Chapter 35.2 Red Embroidered Shoes 02
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Chen Yang quietly asked Kou Xuanling, “Do you know them?”
“I don’t.”
Implicitly, the Qiu siblings were not well-known figures in the Celestial Master Community. If they weren’t celestial masters, how could they have received an assignment from the Dafu APP?
Director Jin clearly wasn’t someone easily swayed by a few words. He preferred tangible evidence. Therefore, he maintained an impartial attitude toward both the Qiu siblings and Chen Yang. “I’ll have someone take you to the teachers’ dormitory and give you an overview of the events that have occurred at Jinshui High School over the past month.”
After speaking, he made a phone call to summon a teacher surnamed Li to guide them. Leading the way, Teacher Li introduced the surroundings as they walked, pointing to an academic building about several dozen meters ahead and saying, “That’s the academic building for seniors, and behind it are the academic buildings for the juniors and sophomores. Currently, the junior and sophomore buildings are closed, and only the students entering their senior year are attending makeup classes. The accidental student deaths occurred in the academic building of senior students.”
The group looked over and noticed that the windows of the academic building were tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn. Qiu Shengming, the younger brother among the Qiu siblings, said, “It’s lifeless. Windows and curtains closed, aren’t they afraid of feeling stuffy?”
Teacher Li responded coldly, “The top priority for senior year students is studying. Second-year students are already stepping into their senior year. Are they going to neglect their studies and wait to be surpassed by millions of students nationwide?”
Qiu Shengming was rendered speechless by the teacher’s indifferent attitude. It was the first time he, as a celestial master, had encountered such retorts while on an assignment. Although there were people who didn’t believe in spirits and gods, those who invited celestial masters usually believed, and belief naturally entailed respect. However, in their case, no one at Jinshui High School showed any reverence for the celestial masterers who were called to resolve the supernatural incidents.
Perhaps it was because highly educated individuals didn’t believe in spirits and gods.
Chen Yang: “Where did the supernatural incidents occur?”
Teacher Li glanced at Chen Yang and softened his tone as he said, “In the back hill.” Pausing for a moment, he seemed to remember that they were celestial masters called to deal with the supernatural incidents, so he added, “Do you see the basketball court behind the library? Behind the iron net of the basketball court is the hill.”
The group looked over and could vaguely see the vacant lot beyond the iron net of the basketball court, which was slightly elevated compared to the court itself. That vacant lot should be the back hill mentioned by Teacher Li, but it was covered in bare, red soil.
Chen Yang stared at the patch of soil for a while until Kou Xuanling called him, “Let’s keep going.”
It was only then that he noticed Teacher Li had already walked ahead. “Hmm,” Chen Yang replied and moved forward, taking a few steps before abruptly turning to look back at the academic building. To his astonishment, he discovered that the curtains on the fourth and fifth floors had been pulled open at some point, and the indifferent faces of students were now plastered against the windows, all staring in this direction.
Chen Yang furrowed his brow, sensing that this assignment would be challenging.
Teacher Li pointed towards the building ahead and said, “This is the teachers’ dormitory. Currently, there are 14 senior year teachers residing here, along with four directors. As for the principal and vice principal, they reside in the Principal’s Office—”
Qiu Shengming interrupted Teacher Li, “Your principal and vice principal live in the school and don’t go home?”
Teacher Li stared coldly at Qiu Shengming, his gaze penetrating. After a while, he said, “It’s impolite to interrupt someone while they’re speaking, Mr. Qiu.”
After Qiu Shengming apologized, Teacher Li continued, “You’ll be staying on the fourth floor, rooms 404 and 405. Across from the academic building are the boys’ and girls’ dormitories. No matter which dormitory you enter, you must first seek permission from the dormitory supervisor and obtain approval…”
Qiu Shengming whispered to his sister, Qiu Shengmin, from behind, “He seems to have a problem with his mind. His gaze is particularly unsettling. I felt a shiver down my spine when he stared at me.”
Qiu Shengmin glanced at Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling, then scolded in a low voice, “Stop talking nonsense.” In truth, she had been feeling uneasy since they arrived at Jinshui High School, but she couldn’t bear to pass up the twenty million reward. With that money, she and her brother could retire and never be con artists again.
It turned out that the Qiu siblings were notorious swindlers, specializing in deceiving people with their tricks. They came to Jinshui High School this time because Qiu Shengming overheard two celestial masters discussing the job offer from Jinshui High School in a café. Upon hearing about the twenty million reward, he informed Qiu Shengmin, and they devised a plan to obtain Jinshui High School’s work credentials from the two celestial masters and rushed over.
The five of them ascended the teachers’ dormitory building, an old structure with narrow staircases that felt cramped when two people stood side by side. The narrow steps allowed only half a foot’s space, presenting a continuous risk of tripping and stumbling. The hallway was also dimly lit. Teacher Li said, “The hallway lights only turn on at 6 PM and are switched off at 7 PM. They turn on again from 9 PM to 10 PM. It’s best not to go out during late nights unless necessary.”
Qiu Shengming almost stepped into a gap, but he quickly pulled out his phone for illumination, his face showing annoyance. Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with seriousness. Although both of them had good eyesight, they had to tread cautiously in the darkness. However, Teacher Li was accustomed to it and swiftly climbed the stairs without even looking.
After much effort, they reached the fourth floor only to discover that all the rooms were vacant. The doors were tightly shut, and not a single person resided inside. A thick layer of dust covered the floor. Chen Yang furrowed his brow, while Teacher Li handed each of them a key at the staircase landing. “Do not enter the other rooms, especially Room 401.”
After saying that, he turned around hastily and left, his figure appearing as if he was fearful of something.
Qiu Shengming swiftly grabbed the key to Room 405 and left with Qiu Shengmin. While walking, he muttered, “Room 404 doesn’t sound auspicious.”
Chen Yang squeezed the key in his hand and said, “Let’s go.”
Room 404 wasn’t too far from the staircase. Upon opening the door, they found beds, wardrobes, and tables and chairs inside. They even found two clean blankets in the wardrobe. Though a layer of dust covered the hallway outside, the room itself was free from any dust.
Chen Yang walked to the balcony and looked behind the dormitory building. There was a slope, but there wasn’t anything particularly captivating about it. Jinshui High School was situated against a mountain. Even in summer, it could get quite chilly when the mountain wind blew at night.
Kou Xuanling was the first to take out the ancestral tablet and offer prayers. Then, he laid the blankets on the two single beds. He took out his phone and realized there was no signal. He looked up at Chen Yang, who had stepped out onto the balcony, and said, “I feel like we’re not making any progress.”
“Because neither Teacher Li nor Director Jin mentioned anything useful,” replied Chen Yang. Despite Teacher Li’s continuous introduction along the way, there was no useful information to summarize. “Who is the deceased? The cause and manner of death, and any details about the supernatural activity—all were not mentioned.”
“So, we have to find out on our own?”
“It’s almost six o’clock. Teacher Li mentioned that classes end at six, and evening self-study begins at seven. Let’s go to the cafeteria and ask the students.”
Kou Xuanling nodded. After tidying up for a while, the two of them left for the cafeteria. Upon reaching the cafeteria, they presented their work badges, and the cafeteria staff gestured for them to go to the small cafeteria designated for teachers.
Chen Yang: “Can’t we stay here?”
The staff hesitated and said, “No. The student cafeteria is for students only. Teachers have to use the small cafeteria. It’s the school’s rule.”
“Even for meals, we have to follow rules?”
“Not following the rules can result in dismissal.”
Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling had no choice but to go to the small cafeteria. Fortunately, the small cafeteria was located close to the student cafeteria, separated only by a wall. They sat near the entrance. After about ten minutes, students began to come in one by one. Six people filled a round table, waiting for the chef to serve the final bowl of soup. The students started eating silently without speaking a word.
This reminded Chen Yang of his time in the army. The Qiu siblings approached and sat with them, expressing goodwill first. Observing this scene, Qiu Shengming said, “I always feel like they’re like walking corpses, following orders in every move they make. It gives me goosebumps.”
Chen Yang: “You two went out early and gathered information. What did you find out?”
The siblings hesitated, unsure of whether to speak or not. Chen Yang smiled gently, his lips curling, and said, “You’re not celestial masters, are you?”
Qiu Shengming: “Are you?”
“We are,” Chen Yang raised his gaze, “and you’re not. You can also sense that something is amiss, right?”
When Chen Yang asked the last question, he looked at Qiu Shengmin. Qiu Shengming initially wanted to refute, but Qiu Shengmin held him back and honestly replied to Chen Yang, “We indeed are not Celestial Masters, but I can see dirty things.”
“Sis!” Qiu Shengming appeared anxious.
“Born with Yin eyes,” Chen Yang stared at the spot between Qiu Shengmin’s eyes, where the Third Eye was located. “Are there many dirty things in Jinshui High School?”
Qiu Shengmin’s expression turned grim. “On the contrary, it’s exceptionally clean to the extent that I haven’t seen a single ghostly soul. When we were at the foot of the mountain, I could see one or two wandering spirits who died in accidents, but halfway up the mountain, I couldn’t see any spiritual presence. The school… is very clean.”
Sometimes cleanliness didn’t necessarily mean it was a good thing. Crowded places were bound to have wandering spirits and restless ghosts, especially in schools and forests. Just recently, there was a fatality, and before there was a chance to invite a celestial master for spiritual deliverance, the spirits disappeared completely.
Kou Xuanling knew that Chen Yang was particularly sensitive to Yin energy and ghostly aura, so he asked, “What does it mean?”
“Yin,” Chen Yang shook his head. “No ghostly aura.”
It was natural for Yin energy to gather in forests, and coupled with Jinshui High School’s strict rules, it always felt devoid of vitality. Moreover, the school had many old buildings covered in green vines, intensifying the eerie Yin energy. So, it was not surprising for Chen Yang to perceive the presence of Yin energy, much like Qiu Shengmin, who failed to spot even a single wandering soul.
Qiu Shengmin took a deep breath and said, “Let’s cooperate, 30-70 split, with three parts for us and seven parts for you. How about that?”
Chen Yang smiled and refused, “Having the Third Eye is not essential for us.” If they wanted to encounter spirits, they naturally had their methods. Moreover, when a celestial master reached a certain level of cultivation, they tended to have some degree of sensitivity to such entities, making it less important whether the naked eye could see spirits or not.
Qiu Shengmin forced a smile, grabbed Qiu Shengming’s hand, and left. Qiu Shengming was puzzled, “Sis, why cooperate with them? I don’t think they’re very powerful, and you mentioned that the school is clean, which means the supernatural incidents are all fake. Can’t we just deceive them, take the money, and leave?”
“It’s not that easy.” Qiu Shengmin paused, looked up at the third-floor window of administration building, where the curtains were slightly open. Suddenly, she saw a face pressed against the window, staring fixedly in their direction, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.
Qiu Shengmin stumbled back a few steps, gripping Qiu Shengming’s hand, and said, “Let’s go. I have a foreboding feeling.”
Qiu Shengming hesitated, “Sis, it’s twenty million. With that much money, we won’t have to deceive people anymore! Sis, let’s take another look. Let’s stay for tonight, and if nothing happens, we can leave. If something happens, we can still go.”
In the end, Qiu Shengmin couldn’t resist her brother’s plea and agreed to stay for the night. Regardless of what happened tomorrow, they had to leave. Her ominous premonition weighed heavily on her heart.
As soon as half-past six struck, the person in charge of maintaining order in the cafeteria left, and all the students began whispering to each other. Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling stood up and approached a table where a male student was seated.
At first, the boy was startled, thinking they were teachers. However, upon learning that Chen Yang and the others were here to investigate the cause of student deaths, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “Who else could have killed them? It must be the work of malevolent ghost.”
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
