Realm of the Night God

Inside the grocery store, Yang Haoran sat cross-legged on the bed, slowly opening his tightly shut eyes.

"Well, didn't expect this to be challenging."

Uttering a seemingly random sentence, Yang Haoran got up from the bed and stretched his body.

With a series of cracking sounds from his bones, his entire body instantly felt incredibly comfortable.

"What time is it now?"

Stretching lazily, with a hint of curiosity in his mind, Yang Haoran picked up the mobile phone beside his pillow. He wanted to check the time, but after pressing the phone a few times, there was no response.

Realizing that the mobile phone was out of battery, Yang Haoran found a charger, plugged it in, and successfully turned on the mobile phone.

Casually checking the time, Yang Haoran was momentarily stunned. Thinking his mobile phone might be malfunctioning, he updated the time, but there was no change. The accurate time surprised him, revealing a wry smile on his face.

"Didn't expect I've been in the store for almost two months."

From the moment he started refining the Death Mark Seal within his body to clearing impurities, Yang Haoran didn't feel the passage of time. In his impression, it hadn't been long, but surprisingly, over a month had passed.

During this time, although he successfully completely refined the Death Mark Seal in his body, only a tenth of the impurities were cleared.

The reason he stopped clearing the impurities at this moment was a sudden realization of extreme hunger. So, he opened his eyes, only to discover that so much time had passed.

He had gone without food for nearly two months, not even a sip of water.

"No wonder I feel incredibly hungry; it's been almost two months without eating. Not starving to death is quite an accomplishment."

Yang Haoran wasn't surprised at the fact that he survived without food for nearly two months. Some animals can hibernate through an entire winter without starving, and his case was unique as a Burial Master.

He knew the reason behind his survival – his Yin spirit power could replenish his body's energy, preventing him from starving easily. Moreover, his body underwent transformation when he became a Burial Master. As long as he didn't face external attacks, he wouldn't age or die, naturally avoiding starvation. Even if he felt intense hunger, ignoring it would make the feeling disappear.

However, Yang Haoran hadn't given up on his appetite yet. Feeling the strong hunger, he decided to pause the impurity clearance and prepare to satisfy his cravings.

But the current time made him feel a bit awkward; it was already eleven in the evening. Going out to buy ingredients and cooking something realistically wasn't possible. Coupled with the intense hunger, even if he had ingredients, he doubted he could hold out until finishing cooking.

After some thought, he decided to go out for a late-night snack and indulge his appetite.

Before leaving the grocery store, he took a quick shower and cleaned himself up. Then, he took out incense and paper money to pay respects to his parents and the Death God's statue.

During this time, he hadn't had the chance to perform these rituals. Now that he had the opportunity, he couldn't forget this matter.

Having done all this, he hurriedly left the grocery store.

After leaving, Yang Haoran's mind was filled with thoughts of various delicious foods. Once he decided what to eat, he didn't hesitate and drove towards his destination.

He initially thought about tearing through space to get there but was afraid of unnecessary trouble if ordinary people witnessed it. So, he opted for the slower method of driving.

After a while, Yang Haoran arrived at his destination. He eagerly ordered his favorites and reached into his pocket, intending to take out his mobile phone.

Since turning on the mobile phone and charging it, the notification sound had been incessant. At that time, he didn't have the opportunity to check. Now that he had time, he could see who had sent him messages.

"I wonder if she sent me a message?" Yang Haoran thought to himself, a smile of anticipation appearing on his face.

However, after reaching into his pocket, his expression stiffened. He couldn't find the mobile phone in his pocket.

He checked a few other pockets but still couldn't find his mobile phone.

"Damn, it seems like the mobile phone is still charging at home. Well, I'll go back and check after satisfying my hunger. Was thinking of calling Guanhai over for a few drinks; seems like he won't have that good fortune."

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Yang Haoran's complexion suddenly changed slightly. Without standing up, he turned his head to gaze into the distance, where the Lecheng slums were located.

"Such heavy Yin energy, intense resentment, what happened in the slums?"

Yang Haoran frowned slightly, feeling puzzled. At this moment, a loud voice brought him back to reality.

"Hey handsome! Your roasted rabbit!"

Yang Haoran turned his head to look at the table, where a roasted rabbit had been placed by the waiter. The aroma wafted towards him, making him involuntarily swallow saliva.

Looking at the roasted rabbit and then at the distant slums, Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment. Then, he spoke to the departing waiter.

"Sorry, could you pack this for me? Do you have iced beer? If not, room temperature is fine. Bring me two cans, please." Yang Haoran apologized with a smile.

"Sure, please wait a moment."

...

Let's go back an hour.

"Song Laoyao, today is your wife's seventh day since passing away. How about we finish this round and call it a day?" On the card table, a thin black man said to Song Laoyao.

Upon hearing this, the other two players showed a hint of joy on their faces. A young woman followed the thin black man's lead and said, "Yes, today is your wife's seventh day. It feels uneasy to be here playing cards with you."

As soon as Song Laoyao heard this, his face immediately turned unpleasant. He forcefully slammed a mahjong tile onto the table.

Bang!

The impact between the mahjong tile and the tabletop produced a significant sound, conveying the player's anger.

"What are you talking about? My wife's seventh day is my business. Why are you in a rush? Besides, it's better if she doesn't go back on the seventh day. She'll be busy meeting ghosts!" Song Laoyao snorted, his voice filled with discontent. He continued, "You're in such a hurry to disperse, do you think I'm a fool? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You three win today, and I lose. You want to leave after winning, but do you think I, Song Laoyao, would agree?"

Hearing Song Laoyao's words, the three players exchanged glances, recognizing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

They had been playing mahjong the entire day, and indeed, Song Laoyao consistently lost while they won. Although such situations had occurred before, it was extremely rare. Unfortunately, Song Laoyao was having an exceptionally unlucky day. No matter how they played, he continued to lose. Even when he finally won a hand, it didn't prevent him from losing money.

In the beginning, Song Laoyao lost all the money he brought. In this situation, he naturally didn't want to leave. The other three also didn't have enough satisfaction yet, and they didn't want to leave either.

As a result, they played the entire day, and the winnings essentially became debts. At first, they could see money changing hands between them, but eventually, it turned into accounting on the table, and all the accounts were under Song Laoyao's name.

At this point, the three no longer had the desire to continue playing. However, Song Laoyao adamantly refused to let them go.

They knew that trying to collect the debts from Song Laoyao would be difficult. Continuing to play wouldn't change anything; it would still be a matter of accounting. There was no point, and they might as well go home and get some rest.

"Let's do this. We'll play one more round, and after this round, I'll go home to check my son's homework. His mother is on the night shift tonight, so this task falls on me." The thin black man suggested.

As soon as Song Laoyao heard this, he looked like he was about to explode in anger. Seeing this, the thin black man quickly added, "I won't ask for the money you owe me. Considering your situation, it's not easy, especially with a child to raise."

"I won't ask for what you owe me."

"I won't ask for mine either."

The other two also stated that they would not ask for their debts from Song Laoyao.

"What do you mean? Am I short of that little money?" Although Song Laoyao said this, his expression softened a bit.

"It's not about the money; we're neighbors, and helping each other is only natural. Your family is going through a tough time, and we all feel uncomfortable. Consider this money as a small gesture from us." The thin black man smiled.

"Yes, your son's mother has passed away, but your son is still here. Being both a father and a mother is definitely not easy for you. By the way, we played cards all day today, and your son is only four years old. Will he be okay without eating for a day?" The young woman asked with a feigned expression of concern. She seemed worried about the child, but in reality, she just wanted to end the card game quickly.

"There's rice at home. If he's hungry, he knows how to make porridge himself. Okay, okay, stop talking about things that don't matter. Seeing that you all don't seem to want to continue playing, we won't play another round. We'll just play one last hand. After that, we'll call it a night, go back to our respective homes, and mind our own business. However, don't forget what you just said. The debts have been settled, and I don't owe you any money." Song Laoyao emphasized.

"Alright, alright, one hand, just one hand. Come on, let's play the last hand!"