Chapter 112: Daoist Priest Xianqing

"What does it have to do with you?" Ye Bing struggled, pushing Onitsuka Ayaka away. "Give me back my bag!"

Onitsuka Ayaka completely ignored Ye Bing's shouting. She seemed to still be savoring the sensation lingering on her fingertips. "Gao Jian might have a lot of flaws—he smokes, he's shameless, he doesn't know how to dress, and he's a bit cunning—but compared to his merits, those flaws can be almost entirely overlooked."

"What merits could he possibly have?" Talking to Onitsuka Ayaka made Ye Bing extremely uncomfortable, as if something were slicing at her heart.

Onitsuka Ayaka didn't answer, simply handing the designer handbag back to Ye Bing. "It doesn't matter if you can't see them. He has nothing to do with you anymore anyway."

No one in the small shop noticed that the blue tailed-fox tattoo nestled in Onitsuka Ayaka's cleavage seemed to come to life, blinking a captivating, seductive eye.

...

Taking a taxi, Bai Qi and I hurried to the border between Xinhu City and Jiangcheng.

This place was a massive wasteland. Even in broad daylight, it was rare to see a living soul.

I paid the fare, and Bai Qi and I entered the wasteland. Waist-high weeds grew wildly everywhere, and every few steps revealed a muddy ditch reeking of rot. If I wasn't careful, my foot would sink right in.

A rusted, slanted guardrail blocked the path. I arrived at the spot where I had entered Xinhu High School during my second livestream. Looking at the bare fence, I felt something was missing. Glancing down, I realized the warning sign reading "No Entry" was half-buried in the mud.

"Didn't I hang it back up last time?" I picked up the warning sign, hung it securely again, tossed Bai Qi over the fence, and vaulted over myself.

One man and one dog entered Xinhu High School. As our figures faded into the distance, the warning sign on the fence moved without any wind. It swayed a few times before falling back into the mud with a smack.

We reached the main campus gate. Even during the day, this ghost school gave off a chilling aura of yin energy. But this time, I had Bai Qi with me. Even if the Primal Destiny Divine Fiends came back from the dead, I wouldn't be the least bit afraid.

Walking through the desolate campus, I saw weeds sprouting from the cracks in the floor tiles. The dilapidated walls were covered in ivy and dark green ghost-chasing wall vines, a type of creeper that thrived in the shade.

I went to the teaching building first and checked room by room. In the classroom where I had first met Sakurako, I found an open notebook.

Comparing the handwriting to her note, I confirmed Sakurako had definitely left it. I flipped through it from cover to cover but couldn't find any secret codes or clues.

"The chicken and rabbit in the same cage problem? The formula for a cone's surface area? Damn, are elementary schoolers studying stuff this advanced nowadays?" Sakurako had left the Blues Bar yesterday afternoon. The fact that she came to this ghost school in the dead of night and still remembered to finish her homework meant she hadn't run into too much trouble when she first arrived.

"But what did she encounter later? Something made her leave in such a hurry she didn't even take her notebook." I stuffed Sakurako's notebook into my pocket and sprinted all the way up to the top floor, returning to the classroom where I had played the Four Corners game.

Seen in the daytime, this classroom was no different from any other, except there seemed to be something drawn on the chalkboard in the back.

I kicked the door open and stepped up to the cracked chalkboard. There were several simple hand-drawn pictures on it. They had likely been drawn with damp chalk, making them blurry and indistinct.

"Could Sakurako have drawn this?"

The drawing depicted the scene from when I played the Four Corners game. Inside a massive, pitch-black room, I walked at the front, closely followed by three ghosts.

"It looks like it was drawn a few days ago. Why does Sakurako keep coming to Xinhu High School? What exactly is attracting her?" Filled with doubt, I left the teaching building.

Next, I checked the Women's Apartment and the gym locker rooms, which the livestream viewers had strongly demanded to see during the broadcast, but I found nothing.

I made a full lap and arrived at the school's back gate near the Incineration Trench. There, I finally spotted someone.

He was over fifty, wearing a cyan Daoist robe. In his hand, he held an emerald-green willow branch, and two Bronze Bells—one large and one small—hung from his waist.

"Isn't this the corpse driving Daoist priest from Qingtu Temple?" When I was livestreaming on the Route 14 Spirit Bus, this kindhearted priest had slipped me a piece of yellow paper, secretly revealing a heavenly secret to save my life.

Hearing the noise behind him, the green-robed priest turned and walked over. He was equally surprised to see me. "To think you managed to escape the chaos caused by the ten evils. Little brother, your fortune is immeasurably deep."

The Daoist tucked the willow branch into his belt and clasped his hands in a polite greeting. "This humble Daoist is Xianqing, a mere rustic priest."

"You're too modest, Daoist Priest. I've seen your skills. With one shake of your Bronze Bell, even a corpse has to obey." Every word I said was true. Though the priest before me wore coarse hemp robes, anyone who witnessed his corpse driving abilities would be left in awe.

"A trifling trick, not worth mentioning. You, on the other hand, little brother, rode a ghost carriage of yin souls in your mortal flesh just to protect a little girl blinded by demons. This humble priest falls far short of such courage."

Daoist Priest Xianqing bowed again. "To my shame, I saw everything clearly that night, but I was afraid of tangling with the karma, so I didn't step in to help. I hope you can forgive me, Destined Patron."

"It's fine, it's fine! That yellow paper you gave me was already a huge help." I was a bit embarrassed by the green-robed priest's praise. Since I couldn't explain that I had actually been forced into it by the Underworld Live Show mission, I could only put on a thick skin and laugh awkwardly.

"May I ask what brings you to Xinhu High School this time, Priest?" To keep things from getting any more awkward, I quickly changed the subject.

"It's a long story." Daoist Priest Xianqing turned to look at the waste disposal center with all its shattered windows. "A few years ago, Yuan Chen was causing havoc here. I joined forces with a few fellow Daoists from other cities to set up the Yuanchen Soul-Hanging Array here. We used a total of one hundred and eight Original Destiny Soul Hanging Talismans to seal that ghost away. But just a week ago, someone tore down the talismans and actually let Yuan Chen out!"

Hearing this, I quietly wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and casually interjected, "Do you think that person might have been forced to do it out of necessity?"

"That person's motive is impossible to know. When I first arrived here, I did notice the baleful aura had diminished. The person who broke the array must have dug up and taken Yuan Chen's corpse. But how did he manage it?" Daoist Priest Xianqing fell deep into thought. "More than a dozen corpses are buried in the Incineration Trench, all burned beyond recognition. How could he have pinpointed Yuan Chen so accurately?"

I chuckled inwardly but kept a straight face. "I heard from an expert once that as long as you find a place bathed in clear moonlight and throw Jiang Chen's corpse down from a high altitude, you can break the Primal Destiny Divine Fiends. Maybe the person who tore up the talismans was planning to kill Yuan Chen completely and end the threat once and for all."

"Nonsense! The Primal Destiny Divine Fiends are the most vicious of the vicious. They are like a hundred-legged worm that refuses to die even when crushed. This place has been defiled by Yuan Chen for years. Even if his corpse were smashed to pieces, it would only drain a portion of his resentful energy. To completely kill Yuan Chen is simply too difficult."

Daoist Priest Xianqing's words served as a wake-up call. I couldn't help but recall my final confrontation with the Primal Destiny Divine Fiends. That frail, skinny boy had glared at me with pure hatred and said something about how we would "meet again."

"Yuan Chen isn't dead?"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I just think these Divine Fiends are too sinister." Daoist cultivators had sharp senses. I had almost given myself away.

Daoist Priest Xianqing didn't press the issue. After finishing his inspection of the Incineration Trench, he flicked his sleeves and looked at me. "May I ask what brings you here, little brother? This place has been occupied by negative baleful energy for years. If you stay too long, you'll absorb the yin energy. Best case scenario, you catch a fever and cold; worst case, you'll be cursed with terrible luck."

I slapped my forehead. "I almost forgot my actual business. Priest, have you seen a seven- or eight-year-old girl around here?"

"A seven- or eight-year-old girl?" Daoist Priest Xianqing wore a very strange expression. "I have, but why are you looking for her?"

Overjoyed to get a positive answer, I pulled out Sakurako's note and her notebook. "This girl has been missing for a whole night. Her mother is going crazy with worry and hired me to find her."

After reading the note in my hand, Daoist Priest Xianqing pondered for a moment. "Alright, follow me."

I followed Daoist Priest Xianqing to the Laboratory Building of Xinhu High School. The trauma this building had left on me was second only to the Incineration Trench.

"They are on the top floor." Daoist Priest Xianqing didn't enter the building. He just escorted me to the entrance, cupped his hands in farewell, and left.

"They? Is there someone else besides Sakurako?" I grabbed Bai Qi and jumped through the window into the building. The terrifying mannequins I had encountered before all had their heads twisted off and were dumped in the corridor. There was no telling who had done it.