Chapter 119

You’ll die horribly.

“Don’t tell me Zhou Yunyun is a malevolent spirit?”

Lin Shuyou rubbed his eyes. Had she really become so powerful that even when she got close to him, his vertical pupils still couldn’t sense anything?

Lu Yi nodded solemnly.

“A pretty, gentle girl is basically a devil. She can hook your soul clean out of you and leave you lying alone in your dorm bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep all night.”

“Runsheng, time to move the stock!”

Yin Meng’s voice came from the basement stairwell.

“Coming.”

Runsheng rolled up his sleeves as he headed over.

Because of Lu Yi, the shop had recently added a lot of new products. Students from other residential areas were now willing to walk farther just to shop here, business had improved a lot, and restocking had become more frequent.

“Here, Ayou, envelopes.” Lu Yi set a stack of pink envelopes on the counter. “These are really trendy right now. They’re selling well.”

Lin Shuyou reached out and touched the envelopes, then pushed them back. “Forget it. I’d better not.”

Lu Yi shrugged. “Youth only comes once. Just don’t leave yourself with regrets.”

“I feel like if I take that envelope, my life might stop at youth.”

He had fought Runsheng twice, and his impression of him was simple: ruthless hands, few words.

If a guy like that gave you a blunt warning, the smartest thing to do was listen and not do it.

After saying goodbye to Lu Yi, Lin Shuyou walked out of the shop. The moment he stepped down the stairs, he saw Zhou Yunyun standing by the bulletin board outside the dorm building.

She wore a yellow floral dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders, glancing from time to time toward the dorm entrance.

She wasn’t the kind of girl whose beauty stunned you at first sight, not the sort to seem impossibly gorgeous, but she carried a soft, fresh elegance that made people instinctively like her.

Lin Shuyou studied her carefully, but his vertical pupils still showed no reaction.

“Lin Shuyou.”

Zhou Yunyun had noticed him. There was no helping it. When someone stared at you that directly, it was hard not to notice.

A girl had smiled and greeted him first, and that left Lin Shuyou flustered.

“Zhou Yunyun, are you here to see me?”

“Could I ask you for a favor?”

“Y-yeah, sure. What is it?”

“Could you go into the dorm and call your class monitor downstairs for me?”

“My big brother?”

“Yes. We’re both from Nantong, and we were classmates in high school.”

“High school classmates?”

Dense as Lin Shuyou could be, even he understood what it probably meant when a girl came on her own to the boys’ dorm building to look for a male classmate from high school.

At the mixer earlier, Zhou Yunyun had asked about his class monitor, and he had foolishly assumed she was only being polite because she was a class monitor herself.

“Yes. I already asked one of your classmates to go get him, but I’ve been waiting all this time and he still hasn’t come down.”

“Okay, wait here. I’ll go call my big brother.”

Lin Shuyou hurried into the dorm building, Runsheng’s warning echoing in his ears:

If you write it, you’ll die horribly.

Runsheng really was a good person.

He ran up to the third floor and reached Binbin’s dorm room. The door was half open. When he pushed it open, he saw a male classmate from their class spinning in circles on the spot.

Lin Shuyou opened his vertical pupils and stepped inside.

Creeeak...

The wooden stool holding the bronze mirror let out a shrill scraping sound.

Tan Wenbin, who had been lying on the bed, snapped his eyes open at once. As he jumped down, he reached up and pulled the Yellow River Spade from where it rested above the bed.

Then he focused and saw that it was Lin Shuyou blundering into the formation.

“Are you out of your mind?”

The moment Lin Shuyou saw that Brother Bin was awake, he immediately withdrew his vertical pupils.

“Brother Bin...”

As soon as the pupils vanished, he and that classmate from before started doing their little two-man spinning act together.

Tan Wenbin sighed and turned the bronze mirror over.

The performance ended.

The male classmate said, “Class monitor, a girl came looking for you. Her name’s Yunyun Zhou.”

“All right, the class monitor knows. Thanks, thanks,” Lin Shuyou said, patting the boy on the shoulder. “Go get some rest. You’re very tired.”

After pushing the classmate out the door, Lin Shuyou said, “Brother Bin, your high school classmate Zhou Yunyun is downstairs asking you to come out and meet her.”

“How did she end up here?”

“We had a mixer with the auditing department today. She’s the class monitor for the other class. She even asked about you there, but you didn’t go.”

Tan Wenbin picked up his washbasin and went to the sinks to brush his teeth and wash his face. When he came back, grabbed his wallet, and got ready to leave, Lin Shuyou asked,

“Brother Bin, aren’t you going to change? Those clothes are all wrinkled from sleeping in them.”

“No need.”

“Then at least wash your hair?”

“Since when is that a rule?”

“Before the mixer today, basically every guy in class changed clothes, and everyone got up together this morning to wash their hair.”

“That’s why they’re called little boys.”

Tan Wenbin pointed at the dorm floor. “Help me clean this up. Clean it carefully. You can sneak a look at the books on my desk if you want, but don’t touch Brother Zhuiyuan’s desk. Got it?”

“Understood!”

Lin Shuyou straightened up so fast with excitement that his whole body went rigid.

Tan Wenbin went downstairs and ran out of the dorm. From far off, he waved to Zhou Yunyun, who was standing outside the dorm courtyard gate.

“Long time no see, my great class monitor!”

Youth was flamboyant, but students were still reserved.

That single move drew plenty of glances from nearby students.

When Zhou Yunyun saw the boy running toward her, she smiled too and waved back.

She had long been used to that kind of showiness from him, especially back when he had been the Left Protector.

“Well, well. Looks like college really changed you. You know how to dress up now. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Have you eaten?”

“I had lots of snacks at the mixer. I’m not hungry right now.”

“I just woke up, so I’m starving. Come on, do me the honor of having a meal with me.”

“All right.”

Tan Wenbin and Zhou Yunyun walked side by side along the campus paths.

“How come you didn’t come to the mixer today?”

“I stayed up reading last night and was dead tired, so I was catching up on sleep in the dorm.” Tan Wenbin yawned again and rubbed his eyes. “Mainly, I didn’t know you were coming. Otherwise I would’ve gone and slept at the event.”

“Are first-year classes really that exhausting?”

“Not exactly. Just think of it as me studying an extra major.”

“How does college feel so far?”

“A lot more interesting than watching peach trees back home. Pretty fulfilling, actually.”

“That’s nice.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve been pretty relaxed. Studying and life both feel much easier than they did in high school.”

“Hm?”

Right in the middle of their chat, Tan Wenbin saw Li Zhuiyuan walking toward them with a schoolbag on his back.

“Li Zhuiyuan!”

Zhou Yunyun waved enthusiastically.

Even though the boy had rarely spent much time at school during their senior year, he had still been a true campus celebrity. More importantly, if your class produced the top scorer on the college entrance exam, that was the kind of thing you would bring up again and again for years among classmates and friends.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and nodded to Zhou Yunyun.

“Hello, Class Monitor.”

“Li Zhuiyuan...”

“That sounds too distant,” Tan Wenbin said.

“Then... Zhuiyuan?”

“Just call him ‘Brother.’”

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin. “Are you two going to eat?”

“Yeah. Old Sichuan Restaurant.”

Zhou Yunyun invited him, “Zhuiyuan, shall the three of us old classmates go together?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “I already ate. You two go ahead.”

With that, he left.

“Is Old Sichuan Restaurant a Sichuan place?”

“Yeah. It’s basically our regular base for meals. We eat there all the time.”

There were a lot of customers at noon, though it wasn’t packed to the brim. Tan Wenbin got a private room on the second floor, ordered a grilled fish and a few side dishes, and the two of them chatted and laughed through the meal.

After eating, they left the restaurant and began walking to help digest.

The sky had turned overcast, and the wind had picked up too. It was hard to tell whether it would rain later.

When they passed a small convenience shop, Tan Wenbin bought a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

He pulled out a cigarette, put it between his lips, and tried to light it, but the wind made him fail several times. Zhou Yunyun quietly shifted her position and blocked the wind for him.

Tan Wenbin paused for a second, then silently lit the cigarette.

The two of them followed the university wall, slowly walking from the north gate to the south gate.

The sky remained dark the whole time, and the rain kept threatening to fall without quite doing so.

“There’s going to be a dance at our school in a little while. Want to come?”

“I probably can’t. I won’t have time.”

“Are you going home for National Day?”

“I don’t know. Depends on whether Zhuiyuan is going back.”

“Coming here today... I didn’t disturb you, did I?”

“No. Seeing you made me really happy. Truly.” Tan Wenbin pulled a note from his wallet. It had the shop’s phone number written on it. He handed it to her. “If you ever need help with anything, call this number and ask for me. My pager number’s on there too.”

Zhou Yunyun also took out a slip of paper and handed it to him. “This is the phone number for our dorm building.”

“Mm.” Tan Wenbin took the paper and tucked it into his wallet.

“The bus is here. I’m going now. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Tan Wenbin lit another cigarette and watched her board the bus, watched the bus drive away.

Then his forehead turned cold.

The rain had begun.

He blew out a ring of smoke and said with a rueful laugh, “Do you really have to be this perfectly dramatic?”

He wasn’t stupid. Of course he understood what the girl meant.

But he couldn’t take that step, because he had no idea when he might die.

As soon as he walked back into campus, Tan Wenbin saw Yin Meng and Zheng Jiayi chatting and laughing as they walked this way.

Zheng Jiayi didn’t notice him, but Yin Meng did, and the two of them exchanged a nod.

Looks like they were heading out shopping together.

Tan Wenbin suddenly remembered Brother Zhuiyuan’s instructions. He was supposed to observe the changes in Fan Shulin.

But how exactly was he supposed to observe them?

Was he supposed to go out and find a badly injured person to deliver over there on short notice?

When he got back to the dorm building and passed the dorm manager’s office, the auntie called out to him.

“Binbin.”

“Yeah?”

“Come here. I fried some cakes. Have a taste.”

“Sure.”

Tan Wenbin walked into the office, took the chopsticks, picked up a fried cake, and ate it. It was sweet, soft, and sticky, and it tasted pretty good.

“I saw that girl who came looking for you today. Very poised and gracious. She’s a good girl.”

“Ah... oh.” Tan Wenbin nodded.

“Are you dating anyone yet?”

“Auntie Zhou, I’m not thinking about that right now. You know how it is. My parents just got divorced, so I’m a little scared of relationship stuff.”

“Well, that makes sense. But as someone who’s been divorced too, I still have to nag you a little. Your parents are your parents, and you are you. It’s still better to find someone suitable early, build a good relationship, and learn to磨合 together.”

“Mm, I understand, Auntie Zhou. I’m going upstairs to read now.”

Tan Wenbin stood up. Just as he was about to leave the office, he saw the silhouette of a man appear at the office window.

Tan Yunlong.

“Hiss...”

Tan Wenbin immediately felt a toothache coming on. How was it that every time he bad-mouthed his own father, he ended up kicking the iron plate? It was even more accurate than Ayou going into a trance.

Tan Yunlong walked over to the corner of the stairs, and Tan Wenbin obediently followed.

“Zhou Yunyun?”

“Huh?” Tan Wenbin stared. “Dad, are you tailing your own son?”

“I’m off today, so I came at noon. When I was almost at your dorm building, I saw you standing with that girl. That was Zhou Yunyun, right?”

“Yeah, it was her.”

“You two dating?”

“No. It was just a Nantong hometown gathering today.”

“How many fellow townspeople?”

“Me, Zhou Yunyun, and A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H...”

“Can you act a little more serious?”

“Dad, why don’t you and Mom try a little harder and have another kid?”

“Your mother and I are both public employees.”

“That’s a minor issue. I’ll get myself certified mentally unsound, then you two can have a second child.”

“Come on. Go with me to the bus station.”

“To pick up a criminal?”

“To pick up your mother.”

“My mom came?”

“Yeah. She’s here to collect the divorce certificate you awarded us.”

“Then wait a second. I need to go upstairs and tell Brother Zhuiyuan.”

Tan Wenbin went upstairs and pushed open the dorm door.

Wow.

The entire room was spotless, bright, and clean. It was so clean that Tan Wenbin couldn’t help wondering whether Lin Shuyou had hired White Crane Child to do the cleaning.

But right now Lin Shuyou looked awkward.

He was sitting by his desk with a pen in his hand and a big sheet of white paper in front of him. There seemed to be some questions written on it.

His forehead was bright red, and the hand holding the pen was slick with sweat.

He looked exactly like the old Tan Wenbin before meeting Brother Zhuiyuan, getting called up by the teacher to solve a problem on the blackboard.

“Where’s Brother Zhuiyuan?”

“He went out.”

“Where to?”

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan came back carrying a basin. He had gone to wash clothes. Tan Wenbin went over to help hang them up.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, “Had a good meal?”

“Yeah. We even took a walk afterward. She’s back at school now.”

“Oh.” Li Zhuiyuan had only asked out of basic politeness. He had never been especially interested in prying into other people’s love lives.

“Brother Zhuiyuan, my mom came to Jinling. In a bit, my dad and I are going to the bus station to pick her up.”

“Give my regards to your aunt.”

“Will do. Then I’m heading out first.” Tan Wenbin shook out his hands, ignored the pleading look in Lin Shuyou’s eyes, and left the dorm.

Li Zhuiyuan held a dry towel in his hand. As he wiped his hands, he walked over to stand in front of Lin Shuyou.

He was preparing to arrange White Crane Child’s work schedule.

At the same time, he also wanted to help Binbin test the operating logic of the new ghost-controlling technique.

So he had given Lin Shuyou a few questions: two on Lin Shuyou’s understanding of the Yin Convergence formation from last time, and two on spirit medium ritual and extended interpretation from the Sutra of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Four questions.

Lin Shuyou had not written a single word.

He had originally thought Brother Zhuiyuan would say he was stupid.

Instead, Brother Zhuiyuan said nothing at all. After hanging up the towel, he simply returned to his own desk.

Lin Shuyou swallowed.

Was this what it meant when someone couldn’t even be bothered to call you stupid anymore?

Li Zhuiyuan opened the Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll, preparing to record the incident with the big fish.

This incident not only confirmed patterns discovered in the previous event, but also gave rise to new insights.

But now the boy had begun to worry: after taking advantage of first-mover timing twice in a row, would the one setting the questions decide to do the opposite next time?

From a normal perspective, Heaven’s Way seemed to be using his hand to cut down one dead sinker malevolent spirit after another, restoring stability and peace to the world.

But from a less normal perspective, once he reached a certain level, might he too be identified and dealt with as a factor that disrupted that same stability and peace?

White gloves rarely met a good end.

That line of thought might have been a bit too grand, a little out of place at this stage, like worrying about the sky falling far too early.

Still, when Li Zhuiyuan put himself in the examiner’s position, he knew he would create some difficulty or accident and poke a few holes in the white glove first. That way, the glove could keep helping him clean up trash, while also becoming easier to discard and destroy later.

After writing up the incident, Li Zhuiyuan used the next page to write one point in particular:

Do not grow careless just because the first two times went smoothly.

As for the summary and conclusions after the event, he planned to write those in a couple of days. After all, he had just made it through the second wave, which theoretically meant there should be a long stretch of calm ahead.

Of course, if the river gave him another chance and let him discover something in advance again, he certainly wouldn’t refuse.

By the time he closed the Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll, night had already fallen.

Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his wrist, stood up from his desk, assumed a horse stance, and began regulating his breathing.

Those martial arts novel scenes where a warm current flowed through the entire body and gathered in the dantian, followed immediately by mastery of a divine art... yes, some people really could do that.

But just like how he himself had been able to become the provincial top scorer at age ten, taking an extreme exception as the general rule was both naive and stupid.

When it came to cultivation, there was still a large gap between him and Runsheng. But he could rely on his deep understanding of The Qin Family’s Guide to Viewing Flood Dragons to shorten that distance as much as possible.

After a year of diligently sticking to the fundamentals and breathing techniques, he could clearly feel the changes in his body. It was the solid feeling of truly laying a foundation. Once his age caught up and the foundation was complete, building upward from there, even building high-rises, would instead become something extremely easy.

Lin Shuyou watched Brother Zhuiyuan settle into his horse stance.

He truly wanted to throw away the pen in his hand right now and join in the training too.

This was torture.

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