Chapter 302: Corpse in the Bag

A strong, unpleasant odor caused Yang Haoran to involuntarily furrow his brow. However, compared to Yang Haoran, the man's reaction seemed much more intense.

The man quickly covered his nose with his hand, taking a step back. The overpowering stench made him forget about the fishing hook hanging on the sack.

After covering his nose, the man realized that the foul smell not only didn't diminish but became even stronger. It was then he discovered that the hand he used to cover his nose was the same one he had used to lift the sack just moments ago!

Hastily releasing his hand, the man, with a disdainful expression, looked at the sack with a strange gaze.

"What's inside? Why is it so foul-smelling? Could it be a corpse?"

As he spoke, the man looked at Yang Haoran again, his face not showing fear but rather a mere distaste for the odor.

Yang Haoran, serious-faced, smoked his cigarette and, hearing the man's words, calmly responded, "You're right; there's a corpse inside, a human corpse."

The man's expression stiffened, clearly surprised by Yang Haoran's revelation. Recovering, he placed the fishing rod on the ground and cast a mocking look at Yang Haoran.

"A human corpse? Who are you trying to scare? I'm an avid night fisherman, do you think I lack the courage to go night fishing? Besides, this sack is so small, can it fit a person? Can it fit you? Unless someone has been dismembered, but is that even possible?"

The man bombarded Yang Haoran with multiple questions, each question intensifying the mockery on his face.

To prove his analysis was correct, the man, after finishing his speech, endured the noxious smell emanating from the sack and reached out to untie the rope around the sack's opening.

Observing this, Yang Haoran made no attempt to stop the man; he allowed him to proceed.

As the man's hand touched the rope binding the sack, he felt a bit uneasy despite boasting about his courage. Despite his initial disbelief in the sack containing a human corpse, he preferred to believe it held the remains of some animal. However, upon closer consideration, why would anyone put an animal corpse in a sack and sink it underwater?

Better safe than sorry; hence, the man felt a twinge of anxiety, concerned that the situation might indeed be as Yang Haoran described.

A rope was tied around the sack's waist, and although it appeared loosely bound, it seemed intended to secure a heavy object, preventing the sack from floating to the surface. The earlier struggle with the fishing hook likely caused the originally not-so-secure binding to loosen, allowing the man to slowly pull the sack from the depths.

Ignoring the man, Yang Haoran, cigarette dangling from his mouth, slowly squatted down. He lifted the opening of the hemp sack and peered inside.

The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of lifeless eyes, followed by a pale and somewhat decomposed face. Finally, he saw the petite body and limbs, frozen in a struggle just before death.

Indeed, there was a human corpse inside the sack, but it wasn't an adult; it was a young girl who appeared to be seven or eight years old.

From the current situation, it seemed highly likely that someone had callously stuffed the young girl alive into the sack and tossed her into the river, disregarding her resistance.

However, this was only Yang Haoran's speculation. He couldn't be certain if his guess was accurate, but regardless, the crucial fact remained: the young girl had been murdered.

With a composed expression, Yang Haoran slowly withdrew his hand. As he did, the opening of the hemp sack folded back together.

The Yin Qi he sensed came from the young girl's corpse, but he didn't detect the presence of a soul within her body.

There was only one possible explanation for this: the young girl's soul had already condensed into a spirit and departed from the decaying flesh. The faint Yin Qi emanating from the corpse was just a residual effect left behind after her departure, so faint that he almost overlooked it.

"What kind of deep-seated hatred could drive someone to harm a child so ruthlessly? However, the child's soul body isn't nearby. Where could her soul body have gone?"

Yang Haoran pondered this and considered several possibilities.

The young girl's soul body might have been guided away by an Underworld Envoy, or it could have been captured by another capable individual, such as a spirit master.

Of course, it was also possible that the young girl simply didn't like this place, and after her soul body successfully condensed, she chose to leave.

Besides these possibilities, there was another one: the young girl's soul body might have gone to seek revenge against the perpetrator.

"Hey! Hey! Hey hey hey! Someone's dead here! There's a dead person here! I'm calling the police! The police! Someone's dead!!!"

The man's incoherent cries for help made Yang Haoran's expression subtly change. Once the police arrived, it might become troublesome for him to leave this place.