Chapter 64: Soul Qi Infusion
The woman gritted her teeth, wishing she could devour Yang Haoran alive. The air around her was thick with gunpowder, as if she could explode at any moment.
This time, Yang Haoran didn't talk back to the woman. It wasn't that he was afraid of her, but with so many people around, if he were to go head-to-head with her in such a setting, everything he had just done would be for naught.
A bitter smile touched his lips as he shook his head and sighed.
This world was vast, so vast that some people, once missed, might never be encountered again in a lifetime.
Yet sometimes the world was incredibly small, so small that no matter where he went, he could bump into people he wished to avoid.
Fate, this intangible and invisible thing, truly existed and was profoundly miraculous.
Only, facing the Black-haired Woman, Yang Haoran hardly considered this kind of fate a blessing. On the contrary, he felt it was destiny playing a cruel trick on him.
Yang Haoran didn't bother with the Black-haired Woman. He withdrew his gaze, lit a cigarette, a look of melancholy on his face. Yet, the Black-haired Woman seemed unwilling to let him off so easily. With her hands in her pockets and a grim expression, she strode towards where Yang Haoran stood.
Her footsteps were rhythmic, but as the sound reached Yang Haoran's ears, it felt like the ominous prelude to his demise.
A waft of fragrant air wafted over, and the Black-haired Woman stopped right in front of Yang Haoran. Looking at the pair of long, straight legs before him, he felt as though a towering mountain had suddenly risen in his path.
"Damn it, she's not going to tear into me in public, is she?"
Yang Haoran couldn't help but think this. If the Black-haired Woman truly did that, he would be in a truly awkward spot.
Though a hint of worry lingered in his heart, Yang Haoran still strove to make his smile appear natural. He then stood up and, seemingly friendly, extended his hand towards the Black-haired Woman.
Had it not been for the current circumstances, Yang Haoran would absolutely not have taken the initiative to show goodwill towards the Black-haired Woman. His reaction would undoubtedly have been the same as last night's, replete with mockery towards her. But now, he absolutely could not act that way.
"Hello, I've just joined the organization not long ago. My name is—"
Yang Haoran tried his best to exude goodwill towards the Black-haired Woman, but she wasn't having any of it. Without waiting for him to finish, the Black-haired Woman furiously cut him off.
"I'm not interested in what you're called. The only thing I'm interested in right now is tearing that foul mouth of yours to shreds, and then gouging out those smiling eyes!"
The vicious voice not only startled Yang Haoran, but even the other Night Watchers sensed the intense rage in the woman's words.
Curious expressions appeared on all their faces. What kind of feud did this newcomer, Yang Haoran, have with the Black-haired Woman? Judging by the Black-haired Woman's furious demeanor, the grudge seemed quite significant.
Yang Haoran felt deeply awkward. His worst fear had still come true; the Black-haired Woman clearly had no intention of considering the setting. As soon as those words left her mouth, they truly made him feel utterly humiliated.
His outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He chuckled awkwardly, suppressed the discomfort in his heart, and withdrew his hand.
He truly didn't want to quarrel with the Black-haired Woman in this setting, but she still didn't want to let him off the hook. She let out a cold snort, just about to speak again, but at that moment, everyone seemed to sense something, and their gazes uniformly shot towards a single spot.
Under the watchful gazes of the crowd, a section of space in front of the main seat in the hall suddenly twisted and warped. Then, cracks appeared, and a short figure emerged from within them.
This person was none other than Deng Feng, the Emissary of Death, with his pointed chin and monkey-like cheeks.
Deng Feng's arrival instantly captured everyone's attention. Even the Black-haired Woman closed her mouth, no longer continuing to mock Yang Haoran.
Although Deng Feng had a pointed chin and monkey-like cheeks, his aura was remarkably powerful. Just by standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, one could feel the oppressive presence emanating from him.
His gaze swept over the crowd. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Deng Feng took his exclusive seat.
"I am very busy. As per the old rules, let's begin quickly."
After sitting down, Deng Feng didn't beat around the bush. Without a single wasted word, he directly got to the point.
The Black-haired Woman glared fiercely at Yang Haoran, then let out a cold snort, and found a seat as far away from Yang Haoran as possible.
Yang Haoran breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, the last thing he wanted to deal with was the Black-haired Woman's badgering, so Deng Feng's appearance was truly timely.
After everyone had settled down, Deng Feng waved a hand. As if by magic, a box suddenly appeared before him.
The box was only palm-sized and exquisitely crafted, floating in mid-air before Deng Feng, with black Yin Qi continuously rising from it.
The appearance of the box instantly captured the attention of the other Night Watchers. Their gazes were burning, as if the box held immense allure for them, especially the Night Watcher to Yang Haoran's left, whose breathing quickened as he stared at the box.
To Yang Haoran's right sat Jiang Dashi. While Jiang Dashi's gaze towards the box was equally fervent, he remained comparatively calmer.
Yang Haoran's gaze naturally also fell upon the floating box, but unlike the other Night Watchers, his gaze wasn't burning; instead, it revealed a look of confusion, for he had no idea what the box contained.
The reactions of the assembled Night Watchers seemed to satisfy Deng Feng. He smiled, then under their fervent gazes, extended a finger and lightly tapped the box.
With that tap, the box trembled slightly. Immediately after, an astonishing mass of Yin Qi erupted, completely enveloping the wooden box.
This Yin Qi was unlike ordinary Yin Qi. Compared to common Yin Qi, the energy swirling around the wooden box before them was far denser and purer.
"This is. . . " Yang Haoran's eyes lit up. He seemed to have realized something, a look of shock spreading across his face.
"Could it be, this is the Soul Qi Jiang Dashi spoke of?"
Combining the series of things Jiang Dashi had told him, Yang Haoran immediately guessed what the Yin Qi enveloping the wooden box truly was.
Just as he thought this to himself, Deng Feng waved a hand. A large amount of Pure Yin Qi erupted from within the wooden box, splitting into fourteen streams that shot towards Jiang Dashi and the other fourteen temple keeper Night Watchers.
None of the fourteen temple keeper Night Watchers dodged; instead, excited expressions appeared on their faces as they allowed the stream of Yin Qi to infuse into their bodies.
Soul Qi Infusion!
Yang Haoran knew this must be the Soul Qi Infusion Jiang Dashi had spoken of — the only way for Night Watchers to increase the Spirit Power within their bodies!
But there was one thing he was confused about: why, without having yet submitted any souls, were they able to receive the opportunity for Soul Qi Infusion? Furthermore, the amount of Soul Qi the fourteen individuals received varied, with some getting more and some less.
Most importantly, neither he nor the Black-haired Woman received a Soul Qi Infusion.
Jiang Dashi, who was beside him, seemed to have noticed Yang Haoran's confusion and whispered, "We temple keepers receive a fixed amount of Soul Qi every month. The longer one serves as a temple keeper, the more fixed Soul Qi one receives. You and Meijing are not temple keepers, so you don't have this benefit."
Jiang Dashi's explanation brought Yang Haoran to a sudden realization. He hadn't expected that temple keepers like Jiang Dashi actually received a monthly basic allocation, and that the longer one served as a temple keeper, the more basic Soul Qi they would receive!
It would have been impossible for Yang Haoran to deny a twinge of envy in his heart. However, upon closer thought, he could accept this arrangement. After all, temple keepers needed to manage the Death God Temple; they were busy all day, and opportunities to go out and collect souls weren't plentiful. Without a fixed allocation, they probably wouldn't obtain much Soul Qi each month.
"Alright, let me see your performance for this month."
Deng Feng's voice rang out again. A Night Watcher, hearing this, quickly walked towards him, then took out his Soul-Gathering Bead and respectfully handed it to Deng Feng.
Inside the Soul-Gathering Bead, Soul Threads were densely packed, quite numerous indeed. Yang Haoran estimated there were at least twenty-some Soul Threads within it.
Deng Feng nodded indifferently. He couldn't be said to be satisfied with this person's performance, but he also didn't show any dissatisfaction. He simply waved a hand, and the Soul-Gathering Bead vanished, as if it had never appeared.
Immediately after, the wooden box in front of him burst forth with another stream of Soul Qi, which drilled directly into the person's body.
The man had a look of pure enjoyment on his face. After bowing to Deng Feng once more, he left with an excited expression.
After that person left, another temple keeper walked up. Just like the previous one, he took out his Soul-Gathering Bead and respectfully handed it to Deng Feng.
This Night Watcher's performance was a bit better than the previous one; there were more than thirty Soul Threads inside his Soul-Gathering Bead.
The submission of souls was swift. In just a short while, half of the sixteen of them had successfully submitted their souls and obtained the corresponding Soul Qi.
Xu Meijing remained seated and unmoving. She would occasionally glance at Yang Haoran, a challenging glint in her eyes.
This Xu Meijing was precisely the Black-haired Woman who was so at odds with Yang Haoran.
Xu Meijing, like Yang Haoran, was not a temple keeper. Thus, she harbored the idea of competing with Yang Haoran, hoping to use this method to properly vent her frustrations.
In the past, Xu Meijing had always been the first to step forward and submit souls, but this time she hadn't. The reason, of course, lay with Yang Haoran.
How could Yang Haoran not sense the challenging glances Xu Meijing occasionally threw his way? But at this moment, he had no mind to bother with her, so he made no response to her provocative gaze.
He looked at the Soul-Gathering Beads taken out by the other Night Watchers, each containing at least twenty-some Soul Threads. Meanwhile, his own Soul-Gathering Bead held only two. In comparison, his performance could only be described as disastrous.
A moment later, all the other Night Watchers, save for Xu Meijing and Yang Haoran, had successfully submitted their souls.
Xu Meijing had originally intended to wait for Yang Haoran to go first, but seeing that he had no intention of submitting his souls before her, she let out a cold snort, stood up, and walked towards Deng Feng.
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