Chapter 4

Chapter 4

◎Fainting at Will◎

Although yin energy originates from yin entities, it is quite particular when it attaches to living people.

Some people with low yang energy might pick up yin energy from yin entities or places saturated with it, but such yin energy can usually be dispersed quickly by soaking up some sun.

Others, who have committed evil deeds and are haunted by vengeful spirits, carry heavy yin energy with clear traces of malevolent karma.

However, his homeroom teacher fits neither category, yet there is lingering yin energy on them, which is a bit strange.

Ji Nanxing observed the teacher's clear, bright forehead and solid yang energy, signs of a long life. Thus, he decided not to intervene further.

After speaking with the instructors for a while, the homeroom teacher left. The instructors looked at the students and said, "First, let's get in formation and practice standing at attention. Also, Chen Shiyi and Ji Nanxing, you two wait on the side for now. We'll arrange for you later."

Chen Shiyi obediently stepped out of the line, while Ji Nanxing struggled to suppress a yawn. He was so exhausted he could barely stay upright for another moment.

He caught a glimpse of the person standing right behind him. After a brief hesitation between toughing it out and just collapsing right there, Ji Nanxing chose the latter. He closed his eyes and fell backward.

At this moment, Xiao Ye was feeling extremely irritable. He hadn't felt this way when he left home in the morning, but now, for some reason, he was restless.

Especially the person standing in front of him—the one who was late on the first day of school—was playing with a string of prayer beads behind his back.

The beads were dark red, with a small golden bell hanging at the end. The hand fiddling with the beads was pale, its long, slender fingers moving gracefully. The wrist wrapped around the beads was also delicate and thin, as if it could be easily broken with a little force.

The sun beat down on them as they stood in the open, without shade. The homeroom teacher kept talking to the instructors, and they could only stand there and wait.

Perhaps it was the intense heat, or perhaps it was the constant fidgeting with the beads by the person in front, but Xiao Ye felt inexplicably annoyed.

His eyes were fixed on the person in front, his gaze falling on the hands behind the back, watching the fingers flick the beads one by one. His heart was far from calm.

After the homeroom teacher left and the instructors reorganized the lines, Xiao Ye's inexplicable restlessness eased slightly. Standing at attention or doing anything else was fine; having something to do to distract himself would probably make him feel less annoyed.

Taking advantage of the reorganization, Xiao Ye moved around a bit. When he looked ahead again, he had nearly tallied the beads on the string.

But as his gaze flicked away for just a second, the person ahead seemed to wobble slightly.

Xiao Ye's heart instantly tightened. His body reacted faster than his mind, and he immediately spread his arms and rushed forward.

Before Ji Nanxing could hit the ground, someone caught him. The warmth of the embrace was much more intense than the earlier touch of a hand. The moment he was held, a wave of heat suddenly dispelled the cold yin energy that had lingered in his body for over a decade.

It felt so comfortable. For the first time, he realized how pleasant warmth could be.

The exhaustion he had been holding back was released in that instant. Ji Nanxing tilted his head slightly and promptly fell asleep in Xiao Ye's arms.

Xiao Ye was frozen, a mix of fear and panic washing over him. It was the first time he had experienced a classmate fainting.

When he caught Ji Nanxing, Xiao Ye thought to himself, "Thank goodness I caught him. Otherwise, someone so thin and soft falling straight to the ground would have been seriously hurt."

But what should he do after catching him?

Xiao Ye knelt on one knee, holding Ji Nanxing, not daring to use any force.

He had never encountered someone like Ji Nanxing before. His friends were either on the basketball court or the skateboard park, where collisions were common.

Holding Ji Nanxing felt like cradling a kitten that hadn't been weaned yet—soft and delicate. He only dared to kneel on one knee and support him, not even daring to lift him, afraid of breaking him.

Fortunately, before he could remain frozen for too long, the instructors dispersed the surrounding students, took Ji Nanxing from Xiao Ye's arms, and carried him away. After instructing the class monitor to maintain order, they quickly headed to the school infirmary.

Chen Shiyi, who was standing nearby, was also stunned when he saw his friend faint and get taken away. He had hoped for company, but now he was alone once more.

As others drilled, he stood by, feeling completely out of place.

Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the past few days, or perhaps Xiao Ye's warmth was incredibly soothing, but Ji Nanxing slept deeply. When he woke up, he was already back home.

The exhaustion from the past few days couldn't be fully recovered in one sleep, but he was hungry, so he struggled to get up and find something to eat.

As soon as he sat up in bed, Ji Nanxing saw his senior brother, Ji Yuanting, sitting at the dining bar, elegantly cutting a lamb chop with a glass of red wine beside him, enjoying himself.

Ji Nanxing rubbed his hair, got out of bed, and wobbled into the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a plate of lamb chops in the insulated container. He pulled a can of chilled cola from the refrigerator, took the plate, and sat down at the bar.

Ji Yuanting looked over. "You were out cold. I brought you home from school, and you didn't even stir. Couldn't you hold on a little longer? You nearly gave your homeroom teacher a heart attack."

Ji Nanxing, munching on the lamb chop and sipping cola, asked, "What's with the yin energy on my homeroom teacher?"

Ji Yuanting replied, "I don't know. I didn't sense any malice. You're close to them, so it's easier for you to find out."

Ji Nanxing picked up a boiled broccoli, dipped it in the lamb chop sauce, and ate it. "There's also a boy in my class. When I came into contact with him, some of the yin energy in my body was dispelled."

Unfortunately, the yin energy was innate to him. Dispelling a bit didn't mean it would decrease permanently. At most, it would stay away for a while before slowly growing back.

Ji Yuanting hadn't met his classmates yet and asked, "A person with extreme yang energy?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head. "More powerful than extreme yang energy. I suspect he might have some special artifact."

Just as there are people with extreme yin energy, there are also those with extreme yang energy. People with extreme yin energy have low luck, are prone to soul wandering, and have unstable life souls. They are likely to encounter ghosts and, without self-protection, often meet tragic ends.

On the other hand, people with extreme yang energy have strong yang energy and are impervious to ghosts and spirits. Their fortunes vary, but they are generally healthy and never encounter ghosts.

Ji Nanxing had encountered individuals with extreme yang energy in the past, but at most, he didn't have to worry about excessive contact diminishing their yang energy, causing them bad luck or illness.

But never had he encountered someone who could directly consume his yin energy through simple physical contact.

Ji Yuanting pondered for a moment. "Had such an artifact existed, he and our master would have long since sought it out for you."

Since even his senior brother didn't know, Ji Nanxing didn't press further. After all, they were classmates, and there would be plenty of opportunities for contact in the future. He would eventually figure it out.

After finishing his dinner, Ji Yuanting placed the dishes aside, picked up his phone, and transferred some money to his junior brother. "I'm flying to Milan tomorrow for a fashion show. I'll be back in two months at the earliest, or three months at the latest. Focus on your studies. A high school student should act like one. Don't casually take on tasks from the *Human World Network*."

Ji Nanxing nodded.

The *Human World Network*'s supernatural tasks were officially assigned, with monetary rewards upon completion. Ji Nanxing didn't take on these tasks solely for the money. With his master away and a long two-month summer vacation, he had nothing better to do, so he spent his time catching ghosts.

Now that school had started, he naturally had to prioritize his studies.

His main role was that of a student, while his senior brother was a fashion designer—a well-known brand director and a very busy person. Like their master, he often flew around for work and could be away for months at a time.

When Ji Nanxing was younger, his master and senior brother didn't dare to leave him alone, so they would take him along whenever they traveled. Now that he was older and would soon be an adult, they no longer needed to keep him by their side at all times and felt comfortable leaving him at school.

As for money, Ji Nanxing had never lacked it since childhood.

Those who entered this line of work inevitably carried some destiny, and the fate of the "Five Lacks and Three Deficiencies" was unavoidable.

The Five Lacks: Widower, Widow, Orphan, Lonely, Disabled.

The Three Deficiencies: Wealth, Life, Power.

Ji Nanxing has a fortunate fate, but also an unfortunate one. His destiny has encountered one of the most difficult to resolve issues—he lacks vitality.

Without vitality, the other five misfortunes and two deficiencies naturally do not affect him. So, after accumulating merits to sustain his life, he isn't worried about other misfortunes and can spend money more freely.

As for his sources of income, there are many.

His master, likely due to his immense strength, suffers from three of the five misfortunes and two of the three deficiencies. He is neither widowed nor alone, has a long life, and simply put, he has a tough life but is poor.

So after adopting him, to prevent him from starving, he handed him over to his senior brother. Even his name was given by his senior brother.

Apart from being registered under his master's name and the adoption relationship, he grew up in the Ji family.

The Ji family mainly engages in pharmaceutical research and development, holding several patent projects, any one of which could sustain them for several lifetimes. They certainly aren't short of money.

The Ji family has three children: the eldest, Ji Yunting, the current head of the Ji family; the second, Ji Yanting, a research enthusiast; and his senior brother, the third child, who was taken as a disciple by their master due to frequent encounters with ghosts and soul wandering.

He is known externally as the fourth child of the Ji family. Although not officially registered or having called them parents, he is already as close as family.

The eldest brother is very busy, especially after taking over the responsibilities from their father, leaving less time to spend with them. So, the most straightforward way he expresses his love is by giving money.

The sister is also very busy, often in the lab, and it's hard to see her several times a year. She follows the eldest brother's way of showing love, also by giving money.

His senior brother, Ji Yuanting, has dividends from the family and a very lucrative main job, often dealing with various luxury goods. He is also very generous with money and shopping.

As for the retired father and mother of the Ji family, with plenty of leisure and money, they are currently traveling around the world, constantly sending red packets in the family group, and occasionally transferring money to the children at home. Even the eldest brother, a tycoon, often receives remote affection from his parents.

Every month, apart from the regular living expenses, just these additional incomes can bring Ji Nanxing hundreds of thousands.

This often makes his master, who dares not keep more than ten yuan on him, envious and jealous.

Ji Nanxing once even suspected that the reason his master wouldn't leave him alone and always took him along when going out during his childhood was to use him as a portable wallet for payments.

Looking at the string of zeros in his phone indicating the received money, Ji Nanxing couldn't help but laugh: "Luckily, the master is not here."

Otherwise, it would have angered the master, who is too poor to keep money on him.

Ji Yuanting said, "Be good, don't be brave for no reason. I've asked for three days off for you, rest for three days and then go back to school properly."

Biting the last piece of lamb chop into his mouth, Ji Nanxing muttered, "It would have been better to take me back directly in the morning, instead of going through the trouble at school."

Ji Yuanting flicked his forehead with a finger: "This is to prevent you from being late and being ostracized or bullied. You, on the other hand, just slept through it. Alright, I still need to pack, you wash the dishes."

Ji Nanxing waved him off as he left the house.

With the house empty, Ji Nanxing quickly ate the remaining cherry tomatoes on the plate and threw them into the dishwasher. He then went back to the bedroom, found his pajamas, and entered the bathroom.

He hadn't bathed for as long as he had been chasing Hu Xiaodie. With the case closed, he could finally take a good bath and relax.

The apartment he currently lives in was a sixteenth birthday gift from his eldest brother, over 150 square meters inside.

It's not that they are reluctant to buy him a bigger one, but this is the largest available near the school. Any further and he might have to drive to school, whereas now he can walk to school in five minutes.

Turning on the music and tossing in a bath bomb, Ji Nanxing comfortably soaked in the hot water.

Unfortunately, no matter how warm the water is, it can't warm away the chill in his body. Watching the bath bomb bubble and dissolve in the water, Ji Nanxing sank deeper into the water, couldn't help but think of the boy who could dispel the chill in his body, still not knowing his name.