Realm of the Night God

Chapter 1: The Charlatan

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Yang Haoran, thirty years old this year, was given this name by his parents with the hope that he would grow up to be a person of integrity and righteousness. They didn't expect him to be exceptionally talented, but at the very least, they hoped he wouldn't become a scourge to society. His parents weren't well-educated, and it took a few New Genesis Coins and a basket of eggs to persuade a gentleman, not a teacher, but a fortune teller, to choose this name for him.

The fortune teller said there was a lack of water in his fate, but adding the character "hao" would compensate for it. Yang Haoran's parents found this reasoning convincing and were very grateful to the fortune teller. Thus, Yang Haoran's name was settled.

However, Yang Haoran's parents never dreamed that their beloved son would grow up to be not a man of integrity and righteousness, but instead would resort to deceit and trickery, making a living by posing as a divine charlatan. If they had known, they would have disowned this unfilial son.

The world was called the New Genesis World, a vast and magical world. The town where Yang Haoran lived was named Lecheng, a relatively poor small town. Precisely because of its poverty, there were more people who believed in ghosts and deities than in some larger cities. This was one of the reasons why he chose to stay in this city after drifting for more than ten years because here, his clientele was relatively larger.

Another reason for choosing to stay in Lecheng was that Yang Haoran was originally from Lecheng, not from the town itself, but from a rural area within Lecheng's territory.

In today's world, there were far more people who didn't believe in ghosts and deities than those who did, making Yang Haoran's business very sluggish. Since he had no real talent, relying solely on his eloquence and tricks to deceive, he could attract only a few clients and earn limited rewards, making it difficult for him to make ends meet.

However, the world was populous, and although there were more non-believers than believers in ghosts and deities, there were still quite a few believers. Yang Haoran himself knew that there were masters in their line of work who had real skills and earned considerable incomes. Sometimes the rewards for a single task would be enough for him to live on for several years. However, he didn't have that kind of ability and didn't dare to take on such big tasks. Most of the tasks he dared to take were related to sensing Yin.

The term "sensing Yin" sounded somewhat mysterious, as if it were very powerful. But if one knew what it really meant, they would probably not think it was that impressive.

Professionally speaking, sensing Yin meant using one's own body to sense whether there was Yin energy in the area. Put bluntly, it was about whether one felt cold standing there.

The former sounded somewhat mysterious, but as for the latter, it was downright ridiculous. Just standing there and feeling whether it was cold or not, Yang Haoran thought anyone could do that.

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In the eyes of experts, true sensing Yin did exist, and its effect was not insignificant. However, in the hands of Yang Haoran, this charlatan, it had completely changed its meaning.

In addition to sensing Yin, Yang Haoran also claimed to exorcise ghosts. Of course, this was only in the eyes of outsiders, because he himself knew very well that his so-called exorcism was just burning a pile of paper money, lighting three sticks of incense, lighting a pair of red candles, and then mumbling a bunch of incomprehensible words, sometimes even unknowingly including vulgar language.

Relying on these tricks he learned from movies, coupled with his superb acting skills, he really looked like a master, helping people check their homes for ghosts and driving them away. Although he hadn't been in this line of work for long, he was somewhat famous on their street, known for his eccentric behavior. As for whether he had real abilities, opinions varied.

Yang Haoran rented a small storefront in Lecheng, where he sold not funeral supplies, but rather a small convenience store, selling various odds and ends.

It would be more appropriate for him to sell funeral supplies given his current line of work, which would better match his identity. However, he didn't do that because he was also superstitious. Despite his eccentric behavior in front of others, posing as a master exorcist, he had a deep respect and fear for ghosts and deities. He dared not sell those things because he still had to live here.

The small storefront was divided by Yang Haoran into two areas. He sold various odds and ends outside, while inside was his living space, separated by a shiny green curtain, a very green curtain.

The storefront was originally not large, and after being divided into two areas, Yang Haoran's living space naturally became even smaller. Behind the green curtain was a wooden bed, a folding wooden table, and a rice cooker with a pair of bowls and chopsticks on the table.

There was nothing special about the pair of bowls and chopsticks; they were very ordinary and had no other use besides eating. But the rice cooker was different; it was much more useful than the pair of bowls and chopsticks. It could not only cook rice but also be used to cook dishes, boil water, make hot pot, and so on.

Due to his poor family background, Yang Haoran dropped out of school at a very young age. At the age of fourteen, he was forced to leave his hometown and wander around. Over the past decade or so, he had experienced a lot and endured many hardships, but he had also learned a lot. Of course, being thrifty, he had saved up a sum of money.

The money Yang Haoran had saved up wasn't much, but it was the fruit of his hard work, so he treasured it dearly. He didn't dare to spend it recklessly, planning to save enough to buy a house in Lecheng and then find a wife to settle down with. When the time came, he would bring his parents into the city to enjoy their grandchildren and live a comfortable life.

To achieve this goal as soon as possible, he had always been diligent and thrifty, hence the poor condition of his living quarters. However, so far, he was still far from reaching his goal. No matter how frugal he was, he still lacked a considerable amount of money to buy a house. Yet, the most troublesome issue was that he currently had no girlfriend.

A clever woman cannot cook without rice. A singleton like him without a girlfriend, no matter how he planned for the future, it was futile. It was like having a computer with the latest operating system but inadequate hardware specifications; it just couldn't function properly.

Yang Haoran's current life was like this, with many aspirations but hindered by insufficient resources. However, having experienced ups and downs, he was disappointed but not hopeless. On the contrary, he became more determined to strive for his goals.

Today, Yang Haoran, as usual, was managing his small convenience store, waiting for customers to come in. He sat on a chair, sliding his phone with one hand, occasionally covering the screen with his hand, deeply engrossed and seemingly absorbed in whatever he was looking at, as if he couldn't bear to tear his eyes away from it.

Because he was so absorbed, he didn't notice someone approaching. Suddenly, a hand appeared and snatched his phone away before he could react.

Yang Haoran, who was deeply engrossed, was startled by this sudden turn of events and immediately looked up.

In front of Yang Haoran, there was a man who had appeared at some point. He was a handsome young man, probably in his mid-twenties, with a cheerful expression on his face as he looked at Yang Haoran.

"Under broad daylight, you're so engrossed as if you want to bury your eyes in the screen. Who's the teacher that's got you addicted, making you disregard time and place?" The man chuckled, then glanced at the phone in his hand. Yang Haoran, seeing this, didn't try to snatch back his phone; he just looked at the man disdainfully without making any other move.

From Yang Haoran's reaction, it could be seen that he and the man were acquainted; otherwise, the man wouldn't act so audaciously, and Yang Haoran wouldn't allow him to act so recklessly.

"Tch, I thought you had some new discovery, but it turns out you're engrossed in these nonsense." The smile on the man's face vanished, replaced by a look of boredom as he tossed the phone onto the chair where Yang Haoran sat.

He had thought Yang Haoran was up to something shady, but he hadn't expected Yang Haoran to be browsing various materials on exorcism and demon-slaying. Naturally, he lost interest immediately; after all, he had never been interested in ghostly matters.

Yang Haoran gave the man a disdainful glance but didn't show any signs of discontent on his face. He continued to scroll through his phone, adopting the same old man's demeanor as he said, "You know nothing. Do you know what it means to be constantly learning? Do you know what it means to learn until old age? Although I have some skills in exorcism, I've never thought of myself as invincible. There's always someone better. Learning more will only benefit me."

Yang Haoran's words were flawless, his expression and tone were just right. Even he himself was fooled by his words, thinking he was indeed a master of exorcism, a capable person.

Unable to deceive himself, how could he deceive others? Since entering this line of work, this sentence had become Yang Haoran's motto, reminding and motivating him at all times.

The man was momentarily stunned by Yang Haoran's words but soon recovered. He chuckled and scolded, "You're always playing tricks, pretending to be some kind of demigod. If you really have the ability, show me sometime. If you can show me a ghost, in the future, I won't just call you Brother Yang; I'll call you Grandpa Yang!"

Although Yang Haoran cursed the man in his heart, he didn't show any sign of dissatisfaction on his face. He continued with his old man's demeanor, pretending to be engrossed in his phone as he said nonchalantly, "Different trades have different skills. You don't understand, and I don't blame you. So, what's the matter? Why are you looking for me?"

"Heh heh, my friend just bought a new house. He's heard me mention you before and wants you to come and take a look."

As soon as the man finished speaking, Yang Haoran, who was still scrolling through his phone, froze for a moment, then immediately stood up. With his left hand, he pocketed his phone, while with his right hand, he quickly took out a pack of cigarettes from his right pocket and handed one to the man with a smile, saying, "Smoke, smoke. Have a cigarette first."

As he spoke, Yang Haoran noticed that the man's bottom was empty. Then, with a look of apology, he chuckled and personally placed the chair he had been sitting on under the man's bottom, saying, "Look at me, I didn't even notice this detail while studying the art of exorcism. Sit down and smoke first. Let's talk about it later. By the way, would you like something to drink, or is it the usual?"