Free Web NovelComing out of the unfinished building and walking on the way to Huacheng Institute of Technology, Lu Yibei walked in silence while secretly pondering.
Although she had guessed from Miao Xiaoqi's words that her Old Dad's death was related to the Eclipse Society, she didn't expect it to be this kind of connection.
But why would the Eclipse Society imprison her Old Dad's soul?
And where was the place of imprisonment?
The Monster Story Chat Group definitely couldn't investigate this information, and even if they could, the price required would probably be more than she could bear.
Just as the Night Watch had a way to prevent the Void from stealing important information, the Eclipse Society also had similar methods.
In that case, she could only find a way herself, for example... by infiltrating the Eclipse Society?
She didn't know what the conditions for joining the Eclipse Society were, or if it would be like the Miracle Order, requiring an oath to a certain existence... that would be quite troublesome.
Damn it, if only the Eclipse Society had a fixed registration and consultation office for joining.
However, this kind of thing couldn't be rushed.
The Eclipse Society was like a deeply rooted tumor lurking in this world; the Night Watch couldn't do anything about them in a short time, and with her current strength, she certainly couldn't pose any threat to them.
The more urgent matters now were to complete Lingtai Pure Karma and to investigate Zhang Shuo's movements. The former could enhance her strength, while the latter could further clarify the reason for her Old Dad's death.
“Hoo—!”
After a period of rapid thought, Lu Yibei took a few deep breaths, patted her cheeks, and forced herself to calm down.
“Forget it, thinking so much now is useless. If I act impulsively, bumping around like a headless fly, and accidentally lose my life, it won't be worth it...”
If Lu Yibei used to always think about preserving her life because she cherished the beauty of life, now she had one more reason why she absolutely had to live.
As long as she was alive, she would one day possess enough strength to investigate everything and free her Old Dad's soul, but...
Before that, if she could cause some trouble for the Eclipse Society, she absolutely couldn't miss the opportunity.
As the saying goes, 'A petty person seeks revenge day and night.' Who isn't a petty person?
Hmm, I'll start working on this matter after I return from Da Chunyang Palace! Even if I can't kill them, can't I still make them feel disgusted?
Lu Yibei thought fiercely, and looking up, she saw that she had arrived downstairs at the Faculty of Arts Experimental Building. She composed herself, took a few deep breaths, adjusted her state, and went upstairs to find Professor Ma.
She was used to... keeping the sadness to herself.
————
Ten forty-seven, not long after the first major class of the morning at Huacheng Institute of Technology had ended.
Professor Ma returned to his laboratory, put away his lesson plans, brewed a cup of excellent Biluochun tea, took out the stone tablet rubbing, sat down at his desk, opened his computer, and clicked to play the latest recorded episode of the currently popular radio program—《Lao Zhang urban legend Storytelling》. He began to enjoy a brief period of leisure.
Listening to the radio program and flipping through the stone tablet rubbing like a magazine was Professor Ma's simplest way of relaxing.
【“Those friends you grew up with might not be living people.”
When that mysterious Miss first said this to me, I just smiled and changed the subject.
How could they not be living people?
But what I didn't expect was that terrifying things were just beginning, and a bizarre vortex was quietly approaching me.
Those friends of mine really seemed a bit abnormal...】
“Mhm mhm!”
Listening to the radio host's deep and resonant voice, narrating a story that seemed like a personal experience, Professor Ma took a sip of tea and nodded in deep agreement.
It was too normal for friends you've known for many years not to be human. I have a student who also...
“Dong dong dong—!”
Professor Ma was listening to the story from 《Lao Zhang urban legend Storytelling》 with great interest when the laboratory door was suddenly knocked loudly. His body couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
“Please come in.”
Accompanied by a slightly trembling response, the door opened, and Lu Yibei walked in from outside. freewebnøvel.coɱ
“Oh? Lu Yibei!” Professor Ma smiled, “What brings you here at this time? I remember your class doesn't have a lecture this morning, right? Is there something you don't understand about the knowledge points I gave you before?”
Lu Yibei didn't reply. She looked at the computer with a blank expression, and hearing the familiar voice coming from the speakers, the corner of her eye twitched slightly.
Noticing her gaze, Professor Ma chuckled dryly, “Haha, this... This radio host's urban legend stories are very interesting, but I think all his stories are made up.”
“You are a professional in this area. How much truth do you think is in these stories?”
“...” Lu Yibei pondered for two seconds, “How should I put it? Probably, half true, half false...”
The urban legend incidents were real, but his participation in them was fake.
Hua City's second fastest driver, who could turn around and flee when encountering danger, didn't earn his reputation for nothing.
“I knew there were fabricated elements in this story!” Professor Ma took a sip of tea and pursed his lips.
“How could that Little Girl happen to meet him every time she encountered a urban legend incident? I suspect these are simply things he experienced himself, and that Little Girl might even be made up by him.”
Lu Yibei, “...”
Although... never mind, as long as you're happy.
Seeing that Lu Yibei didn't speak, Professor Ma looked her up and down, frowned slightly, and silently put away the thought of continuing to chat with her.
Although Lu Yibei's face showed no expression, based on his many years of experience in judging people, Professor Ma still detected a hint of fatigue and low spirits in her.
“Lu Yibei, you don't seem very happy? Did something happen? If you don't mind, you can tell me about it. I might be able to help.”
“I...” Lu Yibei hesitated.
She had thought that after experiencing the parting with Ms. Wang Meili, she would be able to face the reality of her Old Dad no longer being in this world with equanimity, and before coming to see Professor Ma, she had done enough mental preparation and comforted herself.
However, Professor Ma's concern still made her feel a strong warmth, and her somewhat dim eyes regained their sparkle.
But...
It was truly absurd that Professor Ma could still see that she was feeling down from her expressionless face.
It was almost as absurd as some perverts' ability to identify people by their legs.
“What do you mean 'I'? Just say what's on your mind!”
“You kids nowadays! You're all so strong, you always like to bear everything yourselves. You and Jin Yecheng are both like this. Doesn't that make people worry?”
Professor Ma thought of Jin Yecheng's recent abnormal behavior and shook his head helplessly.
“Uh, Professor, is it convenient to ask what's been going on with Senior Brother Jin recently?” Lu Yibei asked tentatively.
Professor Ma pursed his lips, “That guy! I don't know what he encountered, but not only has he become a vegetarian, he also goes to bed early, wakes up early, exercises at the school gym every day, and handles the work I assign him meticulously. Compared to his previous timid and procrastinating appearance, he's completely changed.”
“Logically speaking, seeing one's student make such positive changes is a happy thing. But it's one thing for him to be motivated, it's strange how he suddenly started caring for his junior brothers. Getting meals for them, answering roll calls, copying notes... When I ask him if something happened, he won't say.”
“In just two or three days, students have already started avoiding him intentionally or unintentionally. The key thing is they can't always avoid him, which sounds quite scary, you know?”
After hearing too much gossip, even when I'm alone in a room with him, I feel a bit uncomfortable... Professor Ma added inwardly.
“Lu Yibei, tell me, did he encounter some urban legend incident? Don't let him end up like Lu Xu... Sigh!”
Mentioning the student who unfortunately died because of the bamboo slip, Professor Ma sighed, feeling sad and disheartened.
Lu Yibei, “...” Senior Brother Jin, is he developing in the direction of a certain senior?
She slightly imagined what it would be like if there was an overly enthusiastic Senior Brother, almost like a stalker, who would occasionally flash out from a dark corner and forcefully try to 'care for' her. She felt a chill down her spine.
In this world, most of the time, excessive enthusiasm would only become a burden to others and be seen as having ulterior motives.
Lu Yibei composed herself, looked at Professor Ma, and assured him, “Professor, please don't worry. Senior Brother Jin is definitely normal, there's no problem at all. I think he probably just suddenly awakened and became proactive, motivated, and willing to help others. You don't need to worry too much about it.”
Seeing Professor Ma open his mouth, wanting to say something more, Lu Yibei quickly interrupted him and changed the subject, “Oh, right! I came to tell you that I'm leaving Hua City tomorrow to... do some things.”
Professor Ma, whose'spellcasting' was interrupted, was stunned for a second or two with his mouth open, and then said earnestly, “Lu Yibei, I know the things you're going to do aren't convenient to tell me specifically, but...”
He paused, then changed the subject, “Never mind, talking too much is annoying. You came to see me, it probably wasn't just to say goodbye, right?”
“Uh, did you see through it?” Lu Yibei scratched the back of her head, “I actually wanted you to help cover for me.”
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Hearing this, Professor Ma's face showed a hint of displeasure. "What do you mean? You want me to lie for you? No, I can help you with other things, but faking things is absolutely not allowed!"
"Professor, you've misunderstood, that's not what I meant!" Lu Yibei explained. "What °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° I mean is, although I'm leaving, it can also be considered that I'm not leaving..."
"What do you mean?" Professor Ma was a bit dizzy from being confused and looked at Lu Yibei with a face full of doubt.
"Uh..." Lu Yibei pondered for a few seconds. "Never mind, it might be a bit complicated to explain, I'll just show you directly."
"Let me give you a heads-up first. Be prepared mentally later. Even if you're scared, don't scream."
"Haha!" Professor Ma laughed heartily. "What is there to be afraid of in broad daylight? Besides, I've experienced urban legend incidents several times."
"This time is a bit different," Lu Yibei said.
"How is it different?"
"Uh... Anyway, how about you get your blood pressure medication ready first?"
Professor Ma smiled bitterly and shook his head, taking out his blood pressure medication from his jacket pocket and placing it on the table. "Is this okay now?"
Lu Yibei glanced at the blood pressure medication on the table, nodded, pulled the curtains, locked the door, and then turned to walk towards the restroom in the laboratory.
Professor Ma stood up, propped his hands on the desk, tilted his body slightly, looked at the closed restroom door, and waited in silence.
A moment later, the restroom door opened, and Lu Yibei walked out, without any change.
Looking at Lu Yibei, who was as usual, Professor Ma frowned slightly, with deep confusion in his eyes.
Isn't it the same as just now? What is there to be afraid of?
You even told me to get my blood pressure medication ready...
I thought I could at least see his cute appearance when his black night disease flared up!
While Professor Ma was thinking, the restroom door opened again, and when he saw another Lu Yibei walking out, his eyes widened instantly, and his breathing became involuntarily rapid.
The two Lu Yibei stood side by side, almost identical, as if watching the fifty-seventh chapter of "Journey to the West," a rather strange scene.
"Professor, it's roughly like this... You can think of it as something like a doppelganger technique. When I leave, I'll leave him at the school to help me with classes." The two Lu Yibei spoke one after another, sounding like an echo.
"However, there's a slight problem with this doppelganger. I'm worried about something going wrong, so I'll need your help to cover for me then."
Hearing this, Professor Ma immediately became alert. "A slight problem? I'm afraid the problem isn't small, is it?"
As everyone knows, in the story of the true and false Monkey King, the monkey with the problem almost beat the "Teacher" to death...
"It's really a small problem!" Lu Yibei said hurriedly. "If you don't believe me, look, it's roughly like this..."
As he spoke, with a thought, the Paper Cicada Immortal, a 1:1 replica in human form, began to move, taking steps towards Professor Ma.
After just a few steps, its body twitched as if having an epileptic seizure, its lower body suddenly stopped moving, its upper body leaned forward, stretching its neck, tilting its head, and grinning at Professor Ma, revealing a "friendly smile" that could give small children nightmares for days.
The dim light in the laboratory, obscured by the curtains, cast large shadows on that face.
Seeing this, Professor Ma's pupils contracted sharply, and he silently picked up the blood pressure medication on the table, opened the lid, poured out two pills, and put them in his mouth.
Facts have proven that the eerie, distorted, stiff, and rigid smile, unlike that of a living person, not only gives children nightmares but also elderly people.
However...
Although Lu Yibei is currently controlling the Paper Cicada Immortal, it occasionally twitches when walking, and its smile is a bit strange, it has made huge progress compared to the situation a few days ago when it couldn't even walk properly.
"Gulp!"
Swallowing the pills, Professor Ma closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, and only then did he recover, then pointed at Lu Yibei and said with slight anger, "Stinky brat, if you want to leave, just leave. Don't leave this monster at the school, it will affect other students' studies!"
"Professor, isn't it just that I'm not skilled at controlling the doppelganger yet?" Lu Yibei explained. "Don't worry, just give me two or three more days, and I'll be able to completely master it."
"Besides, I don't interact with classmates much anyway, and I have a poker face, as well as a certificate from the hospital for sequelae from a knife wound. As long as I'm careful, I guarantee no one will see anything unusual."
After speaking, seeing that Professor Ma was unmoved and didn't even look at the Paper Cicada Immortal, Lu Yibei had a thought, and the Paper Cicada Immortal stepped forward, its limbs wrapping around Professor Ma's hands and feet like boneless snakes, its neck circling halfway around the back of his head, and whining in a sinister tone close to his ear.
"Professor~ please, okay~!"
"Professor~!"
Somehow, when controlling the Paper Cicada Immortal to do this kind of thing, he became inexplicably skilled, even with exquisite and subtle techniques.
The demonic sound entered his ears, shaking his brain marrow.
Professor Ma instantly got goosebumps all over, as if he had been infected with epilepsy by the Paper Cicada Immortal, his body twitched, and he said repeatedly, "Stop, stop, stop! I agree, I agree!"
"Thank you, Professor!"
Lu Yibei responded happily, controlled the Paper Cicada Immortal to release Professor Ma, and continued, "Also, this doppelganger can get wet, but absolutely cannot encounter fire. Please help keep an eye on it, and..."
Listening to Lu Yibei explaining the precautions for taking care of the doppelganger, Professor Ma raised his hand to his forehead and rubbed his throbbing temples.
What kind of karma did I create!
How did I end up with such a student?
------
Afternoon, Amber House, study.
Bright sunlight, filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows, fell on Jiang Li's silver-white long hair, casting a light golden hue. She sat upright at her desk, carefully flipping through various records about the Xie Zhi.
After completing the Spirit Mark drawing and going through a brief adaptation period, Psychic can exert seventy to eighty percent of the Spirit Mark's Power.
However, fully mastering the Power of one's Spirit Mark is a long process.
It's like learning how to use a tool is not difficult, but mastering that tool to the point of being able to perform tricks is very difficult.
And deeply understanding the various related urban legend legends corresponding to the Spirit Mark's Power is like studying the tool's instruction manual, which helps the Psychic become more proficient with the Spirit Mark faster.
Therefore, Jiang Li started studying in advance even before completing the Spirit Mark advancement, so that she could return to Hua City sooner after completing the Spirit Mark advancement. freёwebnoѵel.com
"Dong dong dong—!"
A knock sounded, and then the study door was gently pushed open.
A Hua came in holding a tray, placed the brewed strong tea next to Jiang Li's hand, then retreated to the side, standing quietly, her lips slightly parted as if about to speak but hesitating.
Jiang Li glanced at A Hua out of the corner of her eye, put down the documents in her hand, turned her head and asked, "A Hua, is there anything else?"
"Miss, I remember, you are going on a date with that~ this afternoon, right?" A Hua asked with a gossipy expression.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Jiang Li said calmly.
"Then aren't you going to get ready?" A Hua reminded. "There are only two or three hours left."
Jiang Li tilted her head, saying indifferently, "There's nothing to prepare. It's just a casual meal."
"But..." A Hua hesitated.
That's not right! According to Miss's personality, dating someone she likes would require at least one or two hours of preparation, right?
Why does she seem not to care...
Could it be that I'm thinking too much, and Miss actually has no interest in that kid at all? A Hua thought.
"Alright, don't worry about me. If you're too bored, you can go find Sister Qing and help her out. She's been so busy dealing with the aftermath of the black night disease epidemic lately that she's almost overwhelmed," Jiang Li said softly.
"Oh..." A Hua responded. "Then I'll go get busy, Miss."
"Okay, go ahead." Jiang Li nodded and refocused her attention on the documents at hand.
After walking a few steps, A Hua reluctantly looked back, sighed silently, and quickened her pace.
After A Hua's footsteps finally disappeared down the corridor, Jiang Li calmly put down the documents, as if she had been sitting for a long time and was getting up to stretch. She naturally stood up, stretched, and then ambled towards the side door in the corner of the study that led to the bedroom.
With a "creak!" the door opened, and the bedroom, which was unlike its usual state, came into view.
JK, evening gowns, casual wear, lolita dresses, black stockings, white stockings, over-the-knee socks... sexy, cute, dignified, gorgeous... clothes of various styles were discarded everywhere after being tried on.
Shoe boxes that had been rummaged through were piled up in a small mountain in the corner, and lipsticks of various shades were lined up on the dressing table.
The air was filled with an intensely sweet fragrance, likely a mixture of more than a dozen different perfumes.
Jiang Li looked at the messy room, propping her chin with one hand, her expression serious and solemn, as if contemplating some major life event.
"Which set should I wear?"
