Chapter 3

Chapter 3

◎ The Homeroom Teacher with a Mysterious Aura ◎

Yulan High School, one of the top five prestigious high schools in Yulan City, was already deserted by 8 a.m., with no one in sight at the school gate or the playground. As Ji Nanxing walked slowly into the campus, he could faintly hear the synchronized reading voices coming from some classrooms.

The security guard at the school gate dutifully asked for his name and class information. Although he had neither a school uniform nor an ID badge, the guard let him in, considering he was a high school freshman and it was the first day of school.

The school uniform, ID badge, and textbooks had already been distributed on the day of registration and payment, but they were still at home. His senior brother had sent him directly to school without giving him a chance to go home and fetch them, so Ji Nanxing had no choice but to enter the classroom empty-handed.

Compared to the quiet atmosphere of the sophomore and senior classes, the freshman building was noticeably noisier.

Everyone was stepping into a new phase of life with both anticipation and anxiety. New school, new teachers, new classmates—the youthful energy hadn't yet been drained by the heavy workload of high school. Thus, even though no one was making loud noises, there was an uncontrollable excitement and restlessness in the classroom about the new life ahead.

When Ji Nanxing found his class, the homeroom teacher was standing on the podium talking about class rules. As he knocked on the door and entered, the teacher, along with about thirty pairs of eyes in the class, turned to look at him.

Ji Nanxing's gaze paused on the homeroom teacher for a moment, and he habitually twirled the prayer beads (a string of beads used for counting prayers) wrapped around his wrist.

The previously quiet classroom buzzed with murmurs again.

The homeroom teacher rapped the podium, scanned the class, adjusted his glasses, and said sternly, "Quiet!"

Under the new teacher's stern gaze, the murmurs instantly ceased.

Once the students quieted down, the teacher turned to the person standing at the door: "Ji Nanxing? Late on the first day of school? Where's your uniform? Where's your bag?"

Ji Nanxing coughed lightly, deliberately softening his voice: "I just came from the hospital and didn't have time to go home to get my bag and change. My brother has already gone back to get them for me."

Ji Nanxing wasn't particularly short—at sixteen, he was already 175 cm tall, having grown rapidly over the past six months. He often woke up at night from leg pain due to his growth spurt. With his fair skin and thick eyelashes, he looked fragile, as if he might collapse at any moment, even without moving.

As the homeroom teacher, he naturally knew a bit about his students. When Ji Nanxing's parents brought him to register, they had specifically mentioned that the child was not in good health but was smart and had decent grades. They didn't expect him to get into a top university; they just wanted him to stay healthy throughout his three years of high school.

Now, seeing Ji Nanxing's condition and knowing he had rushed straight from the hospital, the teacher couldn't bring himself to be too strict. He simply said, "Go downstairs and gather later. You won't participate in the basic training. Instead, you'll get to know the instructors. There's another student who can't participate either, so the two of you will handle some logistical tasks together."

Ji Nanxing nodded meekly, "I understand. Thank you, teacher."

The teacher added, "Take any empty seat for now. The seating chart will be arranged later, and you'll switch then."

Ji Nanxing glanced around the classroom, noticing that most of the students were also curiously sizing him up.

Among the many gazes, one was particularly intense.

Following the direction of that gaze, Ji Nanxing looked toward the person sitting by the window.

It was a boy with slightly curly hair, a high and broad forehead, clear and upright features, and a sunny, handsome appearance.

Unlike the lanky figures typical of most high schoolers, this boy's muscular build was evident even through his school uniform.

With a well-proportioned, youthful physique, his long legs were slightly bent, and he leaned lazily against the wall, casually twirling a pen with his slender, well-defined fingers.

When their eyes met, the boy seemed momentarily stunned but quickly flashed him a smile.

Ji Nanxing averted his gaze and walked toward the few remaining empty seats in the last row.

Xiao Ye, who had been twirling his pen, suddenly let out a soft hiss, and the pen flew out of his hand.

Zhang Yuan, sitting next to him, picked up the pen and gave him a puzzled look, "What's wrong? Why the hiss?"

Xiao Ye rubbed his arm, feeling equally puzzled, "I think I got shocked."

Zhang Yuan clicked the pen several times and tossed it back onto Xiao Ye's desk, "It's just a regular pen. There's no electricity in it."

Xiao Ye clicked his tongue. The lingering tingling sensation hadn't gone away, and he was sure the shock wasn't an illusion. If the pen wasn't electrified, then it must have been static electricity in the air.

It was almost autumn, and static electricity was indeed common.

There were still a few empty seats in the last row. As soon as Ji Nanxing sat down, a boy who had been sitting alone slid over next to him when the teacher wasn't looking.

Ji Nanxing turned to look at the boy. He had a round face, single-lidded round eyes that sloped downward like puppy eyes, deep dimples, and a sweet smile with two small canine teeth.

Before Ji Nanxing could speak, the boy introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Chen Shiyi. Chen with two ears, ten as in perfect, and one as in one in a million."

Hearing the introduction, Ji Nanxing smiled, "I'm Ji Nanxing."

Chen Shiyi murmured, "I'm the one who doesn't have to do basic training, so we'll be handling logistics together. Let's stick together later, so we won't be alone."

Chen Shiyi was quite pleased. It was good to have someone to accompany him; otherwise, watching others train alone would have been too awkward.

Ji Nanxing glanced at him and nodded, agreeing with a soft "Okay."

Chen Shiyi didn't dare to chat openly. It was the first day of school, and he hadn't yet figured out the teacher's temperament. He could only sneak glances at Ji Nanxing when the teacher was talking to someone else or writing on the blackboard.

Damn, he's so handsome. The favoritism in Nuwa's sculpting was way too obvious.

When the teacher started assigning class roles, the restless Chen Shiyi couldn't help but ask curiously, "Can I ask what illness you have that exempts you from basic training?"

Ji Nanxing didn't answer directly but instead asked, "What about you?"

Chen Shiyi was straightforward, "COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Heard of it? It's genetic, but don't worry, it's not contagious."

Ji Nanxing nodded, "I have a heart condition."

When you're out in the world, your persona is what you make of it.

Apart from having a short lifespan due to unfortunate circumstances, Ji Nanxing was actually in good health. The reason he said this was that ever since elementary school, when he started traveling around with his master, he often needed to take leave—sometimes for a week or two, other times for months. But his master wouldn't let him drop out of school, so he had to repeatedly take sick leave.

What kind of illness requires frequent leave but allows you to be perfectly fine at other times? After much deliberation, his master and senior brother settled on a heart condition. After all, their bureau had its own hospital, so getting a medical record and diagnosis was easy.

The paranormal world and the ordinary world were still separate. Although many people believed in ghosts, few had actually seen them. It wasn't like he could write "ghost hunting" as a reason for leave—who would believe that? So, fabricating an illness was a one-time solution.

Chen Shiyi acknowledged with a nod, treating Ji Nanxing even more carefully, as if afraid he might break him, "Is it serious? Do you need a heart transplant?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, "Not serious."

Chen Shiyi observed his complexion. Although his skin was pale, even slightly pallid, it wasn't the ghastly pallor of someone seriously ill. This reassured him a bit.

When the person next to him quieted down, Ji Nanxing fell silent. He continued to twirl the prayer beads in his hand, but his gaze fell on the homeroom teacher.

After a moment of silence, Chen Shiyi couldn't resist leaning over again, "I heard our homeroom teacher is tough. Someone just said our class is unlucky to be assigned to Teacher Liang, the super tyrant. But they didn't explain exactly how unlucky, just left us hanging. But our teacher does look very stern, a bit scary."

Ji Nanxing replied, "And yet you're still talking. Be careful, or you might be made an example of."

Chen Shiyi grinned mischievously at him but quickly straightened up when the teacher turned around, not daring to whisper anymore.

The teacher temporarily assigned class roles based on the information students provided during registration. Hearing movement from other classes, he instructed his students to go downstairs, "Line up at the sign for Class 7, from shortest to tallest, boys in one line, girls in another. Hurry up!"

The students quickly sprang into action, heading out of the classroom in small groups.

Yulan High School was a prestigious high school, and competition for admission was fierce. With no shortage of students, the corridors instantly became crowded as students poured out of their classrooms to gather on the playground.

Everyone was wearing the same school uniform, and it was the first day of school, so as soon as they left the classroom, no one recognized each other.

Ji Nanxing stood out in his casual attire, but he didn't know his classmates either, so he simply followed the flow of the crowd in one direction, going downstairs with them.

With so many people, it was inevitable that there would be some pushing and shoving. At the corner of the stairs, Ji Nanxing was suddenly jostled, and he moved aside with the force.

But the anticipated collision with the railing didn't occur. Instead, through the thin fabric of his clothes, he felt a warm and soft touch.

Ji Nanxing turned and saw the boy who had been sitting by the window, reaching out to block him, preventing him from hitting the stair railing.

After steadying himself, Ji Nanxing waited for the boy to withdraw his hand before saying, "Thank you."

Xiao Ye smiled at him, "No need to thank me. It's crowded; be careful."

Ji Nanxing nodded and continued to walk slowly downstairs with the crowd, but his mind was preoccupied with the spot where the boy had touched him.

It was warm, a warmth that could dispel the coldness within him.

Ji Nanxing's existence was somewhat of an anomaly, an anomaly that shouldn't have been born.

Historically, there was even a specific term for people like him: coffin child.

If it were just an ordinary coffin child, it could still be explained scientifically, as a fetus could survive for a few minutes after the mother's death.

But his mother had died in a burial site, and he was born at an extremely yin hour. When he was young, Taoist priests couldn't tell if he was human or ghost, and the spirits and yin entities couldn't tell if he was alive or dead.

So, for someone who shouldn't exist, to survive, he needed to accumulate virtue, contribute to the country, and benefit humanity. But those were too difficult. The simplest way he could access was to help lingering spirits find peace. Thus, his master adopted him and brought him into the Taoist practice.

From a young age, Ji Nanxing knew he was unique. From the moment he understood, he began to accept his uniqueness, the inherent coldness, and the constant distance he kept from others.

There was a kind of cold that emanated from within, a cold that couldn't be dispelled by external warmth. Even soaking in hot water, he could clearly feel the boundary between the warmth outside and the cold inside.

This was the first time that just a touch had made him feel a different kind of warmth, a warmth that seemed to dissipate the coldness within him.

Even as he stood at the gathering spot for Class Seven and was led by the instructors to the military training area, Ji Nanxing was still preoccupied with it.

What was different about that boy, or was he wearing some special talisman?

Soon, the homeroom teacher arrived, standing next to the instructors and discussing the situation of the class. There were two students who couldn't participate in the training, and one of them not wearing the school uniform had a reason.

Ji Nanxing stood at the back of the line, watching. The homeroom teacher was whispering to the instructors. His senses were far more acute than those of others, so even from a distance, he could hear what was being said, something those in the front row might not catch.

Ji Nanxing's hands behind his back gently turned his Buddhist prayer beads. The instructors already knew who couldn't participate in the training, but the homeroom teacher specifically stayed behind to explain, probably to clarify why he wasn't wearing the school uniform, to avoid him being publicly questioned by the instructors.

A homeroom teacher who cared about such small details of a teenager's self-esteem, yet carried a yin aura, was somewhat strange.

Author's Note:

This story will resolve events in chronological order, meaning several events might happen simultaneously and be resolved one by one as time progresses.

Some events that occur earlier might not have immediate resolutions, but they are not forgotten and will be addressed later!