Chapter 107 The Top Student Falls from a Building
Jiang Jinshu gazed at the sycamore tree outside the ward window.
Memories come in like a tide, and then recede just as quickly.
Jiang Jinshu recalled the stubborn figure on Broken Soul Ridge who insisted on being the first to touch the Soul-Suppressing Stele.
She turned to Lu Yao: "Did you find Poria cocos?"
Of all the companions who worked together to decipher the inscription, Qiao Fuling was the closest to her. Back in the academy, Qiao Fuling would scold her for staying up all night while secretly copying her lesson plans until the wee hours.
"So far, we've only found cherry branches," Lu Yao said.
Jiang Jinshu propped herself up: "I'll help—"
Lu Yao held her down.
"Don't move. Your eyes have just recovered and need an adjustment period. Your top priority is to get healthy and prepare for the Olympics."
No matter how unforgettable the past may be, it can never compare to the reality of life right before our eyes.
Lu Yao placed three calming talismans under her pillow; the cinnabar patterns on the talismans were slightly warm. "Leave the task of finding the person to me. Next year, I want to see you standing on the podium."
She turned around and paused by the door: "As for Jiang Jincheng..."
The phone screen lit up, and Li Ran's reply was concise and powerful: [The person has been apprehended, and the evidence is conclusive].
...
As dusk settled, Lu Yao walked back to the Jinglan Mountain courtyard along the bluestone path.
The wind chimes on the eaves tinkled, startling a few birds that were perched there.
You Qing was sitting cross-legged under the old locust tree, breathing deeply. Sensing her presence, she immediately opened her eyes: "Grand Preceptor, you're back!"
The little girl skipped over and brought over a celadon cup, with a crooked talisman pattern drawn on the matcha foam. "I used spiritual spring water to make it. Would you like to try it?"
A sweet and salty aroma wafted from the kitchen.
Lu Yao raised an eyebrow and looked over. On the table was a bowl of glistening, oily braised pork, with a few hawthorns floating in the amber sauce. It was the way she loved to eat it in Jiangnan a thousand years ago.
“The villagers said this was a free-range boar that was slaughtered this morning.” You Qing’s eyes sparkled.
The desire for food that had faded away over a thousand years was gently stirred up by this wisp of smoke.
The live stream started as usual in the evening.
The barrage of comments immediately surged in like a tidal wave:
[Just finished a live stream about the karma of voodoo dolls this afternoon, and now they're doing it again tonight?]
[This streamer is going to wipe out his competitors!]
Lu Yao smiled slightly. Now that the power of faith flows endlessly, there is no need to be as meticulous as before.
"The second divination of the day."
She tapped the screen with her fingertip, and a girl in a school uniform appeared on the connected screen.
In the live stream, the other person nervously pushed up their glasses, their voice trembling: "Host, my name is Tao Yun, and I am a first-year high school student. I would like to ask you to calculate... the cause of death of my classmate Xu Rui."
“The official version says it was suicide.” Tao Yun bit her lip. “But I don’t believe it… I’ve failed exams before, and Xu Rui comforted me, saying it was no big deal, just one exam. I don’t believe he was that fragile.”
The live chat exploded instantly:
[Another school-related incident? Why are so many students getting into trouble lately?]
[Xu Rui? Isn't he the top student who jumped off a building in the news a while ago?]
I heard he bombed his last monthly exam and his mental state collapsed...
Students these days have such poor stress tolerance!
Lu Yao retrieved this news article.
A first-year high school student at Mingde High School fell to his death; the school stated it was due to excessive psychological pressure.
At approximately 4:20 PM yesterday, a student fell from a building at Mingde Middle School, a key high school in our city. Xu, a 16-year-old male student from Class 7 of Grade 1, fell from the fifth floor of the teaching building and was confirmed dead at the scene by 120 emergency medical personnel.
According to the school's report, Xu was an excellent student, consistently ranking among the top ten in her grade. However, in the most recent monthly exam, her ranking dropped to 28th in the grade.
According to homeroom teacher Ms. Li, Xu Rui has been in low spirits recently. Ms. Li had taken the initiative to talk to him and expressed that she was "very disappointed in herself".
"After the third period that afternoon, some students saw him wandering in the corridor," said Director Wang of the school's moral education department. "We never expected such a tragedy to happen."
Preliminary police investigation ruled out homicide and determined it to be a suicide.
Lu Yao lightly tapped her fingertip, and the copper coin spun rapidly, revealing a clear hexagram when it landed on the table.
“It wasn’t suicide.” Lu Yao paused. “Someone meticulously planned and orchestrated his death.”
Tao Yun cried out, "I knew there was something fishy about his death! Anchor, who was that person?"
Lu Yao remained silent for a moment.
"They've come for revenge."
【Holy crap?】
The deceased was only 16 years old and still a student. Did he have enemies?
Lu Yao pulled out a yellowed talisman, the cinnabar patterns on it gleaming with a blood-red luster under the lens.
As she chanted a spell in a low voice, the live stream screen suddenly distorted.
All the audience members were drawn into a long-forgotten memory—
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on the junior high school corridor.
Fifteen-year-old Xu Rui leaned lazily against the railing, but his gaze was unconsciously drawn to a figure in the corner.
Yang Chuyue was always alone.
She was crouching beside the bushes, her school uniform sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing her slender wrists.
She carefully arranged the cat food in a neat little circle, and three spotted kittens affectionately rubbed against her fingertips.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on her drooping eyelashes and casting a soft golden glow on her cheeks.
"Hey, Xu Rui—" His best friend suddenly hooked his arm around his neck and deliberately dragged out the words, "You don't actually like that silent guy, do you?"
Xu Rui's ears instantly burned.
The boys around him had stopped fooling around and all looked at him with mischievous smiles on their faces.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his heart pounded violently in his chest.
He certainly wouldn't admit that he would glance at her more than once every day, wouldn't admit that he would casually adjust his school uniform collar when she passed by, and wouldn't admit that he smiled at him last night when he dreamed that she was feeding the cat.
"Bullshit!" He shoved his companion away, his voice rising eight octaves. "Would I ever be interested in a freak like that?"
To prove himself and to suppress the inexplicable restlessness in his heart, he grabbed the ink bottle on the windowsill.
The blue liquid traced a perfect parabola in the air before slamming onto Yang Chuyue's seat with a thud, splattering ink all over her textbooks and desk.
A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Rui Ge is awesome!"
"As expected of the squad leader, your aim is excellent!"
Amid the cheers and jeers of the crowd, Xu Rui unconsciously straightened his back.
He glanced furtively into the corner.
Yang Chuyue remained squatting there, without even turning her head, only her fingers stroking the kitten paused slightly.
This reaction inexplicably ignited a nameless anger within him.
From then on, bullying Yang Chuyue became Xu Rui's way of consolidating his position.
Her notebook was torn to shreds, and the scraps of paper fell like snowflakes at the homeroom teacher's feet.
When the teacher questioned him sternly, the whole class fell silent.
Only Xu Rui was twirling his pen in his seat, a faint smile playing on his lips.
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