Chapter 72 Shugao Girls’ High School 32
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Thousands of miles away, there are ghosts.
Unknown Canyon.
A crow cried miserably and flew towards the crack in the canyon. It passed through the crack and the whole view of the valley suddenly became clear.
The dark black terrace was extremely wide, and the circular shape in the center looked like a sunken space created by a meteorite hitting the continent. The black iron pillars erected in the back stood tall in the gray fog, and the black iron chains drawn from the top of the pillars fell long into the central space. Five chains locked the prisoner's neck, hands, and feet respectively.
This is an impenetrable prison.
The crow landed on the prisoner's shoulder and cut him with its sharp claws, but the prisoner still knelt on the ground, with strands of sweaty hair sticking to his cheeks. He didn't move at all and was as silent as if he were dead.
Suddenly, he began to tremble like a spasm, and the next second, he raised his head suddenly, like a drowning man suddenly waking up and gasping for air. He recovered quickly, and habitually glanced at the crow on his shoulder and the wound it caused. Without saying a word, he knelt on the ground in a daze.
Qin Xue was taken away by the ghost king Xia Yi in Iron Town. After returning, he was criticized and punished by the other ten ghosts. The next day, he was locked up in this bright and shining prison. Thinking of this, his dejected heart changed - it was very bright and hot, Ji Hongcha might like this cell very much.
In the memory, she was flipping through the book. "Compared to the dull forest with snow all day long, I still yearn for a bright and warm place - well, it doesn't matter even if it's a prison, I can always get out."
That was a long time ago...
Memories were like a warm breeze that dispelled the darkness in his heart. He changed his mind and thought: I'd better not let Ji Hongcha come here.
"Should you go back now?"
He seemed to be talking to himself, or to the crow next to him. The crow actually answered him: "Are you thinking about her again? The 'companion' who left you?"
"She was the one who caused this trouble. She used to be arrogant because of the favor of the Ghost King, but she actually dared to openly contradict the Ghost Witch on the night of the Ghost Market Feast when all the ghosts gathered. She must be tired of living."
"She got into a big trouble and committed the taboo of attacking her own people, so she ran away. You didn't do anything, why did you have to flee with us?" The crow sighed in a dignified manner, "It's been ten years since we fled. There's been no news from you, and I don't even know who to invite to travel with me."
"I'm sorry. Brother Wu."
Just as the crow was about to flap its wings to say no, it heard the spineless creature ask, "Do you have any news about her?"
“…Alas, alas! Never mind, never mind.”
Crow was helpless: "Originally, I came here for this reason. I heard that Lord Ghost King went out to look for her, and the news was strictly blocked. Even Lord Jin Muxi, who has the most information among the ten ghosts, only managed to find out a few words."
Qin Xue: "Jin Muxi is in charge of the Ghost Market, and there are a lot of information flowing through his subordinates. If he has no way, it must be that the Ghost King doesn't want anyone to know."
He returned to the topic, "What did Jin Muxi say?"
"Even if it's just a few words, do you still want to listen? You are too concerned about abandoning your 'companion'." The crow pouted, "I flew over to take a look, and the word 'school' was written on it."
Qin Xue was stunned, "So she really went back..."
"What clues do you have?"
“School…is our hometown.”
The crow had no doubts about "why the school became your hometown". It had heard of more bizarre and rare origins. Compared with other ghosts, Ji Hongcha and Qin Xue's origins were already ordinary.
Qin Xue said, "If she hadn't been... badly injured, our first stop after leaving Ghost City would have been to go home. Later, I accidentally found a giant tree in a village that was the same as the one in our mother's tribe, so I took her there to heal her injuries for ten years."
The crow nodded. "I heard that it seemed to be an examination room under the jurisdiction of the Wizarding Academy. When your story was reported back to the academy, it caused a huge uproar. You did a great job indeed."
"If you hadn't been implicated, you might have even been promoted. Oh! I get angry when I talk about this. How could she just leave you and walk away? You've been very kind to her, but she never treated you well in Ghost City. She would beat and scold you for no reason, and slap you in the face when she was unhappy."
"Everyone says that her temper is spoiled by the Ghost King, but I know that you must have contributed to her lawlessness."
Qin Xue listened quietly, "Maybe we are really wronged."
"Alright. We have plenty of time today. You must tell me everything from the beginning, how you two met, and how the situation today came about. I need to hear it so that I can make an impartial judgment."
The crow glanced at the crack of sky above the canyon, "But... there's no time. This prison is designed for ghosts. Ghosts are yin bodies and cannot stand the scorching sun. A tiny gap is left here just to make you suffer the pain of sunrise every day. Oh, no more talking, I have to go out and hide for a while."
After saying that, the crow flew away, and its mournful cry could be vaguely heard: "I will come to you to listen to your story after this wave of sunlight passes!"
There was only one ghost left in the center of the terrace. He lowered his head, waiting for another sunrise. Suddenly, he noticed something and looked up in surprise: "This..."
You can't be wrong.
He and Ji Hongcha shared a tree of life. Such a beating sound like a drum could only be heard after the tree of life and its owner had completely merged and awakened. Such a sound could only mean one thing had happened.
Ji Hongcha opened the former girls' high school.
——The school that witnessed their birth, growth, breakup, betrayal, and death. She once said that she would never look at this place again until she died.
Qin Xue was horrified to find that Ji Hongcha seemed to be at the critical moment of life and death, and he could only be locked in a cage... Was he going to watch her die?
Is this going to happen again?
The blazing sunlight poured down, and he couldn't help howling in pain. The canyon, which had been quiet for several days, finally echoed with pain. The ghost guards who were guarding outside were stunned and laughed: "I thought it was a tough bone to chew, but you couldn't bear it and cried out? Okay, you have to return the money you won to me. We made a bet..."
As the two ghosts were pushing each other, they didn't notice that in the tree in the distance, there was a dark crow staring at them with its eyes motionless and ghostly.
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Ji Hongcha cleared his throat and asked, "Have you thought about your future ideals?"
"ideal?"
"Hmm!" Ji Hongcha said seriously, "What kind of people will we become after graduation? I think it's time to think deeply about it."
Jiang Yuelu stood not far away, listening to Ji Hongcha talking about his ideals.
They now came to the school's infirmary and lined up to wait for physical examinations. Such routine examinations seemed to be very frequent. The students did not question the suspension of classes and followed him directly.
On the way here, he learned some about the class situation.
In the current Class 3, Ji Hongcha was far ahead, ranking first in all subjects, leaving the second place far behind. Qin Xue was a little ordinary, ranking at the bottom.
He also learned that Ji Hongcha was "very strong-willed." For example, for today's physical examination, she could have asked for leave on the grounds of being unwell, but she just wanted to achieve perfect results in all aspects, even the physical examination score must be excellent.
"Ideal? I haven't thought about it yet."
"Is that so?" Ji Hongcha said, "But I have already thought about my future plans."
"Wow... you've figured it out now? You deserve to be the first place!"
Ji Hongcha seemed to be very satisfied with being the center of attention and being praised. "Yeah. After graduation, I want to join the Education Association. Our teachers are all sent by the association. They are amazing, aren't they? I want to be like them!"
“That’s just the first reason.”
"Is there a second reason? You've thought it through very thoroughly!"
Ji Hongcha smiled and said, "I am different from that idiot Qin Xue. I am used to being fully prepared for everything. I have inquired about the requirements for joining the association in advance. I heard that it takes a very strict interview. They will ask you why you came in."
"So... you've already thought about it?"
"certainly!"
"Wow... That's amazing. What is that?"
Ji Hongcha pointed to the snow-covered fields in the distance and said, "I heard that it snows all year round in Xuelin, and it is difficult for other plants to survive. My mother named me Hongcha. Although I have never seen it, I can imagine how beautiful it would be if the red camellia flowers bloomed all over the fields."
"This is what I want to do. I want to bring new changes to Xue Village." Ji Hongcha seemed to be standing at the interview site, and couldn't help but say: "Is there anything more difficult than making red flowers bloom in the white snow? Leave it to me and I can accomplish it."
There was thunderous applause all around.
In the other team, Qin Xue in the back row also cheered for her enthusiastically. Everyone seemed to be moved by Ji Hongcha's idealistic speech, and couldn't help but imagine their future possibilities.
Seeing everyone's high spirits, Ji Hongcha was happy and proud - Look, I can be useful anywhere, I can help everyone! After hearing the teacher calling her name, Ji Hongcha walked into the physical examination room with her chest held high and went to receive the examination like a proud soldier.
But Jiang Yuelu could see that she was very, very nervous.
After a while, he received the report from the physical examination room - all physical examination reports will be in duplicate, first to the teacher and then to the student, which can guarantee privacy to a certain extent. However, the result can also be seen from the student's expression whether it is good or bad.
Just like now, Ji Hongcha was standing outside the physical examination room in a daze. The report in her hand was the same as the one Jiang Yuelu had received, with a bright red "Unqualified" stamp on it, which seemed like a tattoo of elimination on a defective product.
"Ji Hongcha..." The teacher standing next to Jiang Yuelu shook his head, "What a pity! He is good in other aspects except his health."
"You know, it's okay for these students to have poor grades. After all, they are for others to see. But if they are in poor health, there is basically no hope."
The teacher sighed, "There is no 'family' that will take her in."
Family? Jiang Yuelu looked at the schedule in his hand.
There is no timetable in the world like this one in his hand. Once you have seen it, you will know that the curriculum of this school is ridiculous. School is a place to cultivate talents, just like an academy, recruiting all kinds of wizards and letting them take exams continuously. This is a process of constantly screening and discovering talents.
Ji Hongcha and Qin Xue looked like they were already in their teens, but the courses they were given were the same as those for children. Just like what the teacher next to him said, grades and exams were not important, and no one cared what these students learned in this school.
Because they have no future at all.
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“Boom!”
The heavy hammer hit the table, "Quiet, quiet!"
"Gentlemen, please be quiet and return to your seats!"
Jiang Yuelu sat quietly in his seat. He had just come here from the infirmary in a moment. This "question-answering place" did not seem to have a linear flow.
Now, two people stood in front of him, arguing with each other. Looking around, such debates filled the long table, each person was using high-decibel volume to overwhelm the other, and it was completely impossible to hear what was being said. One could only vaguely recognize words such as "human rights", "fairness", and "death".
The person sitting at the end of the long table banged the hammer hard, like the only person maintaining order in the chaos: "There is no point in arguing! Everyone! We have contacted people from all parties and gathered everyone here to discuss a feasible plan..."
His voice was drowned out in vain.
Jiang Yuelu saw that his face was red for a while, and suddenly he threw away the hammer in his hand and burst into a roar: "Stop making noise!!!"
Perhaps infected by his terrifying expression, the noises gradually died down, but someone at a long table far away from him was still pulling at the collar and spitting.
"Stop arguing! Why are you stopping?" The young man looked at the group of people at the table angrily. "We are all going to die. What's the point of arguing about winning or losing?"
"Can quarreling help us live longer? Can it help our next generation escape disaster? And you, you! Can you win a minute or half a second by grabbing each other's collars?"
"If you can, I admire you!"
"But unfortunately, I can't!" His eyes were burning with anger: "So shut up! I called you here to think of ways and give you ideas for the future of the entire Snow Village, not to quarrel!"
Someone touched his nose.
Someone smiled knowingly.
Someone muttered: "He really looks like a future priest..."
Priest? Jiang Yuelu turned to the young man at the end of the long table.
He was about the same age as him, with an ordinary appearance and no distinctive features. Perhaps because he was excited at the moment, his eyes were particularly bright, even to the point of being dazzling. Was this the priest from ten years ago?
Since I have never seen the priest himself, I have no way of identifying him.
But when he thought about it, the sound was indeed a bit similar.
People didn't mind the hammer falling again and again, but they were wary of the identity of "future priest". The long table became quiet, and the young man glanced around: "That's right. Don't waste time. What we lack most now is time. I believe everyone of you understands this."
One person raised his hand and asked, "Speaking of solutions...where is Miss Priest?"
The priest he was talking about was not the one Jiang Yuelu knew, but the owner of the Moon Altar ten years ago. Moreover, Miss Priest sounded like a lady.
"Master, she hasn't sent any news yet."
Some people did not expect this answer: "In the previous generation and the generation before that, almost every priest tried to find a solution, but what's the use? The curse is still going on, and everyone in Xue Village still cannot escape early death."
“But now there is a solution!”
A person stood up on the other side. Jiang Yuelu noticed that he was a teacher in her school, and he held a high position. "Regarding this, I think the teachers in the school have the most say. Uh... Tell me about our recent gains."
His finger circled back and forth between Jiang Yuelu and the teacher next to him, and finally landed on Jiang Yuelu's right. A faceless teacher stood up and said, "The reason why people in our tribe die early is because their bodies age too quickly."
"We have always known that deep in the snow forest on the other side of the Moon River, there is a primitive community that worships tree gods. They possess the power of the moon and seem to be immortal. It is said that they are not human, but the incarnation of trees, full of vitality like trees..."
Someone interrupted: "You are wasting time with a boring legend!"
"No. This is vital to our future. If you'll listen, you'll know. Trees never age or die, and neither do they..."
"What on earth do you want to say?!"
"Even if you cut something off... like take out their heart... they won't die immediately, you know? They'll grow back."
"This has nothing to do with us--" The impatient man suddenly shut up.
"You figured it out, right?" He smiled meaningfully, "A good heart can just replace our old heart..."
There was a long silence at the long table, even the priest did not speak. After a while, someone asked, "It sounds difficult to achieve. What if we die in the process of exchanging? The speed of aging is only slow, but your method can accelerate death if you are not careful."
Jiang Yuelu heard the man said straightforwardly: "You don't have to worry about this, someone in Yuetan will be responsible for it."
"Miss Priest? Didn't she go on a long trip..." The other party guessed from his words: "Could it be Miss Priest's..."
The other party looked at the young man at the end of the long table, the future high priest whom Jiang Yuelu was familiar with: "Do you know about this matter?"
"I... sort of know."
The teacher next to Jiang Yuelu cleared his throat and said, "If you have any doubts, you may as well wait for the results tomorrow. Our teacher will be the first to try. Let me see... Tomorrow I will be the first exchange student."
"Will they be good... and obedient?"
"Of course we won't tell them the truth. We will tell them that they will be adopted by a family after graduation. Don't worry, they won't doubt it. This is the concept we have instilled in them since they were young. When we brought them out of the forest, they had no father or mother. It's disgusting to say that they are a group of monsters who came out of nowhere."
"Besides, they have been eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in the school for a long time. We should also receive some small rewards. Besides, taking some blood, some bones, a stomach, a heart... It's not a difficult task for them. They will regenerate anyway. It's very simple."
The other party listened to these words with horror, and for a moment he didn't know who was the monster.
"... Never mind. It's up to you. Just don't use our people as experiments."
"OK!"
The Education Association was very happy with the good results. They quickly browsed the form and randomly selected a student. "Who should we arrange for tomorrow? How about... Ji Hongcha?"
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