My consciousness blurred as the charred corpse on my back dragged me towards the thirteenth step. The trapped souls inside pounded against an invisible barrier, as if there was an unseen gate between two worlds.
My heart slowed, my eyelids grew heavy, and an unprecedented drowsiness washed over me. “I’m tired,” I thought, longing to just fall asleep and never wake up again.
“Gao Jian!” At a critical moment, that voice rang out again. But half of my body had already been pulled into the realm of the dead, icy and chilling, my throat dry as if submerged in a dark lake, unable to utter a word.
“Gao Jian!” Someone kept calling my name—this was not a hallucination, but a definite sound that I heard.
I waved my hands like a drowning person, but my body continued to sink uncontrollably, as if in a nightmare, falling into an endless abyss.
“Grab my hand, Gao Jian!” The dark lake rippled as a ball of fire descended from the sky, filling my lifeless eyes with its radiance and occupying my entire field of vision.
Instinctively, I covered my eyes, but my palm touched the flames before me. There was no burning pain, only warmth, like holding a piece of Hetian jade, smooth and firm. It was a woman’s hand!
“Grab on!” The long-lost warmth spread throughout my body, and my heart surged with renewed vitality. I grabbed onto the fire tightly, and all the darkness before me was burned away by the blaze!
Taking deep breaths of air, I suddenly woke up from what felt like a dream, and opened my eyes wide.
The corpse on my back was still there, but the thirteenth step leading to the other world was gone, replaced by a piece of human skin carved with intricate patterns, peeled from the chest area.
Guo Junjie’s disappeared skin was placed on the path that led to the rooftop; this cursed piece of skin was used to imprison the souls of students who died unjustly.
“Who saved me just now?” I looked up and saw two figures, one black and one red, engaged in fierce combat on the staircase. The black, ferocious demon was the Yuan Chen, while the woman in a bright red bridal gown, also haunted by resentment, turned out to be Xiao Feng!
“Red Luan’s Auspicious Day!” The voice in the live stream room was filled with surprise: “The auspicious day of Red Luan is when the eight characters align with the divine omen. What kind of fate does the host have? It’s rare for an ordinary person to encounter one divine omen in their lifetime, but this person has encountered two different divine omens in just a few hours! And the fates are conflicting, yet they have turned calamity into fortune!”
Red Luan’s Auspicious Day is also one of the divine omens; though not as menacing as Yuan Chen’s, it has the power to control bloodshed and is formidable in short-term battles.
I didn’t know how Xiao Feng had followed me here, but I didn’t have time to think about it now. I stood up again, carrying Guo Junjie’s corpse on my back, stepping over the piece of human skin, and kicking open the wooden door that led to the rooftop.
The faint moonlight fell on my face as I reached the top of the building. Only here, on the highest floor, could I catch a glimpse of the moonlight.
“Under the moon’s gentle radiance, I will shatter your evil spirit into pieces and scatter your soul!” I took step by step towards the edge of the teaching building, walking on the railing.
“Die!” I exerted all my strength and threw the corpse from my back out of the fourth floor!
“Roar!” A thunderous roar echoed through the corridor as countless sinister ghostly faces emerged from all directions, baring their teeth and claws, wailing and howling like wolves.
“Thud!” The sound of the body colliding with the ground came a few seconds later, and at the same time, all the ghosts that had gathered on the rooftop dissipated into thin air.
It was not until then that Yuan Chen, the ferocious demon, finally broke free from Xiao Feng’s grasp in the corridor. He walked towards the rooftop, but it was too late. Everything had already ended.
The evil spirits turned into strands of green smoke, leaving only a slender boy standing in front of me. He was wearing a thin school uniform, and his blurry face gradually became clear.
“Is it you?” I blurted out, uttering only two words, but I couldn’t recall where I had encountered him before, despite racking my brain.
“We will meet again.” The boy turned into ashes under the moonlight, but his last words were imprinted in my heart.
“Is it over?” The sky was tinged with a faint light as I limped back to the stairs. The skin that had been plastered on the ground disappeared without a trace, and the cherry blossom trees were nowhere to be found. Only Xiao Feng, dressed in a bridal gown, sat on the cold steps, motionless.
“Girl, thank you so much.” I reached out to pat Xiao Feng’s shoulder, but as she turned her head, I was horrified by the expression on her face. It was not something a human would have—a face filled with hatred and agony.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I realized that the vengeful spirit from the Peace of Mind Hotel had taken over Xiao Feng’s body, which explained her earlier intense resentment.
I didn’t retract my outstretched hand, but gently embraced her shoulder. “It’s okay now, Xiao Feng.”
Her eyes, filled with murderous intent, gradually cleared. The expression on her face eased slowly, and she tilted her head before collapsing to the ground.
“Sorry for dragging you into this,” I said as I picked up Xiao Feng and returned to the rooftop. It was still dark outside, hence the mission given by the underworld show had not been cleared yet. I had no choice but to stay.
I put my phone and camera aside and sat on the edge of the building’s railing, looking at the silent and desolate campus.
“Is what I see before me the real world?” I struggled multiple times on the brink of death tonight. If my judgment had been slightly off or my luck a little worse, I could have become a lifeless corpse, with my soul forever imprisoned here.
“I finally understand why Xia Chi chose to avoid live streaming. It’s not a job meant for the living.” I lit a cigarette in silence, watching the world below my feet, waiting for the first rays of sunlight to shine on me.
“Surviving a great calamity brings great fortune. Being born with a dual fate is something I’ve never experienced before.” Daoist Master Wan commented on the chatroom.
There were still over four hundred viewers in the live broadcast room. It had been a thrilling and heart-stopping night, far more exciting than any horror movie.
“Senior, aren’t you supposed to be resting? Aren’t practitioners of the Dao supposed to prioritize self-cultivation and nurturing their inner selves?” I exhaled a puff of smoke, but I was actually grateful for this eloquent senior.
“You ungrateful brat! I just saved your life earlier, and now you want to chase me away?” Daoist Master Wan retorted.
“How could I be someone who forgets favors? If you tell me your address, I’ll send you a couple of boxes of local eggs as a thank you gift,” I said with a smirk.
“I’ve had plenty of exquisite delicacies, so it’s nothing special. But your fate is extraordinary. Can I have the chance to meet you again?”
“I can’t ask for more. Senior, I’m in a precarious situation right now. I hope you can give me some guidance when the time comes,” I said sincerely.
“When the fate is ripe, we will meet,” Daoist Master Wan said.
“You Dao practitioners always speak in cryptic riddles. The more I listen, the less reliable it sounds. Do you think I, a mere youngster, can survive until the day when fate brings us together?” I asked skeptically.
“I’m not afraid of ten thousand things, but I’m afraid of the unexpected. If you, by chance, caught the eye of this daoist, your luck will be quite good,” Daoist Master Wan continued on. “Youngster, as I leave, let me recite a poem for you. Listen carefully.”
“What poem?” I asked.
“Red luan[1] ascends to the Palace of Fate, entering and leaving, all endeavors prosperous. Behold the peach blossoms in full bloom, meeting esteemed individuals at every turn,” Daoist Master Wan recited in the chatroom.
I was about to ask for an explanation of the poem when Xiao Feng, who was in my embrace, woke up drowsily. She saw herself dressed in bridal attire, leaning against me, and her face blushed instantly.
“Last night was really dangerous,” she said, burying her face in my chest, feeling nervous and unsure of what to say.
Seeing her in this state, I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I didn’t voice my inner thoughts or inquire about the secrets on her body. I just brushed her hair gently and said, “I didn’t expect you to look so beautiful in bridal attire. Whoever marries you will be truly fortunate.”
As the sun rose from the horizon, its golden rays dispelled all the darkness. The live broadcast mission in the New Shanghai High School came to an end.
“Ding!”
As the sunlight shone upon me, a new message appeared in my inbox in the underworld show app: “Live broadcast mission to stay at New Shanghai High School and survive till dawn has been completed.” Evaluation is now underway…”
“Score breakdown: 1 point for completing the live broadcast mission; 2 points for reaching a peak viewership of over 500; 2 points for receiving gifts totaling over 100 ghost coins; ; and 1 bonus point for completing the underworld’s commission.”
“3 points for completing the optional missions to play seven games on campus; progressed to three. Participated in courage game, four corners game, hide and seek game .”
“Final score: 9 points earned for this live broadcast.”
A full nine points! Indeed, high risks come with high rewards. This time, I earned more than twice the points I got from the previous mission at the Peace of Mind Inn. Although I couldn’t recall completing three games, since the evaluation from the underworld show app was given, I gladly accepted it.
“Perhaps I should have continued pretending with Hideki in order to participate in more games. It’s a pity though.”
As I thought about how each point represented a gold bricks, I couldn’t help but feel a slight sting.
“The total number of points earned by the host is nine. Would you like to exchange them for goods? The available item catalog has been updated.”
“Thai ghost Kuman Thong (5 points), Six random pieces of Lesser Transmission Talisman (5 points), Child Immortal Wine (nourishes yin and replenishes yang, harmonizes the five organs, 5 points), Headless Ghost Tomb Altar (a lower-level ghost servant that can be commanded, 6 points), Beginner’s Guide to Destiny Analysis (6 points), Enlightenment Pill (randomly opens one acupoint in the body, 6 points), Flying Dragon Larva (a highly valuable poisonous insect that can be controlled with blood, capable of saving or killing a person, 9 points)…”
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Red Luan [1] refers to a mythical bird in Chinese mythology, also known as the “vermilion bird” or “phoenix”. It is often depicted as a symbol of auspiciousness, good fortune, and prosperity in Chinese culture. Also, i don’t know if it’s linked but the name “Xiao Feng” can be translated as little phoenix.
