Energetisch

Kapitel 7

Shen Fengxi yawned lazily, then suddenly asked a strange question: "Do you know how to do the morning exercises?"

"I know the eighth set."

“Very good, just follow that rhythm and movements.” After Shen Fengxi finished speaking, he took out three plain white candles from under his pillow, handed one to each person, and asked them to light it. He added, “Take off your shirts and drip wax onto your bodies with the candles, the more the better.” His tone was firm and left no room for negotiation.

"No...this doesn't have to be," even Chu Yunnan looked reluctant this time. Taking off all your clothes, using candles for morning exercises, and then dripping candle wax on yourself—don't be ridiculous.

"Or you could use a slit to cut open your own major artery, and the blood would gush out and the problem would be solved immediately."

"this……"

"Don't have the courage? Then just obediently drip candle wax on me!"

The three men hesitantly raised their candles and, as Shen Fengxi instructed, dripped wax onto their faces.

"Be quiet. We can begin once the Yin energy has completely engulfed your bodies." After saying this, Shen Fengxi raised his eyebrows, sighed, and calmly immersed himself in the bubbling blackness. He was lying on the bed, which was lower than the three of them standing, so he was engulfed first.

With Shen Fengxi no longer in sight, the three couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Wu Bing called out to Chu Yunnan and Dong Hua, "Don't panic, everyone! Look in the mirror!" His own voice was still trembling.

A tense silence fell over the room as everyone stared intently at the thick, black liquid that flowed over their chests, necks, and mouths, finally soaking their scalps as well.

Wu Bing instinctively held his breath, like he was diving, but he couldn't hold it any longer and had to open his mouth and take a long, deep breath before opening his eyes. He found himself surrounded by absolute darkness, unable to see anything around him, as if he were falling into an endless abyss, with no sense of up, down, left, or right. In this situation, his sense of direction was completely useless.

He could breathe in the black water, but his nose was filled with a cold, fishy smell that made his lungs spasm and he felt suffocated. The environment was also very cold, a chill that penetrated to the bone. Wu Bing looked around and found that the only things he could see were two dim candlelights in the distance; those must be Chu Yunnan and Dong Hua.

Humans are always inexplicably afraid in the dark, and Wu Bing was no exception. He felt that a monster might pounce out of the darkness at any moment and tear him apart.

Suddenly, Shen Fengxi's cold voice rang in my ears: "Let's begin, if you don't want to die."

Wu Bing, disregarding everything else, waved his hands, shouted the rhythm, and began to do radio calisthenics with great enthusiasm. First one, then two, and finally all three candlelights began to move in the same rhythm, the flickering candlelight drawing mysterious streaks of light in the air, appearing particularly striking in the darkness. Strangely enough, as soon as the exercises began, the rapidly spreading darkness suddenly stopped, as if stopped by the candlelight. Wherever the candlelight touched, the darkness retreated slightly; but as soon as the candlelight left, the darkness immediately surged back.

"Don't let your guard down. Do the exercises while moving according to my instructions."

In the darkness, Fengxi's words held absolute authority, and the three of them obeyed without question. Fengxi frequently directed them to take their positions within the various formations, always managing to block the advance of the black energy and create a small, mobile barrier. The three were tense, listening intently to every instruction, not daring to make a single misstep.

Although Shen Fengxi couldn't move, his mind was more focused than anyone else's. He had to calculate the location and next move precisely and quickly; the slightest mistake would disrupt the entire formation, allowing the enemy to exploit the weakness. Despite this, he still made several mistakes. Strangely, the black mist didn't take the opportunity to break through the flawed formation; instead, it continued to circle around the three people at its own unhurried pace.

Intuitively, Shen Fengxi found this mass of black energy peculiar. It was merely a simple aggregation of Yin energy, lacking coherence and its own consciousness. It moved only by the inherent "momentum" of the Yin energy itself, like a biological stress response—it only moves when provoked. Because of this, the mass of Yin energy could only circulate around the perimeter, unable to break through the formation. But how could such a low-level aggregation of Yin energy so accurately find its own dormitory? Was it truly a matter of bad luck, actively seeking revenge? This would require a resentful spirit formed from a powerful aggregation of Yin energy; this mass of Yin energy possessed the intelligence of a mere paramecium. Would a paramecium seek revenge on someone who stepped on it? Absolutely impossible.

But now is not the time to think about such things; defeating the darkness before them is the priority. Shen Fengxi directed the three men to slowly disperse to several specific locations in the dormitory, continuously using candlelight to dispel the darkness. He was feeling dizzy and even nauseous, cold sweat dripping from his forehead—all due to being immersed in the yin energy for too long. This matter had to be resolved quickly.

"It's so dark! It's so scary!" This was the shout of the fat man, Dong Hua, who seemed unable to bear the pressure any longer.

After all, it was far too much to ask three innocent high school students to do such a thing. If Shen Fengxi hadn't applied a talisman to their chests beforehand, they would probably have been swallowed by the darkness long ago. Even so, it couldn't last long—because the talisman was written with red ink instead of cinnabar, so its quality was poor.

"Time... damn it... I have to manage my time well..."

Shen Fengxi nervously repeated the countdown in his mind. He glanced at the mirror in his hand and calculated the angle of the sunlight. Sunset was imminent; this was the most dangerous time, and also their only chance.

"Ah..." Chu Yunnan also groaned, the candlelight in his hand flickered, and darkness surged in. Only Wu Bing was still struggling to hold on; he seemed to have stronger willpower than the other two.

Just as the formation was about to collapse, Shen Fengxi's gaze sharpened as he stared at the lens. He suddenly roared in the voice of God: "Let there be light!"

The three men, who had been staggering, suddenly perked up and quickly took their positions, adjusting the mirrors in their hands so that they formed a perfect 45-degree angle with the last rays of sunlight outside the window. The sunlight reflected three times in the three mirrors, streaming into the dormitory. Like a sword, the sunlight instantly sliced through the darkness, and the previously deep, inky shadows vanished like boiling water turning into snow. Their roommates happened to push open the door and saw the three men, shirtless, holding candles in their left hands and mirrors in their right, sweating profusely, posing in three peculiar positions in the center of the room, with the window wide open…

Teacher Zhao adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses and stared at the three students in front of him.

He sighed inwardly and slowly picked up a pen:

"What are you three... doing?"

The three men exchanged bewildered glances. Shen Fengxi had sternly warned them not to tell anyone about it. Then again, even if they did, probably no one would believe them. "Old Bing, we're helping Shen Fengxi exorcise evil spirits," they thought. If they said that, they'd probably be sent straight to a mental hospital…

Teacher Zhao frowned and said slowly, "Why didn't you tell me? If something really happens and you don't tell me, how can I help you?"

"Taking off his shirt is one thing, but playing with candles and smearing himself with red ink—is this something a normal high school student would do?"

The three of them agreed with this statement; it was indeed not something a normal high school student would do.

"Chu Yunnan, you're the class representative for physics, explain to me why this is happening." Teacher Zhao tried to find a breakthrough with Chu Yunnan, after all, he had the best grades among the three and was considered a good student in the teacher's eyes.

Chu Yunnan shook his head and remained silent.

"Wu Bing, was this your idea?" Teacher Zhao turned to Wu Bing again. Wu Bing was known as a troublemaker in class, often doing strange things.

Wu Bing quickly waved his hand and opened his mouth to say, "Teacher, this is not an idea I could come up with..." He stopped halfway through his sentence and wouldn't say anything no matter how much Teacher Zhao asked.

Teacher Zhao was furious. She reached out and called Dong Hua over, saying sternly, "Dong Hua, I know you're the most honest person and never lie. You tell me."

"Teacher Zhao, I really don't know, I really don't know..." Dong Hua's face turned red, and she kept twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, just like a girl.

Teacher Zhao found a breakthrough and continued his attack on Dong Hua: "Dong Hua, you are usually an honest child. This matter was definitely not your idea. Tell the teacher, and the teacher will not criticize you."

Dong Hua stammered, his head almost touching the ground. Wu Bing and Chu Yunnan were secretly anxious, afraid he would reveal the truth, but they were helpless. Teacher Zhao, experienced as he was, had already seen through the thoughts of the three men. He sneered and planned to make one last push to force Dong Hua to tell the truth.

Just then, the office door creaked open.

Ma Ming walked in with a smile, dressed in sportswear.

Teacher Zhao was taken aback and quickly asked, "Oh, Teacher Ma, what brings you here?"

Ma Ming scratched his head, looked at the three dejected men, and chuckled: "I just heard that three guys were doing something strange in the dormitory, so I came to ask them about it."

"Sigh! It's true what they say, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast." Teacher Zhao turned and glared at Wu Bing, clearly convinced that he was the mastermind.

Ma Ming walked slowly up to the three of them with his hands behind his back, pinched his chin and studied them for a moment: "Don't make bets with others so easily in the future."

The three people were stunned by his words, not knowing what he meant.

"Hey, I just heard Shen Fengxi say it all. You guys are really something, how can you just make bets with people like that?" Ma Ming turned his head and winked.

Wu Bing reacted the fastest, quickly climbing up the pole and saying, "Yes, yes, Teacher Ma, you're right. We were wrong; we shouldn't have made that bet with others so casually."

Teacher Zhao looked at Ma Ming with a puzzled expression, put down her pen, and asked, "What are you talking about, Teacher Ma? Do you know something?"

Ma Ming turned to Teacher Zhao with a cheerful smile and said, "It's like this. I just heard Shen Fengxi say that he made a bet with the three of them. Whoever loses has to take off their clothes and walk around the dormitory three times with a candle."

What are they betting on?

"I wouldn't know that. You know, young people always get really excited about trivial things."

"..." Teacher Zhao turned around and glared at the three of them. "What Teacher Ma said is true."

"Really, really." The three nodded vigorously.

Why did you make the bet?

Chu Yunnan and Dong Hua looked at Wu Bing together. Wu Bing's eyes darted around, and he quickly said, "Shen Fengxi insists that Allen's demon arm is his left hand, but we all say it's his right hand."

"Who is Allen?" Teacher Zhao looked completely bewildered.

Wu Bing knew that explaining in detail would be like casting pearls before swine, so he simply said, "It's a character from a Japanese manga."

Teacher Zhao was furious: "Honestly, what are you three thinking! Where is your student demeanor! What kind of behavior is this!"

Although the three of them were scolded, they looked relieved. Wu Bing even secretly looked up and glanced at Ma Ming, but Ma Ming pretended not to see him.

About fifteen minutes later, the reprimand was still ongoing. Teacher Zhao was still rambling on and on, having escalated the discussion from student rules to the "Eight Honors and Eight Shames."

The first to lose his temper was Ma Ming. He quickly interjected while Teacher Zhao was drinking water, saying, "Well, nothing serious happened anyway, let's just give them a light punishment."

Teacher Zhao, probably tired of scolding, nodded: "Hmph... Teacher Ma, what do you think should be the punishment?"

Ma Wu glanced at the dark playground outside the teaching building window, then at Wu Bing, Chu Yunnan, and Dong Hua: "I'll punish you by making you run three laps."

The three students nodded hastily, each expressing their obsequiousness. Teacher Zhao looked at these students, both amused and exasperated.

Ma Ming took a whistle out of his pocket, adopted the air of a physical education teacher, and shouted the slogan: "Alright—attention, left turn, run—forward!" The three of them lined up and ran out of the office, as if they didn't want to stay for even a second longer.

After watching the three of them disappear through the office door, Ma Ming stood up, waved his whistle, and said to Teacher Zhao, "Then I'll go keep an eye on them, so those little rascals won't slack off."

"Thank you for your hard work," said Teacher Zhao. Just as Ma Ming was about to leave, Teacher Zhao suddenly said from behind, "By the way, Teacher Ma, you know Shen Fengxi before?"

"I guess so. He's the son of one of my dad's friends. His dad asked me to look after him occasionally."

Teacher Zhao covered his temples with his chalk-dust-covered quilt, a glint of light flashing in his eyes behind his glasses: "That student, I don't think he's simple at all."

Shen Fengxi, who was in the dormitory, suddenly sneezed loudly.

The next few days were uneventful, and nothing happened.

Or rather, nothing supernatural happened.

The story of Wu Bing and his two companions quickly spread throughout the school. Almost every student and teacher had heard that three students had lost a bet and were doing naked exercises in the boys' dormitory during recess. Ma Ming warned them not to tell anyone the truth and also told them not to go to Shen Fengxi for the next few days, lest they be tormented by a bad-tempered guy. So the three of them had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue attending classes under the curious gazes of their classmates.

Xiao Gu remained indifferent and taciturn as always. She had been at the school for a few days and no one in the class interacted with her except for Director Wu, who would occasionally come to look after her.

The strangest thing is that although the yin energy on campus has continued to increase over the past few days, it hasn't erupted as Ma Ming predicted, causing a horde of ghosts. The mysterious force that attacked Shen Fengxi has completely disappeared, and the corpse hasn't reappeared; it has vanished without a trace.

As for Shen Fengxi, he lay in bed for three whole days before recovering from his exhaustion. When he re-entered the classroom, he caused a small commotion. Wu Bing, Chu Yunnan, and Dong Hua glanced at him with awe, not daring to approach him. Even Xiao Gu, who was usually indifferent to everything, turned his head and gave him a concerned look. The other ordinary students whispered among themselves, discussing this amazing transfer student who had made three students strip down to their shirts the moment he arrived.

"Quiet down, quiet down." Teacher Zhao tapped the blackboard with the eraser, his eyebrows furrowed. From the moment Shen Fengxi first appeared, he had sensed the presence of a dangerous student. Teacher Zhao's experience told him that if he didn't give such a student a warning, he would be difficult to control later.

Shen Fengxi remained oblivious to the various thoughts swirling around him. He found his seat with a clear conscience and sat down casually. He could still vaguely feel the muscle soreness from overdoing the ritual, which was understandable. Shen Fengxi had only been at the school for two days and had already encountered two tough battles. If it were an ordinary Taoist priest, he would probably have been killed long ago. Only someone like him, who could turn anger into fighting power and had a strong will to survive, could endure it.

At this moment, Teacher Zhao called out his name: "Shen Fengxi".

"What?" Shen Fengxi remained motionless, only impatiently rolling his eyes, which surprised the girl sitting next to him. No one had ever dared to do that to Teacher Zhao before.

"Please stand up and come outside with me for a moment," Teacher Zhao said patiently.

Shen Fengxi reluctantly stood up, his legs trembling again. The two of them walked out of the classroom under the watchful eyes of the entire class, reaching the corner of the corridor. Many people began to feel sorry for Shen Fengxi.

"Shen Fengxi, we haven't had a proper talk since you transferred here. Now that you've recovered from your serious illness, I believe it's time for us to have a chat. This is also my responsibility as your homeroom teacher."

Shen Fengxi didn't answer, but simply crossed his arms, his handsome, angular face as cold as the air of Siberia.

Teacher Zhao became increasingly unable to tolerate this attitude, and her tone began to rise: "Only criticism can make people improve. I hope you can correct your attitude."

"My attitude" Shen Fengxi's perfectly shaped lips curled up slightly, not with a relieved smile, but with an icy blue disdain.

"For example, right now, the teacher is talking to you, how can you cross your arms?"

"You feel that your self-esteem has been hurt, right?" Shen Fengxi replied.

"You..." Teacher Zhao hadn't expected this new transfer student to choose to confront her directly, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. "I'm doing this for your own good!"

"For someone to need others to change their self-esteem is simply too disgraceful to their brain cells and sympathetic nervous system."

"Shen Fengxi! Do you know what you're saying?"

"To speak out about the harsh realities that some people cannot openly admit, so that teachers can truly find their place."