Chapter 10

Chapter 10

◎Human Sacrifice for Foundation◎

A week can feel both long and short. After a week of military training, there is a simple review activity on Saturday, with flag-raising and marching in formation, welcoming the new students to officially embark on a new journey in life.

Ji Nanxing and Chen Shiyi did not participate in the training, so naturally, they couldn't join the formation march with everyone else. Instead, they sat on the stands with the parents who came to watch.

Chen Shiyi brought a bag of snacks to share with Ji Nanxing: "Xingxing, look, I brought a lot of delicious snacks. Help yourself, don't be shy!"

Ji Nanxing looked at him, a question mark silently appearing above his head.

Chen Shiyi understood his expression and chuckled: "Of course, good friends should call each other by nicknames. You can call me Shiyi directly, or even Yiyi if you want."

"Xingxing" wasn't his actual nickname, but Ji Nanxing didn't bother to correct him. Only his family called him by his nickname, and occasionally some people from the Bureau would call him "Xingxing," though it always made him think of a gorilla.

Chen Shiyi had brought a variety of snacks—candies, chocolates, beef jerky, and more. Even though the review ceremony was only half a day, he had packed enough for a whole day's outing.

Since people with certain illnesses often have dietary restrictions, Chen Shiyi didn't know what Ji Nanxing couldn't eat, so he simply handed him the bag full of snacks, letting him choose whatever he wanted.

Their class had a prime spot in the stands, right under the shade of some trees, avoiding the direct sunlight.

Chen Shiyi ate chocolate beans while introducing each passing formation to Ji Nanxing, telling him which class it was and who the standout students were.

Ji Nanxing was slightly surprised that Chen Shiyi knew so much.

Chen Shiyi, noticing his surprise, proudly said: "I enjoy browsing the forums in my spare time. Not just this year's freshmen, but I've pretty much figured out the situation with the sophomores and juniors too. Oh, and do you know who's in the running for school heartthrob right now?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head.

Chen Shiyi: "You and your deskmate. You took a few days off due to illness, so initially, you weren't as popular as him, but you've caught up recently. The forums have been flooded with posts about you these past few days, and there's even a dedicated thread for you. Haven't you noticed people passing by our classroom more often? Oh, you probably haven't, since you've been sleeping these past two days."

Ji Nanxing smiled. Although he hadn't accepted the Ghost Baby mission, he had been helping Xia Junyan analyze the case at night.

The identity of the deceased woman had been confirmed through investigation. The deceased was named Tan Shuyi, 26 years old, unmarried, with no family in her hometown, and her parents' whereabouts unknown.

Other relevant information, such as who she had last been in contact with and who the father of her child was, would take more time to uncover.

Based on the state of decomposition, Tan Shuyi had been dead for at least five years, so many details couldn't be uncovered quickly, which left the Ghost Baby's whereabouts a mystery.

As for directly asking Tan Shuyi, that method was temporarily out of the question.

Whether it was because the Ghost Baby had moved away from its mother or because Ji Nanxing had struck too hard that day, Tan Shuyi's spirit was now frail, her ghostly energy gradually fading, and her consciousness was completely unclear, making it impossible to get any answers.

Currently, every available Taoist in Yulan City had been called into action, conducting almost a carpet-like search every night with compasses, fearing that the Ghost Baby might cause a tragedy.

Especially at the mall where Tan Shuyi had died, staff from Guangli Group, as well as the contractors and construction teams from the mall's reconstruction years ago, were being investigated one by one, but so far, there had been no new leads.

However, mentioning sleep, the scattered sunlight intermittently shining on them, accompanied by a gentle breeze, did make one feel a bit drowsy.

Ji Nanxing closed his eyes and leaned back, the lively noise of the playground in his ears, with the athletes' march playing over the loudspeakers, creating a somewhat hypnotic atmosphere.

It wasn't until all the class formations had finished marching and the loudspeakers announced the flag-raising team's entrance that Ji Nanxing opened his eyes.

His deskmate, thanks to his height and looks, had been chosen as a flag-raiser.

When Xiao Ye, dressed in camouflage, marched out with the team, Ji Nanxing clearly heard a louder wave of noise, with words like "so tall" and "so handsome" mixed in.

Chen Shiyi whispered beside him: "The difference is striking. The two flag escorts aren't bad-looking either, but standing behind Xiao Ye, they just look ordinary."

He then glanced at Ji Nanxing, as if to say that in terms of looks, the only one who could rival Xiao Ye was Ji Nanxing—or rather, the only one who could rival Ji Nanxing's looks was perhaps Xiao Ye.

As they spoke, Ji Nanxing noticed that the person sitting next to him seemed to be watching him—not just a casual glance, but a focused observation.

Ji Nanxing turned to look directly at her. It was a young-looking woman with a ponytail and no excessive hair accessories, appearing clean and neat. Her features were bold and bright, with clear eyes that carried a certain presence—a presence uncommon in ordinary people, but she exuded a very upright aura, not just in appearance but in her overall demeanor.

Ji Nanxing quite liked people with such a strong sense of righteousness. They might not always be soft-hearted or merciful, but they were certainly kind and just, never harming others.

Looking at the woman who was staring at him intently, Ji Nanxing asked with a questioning look: "Is there something you need?"

Fang Li smiled at him and pointed to the playground: "You're also a freshman, right? Why aren't you with them?"

Ji Nanxing: "Health reasons, so I didn't participate in the military training."

Fang Li: "I see. Do you feel any regret about that?"

Chen Shiyi, sitting on Ji Nanxing's other side, nodded. He hadn't gone through military training either and felt a bit of regret.

Ji Nanxing, however, smiled: "No."

Who would regret not being able to participate in military training? If they could skip it, everyone would probably be jumping for joy.

Fang Li glanced at the person raising the flag on the playground. No wonder that kid had been so worried and troubled the other day, unsure how to get along with his deskmate but unwilling to change seats. With such a good-looking boy, who would want to switch?

But Fang Li carefully observed Ji Nanxing's complexion. It was pale, but not an unhealthy gray. The whites of his eyes were clear and bright, without any cloudiness, and his lips were a healthy pink. He was a bit thin, but that was normal for someone going through a growth spurt during adolescence.

At least from her diagnostic perspective, if there were any heart-related issues, they probably weren't serious.

With that in mind, Fang Li asked: "May I ask about the health issue? Sorry, I'm a doctor, so I might have a bit of a professional habit."

Ji Nanxing smiled at her: "It's nothing serious, just minor issues. An excuse to be lazy, really."

Chen Shiyi couldn't help but exclaim: "You're a doctor? You look like a recent college graduate."

Fang Li laughed: "I'm in my thirties, far from being a college student."

Chen Shiyi was genuinely surprised: "You look like you're in your twenties. Are you someone's sister in our class?"

Each class's seating area in the stands was different, and since they were in Class 7's area, she must be a parent of someone in Class 7.

Fang Li pointed to the person standing in the middle of the playground: "I'm Xiao Ye's sister-in-law."

Chen Shiyi suddenly understood: "Oh, from Xiao Ye's family. Is his brother just as handsome?"

Fang Li's smile deepened: "Very handsome."

She then turned to Ji Nanxing: "Xiao Ye has always been a bit wild, but he's good-natured and very caring. Don't be fooled by the fact that he got into a fight soon after school started—he never acts without reason, and when he does, he knows his limits. Since you're in the same class, if you ever need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask him."

Of course, family members would speak highly of their own. Chen Shiyi nodded in agreement, though they probably wouldn't have much reason to ask Xiao Ye for help unless he was the top student with incredibly detailed notes.

Ji Nanxing nodded: "I know. He's a good person."

He would block a railing for a classmate he hadn't even spoken to, catch someone who fainted instead of stepping aside, lend his uniform to shield someone from the rain, and even close the window for them.

Though these were small gestures, they revealed his good nature.

Of course, most of this was deduced from his appearance. Although Ji Nanxing hadn't used his spiritual eyes to closely examine Xiao Ye's face or aura, based on his accumulated experience, Xiao Ye had a good face, so he couldn't be a bad person.

By 11 a.m., the freshmen's review ceremony was over. The homeroom teacher took roll call, reminded them of Monday's morning self-study time, and then dismissed them on the spot.

Chen Shiyi, carrying a backpack with not many snacks consumed, asked Ji Nanxing, "Want to grab lunch and hit the bookstore this afternoon? Those practice books the teacher talked about last time are in stock now. I followed the bookstore on WeChat Mini Program and got a subscription notification."

Ji Nanxing had nothing to do today. The Ji family usually had no one home for lunch, so he could just eat and return in the evening. He nodded.

But just as they reached the school gate, Ji Nanxing was suddenly snatched away.

Chen Shiyi watched as Ji Nanxing was pulled into a car. After a moment of shock, he quickly ran after them.

Ji Nanxing shook off Xia Junyan's grip and said to Chen Shiyi, "It's cool. He's a buddy of mine. I can't grab lunch with you today. If you're heading to the bookstore for those practice books, could you grab them for me?"

Chen Shiyi nodded and waved them off, watching as they drove away.

Across the street, Xiao Ye, who had been watching the car pull away from the school gate, finally lowered his hand from the car door and leaned back into his seat.

Fang Li glanced at him, "What's up? Gonna dash out and save your little buddy?"

Xiao Ye wore an expression of confusion, "I just remembered I left something behind."

Fang Li, "Then go get it."

Xiao Ye, "Never mind. I'll grab it on Monday."

Fang Li smiled and didn't tease him further, stepping on the gas to head home.

Once inside the car, Ji Nanxing glared at Xia Junyan, "You totally looked like a kidnapper back there. You could have scared someone."

Xia Junyan chuckled, "Was that your classmate just now? That kid looks like he's not long for this world."

Ji Nanxing leaned back in his seat without responding. Fate isn't set in stone; sometimes, a small incident can drastically change a person's fate and thus their appearance.

Some folks are lucky and rich, but they can still lose it all by making enemies. People shape their fate, not the other way around.

Xia Junyan was somewhat concerned about others' fates but not deeply. After a casual remark, he got straight to the point, "I found the Ghost Baby."

Ji Nanxing, "Found it? Where?"

Xia Junyan, "Found it, but not entirely. You know the chairman of Guangli, right?"

Ji Nanxing nodded. Guangli Mall is actually the White Building. After that day, he made a point to look up info on the White Building and naturally knew about the Guangli Group. They say the chairman's pretty young and took over the family biz.

Xia Junyan, "Someone's buried in the White Building. All the roads are sealed, and the walls inside are pasted with talismans to suppress vengeful spirits. So, I checked the archives of the Management Bureau. It turns out that something happened during the reconstruction of the White Building."

"I also went to the library to find old photos of this area and looked at the overall layout of the White Building at that time. The White Building was located at a major crossroads, which should have been a prosperous financial position. But later, to ease traffic at the intersection, a cross-shaped overpass was built, turning the prosperous financial position into a bridge curse."

While he was speaking, Ji Nanxing had already taken out his phone to search for old photos. There used to be an overpass here, and looking at the overall layout, it indeed directly faced the bridge curse.

Moreover, the White Building was right next to the overpass. From a bird's-eye view, the exit of the overpass looked like a curved sickle, slashing across the main entrance of the White Building.

The bridge acts as virtual water; water flows over the bridge but does not enter, passing by the door. For a mall, wealth passing by without entering naturally becomes a curse.

Xia Junyan, "Later, the bridge here was demolished, and the overall situation of the mall improved a lot. But the losses had been too great to recover. Later, the White Building was acquired and rebuilt by the Guangli Group. During the reconstruction, a stone lion buried underground was accidentally dug up, and the construction site started to be haunted, so fiercely that work had to be halted."

Ji Nanxing, "What happened next? Who resolved it?"

Xia Junyan, "Strangely, the Management Bureau's archives only recorded the haunting incidents but did not have a case closure record. But as you know, many people are unaware that the country has a Management Bureau. There are quite a few skilled individuals in the private sector as well. So, it's possible that the chairman of Guangli used his connections to bring in a feng shui master to alter the layout or suppress something."

Suppress?

Ji Nanxing opened the map on his phone again, examining the current layout of the mall, and zoomed in on one spot, "This should be the sealed basement, right?"

Xia Junyan nodded, "Yes, what do you think? You see it too, don't you?"

Ji Nanxing, "I see it. Someone is using a living stake to break the curse and generate wealth."