Lin Dusheng, who had fallen into the water, had completely vanished beneath the surface, yet Du Ye still had not snapped out of his daze.
“What happened?” Lu Xincheng asked loudly.
“Just now, it was very strange.” Lu Xincheng and the others were further away and could not see clearly, but Du Ye had a sharp view. “Lin Dusheng clearly jumped onto the boat just now, but then he fell through.”
Lu Xincheng frowned. “Didn’t he just lose his footing and fall off?”
Du Ye shook his head. “It felt like he passed right through the bottom of the boat. It was as if the boat was transparent to him.”
“I know this sounds absolutely incredible, but”
“The evil spirit rejected him.”
Lu Xincheng raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at the person beside him.
“That is why he could not get on the awning boat. Not everyone can board,” Wen Yaozhi said, his eyes sweeping meaningfully toward Lu Xincheng.
Lu Xincheng huffed. “What, does the evil spirit have a beauty standard or something?”
Wen Yaozhi: “…”
Feng Yu did not make a sound after boarding.
The girl’s excessive calmness was actually worrying; it made one fret over her mental state. When they set out, she had four companions with her, but now she was the only one left. They were all her classmates; anyone would find it unbearable.
Lu Xincheng looked back at the girl and nudged Wen Yaozhi’s arm with his elbow. “She is your classmate, right?”
Wen Yaozhi turned his head. “I suppose.”
“You suppose?” Lu Xincheng hesitated before asking the next question. “Do you know her name?”
Wen Yaozhi’s brow furrowed as if he were searching through a very deep memory. He shook his head.
Lu Xincheng: “…”
Lu Xincheng gave him a thumbs up.
“Lend me your school jacket.” Without asking questions, Wen Yaozhi obediently untied the jacket from his waist and handed it to Lu Xincheng.
“Du Ye,” Lu Xincheng called out, tossing the jacket over.
Du Ye caught it.
Lu Xincheng pointed to the girl beside him. It took Du Ye half a second to catch on, and he draped the jacket over the girl’s shoulders.
Feng Yu was soaked to the bone; when the jacket covered her, she shuddered. The dry fabric still held some human warmth, pulling her back to the world of the living from her icy hell. The gentle voice coming from the front sounded like music from heaven.
“Do not be afraid. You are safe now.”
Feng Yu looked up, her spirit still hollow. Two people sat in the boat sailing parallel ahead. The man speaking on the left was very young. Just looking at his face made one feel comfortable; the gentle smile on his lips brought an inexplicable sense of peace and reliability.
The cold-faced boy sitting next to him was Wen Yaozhi.
So, not all her classmates were dead. Someone was still alive. As Feng Yu looked at Wen Yaozhi, a glimmer of hope returned to her eyes. Lu Xincheng watched silently as her gaze gradually cleared.
“Can you tell me what you went through?”
Feng Yu spoke, her voice hoarse. “The current was too fast along the way, and there were so many waves. Zhenzhen was swept away by a wave.” Her voice trembled. “Li Shuya too. Everyone is dead. It is just me. Oh, and Wang Dimeng. Wang Dimeng should still be alive; she got onto an awning boat like this one.”
She recounted the events of their journey in fragments. Lu Xincheng fell silent after listening. Du Ye comforted her from the side. “It is okay. We will not leave you behind.”
As if finally realizing she had been saved, Feng Yu began to cry uncontrollably, like a dam bursting. For a moment, the boat was silent. Lu Xincheng thought of something and glanced sideways at Wen Yaozhi.
Feng Yu was already very brave for a girl. After all, there would not be a second junior high student like Wen Yaozhi.
The awning boat continued forward, drifting aimlessly yet seemingly with a clear destination.
“The administration building is ahead,” Wen Yaozhi said, pointing to the structure in front of them.
Just as Lin Dusheng had guessed, the administration building had indeed not been completely submerged. They temporarily moored the boat by the side of the teaching building. After Du Ye got off the boat, he helped Feng Yu down as well.
Landing in the corridor of the teaching building, Feng Yu noticed that Lu Xincheng was still sitting on the boat like a serene Buddha, as was Wen Yaozhi. “Teacher Lu, you guys?”
“Du Ye, you stay here with them.”
Du Ye nodded. He could not go any further with them. As long as he saw the water, that bone-deep fear in his heart would not dissipate.
“Wait,” Feng Yu called out urgently. “Teacher Lu, I do not want to stay here. I want to find Zhenzhen. What if she is not dead?” Through her clothes, she gripped the glasses in her pocket. What if she had also been lucky enough to find a boat and be rescued?
Lu Xincheng shifted his gaze slightly. “You do not need to go. We will help you look.”
Wen Yaozhi was untying the school jacket that had served as a tether.
“But do you know what she looks like?”
Lu Xincheng looked at the space beside Feng Yu. “Is it that girl with short hair and a mole near her mouth?”
“Yes!” Feng Yu was surprised that Lu Xincheng knew Zhang Zhenzhen’s appearance.
But once she was certain they would help search, the light returned to her eyes. She completely failed to notice the deep, hidden meaning in Lu Xincheng’s gaze and bowed deeply to him. Lu Xincheng gave her a slight nod.
The awning boat drifted further away. Wen Yaozhi looked back at the shore one last time. Four figures flickered in the light and shadows of the corridor.
The girl standing next to Feng Yu had sensible short hair. Her eyes, missing the glasses she usually wore, appeared slightly sunken and lifeless. She stared blankly at her best friend, lost and helpless; she was right there, but Feng Yu could not see her at all.
The chubby boy, Zhang Chao, was still waving at them.
Once the small boat had completely vanished into the night, Du Ye said, “Let’s go. We are going to the broadcast station.”
Feng Yu was about to follow when she suddenly paused, remembering something. “Why did Teacher Lu say ‘them’ just now?”
“What?”
“He said ‘you stay here with them’.”
Du Ye: “…”
“But clearly, there is only you and me here.” Feng Yu grew thoughtful as she pulled the glasses out of her pocket.
Du Ye glanced at her. “You must have misheard. Do not overthink it. Let’s go.” Du Ye raised an eyebrow and took the lead. He had been terrified the whole way; now, his instinct was simply to stay as far away from the water as possible.
The raised seats in the boat were not spacious. As the boat swayed, the two’s shoulders occasionally brushed against each other. In this atmosphere, the silence was indeed a bit awkward.
Lu Xincheng sighed with emotion. “Their friendship is truly enviable. It would be nice if I had a friend like that.”
There was no response from the person beside him.
“What about you, Student Wen?” Lu Xincheng asked curiously. “Don’t you have a good friend like that in school?”
Wen Yaozhi’s eyes remained calm and still. “I do not.”
“If you have one in the future and encounter something like this, you would surely be like Feng Yu, wouldn’t you?”
Lu Xincheng did not hear an answer from Wen Yaozhi. This person had been stubborn since he was a child. Fortunately, his heart was not quite so hardened back then; at least he had not immediately exorcised Zhang Chao and Zhang Zhenzhen when he saw they had become ghosts.
As they spoke, the awning boat had already traveled quite a distance. The surrounding mist was gradually thickening, and the temperature was dropping. Ahead, the shadow of an ancient temple appeared like a mirage.
The water was dotted with several other awning boats of the same design. They all seemed to be on autopilot, following a pre-set course. The destination was self-evident.
Lu Xincheng looked around and asked, “Do you see any classmates you recognize?”
Wen Yaozhi looked at them one by one, then shook his head.
Lu Xincheng sighed. “It is better that you do not see them; it means there is still hope they are alive.”
The young Wen Yaozhi stared at the vast waters with deep, dark eyes, his face expressionless. “I do not care about their lives or deaths. It has nothing to do with me.”
He could easily imagine how the young teacher beside him would harshly criticize such an anti-social remark. He normally loathed empty preaching and could have kept his thoughts to himself, but for some reason, he had spoken his mind.
However, after a moment of silence, a soft voice asked, “Then what about me? Do you care about my life or death?”
Wen Yaozhi’s expression froze in shock for a second, and he turned to look over. The intern teacher’s hair color looked exceptionally bright against the backdrop of the black water. There was not a hint of mockery or playfulness in his expression; he looked as if he truly wanted to hear the answer from Wen Yaozhi’s mouth.
Wen Yaozhi’s eyelid twitched for no reason, and he blurted out, “Who exactly are you?”
At the same time, an absurd thought rose in his mind: He is not a teacher. How could a teacher possibly dye their hair this color? If he was not a teacher, then who would he be?
Under the boy’s increasingly wary gaze, Lu Xincheng burst into laughter. “I am just teasing you. What are you thinking, Student Wen?”
Lu Xincheng patted the boy’s hard, thin shoulder. “Your nerves are too frayed.”
The lines of the boy’s back stiffened, his face went pale, and his molars were clenched tight. As time passed, the surroundings became more crowded. Boats converged from all directions toward a single point. Some of these boats carried male and female students. When those students looked at Wen Yaozhi, there was a faint look of fear in their eyes.
Most of the boats carried only a single spirit, all of whom were desperately searching for a partner. A lone spirit could not gain the approval of the evil spirit.
At that moment, there was a commotion up ahead. The eyes of the lone spirits on the boats were instantly drawn to it.
“Ah!” A scream rang out from the front.
Wang Dimeng’s boat had run aground on a giant rock. The waves behind her slammed into the hull, and the boat was quickly smashed to pieces. Wang Dimeng used her hands and feet to cling to the rock; fortunately, it was large enough that she would not fall into the water immediately.
In a place she could not see, countless hands were reaching out from behind her, trying to pull her down. She sat down slowly on the rock, which was far from smooth. Having lost her boat, the girl buried her head in her arms and cried, her lips already turned purple from the cold.
Then, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Wang Dimeng looked up with teary eyes. “Teacher?” Thinking she had seen wrong, she wiped her eyes hard. “Teacher Lin, is it really you?”
Lin Dusheng nodded. “It is me.”
The glasses on the bridge of his nose were gone, and he was soaking wet from head to toe, looking like a water ghost that had just crawled out of the depths.
“Teacher, what is wrong with you?”
Lin Dusheng’s expression was bizarre. His mouth was slightly open, and his pitch-black eyes were staring straight at Wang Dimeng. His gaze did not look human at all; it was like a predator looking at raw meat. It made Wang Dimeng’s hair stand on end. She subconsciously stepped back. “Teacher, are you alright?”
“No” Lin Dusheng suddenly bent over and began to cough. He covered his mouth with his hand, and when he pulled it away, Wang Dimeng vaguely saw a smear of blackish-red.
“Come here, let Teacher look at you” A strange rattling sound came from Lin Dusheng’s throat.
Wang Dimeng sensed something was wrong, but it was too late. Lin Dusheng’s hand gripped her slender neck, and in the next second, he bit down. Lin Dusheng stretched his mouth open to a degree impossible for a human. Even though his jaw had dislocated, he continued to hold it in place with one hand while chewing on the bloody raw meat.
This was the scene Lu Xincheng arrived to see. It was a visual shock. Sensing the aura of a new living person, Lin Dusheng abruptly raised his head, tilting it to the side as his gaze locked onto Wen Yaozhi. He could no longer speak; his mouth was still reflexively chewing, and his throat emitted intermittent sounds.
Wen Yaozhi deciphered the look the teacher was giving him. Aside from the desire for food, there was a residual, deep-seated loathing in his eyes. By chance, Lin Dusheng had once seen the talismans and notes left to Wen Yaozhi by his uncle in his desk. He had called Wen Yaozhi to the office and given him a harsh scolding. Since then, the way Lin Dusheng looked at Wen Yaozhi had changed. It was exactly like this.
When Wen Yaozhi’s short peach-wood blade struck, he did not actually think much; it was pure reflex. In his eyes, the thing in front of him was no longer human. Although the exterior retained human features, the thick black aura emanating from him indicated that he had been parasitized by something evil.
Instinct in the face of danger made Lin Dusheng raise his hand; the short blade pierced his palm and sliced through the clothes on his chest. Wen Yaozhi’s strength was immense, and he forced the hilt forward even further. The tip of the blade broke the skin, and dark red blood began to flow. Although the evil spirit resided within him, the body was still human. The peach-wood sword itself did not deal a fatal blow.
Since the first strike was not lethal, Lin Dusheng’s other hand clamped onto Wen Yaozhi’s neck. No matter how strong Wen Yaozhi was, he was still just a junior high student and could not overpower an adult man possessed by an evil spirit.
“Hey, Teacher Lin.” Lin Dusheng instinctively looked up. A flying kick landed solidly on his chest. He staggered back, releasing his grip.
Lu Xincheng landed steadily and looked at the boy beside him. “Are you okay?”
The boy coughed lightly, his voice slightly raspy. “I am fine. I can handle it.”
Lu Xincheng looked at the dark red finger marks on Wen Yaozhi’s neck and silently stepped aside. Wen Yaozhi indeed did not try to play the hero. His movements were incredibly fast; he sliced several openings at Lin Dusheng’s wrists and ankles and threw out a talisman he had been carrying.
Lin Dusheng’s body went stiff. He looked up and opened his mouth, and black gas continuously spilled from his wounds. When the black gas was exhausted, he seemed to lose all his strength and collapsed onto the giant rock. Wen Yaozhi stared at the black gas in the air. It gathered together, forming a cloud of black mist that lingered for a moment before suddenly plunging into the water.
The giant rock beneath them began to vibrate, and the entire water surface shook with it. The distant mist cleared, revealing a magnificent and solemn temple. Beneath a gilded spire, vermilion square doors slowly opened inward. In an instant, the awning boats crowded at the entrance swarmed inside.
“It seems like this is its nest. Let’s go in.” Wen Yaozhi wiped away the blood that had splashed onto his chin. When he received no response, he turned to look. Because of the rock’s vibration, Lin Dusheng, who was already near the edge, was about to slide off.
Lu Xincheng was slowly walking toward him. Lin Dusheng had regained consciousness. Although his body had been controlled by the evil spirit, he had not lost his five senses. Now, blood was oozing from wounds all over his body; he was covered in red. He looked at the approaching Lu Xincheng and was mumbling something. Because of his dislocated jaw, he could not articulate his words.
He knew Wen Yaozhi must hate him and would not help. But this new teacher, he had not offended him at all.
The grey-haired young man smiled at him, his expression as warm as sunlight, enough to make one overlook the faint hint of contempt in that smile. He said gently to Lin Dusheng, “Wait, let me help you.”
A spark of light returned to the eyes of the bleeding man on the ground. In the next second, the grey-haired young man stomped hard on Lin Dusheng’s shoulder, kicking him into the water. With a splash, Lin Dusheng fell into the water once again.
In the water below the rock, the upper half of a girl’s delicate face appeared above the surface. Lu Xincheng vaguely remembered her name was Li Shuya. She was also one of Feng Yu’s companions. White. From the color, it seemed to be a deeper obsession than grey.
Li Shuya grabbed Lin Dusheng’s clothes and silently dived to the bottom of the water. At the same time, Lu Xincheng’s ring grew hot again; it was the one on his middle finger.
“What are you doing?” the boy’s crisp, cold voice sounded from the side.
“Helping others.” More accurately, helping a ghost.
Wen Yaozhi had witnessed the entire process of the female ghost taking Lin Dusheng away, but he had no intention of stopping it. Although Lin Dusheng was technically still breathing, in their eyes, he was no different from a dead man.
“Let’s go. Into the temple,” Wen Yaozhi said decisively, moving on from the matter of Lin Dusheng.
“Alright.”