Chapter 524: XX on a Dark and Stormy Night

The more she thought about it, the more Ye Wenxin’s head ached. Yet, there had still been no progress on the situation here. As she pondered what to do, she noticed Wen Susu glancing at her. It looked like she was inspecting a new toy. Ye Wenxin gave her a slight smile, acknowledging the surveillance.

Wen Susu froze before turning away to look at her desk, busying herself with something else.

Finally, classroom lessons ended, and Ye Wenxin regained her freedom. By now, she had blended in, mingling with the other students. Of course, at some point, Fairy Fengya had become the center of attention.

It was to be expected, even if Fairy Fengya never said a word and could usually be likened to decoration.

Today, however, as they strolled through campus, they spotted Wen Susu sneaking about.

“Wen Susu is so weird.”

“Yeah, every time class ends, she just disappears. She doesn’t talk to us and always acts so aloof,” complained another student. Their dissatisfaction with Wen Susu was plain to see.

Ye Wenxin listened silently on the side as a male student walking with them offered a suggestion. “Why don’t we teach her a lesson? We can’t let her think she’s some big deal.”

The boy was eager to impress Fairy Fengya. A female student’s eyes sparkled with interest.  They needed something to liven things up in this dull academy. However, if they targeted Wen Susu, this group would lose deplorably.

Ye Wenxin already knew how that would turn out, so she had no intention of interfering. With great interest, she watched the students plot a scare for Wen Susu.

They set the time for tonight. Once the black mist shrouded the academy, they would sneak over to Wen Susu’s room and frighten her.

“Xiaowen, aren’t you staying next door to Wen Susu? How about we gather at your place?” Someone remembered where Ye Wenxin’s quarters were and suggested the idea. Ye Wenxin was reluctant but figured it wouldn’t hurt to watch how things unfolded, so she agreed.

The group began planning in detail. In their spare time, they crafted masks resembling ghosts in preparation for their petty prank against Wen Susu. Ye Wenxin did nothing, confident their antics wouldn’t shake the magnificent Heavenly Book.

Time flew by, and even before night fell, a few students had already arrived at Ye Wenxin’s room.

“Why does your room seem bigger than ours?”

“Didn’t you know? It used to be a senior student’s room. But she graduated from the academy and now works as a clerk in the Golden Age Dynasty.” Ye Wenxin was hearing about the former occupant of her room for the first time. She had always been curious why she was conveniently assigned to the room next to Wen Susu’s. So, someone had vacated the room, giving her this coincidental opportunity.

The others became even more excited when they heard about the graduation, and soon, Ye Wenxin’s room was abuzz with lively chatter. She sat there watching them converse, when Fairy Fengya arrived late.

Ye Wenxin was surprised she showed up but still made some space for her. Fairy Fengya gave a subtle nod and sat, quiet as ever.

Soon, the thick mist enveloped the surroundings once again, and the group quieted down. The students were already getting drowsy but forced themselves to stay awake. Bored from the wait, Ye Wenxin casually flipped through a book. She noticed its contents seemed ancient.

These textbooks felt old, and apart from Wu Yong’s, they all rigidly recounted events that happened long ago. The history section in particular spoke only of things from over a decade ago. Ye Wenxin looked around at the group. The more she observed, the less she could understand.

“When were you all born?” Ye Wenxin couldn’t help but ask.

The students jumped on this topic shift. However, as they revealed their dates of birth, a chill ran down Ye Wenxin’s spine.

Their birth dates were from decades ago, as if these teenagers had remained the same, living in this place for decades without noticing any difference.

Ye Wenxin had a new thought. Could the rumors about Liu City be true? That the academy’s students had all disappeared without a trace. Perhaps she had crossed into a twilight zone between the living and the dead, which was why she encountered these students.

They seemed unaware of their deaths as they lived in this unknown dimension.

Ye Wenxin discreetly tugged at the hem of Fairy Fengya’s robe and asked, “Xiao Fengfeng, do you think they’re all already—”

Fairy Fengya replied with a shushing gesture. Ye Wenxin shut up, immediately sensing something unusual in the air.

There was also an unwritten rule in the academy. Once night fell, no student was allowed outside. It seemed the gathering in Ye Wenxin’s room had triggered an abnormality in the weather.

The sound grew louder and louder, like a soul-reaping ghost. Although they couldn’t see what was happening outside, hearing the noises was enough to make their skin crawl.

Ye Wenxin searched through her memories with keywords. The dead, summoning, black mist… Piecing these clues together gave Ye Wenxin the name of this ghostly entity.

As its name would suggest, the Soul Evoker was a reaper from the underworld. It was an entity tasked with ensuring no human escaped the cycle of reincarnation dictated by the heavens.

Once captured by a Soul Evoker, a person would inevitably be dragged back to the underworld. Unlike ordinary souls, however, they could not reincarnate. Instead, they must suffer in purgatory, never to find peace.

For this reason, even ghosts flee desperately upon encountering a Soul Evoker, fearing condemnation in the underworld.

Each member of the group was hugging themselves, trembling uncontrollably. They didn’t know what they were afraid of, but their bodies instinctively dreaded whatever was outside.

“Maybe we should just call it off for tonight,” someone suggested, shrinking back, unable to suppress their fear.

“I agree, it just feels too scary,” another added. The group huddled together, too frightened to even think about scaring anyone else. They had thoroughly scared themselves.

Ye Wenxin did not force them. The Soul Evoker outside wandered around for a few laps. Unable to enter, it quickly slinked away. Once the ugly Soul Evoker left, exhaustion washed over the group. They succumbed to their drowsiness, still in a huddle. Ye Wenxin wanted to move them to the bed, but suddenly sensed some movement outside.

Someone was approaching their location. Using divine sense, Ye Wenxin discovered her visitor was the kitsune. Moments later, she abruptly pushed the door open, her eyes burning with anger.