Chapter 32: Are You Afraid of Death? (Patreon)

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It was still that small wooden house, with the same old Eight Immortals table, the same rectangular wooden stool, the same spot, the same teacup, the same inferior tea, and the same two people.

"Xiao Yang, you've been working hard during this time. Not only have you been donating various supplies to our temple, but you've also been volunteering and helping with miscellaneous tasks. As the head of this Death God Temple, I, representing all the temple priests, want to express our gratitude to you," Master Jiang said, standing up with a slight bow towards Yang Haoran, his attitude sincere and without any pretense.

Yang Haoran quickly stood up in response and returned the gesture.

To be honest, seeing Master Jiang like this made Yang Haoran feel a bit ashamed. After all, everything he did had a purpose behind it. Although he didn't explicitly say it, others weren't fools; they knew what he was aiming for.

However, he didn't have any other choice. Should he just go with the flow and be passive? That would be too passive, and the end result definitely wouldn't be what he wanted. Though his actions might be somewhat shameful, they weren't morally wrong. He felt a bit guilty, but it wasn't a heavy burden on his conscience.

"Master Jiang, you're too kind. We're all believers of the Death God. Although I'm not a temple priest here, as a believer, I feel obligated to do something for my faith," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.

Master Jiang smiled back, gesturing for Yang Haoran to sit back down before taking his own seat.

Once Master Jiang was settled, Yang Haoran followed suit and sat down.

"Although you're not a temple priest here, after these nine days, the believers all thought we've gained a new one. If you hadn't worn our temple robes, even the other priests would have believed you were new," Master Jiang remarked.

Yang Haoran smiled, saying, "There aren't many priests in the temple. By doing a bit more, I can ease their burden."

"Heh, indeed. Your help has significantly reduced their pressure, but it's only temporary. Things will eventually return to normal," Master Jiang said, taking a sip of tea, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

Yang Haoran sensed there was more to Master Jiang's words but maintained his smile, refraining from interrupting.

Seeing Yang Haoran's reaction, Master Jiang placed his tea cup down gently and continued, "I know your intentions, but I still need to apologize for not considering taking you as my disciple."

Yang Haoran couldn't hide his disappointment, but he quickly composed himself, his disappointment disappearing, replaced by a smile.

Though Master Jiang's words were the last thing he wanted to hear and were disappointing, he had prepared himself mentally and didn't lose his composure.

"It seems this will indeed turn into a long battle," Yang Haoran thought to himself as Master Jiang resumed speaking.

"However, although I can't take you as my disciple, I can help you once, but whether you'll succeed in the end depends on you," Master Jiang said.

Yang Haoran was overjoyed to hear this. For him, this was a turning point. However, he was puzzled by what Master Jiang meant by helping him once. Before he could ask, Master Jiang spoke again.

"First, you must answer me a question," Master Jiang began.

Yang Haoran nodded, his smile fading, his demeanor becoming serious.

"Do you want to become my disciple solely to gain powers ordinary people don't possess, or do you have other motives? I need an honest answer," Master Jiang's expression also turned serious.

"I have no other motives. I simply want to learn some real skills," Yang Haoran replied straightforwardly.

Master Jiang nodded, saying, "Very well. I can't take you as my disciple, but if you want to learn real skills, I can help you once. However, I can't guarantee your success."

"Thank you, Master Jiang, for your great kindness. I, Yang Haoran, will never forget your grace!" Yang Haoran expressed his gratitude sincerely.

"There are some things I can't tell you for now. Wait here for a moment; I need to make a phone call," Master Jiang said before leaving the wooden house, leaving Yang Haoran alone.

Yang Haoran felt nervous and uneasy. Master Jiang making a phone call at this moment undoubtedly had something to do with him. Whether this matter succeeded or not, this call was crucial, and Yang Haoran couldn't calm down.

As time passed, the tea in the cup gradually lost its warmth. Yang Haoran held the cup in his hands, unsure whether he wanted to warm the tea with his own body heat or warm his hands with the temperature of the tea.

He didn't have to wait too long. After about ten minutes, the closed door was opened, and Master Jiang returned.

There hadn't been any conversation outside the wooden house just now, indicating that Master Jiang purposely went far away to make the call. Yang Haoran couldn't hear what was said, but he knew it was related to him.

As Master Jiang entered the room, Yang Haoran quickly rose to greet him. Master Jiang walked straight to his spot, gesturing for Yang Haoran to sit down before taking his own seat.

"Master Jiang..." Yang Haoran began, but he was interrupted by Master Jiang raising his hand. Master Jiang's expression had grown even more serious, causing Yang Haoran to feel a slight tremor in his heart.

"Could it have gone wrong again?" Yang Haoran couldn't help but think to himself. At this moment, what he feared most was the outcome he didn't want to see.

"I have a question for you, and you must answer honestly. Are you... afraid of death?" Master Jiang's voice lowered, his gaze fixed firmly on Yang Haoran, observing any change in his expression.

Yang Haoran was taken aback. He hadn't expected Master Jiang to come back and ask him such a question after making a phone call.

It was sudden and explosive!

He didn't immediately answer, and Master Jiang didn't rush him either, simply keeping his eyes fixed on him, waiting for his response.

Yang Haoran didn't know what medicine Master Jiang was selling in this gourd. He didn't answer immediately but fell into deep thought instead.

He knew that his answer would determine whether he could achieve his goal. If his answer satisfied Master Jiang, he might get what he wanted. If not, he would definitely get the outcome he least desired.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Haoran nodded and answered, "Yes, of course, I'm afraid. Unless one is insane or mentally disturbed, who isn't afraid of death?"

He wasn't joking. Despite many people boasting about not fearing death, when faced with life and death situations, they were often more cowardly than they claimed.

Though there might be ruthless individuals in this world who saw through life and death, they were exceedingly rare, and Yang Haoran certainly didn't belong to that category.

He pondered for a long time before speaking the truth. However, this truth made Master Jiang furrow his brows slightly, indicating that he wasn't entirely satisfied with Yang Haoran's answer.

If Yang Haoran had answered that he wasn't afraid, things would have been much easier, but he didn't follow the expected script. Life wasn't like a TV drama.

"Since you're afraid of death..." Master Jiang looked regretful. Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Haoran spoke again.

"Master Jiang, wait a moment. I'm just an ordinary person with my own joys and sorrows. I can be happy and I can be fearful; it's normal to be afraid of death. However, when it comes to a point where death is inevitable, even if I'm scared, I won't back down. Although I may not face it with a smile, I will definitely summon all my courage to confront it!" Yang Haoran's tone was serious, his voice low.

Applause rang out as Master Jiang lightly clapped his hands, a hint of admiration in his gaze as he looked at Yang Haoran.

"Well said. This was a kind of interview question. Congratulations, you passed," Master Jiang stopped clapping and addressed Yang Haoran.

"An interview question?" Yang Haoran was puzzled, but he didn't ask further.

"What you just passed was only an interview question. Only by passing this stage will you have a chance to enter the next one," Master Jiang explained.

Yang Haoran grew even more puzzled, but he remained silent, not asking anything.

Though he didn't speak, Master Jiang wasn't blind. He could see Yang Haoran's confusion and decided to explain, "You want to possess abilities beyond ordinary people, but you must prove your worthiness. If everyone could easily obtain abilities beyond the ordinary, the world would be in chaos."

Master Jiang stared directly at Yang Haoran, continuing, "I was once like you, just an ordinary person. To reach where I am today, I had to sacrifice a lot. If you want to have abilities like mine, you'll need to sacrifice a lot too. Are you still willing?"

Yang Haoran thought for a moment before asking, "What do I need to sacrifice?"

"Many things, perhaps even your life," Master Jiang replied bluntly.

Yang Haoran fell silent, his brows furrowing slightly.

"When it comes to matters involving life, it's not something trivial. It's natural to hesitate. However, I won't give you much time to think. One minute. I want to know your answer in one minute. This minute is my personal gift to you," Master Jiang said, lifting his teacup and taking a sip, observing Yang Haoran who was lost in thought. He wasn't going to give Yang Haoran a peaceful moment, continuing, "The opportunity is in front of you. Your decision lies with you. You better think it over, because this might not be a good thing."

"I'm willing!"

Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment before giving a positive answer. It didn't take him a minute to go from hesitation to speaking.

At this moment, Yang Haoran had some ulterior motives. Regardless of what happened later, he had to agree first. Although this decision was somewhat rash, opportunities were fleeting. After all the preparations, he didn't want to miss this opportunity due to his hesitation!

Opportunities, like certain people in life, once missed, were truly lost and would never return.

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 33: Life-Threatening Trial