Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 4

Reply [21]: How boring. Zhou Wen couldn’t help but yawn secretly. He suddenly widened his eyes and stared in surprise at the old man on the platform who slowly stood up and floated across the platform like a ghost. The leaders didn’t see anything at all and applauded the performances of the various departments in a serious manner.

Zhou Wen rubbed his eyes hard. He clearly saw the old man pass through Shen Jibei's body and disappear into a ginkgo tree behind him. That wasn't a person, it was a ghost! Zhou Wen turned to look at his classmates, but none of them reacted. He couldn't help but shiver. No one else saw it, could it be... could it be that my eyes can see ghosts?

Section Two: Coffee Shop

The freshmen military training drill ended promptly at 11:00 AM. Everyone scattered, rushing back to their dormitories to grab their luggage and head to the station. With a three-day National Day holiday, plus Saturday and Sunday, it's almost a week! Going home to sleep in, watch TV, play games, and enjoy Mom's cooking—what an irresistible thought!

But Zhou Wen wasn't in a hurry to go home. He wanted to find Li Jinyu to understand what had happened to him. That afternoon, Building 2 was quiet; almost all the freshmen had gone home, leaving Zhou Wen alone in his dorm. He tried calling room 304 in Building 6. The phone rang for a while before a lazy female voice said, "Who is it?"

Zhou Wen paused for a moment, unable to recognize the voice. He said, "I'm looking for Li Jinyu." There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before he said, "This is me. You must be Zhou Wen. What can I do for you?" Zhou Wen said, "Sorry, I didn't recognize your voice. Aren't you going back for National Day?" Li Jinyu said, "My home is too far from G City. It would take two days to travel there and back. Oh well, I don't have anything else to do anyway."

Zhou Wen said, "Are you free this afternoon? I have something important to ask you." Li Jinyu's heart skipped a beat; she had already guessed what he wanted to ask. She said, "Okay, I'll come find you." Zhou Wen said, "It's not convenient to talk at school. Let's talk at a coffee shop outside. I'll wait for you at the north gate at 1:30." Li Jinyu hummed in agreement and said, "That's all, goodbye."

She hung up the phone, feeling troubled, unsure whether to tell Zhou Wen the truth. After a moment's hesitation, she dialed her grandfather's number again, but the phone rang for a long time without an answer. Li Jinyu thought, "Grandpa hasn't come home since yesterday afternoon. Where did he go? Could something have happened to him on Shouqiong Mountain?" Remembering that her grandfather had mentioned her brother's master, Daoist Pan Ziping, had important matters to attend to and couldn't leave, Li Jinyu couldn't help but feel worried.

Five minutes to go before 1:30, Zhou Wen and Li Jinyu met at the North Gate. They exchanged a few unimportant words and walked side by side to the new Hongqiao Bridge on Zhanlu Road. Zhou Wen hailed a taxi, and they took it to a Mingdian Coffee Shop on Pingxi Street in the city center.

The waitress greeted them with a beaming smile and warmly invited them inside. Zhou Wen chose a quiet corner, and the two sat facing each other in rattan hanging chairs. Li Jinyu curiously looked around at the decor; it was her first time in such a luxurious coffee shop. Zhou Wen noticed her slight nervousness and reassured her, "Relax. It's my first time having coffee too. To be honest, I don't know any of the etiquette. Don't laugh at me if you make a fool of yourself." This made the waitress laugh.

Li Jinyu ordered a Nescafé—she only knew this brand—while Zhou Wen ordered a mocha and two fruit cakes. The waitress brought the coffee and cakes shortly after, smiling and inviting them to enjoy their meal. Zhou Wen added two sugar cubes to his coffee and casually asked, "Did you see an elderly man with white hair sitting in the stands during the morning exercises this morning?"

Li Jinyu looked at him with some surprise and said, "You saw it too? Hmm... Do you believe in ghosts and demons?" Zhou Wen gently stirred his coffee with a small stainless steel spoon and said, "I didn't believe it at first, but I saw it with my own eyes this morning... He passed through Principal Shen's body and disappeared into a ginkgo tree."

Li Jinyu said, "That's a tree spirit. I've seen him several times at school. He won't harm people; he just likes to observe human behavior." Zhou Wen asked curiously, "How did you see him?" Li Jinyu hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell him the truth: "I am a descendant of the Maoshan sect. I've washed my eyes with talisman water since I was a child. My eyes are yin-yang eyes; I can see ghosts and demons in the underworld."

Zhou Wen said with an "Oh," and then said, "So you're a Maoshan Taoist priest who catches monsters!" Li Jinyu quickly explained, "You've misunderstood. The origins of Taoism are very complicated, and not all Maoshan Taoists are Taoist priests. These things can't be explained in a few words." Zhou Wen took a sip of coffee and urged curiously, "Anyway, I have nothing to do this afternoon, so just tell me. The more detailed the better. I like to hear long stories."

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [22]: “Hmm…” Li Jinyu sorted out her thoughts and said, “I’ll start from the beginning. You’ve heard of Taoism, right? The earliest schools were Zhang Ling’s Five Pecks of Rice and Zhang Jiao’s Way of Peace. Those were things from the late Eastern Han Dynasty.” Zhou Wen nodded and said, “I know. It’s in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It seems that they used talismans and incantations to cheat people out of money and incite the people to rebel.”

Li Jinyu said, "It's not all a lie... You wouldn't understand even if I told you! Zhang Ling and Zhang Jiao were the founders of Taoism. Later, in the Jin Dynasty, a man named Ge Hong wrote a book called 'Baopuzi,' which talked about how to attain Tao and become an immortal. It gained everyone's recognition, and Taoism spread throughout China."

Zhou Wen nodded and said, "That's right. Writing books is the only way to get people's attention. Written things have a great influence. Even elementary school students know to write 'Zhang San is a big bad guy' on the blackboard!" Li Jinyu chuckled and said, "Don't interrupt me, okay? I don't even know where I was!" Zhou Wen reminded her, "Ge Hong wrote a book and praised Taoism, and then everyone believed it."

Li Jinyu continued, "Later, many schools of Taoism emerged, such as the Shangqing School, Lingbao School, Quanzhen Taoism, Jingming Taoism, and so on. There were too many to count. Each school had its own set of theories and they were very dissatisfied with each other. However, at that time, the Taoist priests' magic was very powerful, and they eliminated many demons and monsters. Otherwise, it would be a question whether humanity could have developed to the point it is today."

Zhou Wen muttered, "Being a monster is so pathetic!" Li Jinyu rolled her eyes at him and said, "What's pathetic about it? Things that harm people should be eliminated. If you see cockroaches in your house, do you not kill them but feed them and keep them as pets?" Zhou Wen didn't want to argue with her about this issue and asked, "And then? What happened next?"

Li Jinyu said, "Later, during the Yuan Dynasty, the various Taoist sects in the north and south recombined and formed two major factions. One faction was Quanzhen Taoism, which advocated cultivating inner alchemy to become an immortal. The other faction was Zhengyi Taoism, which advocated using talismans to exorcise demons and benefit all living beings. Zhengyi Taoism has many branches, and Maoshan Taoism is one of them. It has been passed down for more than 270 generations."

Li Jinyu paused here, took a sip of her coffee—it was terribly bitter; she'd forgotten to add sugar. Zhou Wen listened with rapt attention, pressing for more information: "And then what happened?" Li Jinyu sighed and said, "After the Ming and Qing dynasties, Taoism declined, and many profound magical arts were lost. Whether it's Maoshan Taoism or Celestial Master Taoism, the magic they passed down can only deal with tree spirits and ghosts. However, powerful demons haven't appeared for hundreds of years; people nowadays simply don't believe in this stuff."

Zhou Wen asked with great interest, "You're a successor of the Maoshan sect, so you must know magic, right?" Li Jinyu said, "Of course! If I didn't know magic, how could I have seen that tree demon this morning?" Zhou Wen frowned and said, "Then how come I saw it too? Why couldn't others see it? Did I wash my eyes with talisman water when I was little, and now I have the ability to see ghosts?"

Section 3 Medical Record Card

Li Jinyu avoided the topic, muttering to herself, "This coffee is so bitter!" She added a few sugar cubes and stirred slowly with a spoon, hesitating whether to tell him. Zhou Wen urged, "Say something! I know you know exactly what happened, but I can't remember anything. You have to tell me!"

Li Jinyu also wanted to know how Zhou Wen could be completely unharmed when the vampire had totally taken control of his body. Instead, he had expelled the vengeful spirit from his body and gained the Yin-Yang Eyes, a magical ability typically found only in Taoist sects. She finally made up her mind and told Zhou Wen the whole story of the vengeful spirit's possession, concluding, "This is very strange. I've never seen anything like it in the Taoist canon. Vengeful spirits absolutely refuse to give up a body they've already acquired. Do you remember what exactly happened back then?"

Zhou Wen was completely bewildered, his mind a jumble of thoughts. He said, "Wait, wait, you said I killed five people and drained their blood?" Li Jinyu corrected him, saying, "You didn't kill them. It was a vampire attached to your body that did it!" Zhou Wen muttered, "So I really did kill Lin Yongshou. No wonder he died in the latrine! He deserves to die!" He looked somewhat dejected, and the mocha he drank tasted as bland as water, with no flavor at all.

Li Jinyu was a little worried, so she comforted him, saying, "The person was killed by a vampire, it has nothing to do with you, so don't blame yourself." Zhou Wen was somewhat agitated and waved his hand, saying, "I'm not blaming myself, I just feel unlucky. Why do good things never happen to me, but bad things always come knocking? There are so many people in the world, why did that damned vengeful spirit choose me out of all people?"

Li Jinyu was somewhat surprised by Zhou Wen's reaction. She was silent for a moment and then said, "That vampire's vengeful spirit might be related to you by blood, which is why it was able to possess you. That noon in the air-raid shelter, it kept calling you 'brother'! You... did you have a younger brother you didn't raise?"

Zhou Wen shook his head and said, "I'm an only child! Did you hear me right? Did it really call me brother?" Li Jinyu tried hard to recall the scene and said, "It seemed to say, 'Brother, please, this is my body, give me back my body!'" Zhou Wen gasped. He immediately remembered the childish voice of the little boy and couldn't help but grind his teeth.

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [23]: Li Jinyu noticed his unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong?" Zhou Wen forced a smile and said, "Nothing, the air conditioning here is too strong, I'm a little cold." Li Jinyu didn't take it to heart and guessed, "Maybe your mother is hiding it from you. Your name is Zhou Wen, and you may have a younger brother named Zhou Wu!" She was somewhat unwilling, "Think about it again, you won't forget what happened..." Zhou Wen interrupted her and said, "Enough, stop talking, I can't remember anything!" He stood up unsteadily and muttered, "I want to go home..." Li Jinyu saw that his face was extremely pale and was very worried. She asked, "Do you want me to take you home?"

Zhou Wen shouted, "Mind your own business!" He then realized he had lost his temper and tried to lower his voice, saying, "I'm fine, don't worry! Sorry, you'll have to take a taxi back to your dorm yourself, I won't see you off. I'll call you if anything happens..." Li Jinyu watched him leave the coffee shop dejectedly, thinking, "Did I hurt him?"

Zhou Wen stood on the bustling street. The prosperous street scene of G City seemed so far away from him. He looked at the crowded people and the traffic, as if he were watching a completely unrelated movie. You can be moved, excited, or even shed tears, but all of this is just an illusion projected on the screen. It's all fake!

If you woke up to find yourself a blood-soaked murderer, how would you react? Zhou Wen desperately tried to banish the thought, but he couldn't escape it. A terrifying idea flashed through his mind: "Kill Li Jinyu, and let everything that happened remain a secret forever!" But Zhou Wen immediately dismissed the thought. Li Jinyu was innocent; she had tried desperately to free him from the vampire's control, but was powerless to do so.

"Go to the police station to turn yourself in?" Zhou Wen smacked his head hard. "Don't be silly, there are vengeful spirits and ghosts in this world, they won't believe it!"

Zhou Wen hailed a taxi and returned home. Lu Ping was cooking dinner. She was happy to see her son return and bombarded him with questions about school. Zhou Wen really didn't want to talk about that, so he interrupted his mother and asked, "Mom, do I have a younger brother named Zhou Wu?"

Lu Ping's face suddenly turned pale. She stammered, "No, you're an only child, you get the one-child allowance… Why did you suddenly ask this?… You don't look well, are you tired from military training? Look how tanned you are. Um, watch the stove for me, I'm going out to buy some cooked food, I'll have a drink with your father tonight." She rushed out as if fleeing, afraid her son would see the tears in her eyes. Zhou Wu… Zhou Wen did indeed have a twin brother, a fact kept from him for almost twenty years!

Lu Ping's reaction confirmed Zhou Wen's suspicions. His hands and feet turned ice-cold, and only one thought remained in his mind: "So it was all true!" He stood there like a statue for a while, then suddenly remembered something, rushed into his parents' bedroom, found the key to the dresser, and found a stack of medical records at the very back of the drawer. Lu Ping had a bad habit of not being able to throw things away, even useless ration coupons, receipts, calendars, household registration books, and medical records; she would put them in plastic bags and keep them in the drawer. This gave Zhou Wen an opportunity to discover the truth.

With trembling hands, Zhou Wen found Lu Ping's medical record from 1975, flipped to October 15th—his birthdate—and stared wide-eyed at it for a long time. "Damn it, those two characters for 'doctor' are so hard to read!" Zhou Wen struggled to make out the words "hydrocephalus," "craniotomy," and "Han Mei." He vaguely guessed what had happened, and a bitter taste rose in his mouth.

Zhou Wen put the medical record card back in its place, locked the dresser, and lay down on the bamboo chair, watching TV while lost in thought. Lu Ping and Zhou Zitong returned home close to 6 o'clock, carrying a large pile of cooked dishes such as salted goose and braised beef. Dinner was rather dull; Zhou Wen didn't mention Zhou Wu again, and his parents, in a tacit agreement, talked about completely unrelated things.

To lighten the mood, Zhou Zitong mentioned that Chief Xie of the Criminal Investigation Brigade had been hospitalized for a stomach hemorrhage and had only been resting for a little over a week. Still worried about the bizarre murder cases, he secretly slipped out of the hospital without telling the doctor or his family to go to the Criminal Investigation Brigade to find his deputy, Peng Shuguang, for the latest updates. However, by the afternoon, feeling hungry, Chief Xie ignored everyone's advice and went out to eat a bowl of braised eel noodles. Less than an hour later, he suffered another stomach hemorrhage and collapsed in his office.

Lu Ping shook her head and said, "Tsk tsk, Director Xie is really something. He's over fifty years old, not a young man anymore! He should retire early and enjoy his retirement. Why does he have to keep going like this?" Zhou Zitong glanced at his wife and said, "What do you know? He's just being responsible!"

Lu Ping said indignantly, "Responsible? He just doesn't trust Peng Shuguang! Hey, let me tell you, I don't care about other people's business, but you have to take care of your own health. You have high blood pressure and fatty liver, don't expect me to take care of you if you fall ill!" Zhou Zitong was a little impatient and waved his chopsticks, saying, "I know, I know, just shut up! I know my own body, don't worry about me."

Lu Ping suddenly remembered something and exclaimed to Zhou Wen in surprise, "Hey, why didn't you bring your clothes back to wash? They'll smell bad if you leave them in the dorm!" Zhou Wen replied, "I went out with my classmates this afternoon and forgot to bring them back. Anyway, the school doesn't lock the gates, and I'm going out to buy some reference books tomorrow anyway, so I'll just pick them up while I'm at it."

Lu Ping kept asking, "Who did you go out with? A man or a woman? Where?" Zhou Zitong interrupted her, saying, "Alright, our son is a college student now. Aren't you tired of interfering?" Lu Ping reluctantly shut up, looking at Zhou Wen, hoping he would tell her the truth himself.

Zhou Wen sighed inwardly and kept drinking in silence. Before he knew it, he had drunk too much. His face was as red as Guan Yu's, and he collapsed onto the bed, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He said he would rest for a while before taking a shower, but he never woke up. In his sleep, Zhou Wen vaguely heard his parents whispering privately until late at night.

Twins

The next morning around 9 a.m., Zhou Wen got up, took a shower, ate two fried dough sticks and a bowl of rice porridge, said goodbye to Lu Ping, and rode his bicycle out. He didn't go to school first, but went straight to the Xinhua Bookstore on Pingxi Street, found the medical books section, and looked through the books one by one by pointing at the spines. Finally, he found a book called "Obstetrics and Gynecology" in a corner.

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [24]: Zhou Wen suppressed his racing heartbeat, opened the table of contents, found "Hydrocephalus", on page 121, the book said: "When a fetus has a large amount of cerebrospinal fluid inside and outside the ventricles, it is called hydrocephalus. It is mainly due to cerebrospinal fluid circulation disorder, which causes excessive cerebrospinal fluid to accumulate in the ventricles or subarachnoid space. ... The fontanelle and cranial sutures are widened, the cranial cavity is enlarged, and the head circumference is often more than 50cm..." Zhou Wen was confused by so many professional terms. He skipped a few lines and found the treatment method: "... A lumbar puncture needle is inserted through the bone suture or fontanelle to release the fluid, so that the head volume is reduced and then delivered..." Zhou Wen was startled, calmed down and turned to the "Craniotomy" section: "Craniotomy is a surgery that uses instruments to puncture the fetal skull to release brain tissue, reduce the volume of the fetal head, and facilitate the delivery of the fetus. ... Puncture the fetal head ... Release brain tissue ... Place it in a craniotomy device to pull out the fetus..." Several shocking pictures were also attached below.

Zhou Wen's back was drenched in cold sweat. He closed the "Obstetrics and Gynecology" book, unable to bear reading any further. It turned out he really did have a twin brother named Zhou Wu, who suffered from hydrocephalus due to developmental delays in the womb and was killed by doctors using a craniotomy. No wonder only Han Mei's brain matter was drained—it was Zhou Wu's revenge! But why did he keep demanding that I return his body? This has nothing to do with me!

Zhou Wu put the "Obstetrics and Gynecology" book back in its place and let out a long sigh of relief. Regardless, he finally knew the truth: the vengeful spirit was his twin brother, Zhou Wu, who had tried to possess his brother's body but ultimately failed. Intuition told Zhou Wu that he should go find Li Jinyu next; only this successor of the Maoshan sect could unravel the remaining mysteries.

Zhou Wen turned off Pingxi Street, entered S University through the North Gate, and rode directly to the girls' dormitory, Building 6. The old woman guarding the gate grabbed Zhou Wen, looked him up and down with a wary look, and asked, "Who are you looking for?" Zhou Wen said, "I'm looking for Li Jinyu from room 304. I'm her classmate, and I need to talk to her about something important."

The old woman wouldn't let Zhou Wen in, glaring at him and muttering under her breath, "These students nowadays are really something, making friends as soon as they enter school, and changing partners every few days!" Zhou Wen was getting impatient and urged, "Please hurry up, I'm in a rush!" The old woman snorted, looked up, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Li Jinyu from room 304, someone's looking for you!" Li Jinyu poked her head out of the window, saw it was Zhou Wen, and subconsciously touched her collar, saying, "Wait a moment, I'll be right down."

Zhou Wen felt extremely uncomfortable under the old woman's piercing gaze. The few minutes felt like hours. He recalled a terrible analogy: "If looks could kill, he would have died a thousand times over!" Finally, he saw Li Jinyu appear at the dormitory door. Zhou Wen quickly greeted her and dove out of the old woman's sight.

Li Jinyu caught up and asked with a smile, "Why are you acting like a thief? So sneaky!" Zhou Wen wasn't in the mood for jokes and said with a sullen face, "I secretly looked at my mother's medical record. I really do have a twin brother. He had hydrocephalus, and the doctor induced labor with a craniotomy before he was even born." Li Jinyu was taken aback and said, "Tell me in more detail, what exactly happened?"

Zhou Wen then recounted the whole story, concluding, "Now I finally understand why Han Mei's brain was drained—Zhou Wu had a reason to do it! But I still have a few questions. Why did Zhou Wu keep insisting that I return his body? How could Zhou Wu be a vampire? And why do I have the ability to see ghosts? You know the truth, don't you? Tell me!"

Li Jinyu shook her head and said, "I've told you everything I know, I'm sorry..." Zhou Wen looked disappointed and said, "Am I supposed to stay in the dark forever? I bear the stigma of being a murderer, I have the right to know what really happened." Li Jinyu sensed the loss and loneliness in his words, and her heart trembled. She stammered, "It's not entirely hopeless..." Zhou Wen excitedly grasped her hands and said, "I knew you had a way! Tell me!" Li Jinyu gently pulled her hands away and said seriously, "The Maoshan sect has a profound spell called the Silent Consciousness Technique. When the caster and the recipient's palms are connected, their minds are linked, and they can see each other's most hidden memories." Zhou Wen said without hesitation, "Then let's try it!" Li Jinyu shook her head and said, "This kind of communication is two-way, I don't want to tell you all my secrets!"

Zhou Wen asked defiantly, "Why not? I just won't tell anyone. Is there something you're hiding?" Li Jinyu retorted, "Who doesn't have secrets they don't want others to know?" Zhou Wen, recalling some of the absurd things he had done, felt a little guilty and said, "Could you teach me that 'Silent Consciousness Technique' so I can cast it on myself?"

Li Jinyu raised her index finger and said, "First, you are not a successor of the Maoshan sect, so I cannot teach you the Silent Consciousness Technique! Second, the Silent Consciousness Technique cannot be used on oneself; this is common sense!" Zhou Wen looked distressed and pleaded, "We've been classmates, please help me out! Please think of another way!" Li Jinyu declined, saying, "Let me call my grandfather and ask him. He's very knowledgeable and should have a solution."

Zhou Wen knew there was no point in rushing things, so he sighed deeply and said, "Even an emperor doesn't starve his soldiers. Let me treat you to a meal." Li Jinyu was surprised and laughed, "You know that saying too? Hehe, let me think!" Seeing Zhou Wen's expectant look, she couldn't bear to refuse him and said, "Alright then, where to?"

Zhou Wen racked his brains for a moment and asked, "Do you eat Western food?" Li Jinyu shook her head and said, "I've never tried it. Is it the kind where you eat bloody beef with a knife and fork?" Zhou Wen honestly said, "Probably. I've only seen it on TV, I've never eaten it. Why don't we go try it?" Li Jinyu found the suggestion very tempting and nodded with a smile.

Looking at her gentle face, Zhou Wen realized that he had already put all his unhappiness and worries behind him. He said gratefully to Li Jinyu, "Let's go, let's go to the Champs-Élysées Western Restaurant on Pingxi Street. I'll treat you to steak!" Li Jinyu put her hands together in front of her chest, her fingertips touching her chin, and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you. But let me make it clear beforehand, I won't use any mind-controlling techniques on you!"

Zhou Wen said nonchalantly, "It's alright, it's my honor that you grace us with your presence!" Li Jinyu smiled sweetly, making Zhou Wen's face flush. He finally realized that he was gradually falling for this beautiful girl from the chemistry department.

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [25]: Section 5 Back to School Diary

Li Jinyu had a very happy afternoon. She tried the steak set meal at the Champs-Élysées restaurant and watched a movie that Zhou Wen liked, "Terminator 2." Although urban life was luxurious, it was also very interesting. She finally understood why Huo Lili was so enthusiastic about it.

It was already 5:30 when Li Jinyu returned to her dormitory. She didn't feel hungry and drifted off to sleep on her bed. Around 8 p.m., Li Jinyu was awakened by a series of urgent rings. She picked up the phone, still half asleep, and immediately became fully awake when she heard the other end's voice. It was her brother calling from X City.

Li Bing said on the other end of the phone, "Is this Xiaoyu? How are things going on your end?" Li Jinyu replied, "Everything's fine. The vampire thing has been resolved!" She recounted everything that had happened after her brother left. Li Bing found it unbelievable and, after a moment of silence, asked, "Did you use the Silent Awareness Technique on him to see what was going on?" Li Jinyu snorted and said, "I wouldn't want to! You can do it yourself!"

Li Bing knew why the girl was unwilling to use the Silent Awareness Technique. He sighed softly; these things couldn't be forced. He paused and said, "I have an urgent matter here, I really can't leave!" Li Jinyu felt somewhat uneasy and asked, "What exactly happened? Grandpa hasn't been home, and no one's answering the phone. Where have you all gone?" Li Bing lowered his voice and asked, "Is anyone with you?" Only then did Li Jinyu realize the seriousness of the situation and quickly said, "No, I'm alone. They've all gone home!"

Li Bing said, "Something happened on Shouqiong Mountain. The talisman that our patriarch left in the Demon Subduing Hall was accidentally pried open, and several demons escaped. They have caused many deaths down the mountain, and Grandpa and Master are busy subduing them. I have to stay in the Demon Subduing Hall to guard the Jade Duster, so I really can't get away. Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Fang just returned today, so I took the opportunity to go down the mountain to tell you."

Li Jinyu asked, "What kind of powerful demons are they that require Grandpa and Uncle to subdue?" Li Bing smiled wryly and said, "A nine-tailed fox spirit, a snow snake spirit as thick as a bucket, and several other monsters that I've never seen in the Daoist canon. If it were just these, it wouldn't be so bad, but the news brought by Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Fang says that not only are there demons escaping from our Shouqiong Mountain, but also from Maoshan, Longhu Mountain, and Gezao Mountain. It seems that the Twenty-Eight Constellations Demon-Subduing Seal is almost unable to suppress these demons and monsters!"

Li Jinyu's expression changed slightly, and she asked, "Should I come back to help?" Li Bing said, "Forget it. The ones who escaped this time are all powerful demons. You can't get involved." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "You need to be careful in G City. I estimate that powerful demons will appear in your area soon. Hmm, since your classmate Zhou Wen can see ghosts, he has likely inherited the power of the Vampire Fang. You saw the fight in the ruins that day with your own eyes. What I mean is... if he's a good person, you could secretly teach him some basic Maoshan Taoist magic. Maybe it can help you."

Li Jinyu said softly, "I understand!" She knew her brother was subtly advising her to use the Silent Insight Technique to investigate Zhou Wen's character. If he was suitable, she could bring him into the Maoshan Taoist sect, so that if the Taoist and demonic factions clashed again, he would have a capable assistant. Li Bing hurriedly said, "Alright, that's all for now. I have to go back to Shouqiong Mountain. Goodbye!" Li Jinyu hummed in agreement and slowly put down the phone.

The thought of connecting with Zhou Wen telepathically brought a blush to her cheeks. She whispered to herself, "Is the situation really that critical? My brother wants me to make such a huge sacrifice!" Li Jinyu looked at the dark sky outside the window, her mind in turmoil, and collapsed onto the bed, letting out a long sigh.

Zhou Wen resolved to forget all the unpleasant things and start a new life. During the National Day holiday, he thoroughly cleaned his room, found the pictures of beautiful women hidden under his bed, tore them to shreds, and threw them all in the trash. He also abandoned the martial arts novels he had secretly written, burning them to ashes. He told himself, "I'm going to throw away all my burdens and start a completely new life!"

On the evening of October 5, 1994, Zhou Wen returned to school with a bag of clean clothes. Liu Zifeng and the others were already playing cards in the dormitory, surrounded by a group of onlookers, all arguing heatedly. Cai Wenyuan threw down his cards and laughed, "Nine-ten, four-of-a-kind, big joker guaranteed, I win!" Liu Zifeng slammed his cards down, muttering, "Damn it, today's cards are absolutely terrible!"

Cai Wenyuan suddenly remembered something and shouted, "What time is it? We have a meeting tonight!" Zhao Peng from the next dormitory looked at his watch and said, "It's still early, half an hour left, let's play a few more rounds!" Liu Zifeng said, "Forget it, let's pack up and walk over, it's a 15-minute walk from the chemistry building."

Everyone scattered. Cai Wenyuan, while tidying up the playing cards, complained, "Li Yong really keeps holding meetings so often, he doesn't even let us have a proper holiday!" Ge Hui joked, "That's called xxx having more taxes and xxx having more meetings!" Sun Jifeng, the class monitor appointed by Li Yong, looked displeased and quickly stopped him, saying, "Hey, you can't say things like that!" Ge Hui realized his mistake and said, "Just kidding, don't take it seriously!"

The atmosphere in room 203 was somewhat awkward. Cai Wenyuan snorted, feeling that Sun Jifeng was making a mountain out of a molehill. Sun Jifeng himself also felt unwelcome and walked away sheepishly. Zhou Wen threw his change of clothes on the bed and asked Ge Hui, "What meeting is there today?" Ge Hui replied listlessly, "I don't know, we'll find out when we get there!"

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [26]: Seeing that it was almost time, everyone walked towards the chemistry building in twos and threes. Class teacher Li Yong was already waiting there. He counted the number of people present and announced the results of the two tests during the military training. One was the foreign language placement test. The vast majority of female students were in the fast class, and only a few boys such as Sun Jifeng and Zhou Wen were in the slow A class. Liu Zifeng and Ge Hui were in the slow B class. The other test was on the student code of conduct. Everyone passed and no student was expelled. Everyone burst into laughter and discussed that it was just a formality.

After Li Yong and the others quieted down, he read through the course schedule and classrooms for the first semester of freshman year. Chemistry courses were mainly concentrated in the new building and the liberal arts building, which were not far from the dormitories. However, to do experiments, one had to go to the chemistry building north of the clock tower, a route that ran almost from north to south through the entire S University, about the length of a bus stop.

The final all-news meeting before classes officially started was chaotic. Li Yong was explaining the necessity and importance of university studies, but everyone was still recovering from the National Day holiday, restless and impatient, and no one was listening. Li Yong slammed his hand on the table, unable to quiet so many people down, and hurriedly said his last words: "That's all for today, meeting adjourned!"

Back in the dorm, no one was in the mood for playing cards anymore; it was time to get back to studying. Tomorrow is Thursday. The first two periods are Advanced Mathematics in Room 205 of the Arts Building, the third and fourth periods are Inorganic Chemistry in Room 406 of the New Building, and the afternoon is Inorganic Chemistry Lab. Zhou Wenxian gathered all the books, skimmed through them, and felt they weren't too difficult; he should be able to learn them relatively easily.

Ge Hui rummaged through his travel bag and pulled out a bottle of fermented crab, unscrewing the cap and inviting everyone to try it, saying it was a local specialty. Zhou Wen unceremoniously scooped one out; it looked a bit like a miniature crab, pitifully small. He asked skeptically, "How do you eat this?" Ge Hui demonstrated, picking up one of the crab's legs and popping it into his mouth, sucking and chewing with relish.

Zhou Wen tried one, frowning, and said, "It's not good. It tastes like rice wine, just a shell with no meat!" Ge Hui explained, "It's not about eating the meat, it's about tasting the flavor. Isn't it delicious?" Zhou Wen didn't comment, but tried another one, seemingly tasting a bit of freshness. He suspected it was just a psychological effect caused by Ge Hui's words. Liu Zifeng and Cai Wenyuan, on the other hand, quite liked it. They each ate one, and in no time, they had finished the whole bottle of fermented crab.

The four of them lay on the bed and chatted for a while longer before drowsiness crept in, and they began to doze off. Suddenly, the fluorescent lights in the dormitory went out, plunging the surroundings into darkness. The bright moonlight shone in through the window, illuminating the table beside Zhou Wen's bed. It was already 10:30 p.m., the time for the dormitory to close and turn off the lights.

In his dream, Zhou Wen suddenly saw an underdeveloped fetus, its shriveled body topped with an enormous head, smiling at him and affectionately calling him "brother." Suddenly, a craniotomy instrument pierced his skull, and brain matter gushed out. Then, a skull crusher was inserted into his cranial cavity, shredding the brain tissue to pieces. But the fetus did not die. Two streams of blood flowed from its empty eye sockets, and it screamed at Zhou Wen, "Brother, give me back my body!"

Zhou Wen woke up with a start from a nightmare, his body drenched in sweat. He hadn't slept well the night before the first day of the sixth period, and as a result, he couldn't stay awake for the first period of advanced mathematics that morning. His eyelids felt like they were glued shut; once closed, they wouldn't open again. He comforted himself, "Luckily, I'm in the last row; no one should notice if I sleep for ten minutes." But just as he slumped onto his desk to drift off, Professor Chen, high above him, noticed him. He frowned almost imperceptibly but said nothing.

Professor Chen gave a lecture on the basics of calculus, glanced at his watch, and, with a gracious grace, allowed everyone a ten-minute break before slipping out for a smoke. Ge Hui woke Zhou Wen, teasing him, "Sleeping in the first class? What were you doing last night?" Zhou Wen rubbed his eyes and said, "I had a nightmare and didn't sleep well. I'm so sleepy!" The two chatted for a few more minutes, and Zhou Wen's spirits lifted. Leaning against the wall, he surveyed the chaotic classroom. The faces of his classmates were both familiar and unfamiliar; he could only recall the names of less than half of them.

Professor Chen continued his advanced mathematics lecture, while Zhou Wen felt completely lost, as if listening to gibberish. He simply ignored him, opened his textbook, and started reading from the first chapter. After finishing a section, he would do a few exercises, and he figured he could master it through self-study. Zhou Wen thought, "It's still more efficient to study by myself after waking up. Can I skip classes and study on my own from now on?" Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

University courses were a huge disappointment. The professors and lecturers didn't care about the students' reactions at all. They just lectured on their own, reading from the textbook to complete the assignment. They would go on for more than ten pages at a time, erasing notes all over the blackboard. Diligent students were too busy taking notes to think or absorb anything, while the lazier students could only stare at each other until they got tired and fell asleep at their desks.

Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [27]: The third and fourth periods were inorganic chemistry. Professor Feng was very enthusiastic and didn't finish class for another ten minutes. Everyone rushed to the canteen to solve their food problem. When they saw the huge crowd, they knew there probably wouldn't be any good food left for them. They couldn't help but complain in unison that Professor Feng was immoral. Zhou Wen and Ge Hui divided the work, one of them went to get rice and the other went to get vegetables. They queued for a full fifteen minutes before squeezing out of the crowd with their enamel bowls.

Ge Hui looked around the cafeteria and saw that there weren't many empty seats left. He asked, "Should we take it back to the dorm to eat?" Zhou Wen pouted and said, "Let's just squeeze in with the girls. It's a hassle to wash the food in the dorm, and there's nowhere to throw away the leftovers!" Ge Hui followed his gaze and saw a few empty seats next to Xu Ye and Dai Shuzhen. The two of them squeezed over and asked. They said that Li Jinyu and Ji Yun had gone to get food and would be back in a little while, but there was enough room for just the two of them.

Zhou Wen and Ge Hui thanked her and started eating heartily. Xu Ye chuckled and leaned in, saying, "Aren't you going to wait for Li Jinyu?" Zhou Wen was a little embarrassed and tried to brush her off with a few words, but Xu Ye wouldn't let him off the hook, saying, "Hehe, even the dishes you're eating are Li Jinyu's favorites, you're really on the same wavelength... Ah, there's a big ant in your rice!" She jumped up, her face turning pale with fright.

Li Jinyu and Ji Yun happened to be carrying their lunchboxes when they were startled and almost dropped them. Ji Yun complained, "Be careful, what's all the fuss about?" Xu Ye pointed at Zhou Wen's lunchbox and said, "There's a big ant in my rice! How disgusting!" Ge Hui joked, "High protein, low fat, this is a small meat dish, Zhou Wen, is the cook giving you special treatment?"

Zhou Wen was both amused and exasperated, muttering, "It's just an ant, you can have it if you like." Ge Hui said, "I don't want it, you eat it yourself!" Zhou Wen picked the ant out and threw it on the ground, continuing to eat heartily. Xu Ye's face showed disgust, saying, "Aren't you going to throw away your food? Or should I ask Li Jinyu to share some with you?" Li Jinyu glared at her best friend, warning her not to talk nonsense. Zhou Wen said nonchalantly, "It's okay, ants aren't poisonous, restaurants even serve ant stir-fried eggs!"