Chapter 15
Bang!!!
Wu Mu stumbled backward, crashing into the basketball hoop.
With a loud crash and a cloud of dust, the basketball hoop collapsed like a felled tree.
“Ah…” The principal, passing by, let out a shriek. He looked at the broken basketball hoop, a scene all too familiar.
“Xiang Yu!” the principal shouted. “Did you break the basketball hoop again?!”
Xiang Yu protested, “Libationer, it was clearly Lü Bu who broke the basketball hoop last time. You’re mistaken again!”
The principal then shouted, “Lü Bu! Was it you? Don’t hide, I saw you! You brought your Fangtian Huaji into the academy again!”
Lü Bu hid the halberd behind his back. “Libationer, you’re wronging me too. Teacher Wu kicked the basketball hoop, not me!”
Wu Mu: “…”
Indeed, Wu Mu had accidentally kicked the basketball hoop.
Xue Changyi’s sudden approach, his ambiguous aura like a feather tickling Wu Mu’s neck, sent a shiver down his spine. There was no warmth, yet it made his blood boil.
The Tenth Yama King was truly skilled at capturing souls, even Wu Mu couldn’t resist…
Wu Mu had only wanted to keep his distance from Xue Changyi, but he hadn’t expected to accidentally break the basketball hoop. It showed how desperate he was to move away, yet… his face remained impassive, betraying no emotion.
“Ahem…” Wu Mu coughed softly. “Today… the Department might be busy, I won’t be returning to the dormitory.”
“Not returning to the dormitory again?” Xue Changyi raised an eyebrow. “Teacher Wu, you haven’t been coming back to the dormitory lately. Is something troubling you?”
“Or perhaps…” Xue Changyi gazed into his eyes, smiling. “Are you feeling guilty?”
Wu Mu instinctively averted his gaze. Of course, he felt guilty. Because all the merchandise, the body pillows, plushies, badges, ita-bag, and even the “ergonomic” mousepad, were his, not confiscated from the students!
“Principal.” Wu Mu changed the subject abruptly, a little too stiffly.
“Principal, what brings you here?”
The principal carefully stepped around the broken basketball hoop. “Indeed, there’s something I need your help with, Teacher Wu. I need to borrow your PE class time.”
“Borrow our class time?”
“Ah! No! We want to have PE class.”
“We only have a few PE classes a week…”
Having PE class commandeered was a common “tragedy” in schools, frequent and unavoidable.
The principal announced, “Quiet down! Quiet down! Today is the school’s health checkup, and we need to borrow the PE class time…”
He turned to Wu Mu. “Teacher Wu, please take Class Nine students to the health checkup. The medical staff is already here, on the first floor of the Pangong building.”
“Health checkup?” Xue Changyi was puzzled. “Only Class Nine is having classes during the break. Why a sudden health checkup?”
The principal said, “It’s the Central Office’s decision. They’re concerned about the students attending remedial classes. It won’t take long, just a few simple checks, half a class at most. You can continue your PE lesson afterward!”
The principal smiled apologetically. “Teacher Wu, I’ll have to trouble you with this.”
Wu Mu said calmly, “No trouble at all.”
The principal relayed the message, bypassed the basketball hoop again, and carefully left.
Wu Mu coughed. “Teacher Xue, I’ll take the students for their checkup now.”
Xue Changyi nodded, but still felt something was amiss. The academy was on winter break, only Class Nine was having classes. A health checkup now was essentially a checkup specifically for Class Nine.
“Ah… our PE class, I wanted to learn the three-arrow technique.”
“For the checkup, do we need to give blood? Get injections?”
“Lü Bu, let’s compare heights later.”
“Sure! I’ll definitely be taller!”
“Brother, brother… Jiao’er doesn’t want a blood test! Jiao’er is scared of needles!”
“Don’t worry, Jiao’er, brother is here.”
The students of Class Nine followed Wu Mu, leaving the playground and entering the Pangong building. Xue Changyi watched them, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
“Boss!” Leopard Tail waved from afar.
He was carrying a large box filled with strange objects, including a skeleton model. As he waved, the skeleton tumbled out, landing affectionately against his neck.
“Oops,” Leopard Tail seemed to dislike the skeleton, nudging it away with his head.
“Boss.” Fish Gills also approached, carrying a smaller box containing a globe and other items.
Fish Gills was the biology teacher, currently organizing the lab. Leopard Tail, having been displaced as the PE teacher by Wu Mu, had nothing to do and was helping Fish Gills.
Leopard Tail said enthusiastically, “Boss, what are you doing here? Going back to the dormitory?”
Xue Changyi’s expression was serious. “Go and check if the Central Office issued any notice about a health checkup for Class Nine.”
“Health checkup?” Leopard Tail, despite carrying the large box with one arm, managed to scratch his head with the other. “That’s strange, a health checkup during winter break? Even mortal schools don’t do that.”
Fish Gills replied efficiently, “Yes, we’ll go check right away.”
“Hey, Fish Gills, wait for me…”
Fish Gills and Leopard Tail left. Xue Changyi, carrying his textbooks and homework, headed towards the dormitory building.
Upon entering his room, Xue Changyi put down his books and instinctively glanced at the wardrobe opposite his bed, Wu Mu’s wardrobe. It was padlocked, the door slightly ajar, and if he peeked through the gap, he might see all sorts of strange things…
Thump—
The dormitory door opened, and Wu Mu strode in.
“Teacher Wu?” Xue Changyi raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say the Department was busy and you wouldn’t be coming back to the dormitory today? Why are you back so early?”
Wu Mu’s face was grim, ignoring Xue Changyi’s teasing. He said hoarsely, “Cheng Jiao is missing.”
“What?” Xue Changyi’s expression turned serious.
Wu Mu explained, “Class Nine was having their health checkup at Pangong. Cheng Jiao is probably scared of needles and blood tests. He slipped away while the medical staff wasn’t paying attention, and now we can’t find him.”
“Did you check the reception room?” Xue Changyi asked.
Wu Mu nodded. “Yes, they said the academy gates haven’t been opened, and no one has left.”
Xue Changyi narrowed his eyes. “That means Cheng Jiao is still within the academy. I’ll help you look for him.”
They hurried out of the dormitory building and immediately saw Ying Zheng, his face dark and grim, waiting outside.
Ying Zheng shook his head at them. “Still haven’t found him. The other students have split up to search.”
Before the checkup, Cheng Jiao had mentioned being afraid of needles. Many children were afraid of needles, so Ying Zheng hadn’t thought much of it. He hadn’t expected Cheng Jiao to run away, and now they couldn’t find him anywhere.
“Don’t worry.” Xue Changyi said, flicking his wrist. The wristwatch instantly transformed into a colorful Rubik’s Cube.
Xue Changyi’s pale, slender fingers tapped the cube, and the Thousand Demon Eyes revealed their true form, no longer a watch or a cube, but thousands upon thousands of eyes.
Angry, hateful, despairing, helpless, adoring, joyful, excited—all kinds of eyes, like a vast net, woven with intense emotions, formed a dark cloud above their heads.
At that moment, Wu Mu felt a chilling sense of being observed, his innermost thoughts laid bare.
Xue Changyi waved his sleeve, and the Thousand Demon Eyes scattered, shooting off in all directions like black smoke.
“As long as Cheng Jiao is within this academy,” Xue Changyi’s voice was calm and certain, “he cannot escape the Thousand Demon Eyes.”
Chapter 16
Wu Mu looked at Xue Changyi, his expression complex. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Found him,” Xue Changyi’s voice interrupted him.
“Where is Jiao’er?” Ying Zheng asked.
Xue Changyi looked into the distance. “In the abandoned equipment room on the top floor of Pangong.”
Ying Zheng didn’t say another word, immediately running towards the Pangong building.
Wu Mu glanced at Xue Changyi again, his expression still complex, but he remained silent.
The three of them ran towards the Pangong building, quickly ascending to the top floor. The top floor was filled with abandoned equipment rooms. Since Underworld High School currently only had one grade with nine classes, and hadn’t expanded yet, there were many unused classrooms. Covered in dust and untouched for a long time, the top floor was extremely secluded.
“Wuwuwu…”
“Wuwuwu…”
The sound of crying.
Faint, choked sobs echoed from the equipment room.
It was definitely Cheng Jiao.
Ying Zheng frowned, about to open the door.
Xue Changyi placed a hand on Ying Zheng’s shoulder, shaking his head slightly.
Through the Thousand Demon Eyes, Xue Changyi had not only seen Cheng Jiao’s location but also seen him crying.
The little boy was curled up in a corner of the equipment room, his clean uniform covered in dust, knees drawn up to his chest, his round face buried in his knees, trembling.
Some people fainted at the sight of blood, especially children, and it was normal to be afraid of needles and blood tests. But Cheng Jiao’s cries were subdued, full of anguish. His curled-up posture seemed utterly helpless and despairing…
Xue Changyi shook his head. “Wait, let me go in first. You two wait here.”
Ying Zheng paused and nodded.
Click—
“Who?!”
As the door to the equipment room opened, Cheng Jiao looked up alertly, his tear-streaked face full of apprehension.
“It’s me,” Xue Changyi said, his usually cold voice surprisingly gentle.
Cheng Jiao slowly relaxed, letting out a choked sob.
“I’m coming in,” Xue Changyi said.
Cheng Jiao didn’t agree, but he didn’t object either.
Xue Changyi entered, giving Ying Zheng a reassuring look before gently closing the door and approaching the corner.
Cheng Jiao remained curled up, trembling, his eyes blinking back tears, his lips quivering.
Xue Changyi sat down on the dusty floor beside him. “Why did you run away?”
Cheng Jiao shrugged, like a little hedgehog curling into a ball. After a long silence, he finally spoke. “I… I was scared…”
“Red…” Cheng Jiao said in a daze. “Red, warm… blood… I’m afraid of blood…”
“Being afraid of blood is normal.” Xue Changyi looked at Cheng Jiao calmly, without a hint of mockery. “I’ll tell you a secret, I’m also afraid of blood.”
“Teacher Xue?” Cheng Jiao’s eyes widened, his surprise momentarily overriding his tears.
As a Yama King who judged life and death, Xue Changyi being afraid of blood was the truth…
“Everyone is afraid of something,” Xue Changyi said. “It’s perfectly normal.”
“Teacher…” Cheng Jiao’s voice choked, his gaze unfocused, his body relaxing slightly. He murmured, “Before I entered the academy, I drank Granny Meng’s soup.”
Those entering reincarnation would drink Granny Meng’s soup on the Bitter Bamboo Bridge of Helplessness, forgetting their past lives.
Logically, those entering the academy like Cheng Jiao shouldn’t need to drink the soup, but there was no explicit rule against it.
Cheng Jiao whispered, “Teacher… you know, right? I… I died by suicide.”
Cheng Jiao, a prince of Qin, had rebelled, and seeing no way out, had chosen to end his own life. After his death, he arrived at the Underworld Central Office and, by chance, was selected to attend Underworld High School. Students of the academy could avoid the cycle of reincarnation, and there were many benefits after graduation. It was a good opportunity.
“I heard…” Cheng Jiao murmured, “that my brother was also selected for the academy. If… if I drank Granny Meng’s soup and forgot everything, then… then I could be classmates with my brother, and I would have family again…”
“So…”
“So I became like this, a child again, innocently naive, ignorantly blissful, and drank the soup…”
“But…” Cheng Jiao looked at Xue Changyi, tears welling up in his eyes again. “Teacher Xue, why… why didn’t the soup work? I didn’t forget anything. I remember everything clearly. I pretend to be innocent and carefree, but I’m not innocent at all, not carefree at all…”
“I’m not… a real child.”
Cheng Jiao looked at his chubby hands, opening and closing them, as if trying to grasp something. Tears streamed down his face. “Teacher Xue, I’m really afraid of blood, that bright red color, the warm feeling, it… it makes it harder for me to forget, harder to keep up the pretense, but… but—if I don’t keep pretending, I’ll lose my family, won’t I, Teacher Xue?”
Xue Changyi gently stroked Cheng Jiao’s head. “Everyone wears a mask, the living and the dead.”
“Teacher…” Cheng Jiao looked at him through his tears. “Is there… something you desperately want to forget, but don’t dare to forget…”
Xue Changyi’s hand paused, his expression momentarily blank.
—Changyi, even if I’m not around…
—You must protect yourself.
His Second Brother’s words, spoken before being cast down from the Terrace of Forgetfulness, echoed in his mind. A bitter smile appeared on Xue Changyi’s face. “Yes.”
Cheng Jiao let out a shaky breath, as if relieved. “So… so you have it too.”
Xue Changyi sighed softly. “Yes, I do.”
Click—
The door to the equipment room finally opened, and Xue Changyi emerged, carrying Cheng Jiao in his arms. The little boy’s face was streaked with tears, his eyes closed, asleep from exhaustion. But even in his sleep, his brow was furrowed, his shoulders hunched, his hands clutched to his chest, as if seeking comfort.
“Shh…” Xue Changyi whispered. “He’s asleep, don’t wake him.”
Ying Zheng carefully took Cheng Jiao from Xue Changyi’s arms. “Teacher Xue, I’ll excuse Cheng Jiao from class today.”
Xue Changyi waved his hand, and Ying Zheng turned to leave, carrying the sleeping child.
“Brother… mm… brother…” Cheng Jiao mumbled in his sleep.
Ying Zheng soothed him. “Jiao’er, brother is here.”
Xue Changyi watched them leave, then chuckled softly. “Minister Wu, is there something you desperately want to forget, but don’t dare to forget?”
Wu Mu’s brow furrowed as he gazed at Xue Changyi. He opened his mouth, but instead said, “You look pale…”
Xue Changyi evaded Wu Mu’s attempt to support him. “I’m fine…”
Before he could finish, his body went limp, and he lost consciousness, collapsing into Wu Mu’s arms.
“Xue Changyi!” Wu Mu caught him.
Xue Changyi’s skin, already pale, was now a sickly white, his usually vibrant lips faded to a pale pink, a clear sign of blood loss.
Wu Mu scooped Xue Changyi up and rushed out of the Pangong building.
“Boss?”
“Boss! What happened?”
Leopard Tail and Fish Gills, passing by, saw the usually cold and impassive Minister Wu, his face etched with urgency, carrying Xue Changyi.
Wu Mu explained briefly, “Xue Changyi used the Thousand Demon Eyes just now. He probably overexerted himself.”
“Oh no!” Leopard Tail exclaimed. “That thing takes a lot out of him!”
Fish Gills said, “Don’t worry, take Boss back to the dormitory and let him rest. This… has happened before.”
Although the Thousand Demon Eyes could see everything, using them consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. Ordinary individuals couldn’t even activate them. The energy required to open just one eye of the Thousand Demon Eyes was enough to drain an experienced ghost officer.
And just now, more than one eye had been opened.
Xue Changyi’s true form was unique. He was a stone that could absorb spiritual energy from the world. Like a rechargeable battery, absorbing sunlight and moonlight was like fast charging, while using the Thousand Demon Eyes rapidly drained his “battery,” causing him to “shut down.”
Others, if drained of their spiritual energy, might be destroyed completely, but the spirit stone was indestructible. Xue Changyi simply fell into a deep sleep.
Wu Mu carried Xue Changyi into Room 444 and gently laid him on the bed.
Fish Gills said, “Don’t worry, Minister Wu. This has happened before when Boss was overworked at the Tenth Court. A night’s rest, with the curtains open to let the moonlight in, and he’ll absorb the moonlight’s energy and be back to normal tomorrow.”
“Huh?” Leopard Tail suddenly exclaimed, as if realizing something. “Minister Wu, isn’t your true form the Golden Crow? That’s much more effective than moonlight! Boss usually avoids sunlight because he absorbs too much energy, but now he needs it! If you hold Boss’s hand, maybe he’ll wake up immediately!”
Fish Gills gave Leopard Tail a helpless look.
“What?” Leopard Tail asked, puzzled. “Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”
Fish Gills rolled his eyes. Suggesting that the Tenth Yama King hold hands with the Director General of the Supervisory Department, who was tasked with monitoring him, only a simpleton like Leopard Tail could come up with such an idea.
Wu Mu said coldly, “You two go back now. Let him rest.”
“But…” Leopard Tail said. “We should stay and take care of Boss!”
Wu Mu said again, “Xue Changyi has classes today. Go and ask for leave for him, and cover his classes.”
“Oh, right!” Leopard Tail exclaimed. “I almost forgot. Boss has two Chinese classes today. If no one covers them, Class Nine will turn the academy upside down!”
Leopard Tail hurried out. Fish Gills glanced back at the sleeping Xue Changyi. “Then we’ll leave Boss in your care, Minister Wu.”
Wu Mu nodded, waved his hand, and with a gust of black wind, the dormitory door slammed shut, blocking Leopard Tail and Fish Gills from view.
Xue Changyi remained asleep, his face pale, his lips colorless, giving the illusion of death.
Wu Mu gently caressed Xue Changyi’s cheek, his touch cautious and full of tenderness. The moment his hand touched Xue Changyi’s skin, the deathly pallor began to recede, replaced by a translucent white.
Wu Mu’s gaze deepened, fixated on Xue Changyi’s pale lips, his eyes flickering with an intense emotion.
Slowly, Wu Mu lowered his head…
