Chapter Thirty: The Beastly Teacher (Part Two)

Hearing her say that, I couldn't help but find her words unbearably grating, so I retorted, "You're the one who's not human!"

"No, no, that's not what I meant, you misunderstood!" the female corpse replied, speaking flawless human language.

I had already understood her meaning, but I was curious about her behavior; a moment ago she had acted like a zombie, yet now she stood three meters away, as lively as a cheerful girl.

I said to her, "Couldn't you at least change your appearance before talking to me? The way you look now..." Though I didn't finish, she wasn't stupid. Glancing down at herself, embarrassed, she slipped behind the pile of abandoned desks and chairs. Moments later, a ghostly woman, enveloped in a faint fragrance, emerged with her head lowered.

Even with her head bowed, her figure was undeniable—her voluptuous curves only accentuated by the white gauze that draped over her form. In my hometown, we call that kind of white shroud a "spirit robe." When a woman dies a wrongful death and her clothes are in tatters, if she was kind in life, the spirit wardens will pity her and bestow this white robe upon her. When her grievances are finally resolved, it transforms into a birth shroud, wrapping her soul and sending it on to reincarnation.

The ghostly woman slowly raised her head, and what I saw startled me—not because she was ugly, but because her beauty was startling. Though her face was bloodless, her large double-lidded eyes sparkled, and her neat bangs framed a pure innocence. Her thin lips were alluringly sensual. I couldn't help but think: that teacher had truly outdone himself—she was exquisite beyond compare.

Even as a ghost, she hadn't lost the beauty she possessed in life. Her snow-white thighs peeked out from beneath the robe, making my nose flush with heat. My mind spun and, to my horror, a thin stream of blood dripped from my nose. I thought, "Damn, I've been bewitched by a beauty!"

Forcing myself to regain composure, I quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe the blood away, coughing twice to break the awkward atmosphere.

I asked her how she died, what grievances she had, and whether I could help her. The spirit warden had clearly made a mistake keeping her here. Uncle Mao once said that the paths of the living and the dead must never cross. If a ghost lingers in the mortal world, its resentment grows and its nature changes; over time, it may become a vengeful spirit. As Old Ma used to say: for the peace of the world and the future of the earth, you should nip disaster in the bud.

As I wondered what to do next, the woman spoke, beginning with an introduction. She said her name was Liu Jing, a third-year student from the nineteenth graduating class. I was from the twenty-first, so we were two years apart.

Liu Jing told me her boyfriend had dumped her that day. Heartbroken, she came to this deserted place intending to kill herself, but before she could, she was assaulted. That was eight years ago, back when this place wasn't strictly off-limits. Many people used to meet here in secret—so why had no one discovered her attack? Surely Liu Jing had left out some details.

I asked, "Did you see his face beforehand?"

Liu Jing shook her head. "I had just finished a lecture by a rather obscure professor when my boyfriend broke up with me. I came here to end my life, but before I could, I was knocked out and dragged behind these desks and chairs. I never saw his face, but I caught a whiff of a distinctive lavender perfume on him."

A man wearing lavender perfume—there couldn't be many like that in the world. If that's true, he must have a peculiar taste. It had been eight years; if that professor was obscure back then, perhaps he'd gained some notoriety by now.

I promised Liu Jing I'd look into it at the academy and asked her not to disturb the innocent in the meantime. She agreed, then leapt into the pile of abandoned desks and vanished.

Old Ma had once explained that spirits who lose their bodies often attach themselves to objects—desks, chairs, flowers, or grass. With so many possible vessels here, I had no way to tell which was hers, so I left the courtyard and slipped back into the dormitory, where everyone else was already dreaming. I flopped lazily onto my bed and let my mind drift toward my own fate.

Again, that vision appeared: a sorcerer chanting filthy incantations with a staff made of human bone. This time, there was a pale golden stone coffin beside him, inscribed with the same golden runes as those on my wings. The whole scene puzzled me. Was I walking this path by my own will, or was someone pulling the strings from behind the scenes? If so, what was the ultimate goal of the puppeteer? World domination? Defying destiny? Challenging the heavens? Or seeking rebirth in another's body?

But why was I chosen for all of this? Was it simply because of my identity as the Golden Corpse King?

The night passed just like that. When I opened my eyes, dawn had already broken. After the usual routine, I grabbed some clothes, told my roommates I'd be out, and set off to fulfill the promise I'd made Liu Jing the night before.

But the world is vast—where would I even begin searching? Eight years is a long time. Who knows if that professor was even still at this rundown school?

That morning, I had a class with Zhou Runfa. His eight-day course had only just begun; this was the second day. Since I had no leads for now, I figured I might as well attend his lecture—after missing out on any useful knowledge yesterday, I was determined to actually learn something today.

Entering the same classroom as last night, I noticed there were far fewer students, with plenty of empty seats now. Still, Ah Shuang and her friends sat in the same spot, listening attentively.

I made an effort to pay attention throughout the class, but in the end, I found it rather unremarkable and left. I wandered around the mall outside the campus until night fell.

Recently, my nights had been anything but peaceful—with Ah Shuang's affairs, Old Ma's troubles, and now Liu Jing's case weighing on me, I could hardly breathe. Te had already been taken westward, so rescuing him was out of the question for now.

As night settled over the city, I wandered the streets. My roommates weren't in the dorm, so I might as well roam around. And as it turned out, this wandering led to yet another unexpected event...

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