Chapter 188

Chapter 188

◎Xiao Ye's Romantic Encounter◎

The police were so pestered by Lv Yang that they had no choice but to investigate based on the information he provided.

Given his current state, the police couldn't just ignore him. They had to comfort him first, hoping to find the boy he mentioned and ask in detail what exactly was going on.

Since they were all his father's colleagues, Zhang Yuan didn't want to see them running around in circles trying to find someone, so he said, "You won't be able to find him for now."

His love-obsessed brother had been nagging in his ear for days, sending a daily WeChat greeting without any response. How could they possibly find him?

Both Lv Yang and the officer handling the case turned to look at him.

The young officer asked, "What do you mean? Do you know who he's looking for?"

Zhang Yuan looked at Lv Yang, "I've asked before. If you truly repent and no longer entertain any thoughts of torturing cats and dogs, the problem you're facing will cease to exist. Judging by your current state, it's clear that your desire to torture cats and dogs hasn't stopped. When you were killing those cats and dogs, did you ever think that one day your cruelty would come back to haunt you? Now that you can't bear it, what about them? Just because they can't talk, does that mean they deserved to be tortured to death? No one can help you with this mess; it's the result of your own misdeeds. As long as those thoughts persist, the torment won't stop."

After speaking, Zhang Yuan wrote down a phone number for the young officer and whispered, "This is the number for the Bureau of Management. The person he's looking for is currently on a state mission, not some fraudster. If there's an issue, you can contact the Bureau of Management directly."

The young officer naturally didn't know much about it, but since it was a national department, a quick search would reveal its details.

One of the older officers looked at Lv Yang, "Before we find the person who cursed you, you should first confess what you did to deserve such a curse."

Lv Yang panicked. How could he dare to talk about what he had done? Regardless of whether torturing stray cats and dogs violated the law, at least on a moral level, if these things were exposed, it would be no different from social suicide.

If his school found out, how would his teachers and classmates view him?

The reason he came to the police station to cause a scene was mainly because he really couldn't find where the boy from that day was. He had been staking out the dog owner's neighborhood for several days but never saw him. He was truly at his wit's end.

Moreover, he clung to a sliver of hope, hoping that this was all superstitious beliefs, and that the person who did this would surely be afraid of the police. Maybe with a bit of pressure from the police, they would help him lift the curse.

Unfortunately, none of his plans ever went as expected. Lv Yang was too afraid to face the exposure of his actions, so he backed off, "I won't search anymore. It's all superstition. I haven't been sleeping well and have been delusional. I won't search anymore."

After saying that, he ran out of the police station.

But he didn't go far. He waited at the intersection, and when he saw Zhang Yuan come out, he immediately ran over to him, clutching his hand tightly, "You know that boy, don't you? Can you help me? Please, save me. I really don't want to die. I promise I'll never do those things again. I swear, if I ever do those things again, I'll meet a terrible end!"

He was truly scared. Almost every night in his dreams, he relived the torture he had inflicted on those cats and dogs.

Being scalded, set on fire, having his legs broken, and even though he didn't have a tail, he could still feel the pain of having it crushed. The next day, his tailbone hurt so much he couldn't get out of bed, and any movement brought excruciating pain.

And in his dreams, he fell from great heights, dying over and over again, his internal organs turning to mush, his brain splattering, the pain and fear endlessly repeating.

When he finally woke from the unending nightmare, he remembered the first puppy he had thrown off, chubby with a round belly. He squeezed it hard, and the puppy yelped in pain.

When he held it over the edge of the rooftop, the puppy, unaware of what was about to happen, still looked at him with wet, pleading eyes, even licking his palm with its soft, tender tongue.

That day, he let go, and the puppy, probably not even a month old, fell from his hands, twenty-some stories down, splattering blood all over the ground.

Lv Yang couldn't even remember when he had become so twisted and numb, from the first time his hands shook as he gutted an animal, to later watching indifferently as they struggled to death in suffocating plastic bags.

Thinking that everything he had done would now be replayed on himself, Lv Yang knelt before Zhang Yuan, "Please, save me. I beg you. I really know I was wrong. Can you help me? I'll kowtow and apologize to that boy. I'll repent, I'll admit my wrongs. Please, can you let me go?"

Zhang Yuan pulled his hand away, "You say you know you were wrong, but what have you done about it?"

Lv Yang looked confused, "What?"

Zhang Yuan, "Have you written a confession? Have you publicly apologized? Have you buried the little animals you tortured to death? Have you held a ceremony to pray for their souls and help them find peace?"

Seeing Lv Yang rendered speechless, Zhang Yuan said, "You haven't done anything to make amends, just eager to find someone to lift the curse for you. You don't even dare to make a public apology. What, afraid that what you've done will ruin your future? You don't even dare to apologize—do you think this is sincere repentance? I told you, only genuine remorse can solve your problems; otherwise, you'll just have to endure the pain in your sleep. It won't kill you anyway."

After saying this, Zhang Yuan left. If this person still remains stubborn and unrepentant, then he deserves the pain in his sleep.

The next day in class, he told Xiao Ye about meeting Lv Yang: "It's really tragic, his face is so thin it's all sunken in. You'd think such a person isn't afraid of death, enduring so many days without apologizing."

Xiao Ye, sitting in Ji Nanxing's seat, twirled a pen: "The cost of apologizing and facing social ostracism is probably more than he can bear. It's better not to apologize; let him continue to suffer. He should feel the torment that those innocent little animals endured."

Zhang Yuan looked at Xiao Ye: "Has Ji Nanxing replied to your message?"

Xiao Ye laughed, clearly happier than before when he couldn't get a reply: "Yes, this morning he said things are going well and he'll be back in a couple of days."

It was supposed to be just three to five days, but it's been almost a week now. In a couple more days, it will be seven or eight days. As the top student in his grade, he can't even calculate dates correctly—that's too much.

Thinking that Ji Nanxing will be back in a couple of days, Xiao Ye took out his phone to look at recipes. He's probably been working hard outside these days, so he should make something good to nourish him. Ji Naonao likes fish, so he'll make lychee-flavored fish with fresh lychees—sweet and spicy—he'll surely like it.

He'll also make crispy and crunchy shrimp, fried until golden brown. Ji Naonao loves that too.

And...

While he was planning the meal, a classmate shouted from the door: "Xiao Ye, someone's looking for you outside!"

Xiao Ye looked up and saw a girl standing at the door, a new face, one he had never seen before. Without looking up, he said, "Xiao Ye's not here."

The classmate sitting by the door who was helping to relay the message looked awkwardly at the girl who came to find him: "Sorry, Xiao Ye's not here."

The girl, seeing Xiao Ye sitting inside playing with his phone, walked straight into the classroom.

The previously lively class instantly fell silent, but Xiao Ye was oblivious, still muttering, "Peppered pork belly chicken looks good too, but I haven't seen Naonao eat it—not sure if Naonao likes it."

Seeing the girl getting closer, Zhang Yuan, sitting behind Xiao Ye, couldn't resist kicking his chair.

Xiao Ye clicked his tongue and looked at him: "What? Speak up if you've got something to say."

Zhang Yuan gestured towards the girl, and only then did Xiao Ye finally look around. The girl had already walked up to his seat with a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Xiao Ye was sitting in Ji Nanxing's chair. Ji Nanxing prefers to sit by the window, so he always sits inside. Now, his own seat was empty, and Xiao Ye, fearing the girl might just sit down, without a second thought, lifted his foot and stepped on his own chair.

This way, he could prevent the girl from sitting down without permission and also stop her from pulling the chair closer to him—clever.

The girl didn't seem to mind Xiao Ye's action at all, placed the gift on his desk, and said, "I'm Gu Mingxi from Class Five, Grade One. I like you. If you don't have a girlfriend, I'd like to pursue you."

Only then did Xiao Ye finally look at her, his face blank, and directly said without any courtesy, "Sorry, I'm allergic to girls. Please stay away from me."

Gu Mingxi is very beautiful, with a ponytail and a few strands of hair falling on her forehead. Even in a school uniform, she looks like a rose with morning dew, fresh and bright, with bold and bright features, carrying the innocence of a young girl. Such a beautiful young girl is probably the goddess in many people's hearts.

Probably used to being pursued since she was a child, any boy would speak to her politely, but Xiao Ye is the first to be so rude.

This wasn't the direction she had envisioned, so seeing Xiao Ye's reaction, she was somewhat surprised and stunned.

But she didn't back down because of Xiao Ye's attitude. After a moment of surprise, she continued to smile and said, "If you're single, I think pursuing you shouldn't bother anyone. I'm not asking you to agree with me now—at least give us a chance to get to know each other."

Xiao Ye looks a bit fierce when he's expressionless, just like his name, carrying a compelling wildness. Now the whole class was so quiet that everyone even lightened their breathing, looking at Xiao Ye like that, afraid he might directly confront the girl, like rudely picking her up and throwing her out.

It feels like something Xiao Ye would do.

But Xiao Ye wasn't that rough. He just looked at Gu Mingxi and said, "Have you done your homework? Have you memorized the text? Have you solved the math problems? Have you got the top grade? Have you received the admission letter from Tsinghua or Peking University?"

With each question, Gu Mingxi's smile grew more rigid.

From her expression, it seemed she probably didn't have good grades: "If you don't have any of that, what can you offer in a relationship with me?"

This question left Gu Mingxi at a loss for words. This is about love, not some corporate gig. Shouldn't liking each other be enough? Wasn't she pretty enough or didn't she have a good figure? She thought her looks made her a perfect match for Xiao Ye.

Seeing her silent, Xiao Ye continued, "Always daydreaming about love, what's your plan for the future? Get into a bottom-tier college, or maybe not even get into college and end up working in a factory? Romanticize your youth for three years and then throw away your whole life?"

After saying this, Xiao Ye kicked his chair out, forcing Gu Mingxi to step back a couple of steps.

Xiao Ye coldly said, "Get out now, and don't ever come back."

Gu Mingxi's face flushed red, then went pale. She had never been so humiliated, especially in public. With tears in her eyes, she turned and walked away.

Xiao Ye called out to her, "Wait."

Gu Mingxi stopped, her heart secretly hoping for some kind of reversal, but Xiao Ye's next words shattered all her illusions: "Take your things, don't mess up my area."

Gu Mingxi's eyes reddened with anger again. She glared fiercely at Xiao Ye, grabbed her gift, and ran out crying.

Zhang Yuan gave Xiao Ye a silent thumbs-up: "Impressive, bro. The freshman class's most beautiful girl, who gets gifts lined up every day, and you just rejected her like that. You're bound to make a lot of enemies."

Xiao Ye twirled his pen rapidly, his good mood from planning a healthy meal for Ji Naonao completely disrupted by the sudden confession: "Enemies? Let's see who dares to come near me."

It wasn't that he didn't want to give the girl some face, but some faces just shouldn't be saved in public. If he had been the least bit polite, who knows what rumors would have spread by tomorrow. It was better to nip it in the bud and cut off all chances.

Soon, the incident spread. In various group chats and school forums, the tale of the freshman beauty rejected by the school bully was passed around word for word.

"Kind of funny, this is a side of the school bully I've never seen."

"These days, even school bullies care about grades when it comes to dating. Are we, the slackers, not worthy?"

"I just checked the sophomore rankings, the school bully is currently ranked 27th in the grade with a total score over 600. The freshman class is about to have their monthly exam rankings out, I wonder how the school beauty's grades are, if they meet the school bully's standards."

"Don't even think about it, she's an art student, studying fine arts."

"Homework done? Texts memorized? Math problems practiced? Ranked first in the grade? Got the Tsinghua or Peking University admission letter? None of that and you still dare to browse the forum?"

"This feels like the opening scene of a teen drama, a slacker girl chasing a genius school bully?"

"Wake up, in real life, geniuses don't fall for slackers."

"The school beauty is way too confident, has she not seen what our school's academic god looks like?"

"No matter how good-looking the academic god is, he's still a guy. Even if you're obsessed with them, it's just a bromance."

When Xiao Ye saw this forum comment, he almost threw his phone in anger, then glared at Zhang Yuan: "Are these people blind! How is Naonao and I just a bromance! Whose bromance is as dirty as mine!"

Seeing his self-awareness, Zhang Yuan said, "Why don't you speak up on your main account?"

Xiao Ye: "Say what?"

Zhang Yuan: "Say that you'll never marry anyone but Ji Nanxing in this lifetime?"

Xiao Ye rolled his eyes at him: "Get lost, if I dared to say that, Naonao would tear me apart when he gets back."

Besides, if Naonao found out about his little crush and kicked him out, what would he do? Ugh, so annoying, why did she have to confess to him for no reason? Now, when Ji Naonao comes back, he won't know how to explain!

At the same time, in the next class, someone else was almost exploding with anger. Jiang Tangtang angrily rolled up her sleeves: "Who is this school beauty? What does she look like? How dare she try to steal my academic god's man while he's away! No way, I'm going to confront her!"

Chen Shiyi and Lin Yi held her back from both sides: "Why are you so worked up? Didn't Ye Ge reject her? If you go down there all angry, people will think you have feelings for Ye Ge."

Jiang Tangtang rolled her eyes: "Him? Forget it. He's only got the academic god on his mind and never sees me as a girl. No way, I still gotta see what this school beauty looks like!"

Jiang Tangtang just couldn't resist, so Chen Shiyi and Lin Yi had to accompany her, and they were quite curious too.

The curiosity wasn't limited to them; in just a short while, the doorway to Class 5, Grade 1 was packed, all curious about the girl who got shot down by the school bad boy.

Gu Mingxi didn't pay attention to the people outside the classroom, just sat there crying, clutching tissues. She really didn't expect Xiao Ye to be so ungracious, humiliating her in front of everyone.

Jiang Tangtang also watched from a distance, then pursed her lips, staying quiet. After a while, she whispered to Lin Yi: "She is quite pretty, even more so when she cries."

Lin Yi smiled at her: "You're not jumping ship, are you?"

Jiang Tangtang immediately widened her eyes: "How could I! The City God and Wealth God have my loyalty, the academic god is my idol, my ultimate inspiration. No matter what, I'd never side with someone trying to steal my idol's thunder. It's just... she's so pretty that I feel bad scolding her, hehe."

Chen Shiyi gave her a look: "You and your looks obsession."

Jiang Tangtang clicked her tongue: "Forget it, since Wild Bro turned her down, let's go back to the classroom. Who knows when our academic god will be back. Do you think we should report this to him?"

Lin Yi: "Better not, the academic god has important things to do. What if this messes with his focus?"

They all knew that although Ji Nanxing took sick leave, he was actually handling some ghostly business. So, such dangerous matters should not distract him.

Chen Shiyi also added: "Let's not say anything. When Nanxing comes back, he'll naturally find out. Besides, Xiao Ye has already rejected her, so there's no need."

They decided not to say anything, and Xiao Ye certainly wouldn't bring it up either. His Naonao's out there in danger; he can't afford to be distracted.

But even though they didn't say anything, Ji Nanxing still found out because the school forum was buzzing with different versions of the story, and someone even drew a comic.

In the comic, Xiao Ye was sitting on his chair, hands in his pockets, long legs propped up on the chair, with a pretty girl holding a gift standing beside him.

The boy's unruly rogue charm, the girl's shy smile, it was a super cute and sweet scene.

Ji Yuanting saw him staring at his phone and came over to take a look: "What's this, who drew it?"

Ji Nanxing smiled: "A classmate at school."

Ji Yuanting reached out and ruffled his hair: "Since when are you into these sappy comics? Or do you want to start dating? You're in your second year of high school, it's okay to date."

Ji Nanxing locked his phone and put it back in his pocket: "What kind of parent pushes their kid to date so young?"

Ji Yuanting: "You're not an ordinary student. After dealing with lingering ghosts so much, you could also try dating, get more in touch with the living world."

Ji Nanxing looked at his senior brother: "So that's why you've been focusing on your career these years?"

Ji Yuanting: "We're talking about you, why are you asking about me?"

Ji Nanxing: "Before, your focus was all on catching ghosts. These past two years, unless it's something important, you don't come back. You're always jetting around, I barely see you anymore."

Ji Yuanting smiled: "You miss me?"

Ji Nanxing nodded. It seemed like since starting high school, life had changed quite a bit. Their parents gave them more freedom, his second brother started focusing on his career, and their master was almost never around. If it weren't for the friends he made at school, if it weren't for Xiao Ye, he would probably spend most of his time alone.

It was as if overnight he had really grown up, grown up enough for them to trust him living on his own.

Ji Yuanting: "Don't you think a guy focused on his career is pretty hot?"

Ji Nanxing looked at his senior brother suspiciously: "What's going on?"

Ji Yuanting just smiled, not answering, and Ji Nanxing raised an eyebrow slightly, which meant there was: "Does she know about your... other line of work?"

Some people find the profession of a Taoist cool, others find it terrifying, and some don't mind it, but those who don't mind are usually indifferent because it doesn't affect them directly. If it were their significant other, how many would be willing to deal with the dead and lingering ghosts on a daily basis?

Ji Yuanting ruffled his head: "You should worry more about yourself."

Their brotherly chat didn't last long. Although they care about each other's lives, they don't interfere too much, so they quickly turned to the matter at hand.

Ji Nanxing glanced at the lingering dark clouds in the sky behind him, gently stroking the Golden Bell on his bead string: "Still haven't found a suitable object for suppression?"

About a thousand years ago, due to harsh climatic conditions, the people here lived a very difficult life. There was a perennial drought, leading to the custom of making sacrifices for rain. Until one year, a plague broke out, and the local government sent soldiers to guard the area, allowing people to enter but not leave, and continuously bringing in sick people from outside to await death.

Later, a great fire burned everything.

No one knows the full horrors of that time, not even the exact number of deaths. According to some historical records, over a thousand people died, their deaths gruesome, with corpses scattered everywhere, and the resentment never fading, neither the living could enter nor the dead could leave.

Later, this place became a dreaded valley of death, where no one or horse that entered could come out alive, until a passing Buddhist monk came by. To liberate the souls and disperse the overwhelming resentment, he sat down and transformed into a shrine to suppress it.

The authenticity of the historical records is too old to verify, but a landslide did unearth a stone statue from the soil, inside which were the already damaged relics of the Buddha.

Once the suppression object was broken, the resentment soared again.

Looking at the sizable town below, home to two to three hundred thousand people, behind them was the lingering resentment, and in front were the people striving to live.

Ji Yuanting: "Still looking, we've already contacted Buddhism, and they will send someone to take away the relics, then discuss what can be used to replace the suppression."

Ji Nanxing lowered his eyes, his fingertips gently stroking the Golden Bell: "The mission of a magical tool is to drive away the yin and overcome evil. Perhaps it will never see the light of day again, but if it has a spirit, I think it would be willing."

Ji Yuanting pressed down on Ji Nanxing's hand: "Your senior brother is still here, no need to use your treasure."

Ji Yuanting tapped Ji Nanxing's forehead: "Adult matters are for adults to solve."

Ji Nanxing: "I'm not that young anymore."

Ji Yuanting put his arm around him and walked towards the camp: "As long as your brother is here, you'll always be a kid."