One listen was enough to know that was Tang Rui Cheng himself speaking.
He still had enough energy to joke, which meant he was fine. His mind was clear, and his reason had not been damaged.
Thank goodness. Seriously, thank goodness.
Pei Zhao casually cast a spell, and the blood that had been pouring out rapidly stopped. Qin Shu finally laughed too. His tightly wound body relaxed slightly as he walked into the bedroom holding the disinfecting wipes he had found earlier.
He rummaged through the cabinet again until he found iodine, then carefully pulled the dagger free. Father William immediately got moving as well, opening his enormous hiking pack and taking out the first-aid kit he had prepared in advance.
Everyone gave the wound on Tang Rui Cheng’s chest a simple cleaning and bandaged it lightly. His pale complexion soon looked considerably better.
“All right. You probably don’t need to go to the hospital for stitches. Lie down and rest for a while… Old Tang, Old Tang. You have humiliated yourself spectacularly this time. Me, Zhaozhao, and every living creature at my house that hasn’t gone out now knows what you secretly do at home every day while Auntie Su is away.”
“…Huh?”
Tang Rui Cheng fell silent for a moment, apparently still completely unaware of what kind of situation he had been trapped in. Lying in bed, he answered with perfect confidence, “We’re all guys. Who doesn’t know how this works? What guy doesn’t take care of some private business at home? Father, you know what I mean, right… Wait, no, sorry, sorry. Hold on. Why did you two bring a priest to my house?”
Pei Zhao looked at him thoughtfully. “Do you remember what happened this past week?”
The instant Pei Zhao, who was sitting beside the bed, addressed him, Tang Rui Cheng’s earlier swagger deflated. Slightly intimidated, he scooted toward the other side of the bed, picked up his phone to check the time, and thought carefully. “It’s weird. I remember waking up this morning and sitting down in front of the computer… I don’t remember anything after that today. It’s blank.”
He rubbed his foggy head. “No, wait. It’s only the last two hours I don’t remember. I remember everything else. You two only started dating a couple days ago. How could I have forgotten that?”
Qin Shu raised a brow. “Then what have you been doing during all these days you took leave and stayed home? You’re sure you remember all of it?”
“Yeah. Wake up, eat, take care of a little private business you know about, watch some videos, mess around on my phone, grab whatever food’s convenient, then sleep like a king…” Tang Rui Cheng chuckled. “Old Qin, I’m telling you, this is the life of an immortal. It’s unbelievably comfortable.”
Qin Shu fell silent. The chill that had settled deep in his heart earlier slowly surfaced again.
Tang Rui Cheng had possessed awareness and memories the entire time. Only his cognition had been completely distorted. He had no idea that he had been trapped in a horrifying twisted loop. Every seemingly strange action had been subtly “rationalized” until, when he recalled it, the entire experience became nothing more than a pleasant period of relaxation.
A classic soul technique. And not merely a soul technique. It had also been mixed with an outside power neither Qin Shu nor Pei Zhao understood, allowing such a terrifying effect to remain almost perfectly hidden.
If Old Fu had not cared so deeply about his students, thought the situation through so carefully, and specifically asked Qin Shu to come check first… the consequences hardly bore thinking about.
“Tang Rui Cheng, if you don’t want to die, listen to me carefully.”
Qin Shu took a deep breath, his tone serious. “Starting tomorrow, you’re not allowed to keep taking leave. Right now, call Old Fu and apply to temporarily live on campus. Pei Zhao and I still have to go back for afternoon classes. We’ll help you write the application and make up the paperwork while we’re there.”
“…Huh?”
Tang Rui Cheng instinctively wanted to protest, but Qin Shu’s serious expression forced every word back down his throat. Qin Shu almost never looked at him like this. That meant the situation was genuinely serious, serious enough that they had needed to bring in a priest to perform an exorcism.
He had probably truly come close to dying.
“Until the final exams are over, stay inside No. 2 High School and don’t go anywhere. Even if you can’t study anymore and genuinely can’t stand it, you still have to lie quietly in the dormitory. I’ll go ask Old Fu for leave on your behalf.” Qin Shu delivered the entire order in one breath, frowning. “Did you hear me clearly?”
“…Yeah. Thanks, bro. I’d be finished without you.”
Tang Rui Cheng answered weakly. His reason gradually returned, and he began piecing together useful information from the strange scene surrounding him. A complicated rush of delayed fear slowly rose inside him.
Auntie Su being away from home was one thing. But somehow he had used that as an excuse to take an entire week off school as though it were perfectly natural, then accomplished absolutely nothing at home. That behavior made no sense at all.
At most, he occasionally got lazy about homework. But anyone capable of getting into Jiangcheng No. 2 High School was one of the city’s best students. Tang Rui Cheng had a dream university too. Even after he nearly got crushed to death by the student who jumped from the building, he had hurried back to class as soon as he was discharged, limping up the stairs every day with classmates supporting him…
He was not the kind of person who had the nerve to take leave in his senior year just to slack off at home!
What exactly had changed? How had it changed so suddenly?
“Don’t rush to thank me. I’m actually worried you got dragged into this because of me.” Qin Shu sighed and, with practiced familiarity, took several drinks from Tang Rui Cheng’s mini-fridge.
He handed a can of soda to the breathless Father William, pulled out the computer chair for the priest to sit and rest, then finally sat on the edge of Tang Rui Cheng’s bed and said seriously, “I’ve been taking leave these past few days too. Something came up and I couldn’t keep an eye on you. Think carefully. During the last month, what new things have you come into contact with? What new people have you met? Online or offline, I don’t care. Think through all of it. Don’t leave out anything suspicious.”
“I seriously haven’t gone anywhere. School, home, arena. That’s it, three points in a straight line…”
“Wait. Arena? What is a guy with a busted leg doing at an arena?”
“Rehab, obviously! Because my leg’s busted! New Star Arena’s rehabilitation program works with the municipal hospital. They second medical staff over there specifically to help people like me whose muscles atrophied after a fracture, people who’ve been bedridden for years and are learning to stand again, even kids with cerebral palsy can go there to exercise.”
Tang Rui Cheng looked confused by Qin Shu’s blank expression and continued explaining seriously, “Their coaches are really good and all properly certified. I heard the employee benefits are great too. I investigated the place beforehand, and my mom thought it looked good… She said she didn’t want me going to the hospital all the time, especially after what happened there last time. Apparently it was haunted or something. Anyway, hospitals make it too easy to run into dirty things.”
That made everything fit. Auntie Su’s reasoning had not been wrong, and Tang Rui Cheng had investigated thoroughly. Choosing New Star Arena for rehabilitation after having the fixation hardware removed from his fracture was completely normal.
Qin Shu had guarded against everything imaginable and somehow failed to anticipate the most ordinary thing of all: Tang Rui Cheng would need rehabilitation after breaking a bone… It was a minor everyday matter, nothing Tang Rui Cheng or Auntie Su would have thought to report to him in advance, much less something they would have treated as a danger requiring precautions.
Qin Shu could not help sighing again. “You little… Haa. This is my mistake. Thank goodness nothing serious happened, or I wouldn’t even know how to face Auntie Su. Didn’t she buy a pile of protective talismans and artifacts from Daoist Master Xu? Where are they?”
Tang Rui Cheng scratched his head, turned sideways to rummage under his pillow, then froze again.
His mother had forcibly stuffed all kinds of talismans beneath his pillow. Some were folded into little triangles, some wrapped fifty-cent or one-yuan bills, and some were obviously high-end strips drawn in cinnabar… Ordinarily, they stayed obediently hidden inside the pillowcase and did not easily work their way free while he slept or rolled around, so their presence was almost impossible to notice.
Only after Qin Shu specifically mentioned them did Tang Rui Cheng realize something was wrong. When he lifted the pillow, every talisman had changed color. They were blackened and dull, and gave off a bizarre stench like burnt plastic mixed with damp, rancid, gamey wool…
“Holy crap! How did I never notice that smell under my pillow? That’s disgusting!”
The impact was brutal. Tang Rui Cheng could barely keep his eyes open from the stench. Ignoring the pain of the stab wound in his chest, he hurriedly shifted away, then scrambled in horror to hide behind Qin Shu. Only after confirming the terrifying odor had not followed him did he ask with lingering fear, “Old Qin, did I actually go insane?”
“Usually, when you’re worried you might be insane, it means you’re especially clearheaded right now. You’re fine.” Qin Shu patted his arm and laughed. “I’d only be scared if you were absolutely convinced none of this was a problem. Since you’re not, we’re good.”
At the same time, Pei Zhao leaned closer to inspect the scorched talismans. Thoughtfully, he picked up one relatively intact piece, examined how badly the cinnabar had corroded, then reached a conclusion. “Auntie Su saved you. Without these talismans taking the disaster in your place, you would already be dead.”
“…Holy crap. My mom is a goddess!” Tang Rui Cheng blurted after a moment of silence.
“Good thing Daoist Master Xu actually knows what he’s doing and really managed to protect you. No matter how much Auntie Su paid him, it was worth it.” Qin Shu felt equally relieved. “Forget it. I’ll sponsor you to buy an entire wholesale box of talismans from him. Right, and those self-defense artifacts too. Let Zhaozhao check them.”
Tang Rui Cheng was safe and they had found the cause, so everyone relaxed somewhat. They began thoroughly searching his house, dragging Father William along for the operation, with special attention paid to the jade gourds, bracelets, and blessed ornaments inside the bedroom.
Pei Zhao took away anything contaminated with ominous energy so he could perform a second round of inspection and comparison later. Qin Shu also asked Father William to perform several brief blessings, sprinkled a little holy water here and there, then spent heavily to purchase a holy medal and a cross, placing one on Tang Rui Cheng’s computer desk and the other beside his pillow.
The dagger was powerful too, but Qin Shu did not buy one. He was afraid Tang Rui Cheng might run into another incident that drove him mad and end up grabbing the weapon and stabbing himself. Father William was reluctant to accept such a large payment anyway. He only wanted to continue talking to Tang Rui Cheng about God, and about how the Virgin Mary’s radiance had protected him through an ordeal that had nearly taken his life…
Qin Shu forced the money on him, but did not stop the preaching. After successfully performing an exorcism, a priest wanting to spread his faith was perfectly fair and aboveboard. Nobody had any reason to complain. As for what Tang Rui Cheng thought, that could be left to fate. So long as he did not become fanatical, believing in one more deity would not hurt. Treat it like an extra anti-evil accessory.
Come to think of it, ever since the spiritual energy resurgence, almost none of the proper gods and immortals had appeared again. Even dragonkind were rare, with only two or three strays like Ao Wang left wandering around… Yet yao, evil things, and demons kept emerging one after another. The seriousness of the situation was obvious.
That realization made Qin Shu even more solemn. He grabbed Tang Rui Cheng and repeated warning after warning until he was certain the guy had genuinely learned his lesson. Only after Tang Rui Cheng promised to act cautiously from now on and contact Qin Shu and Pei Zhao first whenever anything happened did they finally leave.
After returning to No. 2 High School, Qin Shu went straight to Old Fu and explained the situation. He did not give many details. He only mentioned that they had called in a priest from the east side of the city, a reliable adult who had come to help, and then discussed Tang Rui Cheng’s application to live on campus.
Old Fu understood little about supernatural matters, but he had personally witnessed a few incidents by now. From what Qin Shu said, he could more or less infer the situation. Whatever Tang Rui Cheng had encountered was clearly beyond the scope of what an ordinary schoolteacher could reasonably handle, so even if something truly was wrong, it could hardly be called Old Fu’s negligence.
But someone like Old Fu naturally would not wash his hands of the matter for that reason. He gave Qin Shu a mild glare, turned around, and immediately went to help speed up Tang Rui Cheng’s dormitory application.
Somehow, staying inside the ghost nest that was No. 2 High School had become the safest place for people without cultivation. No matter how many yao, demons, ghosts, and monsters were trapped inside, none could leave. Meanwhile, anyone outside with enough ability to cause real trouble knew the school’s secrets and therefore did not dare casually reach inside, lest they trap themselves there too and never come back out.
It sounded unbelievable when spoken aloud, but that was the reality. Once Qin Shu received confirmation that the application had been approved, he could finally relax a little.
The afternoon classes were fairly easygoing, mostly practice problems, explanations, and long periods of self-study. The teacher sat beside the podium waiting for students to bring their papers up one after another for help, while everyone else was left to rely entirely on their own self-control.
Qin Shu was enjoying the scenery outside the corridor. Two lonely wandering ghosts drifted aimlessly around and somehow floated onto the walkway. Apparently blind, they bumped stupidly into each other.
Then savage light abruptly entered their blank faces. They began tearing at each other frantically, revealing vicious fangs that should not have existed. The yin energy released by their conflict thickened in an instant until it almost blotted out the sunlight.
No big deal. Qin Shu had long since gotten used to this. The same thing happened in corners all over No. 2 High School. It was barely destructive at all, at most making the leaves rustle and stirring up a few strange, ominous gusts of cold wind.
He silently watched how the two ghosts attacked while circulating the Nine Netherworld Scripture without a sound, stealing a little yin energy for himself to replenish the soul power he had consumed at noon… along with his somewhat battered state of mind.
The group of eagle-bodied little ghosts flew over too, cautiously maintaining a certain distance from Qin Shu. At some point they seemed to have learned better. They no longer bothered Qin Shu at all, merely watching the fight from far away until it ended.
Coalball had successfully blended into their group and now followed the main force around eating ghosts. It had grown much plumper than before. Free-range raising was working remarkably well. It was now an enormous black ball of fluff that Qin Shu estimated weighed at least twenty-something jin, solid and hefty.
It had not copied anyone’s face. There was only a round ball hovering proudly in midair with great heroic spirit, which was extremely cute. And when the fight between the wild ghosts ended, something even more remarkable happened.
The eagle-bodied little ghosts did not rush forward first to fight over the meal. They waited for Coalball to descend onto the corridor and devour the wild ghost that had won the battle.
Yes. Devour. A bottomless suction force, invisible and deathly silent, dragged all vitality into an abyss and swallowed even the light around Coalball in the blink of an eye. Qin Shu raised a brow and watched closely. He even felt that the way Coalball ate… increasingly resembled the power Pei Zhao used now.
Only after Coalball finished the stronger, fatter dead soul did the remaining eagle-bodied little ghosts quietly move forward and divide the other defeated ghost that had been torn apart. Orderly. Hierarchical. Perfectly organized.
According to Coalball, all of the eagle-bodied little ghosts listened to it now. Naturally, the white dragon’s earlier instruction deserved some credit too. The white dragon was excellent at imperiously lecturing others and cared deeply about rank and seniority, so Coalball had apparently learned quite a lot of useful team-management knowledge from him…
The most important thing Qin Shu learned from this was that the eagle-bodied little ghosts had possessed self-awareness all along and could communicate freely among themselves. Their awareness merely waxed and waned. Once appetite took control, especially, they easily became vultures that would bite rotten flesh without regard for anything else, even wanting a few mouthfuls of their own companions.
But once a strict master-subordinate order was established, and once Coalball’s ruling position became unshakable, a far more stable group structure quietly formed.
The impulsive influence of hunger gradually weakened among the eagle-bodied little ghosts.
This did not surprise Qin Shu. Coalball’s appetite had been equally insane at first. It was timid, but it was hungry. Whenever it encountered something it desperately wanted to eat, Qin Shu would receive that overwhelming, reason-destroying hunger through their connection.
Facts had proven that the problem could be improved. Before leaving for Phoenix Village, Qin Shu had personally raised Coalball for a while. Whenever it lost control, he scolded it without hesitation and stopped the desire from erupting and boiling over every single time. Gradually, Coalball stopped having those extreme impulses entirely.
Its life was stable and its food supply abundant. It had never needed to go that mad merely to survive. The same was actually true for the other eagle-bodied little ghosts… They had simply lacked a leader before, and with their limited intelligence, none of them had realized it on their own.
“Coalball, Coalball. If I wanted them to help me fight, would they listen to you?”
Coalball had just finished eating and landed on the corridor. It transformed a dead bird’s head onto itself and lazily used the beak to groom its fluff. Qin Shu seized the opportunity to ask.
Coalball tilted the head that did not belong to it and thought for a moment before nodding. Then it added quietly inside Qin Shu’s mind, “If Big Brother White Dragon is there too, they’ll listen even better.”
Its voice was just like the way it felt to touch, a soft little ball of fluff. Even though it had long since become quite formidable, that timid softness still remained.
So cute. The thought that he was raising an entire pile of adorable creatures improved Qin Shu’s mood considerably. Pei Zhao noticed the two of them whispering and tilted his head too. “What’s wrong?”
At the question, Qin Shu smoothly turned and threw himself into Pei Zhao’s arms, squeezing between the desks to hug him tightly. His arms wrapped around Pei Zhao’s waist and kept tightening. The desks and chairs made a few tiny noises. This was exactly why sitting in the last row was so convenient. During self-study, nobody cared what the two of them were doing back there.
Pei Zhao sat perfectly steady, entirely unbothered by Qin Shu’s weight pressing against him. He raised a hand and rubbed Qin Shu’s hair. “Mm?”
“Zhaozhao, I have a question.” Qin Shu narrowed his eyes in comfort and leaned close to whisper beside his ear. “They’re not ghosts. They’re ghosts that already died. So technically they can leave No. 2 High School, right? They only stay because nearly all the food available in Jiangcheng is trapped inside the school. If they went hunting anywhere else, they’d starve.”
Pei Zhao looked thoughtful. “Correct. Who do you want to kill?”
“As expected of Zhaozhao. You understand me so well. Here’s what I’m thinking… before we go to the Dragon Palace, I think we should kill Zuo Zhe first.”
Qin Shu’s voice dropped even lower, still nothing more than a gentle murmur without the slightest outward aggression. “He has to die. Let’s invite a few reinforcements so he can’t escape halfway through. Better if even the last fragments of his soul get eaten clean.”