Chapter 50: Teacher Chen's Warning

The disheveled-hair ghost dragged Huan Xiao to the male dormitory, but Huan Xiao refused to go in.

With a puzzled expression, she asked, "Why are we coming to the male dormitory? Aren't there humans in the female dormitory too?"

"The class monitor said that a mix of men and women makes the work less tiring," the disheveled-hair ghost explained earnestly to Huan Xiao.

Hearing this, Huan Xiao became even more confused.

"I understand the logic, but what does that have to do with us going to the male dormitory to hunt humans?"

At this, the disheveled-hair ghost seemed stumped by Huan Xiao's question. It shook its head so hard that its brain matter spilled out, and then said seriously, "The class monitor said so, so we must listen to the class monitor."

"But the teachers said that female students are not allowed to enter the male dormitory. That violates school rules." Huan Xiao still stubbornly refused to go with them.

The disheveled-hair ghost was confused at first, but then realization dawned on it. "That seems to be true... However, the class monitor said that as long as Teacher Chen doesn't see us, it doesn't count as a violation."

"What if Teacher Chen suddenly decides to do a dorm inspection on a whim?"

"We'll jump out of the window before Teacher Chen sees us, and then it won't count as entering the male dormitory," the disheveled-hair ghost lectured Huan Xiao matter-of-factly.

"Right! As long as there is insufficient evidence, Teacher Chen won't take action against us," the braided-hair ghost chimed in to persuade her as well.

Meanwhile, the twin-tails ghost remained suspicious of Huan Xiao and asked, "Xiao Huan, you aren't going to betray the student faction, are you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, before Huan Xiao could answer, the disheveled-hair ghost replied on her behalf: "Impossible! Xiao Huan would never betray us. The class monitor said that Teacher Chen is just trying to sow discord."

"Teacher Chen has never shown us any mercy, yet today Xiao Huan wasn't questioned by Teacher Chen even once. Isn't that because the two of them teamed up?" The twin-tails ghost insisted that Huan Xiao was suspicious.

Annoyed, the disheveled-hair ghost retorted, "Would I not know if Xiao Huan had a problem?"

"But what if Xiao Huan helps Teacher Chen during the final exams? All of us ghosts will have half our ghostly energy stolen by Teacher Chen! We are already growing weaker. If we fail again, we will lose our consciousness and become mindless ghosts. I don't want to turn into a ghost even stupider than you!" The twin-tails ghost poured out a torrent of complaints at the disheveled-hair ghost.

The disheveled-hair ghost blinked, and its eyeball rolled onto the floor, though it didn't bother to pick it up.

After a moment, the disheveled-hair ghost asked, "Am I stupid?"

"Of course you're stupid! You're the stupidest one in our class. There is no ghost stupider than you!"

Finished speaking, the twin-tails ghost stubbornly continued to list Huan Xiao's suspicious points: "Xiao Huan is very smart. She almost sneaked in among the humans this afternoon! If she helps Teacher Chen, we're all doomed!"

The braided-hair ghost looked left and right, then said, "Surely not? Xiao Huan is a student, and Teacher Chen hates students the most. She would never team up with a student."

Hearing this, the disheveled-hair ghost agreed, "That's right. Teacher Chen hates every single ghost in our school and refuses to give any ghost a pleasant look. Xiao Huan couldn't possibly help her."

With that, it picked up its eyeball from the floor and forcefully pressed it back into its eye socket.

Seeing them arguing over her at a time like this, Huan Xiao said flatly, "I will not help Teacher Chen."

Reassured by Huan Xiao's guarantee, the twin-tails ghost remembered how much Teacher Chen loathed them. It quickly dropped its guard, smiled at Huan Xiao, and said, "Alright, Xiao Huan, I wronged you. Come with us to kill humans."

"..."

Realizing that reasoning with them was useless, Huan Xiao thought for a moment and suggested, "How about I stay and guard the entrance? If Teacher Chen comes, I'll use my ghostly energy to warn you so you can jump out the window."

"...Oh! Why didn't I think of that? Xiao Huan is so smart, just like the class monitor!"

Both the disheveled-hair ghost and the braided-hair ghost looked at Huan Xiao with adoring eyes.

Even the twin-tails ghost praised her, saying, "Indeed, someone needs to guard the entrance. Xiao Huan's idea is wonderful! Let the three of us go make trouble for the humans then."

Still, it felt like something was slightly amiss.

Xiao Huan guards the door while they go make trouble for humans—there didn't seem to be anything wrong with that... Oh well, better not to think about it. Its brain was never very sharp anyway, so whatever Xiao Huan said must be right.

And so, the three ghosts entered the male dormitory.

Seeing that they were finally leaving her alone, Huan Xiao let out a slow breath.

She walked over to the bench downstairs of the dormitory building, sat down, and looked up at the sky.

It was as pitch-black as ink, without a single star in sight.

The trees had long since withered, devoid of any vitality, much like this dilapidated school.

In a place thick with ghostly energy, even the chirping of insects was absent. It was desolately quiet, resembling a graveyard far more than a school.

Huan Xiao sat blankly on the bench for a while, then reached into her school uniform pocket and pulled out an orange.

She hadn't had the chance to eat it in the afternoon, and now was the perfect time.

The night breeze was crisp, carrying a hint of ghostly energy. As Huan Xiao was counting how many segments the orange had, a figure shrouded in ghostly energy suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"Teacher Chen!"

Huan Xiao stood up by reflex and subconsciously asked, "Is Teacher's inspecting the dorms so late?"

In reality, her hand behind her back was quietly manipulating her ghostly energy to send a warning to the three ghosts inside the building.

"Do not wander outside at night. Return to your dormitory immediately."

Teacher Chen did not notice the ghostly energy Huan Xiao had slipped into the dormitory building. Right now, she was holding a ruler in her hand.

...It seemed she was deliberately out to catch ghosts.

Based on the conversation among those ghosts, Huan Xiao knew the class monitor had the highest intelligence. If so, the class monitor might have known long ago that Teacher Chen would come to inspect the male dormitory.

Were the three ghosts in her room being used as scapegoats by the class monitor?

Huan Xiao nodded obediently and replied, "Alright, Teacher. I'll go back right now."

With that, she bid Teacher Chen farewell and walked lightly toward the female dormitory.

Oh yeah, she could go to sleep earlier.

"Wait."

Teacher Chen called out to stop her.

Huan Xiao turned her head and asked, "Teacher, is something wrong?"

"Xiao Huan, do not trust the students in your class. They are not as harmless as they appear to me."

After delivering these meaningful words, Teacher Chen walked into the male dormitory.

Left by herself, Huan Xiao pondered and guessed that Teacher Chen probably meant well.

From what she had seen so far, Teacher Chen didn't seem as dreadful as the rumors suggested. Had Teacher Chen actually changed for the better to seek redemption after death, or did reality simply contradict the rumors?

Huan Xiao wasn't sure. Right now, she just wanted to go back and get a good night's sleep; she still had classes tomorrow.

The entire path was pin-drop quiet, save for the soft rustle of her footsteps.

By the time Huan Xiao returned to the dormitory, her three ghost roommates had already come back.

"Xiao Huan, Teacher Chen showed up, so we almost got to eat another human. What a pity!"

The disheveled-hair ghost complained to Huan Xiao, and then pulled out a steaming, bloody heart from goodness knows where.

"...What is this for?" Huan Xiao asked after a moment of silence.

With an air of absolute certainty, the twin-tails ghost shoved the heart from the disheveled-hair ghost's hand into Huan Xiao's, saying, "Of course we brought it back for you! Stop obsessing over those human foods and eat something good for once."

"That's right. How can a ghost eat human food? It's too degrading," the braided-hair ghost echoed from the side.

Seeing their enthusiastic expressions, Huan Xiao knew she had no choice but to eat this heart.

She couldn't let down the kindness of others... well, ghosts.

Thus, she stored the heart directly into the eerie game's inventory slot.

The three ghosts assumed Huan Xiao had absorbed the heart with her ghostly energy. Finally, Huan Xiao was able to lie back down on her bed and fall asleep.