Chapter 685: Revisiting Old Haunts
Yang Haoran spent some time thoroughly inspecting all the Communication Arts he had collected.
However, the results left him somewhat disappointed.
He certainly had quite a few Communication Arts in his collection, but none of them were what he needed at the moment, which left him speechless.
He had hoped to solve his current dilemma this way, but things didn't go as planned; he couldn't find what he wanted among these Communication Arts, so he had to abandon the idea.
He had no choice but to give up this idea. After all, Communication Arts weren't something he could just get his hands on; usually, only Spirit Mediums possessed Communication Arts. Few others did. But where could he find a Spirit Medium now?
Even if he found a Spirit Medium, they might not have the Communication Art he wanted. In comparison, acquiring Ghost Arts was simpler, though doing so would consume his Soul Pills.
After much deliberation, Yang Haoran concluded that he probably had no choice but to activate his backup plan: when he went to the Underworld to retrieve the Skins, he would make a trip to the Ghost Art Pavilion. With no other options, this was the only way.
However, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him, and he thought of another method. As for whether it would work, he couldn't be sure yet; he would only know after trying.
All his ghost subordinates, including Tang Shi, had a mask. This mask was entirely black, not terrifying or grotesque at all, but rather bore a gentle, smiling face. However, the longer one stared at this smiling face, the more unspeakably eerie it became.
The method Yang Haoran thought of at this moment was to start with this Smiling Face Mask.
Currently, the Smiling Face Masks in Tang Shi's and the others' possession were made of ordinary materials, but after being imbued with Yang Haoran's Spirit Power, these common masks gained extraordinary abilities.
This extraordinary ability allowed the wearer, when in danger, to simply inject Yin Qi into the mask, and the mask would form a protective barrier, shielding the wearer. At the same time, Yang Haoran, as the enchanter, would also sense it.
The method Yang Haoran conceived now was to add another ability to the Smiling Face Mask, building upon its existing foundation, by imbuing it with his Spirit Power: the ability to explode.
Since the mask could gain defensive capabilities through Spirit Power enchantment, giving it an explosive ability was certainly not difficult. The key was whether the explosion's power would be sufficient to make a Soul Body undergo Soul Transformation.
An ordinary explosion certainly couldn't make a Soul Body undergo Soul Transformation, but a Spirit Power explosion would have a completely different effect, as Spirit Power was a powerful deterrent against ghosts.
Thinking this, Yang Haoran felt he could definitely give it a try. He would know if it worked after testing it; merely thinking about it only made it theoretically sound. To truly see if it was feasible, he needed to put it into practice.
Thus, he prepared to take out a Smiling Face Mask from his independent space to test it, but then he realized, to his dismay, that he no longer had any Smiling Face Masks left in his independent space.
These Smiling Face Masks were custom-made by a skilled craftsman in the city whom Yang Haoran had found. However, this craftsman had long since forgotten Yang Haoran and that he had ever made such Smiling Face Masks, as Yang Haoran had long ago erased his memories of the matter.
Though the craftsman didn't remember Yang Haoran, Yang Haoran remembered him. With no Smiling Face Masks currently on hand, he had no choice but to visit the craftsman's shop again.
Regardless of whether his current idea could be implemented on the Smiling Face Masks, these masks were something he needed. Because in the future, his ghost subordinates would surely multiply, so he would have to make this trip sooner or later anyway.
However, the world was now in chaos, and Lecheng had also suffered misfortune. There wasn't a single soul to be seen on the streets and alleys of Lecheng; various shops were tightly shut, and this craftsman's shop was no exception.
Therefore, finding this craftsman and getting him to make a batch of Smiling Face Masks was no simple task.
When faced with problems, thoughtless people would only sigh and complain, blaming fate. Those with a mind, however, would find ways to deal with them and solve the problems. Yang Haoran didn't consider himself particularly brilliant, but he was certainly not the former.
He pondered for a moment, and an idea formed in his mind. Then, he left his study and went to Bai Xue's bedroom.
Before he even knocked, Bai Xue's door opened on its own.
Although Bai Xue was refining a Demon Pill, she hadn't set up any forbidden barriers so that she could always sense the outside world, thus she naturally sensed Yang Haoran's arrival.
Inside the room, Bai Xue sat cross-legged on the bed. A Demon Pill floated suspended in front of her, but she had already stopped absorbing it, and with a captivating smile, she looked towards Yang Haoran.
Just as Bai Xue was about to speak, Yang Haoran quickly cut her off, blocking the words that were on her lips.
"Ask Luo Dui to look up someone for me. I'm in a hurry."
Yang Haoran knew that if he let Bai Xue speak, he would most likely be teased again. He had urgent matters to attend to right now and no time to chatter idly with Bai Xue.
"Oh, so urgent? Who could be so important?"
Bai Xue first rolled her eyes at Yang Haoran in annoyance, then her captivating smile returned as she playfully asked him.
Yang Haoran chuckled, then retrieved the intercom from the table and immediately contacted Luo Dui.
Yang Haoran didn't have to wait long. A moment later, he received the craftsman's information. The details were very thorough, including the craftsman's precise address in Lecheng city proper, and even his hometown address.
However, when Bai Xue mentioned the old craftsman's city address, Yang Haoran visibly paused for a moment, then quickly returned to normal, but he still double-checked with Bai Xue.
After confirming both addresses were accurate, he committed them to memory and then left the villa.
By now, the sky outside was gradually darkening, but this had no impact on Yang Haoran. He tore space and first headed to the craftsman's city address.
When he emerged from the spatial rift again, he found himself in a residential complex.
This complex was one of the very old ones in Lecheng; it had no relation to luxury whatsoever, not even counting as ordinary.
Yet, coincidentally, this complex turned out to be the very one Jiang Zhenzhen had rented an apartment in. This was precisely why he had paused earlier when he learned the old craftsman lived here and had asked Bai Xue to confirm it again.
It was here that he first encountered a true ghost, and saw Deng Feng, the former Emissary of Death of Lecheng. On Deng Feng, he also witnessed, for the first time, power that surpassed ordinary mortals.
Ever since he was arrested here by Wang Yiming's girlfriend, Chen Ying, he had never returned to this complex.
Returning now, a wave of emotion couldn't help but fill him.
If he hadn't encountered that rotting old woman here back then, the idle Deng Feng surely wouldn't have appeared, and he wouldn't have witnessed power beyond ordinary people.
If Deng Feng had erased his memory at the time, he wouldn't have shamelessly sought out Jiang Dashi later, and then, by a lucky coincidence, encountered Deng Feng again, ultimately becoming a member of the Night Watchers and a sacrifice for Deng Feng's desire to increase his strength.
If the clueless residents of this complex hadn't gossiped so much back then, would Jiang Zhenzhen not have left without saying goodbye? And would he have mustered the courage to confess his feelings to her?
Life was like that; no one could guarantee that everything would proceed according to their plans. Unexpected events would inevitably catch you off guard, changing yourself and others, but life had to go on.
He looked up at the rental apartment that had changed his life. There were no lights, only darkness, as black as it had been that night.
Yang Haoran withdrew his gaze, a bitter smile gracing his lips. He shook his head gently, then put aside his meaningless sentiments.
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