The first book in the Master of Mischief series Who Am I

Chapter 2

Reply [7]: Chapter 4 Haunted House

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It was late autumn, and the leaves of the chinaberry trees on campus were scattered all over the ground. During the Tuesday afternoon's cleaning, I organized the students to sweep all kinds of fallen leaves from their classroom's cleaning area into a pile and set it on fire.

As the smoke from the chimneys rose, the sun set, leaving behind a crimson sunset that cast a huge shadow of the school onto the playground. For safety reasons, my class monitor Xiaoling, Wang Zhuer, the group leader in charge of burning leaves, and I sat on the grass to the side, chatting idly while watching the fire.

"Teacher, what's wrong? Are you even listening to me?"

"The teacher must be thinking about his girlfriend. He's so handsome, his girlfriend must be quite attractive. Hehe, you always say that we're teacher and students in class, but friends outside of class. When are you going to introduce us to her? We'll put in a good word for you!"

It was Wang Zhuer who spoke, and Xiao Ling, who was next to me, shook my shoulder.

"Oh, I'm listening! Xiaoling, what are you talking about?" I've drifted off again. I'm often absent-minded, and I don't even know what I'm thinking. Xiaoling is used to this.

To be rated as an excellent homeroom teacher after a year is largely due to what my colleagues have said – I got lucky and had a good student and a good class monitor – and it's really thanks to Xiaoling for helping me manage the class.

Xiaoling is slender and tall, with a fair and smooth oval face and bright eyes that resemble those of Vivian Chow. She is usually gentle and kind, but when she gets strict, she can be quite frightening, even to me. I usually try to avoid punishing students who are naughty or make mistakes, but it is often Xiaoling's insistence that changes my decision. Sometimes I am confused, wondering if she is the homeroom teacher or if I am the one who is teaching her.

I remembered the nickname Xiaoling's classmates gave her: the "housekeeper" of Class 2(2). Sometimes even some teachers would joke about her like that, but fortunately she didn't take it to heart and would usually just laugh it off.

Wang Zhuer is Xiaoling's best friend, and they talk about everything. She is also a little beauty, a bit shorter than Xiaoling. Her round apple-shaped face has a few freckles, which makes her even cuter. She is a lively and cheerful girl who loves to joke. She is the main character in some of the class's cultural and recreational activities.

Because her name is Pearl, Xiaoling calls her Little Pig.

"Little Pig said that this summer vacation, he went to his relatives' house in the countryside to escape the heat and heard some ghost stories. He told them to me, and they were so scary and interesting! Teacher, do you think there are ghosts in this world?"

"There are no ghosts in this world. They are just hallucinations caused by people's subconscious fear of death. Don't believe them," I said firmly.

“It’s true. I saw it with my own eyes. My neighbor, Ah Wang, was possessed by a ghost and performed somersaults on the roof. He jumped 30 times in a row before falling and nearly dying, which shocked the whole village. Even more outrageous, my usually timid Aunt Liu brandished a woodcutter’s knife on the night of the full moon, shouting, ‘Tianyou, save me!’ ‘Tai Cai, give me back my life!’ Later, Uncle Yuan, who is 96 years old in the village, said that Tianyou was his father, who died in a plague more than 100 years ago.”

"Stop scaring yourself. You're just seeing some people behaving abnormally. You didn't actually see a ghost, did you?"

"Yes, I haven't seen it, but five people in the village have. They float and are pale, especially near the abandoned ancestral hall in the east of the village. Locals say it's a haunted house, inhabited by a group of vengeful ghosts."

I didn't believe it at first, so I went exploring with two boys from elementary school. It was truly eerie and terrifying. In the desolate reeds, the wind blew through the grass, revealing graves everywhere. The crows cawed mournfully and frighteningly. Even though it was broad daylight, it felt like dusk all around. Before we even reached the ancestral hall, the two of them wanted to turn back.

"Did you get inside later?" I asked anxiously.

---janeadam

Reply [8]: "Teacher, are you worried about me?" Pearl was a little proud.

Damn, she's my student, of course I'm worried. This girl really doesn't know her own limitations.

"Of course we went in! There were cobwebs everywhere, and the corners of the rooms were piled with memorial tablets. It seemed like something was floating on the roof. We ran out quickly, hehe. When we got to the river, one of the boys even peed his pants in fear. But that night, I had a strange dream. I ran to the river in the east of the village and sang a folk song I had never heard before. The next day, my mother found me by the river and immediately took me away from the village. Now, we put up talismans to ward off evil spirits in places where no one can see us."

No wonder I encountered a ghost when I visited her home last weekend. It turns out this troublesome girl was brought out from an old house in the countryside. I asked, "Singing folk songs?"

"Yes, I still remember it. I'll sing it for you if you don't believe me:"

The brother, unaware of his sister's heart, fires an arrow to test her true feelings.

The first arrow goes unnoticed, the second arrow goes with a smile.

Three arrows burn the face, four arrows bring a sedan chair.

Five arrows fired won't cause any trouble; six arrows fired will bring about marriage.

"Alright, stop singing. Didn't you notice how eerie and cold the surroundings are because of your singing? By the way, weren't you scared at all when that happened?" Xiaoling moved closer to me and gently hugged my arm. Through her school uniform, I could feel her softness and body temperature, as well as a sweet and delicate girlish fragrance.

I think, if Yu'er hadn't died back then, she would have had this fragrance too! A pang of pain shot through my heart, and I tightly closed my eyes, listening to the soft sound of the wind in my ears.

"I'm not afraid at all! Good will always triumph over evil! I've always loved strange and unusual things since I was a child. I started subscribing to UFO Exploration magazine when I was in sixth grade. For a whole month, I used a small telescope to observe the sky every night, but I never saw a UFO. And now, I'm interested in ghosts."

Seeing Zhu'er's nonchalant attitude, a thought flashed through my mind. If only Xiao Qingzi had passed on her spiritual energy back then! Zhu'er is curious and eager to learn about everything, and she's naturally bold and quick to stand up for what's right. She would definitely have become a chivalrous witch who helps the world and saves lives. Unlike me, I've long since lost all hope.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should go home, otherwise your parents will worry. I'll keep an eye on the fire at the end!"

"No way, teacher! You know what? After your home visit last time, my mother said that the teacher at the school is a reincarnation of the God of Literature, protected by divine light, and that I should follow you around all the time!"

"Teacher, do you think the little pig was really possessed by a ghost?" Xiaoling asked with concern, looking at me with a look of dependence.

By now, it was getting dark, and the half-damp leaves hadn't fully burned, the firelight flickering in the wind. The playground was deserted, and the cleaning area, behind a row of small trees, seemed even more desolate.

I shook my head. I suddenly realized that the dead weren't actually that scary, because they had no physical form in the human world. Only one in ten thousand people could see them (i.e., possess the ability to see ghosts). Even if they deliberately made themselves look disgusting and terrifying, no one could see them. What was scary were some vengeful spirits. They were driven by resentment, consciously absorbing spiritual energy to strengthen themselves. Eventually, they could invade a person's nervous system, controlling their spirit—their three souls and seven spirits—driving their bodies to vent their resentment and do what they wanted, like seeking revenge. Fortunately, the spirit that bound Pearl was a benevolent vengeful spirit.

Suddenly, I felt a cold spiritual energy coming from Pearl.

On a whim, I reached out and touched Pearl's round face, then stopped at her brow, brushing her loose hair. From my fingertips, apart from her face suddenly turning red and hot, I didn't sense any undead spirit within Pearl resonating with my psychic energy.

There was nothing behind her except her schoolbag.

When I focused my attention on my schoolbag, the jade pendant on my chest emitted a layer of white light, which was unusually bright in the dim light.

Xiaoling exclaimed in surprise, "Teacher, are you really a deity? Your chest is glowing!"

---janeadam

Reply [9]: "Nonsense, this is a piece of jade. Jade can ward off evil spirits. Didn't your mother teach you that? Alright, leave your schoolbag here, and go home with Xiaoling immediately."

"No way!" they said in unison.

Just as I was about to exercise my authority as a teacher, a chilling, flat female voice drifted from the schoolbag, like a broken megaphone. The voice was two beats slower than usual, echoing coldly and eerily in the air:

"Brother doesn't know sister's heart, so he shoots an arrow to test her true feelings."

"The first arrow goes unnoticed, the second arrow goes with a smile..."

As the song played, a transparent phantom slowly rose from the schoolbag. She had an ancient hairstyle, wore a traditional Chinese jacket, and embroidered shoes. These were the most common clothes in urban and rural areas during the Qing Dynasty. She was pretty and simple, in the prime of her youth, and looked like a delicate and charming young lady in her previous life.

Xiaoling screamed "Ah—" and threw herself into my arms, but her expression didn't show the fear she was showing. Her eyes were fixed on the female ghost.

To be honest, that ghostly face wasn't bleeding from its seven orifices, nor was it disheveled; in fact, it was clean and beautiful, and quite attractive. It was just that its eyes were sinister, like a cloud of black mist.

I had no idea that she could transform into human form and conceal her spiritual energy to deceive everyone—of course, my weak magic is also an undeniable fact.

I grabbed Pearl and stood up, threatening the necromancer: "If you dare touch my student, believe me, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Then, he naturally raised the jade pendant inside his bra and silently circulated the spiritual energy in his dantian, but he didn't know if it would have any effect.

Then, something strange happened. Pearl actually ran over and blocked my way, yelling at the female ghost, "Hey, please be careful! Don't scare my teacher and classmates! Didn't I tell you not to show up randomly? Why are you out here, and singing? Don't you know how scary your singing is?"

Then she turned to me and said, “Teacher, she really is a ghost, but don’t be afraid. She is a good ghost and my friend. Except for that night when she was afraid that other bad ghosts would harm me, she didn’t possess me first. She has never done anything else.”

Good heavens!

The ghost ignored Zhu'er's words and passed straight through her body, kneeling gracefully before me. Then, its faint voice appeared in my mind: "Master, my name is Lin Caixia, from Gan Da Village. I have come to you with the intention of asking you to deliver me and the more than 500 wronged souls of my village before the fifteenth of September, so that a great disaster may be averted."

Although they couldn't hear what the ghost was saying, Xiaoling and Zhu'er were dumbfounded, their mouths agape at the sight.

---janeadam

Reply [10]: Chapter 5 Enlightenment

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To be honest, I really didn't want to show off my superpowers in front of the students, but I couldn't help but speak up in front of this group of undead. Only now do I realize that even if I don't want to be a wizard, I should learn something called telepathy in witchcraft, so I don't have to talk to ghosts all the time.

"I'm not a master, I'm just a teacher. To be honest, Miss Ghost, it's no use begging me, because I have absolutely no idea how to perform a ritual to help the spirits pass on. More than five hundred ghosts! Heavens, how could there be so many?"

The undead were still kowtowing.

"Wow, teacher, you can hear her! I only heard her telling her story in my dream. She was so pitiful, so I took her in! Last night she asked me to bring her to school, saying that there's a great sorcerer living there who can help her. I never imagined it would be you. Teacher, you're so cool! You're my pride!"

Faced with this kneeling, motionless female ghost, I was at my wit's end. "Come on, shut up! Are you annoying or what? Oh, I wasn't talking about you, Ghost Sister."

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and I noticed that a dozen or so undead spirits had gathered around me, drifting and ethereal. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were the same group that I had driven away with my jade pendant last time.

Xiaoling and Zhu'er could roughly see a dark, strange object around them. Although they weren't entirely sure what it was, the ghost in front of them was definitely real. They both moved closer to me without prior arrangement.

Are you scared?

"With the teacher here, I'm not afraid of anything." Xiaoling and Zhu'er nodded firmly. It's good to be under the shade of a big tree. With me here, I'd be more likely to stand aside and watch the show first.

"Teacher, have a lot of ghosts come around again?" Pearl asked curiously, grabbing my arm and looking me up and down. "It's a pity we don't have a camera, otherwise it would be very valuable to take a picture."

"Are you really not afraid? But I'm getting really scared." I said honestly, "I'm so unlucky, I can't even live a simple life."

“I’ve known that for a long time that you’re not an ordinary person,” Xiaoling flattered me from the side, seemingly unaware of who has been pulling the strings behind the scenes since I became the homeroom teacher.

The undead followed behind the Qing Dynasty female ghost, kneeling down in a dark mass.

I'm at my wit's end. The more I fear trouble, the more trouble comes my way. I always try to act according to my abilities and only do things when I'm absolutely certain of success. I try to avoid doing things as much as possible, so I never take the initiative to do anything. But now, this is truly haunting me, and I can't escape it.

"Brothers, you also want me to perform a ritual for the deceased, right? But I really can't do it. I've never learned anything about rituals for the deceased, you've got the wrong person! Go back now, I'm calling it a day."

"No, sir, you can do it. They asked me to tell you that their souls are incomplete and they are currently unable to find their own path to reincarnation and be reborn. With your current spiritual power, helping them to be reborn is a piece of cake."

They had a terrible fate. They were university lecturers in life, but during the Cultural Revolution, they were sent here for labor reform. Later, in a violent clash, they were beaten to death one by one. Although they harbored resentment towards the world, they were kind-hearted ghosts. For thirty years, they never did anything to disturb the human world and often prevented other wandering spirits from causing trouble in the school, protecting the students. "Miss Ghost spoke in my mind again."

"Yeah, such a good ghost, if I don't save him, I'll be struck by lightning." I said lazily, feeling helpless. "Alright, you can transform into human form and communicate with me telepathically, you must have cultivated a lot of spiritual energy. You can be my master and teach me how to use it!"

"Teacher, teacher, I know!" Zhu'er raised her hand high. "Don't they show it in ghost movies? They put on Taoist robes, set up a Taoist altar, have an altar, a soul-summoning banner, burn incense, ring bells, dance with a money sword, chant scriptures, and recite incantations..."

"Stop, stop, stop," I immediately interrupted the girl who seemed to thrive on chaos and was spitting everywhere. "Do you think I'm a con artist? That's the kind of tricks only third-rate wizards perform. They need tools, rituals, and spells to imbue the dead with their spiritual energy, but in reality, the psychological comfort is often more effective than the actual salvation of the dead. A master like me doesn't need such complicated procedures."

Huh, how do I know all this? Genius!

---janeadam

Reply [11]: "Yes, sir, you know, but you just don't want to know it yourself. I once learned a little bit of witchcraft from a master named Xiao. At that time, he was temporarily working as a shaman in the village. I am the village chief's daughter. Out of curiosity, I pestered him to teach me the art of spiritual cultivation."

"Tell me quickly! Tell me quickly!" For the first time, I cheered up and became diligent in order to end my troubles as soon as possible.

"All I know is that psychic energy is actually a kind of power controlled by the mind, mainly affecting living beings and the dead in the spirit world. It can be used to attack and cause people's souls to be scattered, or it can use its supreme power to help the dead recall and repair their damaged souls."

"Don't start class, miss, I'm in a hurry. Get to the point, how to use your powers so I can get rid of those troublemakers behind you as soon as possible." I yawned impatiently, while Pearl tugged at my sleeve, asking what they were talking about.

“Master Xiao said that the key to its application lies in single-mindedness. Try to concentrate your energy, imagine the spiritual energy in your dantian as a lake, and your will as the tool to open the channels. Then, use your intention to guide the energy through the eight extraordinary meridians to the place you want to send it out. There are two most important things for the salvation: one is to wrap the spiritual energy with your goodwill, and the other is to recite the salvation scriptures…”

"It's somewhat like Huang Yi's martial arts, except Miss Gui, I don't know where the Eight Extraordinary Meridians are located on your body?"

"Go read a book."

How should one recite the scriptures for the salvation of souls?

"Go read a book."

"Damn, that sounds like something I often say to my students."