Chapter 50: There Really is a Ghost! |
The reason Yang Haoran wore sunglasses in the dead of night was simple: to avoid being noticed when activating the Ghost Eye. Otherwise, he wouldn't resort to such measures.
With the Ghost Eye activated, the first thing he noticed was a faint layer of Yin Qi shrouding Wang Qing.
This Yin Qi wasn't particularly strong, just a thin layer. Although in the short term, it wouldn't affect the body, prolonged exposure would undoubtedly weaken it, making one susceptible to various ailments.
Yang Haoran merely glanced at Wang Qing and then shifted his gaze to her side. At first glance, he was startled. The hand spinning the cup trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
Beside Wang Qing sat not a person, but a ghost!
The ghost was covered in blood, its head a mass of flesh and bones barely discernible beneath. The sight was horrifying.
Seeing this scene, Yang Haoran was indeed taken aback. However, as a Night Watchman, he possessed genuine skills. They say with increasing skill comes increased courage. His fear gradually dissipated as he took a deep breath, regaining his composure.
In fact, before activating the Ghost Eye, Yang Haoran had speculated that there might be a ghost following Wang Qing. Though there was nothing beside her to the naked eye, the strong presence of Yin Qi suggested otherwise.
Sure enough, after activating the Ghost Eye, he found a ghost indeed following Wang Qing. Though mentally prepared, he was still startled by the ghost's gruesome appearance.
Generally, after death, individuals retain their attire and appearance at the time of death. They can choose to appear as they did in life or in their gruesome state, depending on their preference.
This ghost opted for its gruesome state, hence its terrifying appearance.
What was the relationship between this ghost and Wang Qing?
Why was it following her?
Yang Haoran was puzzled. However, the appearance of this ghost revealed the source of Wang Qing's Yin Qi—it was emanating from the ghost.
But why was Wang Qing's Yin Qi much weaker now than before?
And what about the Yin Qi on Guanhai?
To unravel these mysteries, to understand the whole situation, Yang Haoran focused on this ghost before him.
The Ghost Eye revealed things unseen to the naked eye and allowed glimpses into the pasts of the deceased. To thoroughly resolve this matter, understanding its origins was imperative. This was why Yang Haoran didn't immediately use the Soul Gathering Bead to capture the ghost.
With the Ghost Eye activated, Yang Haoran witnessed a scene unfolding—the past of the deceased ghost, Gao Liang. He felt as though he was there, witnessing it firsthand.
Gao Liang was one of Wang Qing's many admirers.
Coming from a poor family, Gao Liang's parents were simple farmers. Despite their lack of means, they doted on their son, shielding him from life's hardships.
It's often said that children from poor families mature early, but this wasn't the case for Gao Liang. Due to his parents' pampering, he experienced little adversity, with his parents shielding him from life's storms.
Gao Liang's academic performance was poor. Normally, a child from a poor family like his would likely drop out of school early, regardless of academic performance. But Gao Liang not only stayed in school but also managed to enter university—the same university Wang Qing attended.
The university Gao Liang and Wang Qing attended wasn't prestigious. Admission was essentially guaranteed as long as one could afford it. Despite his poor grades, Gao Liang entered the university gates, a result of his parents' lifelong savings.
To ensure Gao Liang's admission, his parents exhausted their savings and borrowed money from relatives and friends, plunging the family into debt and further impoverishing themselves.
However, despite the financial strain, Gao Liang's parents were genuinely happy and proud of their son. In their eyes, university was a prestigious institution, and their son's admission marked a bright future—a source of pride and hope for the family's legacy.
So, despite their financial burdens, Gao Liang's parents proudly proclaimed their son's university admission to anyone who would listen, boasting of his promising future.
The day before Gao Liang left, his parents spared no expense, setting up several tables with sumptuous dishes and inviting relatives and friends. They did so to celebrate their beloved son becoming a university student and to bid him a grand farewell.
At the banquet, Gao Liang's parents were in high spirits, their faces beaming with joy. Amidst the congratulations from relatives and friends, they couldn't stop smiling.
The next morning, Gao Liang boarded the bus, his parents tearfully bidding him farewell. Under their hopeful gazes, Gao Liang left his hometown and arrived in Lecheng to begin his university life.
Gao Liang knew his family was poor, but he had no intention of easing his parents' burden. He spent his monthly allowance without restraint, never considering cutting back.
As for how his parents were faring back home or how they managed to send him money every month, he never gave it a thought. He simply focused on what he wanted and how to get the money. In his mind, it was his parents' responsibility.
He rarely contacted his parents unless he needed money. Even during holidays, he seldom called them.
University life was vibrant and colorful, but at the university Gao Liang attended, few were there for academics. Most were there to squander their parents' hard-earned money.
Gradually, he learned to play games, gamble, compare wealth, engage in relationships, and even engage in casual encounters. He didn't bother with academic pursuits, focusing instead on indulgence.
Gao Liang wasn't alone in this; most students at his university were the same. To them, university life meant indulgence in pleasures. Those who devoted themselves to academics were seen as oddities.
Indulgence required capital, and while Gao Liang had little, he had his doting parents. Thus, his parents became his sole source of funding.
At a gathering, Gao Liang met Wang Qing, a fellow student. Wang Qing's beauty captivated him, and he believed he could win her over. However, Wang Qing wasn't interested in the poor Gao Liang, which frustrated him. Undeterred, he vowed to win her affection.
Since his looks failed to impress Wang Qing, Gao Liang resorted to a financial offensive. He showered her with various gifts—clothes, bags, jewelry, and more.
Though these gifts weren't luxurious, they cost hundreds or thousands of New Genesis Coins each. In just a month, Gao Liang spent tens of thousands on Wang Qing.
For wealthy families, this sum was trivial, but for Gao Liang's debt-ridden family, it was astronomical. However, to support their son's education, his parents scraped together every penny, even borrowing from friends and relatives, despite the embarrassment.
As a result, their friends and relatives avoided them, knowing they'd be asked for money. Understandably, they had their own financial burdens to bear. Gao Liang's parents constantly borrowing money made them pariahs.
Gao Liang's financial offensive did yield some results; Wang Qing accepted his gifts, using them to flaunt her status among her peers, satisfying her vanity.
However, she still had no affection for Gao Liang. She only saw him as a means to extract more gifts.
After a month and tens of thousands of New Genesis Coins spent, Gao Liang hadn't even held Wang Qing's hand, let alone rented a room. But he wasn't ready to give up; he was determined to win her over.
In the second month, Gao Liang planned to spend even more on Wang Qing, convinced he could win her affection. However, he hadn't considered his family's financial situation.
In the second month, Gao Liang received no money from his parents. He didn't get the funds for Wang Qing or even his own living expenses.
He didn't realize that since he entered university, his parents hadn't eaten well, surviving on porridge and pickles. Every penny went to him, leaving nothing behind. Now, they couldn't spare a single coin. All he knew was that his parents hadn't given him money that month!
Angry, he ignored his parents' tearful pleas over the phone and lashed out, berating them as useless and incompetent, blaming them for his embarrassment among his peers.
In his parents' eyes, university was where their son would acquire knowledge and skills, becoming a source of pride. They never imagined that their beloved son, since entering university, would forget the most basic principles of being human.
How did it come to this?
How did their beloved son become like this?
Utterly disappointed in Gao Liang and burdened by their debts, his parents were overwhelmed. Unable to cope, they finally drank pesticide together, tears in their eyes, leaving this world behind.
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