Chapter 123

As autumn set in, the nights grew chilly, and places like hospitals often felt even colder.

Earlier, he had been fine in the corridor, sheltered from the wind. Now that he was outside, as the evening breeze picked up, Li Zhuiyuan took out the thin jacket from his backpack and put it on. Everyone’s bag contained specific supplies and equipment. During the summer, even after wading through rivers, it hadn’t felt particularly cold, so this thin jacket had always remained at the bottom, unworn.

When he tried to zip it up, he discovered the zipper was broken; no matter how he pulled, it wouldn't budge. If he were back home, his great-grandpa would have taken out a candle to rub it.

The old man watched as the boy, head bowed, struggling with his zipper, walked step by step toward him. Previously, he had been inwardly proud, even arrogantly reserved. But now, he felt his eyelids beginning to twitch uncontrollably. As a curse caster, this was his livelihood, so his perception in this regard was naturally more acute.

In fact, even putting that aside, in the current scenario, there were likely only two possibilities: either the boy in front of him was insane, or his own previous actions had been those of a madman.

The old man swallowed hard, then swung the wooden stick in his hand backward three times. The girl who had just slipped into the ward stopped there, standing opposite Tan Wenbin, who had entered the netherworld and held talismans in both hands.

The old man tucked the wooden stick into his waist, held one hand up, and lightly tapped forward with his right thumb, which was held in a fist: "The divining light of Yin and Yang reveals fortunes, from West Mountain's Shunyao Stone Table Zhao. Young friend, which path do you walk?"

Li Zhuiyuan gave up his struggle with the zipper. He looked up at the old man who was challenging him: "Nantong Haohe Pier, Body-retriever Li."

"Young friend, please don't jest. I've heard much about the Jianghu, but I've never come across this 'Body-retrieving Li of Nantong.'"

"Hm, that's perfectly normal."

"Could it be that your master's sect lives in seclusion in Nantong?"

"Because I just made it up today."

The old man's eyes narrowed. Even a clay figure has its temper; being repeatedly mocked by a mere youth at his advanced age, he could barely suppress his anger. The old man drew his wooden stick again. He intended to strike, but hesitated, knowing that if he brought the stick down, there would be no turning back from this situation.

Li Zhuiyuan, with his hands in his jacket pockets, calmly looked at him and said: "Stop dreaming; there's no turning back now."

The old man's chest heaved. If his opponent had been an adult or another elder, holding a Yellow River shovel and carrying a basket like himself, he believed he could still have handled the situation as he pleased. But the boy's appearance, his demeanor, and aura made beads of cold sweat break out on his forehead.

"Young friend, since it's just a small misunderstanding between juniors, wouldn't it be better to just clear the air? Is it worth completely severing ties? It's not worth it, wouldn't you agree?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You don't have the standing for that in front of me."

The old man gritted his teeth and leaned forward. His previously frail body burst forth with surprising speed, and in a blink, he was a meter in front of Li Zhuiyuan, his stick raised to the side, ready to strike the boy's head horizontally.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Li Zhuiyuan's mouth. The reason he had stood there, continually provoking the old man to strike first, was to fully commit to his plan. Because what he intended to do was not merely to kill the old man who had cursed Zhao Mengyao; he wanted to wipe out the entire Zhao clan of Stone Table. He didn't know how many people belonged to the Stone Table Zhao clan, whether it was a small family or a large lineage. Therefore, to be safe, he had to set the stage properly. This was to make sure that Heaven clearly saw: "Look, they initiated the aggression repeatedly; I'm only eradicating their entire family out of necessity." It was simply a bit more effort. It wouldn't be worth it if his luck were to decline due to karma from this family.

"Thwack!"

A trident blocked the wooden stick. Lin Shuyou, now in his ritual persona, showed an exaggerated smile and glanced at the old man.

"A *Guan Jiang Shou*?"

The old man recognized a *Guan Jiang Shou*. Although this faction hadn't appeared long ago, it was renowned for its exceptionally fierce style. Lin Shuyou raised a single arm, and the old man stumbled backward repeatedly, "thud, thud, thud." Then, Lin Shuyou stood in front of Li Zhuiyuan, slightly tilting his head to look at the boy behind him: "Heh, weren't you afraid I'd be too late?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You have a split personality, not an intellectual disability."

"You know, I really don't like your condescending tone."

"If you can't stand it, tough luck."

"Pffft... pffft..."

Two wisps of white mist curled out from Lin Shuyou's nostrils. When Lin Shuyou wasn't in his ritual persona, Li Zhuiyuan was willing to chat more and be a bit more patient. But once this guy was in his ritual persona, he became as stubborn as a mule, and the kinder you were to him, the more arrogant he became.

The old man poked his wooden stick toward his bamboo basket, then flicked it forward, hooking a small rattle drum. As the tip of the stick swayed, the rattle drum emitted a clear sound. A wisp of black smoke rose from the front. A young girl, clad in lotus robes and covered in bruises, squatted on the ground. She looked up, smiling, her fangs inverted and protruding from her lips like hooks.

Lin Shuyou took a wide step, raised his trident high with his right hand, and with his left hand, made a sweeping gesture in front of his face.

"Exterminating evil, defending the righteous path; only slaying, never saving."

In that instant, Lin Shuyou's entire demeanor changed; the White Crane Child had descended. The trident spun, its tip pointing at Li Zhuiyuan behind him. The White Crane Child tilted Its head slightly, a murderous intent evident. Li Zhuiyuan and the White Crane Child had a history of grievances. The last time, by the riverbank outside the school infirmary, the White Crane Child had shown murderous intent toward him. Because Li Zhuiyuan intended to renegotiate Its employment contract. Ultimately, everyone nominally carried a rice bowl stamped with the words 'Righteous Path.' Therefore, no matter how much they squabbled, it was still considered an internal conflict within the righteous path.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Those are a pair of sisters, living people transmuted into cursed objects."

The trident flipped again, its tip pointing forward. Li Zhuiyuan was not flustered at all. In this situation, if the White Crane Child were to attack him first instead of the old man, It would be completely negating Its previous path, regressing directly from a Yin Deity back to a Ghost King. It was unwilling to do so.

The White Crane Child strode forward, performing the 'Three Steps of Praise,' its figure flickering through the darkened corridor. The old man jabbed his wooden stick forward, and the bruised girl bounded up like a monkey. After grabbing the top, she scrambled quickly, hand over foot, and then swooped down when she reached above the White Crane Child.

The White Crane Child looked up, its vertical pupils opening, and the girl's movements became sluggish.

"Ah!"

The girl let out a piercing shriek, which caused the White Crane Child's vertical pupils to flicker erratically. After landing on Its shoulders, she raised her hands, extended her sharp claws, and plunged them toward the White Crane Child's face.

"Clang!"

The girl's sharp claws were blocked by the trident. The White Crane Child reached back with Its other hand and grabbed the girl, as if picking up a mischievous monkey. The vertical pupils, which had been flickering earlier, were now not only exceptionally steady but also glowed with a bloody red hue. The girl's face showed fear; she felt the immense disparity in power. As a cursed spirit, she was weaker than even common malevolent ghosts wandering the countryside, so how could she be a match for a *Guan Jiang Shou*? In other words, if a *Guan Jiang Shou* couldn't handle such a low-level entity, what right would it have to declare, 'only slaying, never saving'?

The White Crane Child held the girl in Its left hand, raising her in front, and thrust Its trident with Its right hand.

"Thwack!"

"Agh!!!"

A shriek of agony resounded. But this time, it was genuine, and after the initial pitiful wail, the malevolence in the girl's body gradually faded, and her eyes slowly showed signs of release.

Inside the ward, a series of muffled flashes sounded. Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to glance inside, then raised his left hand and snapped his fingers again:

"Snap!"

Beneath the hospital bed, the three extinguished lamps instantly relit.

"Thud!"

The girl's body was directly repelled out of the ward by a barrier, landing in front of the White Crane Child. The girl in the White Crane Child's hand had completely dissipated. It smoothly crouched down, grabbed the other girl's neck with Its left hand, and holding the trident in Its right, stabbed down again. There was no elaborate show, no twists or surprises. The *Guan Jiang Shou*, originally a Ghost King and now a Yin Deity, knew exactly how to deal with this type of ethereal evil spirit.

The old man's wooden stick began to tremble in his hand, this time not from summoning, but from genuine fear. When he had introduced himself earlier, he had stated his inherited profession: the Stone Table Zhao specialized in casting curses in secret, and were not suited for direct confrontation. Now, with both his cursed spirits dissipated by the opponent, he no longer had the confidence to continue the fight.

"Who exactly are you? Who are you?"

This unknown Body-retrieving Li of Nantong could make a *Guan Jiang Shou* willingly act as a henchman. He had been suspicious when his cursed spirit first failed to enter the ward. Seeing the boy snap his fingers again, he suddenly realized that a formation had been set up in this ward beforehand!

Damn it, they were fishing! Skilled at setting up formations, and with such a powerful enforcer—are you telling me this is just an ordinary corpse-retriever?

The White Crane Child steadily advanced toward the old man. Back then, Li Zhuiyuan had merely sealed a mischievous high-heeled female ghost to act as a gatekeeper, which, from the *Guan Jiang Shou*'s perspective, was already a crime of ghost manipulation. This old man in front of Him, not only transmuted living people into curses but also commanded cursed spirits to harm others. Wasn't that a crime directly punishable by death?

"You, you, you, who exactly are you?!"

The old man stood there, still pointing at Li Zhuiyuan, and continued to question him. Li Zhuiyuan ignored him, instead leaning against the corridor railing and looking downstairs, as if waiting for something to appear. In his mind, he mused: "The old man is casting one cursed spirit after another. This clearly defies common sense. Even the most skilled curse caster couldn't sustain such a rapid succession. Furthermore, I saw Zhao Mengyao during the day; her complexion was normal, and her qi and blood were stable. There were no signs of backlash from the curse on the caster. Could it be that the Stone Table Zhao clan possesses some secret method to counteract the backlash of curses?"

Meanwhile, the White Crane Child walked up to the old man, thrust its trident, and pierced the old man's chest. The old man's face instantly turned paper-white. In fact, the old man truly became a piece of paper. The trident had merely pierced a piece of paper. His questioning from the spot was merely a diversion; seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the old man had long since fled.

"Heh..."

Li Zhuiyuan chuckled. In his line of sight, he happened to see the old man running out of the stairwell and appearing in the flower garden in front of the inpatient building. White mist began to stream from the White Crane Child's ears, nose, the corners of Its mouth, and even the corners of Its eyes. It had been tricked, and mocked by the boy behind It.

The Child turned to face Li Zhuiyuan. Li Zhuiyuan pointed downstairs: "Aren't you going to chase him?"

The Child leaped, jumping down from the floor. With each floor, Its hand lightly touched the railing, sweeping past floor after floor, until It finally landed. The fleeing old man looked back and was startled to find that the *Guan Jiang Shou* had already appeared behind him. Terrified out of his wits, he quickly resumed his escape.

The White Crane Child performed the 'Three Steps of Praise,' rapidly closing the distance between them. The old man glanced back again, a fierce look in his eyes. He pulled out a wooden token from his pocket and bit it. Black mist rose from the wooden token, and blood immediately gushed from the old man's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. However, his running speed increased, and his limbs became more agile. And so, the two engaged in a back-and-forth chase.

As he ran, the old man noticed that the *Guan Jiang Shou* behind him had stopped.

"Phew..."

The old man felt a slight ease. Just as he was about to remove the wooden token from his mouth, a "whooshing" sound of wind came from behind. He looked back and saw that the *Guan Jiang Shou*, with three incense sticks burning atop Its head, had caught up again! Now, not only did he dare not spit out the wooden token, he bit it down harder, causing the black liquid inside to overflow and seep into his throat. Thick vein-like lines began to extend downward from his neck, further increasing the old man's speed.

Specialized industries often didn't prioritize regional advantages. The Sixth Hospital, primarily treating mental illnesses, was originally planned for the new district, which had a large empty area nearby. At this hour, there weren't many people on the road, making it ideal for both parties to run wild.

The old man's breath began to wane. He knew his body had been overdrawn to a certain extent, and it would be difficult to extract any more potential with his current methods. Behind him, the *Guan Jiang Shou* was getting closer and closer. The White Crane Child was clearly walking, yet with every blink, It seemed to have changed position, creating an inexplicable sense of pressure.

The old man saw a river ahead. He reached into his bamboo basket, pulled out a silver toad, and cried out: "My child, save your grandpa this once! After you save me, Grandpa will let you rest in peace!" Having said that, he placed the silver toad on his head. The toad, originally lifeless, seemed to stir and fixed itself onto the man's head. Pus-filled boils appeared on the old man's skin; some had already burst, oozing pus. These boils pulsed, swelling and deflating, at the same frequency as the toad on his head. The old man was cursing himself. He was doing so in an attempt to achieve further madness. No matter the cost, he had to save his life!

"Ribbit! Ribbit!"

A fleshy lump swelled in the old man's throat, emitting a frog-like croak, then he leaped into the river ahead. The White Crane Child also entered the river. The old man was frog-kicking underwater, while the Child walked underwater. The three incense sticks on the Child's crane-crown did not extinguish in the river water; instead, their burning accelerated due to being underwater. Layers of waves spread out before the Child, reducing resistance while moving through water, making it more strenuous than performing the 'Three Steps of Praise' on land.

The old man felt he was nearing his limit. He looked back again and saw the Child standing motionless at the bottom of the river.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Seeing this, the old man excitedly blew bubbles. He had some understanding of *Guan Jiang Shou*, knowing that a spirit medium, after entering a trance, could at most extend it once more with guiding incense sticks. Once the time was up, the *Guan Jiang Shou* would depart, and the medium would fall into weakness. He resisted the urge to turn back and seize the opportunity to kill, gritted his teeth, and propelled his body, wracked with pain from the curse, forward, swimming until the figure was no longer visible beneath the dark night sky.

Underwater, Lin Shuyou pulled a sealing talisman needle from his pocket. He was going to inject himself.

"Buzz!"

The talisman needle pierced his chest, and his previously almost dissipated vertical pupils stabilized. Lin Shuyou opened his mouth, making indistinct sounds underwater, while simultaneously moving his hands back and forth over his body in a continuous dance. If one could get close enough to listen carefully at this moment, they might faintly hear him seemingly reciting some kind of multiplication table, with numbers followed by corresponding directions.

It turned out that during his time lying in the hospital, Lin Shuyou had indeed been diligently reading. Recently, he had borrowed Bin Ge's desk in Li Zhuiyuan's dorm. Amidst his suffering, he had also actively pondered things. He was a genius in the *Guan Jiang Shou* lineage, but not an all-around genius. Despite his efforts to catch up, he had only managed to reach the same level as Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng at that time, knowing 'what' but not 'why.' Still, he could at least follow a fixed procedure by combining incantations with formulas. Of course, for a spirit medium, this was already sufficient.

Finally, Lin Shuyou grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, and pressed his right thumb against his own forehead.

"Gather Malevolence!"

The surrounding malevolent energy began to surge into his body. His vertical pupils recovered, glowing with a sharp light, and the White Crane Child reappeared. The Child clenched Its fists, opened Its mouth, and let out a furious roar. It was furious, flustered, and agitated. Because Its spirit medium had truly embarked on this path.

"You... you deserve to die!"

The old man lay on the riverbank, large areas of his body rotting and festering. His condition was terrible, yet a smile played on his lips. He had escaped; he had saved his life. Immediately after, a venomous look appeared in his eyes. What kind of being had his precious granddaughter provoked this time?

Zhao Mengyao was his granddaughter. When she left home for university, she secretly took with her the human skin cursed object worshipped by their family. Actually, the family had discovered it at the time, but they thought that a girl going to university alone should have a cursed object for self-defense, to at least ensure she wouldn't be bullied. However, to their surprise, not long after school started, the family sensed that the human skin cursed object had been used. He immediately came to the school and found his granddaughter. He wasn't there to scold her, but rather to worry that his granddaughter wouldn't know how to deal with the backlash after casting the curse. So, he brought the support agreements for two elderly, solitary households from the village and had his granddaughter sign them.

After everything was settled, he also asked his granddaughter who she had cursed. His granddaughter told him it was one of her roommates—a roommate who not only formed cliques, bullied classmates, stole things, and engaged in promiscuous relationships, but also stole the boyfriend she had fallen in love with at first sight. The old man, having 'eaten more salt than his granddaughter had eaten rice,' naturally knew there was exaggeration and embellishment in his granddaughter's words. How long had school even been in session? Even if the cursed girl's nature was truly evil, when would she have had time to commit so many misdeeds? But... what did it matter? For families like theirs, if they disliked someone, casting a curse was simply that person's just desert. It was her bad luck; she was destined for this calamity. It was only because of the current era of peace and the clear manifestation of the Heavenly Dao that families like theirs dared not act too presumptuously. In the past, let alone during an emperor's reign, even during the warlord era, being honored as a guest by a warlord would not have been difficult.

He had originally intended to leave the next day, but then his granddaughter sent another blood letter. Nantong Body-retrieving Li? An unknown "tadpole" who sprang from who-knows-what puddle, actually dared to meddle in the affairs of the Stone Table Zhao clan. Since the other party demanded an explanation, he would give him one.

"Alas..."

The old man tilted his head back and sighed. Now, he truly ought to give them an explanation. First, he'd make his granddaughter apologize, then punish her, and if that still didn't appease them, his family would simply bleed a little more and offer some tributes. Although the boy had only snapped his fingers tonight and hadn't truly intervened, the old man knew that the identity behind the boy was absolutely not to be underestimated. Stupid girl! Of all people to curse, she just had to curse someone with connections!

"Splash!"

The old man lowered his head in astonishment, looking forward. A figure leaped out of the water, then landed in front of him. He was about to flee, but a boot pinned his throat. "Why... why... why did Its three guiding incense sticks burn out, yet It still has strength?" The old man wanted to plead for mercy, but the pressure on his throat prevented him from making a sound. He waved his hands repeatedly, indicating his submission. But unfortunately, let alone the Child being in a fit of rage now, even on a normal day, the Child had no words for these "evil paths."

"Thud!"

The trident pierced the old man's skull.

Li Zhuiyuan walked into the ward and reached out to turn on the light.

"Click!"

No response; the lightbulb was broken. Fortunately, three candles were burning in the ward, ensuring visibility.

"Brother Xiaoyuan," Tan Wenbin quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Before Tan Wenbin could speak, Li Zhuiyuan said, "We've found the culprit. I'm going to kill her entire family."

"Uh..."

The words Tan Wenbin was about to say were swallowed back with difficulty. He could guess that Brother Xiaoyuan probably knew what he was going to ask and what he was planning to do, so he had preemptively skipped ahead. Tan Wenbin could only say with a cheeky grin, "Brother Xiaoyuan, how about I kowtow to you again? No need for many words, it's all in the gesture?"

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Zhou Yunyun's bedside and checked on her. Her complexion had greatly improved, her cheeks flushed, and her brows relaxed. She even had the appearance of "a budding peach blossom." This kind of look is what people call—when you see someone's expression and complexion, you just know they're in love.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, should I wake Yunyun up so she can say hello?"

"If you wake her up, what do you plan to say?"

"I..." Tan Wenbin licked his lips. "Brother Xiaoyuan, I'm thinking of re-evaluating my relationship with the class monitor. What do you think?"

"Brother Binbin, is this a test question?"

"Of course not. It has no fixed answer, nor even a fixed problem-solving process."

"Then decide for yourself, just don't regret it."

Tan Wenbin nodded: "I understand."

"You can also go talk to Grandma Liu about it; she loves discussing this topic."

Liu Yumei was so bored she was reading *Dream of the Red Chamber*; she'd be thrilled if a junior brought up a romantic topic for her to analyze and chat about.

"Exactly," Tan Wenbin smiled. "It would give the old lady something good to chew on."

"Clean up the formation."

"I'll do it, I'll do it."

Tan Wenbin began to dismantle the formation. After he finished, he wiped sweat from his brow and said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, have a seat for a moment, I'll go get some hot water."

Just as Tan Wenbin picked up the hot water kettle and stepped out of the ward, he bumped into Lin Shuyou.

"Brother Bin!"

Lin Shuyou excitedly held the trident, with a human head impaled on it, up to Tan Wenbin.

"Holy crap!"

Anyone who nearly had a bloody, gooey human head thrust into their face late at night would be startled.

"Brother Bin, this is the guy who was going to harm Sister-in-law tonight. I helped you kill him, and here's his head for you."

Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes at Lin Shuyou and said: "Thanks, I'll go wash it clean right away and put it on Yunyun's nightstand. I'm sure Yunyun will be pleasantly surprised when she wakes up tomorrow morning."

"Great! Great!"

"Great, my foot! You killed someone and brought their head back impaled—do you think this is a meat skewer?"

"Uh..."

"Did you dispose of the old man's body?"

"After I cut off his head, his body just rotted away. He seemed to have cursed himself."

"Cursing himself? What kind of fetish is that? For escape?"

"Probably."

"Then hurry up and get rid of this head; don't leave any traces, so Uncle Tan doesn't come looking for trouble with you during the day."

"Is Uncle Tan your dad, Brother Bin?"

"Yes, I'm adopted."

"Really?"

"Heheheh." Tan Wenbin chuckled, but then quickly realized something. "Ayou, did you enter a trance?"

"Yes, after two times, I even added one more myself!"

Lin Shuyou puffed out his chest proudly. Including the Spirit-Breaking Talisman Needle, it meant he could have a total of four times!

Tan Wenbin: "Then how do you still have the strength to carry the head back?"

"Oh, right." Lin Shuyou looked down at himself, then jumped twice in place. "Though I'm a bit tired, I feel like I still have some strength." Before, after such an extended duration, he would have long since collapsed and fainted.

Tan Wenbin looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Xiaoyuan, has Ayou's body adapted?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The Child yielded." Before leaving, he had deliberately left some strength for Lin Shuyou, not completely draining him.

Tan Wenbin clicked his tongue: "Tsk, tsk, these days, even Yin Deities cater to individuals."

Lin Shuyou went to dispose of the head. Tan Wenbin returned with hot water and poured Li Zhuiyuan a cup of tea.

"Brother Binbin, I'm not thirsty."

"Then... how about I get you a can of Jianlibao?"

"I'm not tired, I won't drink. Brother Binbin, call the shop and ask Mengmeng to make a soup."

"Bro, even if you have no appetite, you can't eat Mengmeng's cooking as an appetizer!"

"It's not for me to eat." Li Zhuiyuan paused, then added, "It's for casting a curse."

The following morning, Zhou Yunyun's roommates collectively came to visit her at the hospital. Wang Lunnan couldn't stop her tears when she saw Zhou Yunyun lying in the hospital bed. Zhang Xin meticulously inquired about her condition and recovery. Zhou Shengnan took a broom to help sweep the floor and also emptied the trash can. Although Tan Wenbin had cleaned the room that morning and there wasn't much trash in the bin, she was simply not good at expressing herself and wanted to find something to do. Tong Yanyan watched Tan Wenbin, who was busily greeting everyone nearby, with great interest. If Yunyun wasn't still lying in bed on an IV drip, she would have certainly teased, "Oh, look, a blessing in disguise, isn't it?"

Zhao Mengyao also came. She stood by the bed, biting her nails, clearly agitated. She had expected that after coming here today, she would be entering a morgue, not a hospital room, and that Zhou Yunyun would be pale and cold, not looking so well. But the scene before her was so real. Had her grandfather not arrived in time to intervene last night, or had he already returned home and therefore not received the blood-letter she'd burned? However, her anxious expression wasn't particularly strange at this moment; in fact, it could even be considered quite normal.

"Come, come, come, thank you all for visiting our Yunyun! Have some tangerines, have some tangerines!"

Tan Wenbin enthusiastically distributed tangerines to the five girls. Earlier that morning, Yin Meng had arrived, carrying an insulated container with meticulously prepared tremella soup inside. The tangerine for Zhao Mengyao had been specially set aside by Tan Wenbin. He had previously used a syringe to extract some sweet soup and inject it into that tangerine. Watching Zhao Mengyao eat it, a smile appeared on Tan Wenbin's face. He thought: 'Don't rush, this is just the interest.'

After they left, Tan Wenbin closed the ward door, sat back down, and asked, "What do you want for lunch? I'll go out and buy it for you."

Zhou Yunyun asked, "Doesn't the hospital have a cafeteria?"

"The hospital cafeteria food doesn't use much seasoning; it's bland."

"I think I can only eat bland things now, right?"

"Not at all! Eat whatever you like, it's fine. Now is exactly the time to nourish yourself. Look at you, your chin has become so pointed, and other places..." Tan Wenbin deliberately let his gaze wander.

Zhou Yunyun pulled the blanket up to her chin, covering herself.

"Sigh," Tan Wenbin exaggerated a sigh. "Eat more. Being too thin doesn't look good."

"I think I had a dream last night." Zhou Yunyun stared at Tan Wenbin, seemingly testing the boundary between dream and reality. "In my dream, you said something to me." Zhou Yunyun's fingers tightly clutched the edge of the blanket, clearly nervous.

"Your mom asked my mom to bring you some things. They're still in my dorm. When you're discharged, I'll bring them to you at school."

"Mm, okay." Zhou Yunyun nodded, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. So, it really had been just a dream.

"My mom bought you a large brand-name suitcase; it's quite expensive, even I don't have one."

"Isn't it inappropriate for me to accept such a valuable gift?"

"It's for women, pink, and my mom even put a lot of cartoon stickers on it. If you don't want it, I can't use it either."

"Please thank Auntie for me."

"Anyway, I don't have much luggage. When we go home for the holidays, I'll just put my things in your suitcase, and we can go back together."

"Okay... wait?" Zhou Yunyun seemed to catch on. "Last night..."

Tan Wenbin leaned his face closer and suddenly said, "Tan Wenbin, if you don't study hard yourself, don't affect other students!"

"You..."

Tan Wenbin rubbed his nose, smiling: "Don't even mention it, I actually quite like that tone."

Zhou Yunyun pulled the blanket up to cover her face: "Stop talking!"

"Haha."

After some joking, Tan Wenbin said, "This afternoon, I'll have two female classmates from the shop, who work part-time, come to take care of you in my place. I've paid them an allowance, and they'll take turns."

"Actually, it's not necessary, I can..."

"Don't say that. Isn't earning money for times like this? With them accompanying you, I'll feel more at ease. I have something to do and need to go out; I might not be back for a few days. I hope that when I return, you'll be completely healthy."

"Where are you going?"

"A project for my supervisor. It requires frequent business trips. There's nothing for it; it's all for a job after graduation and a better future, right? Otherwise, how would I support a family?"

"You're only a freshman..."

"Thanks to Brother Xiaoyuan, I was able to join my supervisor's project team, so I have to be more proactive and work harder."

"I understand."

Tan Wenbin looked up and adjusted the drip rate of the IV. Actually, it would have been most appropriate for his mother to take care of Zhou Yunyun, but his father had warned him not to tell his mother about Zhou Yunyun, and he understood his father's reasoning. He lowered his head, gazing gently at the girl on the hospital bed.

'Wait for me. I'm going to get revenge for you.'

On her way back to school, Zhao Mengyao's body began to itch. She didn't think much of it at first, but when she returned to her dorm and looked in the mirror, she discovered dense red pustules had erupted on her face and neck. Moreover, this symptom continued to spread as she scratched.

"Mengyao, what happened to your face?" Zhou Shengnan asked.

"N-nothing, it's just an allergy, probably."

"Do you want to go to the infirmary to get it checked?"

"No need, it should be fine soon."

Wang Lunnan looked at Zhao Mengyao's appearance, then thought of Sister Yunyun, who had been poisoned, and sitting on her bed, she started crying again. Zhang Xin shook her head helplessly and pushed her suitcase toward the new dorm. If Zhou Yun