Lanpu

Chapitre 15

But in the end, Dad came to terms with it and said bitterly, "That's good too. After all, he's my son, Luo Chengchun. He can't be a teacher who achieves nothing for the rest of his life. Maybe he'll become a god and guide your parents to heaven when they get old, so they can enjoy a peaceful life there."

"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? You're still as healthy as ever!"

“However,” he said, his mind racing, “your children absolutely cannot become wizards. I will train them myself. I want my grandson to grow up, study at Harvard, get an MBA, and come back to inherit my mantle.”

I nodded repeatedly. To be honest, I had no desire to be a sorcerer! But if I didn't become a sorcerer, what else could I do?

Just think of Xiaoyue, she must be shivering in Yong'an Town. They're not even married yet, and the two of us are already plotting against her precious son.

By Sunday night, I was alone again, feeling cold and lonely. Especially after just a week of happy life with my dearest loved ones, the sudden departure of them made the loneliness and desolation particularly intense, and I felt especially uneasy.

I called Xiaoyue, using the excuse of greeting her to mark the end of another day alone, but as I expected, she wasn't home, or rather, she hadn't returned yet.

As night deepened, I came to the balcony and looked up at the new moon in the sky, which was as beautiful and ethereal as the dawn moon. I looked down at the flowers and plants on the balcony, which were pure green and deep blue, just like the spirit of autumn grass.

"Silently I ascend the western tower alone, the moon like a hook, a lonely paulownia tree in the deep courtyard locks in the clear autumn. Unbreakable, tangled, is the sorrow of parting, a unique taste in my heart."

I imagined Nanling dancing and reciting poetry, and I became somewhat infatuated. Alas, when will I be able to see her beautiful and natural singing and dancing again?

I stood in the cool breeze for more than an hour. It was 9 p.m., and I still couldn't calm down, so I put on a jacket and went for a walk on the street.

Because of the development of tourism in Ruli County in recent years, a cultural pedestrian street has been built in the city, which is divided into two main sections: a commercial area and a food street. On weekends, the streets are bustling with people, showing the prosperity of the city. I often think that Ruli County can be summarized in one phrase: small but complete.

Therefore, the people living in this city lack a sense of grandeur. Just like me.

I walked along the street, surrounded by neon lights and flashing advertising light boxes that reflected the city's enigmatic charm and development, promising that everything would become even better.

As a wizard, I believe my responsibility is to silently eliminate all dark forces and factors that interfere with and hinder the development of the human world.

"Wow, it's a teacher!"

"Teacher, you're back!"

"Teacher, I thought you had forgotten about us!"

Then, a group of little devils rushed up from behind and surrounded me tightly. I realized that my head was throbbing again. It was Xiaoling, Jing'er, Zhu'er, and Xiaohui, the four girls. Xiaoling leaned close to me and gently tugged at my clothes. She looked rather haggard.

"Teacher, do you know what happened? After you left, some terrible things happened at our school. In short, it felt like the end of the world," Pearl exclaimed dramatically.

“Yes, yes, without your divine presence at the school, all sorts of strange things happen,” Jing’er said.

"Teacher, please go back to class! The substitute teacher, Mr. Wang, always has a stiff face, and his words are infuriating and incredibly boring. Someone sleeps in every class. Then, on Friday morning, during the last period, he scolded you in front of us, calling you an irresponsible teacher, too lenient with your students, and saying you don't act like a teacher at all, making the students behave like students too. Like father, like son!" Xiao Hui complained to me.

"Xiaoling was furious and immediately retorted, giving a long list of examples to show how lively and engaging Mr. Luo's lectures were, and how students loved listening to him; how Mr. Luo was very casual with us outside of class, but extremely strict during class. She went on and on, making Mr. Wang's face turn green with anger," Zhu'er said indignantly. "It's like when the gods are gone, monsters spring up everywhere!"

---janeadam

Reply [28]: "That bald eagle (Teacher Wang's nickname, referring to his middle-aged white hair) is too hateful. He actually said to Xiaoling: 'I know you side with Teacher Luo because you like him. The whole school knows this, but let me tell you, teacher-student relationships are absolutely forbidden. They are the most disgusting. If Teacher Luo dares to mess around with teacher-student relationships, he will be expelled immediately! Besides, Teacher Luo already has a girlfriend. She is much prettier than you!' Xiaoling was so insulted by him that she cried. She picked up her schoolbag and immediately ran out of the classroom—only a ghost would attend his class."

"Yes, yes, we were furious too. Just looking at that disgusting teacher made us want to vomit. So, as soon as the class monitor left, the whole class left the classroom right in front of the bald eagle..."

Hearing this, I felt dizzy, not just throbbing: Good heavens, this has happened in just a few days, with a mass exodus of students skipping class. How can anyone say this wasn't influenced by me? My biggest worry is that I'll have to deal with the aftermath, and I'll definitely be held responsible. I know that Teacher Wang is always good at shirking responsibility.

I looked at the pitiful little Ling beside me, sighed, took her little hand, and comforted her, saying, "It's okay. That bald eagle is so wicked, I will definitely get revenge for you. You have to go to school tomorrow, okay?"

Xiaoling nodded, her eyes a little red. After a long silence, she suddenly said, "Wasn't Sister Xiaoyue with you? The whole school was in an uproar when you left that day. The teachers who usually looked down on you had their mouths wide open, like ugly, comical toads."

"Yeah, the teacher's girlfriend is absolutely gorgeous! Class monitor Xiaoling, you've met your match!" Xiaohui joked with her.

"Why are you all behaving like Teacher Wang? I've already said that I like the teacher, but I only love and respect him like my older brother. I've never had an older brother since I was little, and I just want to have one. So what? I..." Unexpectedly, Xiaoling became serious and spoke more and more urgently, her little lips trembling, and finally she started to sob.

I glared at Xiaohui and said, "Xiaoling has suffered enough. Don't make fun of her anymore, or I won't stand for it!" Then I took a handkerchief and wiped Xiaoling's tears. Unexpectedly, Xiaoling snuggled into my arms, trembling all over, twisting her fingers with my handkerchief.

After a while, Xiaoling calmed down, and I finally had a chance to ask them, "What happened next? Did you go to class in the afternoon? What did Principal Yan say? Did he scold you?"

“In the afternoon, we skipped class to be with Xiaoling, along with many other classmates. They all said they wouldn’t attend unless Bai Tou Ying apologized to Xiaoling. But Xiaoling insisted that they go to class. Of course, I wouldn’t listen; I wanted to stand with Xiaoling through thick and thin,” Zhu’er said.

Xiao Hui laughed and said, "The principal didn't even come to see us that day. I suspect Teacher Wang didn't even have time to tattle, because compared to another terrible thing that happened that afternoon, this matter was insignificant."

"What is it?" My curiosity was piqued.

Pearl interrupted, "A girl in the third year of junior high fell from the fourth floor. It's said to be suicide. And her homeroom teacher was Bald Eagle. Ha, what a fitting end!"

Xiao Hui knew better, so she quickly continued, "It happened about ten minutes before class started. Many people saw it. The junior high student named Zhao Di had been studying in the classroom all afternoon when she suddenly came from inside to the corridor and shouted, 'I memorized it and then forgot it. I forgot everything. Why is this happening? I forgot! I forgot…' She kept saying 'I forgot,' and then she climbed over the corridor railing with her feet outside."

Her classmates were terrified and tried to pull her away, but she suddenly said, "Little bird, I'm a little bird!" and jumped down.

"It was all Bald Eagle's fault. In order to get first place in the school in the midterm exam, he used every self-study period for tests, and he recorded them all in the future comprehensive evaluation. Xiao Hui's father later said: Bald Eagle arranged tests in the second period that afternoon, which made the students have to study hard throughout the noon. As a result, Zhao Di could not bear the pressure and had a mental breakdown, so she jumped off the building."

The novel gleefully states, "Afterwards, even the director of the education bureau was furious and summoned the principal and Bald Eagle for a dressing-down."

"How is that student?" I asked anxiously.

"Luckily, she didn't die, but I heard she suffered a concussion and hasn't woken up yet," Xiaohui said. I believe her because she's a well-known gossip in our class and school.

However, I find it a bit strange. Teacher Wang has been conducting these tests for so many years, since I was a student. It certainly puts a lot of mental pressure on students, but nothing like this has ever happened. Although he never taught me, I know his character and teaching style. He is harsh and demanding, focuses on fame and fortune and is often not given important positions. He is very "career-oriented," but for students, he is much better than those teachers who just get by, like the ones I had before.

What the girl said later was particularly strange. It felt like her spirit had transformed into something else entirely. As I pondered this, I shared my thoughts with them.

"Could it be possession by a ghost?" Pearl exclaimed.

I chuckled to myself, because that was exactly what I was thinking. And the fact that I thought this way showed that I had become accustomed to analyzing various phenomena and problems in reality from a wizard's perspective, and was even a bit neurotic.

---janeadam

Reply [29]: Chapter Fourteen: The Demon Fox

“Actually, this kind of thing has happened in schools before,” Xiaoling suddenly said. “I heard my mother say that more than 30 years ago, a similar incident happened at our Ruli No. 3 Middle School. A student, who was reciting political quotations, suddenly went crazy and jumped off a building to commit suicide. However, the principal at that time suffered a much worse fate than he has now.”

"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it." I was getting tired of the topic. "It's getting late, and you have school tomorrow, so you should go to bed early."