Realm of the Night God

Chapter 39: Soul Gathering Bead

"Besides these abilities, there's another ability after activating the Death Mark Seal."

Just as Yang Haoran was still amazed at how terrifying his ghost eyes were, Master Jiang's voice brought him back to reality.

He dispersed the Yin spirit power from his eyes, and they instantly returned to normal, no longer frightening, with no black smoke emanating from them. He put down the mirror and looked at Master Jiang.

"We, the Yin Division people, deal with undead all year round, naturally accumulating a large amount of Yin Qi. If ordinary people are contaminated with these Yin Qi, the damage to the body would be significant. However, with the Death Mark Seal on us, these Yin Qi won't cause any harm. This ability, like perception ability, in your young people's terms, could be considered a passive skill."

This description from Master Jiang actually amused Yang Haoran; he hadn't expected Master Jiang to describe it like that, but he had to admit it was quite appropriate.

"I didn't realize, Master Jiang, you're quite humorous," Yang Haoran said with a smile. Suddenly, a question came to his mind before Master Jiang could speak, so he hurriedly said, "By the way, Master Jiang, you mentioned before that the Yin spirit power in our bodies is condensed from Yin Qi. Isn't it beneficial for us to have Yin Qi around us? Like in novels, can't we directly refine and enhance our Yin spirit power by absorbing these Yin Qi?"

"You missed two words. Yin spirit power is formed by pure Yin Qi, not ordinary Yin Qi. Although they seem to differ by only two words, the meaning is vastly different."

"This ordinary Yin Qi, especially the Yin Qi on ghosts, is too impure. If we forcefully absorb and refine it, not only will it not enhance our Yin spirit power, but it may also harm our bodies, even endangering our lives. On the contrary, pure Yin Qi is suitable for our constitution to absorb and enhance our Yin spirit power. It is the only way for us to strengthen our Yin spirit power," explained Master Jiang.

Yang Haoran wore a look of realization, then he asked, "So, what about the Soul Qi infusion you mentioned earlier?"

"Soul Qi is compressed from a large amount of pure Yin Qi. In appearance, it's similar to Yin Qi. Once it merges into our bodies, it will immediately erupt with a large amount of pure Yin Qi, thereby transforming into the Yin spirit power we need. That's what I meant by Soul Qi infusion," explained Master Jiang.

"How can we get the opportunity to receive Soul Qi infusion?" Yang Haoran asked again.

This time, Master Jiang didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled out a box from under the bed and placed it on the table.

The box wasn't large, about the size of a computer case, plain without anything special.

"As for how to obtain Soul Qi infusion, even if you didn't ask, I would tell you next." Master Jiang said as he sat down and opened the wooden box.

Yang Haoran's gaze was drawn to Master Jiang's actions. As the wooden box opened, all his attention shifted to its contents.

Inside the box were several boxes and several thick books.

The boxes were brand new, and Yang Haoran felt a sense of familiarity. Upon closer thought, he remembered where he had seen these boxes.

A few days ago, when he first visited Master Jiang, Master Jiang took out a brand-new wooden box. Inside it were the magical transparent beads used by Deng Feng. And the boxes in front of him were exactly the same as those containing the magical beads. 

As for the other thick books, they were somewhat yellowed and old, giving off a vintage vibe. It was obvious they had been around for a while, resembling the martial arts manuals in movies. However, there were no names like "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms" on the covers; they were clean without a single word.

This time, Yang Haoran didn't ask any questions. Under his gaze, Master Jiang took out several thick old books from the wooden box and handed them to Yang Haoran.

Yang Haoran didn't understand why, but he didn't hesitate and quickly took the books.

"I'm lending you these books. Remember to return them after you've finished reading. It would be best if you memorize the contents. It will greatly help you in the future," Master Jiang said solemnly.

Seeing Master Jiang's serious expression, Yang Haoran nodded quickly. He had intended to randomly flip through one of the books to see what was recorded inside that would make Master Jiang so serious. However, before he could do so, Master Jiang took out a wooden box from the wooden box and handed it to him.

"Take it, open it up and have a look," said Master Jiang.

Yang Haoran had no choice but to put down the books first and then took the wooden box, opening it with a click, and peering inside.

At the sight, Yang Haoran's expression changed instantly. As he expected, the box contained a transparent bead.

"This bead is called the Soul Gathering Bead. Its sole purpose is to collect souls. As for what happens to the souls collected into the Soul Gathering Bead, you've already seen it when the Divine Envoy intervened that day, so I won't explain further. This bead is now yours. As for how to use it, simply infuse Yin spirit power into it, and it will be able to collect souls. Of course, it must be within the bead's range to be collectible. If it exceeds the bead's range, it won't be able to collect souls," Master Jiang explained.

"Soul Gathering Bead!" Yang Haoran looked at the transparent bead in the box, unable to hide his excitement. He hadn't expected to possess such a magical bead.

Seeing Yang Haoran's expression of joy, Master Jiang shook his head with a smile. "This Soul Gathering Bead is just an ordinary thing, with no other abilities besides collecting souls."

Although Master Jiang emphasized again, Yang Haoran's fondness for the Soul Gathering Bead did not diminish because of his words. On the contrary, the more he looked at it, the more he liked it.

To Yang Haoran, who had never possessed such a magical item before, the Soul Gathering Bead was his first treasure, holding extraordinary significance.

"Alright, let's put away the Soul Gathering Bead for now. You'll have as many of these things as you need in the future anyway. Let's focus and continue with what I was saying," reminded Master Jiang.

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran carefully closed the box containing the Soul Gathering Bead. Since the Soul Gathering Bead was now his, he would have plenty of opportunities to explore its use when he returned home.

"The Divine Envoy bestowed upon you abilities that ordinary people don't have, not to fulfill your desires. From the moment the Death Mark Seal was planted in you, you've had responsibilities and tasks on your shoulders."

Yang Haoran wasn't surprised at all by Master Jiang's words. There are no free lunches in this world; if you want something, you have to give something in return. He and Deng Feng were not acquainted; how could Deng Feng easily grant him abilities that ordinary people don't possess?

"What do I need to do?" Yang Haoran asked.

"Collect souls, the more, the better. You just asked me where Soul Qi comes from, right? Now I'll tell you: by collecting souls for the Divine Envoy, you can exchange them for Soul Qi. The more souls you collect, the more Soul Qi you'll receive. Submit souls once at the end of each month, and the Divine Envoy will distribute Soul Qi based on the amount of souls each person collected that month. You can think of it as receiving wages, and it's piece-rate wages. The amount of wages you receive depends entirely on your performance for that month," Master Jiang explained.

"So that's how it works," Yang Haoran nodded, showing a look of understanding.

"Guiding the undead, subduing evil spirits, that's the duty of the Yin Division, and also our duty," Master Jiang continued.

"Are we what ordinary people would call 'ghost hunters'?" Yang Haoran asked.

"'Ghost hunters'?" Master Jiang's expression became somewhat complicated, seeming resentful yet hopeful. Nevertheless, he nodded at Yang Haoran and said, "In a sense, yes. But we have another name for our group."

"What name?" Yang Haoran asked.

"Night Watch. Our group is called the Night Watch, and you and I are both members of the Night Watch," Master Jiang replied.