Chapter 35

Chapter 35

◎Resolving Calamity◎

Opening the Ghost Gate requires a price to be paid, and it is not something that can be done casually. Among the entire Taoist community, there are only a handful of Taoists capable of opening the Ghost Gate in such a manner. Even Ji Nanxing, with his talent, found that opening it once nearly drained all his spiritual energy.

The drained spiritual energy isn't something that can be replenished just by eating a few meals. By Monday, Ji Nanxing was still groggy and weak. If not for not wanting to worry his family, he would have taken a week off to recover his depleted spiritual energy.

The morning classroom was as noisy and busy as ever, with students frantically asking for homework and copying assignments.

When he arrived, the classmate sitting in front of him immediately turned around: "Hey, genius, can I peek at your math homework?"

Ji Nanxing took out his homework from his bag and placed it on the desk, saying "Go ahead" before slumping onto the table.

The classmates around him quickly divided up his homework, scribbling to finish their assignments.

Xiao Ye, however, frowned slightly as he looked at his deskmate: "What's up? You look really pale. You okay?"

Ji Nanxing tugged at his uniform collar, burying half his face in his arm, and muttered, "I didn't sleep well."

Xiao Ye quickly told the classmates copying homework to quiet down. Even though Xiao Ye had been pretty friendly since the semester started, often playing basketball with some of the boys in class, the intimidating presence he had at the start of the semester still lingered. As soon as he spoke, the classroom quieted down, and even those borrowing homework whispered quietly.

After managing to get an extra ten minutes of sleep, Ji Nanxing felt slightly more awake, barely managing to stay awake through the morning without collapsing. However, by lunchtime, he couldn't move a step further and decided to rest for half an hour before heading to the cafeteria to grab whatever food was available.

Seeing him so listless all morning, Xiao Ye said, "You sleep. I'll grab some food for you. Anything in particular you want?"

Ji Nanxing slowly fished out his meal card from his bag and handed it to him: "Anything is fine, thanks."

Before leaving, Xiao Ye draped his uniform over Ji Nanxing.

Although it wasn't as comforting as direct contact with Xiao Ye, the uniform still carried his scent, and the slight warmth was enough for Ji Nanxing to accept it.

After Xiao Ye and Zhang Yuan left the classroom, Chen Shiyi sat down next to him, concerned: "What's wrong? You've looked sick all morning. If you're not feeling well, why not take the day off?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, about to say it was nothing, but when he looked up, he noticed the deathly aura lingering on Chen Shiyi's forehead, and his expression instantly turned serious.

The weather had been changing rapidly as autumn set in, with temperatures dropping suddenly. The morning had been sunny, but now the wind was picking up outside. Seeing Ji Nanxing unwell, Chen Shiyi, worried he might catch a cold, reached over to adjust his clothes: "Then you sleep. I'll go get food. I have a few bags of bread here. If you're hungry, eat some first. Who knows when Xiao Ye will be back with the food. This should hold you over."

As Chen Shiyi stood up, Ji Nanxing grabbed his arm.

Chen Shiyi turned back, puzzled: "What's wrong? Do you need me to get something for you?"

Ji Nanxing said, "I'm feeling a bit unwell. Can you accompany me to the infirmary?"

Hearing that he was unwell, Chen Shiyi immediately forgot about eating and quickly helped him: "Are you feeling really bad? Can you walk? Should I carry you? I'm pretty strong."

Ji Nanxing, wrapped in Xiao Ye's uniform, let Chen Shiyi support him: "It's fine. I can walk."

The infirmary wasn't far from the classroom building, and even during lunch, there was a teacher on duty. Seeing a student complaining of dizziness and discomfort, the teacher quickly checked his blood pressure and sugar levels. Both were slightly low, so the teacher gave him a bag of oral glucose supplement and told him to drink it and rest on the bed for a while.

Chen Shiyi tucked him in and pulled a chair over to sit beside him: "It must be because you haven't eaten that your blood sugar is so low. I should have brought the bread. Oh, I forgot my phone. Don't move, I'll go back to the classroom to get it and call Xiao Ye to hurry up and bring something over."

Ji Nanxing grabbed his hand: "My phone is in my pocket. Don't go. I don't want to be alone."

The moment their hands touched, an invisible energy swirled around Chen Shiyi for a brief moment, and the dark aura on his forehead diminished slightly.

Chen Shiyi simply thought Ji Nanxing was being clingy because he wasn't feeling well and didn't think much of it. He took the phone, unlocked it, and called Xiao Ye, telling him to bring food directly to the infirmary.

Ji Nanxing lay with his eyes closed, and Chen Shiyi, noticing that his face looked even paler than before, anxiously touched his forehead: "Should I call your family? You look so pale."

Ji Nanxing smiled at him, "I'll be fine after resting for a bit."

Seeing his reluctance, Chen Shiyi didn't push and simply sat beside him, watching Ji Nanxing close his eyes and sleep. His lips were pale and bloodless, making him look fragile and stirring a strong urge to protect him.

This was the first time a friend had needed him. Chen Shiyi suddenly understood the meaning of the word "friend." It was about needing and being needed, a presence chosen in special moments, an intimacy that went beyond ordinary social relationships.

This feeling was both new and quite pleasant.

As Chen Shiyi stared at Ji Nanxing, lost in thought, the sound of running suddenly echoed in the hallway. He turned his head and saw Xiao Ye running over, out of breath.

Xiao Ye adjusted his breathing, not wanting to make too much noise and wake the person on the bed. He walked in carrying a steaming lunchbox and whispered, "What's the situation?"

Chen Shiyi: "The school doctor said it's nothing serious, just low blood sugar making him dizzy. What did you buy?"

Ji Nanxing opened his eyes, smiled at Xiao Ye, and tried to sit up.

Xiao Ye quickly stepped forward to help him up: "You're not feeling well, yet you're still pushing yourself. You should have taken leave earlier to rest. I was worried the food would get cold, so I got some wontons and seafood soup with rice. The soup will stay hot longer. Eat some now, and if you want more, I'll grab it later."

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "No need, I'll just have the soup with rice."

Xiao Ye handed the bowl of wontons to Chen Shiyi, who had been keeping Ji Nanxing company and likely hadn't eaten either.

Chen Shiyi was a bit hungry, but he didn't take the bowl: "You haven't eaten either, have you? Since you're here, stay with him. I'll grab something myself."

Xiao Ye: "Zhang Yuan got something for me; he'll be here soon. You eat."

Though he was talking to Chen Shiyi, Xiao Ye's eyes stayed on Ji Nanxing. As he ate spoonfuls of the soup with rice, his pale lips, now moistened by the broth, seemed to regain some color.

Xiao Ye pulled up another chair and sat on Ji Nanxing's other side, reaching out to touch his head: "Rest a little after eating, then I'll take you home."

Ji Nanxing pulled the hand away from his head, and the coldness on one side of his body was instantly dispelled by the warmth from Xiao Ye's hand.

Using his spiritual energy to clear the dark aura from Chen Shiyi's forehead had taken a lot out of him. Having just opened the ghost gate, his spiritual energy was already depleted, and now he had even less strength to resist the yin energy within him.

Ji Nanxing, who rarely stayed close to Xiao Ye for more than three minutes, found himself drawn to this warmth. Since Xiao Ye happened to be sitting on his left, he tentatively extended his left hand: "Your hand is so warm."

Xiao Ye chuckled: "It's your hand that's too cold. Are you feeling cold? I'll go ask the school doctor if they have any heating pads."

Ji Nanxing withdrew his hand: "No need."

Xiao Ye laughed again and grabbed his hand back into his palm: "There's nothing embarrassing about a guy feeling cold. Heating pads aren't just for girls. No need to be shy. If you don't want to use one, fine, I'll keep you warm. Don't dawdle, eat while it's hot."

After saying this, Xiao Ye tucked Ji Nanxing's hand, which wasn't holding the spoon, back under the blanket but didn't let go, trying to warm it with the heat from his palm.

The hand he held was as cold as ice. Xiao Ye had no idea a person's body temperature could drop so low. Watching Ji Nanxing eat spoonful by spoonful, looking listless, his frown never eased.

He liked seeing his little deskmate smile, seeing him aloof and unapproachable, seeing him glare at him impatiently, seeing the cunning hidden in his eyes when he teased him. But he didn't like seeing him so weak and sick.

When it was almost time for class, the group returned to the classroom. Unsure if Chen Shiyi's crisis had passed, Ji Nanxing didn't go home. After the first class ended, he saw Chen Shiyi take his phone and hide at the back of the classroom to make a call. He hung up after just a few words, but his expression clearly showed some disappointment.

Fortunately, the dark aura on his forehead that had been dispelled at noon hadn't reappeared, meaning this life-threatening crisis should have passed.

While Ji Nanxing was staring at Chen Shiyi, Xiao Ye popped his head up, forcibly occupying his line of sight: "What are you looking at?"

Ji Nanxing: "Nothing."

Xiao Ye followed his gaze, but Chen Shiyi had already returned to his seat after the call, so what he saw was a classmate sitting in the corner. That classmate wasn't particularly interesting, just ordinary, but there was a cup of milk tea on his desk.

Xiao Ye smiled and said nothing, pulling out the book for the next class from his desk.

After enduring another class, Xiao Ye went out for a stroll after class and came back with a cup of milk tea in hand.

Looking at the offered milk tea, Ji Nanxing was puzzled: "For me?"

Xiao Ye shoved the milk tea into his hand: "The weather's turning, and it's cooling down a bit. Have something warm to keep cozy, and it'll help with your blood sugar."

Ji Nanxing took the milk tea and looked at him: "Aren't you having any?"

Xiao Ye shook his head; he didn't like such sweet, sticky drinks, always feeling they clogged his throat.

Zhang Yuan in the back seat kicked the chair with a blank face, trying to appeal to the conscience of the person in front.

Xiao Ye took out his phone and sent him a red envelope.

Zhang Yuan clicked his tongue; did he really care about the red envelope? He was just silently protesting his friend's favoritism.

But his fingers betrayed him as they opened the red envelope, only to find it contained just one cent, and he let out a curse: "Xiao Ye! Be a decent person!"

Ji Nanxing, sipping his milk tea, turned to see what the commotion was about, but Xiao Ye gently pushed his head back: "Don't look, be careful not to dirty your eyes."

Guo Can, sitting behind Ji Nanxing, silently watched the three of them, resigned to being just an NPC, a part of their entangled affections.

During the last class, Xia Junyan called.

Usually, Xia Junyan wouldn't call directly unless it was urgent. Ji Nanxing took his phone to the restroom, and as soon as he answered, Xia Junyan said: "The Rose Garden, the property developer from Hu Xiaodie's case, his estate has turned into a ghost mansion. A Thai exorcist is trapped there. The management bureau noticed an overwhelming amount of yin energy in that area and plans to handle it tonight. I remember you closed Hu Xiaodie's case, and you still hold onto one of her souls. Do you want to go tonight?"

Ji Nanxing: "Turned into a ghost mansion? The kind that's formed a spirit realm?"

Xia Junyan: "It's still unclear; the colleagues sent to investigate haven't returned yet, but it seems like it won't be easy to deal with. The main problem is there's a foreigner involved, which complicates things. It's unclear how long they've been trapped."

Ji Nanxing said: "Probably three days."

Xia Junyan exclaimed: "How do you know?"

Ji Nanxing: "Hu Xiaodie's lingering ghost stirred on Saturday. Someone wanted to break the curse and eliminate the root cause, so I opened the ghost door and sent Hu Xiaodie away. If nothing unexpected happened, the house should be covered by the Black Command Banner."

The Black Command Banner, a special pardon from the netherworld, allows the bearer to return to the living world for vengeance, and no Taoist practitioner can intervene.

To obtain the Black Command Banner, one must strike the Drum of Grievance. Without deep-seated obsession and hatred, one cannot strike the drum, so throughout history, few lingering ghosts have ever obtained the Black Command Banner.

The last time the Black Command Banner appeared was over thirty years ago, when a malevolent Taoist master, in pursuit of a magical artifact, persecuted a family of over twenty, and the daughter they desperately protected was also brutally killed. But the perpetrator was a malevolent Taoist master, unafraid of ghostly revenge, and instead scattered the vengeful spirit to the winds.

In the end, his master opened the ghost door for the girl, struck the Drum of Grievance, and obtained the Black Command Banner.

Xia Junyan hissed lightly: "Hu Xiaodie's resentment runs that deep? Over an abandoned building?"

Ji Nanxing: "Everyone's obsessions are different, what they care about and can endure varies. Some value family above all, some see family as a burden, some don't care about where they live and adapt, some spend their lives obsessed with putting down roots. Since she managed to obtain the Black Command Banner, stay out of it. If the Rong family hasn't committed heinous crimes, they won't die. If they are, they won't survive."

Xia Junyan belatedly remembered the main point: "Wait, how old are you? You opened the ghost door? By yourself? Wow, you opened the ghost door?"

Ji Nanxing: "I did, so what."

Xia Junyan exclaimed: "That's the ghost door! Why didn't you give me a heads-up before you opened it? I've never seen the ghost door in my life!"

Ji Nanxing: "No more talking, I have to get back to class. Let me know when there's a result."

After hanging up, Xia Junyan was still in disbelief. What a terrifying talent, to be able to open the ghost door by oneself at such a young age?!

As Ji Nanxing walked back to the classroom, he was still thinking about that day. He thought Yulan City had another Taoist who didn't care about cause and effect, only seeking wealth. Turns out it wasn't local, but someone brought in from abroad. But since it's cross-national, the Black Command Banner probably doesn't apply to him.

The school bell rang, and Xiao Ye grabbed Ji Nanxing's schoolbag, insisting on walking him home. Since it wasn’t far, Ji Nanxing didn’t object and waved goodbye to Chen Shiyi.

Chen Shiyi lived just two bus stops away. Many students headed in the same direction, and every day after school, the bus was packed with students in uniforms.

After getting off at his stop, Chen Shiyi walked through the poorly lit park to get home. Before stepping inside, he took a deep breath, bracing himself for the scolding that was sure to come.

Sure enough, the moment he opened the door, his mother's harsh words rained down on him.

Chen Shiyi hung his head and muttered, "I forgot my phone at noon. Sorry."

His mother, holding his crying younger brother in her arms, said impatiently, "You can't even handle the smallest things. All you do is waste money and make life harder for us. You're almost an adult and still can't help out at home at all! If there's ever a real emergency, by the time we rely on you, it'll be too late!"

His father, unable to stand seeing his son scolded, tried to calm her down, "Come on, his school's not exactly around the corner. What could he have possibly done in that little time at noon? It might have even disrupted his afternoon classes."

Bringing up his classes only made his mother angrier. "With him at the bottom of his class, what's the point of shelling out so much for school? Do you have any idea how much we fork out every year for tuition, books, uniforms, and all those other fees? If he were doing well in school, I could at least hope for some payoff, but his grades are awful, and his health is no better! What can I possibly hope for from him in the future?"

His father coughed lightly, "It's getting late, and he's still got homework to finish. Shiyi, head to your room and get your homework done, alright?"

Chen Shiyi gave a nod and retreated to his room. His mother shot his father a glare, "You always play the good guy."

She didn’t mean to always nag at her son, but life had ground her down to this. When he was little, she spent endless nights rushing him to the doctor, terrified every time he gasped for air, pleading with doctors for help. Even having a second child was with the hope of having someone to lean on in the future.

Now that he was finally grown and the little one was in kindergarten, she couldn’t help but feel a knot of anxiety when she saw his grades. His health was shaky, he wasn’t the sharpest, and his grades were dismal. What would become of him after they were gone? The age gap with his younger brother was so big—would his brother really be able to take care of him in the future?

And what if the younger one turned out to be just as useless? The thought of their future was terrifying, something you couldn’t understand unless you were a mother.

After stuffing her crying younger son, who was uncomfortable from a cold, into her husband’s arms, Chen Shiyi’s mother went to the kitchen to steam a pot of buns. It was so late, and he was still growing. He needed to eat something to have the energy to do his homework.

After setting up the stove, she saw her husband comforting their younger son and felt another wave of anger. "A shipment came at noon, and I wanted him to come back to watch the baby get his shot, but his phone was unreachable. Luckily, the girl from Uncle Cai’s family upstairs came back and helped look after the baby. Otherwise, how could I have managed? Thankfully, she was careful. I told her the baby is allergic to cephalosporin, and that small clinic almost gave him cephalosporin. Luckily, Uncle Cai’s daughter noticed before they administered it. These small clinics are so unreliable. Tomorrow, either take half a day off to watch the store or take half a day off to take the baby to the hospital. He’s been coughing and not getting better. We can’t let it turn into pneumonia."

His father, holding the now quiet baby, said, "Alright, I’ll take a day off tomorrow. I’ll watch the store in the morning, cook lunch, and take care of the baby in the afternoon. Don’t always be so hard on him. Kids these days are very fragile, and the pressure from school is heavy. Try to be understanding."

His mother snorted, "I’m fragile too, and I’m under a lot of pressure. Who’s going to understand me?"

After giving her husband a look, she turned and went to the balcony. There was still a pile of clothes and bedding to wash.

His father, swaying the baby in his arms, walked around the house, looking at the closed door and smiling as he teased the baby, "Mom doesn’t understand, but our little treasure does. Little treasure understands his brother the most, doesn’t he?"

Inside his room, Chen Shiyi listened as the noise outside gradually quieted down. He sighed helplessly. Sometimes, he really felt like life was so exhausting. He didn’t understand the meaning of living like this, but it wasn’t bad enough to make him want to end it all. Life had to go on, and he didn’t know when this kind of life would ever end.