Realm of the Night God

Chapter 14: Eerie Atmosphere

Yang Haoran wasn't initially planning to take on Jiang Zhenzhen's task, but seeing her hand over the red envelope, he sighed and said, "Well, it's not easy being a girl like you. Since you're so sincere, I'll help you take a look. It's just to create some good karma. It's not related to this red envelope of yours."

Pausing for a moment, Yang Haoran continued, "However, even though helping you has nothing to do with the red envelope, there are rules to follow. I can't break the rules just because I'm helping you. So, I must accept this red envelope."

With that, Yang Haoran naturally took the red envelope Jiang Zhenzhen handed over, tucking it into his pocket without any sense of embarrassment.

"The red envelope is a bit small, Master, please don't mind," Jiang Zhenzhen said somewhat sheepishly.

"It's okay. Exorcising demons and evil spirits is my duty. I wouldn't care about the size of the red envelope. It's the thought that counts," Yang Haoran said with righteousness, his face unwavering.

Jiang Zhenzhen was pleased. At that moment, she didn't dwell on the intricacies of the situation. Instead, she asked Yang Haoran, "Master Yang, when do we leave?"

"No time to waste. Let's leave now. I have a habit of acting swiftly in everything I do. Wait for me outside; I'll go in to fetch some things," Yang Haoran said without waiting for Jiang Zhenzhen's response, then plunged into the green curtains. Moments later, he emerged with a yellow messenger bag slung over his shoulder, bulging with unknown contents.

In the past, if Jiang Zhenzhen had seen someone carrying such a yellow messenger bag, she would have undoubtedly stifled a laugh. But now, she found nothing humorous about it; instead, she felt a sense of reverence.

"You lead the way; we're off!"

After closing the rolled curtain door, Yang Haoran followed Jiang Zhenzhen out. Jiang Zhenzhen was genuinely anxious. Once outside, she hailed a taxi, and the two hurried to their destination.

In the taxi, Yang Haoran rested with closed eyes, projecting an air of sophistication. But internally, he was feeling frantic, cursing his lack of willpower.

This task exceeded his capabilities. He had never accepted such tasks before. Yet today, he made an exception, trampling his principles underfoot.

He knew from experience that once one broke their own principles, misfortune was not far behind. But now, with the arrow on the string, he had no choice but to forge ahead.

Moreover, he felt a sense of empathy for Jiang Zhenzhen, a young girl. Regardless of whether he could help her or not, just paying her a visit might offer some psychological comfort.

After about half an hour, Yang Haoran arrived at the door of the house Jiang Zhenzhen had rented.

It was already afternoon, and the corridor seemed dim. Jiang Zhenzhen didn't immediately open the door; instead, she looked at Yang Haoran, seemingly seeking his opinion.

From Jiang Zhenzhen's eyes, Yang Haoran sensed fear, prompting a sigh.

"If you're that frightened, I advise you to move to another place. Even if the issue in the house is resolved, you'll still feel uncomfortable living here in the future," Yang Haoran kindly advised.

This was Yang Haoran's final struggle. If Jiang Zhenzhen agreed, he wouldn't have to take this risk. However, Jiang Zhenzhen shook her head helplessly.

"Even if I were to move, it wouldn't be until a year later. I'll have to make do with living here for this year, no matter what," Jiang Zhenzhen said.

Hearing Jiang Zhenzhen's words and seeing her bitter expression, Yang Haoran didn't perceive stubbornness in her demeanor. He saw only a girl resigned to her circumstances.

With the conversation reaching this point, Yang Haoran refrained from saying more. He simply nodded in understanding, then gestured for Jiang Zhenzhen to open the door.

She took out the key, her body trembling slightly, struggling to insert the key multiple times before finally succeeding.

The door creaked open, and a chilly wind rushed out, sending shivers down the spines of the two standing at the threshold.

Yang Haoran's face changed. The sudden gust of cold wind made him uneasy, as if he could feel a pair of eyes glaring at them from some corner of the room. Though Jiang Zhenzhen still looked frightened, it wasn't because of the gust of wind just now. She seemed oblivious to any unusualness in that breeze.

"The gust of wind just now, didn't you feel cold?" Yang Haoran looked at Jiang Zhenzhen, asking.

"Cold? What's wrong?" Jiang Zhenzhen asked, puzzled.

"Don't you find it strange?" Yang Haoran frowned, continuing to question.

Jiang Zhenzhen shook her head. "I didn't find it strange. Every time I come back, I habitually open the windows at home. Now it's winter, so it's natural for cold air to rush out when the door is opened. There's nothing unusual about it."

Although Jiang Zhenzhen said so, her expression became noticeably more frightened. Yang Haoran's serious demeanor and his questions made her realize that things were definitely not as simple as she had assumed.

However, she didn't wait for Yang Haoran's explanation. This didn't disappoint her; instead, it relieved her. She feared that Yang Haoran would give her a detailed explanation, which would only increase her inner fear.

The reason Yang Haoran didn't explain wasn't just because he was worried about increasing Jiang Zhenzhen's fear, but also because he feared increasing his own fear. He preferred to believe that his speculation was wrong.

Originally, Yang Haoran wanted Jiang Zhenzhen to enter the door first, as he felt quite apprehensive. But thinking that such behavior was unbecoming of a thirty-year-old man, he maintained a stern demeanor and entered the room first.

Seeing Yang Haoran's action, Jiang Zhenzhen quickly followed. Subconsciously, she reached out and grabbed the hem of Yang Haoran's clothes, which made her feel a bit safer. In her eyes, Yang Haoran was indeed a knowledgeable master.

Yang Haoran didn't notice Jiang Zhenzhen's subconscious gesture. It wasn't that he was oblivious, but all his focus was elsewhere; he wouldn't have noticed Jiang Zhenzhen's subconscious action.

Since stepping into the room, Yang Haoran had felt a chilling atmosphere, causing his heart rate to increase involuntarily. Yes, he was nervous inside, but he didn't show it.

Enduring this chilling sensation, Yang Haoran surveyed the house inside and out, including Jiang Zhenzhen's bedroom. As Jiang Zhenzhen had described, all the windows in the house were open, letting in a freezing cold breeze, making the room naturally cold.

To ordinary eyes, it seemed that way. However, to Yang Haoran, the cold in Jiang Zhenzhen's house was different; it wasn't merely caused by the weather.

He had experienced this bone-chilling cold to the depths of his soul many times before, especially last night, experiencing it twice. Therefore, he had a deep impression of this eerie cold. It definitely wasn't confused with the weather.

Just by standing here, Yang Haoran was certain that there was indeed a problem with Jiang Zhenzhen's house. Living in such a place, encountering strange occurrences was not surprising at all.

From Jiang Zhenzhen's earlier words, it seemed that every time she returned to this house, she sensed this chilling atmosphere, but she couldn't distinguish what made it different. She attributed it all to the weather, hence she didn't pay it much heed.

Standing in Jiang Zhenzhen's bedroom, Yang Haoran closed his eyes to sense something. Jiang Zhenzhen, on the other hand, blushed with embarrassment because the room was too messy. It wasn't that she didn't like to tidy up; she had been frightened these past few days, so she hadn't been in the mood to clean up the messy room.

After a moment, Yang Haoran opened his eyes, looking rather grim.

"Master Yang, what were you doing just now?" Jiang Zhenzhen asked weakly.

"Sensing Yin," Yang Haoran didn't conceal anything, answering directly.

"What's 'sensing Yin'?" Jiang Zhenzhen asked.

"It means using the body to perceive nearby Yin energy, seeing where the Yin energy is heavy and where it's weak."

"And...what are the results?" Jiang Zhenzhen continued to ask.

"Through my sensing, I can confirm that there is indeed a problem with your house. It's filled with Yin energy everywhere, especially in your bedroom, which is the heaviest." Yang Haoran's expression was serious as he spoke.

Jiang Zhenzhen had a bit of curiosity in her heart initially, but upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, her curiosity was instantly replaced by fear. She didn't dare to ask again, just subconsciously moved closer to Yang Haoran, almost sticking to his body.

This time, Yang Haoran didn't fabricate or deceive. He spoke the truth to Jiang Zhenzhen.

Of course, this so-called truth only meant that he didn't intentionally deceive Jiang Zhenzhen; it didn't necessarily mean that what he said was true. If what he learned online was true, then what he said would become facts.

"Next, I will deal with this matter for you. Would you mind if I conduct a ritual in your bedroom?" Yang Haoran asked Jiang Zhenzhen beside him.

The latter was already frightened. Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, she didn't refuse. She nodded vigorously, agreeing without any hesitation. Even if it was a ritual, she wouldn't have any problem with it, let alone a Thai massage.

Seeing Jiang Zhenzhen's agreement, Yang Haoran didn't hesitate either. He first took out a compass from his bag, then began to wander around the room in a manner that seemed purposeful, inspecting every corner. It seemed like he was checking something.

Jiang Zhenzhen couldn't understand any of this, so she could only obediently follow behind Yang Haoran, waiting for his instructions.

What Jiang Zhenzhen didn't know was that she couldn't understand the compass, and Yang Haoran, the so-called master, couldn't understand it either. He seemed to be using the compass to check something, but in reality, he was just going through the motions. He had no real abilities. If he didn't go through these motions, everyone would see him as a fraud.

Experts can see the tricks, but laymen enjoy the show. If you don't want to be exposed by laymen, then you must make the show more "enjoyable".