Realm of the Night God

Chapter 19: Inviting the God

The area behind the green curtain was not spacious. In the half-hour Yang Haoran spent there, he managed to carve out a small space to accommodate other items.

At the innermost part of this limited area, there was now an additional table. This folding wooden table, once used for dining, had now transformed into an altar.

Yes, it had become an altar because atop the table now rested a deity statue, the Death God Statue.

Today, Yang Haoran went to the Death God Temple to invite a Death God Statue home for worship. His current profession involved dealings with supernatural entities, and continuing in this line of work inevitably attracted unwanted entities home. For safety's sake, he decided to invite a Death God Statue from the temple, hoping to gain the protection of the God of Death.

In Yang Haoran's view, even if the God of Death was too occupied to heed his requests as a mere mortal, having the Death God Statue here would deter ordinary malevolent spirits from approaching.

Previously, he hadn't invited any deity for worship at home because he hadn't considered it. Jiang Zhenzhen's incident served as a wake-up call. He didn't want to experience what she went through, let alone anything more terrifying. So, he decided to go to the temple and invite a deity statue for daily worship.

Besides the Death God Statue on the altar, there were offerings and an incense burner. Three sticks of incense were slowly burning in the burner, and some spirit money was burned on the ground. It was evident that Yang Haoran had just performed a ritual.

When inviting the Death God Statue, the temple attendant instructed Yang Haoran that the deity statue needed to be worshipped twice daily, once in the morning and another precisely at midnight.

In the New Genesis World, people worshipped various deities, each with different rituals and timings. Some deities even had taboos during worship, which mustn't be violated, or it would be considered a great disrespect.

The time for worshipping the God of Death was at dawn and midnight. As for the timings and taboos of other deities, Yang Haoran was unaware, nor did he need to know, as he now worshipped the God of Death.

It was nearly noon, theoretically past the optimal time for worshipping the God of Death. However, since he had just brought the Death God Statue home, he had to perform the ritual once. This was what the temple attendant instructed Yang Haoran before he left the Death God Temple.

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With the addition of the Death God Statue at home, Yang Haoran suddenly felt much safer. It was as if he, who had been fighting alone all this while, had found a powerful support out of the blue.

As an incense burned out, Yang Haoran respectfully bowed to the Death God Statue once again, then began preparing lunch. After a busy morning, his stomach was empty and needed some replenishment.

Lunch was simple, quickly prepared by Yang Haoran. Without a dining table, he simply brought the food to the counter, allowing him to eat while keeping an eye on his business.

After lunch, Yang Haoran waited for customers while browsing various supernatural materials online for reference and learning. An afternoon passed like this, with only a few packs of cigarettes sold, yielding no other income.

However, Yang Haoran didn't mind. He continued to immerse himself in the materials, unknowingly reaching evening.

At this time, it was time to prepare dinner again. Yang Haoran put away his phone and returned behind the green curtain to prepare dinner.

Because he was too hungry at noon, there wasn't much time to cook something elaborate. But tonight, he intended to treat himself to something good. As for ingredients, he had called a friend from the neighboring market in the afternoon to deliver some fresh ones.

A duck, some potatoes, and various spices. He planned to make his specialty dish: Braised Duck with Potatoes.

Although his temporary accommodation was quite basic, Yang Haoran was confident in making this dish. A good chef could always make delicious food regardless of the conditions. While Yang Haoran wasn't a chef, he admired that spirit.

Well, ultimately, it was because he was too poor to afford better conditions. He had to make do with what he had.

Under the cold moonlight, Yang Haoran leaned back in his chair, cigarette in his mouth, sipping wine. On the counter in front of him sat a small steel basin containing the Braised Duck with Potatoes, now cold.

The dish looked somewhat forlorn under the chilly moonlight. Apart from the duck head and feet, which had no meat, the rest had been devoured by Yang Haoran. Since he was already full, he couldn't be bothered with the remaining duck head and feet.

With only the duck head, feet, and a few potatoes left, under the cold moonlight, they seemed lonely, adding to the chill of the winter night.

Yang Haoran was lost in thought when suddenly a figure appeared, carrying a pleasant aroma that interrupted his reverie. He snapped out of it and instinctively asked, "What are you buying?"

"Giggle, Master Yang, what were you thinking about? You seemed lost in thought," the voice was crisp, pleasant, and somewhat familiar.

At the sound of this, Yang Haoran looked up and recognized the person who had suddenly appeared before him: Jiang Zhenzhen.

At this moment, Jiang Zhenzhen carried a small bag on her back and was still wearing her jewelry store uniform. Although she wasn't tall, the uniform added a touch of elegance to her demeanor.

Her large, bear-like eyes were gone, replaced by a refreshed complexion, and she looked healthy. Coupled with her naturally delicate features, she no longer seemed lifeless but exuded vitality and youthfulness, which was quite refreshing.

Jiang Zhenzhen smiled sweetly at Yang Haoran, revealing two dimples. Yang Haoran, upon recognizing her, also smiled.

"Why did you come here?" Yang Haoran asked, glancing at the person behind Jiang Zhenzhen. Besides her, there was another person.

The person was a woman, judging from her attire, she seemed to be Jiang Zhenzhen's colleague. However, her appearance was ordinary, not ugly, but not particularly attractive either, similar to Yang Haoran. She was the kind of person who could blend into a crowd, unnoticed without a microscope.

Although she wasn't as attractive as Jiang Zhenzhen, she was slightly taller, at least one meter sixty, ten centimeters taller than Jiang Zhenzhen. So, Yang Haoran immediately noticed her behind Jiang Zhenzhen.

Seeing Yang Haoran looking at the woman behind her, Jiang Zhenzhen, with a sweet smile, quickly said, "Master Yang, this is my colleague, Sister Li. It was thanks to Sister Li's recommendation that I found you this time. Otherwise, I would have been scared to death."

"Hello, Master Yang. Last time, I visited your place to see the house. Do you remember?" This woman referred to as Sister Li by Jiang Zhenzhen smiled and extended her hand towards Yang Haoran.

Upon seeing this, Yang Haoran stood up politely, shook her hand, and then withdrew his hand immediately without taking advantage of the situation.

Hearing the woman's words, Yang Haoran slapped his forehead, chuckled, and then apologized with a sheepish smile, "I couldn't remember why you looked so familiar for a moment. It seems I've had too much to drink tonight."

The woman maintained her smile and said, "My face is too ordinary, Master Yang, so it's normal that you couldn't remember. It's because of my ordinary face that I can't seem to meet my sales targets, and I'm on the verge of losing my job now, haha."

Yang Haoran chuckled again, not pursuing the woman's topic but looking at Jiang Zhenzhen, asking, "It's late. What brings you both here?"

"We just got off work, so we came a bit late. As for why we're here, hehe, in gratitude to you and Sister Li, I want to invite you both out for some supper." Jiang Zhenzhen spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran looked hesitant, showing a dilemma on his face. He glanced at the cold Braised Duck with Potatoes on the counter, then back at Jiang Zhenzhen, saying, "I'm still eating now, and I need to keep the shop open. I'm not sure if I can leave."

"It's freezing cold outside on such a winter night, and it's already this late. There's hardly any business now, Master Yang. Even if you stay here, you might not get any customers. Why don't you join us for supper and warm up with some food and drinks?" Sister Li encouraged.

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran seemed hesitant, neither agreeing nor refusing immediately.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhenzhen felt a bit at a loss, unsure whether to continue inviting or to give up altogether.

On the other hand, Sister Li's reaction was quite the opposite. Her eyes lit up, and instead of feeling difficult, her smile became even more pronounced.

Although she wasn't particularly attractive, she had been in the sales business for a long time. The reason she could continue in this industry despite her plain appearance was because she had honed her skills in observing and understanding people. Otherwise, she might have been fired long ago due to poor performance.

Now that she saw Yang Haoran didn't agree immediately but also didn't refuse, she knew there was still hope. So, she smiled and said, "Come on, Master Yang. Let's go out for a while and come back. What are you afraid of as a grown man? Are you afraid that the two of us women will eat you up?"

She intentionally emphasized the word "eat," and Yang Haoran chuckled, pretending not to understand.

Seeing that Yang Haoran still hadn't agreed, Sister Li seemed to think of something and asked, "Master Yang, are you married?"

Yang Haoran shook his head.

"Then... do you have a girlfriend?" Sister Li asked again.

Yang Haoran shook his head once more.

Upon hearing this, Sister Li laughed and said, "You're not married, you don't have a girlfriend, what are you afraid of? Besides, don't you want to find a girlfriend? Our store is full of beauties. Do you want me to introduce one to you?"

With that, Sister Li glanced at Jiang Zhenzhen and then winked at Yang Haoran.