Chapter 107

Chapter 107

◎ The Unfortunate Second in the Class ◎

The three-day Qingming holiday happened to connect with the weekend, so there was no need to adjust the following week's vacation time. On Friday, there was an extra half-day of classes for a thorough cleaning before the holiday.

Of course, the three days for the third year of high school were adjusted. Half a day was moved from the previous week and half a day from the following week. In total, this long holiday was not as good as a normal one-day weekend break. However, with the April joint exam approaching and less than two months left before the college entrance exam, time is crucial for scoring.

Except for the third year, the first and second years had a proper holiday. The aftermath of having an extra half-day off compared to the usual two-day weekend was that on the first day back to school, everyone was still suffering from post-holiday fatigue.

It took a while after the class bell rang for the noisy class to gradually quiet down. The homeroom teacher entered the classroom with the lesson plan, spent some time organizing the class order, and then said to the class monitor, "Ji Nanxing has asked for a few days of sick leave. Make sure to inform the school inspection team."

The school inspection team checks the number of students during the daily inter-class exercises. If the number is incorrect, the class will lose points.

Xiao Xiao nodded in acknowledgment and looked worriedly at the empty seat next to Xiao Ye.

As soon as the morning self-study ended, Jiang Tangtang and Lin Yi gathered around, "What’s wrong with the academic god? Did he get sick again because of the recent temperature drop? It always rains at this time of year, with the weather fluctuating between cold and hot. Brother Ye, you know where the academic god lives, right? Let’s go see him after school."

With his deskmate absent, Xiao Ye felt the world was gloomy (it was indeed a rainy day) and was too lazy to speak, "What's there to see? Go back to your class."

Jiang Tangtang gave him a knowing look, "You just want to keep the academic god to yourself!"

Lin Yi, afraid they might start arguing, quickly pulled Jiang Tangtang back, "Alright, alright, maybe it’s just a slight cold. He might be back tomorrow. Let's not disturb the academic god's rest."

Jiang Tangtang snorted and then sighed, "Our fragile and dependent academic god. I'll send him a message later to check on him."

Xiao Ye propped his chin with one hand and twirled a pen with the other, "Don't bother. His phone isn't with him."

He heard Ji Nanxing had gone to a tomb to perform rituals, so he wouldn't have his phone. Every day after finishing work, he would return to the tent exhausted and fall asleep immediately, not even having the strength to say goodnight. So, it's better not to let Jiang Tangtang disturb him.

Jiang Tangtang exclaimed, "What's going on? Is he seriously ill?"

If his phone isn't with him, there's only one possibility—he's in a place where phones aren’t allowed. In this day and age, who can live without their phone? The only place Jiang Tangtang could think of where phones aren’t allowed is the ICU.

Xiao Ye clicked his tongue, "He's not sick. He’s just dealing with some family matters. Can you go back to your seat? It's too noisy."

Jiang Tangtang snorted, then thought of something and said to everyone, "There’s a temple fair on Changping Street this weekend. Let's go together. By then, the academic god might have finished his work and returned to class. We can go and pray for peace and good health. I heard these temple fairs are very effective."

Since they’re not in a coastal city, they are not very familiar with temple fairs. Chen Shiyi has relatives from that area, so he knows a bit more and found it strange, "Usually, temple fairs are held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, where deities are invited to parade through the streets and then sent back, praying for national peace and favorable weather in the new year. It's already April, just after Qingming. What’s the point of a temple fair now?"

Jiang Tangtang shook her head, "I don't know. I was just shopping with my mom yesterday and passed by. I saw them preparing the venue, and I even got a flyer. It said the temple fair is this weekend, starting from Friday and lasting for three days."

She then looked at everyone and confirmed again, "Are we going? It’s a temple fair, after all. I've never been to one before."

Chen Shiyi looked at Xiao Ye, "How long is Nanxing’s leave?"

Xiao Ye shook his head, "His return date is up in the air."

Chen Shiyi and Zhang Yuan knew Ji Nanxing had gone to the border city, but they didn't know the specifics. However, they knew he wasn't sick; he had gone to find his master, so they weren't too worried. Thinking that there was still a week left, he should be able to finish his work and return by then, so they nodded.

"Let's see then. If the weather is good, we can go and have a look."

Xiao Ye lay on the desk and sighed, counting on his fingers. It had been almost four days since he last saw his Ji Naonao. His grandfather wouldn't let him fly to the border city to find him. Being underage really means no freedom.

For some reason, during the Qingming period, the weather was predictably drizzly.

Fortunately, their school has an indoor sports field, and several teachers had classes that conflicted, so their class was lucky to keep their physical education class on rainy days.

The indoor sports field was rather small, and running exercises weren't as convenient as on the outdoor field. After leading the students through some stretching warm-up exercises, the PE teacher let the students have free time.

Zhang Yuan finished a round of the game and immediately called another classmate to take his place, then ran over to sit next to Xiao Ye. While drinking water, he kicked Xiao Ye's leg and said, "What's up? It’s usually Nanxing who sleeps during PE class. Now that he's not here, are you taking his place?"

Xiao Ye didn't even open his eyes as he shooed Zhang Yuan away, "Quit bugging me, I’m trying to sleep."

Chen Shiyi, sitting nearby, glanced at him, shrugged at Zhang Yuan, and then asked with concern, "Has he contacted you? Did he say when he'll be back?"

With Ji Nanxing gone, not just Xiao Ye, but even Chen Shiyi felt that school had become so dull. Even though Ji Nanxing was the quietest when he was around, his absence made it feel like they were missing a central axis.

Xiao Ye turned over. He had sent Ji Nanxing a message last night, but there was still no reply.

He had no clue what was going on in Biancheng. Performing exorcisms must be exhausting. He had seen Wu Yang perform an exorcism once, sweating profusely and looking completely drained. If it was that tiring, he wondered if anyone was there to help Ji Nanxing. His master and senior brother were with him, so they should be taking good care of him, right?

Xiao Ye couldn't help but bury his head in his clothes. Falling in love really wasn't something a high school student should be doing. He wasn't even in a relationship yet—just a crush. But with Ji Nanxing not around, he was constantly worried. Worried about whether he was eating well, sleeping well, or if he was struggling in the dusty environment of Biancheng.

These thoughts filled his mind every day. Ji Nanxing was all he could think about, whether his eyes were open or closed. It was driving him crazy. He was utterly hopeless, a complete hopeless romantic.

Zhang Yuan, sitting beside him, couldn't stand it anymore and kicked him again, "What are you doing, wriggling around like a snake?"

Xiao Ye suddenly sat up, "I want to go to Biancheng."

Zhang Yuan snorted, "Unless you want to be beaten to death by your grandfather, just bear with it. A short separation will make you appreciate each other more."

Chen Shiyi shifted his gaze from his phone, looked at Zhang Yuan, then at Xiao Ye, his expression momentarily blank before returning to Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a look that said, "You get it."

Chen Shiyi realized something, paused, and then looked at Xiao Ye with an indescribable mix of disdain and the complex feeling of seeing his delicate cabbage being trampled by a wild boar.

To be honest, there was nothing wrong with Xiao Ye. He wasn’t dumb, his grades had climbed steadily to the top of the class, he was skilled in martial arts—no one in the school could match him—and his family background was impeccable. There was probably no one else in the school with a better family background, except for Ji Nanxing.

But he had just made such a good friend in Ji Nanxing, and now he was being snatched away so quickly. He couldn’t handle it.

Wait, no—he hadn't been snatched away yet. Although Xiao Ye was clearly eyeing him, Ji Nanxing seemed totally indifferent to romance. Thinking this, Chen Shiyi felt slightly reassured.

While he and Zhang Yuan were silently communicating, the small wooden charm on Zhang Yuan's phone was tapped.

Zhang Yuan looked down. No one had touched the charm, but the two-finger-wide charm was being tapped repeatedly, clearly moved by someone.

This was their agreed-upon signal. Since they didn't have the ability to see ghosts, they couldn't always be in contact with spirits. When Ji Nanxing wasn't around and Xie Paner needed to reach them, she would tap the charm like this, and they would know.

Only Zhang Yuan and Chen Shiyi had the charm because Xie Paner couldn't get close to Xiao Ye.

Xie Paner remembered Ji Nanxing saying that Chen Shiyi also had a strong yin energy, and too much contact with lingering ghosts would affect him greatly. So, under normal circumstances, she would contact Zhang Yuan, who was the most normal living person among them.

Zhang Yuan looked around to check if anyone was watching, then whispered, "Is it urgent? If it's urgent, tap three times. If not, tap once."

Then the charm was tapped once by Xie Paner.

Getting the response and confirming it wasn't urgent, Zhang Yuan said, "Then we’ll talk at home at noon."

Since Ji Nanxing wasn’t home, Xiao Ye had been staying at his own place these past few days. Although he couldn't see ghosts, he knew there was a female ghost living in Ji Nanxing's house. The idea of a lone man and a female ghost living together felt weird and wrong to him, so he hadn't gone to Ji Nanxing's place.

If Xie Paner needed them, they’d all head over together at noon.

Before the noon break, something violent happened at the school.

A classmate went to the teacher's office to pick up some exam papers and tripped while going down the stairs. The injury wasn’t severe, but he broke two front teeth and was bleeding heavily from the mouth.

When Xiao Ye’s class got back to the classroom after PE, they saw students with duty armbands mopping the floor. There was still blood on the stairs that hadn’t been cleaned up yet.

Chen Shiyi couldn't help but exclaim, "So much blood! Did he fall hard?"

Zhang Yuan glanced at the ground, "If this much blood came from the head, it would definitely be serious. But I heard it was just a tooth that got knocked out, so it should be okay."

As for who fell and how, they couldn't care less. It wasn't someone they knew, and the person wasn't dead, so it didn't have much to do with them. There was no need to waste time worrying about it.

By noon, the three of them ordered takeout and went to Ji Nanxing's house. Facing a camera that could capture lingering ghosts, Zhang Yuan looked at the innocent ghost girl sitting across from them on the screen, "What did you say? You hurt someone? Did you push the person who fell down the stairs today?"

Xie Paner, while tugging at her skirt, nodded, "I just got mad. Who told him to badmouth the Young Celestial Master!"

Xiao Ye, who had been just listening, immediately became serious, "You mean he spoke ill of Ji Nanxing?!"

Xie Paner nodded, "Yeah, it was raining today, and since Qingming Festival was over, I thought I'd go out and visit the teacher. While wandering around, I heard that boy speaking ill of the Young Celestial Master."

Chen Shiyi frowned, "What did he say?"

Xie Paner cleared her throat, "He said, 'What's the big deal about being first in the grade? He's just a sickly guy, always taking time off. I heard he's seriously ill again. Why does someone like him even come to school? He should just stay at home and rest. He might not even live to adulthood.'"

After saying this, Xie Paner looked at the three boys across from her, "I was so mad, I wanted to teach him a lesson. But he was sitting in the classroom the whole time, so I planned to follow him home and scare him. Then he was called by the teacher to get some papers, and there was no one around, so I couldn't help but give him a little shove. I swear it was just a light push, but he fell down. What should I do? When the Young Celestial Master comes back and finds out I hurt someone, will he think I'm uncontrollable and force me to be exorcised?"

Xiao Ye suddenly stood up, "I wanna see who dares to say such things!"

He couldn't stand to hear this. Even knowing that Ji Nanxing was pretending to be sick to take leave, he didn't like it. He always felt that saying certain things too often could make them come true. He'd rather write a self-critique and skip class than use excuses like that.

Especially now, with such malicious curses. If he had heard it, he would have beaten the guy so badly his parents wouldn't recognize him!

Zhang Yuan grabbed Xiao Ye, "What are you doing? Don't act on impulse! That guy already chipped his teeth. If you go over and beat him up now, you'll get a beating from your grandpa, then your brother, and when Ji Nanxing comes back and finds out you fought again, do you think he'll be happy?"

Chen Shiyi gave Xie Paner a thumbs up, "Nice one! Don't sweat it, we won't spill the beans. Nanxing probably won't find out."

Xie Paner sighed, "You're underestimating the Young Celestial Master. He'll probably figure out I messed up just by looking at me."

Zhang Yuan pushed Xiao Ye back down and said to Xie Paner, "It's okay. Let's pin it on Xiao Ye. If Nanxing asks, just say Xiao Ye told you to do it."

Xiao Ye looked at Zhang Yuan with a 'how could you' expression.

Chen Shiyi laughed, "I doubt Nanxing would buy that."

Xiao Ye turned to Xie Paner, "Who is that guy? What class is he in? What's his name?"

Xie Paner replied, "He's in Class 3, named He Zhanfei. He's second in your grade."

Chen Shiyi frowned, "Why is it always him? I don't understand. If he can't match Nanxing's grades, it's his own fault. Just because Nanxing is smarter and has better grades doesn't mean Nanxing is blocking his path to being first in the grade. That's just ridiculous!"

Xie Paner sighed, "Every school has these kinds of nutjobs. I lost my cool. I thought since he doesn't watch his mouth, I'd just scare him. If he keeps saying bad things, I'd scare him until he doesn't dare to speak carelessly again. But I went overboard and pushed him down."

Zhang Yuan said, "It's okay, it's not a big deal. He's fine, just needs to get his teeth fixed."

Xiao Ye remained silent, his face dark. This He Zhanfei from Class 3, since his mouth is so dirty, he'll give him a good mouth-washing when he comes to school.

After falling so badly yesterday and losing a lot of blood, Xiao Ye thought he would take a couple of days off. But he came back the next day.

Only two front teeth, one broken in half and the other broken to the root, were pulled out yesterday. But as long as he keeps his mouth shut, apart from some scratches and bruises on his face, he looks okay on the outside.

During the break, Xiao Ye happened to run into He Zhanfei going downstairs together. He was wearing a silly pair of glasses, his lips either swollen from the fall or naturally thick, protruding outward. He wasn't tall and looked like someone who liked to stir up trouble.

Xiao Ye took a couple of steps forward, but Zhang Yuan pressed his shoulder, "Don't act recklessly. Fighting in public is serious. Hold it in. At most, after school, I'll help you ambush him with a sack."

Xiao Ye laughed. He wasn't the type to ambush someone with a sack. If he was going to teach someone a lesson, he'd do it openly.

But before he could take action, during the morning exercises, He Zhanfei somehow fell again, hitting his head on the ground and fainting. He was bleeding heavily, and just a finger's length away from where he fell, there was a very sharp stone.

If he had fallen on that stone, whether it hit his head or his eye, it would have been fatal.

The whole playground erupted into chaos. Nearby students panicked and scrambled back, while those farther away crowded in to see what was happening. Several teachers rushed over, afraid to move him because of his head injury, calling for the school doctor and an ambulance.

Chen Shiyi, who was standing in front, ran over and looked at Zhang Yuan: "Could it be the senior girl?"

As he spoke, he lifted the small wooden plaque hanging on his phone: "Senior girl, is that you?"

The plaque didn’t move at all.

Zhang Yuan said, "It can’t be Xie Paner. Yesterday, she had already given him a scare and was worried about upsetting Ji Nanxing, so she came to us for help to cover it up. She wouldn’t pull that again today. It’s probably just that guy’s rotten luck."

Chen Shiyi sighed in relief: "That’s good."

This fall could be really serious. Xiao Ye clicked his tongue, even regretting he couldn’t step in himself.

As everyone lamented how unlucky He Zhanfei was, some even speculated he might have some condition, like weak legs that made him unstable, otherwise how could he fall two days in a row.

Soon, word got around that the ambulance that took He Zhanfei to the hospital almost got into an accident, narrowly avoiding a collision with another car. It was a close call, but they made it to the hospital in one piece.

Xiao Ye looked at Zhang Yuan: "Can someone really be this unlucky?"

Having seen several supernatural events, Zhang Yuan couldn’t help but think more: "Something doesn’t feel right."

Chen Shiyi also leaned in and whispered, "I remember Nanxing said that if someone’s already got low luck, and they come into contact with a lingering ghost, their bad luck will compound. Do you think he’s so unlucky now because the senior girl pushed him? If he dies from bad luck, will the senior girl be blamed for the karmic debt?"

Zhang Yuan frowned: "Doubt it."

Xiao Ye was also unsure about this. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Maybe we should call a Taoist to check it out?"

If it’s really because Xie Paner touched He Zhanfei and triggered his bad luck, leading to a karmic relationship, that would be downright unfair.

Before calling a Taoist, Xiao Ye sent a message to Ji Nanxing. He didn’t expect Ji Nanxing to reply, as he had been busy with the tomb affairs and had no free time.

Unexpectedly, just after sending the message, Ji Nanxing’s video call came through.

At that moment, Xiao Ye’s heart raced with excitement, and his hand shook as he hit the answer button.

As soon as the video connected, Xiao Ye leaned closer to the screen: "Naonao!"

Ji Nanxing placed the phone on the table, lying on the bed. Exorcism was a physically and mentally draining task, and he had been working non-stop for several days, only now able to catch his breath.

Xiao Ye looked at Ji Nanxing in the video and couldn’t help but frown: "Naonao, you look so pale—what’s up? Are you wiped out from the exorcism?"

Ji Nanxing nodded, covering his mouth as he yawned, and got straight to the point: "You said Xie Paner hurt someone at school?"

Xiao Ye briefly explained the situation with He Zhanfei: "She was just trying to spook him, but she didn’t expect that a single push would make him fall. Do you think it’s because she touched him and he came into contact with a lingering ghost that he’s so unlucky now?"

Ji Nanxing said, "It shouldn’t be. If He Zhanfei’s luck was that low, Xie Paner would have noticed. What ghosts see is different from what living people see. If Xie Paner saw his low luck, she’d have steered clear."

People with low luck are more likely to attract negative entities, just like how Xiao Ye’s strong Yang Energy keeps ghosts at bay. Ghosts can sense these things.

He had told Xie Paner before not to get too close to living people with extremely low luck, and he believed she would follow that advice.

So if Xie Paner wanted to scare him and teach him a lesson, it meant that He Zhanfei’s luck was relatively normal at the time, at least not as disastrously bad as it is now.

Xiao Ye said, "If that’s the case, then it’s fine. We were just worried that his bad luck might be connected to Xie Paner. Are you finished up? When are you heading back?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "Not yet, probably a few more days."

The tomb, untouched for thousands of years, was filled with too many impurities, and the purification ritual was a massive project.

Seeing the fatigue between Ji Nanxing's brows, Xiao Ye, though brimming with things to say, held back and urged, "Alright, alright, we're fine here. You should go and rest."

Ji Nanxing rolled onto his back, eyes closed, rubbing his temples, a faint smile playing on his lips: "I thought you'd keep me talking for a while longer."

Noticing Ji Nanxing wasn’t facing the screen, Xiao Ye’s gaze, once restrained, now grew bolder, staring intently at the person on the screen with an indescribable focus and tenderness: "Go rest. We can save all those words for when you come back."

Ji Nanxing didn't respond anymore, as he fell asleep before he could even put his hand down, his phone still on the table with the video call still connected.

Xiao Ye couldn’t stop gazing at the screen, even at just a sleeping profile, feeling immense satisfaction from the simple act of watching.