Chapter 153 Starting with Spirit Communication and Causing Trouble
Your consciousness returns from the darkness, and this time, you wake up exceptionally quickly.
It seems as if you in this world only briefly lost consciousness, and then you were immediately transported here.
You open your eyes. One second you feel like you're still on a United Airlines plane, and the next you find yourself in a dimly lit place. The difference in perception makes you feel a little disoriented.
You look down, and as your vision gradually clears, you see yourself wearing a knee-length pleated skirt, in a dimly lit classroom.
All the warm light came from the rows of candles surrounding the room.
Orange flames danced in the damp air, and several strange shadows were stretched out and swayed against the wall.
You look up and see three girls who look like they come from southern China surrounding you. They are all wearing the same white short-sleeved shirts and knee-length dark pleated skirts as you, and they have inscrutable smiles on their faces.
The air was damp and stuffy, mixed with a strange fragrance, similar to sandalwood but with a hint of fishy sweetness, making you involuntarily frown slightly.
It was a bit stuffy, but then you suddenly felt a tingling sensation on your scalp, and the back of your head felt like...like a cold wind was blowing on it. A chill seeped into your skin.
“You’re finally awake,” one of the girls said.
She was also speaking the language of flowers, but her words carried a somewhat unfamiliar tone.
They are all locals, but in this instance, you really can't figure out where they come from.
Then you hear her say, "How could Ajarn's child be so timid as to faint?"
The other girls laughed along, exchanging teasing glances.
These little girls, who look like high school students, are imitating adults and acting all sophisticated, but you can instantly catch the undisguised malice in their expressions.
Instead of immediately retaliating, you quickly surveyed your surroundings.
The timing of entering this instance is truly absurd; you need to quickly gather as much information as possible for self-analysis and judgment.
The walls were covered with slogans written in exotic languages you'd never seen before; if you had to describe them, they were the kind of decorations you'd find in a regular classroom.
However, the lotus flower and Buddha image in the center of the blackboard give you some clues about the current copy, but you're too unsure to be sure due to a lack of understanding.
It was dusk, and the classroom was empty except for the girls. The doorway was blocked by several tables and chairs in a disorderly manner.
You glance at the mirror among the many strange props placed on the ground, and confirm your reflection. Your appearance is exactly the same as your own. You haven't become weaker because of entering this instance and becoming a high school student. It seems that your body hasn't lost any power either.
Your mind starts working quickly.
You are acutely aware of your predicament: upon entering this instance, you find yourself in a clearly dangerous ritual setting—what are all these things? Water tanks, paper figures, scissors, talismans covered in incomprehensible runes, mirrors, and countless white candles scattered everywhere as if they were free...
Is this some kind of psychic game?
These high school girls are clearly not friendly to your presence.
Even if you don't understand what "Ajarn" means, judging from their attitude, it's not hard to guess that they possess some kind of special ability. They surround you, seemingly treating you as the main character, but in reality, they don't care at all about your fainting; they only care whether you can continue the ritual. They also show absolutely no respect for your family.
Are they trying to take advantage of you? Or are they trying to play a trick on you?
Regardless of which one it is, it seems to reflect the current situation of your identity.
Out of the corner of your eye, you glance at the desks and chairs blocking the classroom door.
To be honest, given your physical abilities, you could easily force your way out of these three petite girls by overturning the tables and chairs. However, doing so might cost you your basic standing in the school – this is high school, after all.
What kind of place is high school? In reality, teachers and students are usually normal people, but this is a fictional scenario. Looking at these three little brats in front of you, you can almost see what kind of small society this high school is, built by teenagers who are neither fully grown nor fully human.
Moreover, the weather is neither hot nor cold at this time, which is clearly not during the holiday period. In other words, you cannot escape the regular school life that follows.
Worst of all, the writing on the walls and desks tells you a harsh truth: this school is not an international school, and there are no signs or annotations in any language.
In most of the instances you've experienced before, you were allowed to communicate and understand using the Ying language. At worst, you could just be a freeloader, skipping classes and not going out to interact with people. But this is completely different now.
In other words, for five days every week going forward, you will have to live in a completely unfamiliar language environment.
In just a few seconds, you have quickly weighed the pros and cons.
You can't immediately break ties with these obviously hostile girls. That might get you through the immediate predicament, but in the long run, it could leave you isolated and helpless. They speak the language of flowers, and it's very likely that "you" will end up with them in the game because of the same ethnicity. More likely, "you" will only be able to hang out with this group of people who speak the language of flowers.
This explains why someone with a background in metaphysics would be forced into this situation—just kidding, you don't believe even the most unruly kid would dare to bully a child from a family that practices the supernatural; you also don't believe even the most cowardly person would be forced to play these things in the classroom in the middle of the night while their family is doing these things.
At the same time, you must never let them continue to think that you are someone they can manipulate.
You must quickly establish yourself at this moment and psychologically suppress their hostility towards you.
You don't know if there are other students at this school. Maybe you can make friends with others later, but for now, you can only prepare for the worst.
After thinking it through, you completely hid your instinctive panic or hesitation, and straightened your back with composure and ease.
You gently patted the dust off your knees, slowly glanced around at their faces, and revealed a dismissive smile.
“They were just asleep,” you said calmly, your voice carrying a hint of nonchalant composure. “What’s there to be excited about? Is it because it’s your first time doing something like this, that you’re actually so scared?”
As soon as you said that, the smiles on the faces of several people froze for a moment.
You secretly breathed a sigh of relief, confirming your judgment: although these little girls huddled together, they were not truly invincible.
"Meiling, you say something..." The girl with glasses nudged Meiling in the middle, her eyes flickering slightly.
Meiling frowned, slapped her glasses off, and then resumed her cold smile: "What are you pretending for? Who doesn't know your father is Ajarn? We just want to see if you're really as capable as your father. Or rather, if your father is just an imposter."
They seem afraid? Afraid of what?
You didn't speak, but just coldly glanced at the three of them.
"Meiling..." This time, the curly-haired girl to Meiling's right whispered something in a language you couldn't understand. The occasional glances she gave you still betrayed her fear.
"Are you going to play or not?!" Meiling suddenly raised her voice. The two girls beside her were emboldened by her, but you could see right through their nervousness.
You understand.
Curly deliberately switched to another language to speak in private, indicating that "you" do not speak this local language. From this, you can almost be sure why "you" are being manipulated, and you might even be a new student who has just arrived here. Their sudden timid attitude towards you is quite interesting.
Is it because they noticed a difference in your personality compared to before? It's just that the situation is special. Normal people would think you're crazy, but they probably think you've been "possessed".
—Hmm, that does seem to be true.
Your upper face remains still, but the muscles in the lower half of your face lift up, and your lips are pursed into an extreme arc.
You said, "Just now... I actually sensed something."
The already somewhat eerie atmosphere froze for a moment. The girls exchanged glances, and Meiling's expression tightened noticeably. She bit her lip gently, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
"What...did you sense?" Meiling deliberately lowered her voice, seemingly trying to appear calm. After all, she was the boss, and if she lost her aura, things would be bad.
You keenly noticed this, and immediately felt more confident.
As expected, your earlier assessment was correct. Although these girls appear arrogant, they are actually filled with uncertainty. With a little manipulation of this psychology, they can be easily controlled.
You lowered your eyelids, sighed as if feigning struggle, and slowly said, "These paper figures... my dad told me before that they're useless."
Your words were understated, yet they precisely touched a nerve with them.
Meiling, as if she had caught you red-handed, became even more aggressive: "What, I think you're scared!"
The girl next to her immediately tugged at her sleeve, but she shook her off.
You raised an eyebrow, looking at her smug expression, a subtle, cold smile playing on your lips: "Why are you so loud? Are you trying to hide your guilty conscience? If you really don't believe me, why are you so nervous? What are you guilty of?"
A few words were enough to define Meiling.
Meiling's face flushed instantly, her eyes darting around nervously as she glanced at her companions, desperately seeking their support. However, their attention seemed to be completely drawn to you at that moment.
Seizing this opening, you leaned forward slightly and said in a low, sinister tone, "Aren't you curious about spirit communication? These paper figures are low-class stuff. At most, they can only make some wandering ghosts appear. They're not even worthy of being called mainstream. They're too childish for even a child to scare themselves."
"What...what do you mean?" Meiling clearly felt threatened, but she couldn't immediately refute you.
You glanced calmly at the materials laid out on the ground: even if you were to participate, you couldn't possibly perform rituals that you yourself didn't understand, as Meiling expected.
“If you really want something exciting, why not try real ‘spirit mediumship’?” You deliberately dragged out your words, making things up while looking at them with a hint of disdain. “Put a mirror in rice water, burn some talisman paper to ashes and mix it in, chant ‘Come, come and answer my questions,’ that’s the real way to summon spirits. If the ripples in the mirror can show the face of the deceased, or even speak—that’s true spiritual communication.”
The girls hesitated, their faces clearly showing a mixture of fear and curiosity. Meiling muttered, trembling slightly, "Didn't you just say it was dangerous? Now you're saying the paper doll is useless. Which one is true?"
You stared at her with a cold smile and slowly replied, "Perhaps the danger I just sensed... comes from the game I'm about to lead you through?"
Your words were like a cold wind blowing through the classroom, and several people shivered in unison.
"What, you're scared now?" You pressed on, laughing with obvious provocation. "Weren't you always curious? If you're going to play, play it all the way, or don't waste my time."
"Meiling, she really looks a bit off..." His glasses could barely conceal his trembling.
Meiling glared at Glasses fiercely.
Provoked by you and embarrassed by her companion in front of you, she gritted her teeth and, driven by her competitive spirit, forced herself to say, "Who's afraid? Let's play! We'll do as you say!"
You nodded slightly and sneered.
Your goal has been achieved; they have completely fallen into the psychological trap you set.
You slowly picked up the mirror on the table and submerged it in the center of the milky white rice water jar. Then you lit the talisman with a candle and scattered the ashes into it.
You deliberately slowed your movements, your expression calm and confident. If you recorded your own expression, it would be textbook-worthy acting. You truly seemed to have everything under control about what was about to happen.
In reality, you know perfectly well that this is just a ritual you made up out of thin air.
You only chose the latter in that moment when you were torn between "using a psychic game you've actually heard of or making one up on the spot"—after all, what if the former came true?
You've never heard of "mirror divination," but when you think about these things, you can't just make them up out of thin air. So you just use the existing props and combine them with the urban legends you already know to create one.
While pretending to be focused, you mutter to yourself, "Remember, whatever the thing in the mirror asks, you must answer truthfully, otherwise it will remember your face and come looking for you at night... It will only remember your faces."
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that these little brats were all pale-faced, and they all looked like they regretted provoking you.
You were actually a little nervous inside, even though you knew the ceremony had no chance of happening.
But this is just too bizarre! Cherish life, stay away from psychic games.
However, you're not too worried. After all, even if it comes true, as long as you set the rules yourself and follow them, the situation will always be under your control.
"It will only seek out those who participate in the ceremony," you emphasized.
The candlelight flickered gently, but a gust of wind from who-knows-where completely changed the direction of the flame.
This time, your shadow will be stretched into a strange, distorted outline on the wall.
The wind carried a damp, musty smell.
It's really unpleasant.
Get ready. Look around, deliberately showing a fanatical and excited expression, then suddenly raise your finger and point directly at the bespectacled guy who has been hiding behind Meiling, looking somewhat timid.
"You, come here!" You yourself didn't know your potential was so great. The voice you shouted out was extremely sharp, unpleasant and eerie.
Glasses has been silent for a long time, just shrinking away to minimize its presence.
She was almost in tears after you pointed at her like that. She subconsciously looked at Meiling, her eyes clearly pleading for help. Meiling frowned, opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.
You didn't give them any more chance to hesitate, and urged them again in a sinister tone: "What? Weren't you eager to see just now? Now that it's your turn, are you scared?"
"Go on!" Meiling pushed her forward directly.
This is also why you chose glasses. Firstly, you're afraid Meiling will stubbornly argue with you, and if it comes down to a fight, you, as an adult, will probably lose to her; secondly...
His glasses trembled, and after much hesitation, he finally bit his lip and took small steps forward. He'd already been pushed out anyway.
"Put your hand out," you commanded coldly.
Since she was already there, Glasses didn't struggle much and obediently reached out her hand. Her arm trembled, her fingertips turned white from the force, and her eyes were filled with undisguised terror.
"Take the knife and cut your hand open." You calmly command her, as if you were completely controlled by some evil force.
Her breathing quickened, and tears welled up in her eyes. But that's how people are; once they agree to the first thing, they quickly agree to the second.
She had no choice but to pick up the small knife on the table under everyone's watchful eyes.
The blade gleamed coldly in the candlelight. She hesitated and looked at Meiling again, only to see the other's gloomy face and barely suppressed anxiety.
And what about you? You're looking up with your head down, most of your face hidden in the shadow of your hair.
With a shudder, Glasses closed his eyes and pressed the razor blade into his palm, slicing a shallow wound. Blood slowly oozed out, appearing exceptionally bright red and glaring in the candlelight.
"Drip it in," you continued, your tone growing increasingly sinister. "Make sure it's three drops."
Her face grew even paler, but she still gritted her teeth and held her palm above the rice water in the mirror. Blood slowly seeped into the water, each drop creating a slight ripple, like tiny waves in a dark lake, which quickly spread outwards.
You didn't tell her to stop, so she could only wait stiffly, drip-drip-drip, the only sound in the room being the faint sound of blood dripping into water.
Finally, the girl began to panic, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, and her breathing became rapid.
You stare at her, then suddenly your expression changes drastically. You reach out and grab her wrist, your nails digging deep into her skin, forcing more blood to flow out.
"Not enough! Not enough!" you yelled, your voice filled with frantic rage. "What are you hesitating about? Do you want to kill Meiling and the others?"
She was completely provoked and screamed, desperately trying to break free from your grasp, but you didn't give her a chance at all—I told you, they were no match for you—you gripped her wrist tightly, letting the blood fall into the water like beads from a broken string.
"Please...stop! I don't want to play anymore!" she cried. "It wasn't my idea in the first place, I was wrong, I'm sorry! I was just curious! I'm sorry!"
Finally, she struggled violently, and you took the opportunity to loosen your grip. In her panic, she knocked over the water vat filled with rice water and blood, and even shattered the mirror.
A crisp shattering sound rang out instantly. The lens shattered on the ground, and water stains and bloodstains spread rapidly, forming shocking bloody streaks.
You breathed a sigh of relief; this was exactly the result you had been hoping for—you were really worried that Meiling would grit her teeth and hold on until the very end, only to find out that you really couldn't communicate with spirits.
However, in order to continue creating a terrifying atmosphere, you immediately put on an expression of utter rage, your eyes burning with uncontrollable fury.
You opened your mouth wide and roared, "What did you do?! You actually knocked over its container!"
"It won't let you go!" You suddenly pointed your finger at the girls in front of you, one after another, your sharp voice piercing their eardrums. "It won't let any of you go!"
You deliberately ignored your own fears, letting them frighten themselves. Sure enough, apart from Meiling who was still trying to remain calm, the other two girls were already huddled together in terror, curled up in a corner, trembling all over, their eyes filled with fear and horror.
You were secretly amazed, never expecting your acting skills to have reached such a masterful level. You even felt as if you were truly possessed by some kind of vengeful ghost.
"Of course, I can help you with it..." You feel the emotions are right and are preparing to continue "using your supernatural powers."
Suddenly, Meiling's eyes widened, her mouth opened but she couldn't make a sound, her expression was extremely terrified, and her eyes were fixed on what was behind you.
A jolt ran through you, and an indescribable chill ran down your spine. You slowly turned your head away.
What's this?
The color of the walls and ceiling of the entire classroom behind you is fading rapidly, as if being quickly stripped away by an invisible force, leaving behind pale and mottled traces.
The faded color was quickly filled in by patches of scarlet blood. The scarlet bloodstains crawled slowly like living things, spreading and gradually engulfing the entire classroom.
They are slowly but irresistibly moving toward where you are.
Wherever the bloodstains were, the surfaces of the tables and chairs quickly rotted and peeled away, and the floorboards creaked with a teeth-grinding sound, as if they were under immense pressure.
The temperature in the classroom plummeted, and their breath instantly condensed into white mist. Meiling and the others were so terrified that they were completely speechless, staring blankly at the scene before them, their lips trembling violently, their eyes filled with despair.
You try your best to control your astonishment and calmly observe all the changes, quickly calculating in your mind what to do next: How could such a terrible phenomenon really appear when it was just a game you made up at random?
Just as your mind was racing, you suddenly heard a low, sinister laugh in your ear, the sound seemingly right next to you, accompanied by a chilling aura.
"Since you want to play, then play with me properly..."
"Get up, run!" You had no choice but to grab one of the girls and kick Meiling, who seemed to still have some strength left, so you grabbed one of them with each hand and kicked her up.
"Who gave you permission to kick me!" Meiling shouted angrily, her face pale.
Ignoring the self-esteem of teenagers, you kicked away the tables and chairs blocking the door.
As expected, the door was locked tight.
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Author's Note: (When I came back to change the name, I realized I wrote "bangs" instead of "glasses"??? I'm so done with myself... When I was thinking about this girl's image, I envisioned her as the typical image of someone with braids, thick glasses, and long bangs. At first, I called her "glasses," but after going out for a walk and coming back, all I remembered about her was "bangs"... TT [Red heart][Orange heart][Yellow heart][Green heart][Cyan heart][Blue heart][Pink heart])
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