I don't know how long I'd been asleep, but suddenly, I was hit with a chilling presence! My eyes snapped open, and I found Daiyu standing at the edge of my bed.
Without a second thought, I jumped out of bed and dressed. I knew she'd make me regret it if I stayed in bed too long.
A wise man knows when to act.
Daiyu was satisfied with my quick response. "I brought you sandbags today. Each one weighs ten kilograms. Your task is to run five kilometers while carrying them. If you don't finish, you won't get breakfast or go to school."
"Wait, what? Are you serious? You want me to run five kilometers with forty pounds of sandbags?" I protested.
She raised an eyebrow. "Don't want to?"
"I do! I do!" I hurriedly nodded, realizing it was better not to anger her. She might have been joking, but knowing her, the consequences would be severe. Still, running five kilometers with forty pounds of weight was… insane.
An hour and twenty minutes later, I finally finished the task! I was gasping for air, my chest burning like I was about to cough up blood. Sweat soaked my clothes, sticking to my skin, making me feel utterly miserable. My legs were numb, like they weren't even mine anymore, and I didn't have the energy to move them.
I staggered up the stairs, barely able to keep myself upright, and collapsed onto the bed. Daiyu stood beside me, watching. "Your willpower is decent. Honestly, I wasn't trying to torture you. You came into this too late, and your physical foundation is too weak. You need to strengthen your body fast, or you won't be able to practice Taoist arts."
I couldn't speak, too tired to even grunt. Daiyu left quietly. When my mom called me to breakfast, I didn't eat. Instead, I grabbed a pack of crackers and weakly headed out the door.
My bike's tire had been punctured last night, and I hadn't fixed it yet, so I had to take a taxi to school.
I stumbled into campus, once again the center of attention. By now, I was used to the stares, the admiration, and even the jealousy. Ignoring them, I walked straight into my classroom.
Xiao Hui wasn't there yet.
I plopped my head down on the desk, too exhausted to do anything but sleep. The morning's physical exertion had drained me completely, and I had zero energy to focus on class.
I drifted in and out of sleep, and Xiao Hui called my name twice. I groaned in response, but when she saw I wasn't getting up, she didn't bother calling again.
When school let out for lunch, Xiao Hui shook me awake. "Zhang Xiaolong, are you sleeping again? This isn't good. Also, the sword hilt is in your desk."
I grabbed the hilt from the drawer, shoved it into my backpack, and walked out of the classroom with Xiao Hui.
At home, after lunch, I decided I was going to help Xiao Hui with her problem this afternoon. But the truth was, I knew almost nothing about Taoist magic. Fortunately, I had the Ox Eye Tears and the Shadow Sword. The Ox Eye Tears would let me see ghosts, and the Shadow Sword was one of the top ten ancient swords—an exorcism weapon, as the swordswoman had said. So, even though I was scared, holding the sword in my hands gave me a little courage.
I packed the Ox Eye Tears into my bag along with the sword, took my entire savings of 250 yuan out of my wallet, and left the house, telling my mom I was going to the bookstore to buy some books.
At the bookstore, I bought a traditional Chinese dictionary. Since The Ox Gate Chronicles was written entirely in traditional characters, I needed one to understand it.
Back in class that afternoon, Xiao Hui still hadn't arrived, and the room was mostly empty. I took out the Ox Eye Tears, dipped my finger in, and applied a small amount to my eyes. Daiyu had told me that the effect would last for an hour.
I placed the Ox Eye Tears back in my desk drawer and looked around the classroom, but I didn't see anything unusual. Just as I was starting to wonder why nothing was happening, a boy sat down next to me. He was a little cocky, his voice laced with mockery as he said, "What's this? You're here early today?"
His name was Xia Chaoran. He was around 175 cm tall, with Russian blood, blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. His face wore an air of superiority, as if he thought he was above everyone else. And with good reason—he was handsome, smart, and rich. His family owned a business worth hundreds of millions.
I'd never interacted with him before, and we'd never even spoken, so I responded casually, "Oh, the class monitor. Anything to teach me?"
"Not much. Just a warning," he said with a sneer. "Don't get too close to Zhou Huiqing. If you do, I'll make you regret it. In this city, traffic accidents happen all the time, and as a commuter student, you should be careful on your way to and from school."
With that, he patted me on the shoulder, stood up, and walked back to his seat, surrounded by a group of girls, because Xia Chaoran was the definition of a "rich and handsome guy."
I clenched my fists, irritated by his threat. But honestly, he was right. With his family's influence, faking a car accident would be no problem for him. And I wasn't stupid. I knew when to pick my battles. If I pissed him off today, my parents could end up getting dragged into it. But what bothered me was that he was eyeing Xiao Hui.
To be honest, seeing Xiao Hui grow into a young woman made me realize I liked her too. Our relationship was already complicated because of a misunderstanding from childhood. Xia Chaoran, on the other hand, was just a playboy. Once he was done with her, he'd toss her aside, and I didn't want that to happen.
Looks like my only hope now is in Taoist magic. I swore to myself that I'd learn everything I could, and from today onward, I'd push myself to the limit in every task Daiyu gave me. She wanted me to run five kilometers? I'd run ten! For myself, for my parents, for Xiao Hui—and in the end, for the peace between the worlds of the living and the dead.
Not long after, Xiao Hui arrived. When I looked at her, I noticed dark, swirling energy around her forehead. It had to be the effect of the Ox Eye Tears, because normally, I had to concentrate carefully to even catch a faint trace of such energy.
The Ox Eye Tears were incredible! Unknowingly, my belief in Taoist magic was growing stronger. I casually chatted with Xiao Hui about old stories from our village until the bell rang for class. Xiao Hui smiled and said, "Xiaolong(Bruce), you need to study hard. Your parents will be happy. If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me."
I gave her a distracted nod, not wanting to interrupt her class, and turned my attention to the textbook. I absentmindedly began doodling on the page, tracing the symbols from the Talisman Compendium—the very first one I'd learned.
I had only glanced at it for a few minutes last night, but I remembered the drawing well, even though I still had no idea what it was for.
The afternoon passed slowly. Every hour, I would apply some Ox Eye Tears to my eyes, but still no signs of ghosts or strange occurrences. The only disturbance was Xia Chaoran, who used the excuse of discussing practice questions to get close to Xiao Hui. He shot me a spiteful glance as he did.
When school let out in the evening, I offered to walk Xiao Hui home. She didn't refuse. Xia Chaoran, on the other hand, was a boarding student and couldn't leave the school freely.
Since I hadn't ridden my bike (it was still broken), Xiao Hui and I walked slowly, but as we strolled, I started to notice a few pale, drifting figures—a few ghosts floating by. I turned pale as well, my voice becoming unnaturally shaky. Xiao Hui, noticing my discomfort, asked if I was feeling unwell. I quickly made up an excuse and muttered something about "a sudden headache."
When we reached Xiao Hui's building, a gust of cold wind blew through, and then… I saw something horrifying!
A baby covered in blood seemed to float out of the locked building's door!
The door had been locked—there was no way for anyone to get out, yet this baby was floating. It immediately crawled onto Xiao Hui's back. She shivered slightly and murmured, "So cold," before glancing at me and offering a small smile. "Thanks for walking me home."
My teeth chattered, and my mind screamed: Xiao Hui's been haunted by a ghost! That little ghost was terrifying. I fought to suppress my fear, refusing to look at the ghost, and forced a smile. I pulled out the Shadow Sword hilt from my backpack and handed it to Xiao Hui.
"Xiao Hui, could you hold onto this for me? Please make sure you don't lose it, I'll get it from you tomorrow."
The moment I took out the sword hilt, the little ghost began to squirm, its bloodshot eyes fixed on the sword as if it feared it. Xiao Hui took the hilt, and immediately, a golden light enveloped her body, sending the ghost flying with a piercing shriek!
It worked! I'd only seen something like that in movies before. Who would've thought, now I, the Headmaster, could wield such power! Hahaha…
The fear gradually lifted from my chest. I smiled at Xiao Hui. "Alright, Xiao Hui, you're safe now. Please take care of the hilt, and don't lose it."
After Xiao Hui went inside, I walked home with a smug sense of accomplishment. But just as I was walking along the street, something terrifying happened that almost made me wet myself!
That same ghost was following me!
It floated about five meters behind me, and as if that wasn't eerie enough, I noticed something strange: I had been walking for over ten minutes, yet I kept circling the same streetlamp, which had all sorts of odd flyers stuck to it—advertisements for treating STDs, wholesale Indian aphrodisiacs, and even a flyer for "certificate services." The most bizarre part was a torn piece of cloth hanging from the lamp, swaying in the wind.
I had been walking in circles for so long, it felt like I hadn't gone anywhere at all! Was this the Ghost Wall everyone talks about?
My heart nearly stopped. Damn it, I'm just starting in Taoist magic, and I'm already facing this kind of high-level ghost stuff? I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Now's not the time to panic. If I couldn't beat the ghost, then I'd have to bluff my way out of this!
I suddenly spun around and yelled at the ghost, "Hey, little ghost! I, the Taoist Master, am showing you mercy! Yet you're so ungrateful—do you want me to wipe you out completely? Amitabha, Hallelujah, as the law commands!"
To my surprise, the ghost froze in place, seemingly intimidated. But then, its eyes flashed with red light, and it lunged at me!
I cursed inwardly. There was no time to think—I turned and ran!
But as I ran, an icy chill seeped into my body, like standing bare-chested in the snow during winter. My whole body trembled uncontrollably.
I kept running, desperate to escape, but after what seemed like an eternity, I somehow found myself back on the main road. I flagged down a taxi, got in, and couldn't stop shivering, still feeling cold despite being inside the car.
When I got home, I dug out my down jacket. My dad asked what was wrong. I said I was cold, but when he touched my forehead, he gasped, "You're burning up!" He grabbed the thermometer, and sure enough, I had a fever of 39°C (102°F).
My parents were about to rush me to the hospital, but then Daiyu appeared, though of course, my parents couldn't see her. She said, "Your body's been invaded by Yin energy. Don't worry, I'll come back to help you later."
With that, Daiyu pressed her hand on my forehead, and after five seconds, I felt a rush of warmth, and the cold sensation completely vanished. What a true heroine!
I sighed with relief, then turned to my dad, "Dad, don't panic. The thermometer must be broken. I feel much better now. Not as cold as before, see?" I let him touch my forehead again, and sure enough, my temperature was normal.
My parents sighed in relief and quickly moved on to the next crisis: food. "You're probably starving. Let's eat."