Chapter 73 Shugao Girls’ High School 33
Jiang Yuelu slowly became certain that someone wanted him to see the past.
Because he left the long table room again and came to another place. This time, the place was a little less unfamiliar to him.
The familiar circular hall and the ditch with water flowing in the middle, this was the Moon Altar ten years ago.
He hid in the dark. This time, the person who controlled the flow of time did not seem to want him to show up. He only left him a small space. It was difficult for him to stretch his hands and feet. He breathed quietly in the corner. Not long after, he heard the door next to him being pushed open.
The young priest who had just met at the long table rushed in quickly, his brows furrowed. At the end of his angry sight stood a familiar lady.
Jiang Yuelu was surprised. Fat lady?
"Your sister is still outside and she is the real priestess. Why are you the one who communicates with the people in the association? Without your permission, would they dare to speak at the meeting today?"
Facing his anger, the Fat Lady smiled nonchalantly and said, "Come on. You speak as if you don't know these things. When I told you about this plan, you didn't mention your sister. I thought we had reached a consensus on this point. You and I both needed to keep it a secret from her."
The young priest was furious. "How can we let her know? She won't agree at all."
The Fat Lady sighed and said, "I know. I have told her no less than a hundred times that there is no need to look for other methods outside of Snow Village. The solution to the problem of early death of the people in Snow Village is written in the third volume of forbidden techniques under the Moon Altar."
"Children of the tree, enjoy endless enjoyment."
"The blood is as long and distant as a river, the eyes are as bright as emeralds, and the bones are as upright as green pines. Even after death, the roots and veins continue forever..."
The chanting sound of ancient poetry echoed in the hall, and the fat lady fell into memories. "After seeing this passage, I knew that the people of Snow Village were saved. They will no longer die of unknown diseases, and will no longer die before they reach the age of twenty. In the future, many people in Snow Village will live to old age naturally..."
The priest sighed and said, "It is indeed a good method. We have tried it before."
"Even the heart that beats in my body right now is from another race deep in the woods, a younger, more vibrant... tree man."
"But the people of Snow Village are different from those in other places. They don't have moon power and don't believe in gods. They look down on us, priests who have served at the Moon Altar since childhood, and just want to solve the problem in their own way. In the final analysis, it is because the Moon Altar has been unable to come up with a solution for a long time and has gradually lost its voice."
The Fat Lady said, "Oh, you also know this is the reason?"
"If sister had listened to me, we would have followed the method in the forbidden technique earlier, how could our Yuetan be in such a disadvantage now? But fortunately, it is not too late. As long as you are willing to listen to me, sister is not in Yuetan now, and she trusts you the most. As long as you nod, I can act conveniently."
The priest hesitated and said, "Our plan...are you sure we don't want to tell her?"
The fat lady looked at him and said, "What? Are you scared again? Don't worry, I will take care of it if anything happens. Even if my sister is angry, she won't blame you. Compared to me, she treats you more as her own family~"
"Okay." The priest finally agreed, "Nothing will happen to the association, right? Don't go there and raise a tiger to cause trouble. I saw that they were talking at the long table meeting today, and it seemed that they wanted to replace you and me."
"Don't worry about these verbal disputes. We are responsible for finding the tree people, and the association is responsible for feeding them, but in the end, don't we have to return to our Moon Altar to perform the forbidden ritual? Without the power of the gods, humans cannot replace blood and bones. You have performed the heart exchange ritual, so you naturally know the reason."
The Fat Lady seemed unwilling to waste any more time on this matter. "Alright. Instead of suspecting these nonsense, it is better to meet with the Ethics Committee as soon as possible."
"Ethics Committee? Where did this organization come from?"
"Some guys with excessive empathy." The Fat Lady glanced at his furrowed brows, "Don't be so sad. There are all kinds of people. There are those who will do anything to survive, and there are those who would rather die early than take another life."
The priest muttered: "But tree people are not considered living things."
This was the basis for the execution of their plan - to treat these tree people as non-human aliens, as the same as livestock, so that they could be ruthless when they swung the knife.
"I know, but they don't think so." The Fat Lady waved her hand and said disapprovingly, "They saw the children in the school and said that they went to class and ate like the children of the Snow Village people, and they were no different from normal people."
"Even though the people from the association tried their best to communicate with them, saying that the tree children they first saw were just a group of savages from a primitive tribe who couldn't read, didn't have much emotion or intelligence, and were very different from human children...but those stubborn guys got even angrier after hearing this, saying that we use these standards to distinguish between humans and non-humans...it's really a headache."
The priest remained silent. In fact, he had thought about these questions, but he couldn't think too deeply about them, as this would shake the foundation of their plan.
Unlike him, she, the priest's sister, has always been stable and confident, as if there is a scenery she really wants to see at the end of her plan, and she can clear all obstacles on the road for it.
The Fat Lady said, "In short, we can stabilize them by voting first, but to be on the safe side, you'd better go and negotiate again."
Priest: "What about you?"
"I want to go back to school to take a look." She walked out leisurely without looking back, "There is a student I am very interested in."
The hall fell silent, and the virtual image slowly spread out like ripples on water. Jiang Yuelu knew that another past scene had ended.
Where to next?
He raised his head and looked upward, as if trying to see the person behind him through the silent ripples.
Does the ghost who manipulates the development of the entire story want him to uncover the truth of the past and rescue himself and all his companions?
-
This time, the school corridor appeared.
Turning the corner, Jiang Yuelu saw the fat lady talking to a teacher. The teacher sighed and said, "What a pity. The child is very smart and beautiful, and was booked a long time ago. But the results of the physical examination were not good, and the family was a little worried, so they canceled her."
"She has suffered a blow and is trying her best to get better..."
Jiang Yuelu just felt it was ironic.
Naturally using words like "pre-order" and "return", do we already regard them as commodities?
Jiang Yuelu seemed to see the school as a large livestock farm, and the students kept there were livestock who were completely ignorant of their own situation. The feeders provided them with three meals a day and shelter from the wind and rain, and the livestock were so grateful for this that they wanted to repay them, realize their ideals, and make contributions.
Even as they were calmly communicating these things, the sound of someone reciting the essay "My Ideal" could be heard from upstairs.
"Is she really getting better?"
"Yes. Although it is very slow, the results of the physical examination are indeed improving. Even we find it incredible... That's why I came to report to you."
After hearing this, the Fat Lady pondered for a while and said, "Take me to see her."
"OK."
Jiang Yuelu noticed that a strange smile appeared on the corner of the fat lady's lips. It was as if she was looking forward to the next meeting. If Ji Hongcha was just a product that was returned due to poor health, why would she care so much?
He felt there must be something mysterious about it.
The two of them soon arrived at the classroom, which was very quiet. The teacher explained, "It's study time now, do you want to call her out?"
"No need. Go ahead, I'll just take a look."
"...Okay." The teacher left doubtfully.
Jiang Yuelu followed the fat lady's line of sight and saw that Ji Hongcha looked much better than the previous two days. She still sat with her head held high and her chest puffed out. From time to time, students turned around and asked questions in a low voice, and she happily answered them one by one. It was obvious that she enjoyed her position as a "strong person who is admired by others" very much.
Two days ago, the association selected her as the first person to demonstrate the forbidden technique. When the news was passed back to the school, of course, no forbidden techniques or life exchange were mentioned. Instead, Ji Hongcha was told tactfully, "You are the first child selected in this grade. Next, you will have a physical examination, and then you will have to dedicate yourself for the happiness of a family..."
The first, the chosen, the happy...
These words hit her heart. Ji Hongcha was almost overjoyed.
She didn't know what the "dedication" in this sentence meant, and what the "family" would take away from her. She only knew that she was chosen.
However, the medical examination report soon brought her back to the quagmire. How high she had flown before, how badly she fell now. Although everyone around her was comforting her, she still felt that those eyes were full of ridicule and ridicule, which was very piercing.
——Just like her parents had abandoned her before, she was abandoned again!
"I failed to be selected because my health is too poor..." Ji Hongcha looked at the physical examination form with despair and thought, is there any way to change all this?
Qin Xue's consolation came from behind, "Okay, you are the first in everything, do you want to compete even for physical fitness? The physical examination is no big deal."
Ji Hongcha gave him a hateful look.
Qin Xue's physical fitness is actually better than hers, but she looks like a fool!
"Well." Qin Xue touched the back of her head embarrassedly, "You have excellent grades, and I also have an excellent grade in one subject, so can we..."
"No, no!" Ji Hongcha was hurt by his words and ran back to the dormitory yelling.
After crying for a while, she stood up and looked around, but saw no one. If someone found out that she was crying because she was unhappy about losing the election, it would be more serious than humiliating her.
She thought about it and found a sealed box from the cabinet.
There was a layer of dust on it, as if it had not been opened for many years. She found this box by accident outside the school. The twisted vines carved on it made her feel inexplicably familiar, so she ignored the rules, hid it from the teacher, and brought it back.
But her bravery only went so far. There was a sign on the box saying "Do Not Open", and she was so obedient that she never opened it and kept it there for many years.
Just now, she suddenly remembered it as if her soul had left her body. It felt like when she cried until she lost consciousness, a precise thread from the outside world pulled her brain, twisting her to look at the cabinet, and when she regained consciousness, her hands were already covering it.
She had a premonition that her predicament could be saved by [the things in the box].
After making up her mind, she opened...
The choice she made a few days ago really brought about a change. Ji Hongcha was spinning the pen while feeling her body like never before. Since she opened the box and followed the instructions, her body has recovered, like a dying seedling becoming full of vitality.
At this moment, she suddenly heard someone calling her name, "Ji Hongcha."
She looked up and saw the Fat Lady. Her face was unfamiliar to her. She stood up hesitantly and watched her wave at her. "Come out for a moment."
After walking for a while.
The Fat Lady smiled and said, "You really did hear the voice of the tree god."
Ji Hongcha's face suddenly turned pale, "What are you talking about...I don't understand." A voice in her head was screaming - she knew, she knew what was in the box, and she knew she had opened it and looked.
She broke the school rules and she's going to be kicked out!
Ji Hongcha was terrified of being abandoned. She began to tremble uncontrollably. The fat lady's hand fell on her shoulder, making her tremble even more. The woman's voice sounded a little helpless, "Why are you afraid? Isn't it a good thing to be chosen by the tree god?"
"If you're worried that I'll tell on you, don't worry, I'm not that boring. The changes that have happened to you are more interesting than the life span they care about."
She didn't understand what was said next, but the four words "I won't tell" were like a get-out-of-jail-free card, pulling her out of the swamp of fear.
Ji Hongcha thought back to what she had just said, "The tree god... chose me?"
The Fat Lady was surprised: "Oh, you don't look like you know what you did?"
"I just opened the box..."
When she opened the box that day, she saw a piece of wood inside. Judging from the growth rings on the edge, it seemed to have come from a very large ancient tree. After being separated from the body, its fragments still carried the breath of age and antiquity. She couldn't help but get close to it, touch it, and promise it that she would serve it for the rest of her life...
"It says it can fulfill all my wishes." Ji Hongcha looked at her hands hesitantly. After she agreed involuntarily, a strange power seemed to appear in her body. She could feel that the power did not belong to her, but was under her control.
The Fat Lady laughed. "Ah, it seems your moon power has been awakened, and you have established a connection with the oldest tree, your own tree of life."
"Tree of Life..." Ji Hongcha murmured.
She didn't know yet that this was the history of her tribe, but because the people in front of her - their tribe had abducted them, their tribe was ended, and even the history had to be retold by people.
Ji Hongcha asked carefully: "Then...can I continue?"
These days, she seemed to find that the more devoutly she prayed, the more the trees in the box would respond to her and give her more power. Although at the beginning, all she needed was a good body, the feeling of abundant power flowing through her body was very good. She had to walk downstairs before, but now she could fly over everyone.
Flying high into the sky was her dream. She wanted to fly away from here, away from the crowd, the farther the better.
The Fat Lady smiled and said, "Of course, the more the better."
Ji Hongcha breathed a sigh of relief.
She was too relaxed and didn't realize how much power was considered "good". Maybe when there was no standard, it was only "good" if it satisfied the person in front of her. The Fat Lady saw through her competitiveness and desire to show off, knowing that she would run uncontrollably in another direction because of her greed for the power of the gods.
She knows nothing.
Compared with the women who are good at dealing with people outside, she, who has been locked up in an ivory tower since childhood, has a weak ability to read people's minds, like an ignorant beast. She is also right, because they have been fed like beasts since childhood, haven't they?
Jiang Yuelu sighed silently as she watched the relaxed Ji Hongcha walk away. The scene changed again...
-
This time, it became a classroom.
It was night, but the lights were off in the classroom. The students stood silently, each with an expression of indescribable sadness and anger. One of them growled in a low voice, "They are lying to us!"
"Xiao Zhong - the person who was taken away last time, they said they had found a family for him, but it was actually a lie! There is no one waiting for us outside, and no one in the world wants us to graduate..."
Tears welled up in their eyes, and in their blurred vision they saw the teachers taking care of them and playing games with them... They left the forest when they were very young, and these teachers meant like parents to them.
But now, they have been deceived by their parents.
"Xiao Zhong trusted the teacher so much, he had no idea where he was being taken... Have you seen what he looked like afterwards?" Someone turned his head away, tears dripping onto his shoulder, the choking voice still continuing, "He withered... His internal organs were cut out, his teeth were pulled out, and his blood was drained... Even so, those people are still lining up to wait for him to grow back his internal organs, teeth, and blood."
"But..." Qin Xue murmured, looking at his hand, whose veins were the same color as his own. "Why don't we die? Wouldn't a normal person die after withering?"
"But we are still alive, just like... trees. Are we really not human?"
"Black tea, what do you think?"
For Qin Xue, when in doubt, it is an iron rule to ask Ji Hongcha for advice. But the latter was in a trance, and only came back to his senses after being shaken twice, "Oh... a tree?"
"What's wrong with you lately? You seem absent-minded."
Ji Hongcha smiled slightly: "I'm fine. I can't be better."
But everyone could see that she was not in the right state, as if she was immersed in her own world, intoxicated and breathing frantically. Qin Xue even had a bizarre idea - was the world that Ji Hongcha saw at this moment the same as what they saw?
Ji Hongcha stretched out his hand, as if he was looking up at something huge in the air, and sighed with blurry eyes: "We were originally the children of the tree god. We were born with a tree of life that would accompany us forever. We can live without food or water, so what if we just take away our blood and bones? As long as the tree of life is always there, we can live forever."
This shocking statement shocked everyone. After a long time, Qin Xue finally spoke, "Hongcha...are you okay? Do you know what you are talking about?"
Ji Hongcha seemed to be in a nightmare. She turned around and faced Qin Xue, but she didn't look at his face. She was talking to him, but it seemed that she wasn't. The fanaticism and obsession on her face exuded a strange fragrance, which made Qin Xue hold his breath and dare not blink.
"Do you know where our hometown is?"
"On the other side of the Moon River, deep in that enchanting forest, there is an everlasting spring of immortality. That is our world of freedom. The damn Snow Village people uprooted us from our hometown and kept us in cages!"
"This is disrespectful to the tree god!"
Qin Xue could no longer hear his own voice. He seemed to be asking with his soul, "But why did they do this?"
Ji Hongcha said calmly, "Because they don't live long, but we are immortal. They steal our bodies, but they are actually stealing our destiny."
"How could it be...we don't know anything..."
Ji Hongcha: "Now that you know, do you still want to stay here?"
Qin Xue hesitated, and so did the students behind him. They were still roaring in anger just now, but now they were silent. It was easy to vent anger by shouting, but it was difficult to escape from here. In addition, the school had implanted the concept of "do not violate school rules" for many years, and it was difficult to eliminate it with just a few words.
Ji Hongcha nodded, "Okay, I understand."
"Then tomorrow, it's you, and you..." She said a dozen names in a row, "This is the list of names that will be adopted by families next week. I dare say it's absolutely true. You will soon follow Xiao Zhong's fate, having your leaves and branches cut off bit by bit, waiting to wither in a cage without seeing the sun."
"Stop talking!"
"...Let's go! Let's go together!"
One wave after another, and soon everyone in the classroom made up their mind - to escape together.
Let's escape from this high school together!
…
This time, it seemed as if he was descending from the air, and Jiang Yuelu stepped steadily on the snow. Soon, he found that the snow under his feet was shaking, as if thousands of people were running in this dark forest. The hurried footsteps of too many people drove the flying snow on the ground, like a low-altitude rolling snow covering the ground.
He saw Ji Hongcha trudging along at the end of the team.
Her pace was too slow compared to the others, and she soon fell behind. The teachers who were chasing her were about to catch up.
Qin Xue said anxiously: "Hongcha, hurry up, hurry up!"
"You were getting better before, weren't you? You walked down the stairs very fast!" Qin Xue watched her climbing breathlessly, jumping anxiously, "Why do you look even worse than before..."
"Don't talk." Ji Hongcha said weakly, "I get angry if you talk, and when I get angry I lose my strength."
In fact, her hands could no longer hold the cane.
The power of God is not so easy to obtain... She smiled bitterly in her heart. She was walking briskly, but it didn't take long for her to become weak again. On the other hand, she thought that she was not pious enough and angered God, so she took back the gift she had given him. So she prayed harder and even made some oaths that were almost like curses...
At first, she offered her hands, feet, tongue... slowly, she gave more and more, and she gave her life to the tree god. But this was far from enough, but she had nothing to gamble with. If there was a next time, it would be her soul...
She was in a daze, and suddenly someone squatted in front of her, "Come up!"
"What?"
"Come on up. I'll carry you on my back." Qin Xue said, "It will be faster this way."
Ji Hongcha groaned and climbed onto his back. She was surprised to find that her childhood playmate had grown into a mature man. She carefully calculated how much chance she had of winning against him. After calculating for a while, she suddenly called out his name.
"Um?"
"Did you ever give in to me in a fight?"
Qin Xue groaned and was about to speak, but Ji Hongcha interrupted him, "Okay, shut up, I get it." Her mood suddenly became very bad, and she lazily lay on his back. From this angle, you can see the white sky hidden outside the shade of the tree, and a small piece of red ear.
“What will our hometown be like?”
"What do you think it will be like?"
"I think..." Ji Hongcha pondered, "There shouldn't be so many trees. We can see the sky. There should be half sunny days and half rainy days. There should be a very huge ancient tree. It should be great..."
Qin Xue felt a hot liquid sliding down his neck. He didn't dare to look back or ask her if she was crying. What he was thinking at that time was very simple. He just hoped that this road would have no end and that his pace could be slower.
He said hesitantly, "Ji Hongcha, when we return to our hometown, would you like to..."
Before they finished speaking, a scream suddenly came from behind, and they all heard it. After standing there in shock for a while, Qin Xue quickened her pace and ran silently on the snow. But the people behind them were faster than them, and lightning flashes suddenly appeared behind them, like thunder points chasing them relentlessly.
"Don't run! Look back!"
Qin Xue and Ji Hongcha turned their heads subconsciously and saw a twisted and elongated figure in the cold light. The teacher they were close to suddenly turned into a monster. In their hands, they were holding a... a...
They all recognized her. This was the companion who had fallen behind and screamed. But she couldn't scream anymore. After her tongue was pulled out, her mouth was full of blood. She opened her mouth and spoke to them...
"Help, help me..."
Qin Xue had never seen such a scene before. He numbly looked away and instinctively ran two steps forward. Suddenly, he was tripped by a stone and fell, and the person on his back also fell out.
He fell far away, got up and was about to go find her, "Ji——"
He couldn't open his mouth. Fear was like the strongest glue that stuck to his mouth.
“Let go…let go of me!” Ji Hongcha was lifted up by them and struggled weakly, “Let go of me, Qin Xue! Qin Xue! Come and save me!!!”
Go and save her! He also shouted.
But he couldn't move. His feet were nailed to the ground. He shed tears unconsciously, as if he had clearly foreseen the eternal farewell and separation that was to come, and also foreseen his incompetence and cowardice. A beam of light hit Ji Hongcha's unbelievable face, and she looked at herself turning away.
Leave without looking back.
…
"Have you finished reading?" a ghostly voice sounded, "I hope my past is not boring to you."
"The story after this isn't very interesting."
"I became a fierce ghost, and my resentment was hard to get rid of. I also happened to have some skills, so I let the two groups of people replace each other. I killed all the people in Xue Village, leaving only a group of children. I also kept them in cages and sent them to the forest every now and then. They look familiar, right? I imitated their tricks."
Ji Hongcha said: "But I don't want my people to live happily, after all, they all abandoned me that night."
Jiang Yuelu understood, "So those immortal tree skulls are actually your masterpieces."
Ji Hongcha grinned, "Just a little punishment."
"Now that you've finished reading the story, can you answer the questions? Don't forget our initial agreement. Jiang Yuelu, can you solve the deadlock of that year? Save Qin Xue, save them, including me?"
Jiang Yuelu simply said: "I can't."
This answer was unexpected and not very satisfying to Ji Hongcha. Just as she was about to speak unhappily, she saw Jiang Yuelu pick up a knife from the ground. She asked in surprise, "You want to attack me?"
"I didn't mean to attack you. I just wanted to test my involvement here." Jiang Yuelu tried to cut his hand, and soon blood oozed out. "I see, it's just like when I entered the examination room. This is similar to an examination room for you alone. Just like in Iron Town, if Yu Xiong died, he really died. I will also be injured here, and if it's serious, I will die."
Ji Hongcha frowned: "What on earth are you trying to say?"
"You don't actually want revenge, do you?"
"Huh? What?"
"From the beginning, you were active around us as Fu Mengru. When Xie Xiaoya and the others hugged you, did you feel their body temperature?"
"Why did you suddenly turn hostile and explode yourself when you didn't do anything?"
"Let me think about it. It's because the real Fu Mengru appeared in the ruins. The real one has come out, so you, the fake one, can't hide it anymore. I believe that with your strength, it's easy to hide it. If you didn't expose yourself voluntarily, why did the real Fu Mengru appear at that moment?"
Jiang Yuelu asked: "Besides you, there is another character here who has been here since the past. Fat Madam, Teacher Yu, she is also involved, right?"
Ji Hongcha rarely kept silent. She did not deny it. "This is between her and me. You don't need to butt in."
"Then I won't talk about her. Let me talk about you."
"You don't want revenge, but you're not innocent either. From the perspective of watching the show, you have unknowingly developed a little revolutionary friendship with Xie Xiaoya and the others. Actually, I don't really want to use this word. Using friendship to describe your relationship with them is really a bit unfair to them."
"Then you don't have to say anything." Ji Hongcha said coldly.
"If you don't want revenge, then where does your hatred come from? Is it the people of Xue Village that you hate the most? Is it Teacher Yu? The priest? It seems that none of them."
"Your inner demon is not the hatred of death, but the hatred of being abandoned. You cannot forgive the friends who left you, which may be the reason why you can't let go of your resentment after death."
Ji Hongcha retorted: "So, Savior, now that you know all this, what are you going to do?"
"What if someone hadn't abandoned you that night?"
Ji Hongcha: “…”
Jiang Yuelu looked around. As they talked, the past was still playing out. It was an extremely realistic past, and he had to make a choice here. A small choice that could trigger a butterfly effect and stir up a huge storm.
He made up his mind.
"I am your class teacher now, Ji Hongcha."
"Yes you are."
"I am also one of you who is hunting you down." He pointed at the long, twisted shadow on the snow. "I am one of them."
"Yes. You are."
"Then I'm going to change direction."
"What direction?"
"From being on the opposite side, to being on the same side."
Ji Hongcha was surprised and asked, "What do you mean, are you here to save a ghost? I killed a lot of people, including your teammates."
"What does it have to do with me how many people you killed? I want to answer the questions. I want to pass the level. I want to get out of here." I said a long time ago that I would get three people back from the hands of the King of Hell.
Morals and integrity are of no concern. In order to achieve his goal, he will pay any price, no matter how despicable it is.
Jiang Yuelu said this and made corresponding movements. He slowly walked to the shadows and chopped them off mercilessly. "To save my students, I have to let them escape and return to their hometown. To do this, I need to kill them first."
Ji Hongcha was stunned.
"Then, I'm going to carry you on my back."
She watched her past self being carried on someone's back again, watching him running wildly on the snow, with more people chasing after him. They didn't seem to know why a traitor had appeared among them, but soon they all raised their knives and slashed at him. Ji Hongcha shouted, "You are crazy! This will definitely kill you!"
"I know." Jiang Yuelu held back the pain, thinking to herself that this was much easier than being torn to pieces last time. "If death is the only way to save everyone, then there is only death left."
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