Chapter 139: The Value of Loss
Xu Meijing hesitated for a moment. Originally, with one foot already stepping into the spatial rift, she withdrew it, turned around, and looked arrogantly at Yang Haoran.
"I thought it was something significant, yet you're so flustered over a phone number. Look at your lack of composure."
Xu Meijing spoke coldly. Despite her disdain, she still gave the phone number to Yang Haoran.
"Is there anything else?" Xu Meijing looked at Yang Haoran, who was still memorizing the phone number, and asked.
Feeling his face flush, Yang Haoran shook his head awkwardly, not uttering a word.
It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything, but he dared not speak. He worried that speaking now would make him stutter and become the subject of ridicule.
Normally, Yang Haoran was articulate. He had even engaged in verbal battles with Xu Meijing before, not always winning but never losing.
But now, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to speak after just asking for a phone number.
Seeing Yang Haoran shake his head, Xu Meijing looked at him disdainfully, then turned and stepped into the spatial rift.
"Don't use demonic pills recklessly, and definitely don't swallow them foolishly. Otherwise, you won't even know how you'll die."
With these arrogant words, the spatial rift closed before Yang Haoran's eyes, and Xu Meijing disappeared completely from his sight.
"At this parting, who knows when we'll meet again. I hope when we do, neither of us has changed."
Yang Haoran sighed a bit, but then he remembered the words Xu Meijing left him before leaving.
"Don't use demonic pills recklessly, and definitely don't swallow them foolishly. Otherwise, you won't even know how you'll die."
This sentence suddenly reminded Yang Haoran of a question!
The process of obtaining the demonic pill last night went smoothly, but Yang Haoran always felt that something was wrong, even faintly sensing danger. Yet, he hadn't been able to figure out where the problem lay.
Now, he finally found the root cause, which made him feel uneasy.
Last night, Master Zhou said that an ordinary person taking a demonic pill could not only extend their life but also possess demonic spirit power, becoming extraordinary from then on.
And if a cultivator takes a demonic pill, their cultivation would greatly advance, even breaking through bottlenecks to reach new realms!
Xu Meijing had also mentioned before that an ordinary person taking a demonic pill would gain demonic spirit power, which was consistent with what Master Zhou said. But just now, Xu Meijing told him not to use demonic pills recklessly, suggesting that the consequences of doing so were unknown. This clearly conflicted with Master Zhou's words.
Between the two, someone was lying!
If Yang Haoran had to choose between Master Zhou and Xu Meijing, he would undoubtedly trust the latter.
"Demonic pills indeed seem to change ordinary people, as Xu Meijing and Master Zhou said. But this only applies to ordinary people. And I am not an ordinary person."
Thinking of this, Yang Haoran narrowed his eyes. He suddenly remembered a conversation he had with Master Jiang once.
In that conversation, he asked Master Jiang why Night Watch couldn't enhance its own Yin spirit power by absorbing Yin Qi from ghosts.
Master Jiang's answer was that the Yin Qi on ghosts was too complex. If inhaled, it wouldn't enhance Yin spirit power but would harm the body instead. If one stubbornly persisted, it might even result in a burst body.
So, Yin Qi from ghosts couldn't be directly absorbed; only pure Yin Qi could enhance Yin spirit power.
Master Jiang's words at that time, combined with Xu Meijing's recent reminder upon leaving, and recalling what Master Zhou said last night, made Yang Haoran think of a possibility.
"What if hastily taking a demonic pill results in an inability to integrate the demonic spirit power within it with my Yin spirit power, leading to a burst body?"
Thinking of this, a cold light flashed in Yang Haoran's eyes. He felt that his speculation was highly likely to be correct. Master Zhou's persuasion about the benefits of taking demonic pills and even breaking through bottlenecks was just a lure!
If he couldn't resist the temptation of the demonic pill and took it recklessly, he would most likely end up dead. Meanwhile, Master Zhou would have a chance to preserve his soul!
At this moment, he finally understood where the discomfort in his heart came from, and where that hint of danger originated. It all stemmed from Master Zhou's tempting words.
"That old fox! Truly cunning. Luckily, I had Xu Meijing's reminder; otherwise, if I had been too eager for quick success, I might have really swallowed that demonic pill!"
The more Yang Haoran thought about it, the angrier he became, even feeling a bit frightened. Without saying a word, he directly extracted Master Zhou from the soul gathering bead.
Since the soundproof seal on the soul gathering bead hadn't been removed, the conversation between Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing wouldn't have been transmitted into the soul gathering bead, and Master Zhou naturally didn't know why Yang Haoran was wearing a stern expression at the moment.
"Haoran, you..."
As Master Zhou began to speak, Yang Haoran slapped him.
This slap wasn't light. Yang Haoran used considerable force, and the Yin spirit power he employed was much stronger than last night's, almost scattering Master Zhou's soul.
"I originally wanted to keep you around to torment you slowly, to vent my inner anger, but I couldn't bring myself to do it because I'm not that twisted." Yang Haoran said with a cold expression, facing a bewildered Master Zhou.
Upon hearing this, Master Zhou initially felt relieved, thinking Yang Haoran would spare him. But then, his relief vanished.
The reason was simple—Yang Haoran's expression wasn't right!
The strong murderous intent, the icy expression, the cold gleam in his eyes—this wasn't the expression one would show when sparing someone.
At this moment, Master Zhou felt intense unease.
"Before leaving Yangjia Bay, use your soul to pay respects to my parents and all the clan members of Yangjia Bay."
With these words, Yang Haoran didn't waste any more time. With a wave of his hand, chains made of Yin spirit power whistled towards Master Zhou.
Master Zhou's face changed drastically. He turned to flee, but at this moment, his soul was unstable. How could he escape from Yang Haoran's hands? Before he could even make a move, the chains had firmly ensnared his soul.
Master Zhou panicked. This panic wasn't an act; he was genuinely panicked. He sensed that Yang Haoran was about to kill him!
"No! Don't! Haoran! I'm still useful to you! I really am..."
Before he could finish his words, Yang Haoran, with a cold expression, violently shook the chains. The Yin spirit power erupted from the chains, directly shattering Master Zhou's soul.
His soul dissipated into faint white smoke. At this moment, Master Zhou, in front of the spirit tablets of Yang Haoran's parents, completely ceased to exist in this world.
Yang Haoran originally planned to torture Master Zhou's soul for as long as possible, but in the end, he changed his mind.
Master Zhou was a cunning old fox, and a fox that could eat people at that. Keeping him around might lead to being betrayed at any time. Furthermore, although Master Zhou didn't know about the soul-refining cauldron, he knew that Xu Meijing and Yang Haoran had entered the cave in the back mountain. Yang Haoran didn't want anyone, even dead people, to know anything about the back mountain cave. To reduce the risk to zero, getting rid of Master Zhou was necessary!
Although he couldn't torture Master Zhou anymore, he had avenged his parents and the clan members of Yangjia Bay for their deep-seated grudge.
In the afternoon, Yang Haoran stayed put, lying in the courtyard chair with his eyes closed, allowing his mind to calm down.
Xu Meijing had brought him too many shocks in the morning, and he needed to calm his mind and digest this information.
The next morning, Yang Haoran packed his belongings and prepared to leave. Apart from his parents' spirit tablets, he didn't take anything else from the house.
Outside the courtyard, he sat in the driver's seat with a complex expression, casting a deep glance at the old house before stepping on the gas and leaving.
"Mom, Dad, I'm taking you to enjoy a peaceful life in the city."
As these words came out of Yang Haoran's mouth, he felt a sharp pang in his heart, along with an indescribable irony.
Before returning home for the New Year, he had already planned to buy a house after the New Year and then bring his parents into the city to enjoy a peaceful life. He just couldn't have imagined that the final outcome would be like this.
He hadn't successfully brought his parents with him; all he took were their spirit tablets. While parents are still alive, how many people cherish them?
After parents leave, how many people remember them, regret, or mourn?
Is this how it is for people? Do they have to wait until after losing something to realize its value, to understand certain truths, and then regret, reflect, or make amends?
But what good does that do?
Understanding?
Perhaps!
But what's lost will never return!
Never!
[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! BokuBoku]
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