Futile Devices Scans

Qin Shu was not a particularly well-behaved drunk.

After all, he rarely drank and did not even like alcohol. He had always been an honest, well-behaved child.

Yet this sort of thing had happened more than once. The brown-sugar rice balls in sweet rice wine served by the school cafeteria, the fermented-rice osmanthus cakes from the snack stalls beyond the back gate, and even the ice cream and braised beef at certain trendy restaurants… had all produced similar results.

His drunken behavior was bad enough, but clearly, Qin Shu’s alcohol tolerance was also terrible. Unfortunately, Pei Zhao was always the person he ended up harassing.

Hugging and clinging to him were merely the basics. Qin Shu also enjoyed braiding his hair, carrying him over one shoulder while shouting, “I’m back from the hunt!” or taking apart Pei Zhao’s school uniform and attempting to redesign it into something more fashionable with a needle and thread.

Pei Zhao had never become angry.

Not once.

After personally witnessing Qin Shu drunk several times, Tang Rui Cheng was so horrified that even the way he privately talked about Pei Zhao changed.

At first, it had been: “Old Qin, why do you insist on hanging around with that cold-faced pretty boy? He’s just an obedient model student. He doesn’t like basketball or play games. What could you two possibly talk about? Seriously, you don’t have anything in common.”

Later, it became: “Qin Shu, what the hell is wrong with you? Why are you bullying him again? What will you do if someone with such a good temper finally gets sick of you and runs away? Can you learn to restrain those hands of yours? You’re not a normal person!”

Qin Shu had taken his words to heart and seriously reflected upon himself. He had tried to become an upright, highly cultivated young citizen of the new era, but it was completely useless. The next time it happened, his muddled brain simply repeated the same behavior.

Perhaps the blame did not lie entirely with him. Qin Shu felt that Pei Zhao was intentionally or unintentionally indulging him. No one else believed it, but Qin Shu understood better than anyone—when someone was being spoiled, they could absolutely feel it.

For example, during morning reading the following day, Pei Zhao expressionlessly opened his phone and showed Qin Shu exactly what he had done the previous night…

Looking at the crying-cat stickers flooding the entire screen and notification bar, Qin Shu coughed lightly, then stubbornly refused to explain a single word, as though nothing had happened.

He directly pressed the button to turn off Pei Zhao’s screen, then casually took Pei Zhao’s hand and squeezed it. Lying across his desk, he said quietly, “Zhaozhao, I’m so sleepy. I’m going to sleep for a while. Wake me up if Old Fu comes by to patrol, all right?”

Pei Zhao allowed Qin Shu to pull his hand over and use it as a pillow, giving him a speechless glance. “Did you finish your homework?”

“Mm. It’s all in the back compartment of my backpack. If the subject representative comes to collect it, just take it out.” Qin Shu’s voice grew softer with every word, his heavy drowsiness completely undisguised. He pressed his face against Pei Zhao’s cool palm and sighed comfortably.

“…I understand. Go to sleep.”

And just like that, the tiny crisis ended.

Pei Zhao never woke him. Even while working with one hand, he completed problems as smoothly as ever. Qin Shu, meanwhile, slept somewhat restlessly across the hard desk.

He woke several times on his own but continued pretending he had not, shamelessly clinging to Pei Zhao’s hand and refusing to release it.

How much longer could these ordinary, peaceful moments continue? Perhaps they would only grow shorter and shorter.

Qin Shu did not want to waste a single second.

When he opened his eyes again, half the English class had already passed. Sara had finished explaining the cloze passage and essay from their previous quiz, then instructed everyone to study independently and distributed five test papers in one go as homework for the remainder of the week.

The students in the front rows continued solving questions, while notes quickly began circulating in the back. The police had kept the information well concealed, so no one knew that a married couple had died in the corridor the previous night amid unimaginable agony and terror—and in spectacularly gruesome fashion.

Therefore, everyone could continue discussing other people’s misfortunes with detached fascination. Conversation at No. 2 High School still revolved around the boy who had jumped, Teacher He whose head had “exploded,” and the perpetually unlucky Tang Rui Cheng, who remained hospitalized.

All manner of rumors and ghost stories were spread with absolute conviction, each one described in vivid detail. Qin Shu caught a ball of paper that flew through the air toward him, unfolded it, and casually glanced over the contents before laughing soundlessly.

Not only were people claiming that Tang Rui Cheng had been cursed by a ghost, some were also saying Qin Shu had brought the curse upon him. They said Qin Shu’s mental state had seemed wrong over the past few days and that even the teachers had mentioned it repeatedly. Perhaps he had been possessed by a ghost.

“Possessed by a ghost… possessed by a ghost,” Qin Shu muttered twice before putting away the note.

He did not take the rumors seriously and cared little about other people’s opinions. Yet the speculation suddenly caused a faint concern to rise within him.

If someone at school truly became possessed, how was he supposed to deal with it? Would simply beating them up work?

Qin Shu sank into thought. Secretly taking out his phone, he began carefully reading A Complete Collection of One Hundred Folk Secret Techniques and genuinely found quite a few possible methods.

Setting aside the talisman-water rituals in which Daoist priests specialized, ordinary people who encountered such a situation could burn incense and send the ghost away, or prepare clean food and water as offerings before communicating with the spirit realm by balancing chopsticks upright.

If communication succeeded, the ghost would eat the offerings, listen to a few pleasant words, and leave comfortably of its own accord. If communication failed… one had to dip a finger in rooster blood and smear it between the possessed person’s brows. The practitioner would then take out a butcher’s knife, curse furiously while slashing wildly at the air, preferably spit several times, and attempt to scatter cinnabar and coarse aged salt.

Qin Shu fell silent. This did not seem like a method he could easily put into practice at school. Merely obtaining and preserving the materials would be extremely troublesome, to say nothing of wildly swinging a knife and shouting obscenities.

The greatest difficulty was that Qin Shu could not curse. He had never learned more than a few useful swear words. His family had been strict when he was young, and after growing up, he simply did not enjoy using them, so he could not force the words out.

However… folk techniques were not limited to the basic methods Daoist Priest Xu had passed to him. Qin Shu had already set his sights on another potential teacher.

—The excessively lively Liu Yang Yang, professional corpse herder Brother Liu.

Qin Shu agreed to speak with him and subsequently learned that Liu Yang Yang had arrived in Jiangcheng at sunrise that morning. At the moment, he was receiving treatment for fractures at First Municipal Hospital.

According to Liu Yang Yang, he had encountered a few “minor dangers” while completing his previous job. His arm had been fractured and his thigh dislocated, and he had only narrowly escaped before messaging Qin Shu the previous night.

The man had climbed out of some unknown mountain ravine overnight, wearing the soles of his shoes down to thin sheets, then astonishingly traveled to Jiangcheng on foot beneath the stars and moon. His physical strength and endurance were truly extraordinary.

Qin Shu was deeply impressed. In his heart, he unilaterally crowned Liu Yang Yang an unparalleled madman and offered to treat him to lunch. As for the matters in which each of them needed the other’s help, they could negotiate slowly while eating.

“Zhaozhao, during lunch break I’m treating a very capable corpse herder to a meal at Qingfeng Teahouse. Will you come with me?”

Pei Zhao completely ignored the words “corpse herder,” seemingly not the slightest bit curious about Liu Yang Yang’s profession. Instead, he looked somewhat puzzled. “Why do you need me to accompany you?”

“I’m scared. I don’t dare go alone.” Qin Shu lightly tugged his sleeve and spoke as though it were entirely true. “Come with me.”

“…”

Not firmly and decisively refusing was equivalent to not refusing. Qin Shu smiled and pushed his luck further. “It doesn’t matter if you dislike the food there. I’ll order delivery. Whatever you want to eat, I’ll order it. We agreed that I would treat you to hotpot before, but you secretly paid again. Zhaozhao, you did that deliberately. This time, I’m taking back everything that belongs to me!”

“…Fine. I’ll go.”

Pei Zhao appeared to want to say something, the speechlessness on his face completely visible. Of course he could tell Qin Shu was talking nonsense, but after being pestered relentlessly, he could only agree helplessly.

Qin Shu was doing it deliberately.

He desperately needed to know how another knowledgeable and more professional person would react upon seeing Pei Zhao in person. Whether that reaction provided self-comfort, reassurance, or a truth he could no longer deliberately ignore… he needed perspectives from multiple people. He needed to hear what others thought.

Unfortunately, Daoist Priest Xu avoided him as though evading demons and monsters, both online and in person, frequently reading his messages without replying. Apart from the times Qin Shu wanted to purchase talismans, when he would appear at lightning speed, he refused to come anywhere near him regardless of what Qin Shu said.

That being the case, he could only seek Brother Liu’s opinion.

Before Xing Yong arrived at No. 2 High School to conduct further investigations and interviews, Qin Shu wanted to get ahead of him and obtain as much useful information as possible… At the very least, he needed a direction for his thoughts and some understanding of what he should do next.

Thus, the instant lunch break began, Qin Shu immediately dragged Pei Zhao out through the back gate. The snack stalls outside the school were already bustling. In the winter weather, greasy grilled sausages and fried chicken were the most popular, releasing an unhealthy yet irresistible aroma.

Pei Zhao did not even glance at them, saying that he had not had much appetite lately.

Qin Shu raised his brows slightly and went to the milk-tea shop to collect a jasmine tea topped with ice cream that he had ordered in advance.

It was a flavor Pei Zhao liked, cold and lightly sweet. Qin Shu scooped up a bite of ice cream and tentatively tasted it, only for the cold to immediately contort his features. He hurriedly shoved the evil beverage into Pei Zhao’s hands.

“Hiss… You really aren’t cold?”

Pei Zhao was amused by his flustered appearance. The corners of his lips curved into a faint smile. “I’m not.”

“I don’t believe you. Give me your hand.”

“Oh.”

Qin Shu clasped those icy fingers in his palm. They could not be warmed anytime soon and still carried a coldness sharp enough to burn. It was like holding a soft handful of fresh snow—the tighter he squeezed, the colder it became, gradually making his own hand lose sensation.

But Qin Shu did not release him, and Pei Zhao did not pull his hand away. They walked hand in hand in silence, slowly crossing the noisy street until the quiet sound of falling snow became clearly audible.

Qingfeng Teahouse in the alley remained the same as ever, hidden among the fine snow and withered trees. The path before its entrance had been swept neat and clean, carrying its own reassuring tranquility.

Qin Shu had chosen Qingfeng Teahouse not because he particularly enjoyed vegetarian food, but because of Liu Yang Yang’s personal beliefs—or perhaps they were cultivation requirements.

Before turning thirty, he could not eat any red meat. Pork, beef, and lamb were entirely forbidden. Nor could he marry or engage in anything romantic partners enjoyed doing. According to Liu Yang Yang, this was related to the cultivation method corpse herders in his hometown began practicing from childhood. Violating the prohibitions might attract unimaginable horrors.

However, these restrictions did not prevent Liu Yang Yang from becoming muscular.

He truly was enormous, standing a full 195 centimeters tall, with almost no visible body fat. He appeared considerably larger than Qin Shu. Seated inside the simple, elegant tearoom, he resembled a wild beast that had forcibly barged inside. His entire body was covered in corded muscles and bulging veins, plainly brimming with explosive strength.

Combined with his foolishly sunny smile, Liu Yang Yang resembled a cheerful, energetic giant frog.

“Boss! Hello, hello! And hello to Boss’s classmate too!”

First came an extraordinarily enthusiastic handshake. Liu Yang Yang’s fractured left hand was still wrapped in a rigid bandage, but that did nothing to diminish the terrifying strength of his right hand.

Qin Shu felt as though his fingers had been caught in a car door and barely managed to produce a smile. “Just call me Qin Shu. This is my friend, Pei Zhao. Mr. Liu, traveling all the way to Jiangcheng must have been exhausting. There’s no need to be so polite. Shall we talk while we eat?”

Grrrrumble—

The instant he finished speaking, a thunderous growl echoed throughout the room. Liu Yang Yang chuckled. “Sure, Brother Qin. I really haven’t eaten for several days, so I’m a little hungry.”

Several days without eating… That was far beyond being merely a little hungry, wasn’t it? The corner of Qin Shu’s mouth twitched. He could no longer be bothered correcting the “Brother Qin” and pulled out a chair for Pei Zhao to sit first.

“The tea here is good. Would you prefer pu’er or Da Hong Pao?”

“Anything that quenches thirst is fine. I’m not picky!”

“…You haven’t gone several days without drinking water too, have you?”

“Hahaha, it’s fine. A nurse gave me a small cup of hot water at the hospital outpatient department. I won’t die.”

“…”

Qin Shu sighed, once again gaining a clear understanding of just how unusual Liu Yang Yang was.

The vegetarian dishes provided by Qingfeng Teahouse were excellent in color, aroma, and flavor. Qin Shu also ordered two signature roast geese from a nearby barbecue shop, along with the ice-cream crêpe Pei Zhao liked. Once everything covered the table, it looked genuinely abundant, far exceeding Liu Yang Yang’s requirements.

As usual, Pei Zhao did not like speaking and appeared entirely uninterested in other people’s affairs. He slowly finished the ice-cream topping on his milk tea, then quietly began savoring his small dessert.

The other two, both exceptionally capable eaters, reached an unspoken agreement as soon as the meal began. They silently and fiercely demolished both roast geese before finally recovering the desire to communicate.

“Mr. Liu, do you think Pei Zhao is good-looking?” Qin Shu took a sip of tea and spoke first. His pronunciation was exceptionally clear, but the meaning he intended to convey was extremely obscure.

The atmosphere inside the tearoom abruptly changed. Pei Zhao stared blankly, while Liu Yang Yang, still holding a roast-goose leg, also froze and nearly choked.

Liu Yang Yang looked at Qin Shu in confusion. Qin Shu calmly met his gaze without offering any further explanation.

“…Uh, yes. He’s good-looking.”

Liu Yang Yang answered honestly and uneasily, his gaze repeatedly shifting between the two of them. Still unable to understand what response Qin Shu wanted, he timidly emphasized, “Y-you’re both quite good-looking.”

Qin Shu nodded, then thoughtfully continued, “He’s this good-looking. Do you think that’s normal?”

“…Huh? N-normal, I suppose?” Liu Yang Yang became increasingly restless. “Living conditions are better nowadays, so every younger generation naturally looks better than the last…”

“Good. Then there’s no problem.” Qin Shu smiled, while the hand beneath the table quietly settled upon Pei Zhao’s thigh. “So, Mr. Liu, what do you need help with here in Jiangcheng? As long as I’m capable of helping, I’ll do my best.”

“Cough, cough. Ah, good, no problem.” Liu Yang Yang spoke shakily and secretly gulped down a large mouthful of hot tea. “Here’s the situation. Regarding Sister Jiang and Sister Qian’s joint burial ceremony… our clan elders said Brother Qin must be present for it to proceed. Otherwise, it’ll be extremely difficult. Most of the elders in the village have passed away, and the remaining youngsters can’t suppress her.”

“I’m also very young. Would my presence really be enough to suppress her?” Qin Shu asked curiously. “Mr. Liu, I don’t know very much about ghosts and spirits. Please explain in greater detail, if possible.”

“Brother Qin, don’t be modest! I’m not even from a Daoist lineage, yet I could tell at a glance how profound your cultivation is. It’s extremely rare for someone’s yang energy to be as powerful as yours. Only you could effortlessly suppress something that wicked.”

Liu Yang Yang grew excited on his own, unable to stop marveling. “Your three fires burn as hot as the Supreme Lord Lao’s alchemical furnace. An ordinary little ghost would have its soul scattered just from you touching its face. Goodness, if I had a constitution that strong, I never would’ve been trapped in that damp, sinister place for days and nights without escaping.”

The so-called three fires were the Three True Fires: Heavenly Gang, Earthly Sha, and Human Lamp, located above a person’s shoulders and the crown of their head. Ordinary gods and ghosts avoided anyone whose three fires burned strongly.

Qin Shu had heard of them and read about them in novels. When staring hard into a mirror, he might vaguely glimpse the illusion of flames. But he genuinely felt no difference himself. After all, probably not a single ghost inside No. 2 High School was ordinary.

“So what you truly need is my yang energy?”

“Exactly! And Brother Qin, you’re the one who subdued Sister Qian. With you present, the chances of her suddenly losing control will fall considerably.” Admiration filled Liu Yang Yang’s eyes, his desire to cling to Qin Shu’s powerful support completely obvious. “We’ll cover your meals, lodging, and flights. Just treat it as a weekend trip to Yuncheng. How does that sound?”

“…I understand. Can I bring Pei Zhao?” Qin Shu thought for a moment and poked Pei Zhao’s arm.

Pei Zhao seemed distracted, his gaze resting on a storage cabinet behind everyone. He did not respond when he heard Qin Shu’s question.

Silence basically meant agreement. Liu Yang Yang also eagerly cooperated. “Of course, of course! Traveling with a good friend is wonderful. Brother Pei, I’ll cover your ticket too. When the time comes, I’ll take you into the mountains and let you bring some wild lingzhi mushrooms home.”

“All right. Now let’s discuss your troublesome matter.” Qin Shu was not particularly excited because he suspected the main issue was still coming. “Mr. Liu, precisely how troublesome is this matter that you’re willing to give me five million yuan?”

“Ah… Hahaha. It isn’t especially troublesome. It’ll definitely be easy for Brother Qin. The client offered generous payment, and I couldn’t resist accepting the job.” Liu Yang Yang scratched his head in embarrassment. “Only after accepting it did I discover that my education is too limited. I truly can’t complete this assignment alone.”

“Being a corpse herder requires an education?” Qin Shu froze.

“There’s nothing I can do. The deceased is a foreigner—a handsome blond, blue-eyed man. Ah, he was a pitiful person too… I’m responsible for collecting the corpse from Jiangcheng and escorting it all the way to the border. All the official procedures are complete. The problem is that I can’t get the body out of the place where it died.”

Qin Shu became even more confused. “What’s going on? Do you need to speak with the corpse?”

“No, no. How could a corpse speak? The problem is that the place where he died is extremely sinister, and there’s also his guardian spirit, which looks almost like a ghost. I don’t know what sort of creature it is, but goodness, it’s vicious. It keeps entering my dreams to attack and frighten me. Unfortunately, I can’t understand a single word of that foreign language. I have no idea what it wants me to do.”

Liu Yang Yang sighed deeply, plainly tormented beyond endurance. He continued, “I don’t have many acquaintances in Jiangcheng, so I wanted to trouble Brother Qin to translate for this foreign ghost. Whatever the issue is, we can discuss it properly. If communication truly proves impossible, the two of us can beat it to death together.”

Qin Shu was already staring in astonishment. His recently constructed worldview was challenged once again, and he murmured, “…A foreign ghost. Seriously? There are foreign ghosts in this world? Where exactly is it? I absolutely have to go see this.”

“I’m going too,” Pei Zhao suddenly said.

Qin Shu froze upon hearing him, a wave of unease quietly rising in his heart.

The hand he had casually rested on Pei Zhao’s thigh involuntarily tightened. Perhaps he used too much force, because Pei Zhao frowned slightly at him. “Gently.”

“Sorry.” Qin Shu hurriedly relaxed his grip but still did not withdraw his hand. With a serious expression, he asked, “Why do you want to go?”

Pei Zhao tilted his head and answered with complete honesty, “Because I’m curious. I’ve never seen a foreign ghost either.”

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