Chapter 367: Mom has always been here |
After helping Mr. Wu absorb the soul pill in his body, Yang Haoran left the Nanhu Temple of Death and returned to the villa.
Mr. Wu did not go back immediately. As the second-in-command, he naturally had many trivial matters to deal with. He was not as free as Yang Haoran.
However, the surge in his strength made him feel great and full of energy. This feeling of being full of strength was not something that money could give him. This was the reason why he, who had always been in a high position, was willing to follow Yang Haoran. Because Yang Haoran could give him what he wanted, something that money could not buy.
Back at the villa, Xiao Kang was still studying as usual, while Bai Xue was refining the spirit fruit in the room. Yang Haoran closed himself in the study and set up a powerful barrier.
The reason why he closed himself in the study was to sort out all the souls in his hand in the shortest possible time.
One type of soul he needed to hand over to the underworld, and the other type of soul he had to keep for himself.
Yang Haoran did not keep many souls for himself. To be exact, it should be very few, such as the evil spirits he obtained in Shilin Town, the ghost baby he obtained some time ago, and some other souls like the migrant worker's fifth sister that he could not hand over.
The reason why he kept these souls was that Yang Haoran wanted to prepare materials for himself to refine soul pills in the future.
Furthermore, he did not want to cause trouble for himself, because once some souls were handed over to the underworld, it would definitely have some negative effects on him, so he had to keep these souls.
After dealing with all the souls, Yang Haoran couldn't help but think of the poor mother and son, Xiao Kang and Xiu Juan.
According to the original agreement, Xiu Juan would go to the underworld with him at the end of the year, and he would be responsible for taking care of Xiao Kang. This was his promise to Xiu Juan.
However, if he were to forcibly separate the mother and son, it would probably cause great harm to them.
After thinking for a while, Yang Haoran removed the barrier of the study and walked towards Xiao Kang's study.
When he arrived at Xiao Kang's study, Xiao Kang was studying, while Xiu Juan was floating beside Xiao Kang, seriously teaching him how to read and write.
Yang Haoran's appearance attracted the attention of the human and the ghost.
"Divine Envoy, are you here to see Xiao Kang again?"
"Uncle Yang, Uncle Yang, come and see, are these words I wrote good?"
Xiu Juan bowed respectfully to Yang Haoran, while Xiao Kang jumped off the chair with a smile and rushed towards Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran picked up Xiao Kang and walked to Xiao Kang's study table. He looked carefully at the words Xiao Kang had written. Although they were not very good-looking, they were already very beautiful compared to children of the same age.
"Not bad, you've made great progress." Yang Haoran rubbed Xiao Kang's head and said with a smile.
After receiving Yang Haoran's praise, Xiao Kang was very happy. His face was filled with joy, and his mouth kept making happy laughter.
As Xiujuan watched the child's joyful expression, a smile of contentment appeared on her face. Seeing the child grow up healthy and happy was her greatest wish.
Seeing Xiaokang's happy smile and then glancing at Xiujuan, who had a look of satisfaction on her face, Yang Haoran found himself in a dilemma.
Although he was unsure, there were certain things that needed to be done.
He gently set Xiaokang down with a smile and asked, "Xiaokang, do you remember the agreement between Uncle Yang and your mother?"
Suddenly bringing up this matter, Xiaokang tilted his head, not quite understanding the meaning of the words.
However, just because he didn't understand as a child didn't mean that Xiujuan didn't understand either. Xiujuan was initially taken aback, but then she realized what was being referred to and her soul trembled slightly.
"Gods' envoy, may we speak privately?" Xiujuan forced a smile on her face and spoke to Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
His hesitation stemmed from the fact that he didn't want to avoid Xiaokang. Once he took Xiujuan away this time, Xiaokang would eventually find out, and the truth couldn't be concealed for long.
Instead of hiding and concealing, it was better to let Xiaokang learn to face things bravely. It was better to expose him to reality in advance. Although it would be painful and cruel, how could one become brave without experiencing reality and suffering?
However, this was only his own thinking. Xiujuan, as a mother, also had her own considerations and thoughts. So after a moment of hesitation, Yang Haoran chose to respect Xiujuan's considerations.
Once again, he ruffled Xiaokang's head and said to Xiujuan, "Let's go, let's talk in my study."
"Thank you, Gods' envoy," Xiujuan expressed her gratitude.
Yang Haoran turned and left, with Xiujuan following closely behind. However, just as Yang Haoran was about to reach the door, Xiaokang, who was standing still, spoke up.
"Yang... Uncle Yang... Are you taking Mom away... away?"
Xiaokang's voice had a hint of crying, although he didn't burst into tears. He was trying hard to control his emotions.
Yang Haoran's steps faltered, and then he turned to look at Xiaokang. He saw Xiaokang standing still, clenching his lips tightly. Even though he was trying his best to control his emotions, tears the size of beans kept rolling uncontrollably from his eyes.
Regarding the matter of taking Xiujuan away, Yang Haoran had no intention of hiding it from Xiaokang. Now that Xiaokang had realized it, he simply nodded.
"Uncle Yang... Actually... I really don't want to leave Mom..."
Xiaokang continued to struggle to control his emotions, but the frequency of tears rolling down his cheeks increased.
Compared to other children his age, Xiaokang was already very strong. But even though he was strong, he was still just a child. He knew that he would be completely separated from his mother, never to see her again. The fact that he could control his emotions and not burst into loud sobs was already remarkable.
Not only for a child, but even for an adult, it would be difficult to achieve the level of self-control he displayed.
Xiaokang's appearance was heart-wrenching, and Yang Haoran suppressed the smile on his face, feeling conflicted inside.
"Xiaokang, your mother has already passed away. She no longer belongs to this world, so it is indeed time to leave. Besides, even if your mother hadn't died, she would have eventually. We would have been separated one day. It's inevitable."
As the story goes, Xiujuan's voice choked up.
Yang Haoran knew that Xiujuan's words were meant for Xiaokang, with a simple purpose: to encourage him to face reality bravely. However, deep down, Xiujuan's true feelings were no different from Xiaokang's. She didn't want to be separated from him.
But she had made a promise to Yang Haoran, so she had to abide by it.
She didn't blame Yang Haoran, for he had helped her immensely. Without him, she wouldn't have had the chance to spend so much time with Xiaokang. That night, she would have been taken away by the Spiritual Police.
If it weren't for Yang Haoran, Xiaokang might have been tortured to death by her husband by now. Even if he hadn't died, he would definitely be in a dire situation. There wouldn't be the peaceful life they had now.
So, Xiujuan only felt gratitude towards Yang Haoran, with no resentment. She would never blame him for wanting to take her away.
"Xiaokang, promise mommy that after mommy leaves, you will listen to Uncle Yang. He is your only family in this world. I hope you won't disappoint mommy."
While saying these words, Xiujuan's voice trembled, but she didn't cry. She knew she couldn't cry, because if she did, Xiaokang's current display of strength would surely crumble.
Before leaving, she wanted to set an example for her child.
"I won't disappoint mommy... I will listen to Uncle Yang, but... but I still don't want mommy to leave me!" Xiaokang clenched his small fists and sobbed.
"Silly child, mommy hasn't really left you. As long as you want, mommy can live in your heart forever. If... if... if you miss mommy, just look at the Soul Gathering Bead on your neck. It's the best proof that mommy is always with you. Mommy... mommy is always here."
Xiujuan choked up as she finished speaking. In the end, she couldn't hold back the tears, despite her efforts to control herself.
As Xiujuan shed tears, Xiaokang's strong facade completely collapsed. He burst into loud sobs and rushed towards Xiujuan, repeatedly shouting the word "mommy," tearing at his heart and lungs.
In that moment, his mind went blank. Besides those two words, he seemed to know nothing else.
He wanted to hold his mommy, but he only reached empty air. His spirit was like smoke, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp it.
The more he couldn't hold on, the more he wanted to. The more he wanted to, the less he could.
He cried and shouted, repeating the same action and uttering the word "mommy" over and over again.
Yang Haoran sighed and shook his head with a wry smile. He made a decision.
"If both of you don't want to be apart, then so be it. Stop crying and continue doing what you need to do."
Yang Haoran's actions were actually breaking the rules of the Underworld. Although he had done things that violated these rules after becoming a Burial Master, they were always done in secret, out of sight, and with certain risks involved.
So, if possible, he didn't want to break the rules of the Underworld. But in this situation, forcibly taking Xiujuan away was something he couldn't bring himself to do.
Since he couldn't do it, he simply wouldn't. Although he was a Burial Master, he never considered himself a qualified one, because many of the things he did were not what a Burial Master would do, or dare to do.
Once these rules were broken, it would be the first and last time. Today, breaking the rules wasn't the first time for him, but it definitely wouldn't be the last.
[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]