The homeroom teacher arrived late. On the way, the class monitor had already roughly explained what happened.

A classmate added, “It was Li Qu who helped her, and he got hurt too.”

So his name was Li Qu.

Ji Tong felt guilty and somewhat worried. That Li Qu had been hit because he helped her, and the blow wasn’t light either, so she requested of the homeroom teacher, “Can I accompany him to the infirmary to have a look?”

“Go ahead, come to my office when class ends later.”

“Thank you, teacher.”

Ji Tong walked out of the classroom and ran into Gan Ting, who had just seen her boyfriend and was running back happily.

“Where are you going when class is starting?”

“I’ll explain when I get back.”

Gan Ting returned to her seat puzzled. The atmosphere in the class wasn’t normal. Usually it was noisy enough, but now pairs of students were whispering and murmuring to each other as if something major had happened.

Gan Ting asked the student behind her, “What is everyone talking about?”

“Ji Tong almost got beaten up just now, and a guy from Class 13 stood up for her.”

“What?!” Gan Ting was extremely surprised. “Who would hit her?”

“Zhang Xinrui. She didn’t succeed though—Li Qu stopped her in time. You didn’t see it, it was terrifying.”

“Why would Zhang Xinrui want to hit her? And who is Li Qu??”

“Seems like it’s because her boyfriend was flirting with Ji Tong. Li Qu is that glasses-wearing top student. I heard…”

Li Qu had long disappeared.

Ji Tong forgot to ask which class he was from.

She returned disappointed, when suddenly a voice came from behind her.

“Looking for me?”

Ji Tong turned around to see Li Qu standing at the stairway.

She walked toward him, stood in front of him, and asked, “Is your back okay? I want to accompany you to the infirmary.” Ji Tong rarely communicated with boys, and after just two sentences her ears turned red. She was too embarrassed to look directly at him. “To have it checked.”

“I’m fine.”

“But…” She fidgeted with her fingers, looked up at him, saw that Li Qu was also looking at her, and quickly averted her gaze. “You were hit pretty hard. What if there’s some internal injury?”

“Then take me there. I can’t find it.”

Ji Tong was stunned. “I can’t find it either.”

Li Qu smiled gently and quietly watched her.

Ji Tong racked her brains, trying to find some fragments about the infirmary in her memory. “It seems to be next to the library.”

“Then let’s go look for it.”

Ji Tong walked in front, with the person behind watching her the entire way.

Her neck was thin and long, with a small mole on the right side of her nape. She was very thin—even through her clothes you could feel how slender her waist was. She wore white sneakers, even the shoe edges were impossibly clean.

She had her hair in a ponytail, the ends lightly brushing against her back. When the wind blew, it brought the light fragrance from her hair into his nostrils.

It smelled so good, a scent he had never experienced before.

Li Qu followed her as they wandered aimlessly around campus, going further and further off course.

Ji Tong got confused and didn’t know which way to go. “It seems to be this way.

No, it should be this way.”

She felt extremely embarrassed and thought how great it would be if Da Hua were here to give her directions. But there wasn’t a single ghost in the school.

Ji Tong was somewhat frustrated—she didn’t want to encounter them when she did, but when she needed them, not a single ghost shadow was to be seen.

Finally, it was Li Qu who discovered the infirmary.

The sickbed was separated from the outside by a light blue screen. Li Qu took off his shirt and sat on the bed while the school doctor examined him.

Ji Tong stood at the door, and through the screen, she could vaguely see her shadow.

From beginning to end, his gaze never left her.

“Does it hurt here?”

Li Qu made a sound of acknowledgment.

“How about here?”

“Mm.”

“Here?”

“Mm.”

“The injury isn’t light. You’d better go to the hospital for an X-ray.”

“Mm.”

“Are you listening to me?”

“Mm.”

“Student?”

Li Qu looked at the school doctor. “Hm?”

“Does it actually hurt or not?”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

The school doctor was speechless. “You should still go to the hospital. I can’t treat you here.”

“Oh.”

Li Qu put on his clothes and came out.

Ji Tong stepped forward. “How is it?”

“I told you it was nothing.”

The school doctor shook his head helplessly. He was already used to students who came to the infirmary under the excuse of feeling unwell just to have romantic conversations, and he couldn’t be bothered to say anything to them.

On the way back to the classroom, the two walked side by side, half a meter apart.

When they almost reached the teaching building, Ji Tong said “Thank you.”

Li Qu comforted her, “Don’t be afraid. No matter how fierce they are, they’re just a group of kids who can’t cause much trouble.”

Ji Tong thought to herself: The way he talks, as if he’s much older.

“Go back and study well, don’t overthink it, eat more—you’re too thin. In the future—” He suddenly fell silent. There were too many things he wanted to say, but saying too much might make her think it was strange.

Ji Tong was indeed confused by what she heard. Why was he nagging like her grandmother?

At the first-floor stairway, Ji Tong stopped, and Li Qu also stopped. She looked up at him and said, “Take care of yourself.”

Her mouth opened and closed as if she had more to say. Li Qu waited joyfully for a long while and finally heard, “If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, come find me, and I’ll accompany you to the hospital.” She paused and added, “I’ll pay for the medical expenses.”

“I’m really fine.” Li Qu curved his lips upward and spread his arms. “Look.”

This gesture looked exactly like he was asking for a hug.

Ji Tong was suddenly shy, nodded, and wanted to leave quickly. “I’ll go back now. Thank you.”

Li Qu didn’t speak.

Ji Tong jogged up the stairs. At the turn, she suddenly looked back. “Which class are you in?”

This question stumped him.

So he pretended not to hear and went around to the other side of the wall.

After Ji Tong’s footsteps could no longer be heard, He Feng finally emerged from this body.

Li Qu collapsed to the ground, dizzy and disoriented, the whole world spinning. He suddenly crawled and rolled toward the bathroom, retching violently into the sink.

After vomiting, he straightened up, feeling a sharp pain in his back.

What was happening?

He Feng looked down at him, feeling somewhat guilty. He hadn’t possessed a human body in decades, and ordinary people couldn’t withstand him.

He followed Li Qu until he safely returned to his classroom before leaving.

Li Qu was weak all over and feebly called out “Reporting in.” Under the gaze of the entire class, he dejectedly sat back in his seat.

He pulled out a test paper and spread it open. Turning his head, he saw his deskmate staring at him.

“What are you looking at?”

His deskmate gave him a thumbs up. “Didn’t see this coming.”

“What?”

“Cool.”

Weirdo.

Li Qu couldn’t be bothered with him. Looking at the words on the test paper made him dizzy. After listening to the teacher explain one problem, he drowsily fell asleep on his desk.

…

In the early morning hours, Meng Yuan and two wild ghosts were lying on a rooftop, watching from afar as a female ghost on her death anniversary enjoyed a feast.

He Feng called to her twice but didn’t summon her—instead, he scared away the other two ghosts.

He Feng went to her side. “Are you deaf?”

“No.”

“I heard you got into a fight. Who hit you?”

“Who would dare hit me? I hit him.”

“For what reason?”

“He called you a traitor.”

He Feng fell silent.

“It made me so angry.”

“Let him say what he wants.”

“No way. I won’t let him say it. It’s clearly not true.” Meng Yuan snorted angrily. “I’ll beat him up every time I hear it!”

He Feng said nothing.

Meng Yuan looked pitifully at the food and suddenly sighed. “So envious. I really want offerings. I’m starving. It looks so delicious.”

He Feng took out money and gave it to her.

Meng Yuan happily accepted it. “So much!”

“Go buy some.”

As Meng Yuan counted, she suddenly looked up at him. “If you give me all your wages, what will you do?”

“I don’t need it. Take it.”

“Borrowing your reputation, some little ghosts are afraid of me too and occasionally give me small money and favors to put in good words for you with you.” Meng Yuan smiled and pulled out two bills to return to him. “Keep some on you just in case you need to grease some palms.”

“I don’t need these things to grease palms.”

“Don’t be so fierce all the time. At least get along well with colleagues and superiors. Relationships are important. If you do well, I benefit too. Maybe someday I could even become an official.”

“That works too.” He Feng reached out, about to take them back.

Meng Yuan quickly pulled back her hand and tucked the money away safely. “Never mind, you can’t get along with people anyway. It would be wasted!”

She whooshed away without a trace. “I’m going!”

He Feng chuckled softly.

Meng Yuan had never married. That year when Nanjing fell, she had been a lonely ghost since death, with no coffin, not protected by the underworld authorities, receiving no subsidies, and having no fixed resting place. For many years, she had been helpless and suffered all kinds of bullying until she accidentally met him, and only then did her days become easier.

He Feng had no sisters when alive, and his parents and brothers had long since reincarnated, leaving only him alone. All these years he had treated Meng Yuan like a real sister. Even if it meant shortchanging himself, he would never let her suffer.

In the distance, underworld messengers were capturing a soul and seemed to be encountering some trouble.

The soul looked to be only in their early twenties and was unwilling to follow the messengers back to the underworld, crying and making a fuss. This matter wasn’t under He Feng’s jurisdiction—the underworld had its own rules, everyone had their duties, and different departments didn’t interfere with each other.

He just watched from afar, feeling somewhat emotional.

Those long decades had passed so quickly.

…

Ji Tong had a dream.

She dreamed she was riding a horse, charging toward a cliff.

Someone behind her called out,

“A’Zhi—”

The horse was startled and couldn’t be reined in no matter what.

Just as she was about to plunge down, Ji Tong woke up.

In the deep quiet of night, she could hear her own short, rapid breathing. Looking at the small night light plugged into the distant wall, her heart was pounding terribly.

She tossed and turned for the rest of the night and couldn’t fall asleep again.

The next day, Ji Tong dozed through the entire morning until the fourth period—PE class—when she finally became somewhat alert.

PE class was held with several classes together.

When they reached the playground, Ji Tong spotted Li Qu from far away. She was about to greet him when Li Qu didn’t even glance at her, coldly passing by her side.

The words stuck in her throat and were awkwardly swallowed back down.

Maybe he didn’t see her.

After warm-up exercises, everyone formed groups of three to five to play. Some played ball, some chatted, some sneaked back to their classrooms…

Ji Tong didn’t fit in. In this class, the only one she got along with was Gan Ting. But Gan Ting had gone into the small grove with her boyfriend from Class 7.

Ji Tong sat alone under the shade of a tree, watching the group of boys play ball. One of them was Li Qu.

He didn’t look very happy, as if he’d been dragged into the activity against his will. He played terribly, moving slowly, and didn’t score a single shot.

Was it because of his back injury?

PE was the last class, and school ended after it finished. The midday sun was blazing, and the boys playing ball were all drenched in sweat.

Ji Tong hugged her backpack and hesitated for a long time. She wanted to give Li Qu a bottle of water, but with so many people around, it was a bit embarrassing.

She opened and closed her zipper, closed and opened it again, the backpack opening and closing many times. Finally, she mustered up the courage and took out the unopened bottle of mineral water. Looking left and right, seeing that everyone was playing their own games and no one was paying attention to her, she quietly snuck over.

Li Qu was standing on the side of the court resting. He stood straight, wiped his neck with a tissue, and when sweat got in his eyes, his slender fingers gently rubbed them.

So refined and elegant.

“Here’s some water for you.” Ji Tong extended her hand, her voice so small that only he could hear.

Li Qu looked down at her with a puzzled expression.

Ji Tong raised her hand a bit higher. “Want some water?”

Li Qu didn’t take it and moved a small step to the side. “No thanks.”

Several boys started making a commotion.

“Hey, isn’t that the girl from Class 5?”

“Take it quick.”

“Acting all modest! Can you do it or not?”

Li Qu was very displeased with these people’s teasing. His gaze impatiently swept over the top of her head without saying a word to her, and he walked away directly.

Ji Tong stood rooted to the spot, as if struck by lightning—struck while being stripped naked in public.

She lowered her hand, walked back silently with her head down, gripping the mineral water bottle tightly, her palms full of sweat.

So hot.

So embarrassing.

She bit her lip and looked up at Li Qu again. He stood among the crowd with no one passing the ball to him.

Why didn’t he want it? Why was he so cold, as if he didn’t know her at all?

Why did she go give him water!

Ji Tong’s intestines were about to turn green with regret.

He Feng was right beside her, watching her like this, his heart aching with pain.

Li Qu was naturally yang-deficient, and he probably often had ghosts by his side. Yesterday when He Feng possessed him, he had sensed the aura of other spirits. But now he stood among a group of boys bursting with yang energy. People fear ghosts, but ghosts also fear people, especially those full of righteousness. Plus it was high noon, which was very disadvantageous for ghosts.

Possessing him now would surely cause self-damage.

Ji Tong lowered her head again, feeling her face burning hot—maybe the sun was too intense.

Yes, the sun was too intense, almost evaporating her.

She felt the constant gazes and whispers directed at her from all around.

She wanted to find a crack to crawl into…

Suddenly, a green branch blocked the top of her head.

A pair of white sneakers appeared in her field of vision.

Her gaze moved up the white shoes to see who it was.

Li Qu held the branch, shielding her from the blazing sun.

Ji Tong stared up at him in a daze, speechless.

Li Qu said nothing, took the mineral water from her hand, opened the cap, and drank the entire bottle in one go.

Ji Tong didn’t know how to react.

Until Li Qu returned the empty bottle to her and said, “Thank you.”

A round of cheering erupted around them.

Ji Tong took the bottle, her fair face flushed with pink. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m going back to play ball.”

“Mm.”

Li Qu left, looking back every three steps.

Ji Tong put the bottle back in her backpack and looked toward him again. Li Qu had already returned to his classmates, and several boys were talking and laughing while glancing in her direction.

Ji Tong immediately lowered her head.

Later, she looked over again amid a burst of cheering.

Li Qu had made a beautiful shot.

He looked toward her, saw that Ji Tong was also watching him, smiled gently, casually tossed the ball, and scored again.

He was like a completely different person from before.

Indeed, this little game was easy for He Feng.

Back in the day, he had thrown flying knives all over the mountains. As long as he locked onto a target, he never missed.

Including when he later killed people.

…