Chapter 27

Chapter 27

◎The Top Student in the Grade, the Young Taoist◎

When Ji Nanxing walked into the classroom, the previously noisy class fell silent for a moment, seemingly surprised that he had come today instead of taking a full three-day break.

After arriving at the classroom in the morning, Xiao Ye had been hesitating whether to send a WeChat message to ask about Ji Nanxing's condition, but he was afraid it might be too early and disturb his rest. While he was repeatedly debating in his mind, he saw Ji Nanxing actually show up, and the inexplicable anxiety in his heart suddenly eased. However, he soon frowned again.

"I told you to rest at home today. Missing half a day of class isn't a big deal."

Ji Nanxing sat back in his seat, put down his bag, and handed his homework to the group leader: "I'm fine, so I decided to come."

Chen Shiyi also leaned over: "Are you okay? Why didn't you rest more at home?"

Ji Nanxing looked at the people surrounding him, front and back, and smiled: "If I can come, it means I'm okay. I'm not overdoing it. This kind of thing will probably happen often in the future, so don't make a big deal out of it. You'll get used to it."

Xiao Ye: "What do you mean by 'don't make a big deal out of it'? How can you just get used to something like that?"

Ji Nanxing casually picked up a book, rolled it up, and pressed it against Xiao Ye's mouth: "I'm fine, really. Now be quiet and stop asking, or I'll get mad."

Xiao Ye: "Oh."

Chen Shiyi also silently closed his mouth.

Seeing Ji Nanxing shut Xiao Ye up with just one sentence, Zhang Yuan almost burst out laughing.

At that moment, Zhang Yuan's deskmate took out his phone, opened a screenshot, and showed it to him: "Ji Nanxing, is this you? Were you at that car accident scene yesterday too?"

Xiao Ye was startled: "Car accident scene? What car accident?"

Ji Nanxing glanced at the screenshot on the phone and said, "Yeah, I was just passing by."

Xiao Ye took the phone from the classmate behind him and zoomed in on the screenshot. At first glance, he didn't notice the gruesome car accident scene in the picture, but only saw the young man in a school uniform standing to the side.

Under the warm yellow streetlight, the young man in the school uniform looked cold and aloof, his pale complexion standing out against the surrounding chaos. Although only his profile was visible, the indescribable atmosphere was absolutely captivating.

The screenshot even included a captured comment, with the words "divine beauty" followed by a whole row of exclamation marks.

Xiao Ye returned the phone to the classmate behind him and looked back at Ji Nanxing: "Are you okay?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head again: "I was just passing by."

The classmate behind him leaned on the desk and asked the eyewitness of the car accident with curiosity: "I heard that car was haunted. Not only did it go the wrong way, but it also seemed like it couldn't see the cars in front of it. If it hadn't suddenly swerved at the last moment, the family of three in the car would have been killed."

Zhang Yuan: "Haunted? It's just a car accident. Why bring up ghosts?"

Guo Can pulled up a video and played it for them. In the video, a black sedan was driving normally on the road, but for some reason, it suddenly turned around and started going the wrong way, causing other cars to swerve out of its path in panic. Just as it was about to collide with a large truck, the driver swerved and crashed into the guardrail instead.

After watching the video together, Chen Shiyi said: "This looks like someone trying to commit suicide but chickening out at the last moment."

Guo Can said: "That's what it looks like from the video alone, but if you listen to the audio, it's a different story."

Guo Can then pulled up the audio. In the audio, the couple was talking normally, discussing how to get a spot for their child and threatening the teacher if they didn't get their way.

Just as they were discussing how to cause trouble at the school, the woman in the passenger seat suddenly screamed as if she had seen a truck in front of them. The man driving also instinctively cursed, followed by the sound of the crash. After a moment of chaos, the audio cut off.

The scariest part was at the very end. The blogger who posted the audio had isolated a faint sound. If you listened closely, you could hear a girl's singing throughout the entire audio. It wasn't music from the car's speakers, but a clear, human voice singing, as if someone was in the back seat.

But the car accident only involved a family of three—a husband, wife, and son. There was no girl in the car.

When you combined the video and audio and scrutinized the details, it all seemed rather eerie.

Chen Shiyi couldn't help but glance at Ji Nanxing. He knew Ji Nanxing could see lingering ghosts, and he happened to be at the scene yesterday. Thinking back on the car accident, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Zhang Yuan, who didn't believe in such things, laughed and said: "A car accident from yesterday already has audio today? People are really quick to chase clout."

Guo Can looked at Ji Nanxing: "Did you see anything unusual at the scene yesterday? Were they really haunted?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head innocently, looking completely clueless.

Xiao Ye picked up a book and tapped Guo Can on the head: "It's just a regular car accident. Maybe they were too engrossed in discussing how to harm someone. Besides, even if they were really haunted, you wouldn't be able to see it at the scene. There were so many people there yesterday. Alright, alright, let's not talk about such unlucky things first thing in the morning."

The morning self-study bell rang, and the homeroom teacher walked in with her textbook. Her first glance was toward Ji Nanxing's seat, expecting to see it empty. To her surprise, he was there, but she didn't say anything and simply instructed everyone to open their textbooks and start reciting the selected passages.

The wooden charm hanging quietly on Ji Nanxing's bag, like a decoration, swayed slightly. Xie Paner's figure, sitting cross-legged on the windowsill, slowly materialized.

Xie Paner propped her elbows on her knees, resting her chin in her hands, and looked down at Ji Nanxing, who seemed to be silently reciting the text. Knowing that no one else could hear her, she still whispered softly: "Don't worry, Young Taoist. When it's your turn, if you forget, I'll remind you."

Since she was living under someone else's roof and receiving offerings, she had to contribute something.

Ji Nanxing ignored her, and soon the teacher called on him.

Ji Nanxing wasn't exactly photographic, but due to his cultivation, he had naturally sharp senses and a good memory. After reading the text once or twice, he could recite it flawlessly without a single stumble.

The homeroom teacher nodded and reminded him: "If you're still feeling unwell, make sure to speak up. Studying is important, but your health is more important."

Ji Nanxing nodded, and the teacher marked a check next to his name before letting him return to his seat and calling on the next student.

As soon as Ji Nanxing sat down, Xie Paner's flattery began: "Amazing, Young Taoist! I looked around, and out of everyone, you were the most fluent! As expected of a Taoist..."

Before she could finish, Ji Nanxing drew a circle on the desk with his finger, and Xie Paner suddenly found herself unable to speak, as if a mute button had been pressed. She widened her eyes in protest. If he found her annoying, he could just tell her to be quiet. Why resort to such measures? How could he bully a ghost like this!

As soon as the morning self-study bell rang, the dean of academics came over, exchanged a few words with the homeroom teacher, and then the teacher left with her textbook and lesson plan. Ji Nanxing silently chanted an incantation, and with a slight movement of his finger, a small paper figure floated down from the teacher's body, then crept along the wall and flew back into Ji Nanxing's palm.

Not long after, the English teacher walked in with her textbook.

While instructing the class representative to clean the blackboard, she said: "Those who haven't eaten breakfast or gone to the restroom, hurry up. The first period has been switched to English. Since your test scores have been tallied, you'd better eat well now, or some of you might not have an appetite for the rest of the day."

The class groaned in unison. Test scores were truly a terrifying thing. As for the sudden change in schedule, no one paid much attention to the reason. After all, schedule changes were a normal occurrence.

The female ghost sitting on the windowsill hesitated for a while before finally disappearing. Ji Nanxing didn't even glance up.

The class representative went to the office to fetch their monthly exam papers, and the teacher called out names one by one, announcing scores and handing out the papers. Those who scored above 120 breathed a sigh of relief—at least they had passed this subject. Those who barely scraped past 90 looked miserable, as a score just above the passing mark wasn't exactly reassuring.

Then there were those who didn't even reach 90, like Chen Shiyi, who scored in the 80s—a failing grade.

When it was Ji Nanxing's turn, the English teacher's expression brightened slightly: "You did well. 148 points, with two points deducted from the essay. Keep reading more English books to broaden your knowledge. Keep it up."

Many couldn't help but exclaim in awe. A score close to full marks was simply incredible.

Some students couldn't help but glance at Ji Nanxing, some in surprise, others not too shocked. After the incident with the senior who got into a fight, everyone knew Ji Nanxing's family was quite wealthy. It was possible he had private tutors or frequently traveled abroad, so it wasn't too surprising that his English was good.

But in the following math and chemistry classes, Ji Nanxing was the only one in the class to score full marks. Without even looking at the grade-wide statistics, it was clear that the top student in their class had already emerged.

Xiao Ye was slightly biased toward math and science, having been good at those subjects since childhood. He had been quite confident in his abilities. Originally, he thought that since Ji Nanxing was often sick and missed classes, his grades might not be great. After all, studying required energy, and frequent absences could lead to falling behind. He had even planned to offer Ji Nanxing targeted tutoring if needed.

But now, Ji Nanxing's scores were higher than his, which almost made the confident Xiao Ye feel a bit defeated. It seemed that in terms of academics, this little brother didn't need his protection. The only advantage Xiao Ye had left was his strong physique, which he could use to shield Ji Nanxing from bullies.

Xiao Ye secretly flexed the muscles in his arm. Since the start of the school year, he hadn't trained with the guards at home for a long time. In the mornings, he had been using studying as an excuse to skip his runs, and he could feel his muscles softening. It seemed he needed to resume his daily training. This last remaining advantage of being able to protect his little brother couldn't be lost.

There are two classes in the afternoon, and after the classes, there will be a parent-teacher meeting for the high school freshman class. After the meeting, school will be dismissed directly. The overall grade statistics have also been released and posted on the high school bulletin board.

Ji Nanxing firmly holds the top position in the grade with a total score of 737, outscoring the second place by 35 points. The second place in the grade is He Zhanfei, the freshman representative at the beginning of the school year.

This score has truly shocked many people. Originally, his face already gave off an aloof vibe, and now with the added halo of being an academic prodigy, the name Ji Nanxing has become even more renowned.

With the release of the grade's scores, naturally, some are happy while others are worried.

A few boys from Class 3 of the high school freshmen returned to the classroom after seeing the grade rankings. Seeing He Zhanfei sitting at his seat with a grim face, their laughter immediately got louder: "I thought some people were acting all high and mighty, but it turns out they're just like that!"

Someone nearby laughed and said, "Don't say that, he's the representative; he gave a speech on stage!"

The boy who first mocked snorted, "Oh, the representative, probably just got the spot because no one else wanted it."

He Zhanfei suddenly stood up and glared at the boy who spoke.

The boy wasn't afraid of him and shot him a dirty look.

Other classmates in the class, though not loud, could still be heard murmuring about the 35-point gap. No one in the class spoke up for He Zhanfei, even though he was second in the grade.

He Zhanfei stormed out of the classroom and happened to see Ji Nanxing coming back from eating off-campus.

Seeing the fierce-looking person approaching, Xiao Ye pulled Ji Nanxing behind him and stood in front, giving the newcomer a hostile look: "What do you want?"

Looking like he was ready to throw down—who did he think he was scaring?

He Zhanfei glared fiercely at Ji Nanxing and then shoved past Xiao Ye.

Xiao Ye, who was not someone He Zhanfei could easily push aside, didn’t just stand there—he shoved right back.

He Zhanfei's shoulder hurt from the collision, and he stumbled a couple of steps.

Xiao Ye rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward: "What’s your problem, man? You looking for trouble?"

He Zhanfei didn't know Xiao Ye, but the guy’s build made it clear he wasn’t someone to mess with. So he glared at them again and took off before Xiao Ye could lay a hand on him.

Xiao Ye looked puzzled: "What’s wrong with this guy?"

Chen Shiyi also looked confused: "This is the second time, isn’t it, Nanxing? Was it him who glared at us last time?"

Hearing it was the second time, Xiao Ye wanted to chase after him to stop and ask for clarification.

Ji Nanxing stopped him: "Let's go, don't chase."

Xiao Ye: "We should at least figure out what’s going on. If this guy really is off his rocker, we need to stay away from him in the future."

Ji Nanxing said, "It's probably because the scores came out."

Zhang Yuan said, "I remember him, he was the freshman representative who spoke on stage at the beginning of the school year."

Xiao Ye nodded, "Then he must be going crazy because his grades aren’t as good as yours. Stay away from him in the future. Guys like this are obviously off their rocker. We don’t need to confront lunatics."

They walked to the bulletin board and saw Ji Nanxing's name at the top. Especially Chen Shiyi, who gasped, "I wouldn’t even dream of scoring that high."

Zhang Yuan asked Ji Nanxing with a smile, "Do you want to go to Tsinghua or Peking University in the future?"

Ji Nanxing: "We’ll see. I’ll go wherever I get in."

Xiao Ye: "With your grades, you can choose whichever you want."

As he spoke, his eyes scanned the list and found his own name in the 80s, with a score of 642. If Ji Nanxing scored a few more points, he would have surpassed him by a hundred.

Originally quite satisfied with his own grades, Xiao Ye suddenly felt that the gap between him and first place was painfully wide.

The four returned to the classroom, which was dim with the curtains closed. Some students who had returned from lunch were napping, while others were chatting quietly.

As soon as Ji Nanxing sat down, Xie Paner, who had been missing all morning, appeared looking pleadingly, tugging on his sleeve: "Young Master, can you help Teacher Liang? She might be suspended."