51

Capítulo 8

"What are you thinking about?" She looked like she wanted to vomit. "What disgusting feelings."

We are too mixed up; I could have erected a high wall to defend against her, but she never thought of building such a barrier.

I pulled her off my shoulder and held her tightly. She screamed and struggled, then immediately ran out the door.

…puff.

Although I still won't let her be born, I feel that it doesn't hurt to treat her well.

Of course, we absolutely cannot let her eat Tang Chen.

Then the problem returns to square one. It's incredibly frustrating. Why isn't Tang Chen dead? If he were dead, I'd know how to talk to him and negotiate, at most I'd suffer a bit from some kind of illness. But I'm really bad at dealing with living people…

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.

Based on my experience dealing with the dead, knowing who the person is and understanding their background usually gives you more confidence when communicating and negotiating.

Although it's a bit strange to use this principle to measure Tang Chen... I've never actively tried to get to know anyone (whether they're alive or dead), and this is the only method I know.

Based on information from my roommate and Huang E, I'm a bit puzzled as to why he doesn't run for one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons. And I also completely don't understand how he's managed to survive until now.

His academic performance was excellent… He attended the top high school in China. Despite his seemingly frail appearance, he was also quite athletic and even coached the school's soccer team. It's a mystery why he chose to attend this expensive, bottom-ranked private university.

What's most admirable is that he's gentle and kind, without a trace of arrogance. He's the quintessential Boy Scout type—the kind of good person who helps elderly ladies cross the street and regularly donates to Project Hope every month. He comes from a good family, is good-looking, and strangely enough, no girl has ever considered him a target.

My three oblivious roommates exchanged bewildered glances at my question. "Xiao Chen? He's a really nice guy..." they said with a regretful expression, "but I don't know why, I just don't want to date him."

…Therefore, the human instinct for survival is truly terrifying and tenacious. Even his roommates, whose nerves are as thick as undersea cables, know that this person is not to be messed with.

I heard that he is a character who is a product of both "luck" and "disaster".

On the first day of school, he had a spectacular car accident on a straight mountain road, less than a hundred meters from the school gate. The motorcycle was completely wrecked, but he... was unharmed.

Many witnesses swore that he crashed headfirst into the mountainside, spun several times in the air, and landed solidly on the asphalt road.

But he immediately stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Oh dear, my jade is broken."

A Chinese knot hung empty around his neck, the beautiful jade that once adorned it now reduced to powder.

Such disasters occurred one after another, but he remained cheerful, at most suffering a scratch or bruise, nothing more.

His roommates are all on the verge of nervous breakdown, experiencing sleep paralysis every day. When asked if he was okay, he just thought for a moment and said, "I do experience sleep paralysis, right? I've been used to it since I was a child, I just keep sleeping... I think it's because I'm too sensitive, and this happens when I'm a little nervous. It probably has nothing to do with ghosts or anything, right?"

...Dude, you call this being extremely sensitive? Then how are our nerves structured? Tell me, tell me!

The more strange tales I heard about him, the deeper my heart sank. Huang E had already told me frankly that my constitution was originally that of an ordinary person, but by having her absorb life force for so long, I had developed a weak and frail constitution. Not to mention that cultivation was hopeless, even ordinary ghosts would catch a cold if they got close to me, let alone suffer for it.

I avoid the locals when I encounter them, they're incredibly polite. Old man, you actually want me to protect that "Tang Sanzang" who's gathered a bunch of weirdos! I'm not Sun Wukong!

I'm angry as I am, but I've already agreed to everything, so what can I do?

Just when I didn't know what to do, he took the initiative to start a conversation with me.

"Did I upset you?" He looked at me intently, and I took two steps back, not because of him—his gang of strange, ever-present people made it hard for me to even breathe.

"H-How could that be?" I chuckled awkwardly.

"Then why do your eyes follow me wherever I go?" he asked shyly.

…This is a huge misunderstanding.

"Everyone likes to see beautiful things." I managed to come up with a reason that wasn't really a valid one.

He opened his large, clear eyes and laughed. "You're so direct."

"I don't like you, so you don't need to worry about me confessing." I gave a weak smile.

“I know.” I guessed his brain was also rather unusual. “You just like my shamelessness. But I like being straightforward because I’m really bad at guessing.”

I forced a couple of laughs, eager to escape this chilling, gloomy atmosphere.

"Did you do your report? The one on economics?" he asked.

Even a fool would know, why would anyone want to be in the same group as me? Someone as sarcastic and unpredictable as me.

"Then join my group. Shall we go out for lunch together? Let's discuss it?" he said in a friendly manner, with a smile.

People say you don't hit someone who's smiling. Since I can't think of a way to protect him discreetly, this should be a golden opportunity that falls from the sky.

But I followed him to the student cafeteria dejectedly, as if I were heading to my execution. Huang E flew onto my left shoulder and screamed dramatically, "Oh! Hengzhi! You eat three and a half bowls of rice every time! I knew you could do it! Get married, get married, get married now!"

I'm seriously considering how to strangle a vicious bird.

After getting to know Tang Chen better, I realized he was a really good person.

But I'm not giving out friend cards; I'm serious. Thanks to Bai Huang'e's incessant "education," I'm much more mature than most people, almost to the point of feeling world-weary.

Of course, we are surrounded by all sorts of "good people." But most people are afraid of being ostracized, fear punishment, don't want to be talked about, and some even pitifully try to be good people.

Some people are very rare; they possess genuine faith and goodness, stemming from the deepest tenderness and compassion within their hearts, and consciously and restrainedly become "truly good people." In my observation, these people are often unknown and rarely hold any official or formal beliefs.

Like my stepmother, the doctor who does health checkups, or Tang Chen.

I suspect that Tang Chen's unfortunate fate as "Tang Monk's flesh"—the fact that he's still alive and well—is largely due to his being a "good person." Even I, a reluctant and unlucky soul who only came to protect him because of the old man's request, don't want him to be devoured by this destiny.

But that's not the only reason.

He said that he had many misfortunes since childhood, which made his parents devout believers. However, his father was Catholic, and his mother was a local religion that combined Buddhism and Taoism, so he prayed with his mother and went to church with his father. To put his parents at ease, he always brought his Bible and the Diamond Sutra to school.

I think it's not just the protection of the Bible and the Diamond Sutra, but also the devout and steadfast love of parents within us.

Not only his parents, but his family elders also doted on him, which was the envy of many. Once, when he was showing off his collection with a smile, I felt dizzy and the air seemed unusually thin.

I know that "all religions return to the same source," but is it really necessary to have this kind of "world harmony"?

His amulets, which filled a whole duffel bag, were a real hodgepodge, containing everything imaginable. There were celestial eye crystals, rose rosaries, and amulets of Guanyin, with Mazu and the Holy Mother sitting side by side. I swear, there was even a Hello Kitty-shaped lucky cat.

To make matters worse, some of them were rare treasures, which nearly knocked me, a person with a faint demonic aura, to the ground.

"The love from my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins." He chuckled. "I still brought it. I can't let them worry."

He picked out a string of Bodhi seeds. "Here, this is for you. I don't think it will upset you."

I jumped in surprise. I stared at him.

I used to think he knew nothing. But now I'm starting to have doubts. Because what he gave me was a string of Buddhist prayer beads that could tolerate demonic energy.

"...Do you think these disasters are all accidental?" I asked cautiously and indirectly.

“It’s just a coincidence,” he replied calmly. “Isn’t it a waste of time to worry and be afraid of those fleeting coincidences?”

"If you accidentally make a mistake..." you might die.

He glanced at the various amulets in his luggage. "I can't let so many people who love me be sad." He looked up confidently. "So chance will never go wrong."

I think a carefree smile is a sign of courage.

Those who have no worries have no fears.

"This is disgusting, I feel like throwing up..." Huang E gagged and fled. The strange creatures around him also seemed to have collectively suffered from food poisoning, staggering away into the distance.

I suddenly felt like laughing. The old man and I were both overthinking things. Everything has its own cycle and balance; delicious food isn't necessarily easy to eat, just like delicious pufferfish meat can be highly poisonous.

However, I soon learned a cruel truth.

Even though pufferfish are so poisonous, some people still risk their lives to eat them, let alone "Tang Monk's flesh," which can grant immortality to aliens.

Our good-natured Mr. Tang Sanzang should have no problem protecting himself, but he often rushes into danger without even realizing it.

I work as a nanny in silence, and when I suffer from colds and flu over the years, I would lament that a string of broken Buddhist beads was all it took to buy my job as a prostitute. It was such a cheap deal.

Huang E often complained that it was not worth risking his life for Tang Sanzang's flesh, which he might never be able to eat.

Thinking about it carefully, we were really tricked.

Who says women are the source of trouble? Men are the real scourge. And truly good men are the worst of the worst.

(The Worry-Free One Ends)

The Seven Witches of the Wasteland

I suspect the school administration wasn't entirely unaware of this damned location. Even if they didn't know the location was problematic, their painful experience has taught them it's best to behave themselves on campus.

So our university, which is less than ten years old, has many strange rules. For example, absurd rules such as strictly prohibiting nighttime classes and forbidding the use of Ouija boards on campus.

Everything else is fine; after all, they're college students, so if they want to play with a Ouija board, they won't openly let the dorm supervisor know. If they want to be silly, they'll do it secretly in private. But banning nighttime classes has caused a lot of protests.

Other schools are fine, but our school isn't. When we contact our high school classmates, we lose so many bragging topics. What a huge loss!

No matter how much the students protested and pleaded, the school administration refused to budge. The past wounds were too deep. Although no one died, it was not something to be proud of that four students who participated in night classes were sent to a mental hospital in the first year of the school's founding.

Even if the four students were ultimately just traumatized, recovered, were discharged from the hospital, completed their studies, and left the school without any lasting effects, the school still didn't want to take the risk.

But this year, a "ghost breeder" (yes, that's me...T_T) moved in, along with a "Tang Monk's flesh" that monsters and ghosts flock to and the seas rejoice over (that's right, it's Tang Chen, whom I'm protecting...). I don't know if the school was just unlucky or blinded by evil spirits, but they actually agreed to the senior students' request and agreed to start night classes.

When I heard the news, it was like a bolt from the blue. I immediately ran to Tang Chen and told him to make up any excuse he wanted, just not to go (to his death).

After spending a few months with him, I guessed he might lack the talent for "observation," but having been so "cared for" by all living beings his whole life must have stirred up some survival instincts. He calmly told me, "I wasn't planning on going anyway." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "Hengzhi, you're not in good health, and the temperature difference between night and day is huge, so it's better if you don't go."

Hearing his self-awareness, I was truly moved to tears. "Of course, I wouldn't go out of my way to suffer from this cold for no reason."

As it turns out, I was moved too soon. When I found out he still wanted to participate, his expression was truly grim. "A person without integrity, what can he be worth?"

Tang Chen scratched his head, "...I'm feeling uneasy, and I thought it would be better to come and take a look. I have a feeling that something might happen."

Something bad is bound to happen... You've already come, how can things not go wrong?!

I have absolutely no intention of describing how "exciting" the evening class was that day, since nobody knows anyway. The upperclassmen were beaming with pride, thinking the evening class was a huge success. Except for Tang Chen, who "got lost" for ten minutes, but returned safely in the end. This evening class has been the subject of their endless bragging for months, and even Xiao Ting said it was a real shame I didn't go, because it was incredibly tense and exciting.

I lay in bed, so sick I could barely lift my head. I glanced at her weakly, then turned and covered my head with the blanket.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Huang E was furious, shouting so loudly that it made my head throb even more. "If you hadn't gone with her, who knows what kind of terrible trouble would have happened!"

"Because I'm a lunatic." I coughed a few times, blowing my nose weakly. "That's what happens to a busybody."

The eldest brother of the Huang E was displeased. "Tch, isn't it cunning enough? You're just offering yourself up to be played?"

I know she's in a bad mood. This mountain has been a burial ground for centuries, extremely yin in nature. Some of the monsters and spirits here are particularly fierce. The old man is kind and virtuous, and he's barely managing to keep them under control. But this kind of nocturnal wandering, pretending to be a ghost, really has a strong "invitation to a feast" feel to it. It's no wonder that it attracts a whole mountain of strange creatures to "join in the fun."

If that's all, it's nothing. At most, one or two people will get hurt, those with more sensitive constitutions will be frightened, and those with more talent might be so frightened that they lose their composure.

But if there's a "golden goose" in the team, then it's not just that simple.

Although they weren't actually dealing with any truly formidable opponents, the group of vengeful spirits, brimming with resentment and utterly dim-witted, was a real headache. They wouldn't leave despite being chased away and cursed, and even when Huang E resorted to violence, they showed no fear. They were relentless and stubbornly determined to take Tang Chen away.

In the end, I had no choice but to pull the slingshot five or six times in a fit of rage, and with the power of the Wasteland, I wiped them out. But the Wasteland remained sullen, its face long, muttering to itself all night.

"I've never seen such an idiotic ghost. Its soul has completely dissipated! It doesn't even know to be afraid or hide; does it rot from its brain after death? I hate this kind of pointless killing the most..."