Chapter 13

Outside the window, fireworks were resplendent. The earth-shaking cheers of tens of thousands roared, “Happy New Year!”

Lu Sheng said, “I cannot take it.”

The answer was unexpected, and a flash of shock crossed Jiang Wu’s face. Lu Sheng continued, “In ancient times, there was a Heavenly Book, recording the origins and answers of everything in the world.” He was a full head taller than Jiang Wu, and looked down at him. “The Heavenly Book is hidden within the school.”

The hope in Jiang Wu’s eyes reignited. He bowed to Lu Sheng. “Thank you, Mr. Lu.”

Just as he was about to leave, he remembered the hot drink Gongliang Ye had brought him and picked it up. A rich, sweet aroma—it was Hot Cocoa.

It was at the perfect temperature. Jiang Wu drank it all in one go. It was the most fragrant, rich Hot Cocoa he had ever tasted, though he rarely drank it.

Jiang Wu licked the corner of his mouth firmly, then set down the empty cup and said, “I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Lu Sheng suddenly spoke. “I couldn’t fulfill your condition. I owe you one thing. Within the rules, I can satisfy any need you have. Contact me whenever you decide.”

He paused for a second. “Use your imagination. The things I can do are far more than you think.”

At this moment, the fireworks display ended. The distant sounds of cheering faded as the vast, dim restaurant fell silent again.

Jiang Wu said, “Happy New Year.”

Lu Sheng’s brow arched slightly. “What.”

Jiang Wu blinked. “My need. I need you to say Happy New Year to me.”

A brief silence. Then Lu Sheng said, “Happy New Year.”

Jiang Wu gave a slight nod, and his footsteps, as steady as when he’d arrived, led him into the elevator.

Lu Sheng watched the slender, retreating back the entire time until the elevator doors sealed shut. Then he instructed, “See him out.”

“Yes.” In the darkness, Gongliang Ye answered respectfully.

Lu Sheng withdrew his gaze, glanced at the empty cup, and added, “Bring me a cup of Hot Cocoa.”

The elevator arrived smoothly on the first floor. Jiang Wu had worked part-time on New Year’s Eve before, so he was mentally prepared to be unable to hail a taxi and walk two hours home.

But as soon as he exited the mall, a car stopped in front of him. Gongliang Ye stood by the rear passenger door, opening it with a smile. “The Master instructed me to drive you back.”

Jiang Wu didn’t refuse. He got into the car and initiated conversation. “May I ask you a few questions?”

Gongliang Ye turned back from the front passenger seat, smiling. “I can’t promise I’ll answer all of them.”

Jiang Wu’s lips curved. “Just answer what you can.” He asked his first question. “Can you ask Mr. Lu’s chef for her Yellow Croaker Noodles recipe?”

It was a completely unexpected question. Gongliang Ye was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. “She has an odd temper, so I can’t guarantee I’ll get it. But I’ll try.”

The atmosphere visibly relaxed. Jiang Wu asked another question. “What brand was the Hot Cocoa tonight?”

Gongliang Ye replied, “It’s not a brand. The chef personally selects cocoa beans from West Africa and grinds them by hand.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’ll bring you a few bottles next time we meet.”

After that, they fell into a pleasant conversation, very tacitly avoiding any topic related to Lu Sheng.

They chatted happily all the way to the ground floor of Jiang Wu’s apartment. When getting out, Jiang Wu finally asked his last question. “You address Mr. Lu as ‘Master,’ but he looks very young.”

Gongliang Ye fell silent, so Jiang Wu closed the car door, waved, and smiled. “Happy New Year to you. See you next time.”

As he was about to go upstairs, Gongliang Ye suddenly said, “I also have a question for you.”

He stopped. “Go ahead.”

Gongliang Ye couldn’t hold back. “Right now, you still don’t fully grasp the Master’s power. You wasted an opportunity countless people dream of.” He asked bluntly, “Why did you only ask for a simple ‘Happy New Year’?”

Jiang Wu’s eyes curved into crescents. “It wasn’t an ordinary Happy New Year. It was a Happy New Year blessed by the Ghost Emperor.”

It was also the very first Happy New Year he had ever received.

He could accomplish everything else by himself, but he couldn’t, on another’s behalf, wish himself a Happy New Year.

Gongliang Ye laughed. He waved goodbye from inside the car window. “And to answer your question, the Master is 400 years old this year.”

~

Jiang Wu entered his apartment and shut the door. He first went to the bathroom to wash his hands carefully before opening the envelope.

Inside were two pieces of paper.

One was the Admission Notice, much like most schools’ notices. The name field was filled in with two wild, cursive characters—Little Ghost.

Just as Jiang Wu opened the notice, the two characters ‘Little Ghost’ slowly floated up from the paper and dissipated into the air.

Jiang Wu blinked, walked to the dining table, and sat down. He took out a pen and wrote his own name in the name field himself.

Elegant, flowing handwriting. Jiang Wu.

The content of the notice was very concise.

Student Jiang Wu: You are hereby admitted to our academy. Please report to the academy with this notice before 6 PM on January 2nd.

Void after expiration.

The stamp was: Cloud-Step Lunar Realm.

January 2nd. That was tomorrow.

Jiang Wu set down the Admission Notice and opened the other paper. It was a certificate for waived tuition and accommodation fees, stamped by Li Dao.

Jiang Wu thought, “…”

He had originally thought a non-Human school wouldn’t charge money. Apparently, it was the same.

Fortunately, he learned this after the tuition and accommodation fees had already been waived. Jiang Wu put both papers back into the envelope. At that moment, a line of text gradually appeared on the envelope.

21 Daoyin Road, Phoenix Road, Yushan District.

This was likely the address of Cloud-Step Lunar Realm. Jiang Wu knew Phoenix Road in Yushan District, but he had never heard of Daoyin Road. He grabbed his phone, opened the map, and searched for Daoyin Road. The search result was zero—no matching location found.

Still, he figured there was always a way around the mountain. With that thought, he quickly took a hot shower and went to bed.

Just as he was falling into a deep sleep, he vaguely heard something like, “Happy New Year, I love you.” The next morning, when he put Banfen in his pocket and packed his luggage to leave, he realized he hadn’t misheard.

The area outside his door was piled high with red roses. Ge Bei, cradling a large bouquet of yellow roses, was crouched among the flowers, fast asleep with his head leaning against the wall.

When it came to pursuing Jiang Wu, he was serious.

Jiang Wu thought, “…”

He deftly avoided the mountain of roses, lifted his luggage, and silently sprinted downstairs.

Running out of the apartment complex, Jiang Wu did not go to the school to apply for a leave of absence. Firstly, the academy was closed for the New Year holiday. Secondly, he wasn’t sure how long he would be at Cloud-Step Lunar Realm and had no valid reason for leave. The first time he met Li Dao was at Xianjiang University, so Li Dao handling his leave would definitely be more convenient than doing it himself.

Jiang Wu’s first stop was the supermarket. He bought a huge bag of various flavored Instant Noodles. He wasn’t sure if non-Human food would suit his palate.

His second stop was the bookstore, where he purchased several math exercise books. Once he found the Heavenly Book and got his answer, he would still need to return to his real-world school. He couldn’t afford to fall behind in his studies.

After buying food and books, he hailed a taxi by the roadside. Putting his things in the trunk, he bent into the back seat and told the driver, “21 Phoenix Road.”

21 Phoenix Road, Yushan District, was an abandoned, dilapidated building.

It sat beside a secondary highway, surrounded by half-demolished houses and overgrown with weeds. The area had clearly been deserted for a long time. The driver asked enviously, “Your family’s old house, right? How much was the demolition payout?”

Jiang Wu smiled but didn’t answer. After the driver left, he didn’t rush to take his things and find 21 Daoyin Road. He observed his surroundings and, after a moment, noticed a tunnel.

Behind the ruined building at number 21, a winding, uphill path was hidden among wild grass. At its end was a tunnel entrance covered in moss.

Jiang Wu picked up his things, navigated through the weeds and ruined houses, and headed for the tunnel.

The tunnel was neither wide nor narrow, fitting two adults walking side-by-side. The ceiling was very high, its end invisible to the naked eye, all pitch black. The occasional sound of dripping water could be heard.

Jiang Wu walked a few steps into the tunnel, waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness until he could barely see the path, then continued deeper.

The light behind him grew more and more distant. The dark space was chilly. By the time Jiang Wu’s mental count reached 12,100, a faint, cool breeze wafted from up ahead, and a glimmer of light came into view.

Jiang Wu exhaled a long breath and quickened his pace forward. The light source grew clearer and larger. It was the tunnel exit.

He sprinted out, the sudden brightness forcing him to shut his eyes. The sound of bustling traffic filled his ears.

Along with a broadcast—

“Welcome, new students, to Cloud-Step Lunar Realm. Please have your Admission Notices ready. 200 meters ahead, enter the academy from the left lane to complete your enrollment procedures.”

Jiang Wu slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was towering, fringed trees reaching into the clouds. Both sides of the straight road were lined with them. Though out of season, they were in full bloom, the trees laden with light-pink, cloud-like blossoms. A gentle breeze sent pink petals fluttering down like a fine drizzle, landing softly on the roof of the endless stream of cars on the road.

Most were black or white luxury cars, mixed with a few flashy red and bright blue sports cars, their license plates from all over the world.

Jiang Wu whirled around. The tunnel entrance he had just emerged from had vanished. He was standing in the middle of the road, and a car was speeding directly at him from the distance.

Instantly snapping to attention, Jiang Wu steadied his luggage and jumped onto the sidewalk in a few quick strides. His chest rose and fell slightly. After a few seconds of recovery, he followed the flow of traffic 200 meters ahead. A left turn led him to a wide, flat expanse of grass. The building in the near distance gleamed with four large, gilded characters—Cloud-Step Lunar Realm—and two smaller lines of text: “Perfect joy is to be without joy, perfect praise is to be without praise.”

The main gate was also similar to a Human university’s.

A long line had already formed before the school gate. Jiang Wu, being on foot, had an easier time navigating it. Just as he stepped forward, a sudden shout rang out: “Sorry, get out of the—!”

Before the word “way” was fully out, Jiang Wu sidestepped backward.

Simultaneously, a red Beetle flew past where he had been standing, crashing straight into the Hall of Fame stone monument on the grass.

The monument shattered with a deafening crack, dust flying everywhere. The Beetle’s front end was jammed into the broken monument, finally stopping. The windshield was heavily cracked. As the driver’s side door was pushed open, it wobbled a few times before falling to the ground. An upper body clad in a white sweater crawled out first, but the lower half was stuck and couldn’t move. He had to lift his head, immediately searching for Jiang Wu.

The young man’s face was covered in grime. His left eye was glued shut by it, so he half-opened his right eye to locate Jiang Wu. He spat out several mouthfuls of dust, then weakly said, “Classmate, I’m sorry. I will fully compensate you for your loss.”

Jiang Wu was about to drop his luggage and run to help, but a wave of jeering laughter drifted from behind.

“Haha, Lei Tiantian, you idiot! Crashed again!”

“Wrecking the Hall of Fame on the first day of school, you should just go home and stop embarrassing the Lei Clan!”

“Hahahaha, Lei Tiantian, with that stupid look, you still want to be a hero and save the world? This is too funny… Hahaha…”

…

Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Wu saw several cars stopped at the school gate, heads sticking out to gloat. They were all boys around eighteen or nineteen.

Lei Tiantian wore a pained grimace. He laboriously pulled out one hand, trying to reach his pinned leg. At that moment, a hand, its back marked by two band-aids, long-fingered and deeply tanned, extended in front of him. “Don’t move. Give me your hand.”