Just as I was trembling in fear, my heart racing uncontrollably, the horrifying scene before me suddenly disappeared, plunging me back into darkness. I guessed it was probably that ghostly girl who cut off my connection to the netherworld and brought me back to reality. I stopped chanting the incantation, wiped my forehead, and found it drenched in cold sweat.
"Got scared, didn't you?" the ghostly girl asked excitedly.
I thought to myself, "Here I am, scared out of my wits, and you're thrilled about it? Truly heartless!" Still, I nodded and replied, "I saw myself... looking like a ghost!"
She chuckled and said, "You've done well. I didn't expect you to make such progress so quickly. The first stage of initiation is seeing your own soul, not a ghost—what you saw was your spirit."
I was stunned. "That sounds like I'm exceptionally gifted. Didn't you say it would take days to reach this point? I managed it in just one session!"
"Well," she smirked, "you've been absorbing my spiritual energy over the past few days. It speeds up your learning process, though tonight was unexpectedly fast, even for me." She paused and added, "That's enough training for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll move on to a new set of chants and hand gestures—let's aim for another breakthrough."
Her words lifted my spirits. With her spiritual energy boosting my progress, I might reach advanced levels in no time. Who knows? By tomorrow, I might even reach the next stage!
I got up and checked my phone; it was nearly midnight. Unbelievably, I had been practicing for over three hours—it felt like mere minutes. After relieving myself in the corner, I was ready to sleep when the ghostly girl suddenly said, "Someone's entered the building. It sounds like two people, but I can only hear them, not see them—it's too far away."
My heart skipped a beat. Was it security coming to chase me out? I crept silently to the stairwell and strained to listen but heard nothing. Carefully, I descended to the second floor, where I finally caught the sound of voices.
"Get your hands off me! How dare you lay a finger on me? Believe it or not, I'll have Feng Lan deal with you tomorrow!" a somewhat unfamiliar female voice snapped angrily.
I frowned, puzzled. Who could this be? If someone were sneaking around for a tryst, this didn't sound like it. But the mention of Feng Lan intrigued me—only seven of us knew about that ghost, and we all swore to keep it a secret. How did she know?
Then, a male voice responded, "Heh, you said it'd be fine. Why are you blaming me now for following Xiaoxiang and risking my life?" Damn, that was Zhu Wantao!
"That was an accident! If you hadn't left the grove and followed Xiaoxiang, the ghost wouldn't have targeted you. Besides, you took full advantage of her fear that night, didn't you?" the girl sneered coldly.
"I didn't mean to take advantage! She ran into my arms because she was scared!" That jerk's tone made me seethe. I'd accidentally hugged Xiaoying that night, and now it seemed he had his moment with Xiaoxiang. If I'd known, we could've swapped places!
"Stop pretending to be innocent. I have something serious to discuss with you tonight," the girl continued icily. "Feng Lan will reappear in a few days. Wang Lin might have been scared off, thanks to you, but Wu Long is still around. He'll definitely try to help again. You need to convince Xiaoxiang to keep everyone else out of this. Once Feng Lan kills Xiaoying and Xiaoxiang, someone will deal with the ghost, and you'll get what you want."
I gasped. So Feng Lan and the ghost fetus's killings weren't mere accidents but part of a sinister plot! This girl was clearly orchestrating it, and her targets were Xiaoying and Xiaoxiang. But why? What grudge did she hold against them? And who was the "he" she mentioned working with Wu Long?
"I want Xiaoying!" Zhu Wantao declared firmly.
"No. She must die. Isn't Teacher Qiu more appealing than her?"
After a moment's silence, Zhu Wantao replied, "Fine, but you better keep your word. Don't go back on your promise and stop me from being with Teacher Qiu."
Damn it! So this scumbag was selling his soul for a roll in the hay with Teacher Qiu? He was worse than an animal! My blood boiled, and I realized from his words that this conspiracy involved multiple people, including that so-called teacher.
"Relax. Teacher Qiu isn't some chaste maiden. She just acts proper in front of the principal and director. Once you complete your task, she'll be yours for as long as you want."
"Deal!" Zhu Wantao laughed lewdly. Then he added, "How about letting me touch you for now?"
"Get lost, you creep!" the girl snapped.
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving!" Zhu Wantao stammered before his hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.
The girl stormed out angrily after him. I wanted to chase them down, pummel Zhu Wantao, and unmask the girl. But I restrained myself. It was better not to alert them that I knew their plan, or it might become impossible to save Xiaoying and Xiaoxiang later.
After they left, I sat on the stairs and asked the ghostly girl, "Did you see who the girl was?"
"No," she replied helplessly. "Her face was smeared with mugwort juice, which blocks spiritual sight. I couldn't make out her features."
"Mugwort juice can do that?"
"It blocks ghostly vision. She likely used it to avoid being tracked by spirits. Even I couldn't see her face."
"Can you figure out why they're plotting this?"
"I'm not omniscient," she said. "I can deduce someone's destiny and past from their face, but it's not always accurate. And I don't have any tools for divination while I'm stuck in your body."
So she wasn't as almighty as I'd thought. With a sigh, I returned to the fourth floor and lay down, but sleep eluded me. My mind raced with questions: Who was that girl? Why did she want to kill Xiaoying and Xiaoxiang? Neither of them ever seemed to have disputes with others.
The more I thought about it, the more mysterious the girl seemed. Her ability to manipulate Feng Lan's ghost suggested a highly skilled accomplice—possibly the same person who hid Feng Lan's body in the grove years ago.
I resolved to intensify my training. If I could reach the next level of spiritual communication, I might be able to uncover the truth. I even started imagining the progression like levels in a cultivation novel: initiation, advanced connection, deeper attunement... all leading to ultimate mastery.
"Hey, Xiaoning, I can't sleep. Let's keep practicing the spiritual arts," I suggested.
"Sure! Just don't blame me if you pass out from exhaustion," she teased.
She taught me a new chant and hand gestures, and I meditated until dawn. Though I didn't "level up," I felt surprisingly refreshed, as if I hadn't missed a wink of sleep. Standing by the open window, watching students exercising on the field and an old janitor sweeping the grounds, I felt a strange sense of warmth. A new day had begun.