Chapter 93: The Appointment
Yang Haoran could sense the sincerity in Jiang Dashi's words of caution. He smiled and nodded in response, saying, "Don't worry, Jiang Dashi, I'll be careful."
Jiang Dashi had interacted with Yang Haoran for some time and knew that Yang Haoran was not a reckless individual. Since he had already given his warning, he believed the other party wouldn't disregard his words.
"You gained quite a lot this time. How much has your Spirit Power increased? " Jiang Dashi asked again.
It was only then that Yang Haoran reacted. Just now, dealing with the other Night Watchers, he hadn't had time to check.
Extending his arm, he fully activated the Spirit Power within his body. Billowing black mist enveloped his palm. Although it still only covered one hand, the density of the mist was twice what it had been before.
If he wished, he could spread his Spirit Power to cover a larger area, but doing so would dilute the Spirit Power, weakening both its defensive and offensive capabilities.
"My Spirit Power has doubled," Yang Haoran said with a smile, flicking his hand to dispel the Spirit Power, and addressing Jiang Dashi.
"That's excellent. After I became a Night Watcher, it took me a full year to reach your current level of Spirit Power. You're much stronger than I was," Jiang Dashi chuckled.
"Jiang Dashi, you're too humble. I just got lucky. If it weren't for the good fortune of subduing an Evil Spirit this time, it would probably be difficult for my Spirit Power to reach this level even in a year," Yang Haoran said humbly, a smile on his face.
The two then left the main hall together. With their departure, the hall quieted down. This place, except for the last day of each month, was usually deserted.
However, before leaving, Yang Haoran took several Soul-Gathering Beads from the hall. To outsiders, these Soul-Gathering Beads might seem miraculous, but to Night Watchers, they were nothing extraordinary and could be taken freely, provided they weren't given to anyone outside the Underworld Office. If discovered, a penalty was inevitable.
After leaving the hall, Yang Haoran, as usual, helped with various chores at the temple. At the invitation of Jiang Dashi and the other temple keepers, he had lunch at the Death God Temple before returning to his convenience store.
In the following days, Yang Haoran didn't go anywhere during the day. He kept his shop open, recuperated from his injuries, and read the books he had borrowed from Jiang Dashi.
In the evenings, he still went out, even with his injuries, to guide spirits and subdue powerful malevolent spirits, conscientiously performing his duties. However, in the past few days, his gains hadn't been significant; he had only found a few ordinary spirits.
After several days, his injuries had almost healed, especially after the Soul Qi infusion. With the enhancement of his Spirit Power, his recovery speed became increasingly fast.
Furthermore, after his Spirit Power increased, he remained energetic even after staying up all night. When he did feel truly tired, a mere one or two hours of sleep would sweep away all fatigue. It was precisely because of this that he could go out to guide spirits at night and still open his shop for business during the day.
This was naturally a good thing for Yang Haoran. With this, he had more time to do what he needed to do.
He had already memorized most of the books borrowed from Jiang Dashi. A small portion remained unmemorized, but he was confident he would remember them all before the New Year. By then, he should return the books to Jiang Dashi; he had borrowed them for so long that he was starting to feel a little awkward about it.
No matter what it was, if it was borrowed, once used, it should be returned promptly. Perhaps the other person needed it urgently but was too polite to ask for it back. Yang Haoran had always been quite particular about this.
In the afternoon, Yang Haoran successively received calls from Wang Yiming and Ma Ling. Since dealing with the Wu family villa haunting some time ago, the three had exchanged contact information but hadn't met again.
During that time, both of them had called Yang Haoran. One was to ask about his recovery, and the other was to invite him out to meet up. After all, for people like them, mutual exchange was beneficial to both sides.
However, because Yang Haoran's injuries hadn't fully recovered, the matter had been put on hold.
Receiving the call again this afternoon, Yang Haoran initially wanted to postpone for a few more days, but then he heard that Ma Ling would be leaving Lecheng in a few days. After some consideration, he decided to go to the appointment that evening.
Ma Ling was not from Lecheng; Old Master Wu had invited her from out of town. Because she had a strong inclination for fun, she hadn't left immediately after the Wu family matter was resolved, choosing instead to play around in Lecheng for a while.
Now, with the year-end approaching, Ma Ling also needed to go home for the New Year, so she dared not linger in Lecheng.
In the evening, Yang Haoran closed his convenience store early and dressed smartly for the appointment. Since his companions for the evening were not ordinary people, he did not invite Guan Hai.
It was fine for Guan Hai to know some of his affairs, but Ma Ling and Wang Yiming might not think the same way, especially Wang Yiming, who always wore a stern expression. From his look, it was clear he wasn't someone easy to get along with.
Arriving at the pre-arranged restaurant, a waiter led Yang Haoran into a private room. Ma Ling and Wang Yiming were already there.
Wang Yiming sat drinking tea with a stern face, while Ma Ling was absorbed in her phone. The two seemed to have little in common, each doing their own thing.
Yang Haoran hadn't expected to be the last one to arrive. What surprised him even more was how awkwardly Ma Ling and Wang Yiming sat there, like strangers.
Yang Haoran's appearance immediately drew their attention. A faint smile appeared on Wang Yiming's stern face, and Ma Ling happily stood up, eagerly motioning for Yang Haoran to sit beside her.
The awkward atmosphere was broken by Yang Haoran's arrival. Wang Yiming and Ma Ling didn't get along well; he had noticed this at the Wu family villa that day. Yet, what somewhat surprised him was that even after experiencing a life-and-death battle together, their relationship still hadn't seemingly grown any closer.
"Serve the dishes, serve the dishes! I'm starving to death! Oh, and bring two bottles of good wine," Ma Ling urged the waiter while gesturing for Yang Haoran to sit down.
"We have many excellent wines here. Which kind would you prefer? " the waiter asked politely.
"The most expensive one! Bring that," Ma Ling blurted out without thinking.
The waiter paused, unsure. Ma Ling didn't look very old, yet she was asking for the most expensive wine in the restaurant. For a moment, she couldn't tell if Ma Ling was joking or serious, so she looked at Yang Haoran with a troubled expression.
It wasn't that she recognized Yang Haoran, but he was the oldest of the three, and well-dressed, so she instinctively turned to him.
Yang Haoran's preference would have been for ordinary wine, but he didn't respond to the waiter. Instead, he chuckled and looked at Ma Ling.
Ma Ling rolled her eyes, seemingly displeased with the waiter's reaction. She continued, "Don't worry, I'm not playing a trick on you. I'm completely serious. Just do as I say."
The waiter also realized Ma Ling wasn't joking. After respectfully acknowledging her, she quickly exited the private room.
The restaurant served dishes very quickly, and soon the wine and food were on the table. At first, the three had little to talk about, but as they drank glass after glass of white wine, their relationship grew much closer, and their conversation became more lively. Even Wang Yiming, who usually wore a stern expression, occasionally burst into cheerful laughter.
The reason the three could gather tonight wasn't just because they all possessed abilities ordinary people didn't, but more because they had jointly handled the Red-dressed Evil Spirit incident, sharing an experience of trials and tribulations.
They hadn't been able to open up before because they weren't too familiar with each other, and each had their own considerations and reservations, leading to very little conversation.
However, with the help of the drinks and food, the situation naturally changed, and they became more relaxed with each other.
Let alone Ma Ling, whose personality was already lively, even Wang Yiming, who always had a stern face, became a chatterbox under the influence of alcohol.
It must be said, while alcohol can be detrimental, there are times and occasions when it's absolutely indispensable.
"You two wouldn't believe it that day, but the reason I could unleash so many Ghost-Slaying Talismans was because almost all the talismans I drew that afternoon were Ghost-Slaying Talismans, plus what I had left from before. What a pity, I used them all up in one go. Even now, thinking about it pains me."
Wang Yiming's face was flushed with drunkenness, and his voice was loud enough to be clearly heard outside the private room. However, Yang Haoran and Ma Ling inside the room didn't find his voice too loud.
Yang Haoran was used to it from being inside the room, and Ma Ling, whose own voice was not quiet, wouldn't find Wang Yiming's too loud either.
"If my Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array hadn't first injured that Red-dressed Evil Spirit, no matter how many Ghost-Slaying Talismans you unleashed, they would have been useless. In the end, it was my Ma Family's Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array that was powerful. If I had been prepared earlier, how could I have fallen for the Evil Spirit's illusion? I would have taken it down in minutes!"
If Ma Ling had said this when Yang Haoran first met her, let alone Wang Yiming, even Yang Haoran wouldn't have believed her.
However, after witnessing Ma Ling's Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array, while both still felt Ma Ling's words were somewhat exaggerated, they dared not completely deny them.
Nevertheless, one thing was certain: the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array was truly formidable. If Ma Ling had been able to hold on for just a moment longer back then, there would have been no need for Wang Yiming to do anything.
Moreover, judging from the situation at the time, Ma Ling had only activated the tip of the iceberg of the Nine Syllable Mantra Great Array's power. If the array were fully activated, how incredibly powerful would it be?
The three grew increasingly animated and boisterous in the private room, their intoxication deepening, but the waiter outside the room began to panic.
"Should I call the police or not?"
The waiter held her phone, looking somewhat flustered, unable to make up her mind.
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