Chapter 68

Chapter 68

A teacher wiped the blood from his face with his only remaining right hand and said disapprovingly, "How could it be us? We're not evil spirits!"

"Everyone here is an intellectual with new ideas. Don't mislead people with feudal superstitions!"

Everyone agreed and continued to watch this novel open-air movie. Unfortunately, the movie was about rural folk activities; it would have been better if it showed some industrial manufacturing learning videos.

The iron chains of the Nuo River wooden bridge creaked eerily, and the river below churned with dramatic splashes. Every step Wu Heng and his companions took was like dancing on a knife's edge.

"They're crossing the bridge, they're really crossing the bridge!" exclaimed the tourists.

Perhaps the rehearsal accident last night was a small punishment from the Nuo gods.

Eighty young men suddenly shouted in unison, each of them extremely robust, gathered together and squatted in a horse stance, their hands forming a human ladder. The slightly slimmer young men climbed onto the shoulders of the bottom layer with low growls.

Layer upon layer of human walls were built, with each layer of young men wielding large knives and long axes in unison, their synchronized power was visually striking.

Like a towering four-tiered human pyramid standing by the rolling Nuo River, the three young men at the top crouched on the shoulders of those below, shouting in unison as they lifted a large carved wooden disk.

Wu Heng stepped on the shoulders of the robust young men, leaping layer by layer to the highest carved wooden disk, the intricate silver ornaments on his body chimed crisply in the wind.

With a fierce cry, Wu Heng ripped off his outer garment with his left hand, revealing his slender yet powerfully masculine upper body, the thick, exotic aura of the colorful tattoos was fully revealed.

Standing on the seven or eight-meter-high human pyramid, the one-meter-radius carved wooden disk was his stage today. The vibrant energy of the Wu dance bathed everyone like the sun overhead.

The tourists were awestruck; this was even more captivating than the Wu dance videos online.

"I suddenly understand why that buzz-cut guy wanted to steal the lead dancer's spot. It's truly mesmerizing."

"Wu Heng climbed up so effortlessly. I'd be scared just looking at that height, but he can still dance up there."

"I feel an inexplicable excitement, my whole body is on fire. How does Wu Heng manage to jump up so easily?"

The righteousness of one person is like a drop of water, and the righteousness of countless young men merges into an ocean through the Nuo dance.

Under the blazing sun, righteousness is like the sea, driving away evil and ushering in good fortune at this very moment.

Shi Xuan stared intently at the young man in the frame, sweat dripping from his forehead down his chest, sliding into the hidden waist and abdomen, his Adam's apple moving slightly.

"Ah—!" a student's soul on the playground screamed, suddenly leaping up from the chair, "I want to go home."

"Something's not right here, I need to leave the school, I need to go home to my parents. There are ghosts here!" More and more students' souls gradually became clear-eyed, and a commotion began.

The black mist hovering around the school surged violently, as if being driven towards the back mountain.

The bloodied teachers snapped out of their daze, instinctively shouting, "The bombers are coming, get to the air raid shelter!"

"Evacuate the students immediately, safeguard the teaching materials and equipment!"

They touched their cold yet wildly beating hearts, instinctively wanting to follow the black mist to hide in the well at the back mountain, subconsciously believing it was safe there, just hide and everything would be fine.

From the open-air movie came the loud, rooster-like shouts of the young men, like bells and thunder, striking every ghost and demon, freezing them in their tracks.

The scenes from the moment of their deaths flashed through their minds like a movie rewinding.

After evacuating the students, they went to the school to move the teaching materials, and then a loud noise was heard, and they lost consciousness.

The bloodied teacher in the Zhongshan suit murmured, "Wait, it seems... it really is us."

'We’re dead,' another female teacher, her body blown in half, sat on the chair, dazed and asked.

Yeah, how could anyone survive?

"Ahhh! Xi Xi, they’re here—the black fog! I’m terrified!"

The little white and gray snakes slithered out of the well after Shi Xuan, waiting by the edge.

Watching the black fog swirl toward the well like panicked strays, the little white snake was so frightened that its soul seemed to fly away.

If I’d known this would happen, I would have told Wu Heng earlier about the strange black fog by the well, and it wouldn’t have dragged hundreds of students into this, nor would he have come here to take the risk.

Xi Xi shot up, her snake body tense, her milky voice urgent as she shouted, "Big Brother White, shut up and move it!"

The little white snake held a leaf Wu Heng had given it in its mouth, nervously reciting the spell Wu Heng taught, blocking the well’s entrance temporarily.

In an instant, the surging black fog enveloped the back hill, and the two snakes opened their eyes to see their surroundings, the daylight turned as black as midnight.

The little white snake couldn’t help but say, "It’s so wet."

Xi Xi edged closer to the little white snake, uneasy. Though a bit clumsy, the little white snake was after all the (intern) Dragon King of the well, naturally carrying an aura of power.

Xi Xi explained to the little white snake, "Teacher Yang said mist is just water vapor cooling into droplets."

Xi Xi thought for a moment and said, "Big Brother White, did the yin energy from the well turn the vapor into black fog?"

The little white snake stayed quiet—it wasn’t exactly a star student.

But the little white snake understood why Wu Heng had sent it. The Dragon King of the well, a water snake, rules over water.

The little white snake usually had only one method for such situations—

Drain the water.

The key was that Wu Heng, for the convenience of Eugene watering the plants, had taught it a small technique to absorb and control water.

It’d rather get fat on chickens than bloat from water.

*

"The fog is gone!" Parents at the gate, frantic with worry, were the first to see the change, shouting with relief.

The black fog that had almost enveloped the school drifted towards the back hill, gradually revealing the school’s original appearance, and the path into the school could faintly be seen.

"No way! So it was the online Nuo festival after all?"

"So can we enter the school now? These parents are freaking out."

"The black fog has gone to the back hill, what Dr. Wu said last night was true. Is someone at the back hill handling it? Don’t let it sink underground—it’s horrifying."

"Don’t go in!" Some Taoist priests immediately stopped the anxious parents, not allowing them to enter.

"We don’t know what’s inside yet—no one goes in," the Taoist priest, seeing the parents' angry faces, quickly pulled out Wu Heng and said, "Let’s check with Dr. Wu first."

At the mention of Wu Heng, the parents' expressions improved, their emotions slightly calmed.

These old Taoist priests weren’t as skilled as a teenage online shaman.

Still, some parents grabbed another drone to scout inside.

As the black fog faded, the parents figured the signal must be better now.

The drone was carefully piloted into the playground of Jiaming No. 1 High School. The parents, seeing chairs neatly arranged in the playground, were so shocked their hearts nearly stopped.

Just as they suspected!

The children had moved the chairs from the classrooms to the playground to watch an open-air film screening.

But aside from the chairs, they saw nothing else.

‘What is this? A small plane? Do we have one too?’ A teacher in old-fashioned round glasses, half his face missing, gazed curiously at the black object in the sky.

The distant village ritual gradually awakened them, making them fully realize that they were dead.

This school, now Jiaming No. 1 High School, was rebuilt over a century after the original Jiaming Middle School was destroyed.

Though unclear about the afterlife, they knew they had to leave. Otherwise, they might affect the living students, right?

But when they saw the black drone flying in the air, many teachers paused, their eyes gradually filled with longing.

Though teachers, they were young intellectuals at heart.

They cautiously asked a crucial question: ‘Where is this drone made?’

The students' souls were terrified. Days earlier, unaware, they had been lured into the school. Now aware, they longed to return to their bodies but didn’t know how.

When asked by the teacher, a student replied slowly, ‘It’s a DJI drone, made in China.’

‘Made in China?’ Their eyes lit up. ‘Really? Ours?’

‘Can you tell us what it’s like now?’

Once their souls left their bodies, their thoughts slowed. Their minds were muddled, aware but unable to articulate.

Shi Xuan stepped in: ‘Everyone, take your seats and watch the screen.’

Teachers in Zhongshan suits and cheongsams moved their chairs away from the students’ souls and sat to the side.

The parents, witnessing this, were speechless: ‘...’

The chairs moved on their own!!

Shi Xuan, hidden under the tree, used his phone to project videos.

The first video showcased China’s top ten cities.

Skyscrapers filled the skyline, LED lights lit the city, and cars weaved through a web of roads, exuding modernity.

‘Is this really our city now?’

The intellectuals watched in awe, craning their necks, afraid to blink and miss a detail.

The second video: X country officially returned hundreds of cultural relics lost overseas to China.

A cheongsam-clad teacher gasped, ‘They’re returning them willingly?’

Immediately after, the third and fourth short videos were projected onto the black-and-white film.

During Spring Festival, train stations were packed. Couples working outside returned with large and small bags, joyful children and long-awaited elderly stood at the door to welcome them, and the sound of firecrackers ushered in the new year.

The film also featured young girls exploring local eateries, showcasing a feast of dishes.

A young man on a scooter intruded into a group of middle-aged women dancing in the square and was sternly criticized by them.

There were even parents born after the year 2000 demonstrating how to raise children, insisting on not spoiling them and just keeping them alive.

...

'Is the future like this?' A group of intellectual teachers stared blankly at the images projected on the black-and-white movie screen on the wall, a ghost tear mixed with a drop of blood falling down.

Shi Xuan had heard from Wu Heng that when a person becomes a ghost, they can no longer cry, and a ghost tear is only produced at the most intense emotional moment in a ghost's existence.

These videos were shared with him by Wu Heng last night, and Shi Xuan had collected them one by one, playing them today.

These highly educated intellectuals were confused and hesitant, their path ahead seemed shrouded in layers of black fog. They moved forward slowly and cautiously together, not even daring to imagine the future.

And now in these videos, the most heated debate among the younger generation seemed to be—

Whether to eat sweet or savory zongzi, whether to add salt or sugar to tofu pudding, and even what to eat on the winter solstice.

Is it dumplings, or tangyuan.

A teacher, tears of blood streaming down his face, took off his glasses with only half a leg left on the bridge of his nose, and, speaking in dialect, he laughed and joined their discussion: 'Of course, we eat lamb soup on the winter solstice.'

They were the most bewildered youth, but after death, they finally saw the clear sky through the mist.

A group of student souls saw this scene of the teachers, and an indescribable feeling resonated deep within their souls.

Learning!

Some of them despised studying, but never thought that learning was once what they dreamed of, and only by studying hard could they strive to catch up and make progress.

'Teacher Shi, could you play something else? We’d like to see more,' a teacher asked softly.

Shi Xuan nodded and continued to project his short videos about sharks.

Then, Shi Xuan's pupils suddenly shrank.

On the big screen played an exceptionally handsome young man performing a lively shamanic dance, quite similar to the village exorcism ceremony just now. This was a fan-made video of Wu Heng by Dr. Wu’s followers, accompanied by music.

A group of teachers nodded repeatedly, thinking that this was really well performed. Look at the young men of the future, they look beautiful and healthy, indicating that the times are good.

Shi Xuan swiped to play the next one.

Wu Heng appeared again, live-streaming with a young patient, teaching her how to burn paper money for her recently deceased parents, who were already causing trouble by demanding a son.

Shi Xuan paused, then swiped again, and the recommendation was Wu Heng again, telling Su Chenyu that if the illness progressed unchecked, he would become half-human, half-fish.

The student souls sitting below said: 'The platform seems to suggest videos based on user interests.'

Shi Xuan: '...'

Well, he was indeed interested in these.

'Hahaha, enough, enough, we are satisfied,' the oldest teacher stood up laughing, gently smoothing out his blood-stained robe, and said.

An entire generation was lost, but how fortunate they were to glimpse hopeful visions of the future after death.

A dozen or so teachers got up from their chairs, looking at the elegant and intricate buildings, and the school motto etched into the teaching building’s wall felt all too familiar to them.

The teaching building might be destroyed, but their ideals could always rise from the ashes, enduring and unyielding. Their legacy would live on, unbroken and eternal.

-

Wu Heng stood at the top of the human tower, tossing prepared slices of old ginger from his cloth bag to the onlookers.

The soft sunlight fell on Wu Heng, and his sweat-drenched fair skin seemed to glow with a divine light under the blazing sun.

Wu Heng stared blankly at his arm, then suddenly squinted and looked up at the sky.

His shamanic power seemed to have increased.

The tourists exclaimed in excitement, quickly extending their hands to catch the ginger slices, their faces flushed with excitement.

Wu Heng lightly stepped on the shoulders of the Nuo dancers and effortlessly leaped down from the eight-meter height. The Nuo procession continued, planning to visit all eighteen villages along the Nuo River before nightfall.

The tourists felt this was undoubtedly a visual feast, clutching the ginger slices they had caught during interviews and shouting excitedly, "This trip was totally worth it, no doubt!"

By the time Wu Heng returned to South Nuo Village, he was nearly exhausted. Zhou Yi brought him some delicious food.

Wu Heng, sweaty, quickly started eating, with his phone charging and live-streaming beside him.

While eating, he saw comments in the chat saying the black fog outside Jiaming No. 1 High School had completely dissipated.

The principal quickly called Wu Heng to ask, "Can we go in now?"

Wu Heng looked at the school through the camera and confirmed that the fog had indeed cleared.

Wu Heng shook his head and said, "The wandering souls need to return on their own, not be chased by their physical bodies. They need something to guide them out."

This is the idea behind summoning souls—calling them back rather than searching for them, similar to how one cannot turn back on the road to the underworld.

Anxious parents immediately thought of black pets for warding off evil.

Some grandparents, hearing their grandchildren were in trouble, even considered bringing black donkeys for protection.

Understanding the parents' worry, Wu Heng quickly finished his meal and said, "Let me show you how to fold a car first."

"Wu Heng must be exhausted after a whole day of work, jumping and performing since the afternoon. His stamina is impressive."

"I can understand the parents' anxiety. After all, their children have been unconscious for three or four days. Who wouldn't be worried?"

"Why haven’t I seen the two pet snakes tonight? They usually appear in the live streams, and the white one always sneaks food."

"I want to learn how to fold a car too."

Wu Heng took out a small piece of yellow paper, his fingers moving slowly and skillfully over it, then gently shaping it into a car.

He’s a real origami pro.

Wu Heng added, "Fold seven such cars. Then, write the child's name, birthday, and student number on small slips of paper and place them inside the cars."

"Hmm... make them twenty times bigger."

The parents jumped right into it, buying the appropriate-sized paper, spreading it on the ground, and busily folding the cars.

After much effort, they successfully folded the paper cars, which were then burned under the guidance of the Taoist priest.

Soon, several well-equipped school buses slowly drove into the playground of Jiaming No. 1 High School. The student spirits, seeing the buses, eagerly boarded and quickly found their seats.

"Goodbye, teachers," the students on the bus said, no longer afraid of the bloodstained teachers.

They had all watched open-air movies together, strengthening their bond as teacher and student.

'We’ll study hard when we return! We’ll never be lazy again.'

'Take care, everyone.' The teachers smiled one by one as they watched the school buses drive away.

When the buses were out of sight, they turned their satisfied gazes to the yin emissary before them.

'Yin Emissary, we can follow you now.'

Yuan Song, holding a lantern, looked back at the yin emissary from Zero One Four sitting on the high wall and said, 'Everyone needs to come with me to the police station’s special affairs department for an investigation before heading to the Yellow Springs.'

The leading teacher was still shocked, 'What? Future yin emissaries and the police are cooperating? Are we still stuck in feudal times?'

Yuan Song: '...'

After all, yin emissaries are ghosts, and though they aren’t too afraid of the righteous aura of the police, they still need to avoid it somewhat.

This is the advantage of being a living ghost—Yuan Song’s soul feels no discomfort around the police.

These intellectuals, meant for reincarnation, were sent into the school through a well, which must have been orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

However, they cooperated well with the yin emissary’s work, each replaying the happy short videos in their minds before entering Yuan Song’s lantern.

Instantly, the lantern grew heavy.

Yuan Song floated back to the yin emissary from Zero One Four and said, 'Fourteenth Master, shall I share two achievements with you then?'

As per the agreement, one in ten achievements would be shared.

Zero One Four said indifferently, 'Not necessary.'

Yuan Song was slightly surprised; this yin emissary from Zero One Four was a true underworld workhorse, disliking work but having to do it. How could he not want to slack off?

Something was off—this wasn’t Zero One Four’s style.

After thinking, Yuan Song said, 'Oh, there’s still one day left this month. Should I count it for next month?'

Zero One Four disdainfully said, 'No need, I won’t take a cut—they’re all yours.'

Zero One Four clicked his tongue twice and said, 'You know the saying, “Even pigs can fly when they catch the trend”? More than eighty years ago when I died, there were dead people everywhere. Achievements were plentiful—you could pick up souls with your eyes closed...'

'My ranking soared like a rocket—no matter how hard you try, you won’t catch up.'

Yuan Song looked inside the lantern and said, 'That’s pretty good, then.'

The yin emissary from Zero One Four was silent for a while, then nodded and said, 'Yes, that’s especially good.'

So, you should slack off more at work.

-

The school buses drove out of the school one by one. Parents squinted, unable to see clearly, but sensing something vague ahead.

Wu Heng stretched and said, 'Just use locust branches to whip them back.'

Parents and netizens couldn’t see, but the Daoist Physicians were drenched in sweat.

At that moment, the school gate was packed with students’ living souls, as busy as a school at dismissal time.

So many living souls—if mishandled, could turn into a massive ghost domain, affecting areas several kilometers away. Yet these living souls were as docile as rabbits.

They were helpless, but Wu Heng, sitting afar, resolved it neatly.

A fierce determination to recruit was ignited!

A group of parents, unable to distinguish who was in front of them, grabbed the locust branches they had prepared and swung them fiercely into the cold air in front of them.

"Ah—!"

Instantly, the scene erupted into ghostly wails and howls. The souls of a group of students, clutching their sore bottoms, howled in pain and hurriedly sought out their physical bodies to return to.

One by one, the students awoke from their slumber, exclaiming fervently, "I will study for the rise of China!"

"From today on, I will strive to study hard, for strong youth means a strong nation!"

The parents holding locust branches: "..."

What?

After being separated from their souls for a couple of days, how did their ideological awareness suddenly skyrocket? So, should we still hit them or not?

"Hahaha, why do they all seem so pumped up? After being separated from their souls at school, shouldn't they be too scared to go back?"

"So what exactly happened inside? Can a student fill us in?"

"Suddenly, I feel like throwing my son in there to experience it. What's the deal?"

Wang Pengzheng's parents were also keeping a close eye on the situation. Seeing the group of students who woke up full of energy and even seemed pumped up, they gave Wang Pengzheng a deep look.

Wang Pengzheng hugged the black leopard tightly, "What's up?"

Wang Pengzheng's parents couldn't help but think, if only they had let Wang Pengzheng stay one more night, their dear black leopard wouldn't have hurt its paws.

At the school gate, scenes of parental affection were everywhere.

He Yunxiao watched for a moment and immediately thought of his snake daughter, Xi Xi. He heard that Xi Xi had accompanied the little white snake to the back mountain well to cleanse the black mist?

Seeing that the black mist in the live broadcast seemed to have cleared, He Yunxiao felt he should head to the scene.

He Yunxiao planned to pick up Xi Xi, so he got into his family car and headed towards the school. Passing by the neighbor's house, the Shi family, He Yunxiao almost thought he saw wrong, "Driver, back up to the Shi family's door, let me take another look."

The driver immediately reversed the car, and He Yunxiao leaned out of the window to look inside.

He Yunxiao rubbed his eyes and exclaimed, "Holy crap, wreaths?"

He vaguely saw wreaths and some Taoist priests chanting and calling for something. His brain immediately started racing.

The setup looked a bit like a funeral hall, but there were also some differences.

The He family driver continued towards Jia Ming No. 1 Middle School, and He Yunxiao quickly took out his phone to send a message in the group.

"He Yunxiao: @SX, why are there wreaths at your house? Are you setting up a funeral hall for your dad?"

Who could set up a funeral hall at the Shi family? It's obvious. Only two people could possibly do it.

He Yunxiao couldn't stop laughing and directly sent a voice message: "Congratulations, Young Master Shi, your ghostly dad is dead, and you are finally free and ascended, becoming the Shi family head!"

Li Hao and the others saw the group message and immediately jumped in to congratulate.

Shi Xuan: "That funeral hall is mine."