Chapter 663: Behind the Achievement
Both Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had the means to extend their stay; after all, with the Soul-Refining Cauldron in their possession, they were undoubtedly hidden magnates compared to ordinary Underworld officials.
However, being too high-profile offered no benefit to either of them, and with the current situation being what it was, they truly didn't have much time to linger in the Underworld.
Therefore, Yang Haoran didn't insist, and followed Xu Meijing downstairs to the second floor, leaving that high-cost Ghost Art Pavilion.
Stepping out of the Ghost Art Pavilion, Yang Haoran immediately took out paper and pen from his independent space, then quickly sketched and scribbled on the paper.
Xu Meijing needed only a glance to understand what Yang Haoran was doing. After a moment of hesitation, she likewise retrieved paper and pen from her own independent space and began writing and drawing just like Yang Haoran.
Their current actions weren't about transcribing or illustrating every single Ghost Art they had memorized, but rather noting down the key points and the more difficult-to-remember parts, so as not to forget them later.
A moment later, Yang Haoran stopped writing, put his paper and pen back into his independent space, and then turned his gaze to Xu Meijing.
He saw Xu Meijing with furrowed brows, her face intently focused on drawing something on her paper. Yang Haoran didn't disturb her, but quietly waited for Xu Meijing to finish.
"Let's go, we'll talk more once we're back," Xu Meijing said to Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran nodded, asking no further questions. He followed Xu Meijing, rushing immediately towards the Yellow Springs Road, leaving the Underworld at the fastest possible speed and returning to the Ancheng Death God Temple.
All in all, they had been away from Ancheng for just over two hours, not even three, and while Ancheng wasn't entirely calm, no major incident related to their Ancheng Underworld Division had occurred yet.
Inside a quiet room at the Death God Temple, Xu Meijing set up a restrictive barrier. Afterward, both of them once again took out paper and pen, bringing forth the key points they had recorded earlier in the Underworld. They compared, recalled, and wrote, intermittently.
Half an hour later, Yang Haoran was the first to stop writing. He leaned back in his chair, let out a deep breath, and a smile appeared on his face.
He glanced at Xu Meijing beside him; she was still racking her brain, trying to recall something. He didn't interrupt her, but instead lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and used this method to relax his nerves.
A cigarette burned to its end, and seeing that Xu Meijing still hadn't stopped writing, Yang Haoran extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray. He then began to organize the messy papers in front of him.
These papers contained text and handprints. Although the writing wasn't very neat, and the handprints weren't professional, with even traces of corrections in some places, Yang Haoran himself was extremely satisfied. For on these papers were recorded two complete Ghost Arts, and one incomplete Ghost Art.
Earlier, in the Underworld Ghost Art Pavilion, he had spent an hour memorizing two Ghost Arts by rote. As for the third Ghost Art, due to time constraints, he hadn't firmly committed it to memory. Now, in retrospect, he had only managed to write down a portion of it, and a heavily revised one at that.
He knew this Ghost Art would definitely not be useful at the moment, but noting it down was for future consideration. He would certainly visit the Ghost Art Pavilion again in the future, and then he would just need to spend a little time to complete the incomplete parts of this Ghost Art.
When Yang Haoran had finished classifying and organizing all the papers in front of him, Xu Meijing finally stopped writing. He looked at Xu Meijing, and saw that she wore an expression of helplessness.
From Xu Meijing's reaction, Yang Haoran knew that her progress wasn't going well, so he offered comfort.
"Heh heh, there's no need to be so gloomy. Just write down as much as you can recall. Even if you can't recall a single Ghost Art, it's fine. At worst, next time we go to the Underworld, we'll visit the Ghost Art Pavilion again."
Xu Meijing glanced at Yang Haoran, then forced a smile onto her face.
"You certainly take things in stride."
Yang Haoran could hear the helplessness and unwillingness in Xu Meijing's tone. With a smile, he continued to comfort her.
"It's not a big deal. You don't need to take it too much to heart. It's not worth being so gloomy over such a small matter."
Upon hearing this, Xu Meijing responded while organizing the scattered papers in front of her.
"I just feel a bit of regret, that's all. If we had more time, our gains this time would have been even greater. Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think."
After speaking, Xu Meijing also organized the papers on the table in front of her.
"I only remembered one Ghost Art, and I had just started preparing to memorize another when time ran out. If I had ten more minutes then, I should have had no problem remembering the second Ghost Art. It's a pity that choosing the Ghost Art took up most of my time."
Saying this, Xu Meijing handed the organized Ghost Art to Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, your memory is better than mine. I didn't even choose; I just picked a book at random and started memorizing the Ghost Art inside. Even by the end, I only remembered two Ghost Arts."
Yang Haoran replied with a smile as he took the Ghost Art from Xu Meijing, and also handed her the two Ghost Arts he had organized.
Xu Meijing looked somewhat surprised. After taking the Ghost Arts from Yang Haoran, she couldn't help but voice her confusion.
"Why didn't you choose? That way you could find Ghost Arts more suitable for you. Just randomly picking a Ghost Art and memorizing it, isn't that a bit too reckless?"
Yang Haoran chuckled and explained.
"If I had enough time, I would have chosen carefully. Without enough time, I could only change my approach. Besides, they are all intermediate Ghost Arts; the difference shouldn't be too great. As for whether they suit me, once I get used to them, they will. If they never suit me no matter how I use them, at worst, I'll just go back to the Ghost Art Pavilion and exchange for a different one."
At this point, Yang Haoran paused slightly, glanced at Xu Meijing, who was slightly frowning, and continued to speak with a smile.
"Heh heh, a Ghost Art that doesn't suit me doesn't mean it won't suit you. Conversely, a Ghost Art that suits me doesn't mean you'll like it. Perhaps these two Ghost Arts happen to be exactly what you're looking for?"
Xu Meijing's brows relaxed, and a smile appeared on her face.
"What you said seems to make sense. Heh heh, whether it suits me or not, I'll cultivate it first. Just as you said, at worst, I'll go to the Ghost Art Pavilion again then."
At this point, Xu Meijing suddenly remembered something. She didn't immediately flip through the Ghost Arts Yang Haoran had given her. Instead, she asked Yang Haoran about another matter.
"Why did you submit so many ghosts earlier in the Underworld? Wouldn't it be better to keep them and refine Soul Pills yourself?"
Xu Meijing had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but she couldn't ask such a question in the Underworld earlier. So she waited until now to voice her confusion.
"Refining Soul Pills from ordinary spirits is too sinful. If I have time, I'll filter ordinary spirits, send away the innocent, and leave those who are utterly wicked. This time was a bit rushed, so many souls didn't get screened in time."
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, Xu Meijing couldn't help but shake her head.
"Sacrifices are inevitable behind success. Many of them are innocent. Don't you even understand this principle?"
Yang Haoran smiled, then nodded under Xu Meijing's gaze.
"I do, but I can't bring myself to do it."
Xu Meijing frowned, seemingly displeased with Yang Haoran's answer.
"The person you consider innocent now might be the one who kills you someday."
Yang Haoran knew Xu Meijing was reminding him, lest he suffer a loss without knowing it. A warm current surged in his heart, and the smile on his face deepened a few shades.
"Don't worry, you know I'm not a careless person. If I dare to do this, I definitely won't leave any weaknesses behind."
Seeing Yang Haoran insist on his approach, Xu Meijing shook her head again, somewhat helplessly.
"Never mind the spirits, what about those powerful ghosts? Why didn't you keep them for yourself?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran couldn't help but show a bitter smile.
"I wanted to keep those more powerful ghosts too, but I didn't dare. Because most of these ghosts were obtained from my trip to Yunchuan City a while ago. Guardian Luo knows about this matter. To minimize the risk, I decided to submit these ghosts to the Underworld."
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