Record of All Things

In the scorching summer of Chongqing, the road was so hot that it could fry an egg. When Jiang Hong got out of the car, he felt like he was about to melt in the sun. His father dropped him off outside the prep course institution, honked the horn and waved goodbye, and then drove away.

Jiang Hong went to register by himself and entered the classroom on the same day, sitting in the last row. Public high schools no longer allowed prep courses, so those who participated were mostly like Jiang Hong, unsuccessful candidates. Of course, there were also differences in academic ability among the unsuccessful candidates. Life in the fourth year of high school was boring and filled with exhaustion. Everyone’s goal was the same: come here and study, with no energy left to make friends or chat.

During this class, the teacher was talking about the college entrance exam. Jiang Hong had wasted half of his summer vacation and now he was back to preparing for the exam with despair in his heart.

Xi’an was a fun place with delicious food, but it was a bit hot… Jiang Hong couldn’t help but reminisce about his summer trip. If he could attend a university in Xi’an, he could have fun everywhere.

Wait, what did I do in Xi’an? Jiang Hong felt a bit strange. He went on a trip, but he didn’t have many memories. Did he go to an escape room? Who did he go with? He vaguely remembered that he almost broke down when he didn’t get into his preferred university, but his parents gave him some money to go out and relax, so he chose Xi’an.

But what did I do there? Jiang Hong’s mind was empty, and he didn’t have any photos on his phone. Why did he go on a trip alone? To relax… oh yes, did he make any friends in Xi’an? He seems to have, but why didn’t he exchange contact information?

The teacher was talking about the exam, but Jiang Hong had already started to drift away.

I went to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda… but what does it look like? Why don’t I remember anything?

I made friends, but who were they? The more Jiang Hong thought, the more confused he got. How did he meet them? Did he meet them on the street? Were they male or female? Tall or short?

Jiang Hong’s mind was in chaos, with tangled black threads on top of his head. Did he buy any souvenirs? No, he didn’t. He also went to Qinling, but why did he go there? What did he do there?

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do? Jiang Hong was completely confused.

It was so hot. The air conditioning wasn’t working well, and there were more than seventy people in the classroom. Life was unbearable… If only he had worked harder last year, he sighed. But as the former homeroom teacher said, some people were suited for studying, while others were not. Jiang Hong’s thoughts start to wander.

He felt like he had failed in life. He tried long-distance running, but didn’t become an athlete. His mother stopped him from running in junior high because she was afraid it would stunt his growth. He did well in his sophomore and junior years, growing to almost six feet tall, but running wasn’t a factor in college admissions anymore. He studied hard, but his grades were always mediocre, making it difficult to enter a top-tier school. He learned piano as a child, passed level six, but then stopped. He learned to play Go, even studying under a professional, but he gave up after only two years.

He knew a little about everything, but he was not an expert in anything. This was Jiang Hong’s life in just eighteen years. His former homeroom teacher said that his parents spoiled him too much and didn’t push him enough, but Jiang Hong felt that it was his own fault. He couldn’t blame his parents; they already loved him enough.

Sigh… Should he repeat the year? Would he be able to attend a good university? When would this kind of life end?

Jiang Hong was lying on the table, looking like a withered dog that had been left out in the sun too long.

“Maybe I’ll just sleep for a little while,” he thought to himself. He wasn’t sure why, but this trip made him feel very tired, as if he had spent five days lifting steel bars on a construction site instead of relaxing.

“Just fifteen minutes of sleep…” he told himself.

And so Jiang Hong fell asleep.

In the prep course, neither the teacher nor his classmates paid him any attention. Who cared if you were in your final year of high school and whether or not you read?

Jiang Hong was average in most things, but he excelled in eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping. He could quickly get into the zone.

Not only did Jiang Hong sleep for more than fifteen minutes, but he also had a dream.

In his dream, he was wearing a robe and standing by a gem-like, indigo lake. He was only fourteen years old that year, with clear eyes that were as pure as the lake.

Suddenly, a strong wind came up and dark clouds filled the sky. The lake water exploded with a roar.

A large dragon flew out of the lake and hovered in the air. Thunderclouds gathered in the sky, and thunder that shook the world was brewing. In an instant, it poured down on the dragon!

The first wave of thirty-six thunderbolts lit up the sky.

“Kulu… Kulu…” Jiang Hong, in his robe, was shocked and shouted excitedly at the sky.

But the thunder drowned out his voice. In the earthquake and landslide of that day, the power of man was so small. By the side of Yamdrok Lake, Jiang Hong became an inconspicuous little black spot.

“Kulu…”

Sixty-four, eighty-one thunderbolts fell one after another, and the dragon extended its body in the sky. The thunder peeled off its scales one by one, and lightning gave them a black and golden hue. The horn on its forehead was shattered by the power of the calamity, as if it had become a lightning rod that attracted the anger of heaven.

“Kulu!!!” Jiang Hong’s eyes reflected the thunder and lightning, and the black dragon hovering in the dark sky.

Finally, a thunderbolt shot toward him from the sky.

The dragon immediately flew toward Jiang Hong and blocked the thunderbolt for him. Countless black scales fell in the wind like ashes after a fire, drifting apart.

“Ring…”

The bell for the end of class rang, and Jiang Hong woke up suddenly.

“Oh, class is over already?” Jiang Hong rubbed his eyes and looked at the blackboard.

“@#￥%…”

The blackboard was densely covered with notes.

“It’s so tiring.” When Jiang Hong got into his father’s car, it was already 9:15 pm.

“If you’re tired, that’s good.” Jiang Hong’s father drove attentively. “People need to live, work hard, and strive. Look at your old man. I’m getting old, but still have to accompany others to eat and drink, and attend social events. It’s all tiring.”

“Dad, I don’t think I’m really suited for studying,” Jiang Hong said, his eyes looking out at the dreamlike streetlights.

“Don’t say that.” Jiang Hong’s father loved his son very much. He intended to comfort him, but changed his mind. “Perhaps you don’t have a talent for studying science and engineering, but you still need to get into a good university. It hasn’t reached the point where you need to work yet. Throughout your life, you need to keep trying in order to find what suits you best. If you give up now, you won’t even have the opportunity to try.”

“Well, I’ll study hard.” Jiang Hong thought to himself that he couldn’t afford to daydream and fall asleep tomorrow.

Jiang Hong had never been scolded or beaten since he was a child. Everything in his family was explained carefully to him, and he understood the reasoning. However, he still couldn’t help but complain occasionally.

When he returned home, his mother had prepared supper. After eating, Jiang Hong went to bed early.

These days, he always felt very tired, and it was difficult to focus. Perhaps it was because he had played around too much during the holiday and was still suffering from the after-effects. He could only slowly adjust.

Before going to bed, Jiang Hong organized his backpack and wallet and suddenly found something tucked inside his wallet.

It was a thin, shell-like piece, slightly larger in area than a one-yuan coin, but less than one millimeter thick. When he opened his wallet, it fell onto the desk with a “clang,” bouncing a few times. Its texture was very hard.

Jiang Hong: “???”

Jiang Hong picked it up. It looked like a shellfish strip. It was full of delicate rings, like the age lines of a tree, with a texture like polarizing grating, refracting brilliant colors.

Laid flat in his hand, the black piece shimmered with a faint golden light. Its originally sharp edges seemed to have been polished by hand, making it smooth and gentle.

What is this? Jiang Hong thought for a moment. It seemed to be a protective charm? But where did he get this from? There was nothing written on it.

Jiang Hong’s first intuition was that someone gave him this charm. He didn’t know where this thought came from, but he believed it was true.

So Jiang Hong found a red string in his drawer, wrapped it around the charm a few times, tightened it, and made a simple necklace that he could wear. He put it in his wallet and used the manual work to empty his mind for a moment after a tense day, then turned off the lights and went to bed.

“Dad.”

The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Hong said to his father, “You don’t need to come pick me up after school today. I’ll go home by myself.”

Both parents replied with an “Mm-hmm,” and Jiang Hong decided to take the subway to and from school by himself from that day on, no longer bothering his father for transportation, since his father was also very tired.

—

On August 16th, the end of summer was approaching, and the earth’s energy was at its peak.

In a deep pit somewhere on the earth:

It was a vast space, with tens of thousands of grottoes embedded in the walls from the ground to the dome, each with a naked body inside. The bodies looked like sculptures, but also like living beings, except their eyes were tightly closed, as if they were in a long sleep.

Some of the bodies had human torsos, while others had demonic features on their faces.

Luminous runes were painted in front of each grotto, and the runes extended into chains that locked the naked bodies inside each sealed grotto.

Deep in this Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, the radiant light of the earth’s energy shone on the vast space, and the flowing energy of the earth’s veins supplied the nutrients needed to sustain these bodies, constantly and endlessly.

Where the veins of the earth converged, there was a huge pool, and the poolside was filled with blue glowing flowers.

A man appeared and walked towards the pool. The water in the veins of the earth turned into the shape of a human face, as if a huge black shadow was hidden in the pool, and the man spoke to the demon across the water.

“How’s the Exorcist Committee doing?” said the voice in the pool.

The man was in his thirties, wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and smart glasses.

“Everything is going smoothly,” the man said. “The committee has been bloated for many years, but after this election, it is no longer a problem. As long as we have enough patience, we can surely take it down with one blow.”

He held a black ball of light in his hand, like a tiny black hole. When the ball appeared, the bright light of the earth’s veins dimmed slightly, as if all light in this space had been sucked away by the black hole.

“Now our goal is to take down Cao Bin,” the man said. “Originally, Sky University’s defense was very tight, but this time, they recruited the wrong person, which gave us a breakthrough. Now, I need usable material.”

“Act cautiously. Our advantage now is in the shadows.” The mysterious voice in the pool made an eerie sound. “Be mindful of the heart lamp and don’t let them catch on.”

“I will be very careful,” the man said. “I request the use of some material.”

“Go ahead,” the voice said slowly. “As long as we take down Sky University, we will have more materials.”

The man looked up and gazed in the direction of the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods.

—

That day, there was a heavy rainstorm in Chongqing. When Jiang Hong left home in the morning, the rain was not heavy yet, so he took an umbrella and squeezed onto the subway. As he arrived at the school, the rain became heavier and the temperature slowly dropped.

After lunch, the playground began to flood. The training institution was located in a lower area, and the heavy rain poured from the sky to the ground. The students were already used to it, as every summer there were heavy rains in Chongqing, Wuhan, and other places.

By 4:00 p.m., the rain was getting heavier and accompanied by thunder. The sound of rain and thunder drowned out the teacher’s voice. Everyone could not hear what the teacher was saying and had to study on their own. The water outside the school gate was already knee-deep. Judging from the situation, it seemed that the rain would continue to pour down.

Jiang Hong’s father sent him a message: “I’ll come to pick you up tonight.”

Jiang Hong was a bit worried, but at 5:30 p.m., the company’s underground garage was flooded, and his father’s car was stuck in the water, so he had to go home by himself.

The school announced that students could skip evening self-study today, but the rain was so heavy that many students decided to study in the classroom until the rain subsided.

Jiang Hong no longer had the easy-going mentality he had when he was in school. He didn’t expect to have a day off tomorrow due to a rainstorm warning. After all, studying was his own responsibility, and if he couldn’t get into the school he wanted, a year would be wasted. Therefore, he didn’t want to take a break and was even more proactive in staying for evening self-study.

He re-did this year’s college entrance exam papers sent by the training institution, and began to check the answers, roughly knowing where he went wrong. It wasn’t until 9:00 p.m. that the rain finally stopped.

His family sent him a message asking about his situation, and Jiang Hong told them not to worry. His parents always trusted their son’s ability to handle problems and they had a good relationship based on mutual trust.

At 9:20 p.m., almost all the students had left. Jiang Hong finished checking the answers to the last question before packing up his bag and closing the classroom door to go home.

“Maybe I should ask my dad to come pick me up…”

When Jiang Hong walked out of school, he suddenly changed his mind.

The water outside the school was knee-deep, and it was pitch black all around. The streetlights flickered, and it was raining lightly. The dark water surface rippled, as if there were terrifying demons lurking underneath…

If he called his dad to pick him up, he would have to wait at least half an hour at school.

Jiang Hong looked back and found that all the lights in the school were out, and there was no one around.

“Ahhh– so scary!!”

Jiang Hong’s heart was in turmoil, but in the end, he gritted his teeth, took off his shoes, and started walking, thinking that he would be fine once he reached a place with more people.

He walked nervously on the road, feeling that there were ghosts in the water, ready to rush out of the dark surface and jump onto his shoulders at any moment.

After a day of continuous rain, the temperature dropped to around twenty degrees, and the wind blew in gusts, making Jiang Hong shiver all over.

“Is anyone there?” Jiang Hong waded forward and suddenly turned around. “Who? Who’s there?!”

Jiang Hong’s scalp tingled, and he took out the protective charm from his wallet and put it in his pocket, regardless of whether it would work or not.

After walking two blocks, Jiang Hong saw that the commercial street was near. With the lights ahead, he felt a little relieved. He bought a skewer of fried squid, asked the shop owner to cut it open, and put it in a paper bag to eat with bamboo sticks.

At ten o’clock, he finally arrived at the bus stop, his pants soaked.

Had the last bus already left? Jiang Hong looked at the sign for a while. The station was lit up, and he was the only one waiting for the bus.

Jiang Hong: “…”

Looking left and right, he felt a little nervous, so he put on his headphones, turned the music up to the maximum, and began to eat squid to relieve his tension.

Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in C major started playing.

In the quiet late night, countless tentacles stretched out from the darkness behind the bus station’s ceiling and billboard, slowly reaching towards Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong: “?”

With a squid tentacle in his mouth, Jiang Hong turned his head, and just as he spotted the tentacles, they all retracted.

Jiang Hong: “…”

Jiang Hong opened his eyes wide, scrutinizing everything in the dark night. After stopping his chewing for twenty seconds, he continued to eat.

The bus arrived, and Jiang Hong was grateful that he managed to catch the last one!

Jiang Hong quickly got on the bus, tapped his card, and found himself alone on the empty bus. The driver glanced at him without saying a word. Jiang Hong said, “Thank you so much for running this late. I really appreciate it.”

The driver remained silent and closed the door. Jiang Hong sat down in the bus, putting on his sneakers and taking a deep breath. He continued to eat his squid, relieved that he could finally go home.

The bus rolled over the water on the roadside, and raindrops covered the window. Several dark shadows stuck to the window, and Jiang Hong suddenly looked up, gazing outside the misty window.

It had been a long time since the last stop was announced.

“Excuse me,” Jiang Hong said, “is this bus number 368?”

“Yes,” the driver replied shortly.

“I’m heading to the Zhengda Garden,” Jiang Hong said.

The driver didn’t answer, and the bus plunged into darkness. The light outside gradually disappeared.

Only the white light from Jiang Hong’s phone illuminated his face. He played with his phone for a while and saw that the signal had dropped to two bars. He became increasingly uneasy.

Jiang Hong opened the window slightly and saw the bus driving along a dark riverbank, with the Yangtze River outside.

Jiang Hong: “…”

Bus number 368 wasn’t supposed to go this way. Where were they going?!

Jiang Hong exploded in anger and asked, “Driver, where are you going?”

“To Jialing River Bridge,” the driver calmly replied, turning the steering wheel.

“But I don’t need to cross the river! I need to go home! Isn’t this bus number 368?” Jiang Hong protested.

“Don’t worry…” The driver said slowly, “I’ll take you somewhere first…”

Jiang Hong quickly stood up and walked a few steps forward, holding onto the handrail. The bus lights shone into the darkness, and the road along the river was pitch black. Jiang Hong asked, “What, what, what…what are you doing? Driver?”

The driver turned his head, and Jiang Hong saw the most eerie and terrifying thing he had ever seen in his life. There was a pale, wet, monkey-like animal head attached to the driver’s collar!

Jiang Hong screamed in horror.

“Let’s go out first.” Xuan Hezhi seemed a little scared of him.

Cao Bin nodded. Xuan Hezhi made eye contact with Lu Xiu and led him out of the office, closing the door.

“Would you like something to drink?” Cao Bin asked. “Whiskey on the rocks okay?”

“No, no,” Jiang Hong hurriedly declined. “I don’t drink much.”

“Iced plum juice?” Cao Bin asked again. “It’s refreshing.”

Jiang Hong nodded and watched Cao Bin pour the drinks. He had a feeling that this office was the safest place in the world.

“These past few days, I was reporting to the Exorcist Committee in Lingjing Hutong,” Cao Bin said. “I just got back to school after receiving Xuan Hezhi’s call. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Cao Bin handed Jiang Hong his drink and poured himself a glass of whiskey on the rocks. He raised his glass and smiled. His smile was very handsome, and once again Jiang Hong felt reassured.

“It’s not appropriate to drink during work hours,” Cao Bin said, “but it’s still summer vacation, so let’s just ignore the school rules for now.”

Jiang Hong also raised his glass.

Cao Bin said, “I understand your situation. If you don’t want to enrol as an exorcist, there’s no problem. You are the first case since the school was founded, but when the school was founded, emergency plans were also set up for such special situations.”

“How long has the school been open?” Jiang Hong asked.

“Not long, less than ten years,” Cao Bin said. “They bought this school from another place. I am not the first vice principal, and I have only been in this position for just over three years.”

Jiang Hong nodded, hesitated for a moment, and raised his eyebrows, as if to ask a question.

“What is it?” Cao Bin said. “Do you think I’m going to persuade you to stay?”

“I thought… um… yes, I didn’t expect…” Jiang Hong said.

This vice principal looked serious but was unexpectedly easygoing.

“As an exorcist, you need to have the wisdom to respect facts,” Cao Bin said. “This wisdom is to ask yourself, ‘What are the facts? What is the truth supported by the facts?’ when we face difficulties and choices. The truth is not changed by what you ‘think it should be’ or ‘hope it will be’.”

“That’s right, it is like that,” Jiang Hong said.

“The decision has already been made in your heart. That is the fact, and persuading you repeatedly is meaningless,” Cao Bin said. “We respect other people’s decisions and we also respect the facts themselves.”

Jiang Hong felt relieved.

“But it takes some time to go through the reset process,” Cao Bin said. “Once you’ve made up your mind, sign here.”

“What reset process?” Jiang Hong felt a bit scared.

“The existence of exorcists, demons, magic, and many supernatural phenomena needs to be kept secret from the outside world,” Cao Bin said seriously. “I believe you are aware of this.”

“Yes, yes,” Jiang Hong said proactively. “I grew up not having seen ghosts or demons, so it’s evident that the confidentiality work is done well.”

Cao Bin said, “It’s not always the case, but accidents do happen from time to time. However, it’s not important. If you decide to return to your normal life, we will use a little trick to make you forget this short period of time, including from the moment you received the admission notice to the moment you arrived home.”

“Ah?” Jiang Hong was a little confused. “Can I not forget these things? I promise not to tell anyone.”

Cao Bin shrugged and made a helpless gesture. “This is not only for the school but also for your own good.”

Jiang Hong said, “I can sign a confidentiality agreement or something…”

Cao Bin said seriously, “You can keep it to yourself, but our enemies may use unconventional means to obtain information about the school from you. You don’t want to be targeted, do you?”

“Oh, is that so?” Jiang Hong thought, there were enemies? Could they be bad demons? To be honest, he was a little curious. Why were there demons in this school that trained exorcists? Were there so many demons and ghosts on the vast land of China that they were needed to maintain peace?

However, these things had nothing to do with him anymore.

“Okay.” Jiang Hong felt a little regretful, but he still accepted it.

“The school will send a senior student to escort you home,” Cao Bin said. “After signing your name, you can prepare to leave. At that time, the Exorcist Committee will weave a memory for you, mainly that you didn’t get into your ideal college after the college entrance exam and decided to retake it. During the summer vacation, you came to Xi’an for a trip. Your family and friends’ memories during that period will also be modified.”

“Okay.” Jiang Hong thought that the committee was really powerful. They could even modify memories?

“Take a look at the consent form.” Cao Bin took a sip of his drink and joked, “Make sure you read it carefully this time.”

The consent form stated that Jiang Hong voluntarily withdrew from school and returned to his hometown to retake the college entrance exam. There was also a compensation clause. As compensation for the mistake caused by the admissions office’s failure to verify his information, after Jiang Hong passed the exam and entered another university, the university would communicate with his new school to award him a scholarship of 60,000 RMB over four years.

Of course, by that time, Jiang Hong should have no idea what had happened and would only see it as good luck.

“I don’t need the money,” Jiang Hong said hurriedly. “I misunderstood, so I have some responsibility too.”

Cao Bin said, “It’s okay. It’s just a little something to show our apology for delaying your time and delaying your admission to a good university.”

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Hong spoke, “If I choose to go home, will I forget about my roommates and Senior Lu Xiu?”

“Yes,” Cao Bin politely replied. “You are people from two different worlds, and it’s best not to have any intersection. Although it violates the rules, they might visit you with another identity in the future. After all, your family and Lu Xiu are old friends, and he looked after you to repay a favor.”

“What?!” Jiang Hong was shocked to hear this while signing his name. “When did this happen? I had no idea!”

Cao Bin said, “Maybe you weren’t even born yet? After people die, their souls reincarnate between heaven and earth. Who can say for sure if the other person is the same as before? Coming and going are just memories in the end…”

Jiang Hong looked at Cao Bin, who was holding a glass of whisky and looking out the window. At dusk, a splendid rainbow appeared in the sky, like a ribbon spanning the sky and connecting with the earth.

“…In the end, so-called bonds are just attachments.” Cao Bin turned his head, looked at Jiang Hong, walked over to shake his hand, and said, “I wish you all the best in the future.”

Jiang Hong nodded. “Tha…thank you.”

After signing his name, Jiang Hong left the office, and Lu Xiu was waiting for him outside.

Xuan Hezhi nodded at Jiang Hong and then went inside.

Lu Xiu said, “I’ll take you home. You have anything to pack?”

Suddenly, Jiang Hong said, “I want to go see my roommates in military training. Can I?”

After a moment of thought, Lu Xiu nodded. Jiang Hong said, “I’m sorry. Am I being too sentimental?”

“No,” Lu Xiu replied, leading Jiang Hong downstairs to get his helmet.

“Will you take me on your motorcycle?” Jiang Hong asked in surprise.

“Didn’t you want a ride?” Lu Xiu got on the motorcycle and signaled for him to get on. “You won’t have the chance in the future. Come on.”

So Jiang Hong got on, holding Lu Xiu’s waist. Lu Xiu accelerated, rushing out with a roar.

In the vice-principal’s office, Cao Bin looked helpless as he watched Xuan Hezhi.

“I really didn’t expect it to turn out this way. It was already difficult to meet this year’s enrollment quota…” Xuan Hezhi said.

“I’m not blaming you for indiscriminate enrollment,” Cao Bin said. “It’s just that if you had paid attention and clarified things beforehand, we wouldn’t have ended up like this. How could you not clarify even this kind of thing?”

Xuan Hezhi stood in front of the desk, obediently receiving the reprimand.

Cao Bin sighed. “It’s a pity for that child. He had good potential. Look at you, look at all of you. Even recruiting students can cause teaching accidents!” Cao Bin held a stack of documents and wanted to beat Xuan Hezhi, who quickly avoided.

“How’s the investigation going on the veins of the earth?” Xuan Hezhi asked again.

“No progress at all.” Cao Bin breathed a long sigh, loosened his tie, and sat heavily back on his swivel chair, his eyebrows furrowed.

—

“Ah—” The strong wind blew. Jiang Hong sat on the motorcycle. and opened his arms, as if playing roller coasters.

Lu Xiu was speeding crazily, as if venting something, and had reached a speed of 200 miles per hour on his Kawasaki H2. Jiang Hong went from excited to scared when everything suddenly turned into a Gaussian blur. He hugged Lu Xiu tightly, shouting, “Slow down, slow down, senior!”

The motorcycle was running on a mountain road, and a little carelessness would make them fly out and fall into the river. Jiang Hong was clinging to Lu Xiu’s back and felt that the two of them could almost hear each other’s heartbeat.

When they arrived at their destination outside the military camp, it was almost completely dark. Lu Xiu still had the same expressionless look, sitting on the motorcycle, waiting for Jiang Hong to say goodbye.

Lu Xiu had notified the counselor in advance, and the three roommates from Room 903 had come to the fence to meet him.

“Are you okay?” He Jian asked worriedly. “Everyone followed your example and said that the intensity of military training is too great. The freshmen are all mentally collapsing. Today, the instructor let us watch TV in an air-conditioned room all day.”

Jiang Hong: “…”

However, Zhang Xiting seemed to have guessed something, and looked at Jiang Hong for a moment.

Jin asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“Um…” Jiang Hong thought for a moment and didn’t mention that he was dropping out. He had only known his roommates for three days, and although the friendship was not deep, he felt that everyone was scary…but also good to him. They had never bullied him before, and he suddenly felt reluctant to leave.

“My family has some things to deal with,” Jiang Hong said. “I have to go back quickly.”

“Need any help?” Jin asked.

Jiang Hong quickly shook his head, indicating that it was unnecessary. Jin said, “Contact me on WeChat if you need anything.”

“Okay.” Jiang Hong nodded.

Whistle blew in the barracks, reminding them to take a shower quickly. Jin clearly didn’t care much and left with He Jian first, leaving Zhang Xiting and Jiang Hong facing each other.

“Let me guess,” Zhang Xiting said, “they got the wrong person, didn’t they? You’re a normal person? How did you get in?”

Zhang Xiting actually guessed almost everything. He was too smart.

Lu Xiu, who was riding on the motorcycle on the side of the road, turned his head and glanced at him, seemingly warning him.

“Not really, but it’s close enough.” Jiang Hong also whispered, “I don’t know anything, and I was really scared at first.”

“Go back,” Zhang Xiting said. “It’s good to go back and live your own life. When I have time, I will come to see you. By then, you may not remember me.”

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Hong felt a little sad, but Zhang Xiting laughed and said, “We can still be friends again. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” When Jiang Hong heard these words, he felt happy again. He and Zhang Xiting high-fived through the fence. Zhang Xiting waved his hand gracefully and returned to the barracks.

On this moonlit night, Jiang Hong felt very lost. He slowly walked back to Lu Xiu, climbed onto the motorcycle, and on the way back, Lu Xiu drove slowly, as if he wanted to show him the magnificent rivers and mountains under the moonlight. The world was all silver and every leaf shimmered under the moonlight, like countless waves floating and sinking in the vast sea of spiritual energy.

The next day, Jiang Hong packed his luggage and waited with Lu Xiu at Xi’an Xianyang International Airport. Lu Xiu began to check Jiang Hong’s phone, deleting all the school contacts that had been added and clearing the browsing history of the school website.

After leaving the military camp last night, Lu Xiu had hardly said a word.

“Senior,” Jiang Hong said, “how much is the plane ticket? Let me transfer it to you.”

“The school will reimburse me,” Lu Xiu said. He looked bored, wearing sunglasses and sitting in the business class.

Jiang Hong couldn’t help but turn his head to look at him, feeling a little sorry for Lu Xiu. He also thought of what Cao Bin had said and asked, “Senior.”

Lu Xiu: “?”

Lu Xiu turned slightly, took off his sunglasses, and gestured for Jiang Hong to speak.

“Is your family and mine…old acquaintances?”

“Did the vice principal tell you? Why do you want to know?” Lu Xiu replied casually and put his sunglasses back on.

“That’s right, I won’t remember later,” Jiang Hong said. “But I still want to know.”

Lu Xiu didn’t answer. Suddenly, Jiang Hong had a thought and whispered, “Senior, are you also…a demon?”

Lu Xiu took off his sunglasses again and said, “Do you want to see?”

“No, no, no.” Jiang Hong quickly declined his kindness, afraid that something strange would appear on Lu Xiu’s collar. It was strange. He had vaguely guessed that Lu Xiu was also a demon, but he was not afraid of him at all. On the contrary, he regarded him as the most trustworthy person.

“How old are you?” Jiang Hong asked again, “Do you know my ancestors?”

“If I tell you,” Lu Xiu said, “will you go back to school?”

Jiang Hong thought about it and didn’t ask any more questions.

The plane arrived in Chongqing. The closer Jiang Hong got to home, the more he felt an inexplicable reluctance.

“Will you come to find me in the future?” Jiang Hong asked again.

“No.” Lu Xiu hailed a taxi and put Jiang Hong’s luggage in the car, sitting with him in the back seat.

“Okay,” Jiang Hong said.

Lu Xiu pressed his fingers together and looked out the car window for a moment before saying, “If I fly over Chongqing and happen to be passing by, I’ll take a look at you, but you won’t be able to spot me.”

Jiang Hong smiled sadly. “Alright.”

“Go back and retake the college entrance exam,” Lu Xiu said. “There will be other seniors to take care of you.”

Jiang Hong scratched his head. The taxi arrived at the entrance of his residential area in the evening. Everything was so familiar.

“I’m sorry, senior.” Jiang Hong dragged his suitcase and suddenly turned back to Lu Xiu, saying, “I’ve caused you so much trouble.”

Lu Xiu took off his sunglasses and silently lowered his head, looking at him.

Jiang Hong stood on the road, slowly walking back, seeming to slow down his pace, wanting to spend more time with Lu Xiu.

“A hundred and sixty years ago,” Lu Xiu suddenly said, “at the shore of Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, there was a person who conferred a seal of approval for me.”

“?” Jiang Hong turned his head and looked at Lu Xiu with an inquisitive expression.

“Do you know what a seal of approval is?” Lu Xiu said.

“What is it?” Jiang Hong knew nothing about it.

“The demons in this world, when they reach the pinnacle of their cultivation, gain the ability to ascend to another realm,” Lu Xiu said. “Some become human, and others become something else, but at the moment of breaking through the realm, they need to rely on external forces to make the final push.”

Jiang Hong stopped in his tracks, nodding blankly, not really understanding what Lu Xiu was talking about.

“As the most intelligent creatures in the world, humans are the only race that can ‘confer seals of approval’ on other things,” Lu Xiu said. “Just like naming something. Only humans give things names. After being given a name, whether it’s a living or non-living thing, it gains a ‘soul.’ All things in the world constantly grow and evolve within the realm of human cognition.”

“Oh.” Jiang Hong suddenly thought of something. “So, is that why my ancestors knew you?”

Lu Xiu did not answer directly, only explained, “A jiao (1), after practicing for many years, will finally gain the form of a dragon. But if it can’t get a seal of approval at the final point when the heavenly tribulation comes, it will be smashed to pieces and turned into a snake in the mud, and go through the difficult practice again.”

“Ah.” Jiang Hong sympathetically nodded. “That’s really difficult.”

“A hundred and sixty years ago, at the shore of Yamdrok Yumtso Lake, there was such a creature,” Lu Xiu said. “Its cultivation reached its peak, and that night, the heavenly tribulation came. Under the raging thunder, there was no one within a hundred-mile radius. The herdsmen had all hidden from the rain.”

Jiang Hong listened quietly, and Lu Xiu looked at him with clear eyes, reflecting Jiang Hong’s handsome face.

“…… But there was a young son of a local chieftain’s family who was born a fool. He was only fourteen years old that year, and for some reason, he happened to be by the side of the lake. He looked at the jiao in the calamity and laughed, saying the word ‘Kulu’ in Tibetan.”

“Kulu means dragon?” Jiang Hong guessed.

“Yes,” Lu Xiu said. “Although he was a fool, his eyes were clear. He was wearing a Tibetan robe, shouting ‘Kulu, Kulu, Kulu!’ towards the sky.”

Jiang Hong said, “Did the jiao finally succeed?”

“It did,” Lu Xiu said. “But the fool got sick after getting wet in the rain and died three days later.”

Jiang Hong thought, “But my ancestors are all Han Chinese…wait a minute, are you talking about yourself, senior? What are you? Who are you?!”

Lu Xiu continued, “There are three huns and seven po (2) in life. Memories scatter after death, but the soul returns to the celestial veins and enters the next cycle. The dragon searched everywhere and finally found him after 160 years. It’s okay, Jiang Hong. Live well… The world is a neverending cycle, and we all share the same sorrow for eternity.”

As he spoke, Lu Xiu snapped his fingers and flicked Jiang Hong’s forehead.

“Wait, senior, are you actually…”

“Everything is ephemeral.”

With Lu Xiu’s words falling, a gust of wind swept up, and Jiang Hong vaguely felt a figure appearing but then disappearing.

Jiang Hong: “???”

Jiang Hong turned around and muttered to himself, “What am I doing? Strange, ah! It’s already seven o’clock!”

Jiang Hong dragged his luggage and entered the residential area, returning to his long-lost home.

There was hot food on the table, and his parents were both at home.

“Back already?” Jiang Hong’s mother asked. “Did you have fun?”

“It was okay,” Jiang Hong said. “I’m so tired. Wow, Mom, what delicious food did you make?”

His father was looking at his phone by the table and said, “I checked a few prep courses for you. You’ve had your fun, you’ve had your break, and starting tomorrow, get ready to fight again!”

Jiang Hong nodded and went to wash his hands and eat, returning to his daily life.

Footnotes

1. Jiao – a type of dragon or sea serpent that is often depicted as having a long body and a horn on its head. Jiaos are considered powerful and often associated with water and rain, and are sometimes said to control the tides or cause floods. It is believed that a jiao can transform into a dragon after a certain period of time or under certain circumstances. The transformation is said to occur after a jiao has lived for a thousand years or has successfully passed a test or trial. A jiao must find a wise and just human who can judge whether it is worthy of becoming a dragon. The human may test the jiao in various ways, such as by asking it to perform tasks or demonstrate its strength or wisdom. If the jiao passes the tests and proves itself worthy, the human may grant it permission to ascend to the heavens and undergo the transformation into a dragon.

2. Three huns and seven po – in Chinese mythology and traditional Chinese beliefs, the “three huns and seven po” refer to the different aspects or components of a person’s soul. The “hun” is often translated as the “ethereal soul” and is said to leave the body after death and journey to the afterlife. The “po” is often translated as the “corporeal soul” and is said to disperse after death.

As dawn broke, Lu Xiu, Hu Qingquan, and Jiang Hong returned to the school.

The school was empty, and Jiang Hong looked around nervously.

After taking a short nap in the car, Jiang Hong felt much better, especially because Lu Xiu was there. It was as if the senior had a strong aura that formed a protective circle around him.

Despite this, Jiang Hong still kept a distance from Hu Qingquan.

Early in the morning, Dean Xuan Hezhi arrived at work with sleepy eyes, thinking that the three of them had come to see him for fun.

“What did you say?” Xuan Hezhi asked.

“It’s true. He doesn’t know anything about the supernatural. He has never seen any supernatural phenomena since he was a child, and he doesn’t even know that he has spiritual veins. No one told him when he entered the school…” Hu Qingquan explained.

Xuan Hezhi scrutinized Jiang Hong, who looked nervous and doubtful. Xuan Hezhi said incredulously, “You…you don’t know? This is a school for training exorcists and demon hunters.”

“What? What is that? What kind of hunters?” Jiang Hong asked.

“Exorcists.” Xuan Hezhi pointed to his own mouth. “Qū – exorcise, mó – evil.” He then made a gesture of shaking a bell and catching ghosts, saying, “Catch ghosts with the sound of the bell!”

Jiang Hong was speechless.

“It’s my fault,” Lu Xiu said in a low voice.

Jiang Hong hid behind Lu Xiu and looked at him. He was about to say, “No, it’s not your fault,” but Xuan Hezhi beckoned to him and said, “Come here, Jiang Hong.”

Jiang Hong was very timid, afraid that the dean would suddenly scare him with something strange.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m a human being.” Xuan Hezhi roughly understood what had happened and his tone softened a lot. “Come, let me take a look at you.”

Jiang Hong walked over, and Xuan Hezhi didn’t touch him, just looked him up and down, asking, “What prompted you to apply to our school?”

“I don’t know.” Jiang Hong had said “I don’t know” in the past 24 hours more than he had in his life. “My mother applied for me.”

“That’s impossible, right?” Xuan Hezhi said, “Without our school’s admission code, it doesn’t even appear in the list of universities.”

Jiang Hong suddenly remembered. “It was the master at the temple near my home… My mother took me there to pray before the college entrance examination, and we talked for a long time… He even told me about… the China Sky University in Xi’an, which could be a backup option…”

“That makes sense.” Xuan Hezhi opened the computer and found the recommendation column under Jiang Hong’s form. “Master Yiwei?”

“That seems to be him!” Jiang Hong said.

“That’s our admissions office’s special teacher,” Xuan Hezhi said.

Jiang Hong: “…”

Hu Qingquan said, “Should we give him a call and ask?”

Jiang Hong replied, “He… He has already passed away.”

Hu Qingquan suggested, “Should we summon his ghost?”

Jiang Hong quickly objected, “No, that’s not necessary!”

Xuan Hezhi added, “He passed away at the end of May. Maybe after finishing his job with Jiang Hong and these students, he ascended to heaven.”

Everyone in the office was speechless.

Xuan Hezhi took a deep breath. “This… is not easy to handle. In theory, he should have explained everything to you. Jiang Hong, think back. Did he not inform you of these related matters? He should have obtained your consent. This is the job of a special teacher. Think carefully?”

“Oh…” Jiang Hong slowly recalled, “When I was young, my mom occasionally took me to see him… Last time, Master Yiwei did call me to his meditation room and gave me a string of prayer beads. He also talked for almost an hour…”

Xuan Hezhi asked, concerned, “What did he say?”

Jiang Hong replied, “He… He… He was from Fujian, and his accent was too heavy. I couldn’t understand almost anything he said…”

Everyone was silent.

Xuan Hezhi continued, “You see, there is your signature here. Did he not give you an informed consent form?”

“I… I thought it was just a signature for the temple’s donation. I didn’t read it carefully.”

“You…” Hu Qingquan started to say something.

Xuan Hezhi interrupted him, “Okay… Then…”

Xuan Hezhi and Hu Qingquan looked at each other. Lu Xiu hesitated but didn’t interrupt them.

“But why are there demons in this school?” Jiang Hong continued, “I don’t discriminate against demons, but even Hogwarts, which trains wizards, doesn’t have demons… I mean, why are they here?”

Jiang Hong was a bit incoherent. After all, what had happened today had completely shattered his worldview. He couldn’t believe that there were demons in this modern world.

“Human and demons are equal,” Xuan Hezhi sighed, realizing that Hu Qingquan was a demon and was standing in front of him. He immediately squeezed out a professional smile. “Demons can also catch demons and exorcise ghosts, just like the police who catch bad guys in human society. It’s the same principle, right?”

Jiang Hong couldn’t argue back but still felt it was very strange.

“I thought you knew,” Hu Qingquan said. “The red nameplate in the dormitory represents demons, and the blue one represents humans. The nearby dormitories all have a very deep impression of you. Jiang Hong, you are the first human being in our school’s history to not have any racial prejudices. But now it seems…”

Hu Qingquan couldn’t help but cry and laugh. “So, it turns out that you didn’t know they were demons?”

Jiang Hong suddenly remembered the strange scene when he and Zhang Xiting went out by car. So that was the car of the demon clan! Why did the students always strangely gather in groups of three or four, and even those in the same dormitory separated? Many of them were demons! With over 200 students, there were more than 100 demons!

Over 100 lively and active demons! Was there anything more terrifying in the world?

“This is one of the school’s educational policies,” Xuan Hezhi said helplessly. “We hope that humans and demons can learn together, grow together, and slowly live in peace, eliminating racial prejudice.”

Then, Xuan Hezhi shrugged his shoulders, meaning that he had explained everything to Jiang Hong, so they were done here.

“Lu Xiu, will you take him back to military training?” Xuan Hezhi said.

“No, no, no! Wait a minute!” Jiang Hong went crazy again. “It’s not like that–! It’s not!”

Everyone: “??? “

Jiang Hong took a deep breath and organized his words for a while before saying, “But I don’t know any magic! I never thought of becoming a mage…”

“Exorcist,” Xuan Hezhi corrected.

“You have the talent for spiritual veins,” Hu Qingquan said. “You just haven’t realized it. If you study with everyone else, you can develop your talents…”

“No, I don’t!” Jiang Hong said.

“You do,” Lu Xiu said. “I know you do.”

Jiang Hong: “I don’t.”

Lu Xiu: “You do.”

Jiang Hong said, “No, I’m sure I don’t, and I don’t want to catch ghosts either! I’m scared of ghosts!”

“Catching ghosts is just a course in social practice,” Hu Qingquan patiently explained. “You won’t catch ghosts every day, and there aren’t so many ghosts for you to catch. Most ghosts don’t do bad things, and you can’t bully them…”

“That’s not what I wanted to say!” Jiang Hong was about to go crazy. “I… I want to go home! I don’t know anything. Why do I have to become a mage… an exorcist!”

Xuan Hezhi turned to the computer again. Surprisingly, the three other people in the office besides Jiang Hong were calm.

“You have the talent, see?” Xuan Hezhi said, “It’s written in the background check. Counting up, your great-grandfather was a great feng shui master during the Republic of China period, named Jiang He. He oversaw the selection and expansion of Zijin Mountain, and was also a famous exorcist who sealed many evil spirits…”

“I don’t even know him,” Jiang Hong said in despair.

Xuan Hezhi said, “Your great-grandfather was an amazing person, and you must be too.”

Jiang Hong sighed. He had no idea how to answer, and the office fell into silence again.

“What do you want, Jiang Hong?” Finally, it was Lu Xiu who broke the silence.

“I… I… I want to go home.” Jiang Hong’s only thought now was to go back, back to a familiar world.

“You want to drop out of school?” Hu Qingquan said incredulously.

Xuan Hezhi and Hu Qingquan glanced at each other.

“Do you want to drop out?” Lu Xiu also asked.

“Can I?” Jiang Hong pleaded, looking only at Lu Xiu.

“This… ” Xuan Hezhi was obviously very hesitant. “I can’t make this decision, but what will you do if you drop out and go back?”

Jiang Hong said, “I can only repeat the year if I go back… I guess.”

He thought to himself: Of course, that was the only thing he could do!

Hu Qingquan was encountering this kind of situation for the first time and was at a loss.

“We have to wait for the vice principal to come back,” Xuan Hezhi said. “I can’t make this decision.”

Lu Xiu silently watched Jiang Hong with a slightly complicated expression in his eyes.

Jiang Hong held onto Lu Xiu’s clothes since he came in and hadn’t let go.

“When will Cao Bin come back?” Hu Qingquan asked.

“He’s at the disciplinary committee meeting,” Xuan Hezhi said. “Let me call him…”

Xuan Hezhi thought for a moment and said, “Lu Xiu, take him to rest for a while and let him think carefully. Don’t be impulsive. If he changes his mind, send me a message.”

“We’ll talk to the vice principal later. Qingquan, you should go back and lead the military training in the afternoon.”

Lu Xiu didn’t say a word and took Jiang Hong out of the dormitory.

When Jiang Hong said he wanted to drop out, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was drizzling outside, and he followed Lu Xiu, walking in the rain.

“Where are we going?” Jiang Hong asked.

“My dormitory,” Lu Xiu said. “Is that okay?”

Jiang Hong nodded. He felt that he needed to rest. From last night until now, he had slept for less than three hours.

After Jiang Hong left, in the office of the Education Department:

Xuan Hezhi hung up the phone and broke down.

“Ah – what should we do! This is a serious teaching accident ah!” Xuan Hezhi covered his head with both hands and screamed frantically.

Hu Qingquan said, “Dean, you… calm down, calm down.”

“What should we do!” Xuan Hezhi paced back and forth, then turned around suddenly, grabbing Hu Qingquan and shaking him vigorously. “What did Yiwei do?! The disciplinary committee will kill me! The performance bonus this month is gone again ah – I have to pay for my own airfare to go to Beijing to explain and review! How can recruiting a student lead to a teaching accident – what did I do wrong?! Is this fate?! And why him?! Why is it this kid?! Even if Cao Bin let me go, Lu Xiu will still cause trouble for me! Lu Xiu will definitely find a chance to hit me!”

Hu Qingquan said, “Dean, Dean! It’s okay, what did Vice President Cao say?”

“He said… ‘You wait for me’.”

“… ” Hu Qingquan was speechless.

“…” Xuan Hezhi said nothing more.

At ten in the morning, in Lu Xiu’s dormitory, Jiang Hong was exhausted and fell down, but suddenly jumped up and asked Lu Xiu if he could sleep in his bed. Lu Xiu agreed. He was busy boiling water.

As a postgraduate student, he lived alone in the dormitory, and the windows were filled with green plants. There was sunlight, and clean shirts hung on the balcony, while two helmets were placed in the cabinet. Jiang Hong’s earphones were placed with the helmets in a glass cabinet. On the desk, there was a row of books: “Strange Tales of Chinese and Foreign Demons,” “The Mythological History of China” by Yuan Ke, and “Flight and Aerodynamics Research” were among them. There was also a green workbench with a file and some black and gold-colored debris scattered about, suggesting that something had been processed.

Jiang Hong opened WeChat and found a row of chats from his demon roommates asking him how he was doing and where he was. He didn’t know if he should reply, but in the end, he timidly replied, “I’m fine.”

“I’m so tired,” Jiang Hong said as he collapsed onto Lu Xiu’s bed.

“Go to sleep,” Lu Xiu said as he sat on a swivel chair. He murmured something, and Jiang Hong suddenly felt a powerful will rush into his mind, taking over his confused thoughts. It was as if his consciousness had been blocked by a fog, and he fell asleep.

The sunlight outside the window shone on Jiang Hong’s face, and he woke up again, realizing he had slept until three o’clock in the afternoon.

“Senior?” Jiang Hong nervously sat up.

Lu Xiu was making pour-over coffee and gave Jiang Hong a cup. He also handed him a sandwich he bought at the cafeteria.

“The vice-president is back,” Lu Xiu said. “You need to see him, so finish eating and come with me.”

“Okay…” Jiang Hong was a little scared, and Lu Xiu could tell he wanted to ask something.

He said, “The vice-president is human, so don’t be afraid. The school’s top officials are mostly human.”

They arrived at the administrative building in the central area of the campus, where the layout was in the shape of a Tai Chi symbol. The “yang” zone had a nine-story ancient palace, while the “yin” zone was a large lake. It was late summer, and there were some lotus flowers on the lake, making it peaceful and quiet.

In the center of the lake was a small island with a stone platform.

Jiang Hong stopped and looked at the lake. Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling. After coming to this strange school, he had not had a chance to look around properly. Now he realized that his attention had been distracted since he was scared.

“Have you decided?” Lu Xiu suddenly asked.

“Yeah…” Jiang Hong said, forcing himself to speak. “I’ve decided.”

“Then let’s go,” Lu Xiu said.

Jiang Hong saw a sculpture of an ancient sword on the stone platform at the center of the lake. He wanted to ask about it since he had seen it before when he first applied for admission, but he couldn’t see it clearly from high up.

“What is that, senior?” Jiang Hong had been curious since the last time he saw it.

“It’s a model of the Sword of Wisdom,” answered Lu Xiu. “It’s a divine weapon of the Unmoving King, symbolizing the protection of the school.”

“Is the sword just for display?” Jiang Hong was very curious.

“It originally belonged to the principal,” said Lu Xiu, “but he is currently not in our world, accompanying his lover to another time and space. As for the original sword, I don’t know where it is.”

Jiang Hong nodded and followed Lu Xiu to the administrative building.

“Eighth floor,” the electronic voice announced. “Vice president’s office, education area, and centralized administrative floor.”

Xuan Hezhi was dealing with a pile of documents in another office. When he saw Jiang Hong, he went out to greet him, knocked on the door, and pushed open another office’s door.

It was a large office, and a man in black trousers, a white shirt, and a tie was sitting inside, taking a nap in a swivel chair. His fingers were intertwined and placed on his chest.

“Jiang Hong is here?” The man didn’t open his eyes, but spoke lightly.

Jiang Hong was a little nervous. The man looked about thirty years old and had a strong presence. Compared to Lu Xiu’s sharpness, his aura seemed unfathomable.

His features were very firm, with short hair shaved on both sides, leaving lush short hair on top of his head. His Adam’s apple was prominent and beautiful, like a young military officer who had retired and become a cadet.

Jiang Hong remembered what Xuan Hezhi had said. If there really were “exorcists” who hunted evil, the person who could give him that first impression must be the man in front of him.

“My name is Cao Bin, and I am the vice president of China Sky University. The president is currently not here, and I am fully authorized to handle school affairs.”

“Hello, vice president,” Jiang Hong said.

Cao Bin waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to be polite, then stood up and shook hands with him. His palm was large with distinct knuckles, and his movements were powerful and decisive. The moment they shook hands, it was clear that Cao Bin valued Jiang Hong, not just exchanging pleasantries.