoxious, left him speechless for a moment.
No, what he truly disliked wasn't the woman's face; he disliked the arrogance and contemptuous expression on her face, and her personality.
The Night Watcher beside him had just mentioned that while she was beautiful, her temper was terrible. Yang Haoran didn't need to be told this; he had already experienced it firsthand.
Night Watchers' senses are far superior to those of ordinary people. As Yang Haoran continued to stare, the woman seemed to sense something, frowning unhappily, and then looked towards Yang Haoran's position.
Undoubtedly, when the woman's gaze fell upon Yang Haoran, her reaction was no different from his when he first saw her.
Her expression similarly froze, and her face showed the same look of astonishment.
After a moment of shock, the woman snapped back to reality, her frown deepening. Her face immediately turned extremely grim.
"You ugly wretch, it's actually you!"
At her words, the other Night Watchers all paused, looking first at Yang Haoran, then at the woman.
From the reactions on both Yang Haoran's and the woman's faces, they seemed to know each other. And as fellow Night Watchers, especially non-temple keeper ones, it was certainly possible they knew each other. However, their expressions suggested their relationship was far more complex than a simple acquaintance.
It was as if there was some history between them.
At this moment, both Yang Haoran and the woman understood one crucial thing: why they had sensed such strong Yin Qi from each other. It was because they were both Night Watchers—part of the same damned organization, the same unit!
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