Chapter 24: A Bright and Clear World

The next day, at noon.

A small boat carried the old man and me to the center of the lake, where that large stone stood. From a distance, it was hard to tell, but up close I noticed a faint crack running through the rock beneath the water. The base of the stone had already blackened.

The feng shui of this lake had been disrupted.

“Jiang, is there a problem?” came the voice of a school official through the walkie-talkie.

“Go to the Daoist temple on Zhongnan Mountain and bring back something with weight and authority—preferably the incense burner placed in front of the main hall. Find a way to bring it here and use it to suppress the area.”

“For the next few days, I’ll place a talisman of demon suppression on the stone. It should hold for about a week. If we can’t get the incense burner back within that time, we’ll have to seek help from someone more skilled.”

I spoke into the walkie-talkie.

There were hundreds of lost souls and wild ghosts. I was certain that beneath this artificial lake once lay a mass grave. Though it had been leveled later, the area remained a dark ground, attracting wandering spirits nearby. This explained why, when I performed the ritual to summon Chen Kai’s soul last night, hundreds of ghosts appeared.

The incense burner from the Daoist temple on Zhongnan Mountain was used for worshipping the immortals; its ash held great power, let alone bringing the entire burner here. It must weigh hundreds of pounds. Without any formation or suppression technique, just placing it here would, in a few years, completely erase this dark spot.

Using the incense burner here was somewhat overkill, but I chose this method for convenience—to prevent future disturbances.

Finally, with the situation clarified, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The school had already begun military training these past days. I was tacitly excused from the outdoor drills and had nothing pressing to do, so I spent some time wandering by the lake.

“Brother Jiang!” Suddenly, I ran into the woman from before. She held onto Chen Kai and approached me. “Brother Jiang, thank you so much for what you did earlier.”

“No need for thanks,” I smiled. “Is your boyfriend all right now?”

“Yes, he’s fine!” She pinched the guy beside her. “Come here, stop dawdling! Hurry up and thank Brother Jiang properly!”

“Th-thank you!” Chen Kai seemed flustered and stammered when he saw me.

“Can you say thanks properly?” She was somewhat angry.

“It’s nothing,” I said.

When Chen Kai’s soul was about to return to his body last night, I had scolded him. His soul was slightly damaged, so it was normal for him to be afraid when he saw me. I didn’t press the matter further.

“I hope you two live well together—from university, to graduation, and eventually marriage. Chen Kai, don’t let her down,” I advised.

“I will… I will,” Chen Kai lowered his head, looking like a bullied student.

“All right, you two should leave now. Be careful in the future; Chen Kai’s body is weak. Avoid going to any dark or evil places,” I warned.

His constitution was fragile. If he ventured to such places again, something bad might happen.

As for Chen Kai and his girlfriend, I only offered advice. Whether they end up together isn’t for me to decide. I just hope Chen Kai doesn’t disappoint her.

“Under the vast heaven and earth, how dare you bully a junior?”

Before Chen Kai and his girlfriend left, I suddenly heard a sharp shout behind me. In the next instant, a fist shot straight towards my face.

I dodged slightly; the fist brushed past my cheek.

What the hell? What’s going on?

Before I could react, the person delivered a rising kick aimed at my vital spot.

I had to leap and retreat several steps.

When I steadied myself, I saw a girl standing before me, her hair tied in a ponytail, dressed in sportswear, and taller than Liu Qingya.

Her features bore some resemblance to Li Yiran.

The girl who looked like Li Yiran stood in front of Chen Kai and his girlfriend. “You two are freshmen, right? Don’t be afraid. I’m the captain of the school’s taekwondo club.”

“I always fight against those who bully freshmen. One by one, or two by two.”

She wore an expression full of righteous indignation.

I understood now—Chen Kai’s nervousness earlier was because she thought I was the one bullying them.

“You’ve got the wrong idea…”

“What wrong idea? Afraid of the taekwondo club captain’s reputation?”

Before I finished, she cut me off. “Listen, as long as I’m in this school, you’ll never have an easy time.”

???

Damn!

So domineering!

My temper flared. If I hadn’t dodged quickly just now, that kick would have crippled me.

If you want to fight me, at least understand the situation first. Jumping to blows like this is unreasonable.

“No, no, it’s us who want to thank Brother Jiang,” Chen Kai’s girlfriend hurried to explain.

“You don’t have to submit to his bullying. Come on, I’ll take you to see the school officials now and have them settle this.” The Li Yiran lookalike grabbed Chen Kai and his girlfriend, ready to defend their justice.

Such a fiery temper!

I shook my head and prepared to leave.

As long as the school officials know I was responsible, even if I had bullied a student, would the principal really expel me? The issue at school wasn’t resolved yet.

Besides, I hadn’t actually bullied anyone. If she went to the officials, she’d likely get scolded without my intervention.

“Hmph, scum like you should be cleared out of Ancient Capital University as soon as possible,” the girl resembling Li Yiran muttered angrily.

...

At six in the evening, the old man returned.

That day, he had gone with a vice principal from Ancient Capital University to the Zhongnan Mountain Daoist temple and met with the head there.

“Brother Jiang, it’s not a big problem. The temple’s master agreed to lend us the incense burner, but they also have a condition—they hope Ancient Capital University will open a Daoist studies class.”

We were at the school’s milk tea shop when the old man told me this.

“Alright,” I nodded. Opening a Daoist studies class wasn’t a big deal.

We can’t expect a few years of studying Daoist texts to instantly produce demon slayers. The class would just involve studying some Daoist classics.

Society is too restless, while Daoism emphasizes tranquility and non-action.

If they can cultivate their hearts and minds, the Daoist studies class will have done great good.

Besides, this matter concerns Ancient Capital University and has little to do with me.

“By the way, Brother Jiang, I think when we ask the school for a service fee, we should ask for a bit more,” the old man said after some thought. “Think about how dangerous that night was—hundreds of green glowing eyes staring at us. It nearly scared me to death!”