Qin Gu did not want Ruan Bei to see Wang Bufan now.
The scene of him committing suicide again on the anniversary of his death was a punishment; no matter how many methods Qin Gu had, he couldn't help him.
If they go, they'll only be able to watch him get punished.
Ruan Bei remained silent for a long time before sadly saying, "Why is there such a rule? Senior was clearly driven to the brink of despair, which is why he attempted suicide."
"My master told me the reason when I was a child."
Of course, it wasn't because he was curious and asked. Ruan Bei thought he had the best temper. In fact, Qin Gu himself knew very well that he was always cold and arrogant and not a kind-hearted person who could empathize.
When his master told him this story, he didn't think much of it. If he wasn't afraid of death, why would he be afraid of living? These people were just cowardly and timid, and they looked down on life. Since that was the case, they deserved to be punished after death.
As he grew older and experienced what happened to Wang Bufan, even though Qin Gu wasn't there when he confided in Ruan Bei, he could roughly deduce what Wang Bufan had gone through from what he saw and heard at the market.
Although he still disagreed with Wang Bufan's suicide attempt, he was no longer as unmoved as before.
"Why is that?" Ruan Bei pressed.
"Do you know the legends about reincarnation?" Qin Gu asked instead of answering.
Ruan Bei thought for a moment, then hesitated and said, "I forgot where I read about it, was it about Houtu transforming into reincarnation?"
"Yes, in ancient times, floods, diseases, famine, strange beasts, and other natural and man-made disasters occurred frequently. Humans were like ants, and every day they lived was a struggle against fate."
Ruan Bei understood somewhat. Back then, people lived a difficult life, and all they wanted was to survive. Therefore, suicide, as an act of actively giving up one's life, was a great sin.
“But times have changed…” Ruan Bei muttered to himself. From ancient times to the present, the rules are no longer just outdated.
But the number of suicides has also increased. Besides those who are truly desperate, some are just being silly. Even young couples threatening suicide over a fight are not known whether they are threatening their lovers or their parents.
"I still want to see my senior," Ruan Bei said stubbornly, pursing her lips.
Qin Gu frowned, and Ruan Bei quickly took his hand: "It's not the anniversary of his death yet, it should be alright now, right? Besides, we should remind him, Teacher Li..."
Wang Bufan probably wouldn't want Teacher Li to witness that scene, in case he forgot to mention it.
When Ruan Bei persisted, Qin Gu had no choice but to compromise.
The two went to find Wang Bufan. It was during class time, and the library only had Teacher Li, another young librarian, and of course, Wang Bufan.
Since no students were borrowing books at the moment, Teacher Li went to stay in a small cubicle in the lounge. The other administrator didn't seem to mind, unaware that a ghost was being taught inside.
When Ruan Bei and Qin Gu came looking for him, Teacher Li readily gave Wang Bufan a day off so he could go and chat with his friends.
Avoiding Teacher Li, Wang Bufan happily shared the news with Ruan Bei: "Those two people went to pay their respects to me, and they cried so bitterly at my grave."
When he died at school, his scumbag parents' first action was to cause trouble at the school and demand money. As for his body, they didn't even want to look at it.
So the school handled his funeral arrangements, paying for a plot of land for him in the cemetery. The couple never went to pay their respects afterward.
He no longer calls them "Dad" and "Mom," and he has no feelings for that couple anymore. If you have to say he has any feelings for them, it's hatred.
He's happy now, not because he's being worshipped, but because they're crying so bitterly.
The more they cried, the happier Wang Bufan became. He felt he had become a bad person, but he was genuinely very happy.
Ruan Bei became interested: "Why are they crying?"
Wang Bufan chuckled and said, "The talismans are so useful for Qin and Qin students. They've been having a lot of bad luck lately."
The purchase went wrong; the fish died and couldn't be sold. After finally selling them, they received counterfeit money.
When I go out to buy things, the vegetables I buy are always rotten: the cabbages are rotten at the core, the radishes are hollow, and the oranges have worms inside.
Wang Zha's father's leg was injured again after a car accident, before it had fully recovered, and now he has to use crutches.
He wasn't the only one who was unlucky. When Wang's mother was leading a square dance and trying to take over the basketball court, she got into an argument with a boy playing basketball and fell, injuring her tailbone. The couple ended up being patients together.
With both parents injured and no one to care for him, Wang Feifan squandered his money. When he ran out of money and couldn't get it back from his family, he resorted to robbing younger children—robbing his father was robbing, but robbing other children was also robbing. When the parents of those children came to his house, they almost got into a fight.
Ruan Bei couldn't help but look at Qin Gu. Didn't they only give the talisman to Wang Bufan's father?
Qin Gu said, "The fortunes of a family are interconnected, especially the Wang... that man is the head of the family, and his fortune is more likely to affect the fortunes of the whole family."
If it were just bad luck, they wouldn't have thought of Wang Bufan, but they still had nightmares.
If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. No matter how much they bluff or how loud they talk, the death of their eldest son is a thorn in their hearts, especially as their family's situation worsens and outsiders keep saying "retribution."
They may appear indifferent, but deep down they've already begun to waver.
The recurring nightmares were the last straw that broke the camel's back. They frequently dreamed that their eldest son jumped from a high building, crashing to the ground covered in blood, his dark eyes still open, staring straight at them.
Even though they knew they were having a nightmare, they couldn't wake up. In that half-awake state, they always felt something pressing down on them, so heavy that it made it hard for them to breathe.
Before long, the couple couldn't take it anymore. After talking to each other, they realized they had similar dreams and fell silent.
retribution.
The couple thought of this word at the same time. Could it really be their deceased eldest son coming to take revenge? But five years have passed. Shouldn't he have taken revenge long ago?
Whether they believed it or not, the couple eventually gave in and bought paper money and offerings to burn for Wang Bufan, begging him to stop bothering them for the sake of their shared life.
Ruan Bei felt extremely pleased to hear this; it was a perfect example of wicked people getting their just desserts.
He asked Wang Bufan, "Do you still want to continue taking revenge on them?"
The talismans that Qin Gu used all had an expiration date, and after so much time, they should have expired by now.
Wang Bufan shook his head: "No need."
It's not that I've forgiven them, but rather that I don't want to get entangled with them anymore. If things continue as they are, this couple will surely have a miserable old age.
If living is suffering, then let them live.
Besides, it's fine if he can take revenge himself; it's too much trouble to always have someone else do it for him.
Of course, such matters should be discussed with the person involved, so Ruan Bei stopped dwelling on the issue and stammered about the anniversary of his death.
He spoke hesitantly, and his face was pale. Wang Bufan knew he was worried about him, and felt a surge of happiness. He comforted him, "Xiao Bei, don't be sad. Actually, I'm used to it. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm not human anymore, so I'm not scared at all."
Ruan Bei recalled the ghosts he had seen before, such as Ma Chunhua, who jumped out of his window and was unharmed, and he immediately felt relieved.
Qin Gu glanced at Wang Bufan, who lowered his head to avoid his gaze. Qin Gu pursed his lips but ultimately remained silent.
Since it's punishment, it won't be as simple as Wang Bufan said. Repeating the death process means completely repeating it. He will be like a human being, uncontrollably jumping off the building and falling miserably.
"Xiao Bei, I've already talked to the teacher and she'll give me a holiday in a few days. Please don't tell her about this, okay?"
After the anniversary of his death, he needed several days to recover and could not see his teacher.
“Okay.” Ruan Bei readily agreed. Talking about this would only make one more person sad and upset, so it was better not to say anything.
After that, Ruan Bei didn't go to see Wang Bufan again. On the 25th, he started filling out college applications. The liberal arts major only admits a small number of people each year, with some provinces only having one or two spots. Fortunately, his province had relaxed its policies and had more spots. With Ruan Bei and Qin Gu's grades, they would basically be accepted as long as they applied.
After filling out my college application, I returned to my alma mater at their invitation to give a speech to the first and second-year high school students who were still on holiday, and also to receive a scholarship from the school.
Ruan Bei's classmates were already shocked, and now that Ruan Bei is standing on the stage as the top-scoring senior, they still feel a sense of unreality.
Compared to Qin Gu, Ruan Bei's experience was truly more legendary and more remarkable.
Perhaps because they hadn't produced a top scorer for several years, the school had been saving up its bonuses for years, so this time they were exceptionally generous, awarding Ruan Bei and Qin Gu 20,000 yuan each, making the bonuses particularly generous.
Ruan's parents have always trusted and respected their child, letting him manage his own New Year's money and allowance. This time, when he received the bonus, they maintained the same attitude, letting Ruan Bei take it and use it himself.
The school had also arranged an interview with the local television station, but neither Ruan Bei nor Qin Gu wanted to appear on screen and politely declined.
In the end, the TV station staff had no choice but to take photos for the school's honor roll, those one-inch ID photos. Fortunately, the two were good-looking, and even in the standard ID photos, they looked more handsome and good-looking than the average teenager.
The admission notices wouldn't arrive for a while, so the Ruan family held a celebratory banquet. All the relatives and friends they could invite came, along with Ruan Bei and Qin Gu's teachers.
They're from the same school. I only knew the two kids were close before, but now I know they're really close; they even had their college entrance celebrations together.
During this time, Dong Yangyang approached Ruan Bei, saying that many classmates wanted to buy those review outlines and asked if he would sell them.
Ruan Bei then entrusted this task to Dong Yangyang. Dong Yangyang had already written many notes. Ruan Bei had made extra copies, so he could take them and sell them to Dong Yangyang if he wanted any, at the same price.
Of course, there will always be people who don't follow the rules and are unwilling to pay. They might try to make a copy themselves, and Ruan Bei can't stop them. In fact, Wang Bufan didn't originally intend to charge money.
Dong Yangyang said, "Then I'll take the money and give it to you during the holiday."
The second year of high school will soon be on summer vacation.
Ruan Bei calculated that he and Qin Gu were about to leave, and they probably wouldn't be able to wait to collect Dong Yangyang's debt.
So he said, "Forget it, just give it to the author for me."
Dong Yangyang: "...?"
On the phone, Dong Yangyang's voice trembled with fear: "Ruan Bei, don't scare me."
Given his gossip skills, it's impossible that he hadn't found out who Wang Bufan was after so long, considering he was a senior from the same school and the top scorer in the college entrance examination.
Ruan Bei laughed for a while before comforting him: "Don't be afraid, this information does belong to that senior. We can't just leave without showing our appreciation since we used his stuff, right? Use that money to buy books and burn them for him."
Dong Yangyang patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "You scared me to death! No wonder the information was so well organized. It turns out he was the top scorer in the college entrance examination. It's such a pity that senior was born."
"Who can argue with that?"
"But what books should I buy?" Dong Yangyang asked.
Ruan Bei thought for a moment and said, "Our school library's new librarian, Teacher Li, why don't you go ask him? He used to teach senior students."
"good."
Dong Yangyang readily agreed, and after the two settled the matter, Ruan Bei told him some more about the burning of books.
Dong Yangyang listened with a mix of excitement and fear – Ruan Bei's explanation sounded so convincing – but she became even more attentive and took notes.
After settling these trivial matters, Ruan Bei and Qin Gu packed their suitcases and embarked on their journey, ostensibly for tourism, but in reality, to become apprentices.
Jincheng is four to five hours away from Anling City by high-speed train. Ruan Bei and his group set off early in the morning and arrived in Anling City at noon.
It was still quite a distance from the city to Xuanqing Temple in the mountains outside the city. Qin Gu took Ruan Bei to eat some local delicacies. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they took a car down to the foot of the mountain.
Xuanqing Temple is very popular, and the stone path leading up the mountain is crowded with worshippers, many of whom come as a family.
Ruan Bei overheard several pilgrims with local accents, accompanied by children about his age. Judging from their voices, the children had failed the college entrance exam and were there to pray for a better school.
Ruan Bei whispered to Qin Gu, "Does your Taoist temple concern itself with this?"
Qin Gu said, "It is our Taoist temple."
Ruan Bei immediately changed his tune: "Does our Taoist temple care about this?"
Qin Gu lowered his voice, mimicking him: "I don't know either, but the worshippers think it matters. It not only matters academics, but also marriage and children."
Every year, many people come to pray for marriage and children. Later, his second uncle brought back a statue of the Goddess of Fertility and placed it in the side hall, where many people came to worship.
The higher you go, the clearer the Xuanqing Temple complex becomes. Before you even reach the main gate, there are already many stalls along the road selling incense, talismans, and various types of incense.
Even without using the Eye-Opening Talisman, Ruan Bei knew that those talismans were probably fake. With enough use of the real ones, one could naturally see the difference.
There are also many fortune tellers who draw lots, and some fortune-telling stalls even sell plasters.
There were also stalls selling all sorts of trinkets, even Buddhist prayer beads; the stall owners were incredibly generous.
Ruan Bei found it interesting and continued walking and looking around.
Qin Gu slowed down his pace to accompany him and explained, "These aren't businesses run by the temple, but most of the stalls sell decent quality items."
Xuanqing Temple is very popular, which naturally attracts many small vendors who want to get some business. Xuanqing Temple does not go too far and will not stop people from selling things outside the temple. However, if they find any vendors overcharging customers or selling shoddy goods, they will report them.
Ruan Bei saw a stall selling red cloth, the kind that's two fingers wide and half an arm's length long. Five yuan for such a strip of cloth was a complete rip-off, but there were still a lot of people buying it.
"What is that for?" Ruan Bei asked.
Qin Gu's lips twitched slightly, and he said helplessly, "I'm asking for a marriage match."
Originally, the temple had a statue of Nuwa, but after discovering a business opportunity, the second master went and invited the Old Man of the Moon and the Moon Goddess back. He also started to operate the large banyan tree outside the side hall as a marriage tree, and the income suddenly exceeded that of the Goddess of Fertility.
Upon closer inspection, Ruan Bei realized it was true. The stall was crowded with young people, and the stall owner was doing brisk business, selling things and collecting money while shouting, "Marriage cloth! Take a look! Five yuan a piece, nine yuan for two pieces!"
Ruan Bei: "...Pfft, does our temple also sell this...this marriage cloth?"
"...Selling it" was also arranged by his second senior uncle.
Ruan Bei looked around to his heart's content. Further inside, there were stalls selling clay and wood sculptures, including little Taoist priests and monks. Although they looked like mass-produced items, they were adorable.
Ruan Bei took a liking to a young Taoist priest who practiced boxing. He had a small topknot, thick eyebrows, round eyes, and a serious expression on his chubby little face.
"I want this." Ruan Bei liked it at first sight, picked it up and asked the shopkeeper the price.
The shopkeeper's eyes darted around, and the palm-sized clay figurine opened its mouth and shouted eighty. Ruan Bei bargained, and the shopkeeper "reluctantly" said, "Then I'll give you a discount, sixty yuan to take it."
Ruan Bei really liked the young Taoist priest, so he bargained down the price to twenty yuan, thinking that was about right, and prepared to pay.
Qin Gu grabbed his arm and beckoned over a passing young Taoist priest.
The young Taoist priest ran over and smiled as soon as he saw him: "Uncle Ninggu, you've come back early this year."
Qin Gu smiled at him, picked up the clay figurine, and said to the stall owner, "Eighty?"
The young Taoist priest's face hardened, and the stall owner wiped the sweat from his brow, saying with a pained expression, "I misspoke, eight... eight yuan..."
Qin Gu scoffed lightly: "Hurry up and give me the real price."
The stall owner was sweating profusely: "I bought it for five yuan, and I've sold it for as low as ten yuan before. You can decide what to pay."
Qin Gu looked at Ruan Bei, who pouted, glanced at his wallet, and finally took out a twenty-yuan bill and put it down.
Qin Gu shoved the clay figurine into Ruan Bei's hand and looked at him with a smile: "Not happy?"
Ruan Bei said, "No, it's just that I thought I had paid back almost all of it..." He thought he had already done a great job by cutting down twenty yuan.
Qin Gu couldn't help but laugh: "No merchant is honest. I should have known better than to tell you and let you buy it directly. It's only a few dozen yuan."
"No, then I'll be at a disadvantage," Ruan Bei said, puffing out his cheeks.
"Yes, we can't let ourselves be ripped off at our own doorstep," Qin Gu said with a smile.
The young Taoist priest had never seen him so cheerful before. He secretly glanced at Ruan Bei, wondering what kind of extraordinary person he was, that even the most difficult junior uncle in the temple was smiling at him.
Ruan Bei keenly noticed the young Taoist priest's scrutiny and smiled shyly at him: "Hello, my name is Ruan Bei."
The young Taoist priest bowed and said, "I am still a novice in Taoism, but I have come to greet you, Layman Ruan."
Qin Gu interrupted, "Don't call me 'Layman' anymore. Xiao Bei is the last disciple my master wants to take in. After he becomes my disciple, Wei Ming, you should call him 'Uncle-Master,' and it's time for someone else to take the title of 'Junior Uncle-Master.'"
He will no longer be the youngest disciple of his generation!
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