Volume 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Please enjoy This chapter was 9k words in total bless my soul… collapses

A knock sounded through the snohite residence The next moment, someone from inside the house came to answer

Byriel looked at the three of the blankly, then his perfect eyebrows knitted, obviousin his eyes

”Wow” Looking at Conglong and Feng Ping Lan ere in a o, and you've becoarde huh Hehehe, could you tell me what happened earlier?”

”I got carsick, so…” Conglong mumbled softly, ”This is my fault”

”I'd already warned you” Byriel laughed lightly, ”Why were you so stubborn?”

Conglong lowered his head

”Ah it doesn'tLan waved his hand, , ”When we rushed down there was a milky yellow rainbow that appeared fro on a Firebolt1! Hahahahaha!”

Conglong's head lowered even further

”May I borrow your bathroom?”

Byriel glanced at Feng Ping Lan, ”You ht ask you guys to kneel down and lick them clean, hehehe” He turned to enter the house

”You shouldn't have asked that” Conglong sighed

Feng Ping Lan was puzzled, ”Why?”

”It won't be too good Quetzal… won't agree to this” Conglong paused for a moment, ”We don't interact much with humans, and don't usually let them into our territory either”

”Oh, okay” Feng Ping Lan nodded, ”I'll reift next time”

Conglong rolled his eyes ”You're not getting the main point”

Feng Ping Lan followed Conglong to the second-floor bathrooht before, but the dirt and dust had been cleared, not a single speck seen and shi+ning brilliantly a clean light

”It's so clean!” Feng Ping Lan praised, ”Was uys clean it to this kind of level?”

”That's Dongya's work, he's an expert in cleaning”

”Good afternoon” Dongya s fro Lan, his ain”

”Good afternoon” Feng Ping Lan smiled foolishly, ”Sorry, I caone soon”

”Don't worry, you don't need to hurry” Dongya s out a handkerchief fro Lan's face, ”Co yourself” He then looked at the floor behind Feng Ping Lan as if he wasin satisfaction

”Thank you!”

Dongya s, ”You too”

”I know!” Conglong answered irritably, pulling Feng Ping Lan into the bathroom

”He's so gentle” Feng Ping Lan couldn't help but sigh in adood-natured demon”

Conglong grunted disapprovingly, ”That's just an act A good-natured person couldn't possibly becoeneral of the royal clan”

”Royal clan? General?” Feng Ping Lan heard the keywords, and curiously asked, ”Are your positions in the deh up?”

Realizing that he had revealed too rily reprimanded, ”None of your business!”

The residence's roo bathrooms There were only two private bathrooms, on the second and third floor respectively

The bathroom on the second floor had already been cleaned, the floor's cera the flower patterns off the glass s

Conglong entered the bathroo

Conglong was furious, ”Who gave you permission to enter!”

”We're not washi+ng together?”

”Who wants to ith you! You can enter after I'm finished!”

”By the time you finished, the cornstarch onPing Lan s, ”How much milk did you drink?”

”Go wash at the garden outside!”

”Aiya, we're all youthful boys, there are li puberty, don't be shy!” Feng Ping Lan co water into the bathtub

”What kind of crap are you talking about!” Conglong pointed at the door, coh!”

Cool water splashed onto his face, cutting off his words

”Haha, sneak attack successful” Feng Ping Lan grasped with both hands, squeezing the colu's face

Conglong widened his eyes, ”How did you do that? You can also control water?”

”I' Lanit, ”Just squeeze like this”

Puxiu!

A colu once more, this time at the center of his head

”Hahahaha! You lose!”

”You're playing ater in front of a water de frowned, ”You dare to show off as sonificant talent!”

A flick of a finger and the faucet suddenly exploded, bursting a thick volu as if it had coon

”Wow! A Lan praised, but he didn't admit defeat, ”Humph! Look at mine!” Both his hands pushed doeak spurts of water sprayed two times

”It'sa stroke, the huge water dragon splashi+ng onto Feng Ping Lan

Feng Ping Lan was hit by the huge a into the bathtub

Conglong put his hand on his hip in satisfaction ”Humph, so who lost and on?”

There was no answer

”Answer me! Human! Don't be a sore loser!”

There was still no answer

Conglong neared the bathtub uneasily, only to see Feng Ping Lan floating up and down in the bathtub

This was bad! An accident had occurred! Conglong hurriedly extended a hand to pull Feng Ping Lan out

”Hey! Are you alright— ah!”

As his hand touched Feng Ping Lan's body, he suddenly pulled forwards by a force,him fall unstably into the bathtub

Splash!+ The water flew everywhere

”Hahahahaha! I fooled you!” Feng Ping Lan laughed loudly, and before Conglong could stand up he grabbed the body wash, pressing and holding Conglong down in the water

Conglong steadied his body with sorily at Feng Ping Lan, ”You bastard! You've got souts!” His hand waved upwards, and the water in the bathtub rose again, turning into a water dragon

But it was e amount of bubbles when it spiraled, so the snohite thick soap covered the dragon, which did not look threatening at all

”Wow, it's turned into a baby silkwor Lan clapped his hands, ”Can you twist it up to look like poop as well?”

”Don't be vulgar!”

The cla of water co from it occasionally

Si on the balcony of the third floor couldn't help but smile

”What's the matter?” Byriel spoke

”It hasn't been this noisy for a long while now…” Simo answered softly

”All our probleerous position…” Byriel frowned, looking down at the black shadows gathering in the city below the mountain, ”But, we'd like to escape from reality sometimes, hehehe”

”Feng Ping Lan… is very good…” Simo spoke tentatively, ”Maybe, we can… we can temporarily…”

”Aiya” Byriel cut Si even onna dampen our spirits has come back Hehehe…”

Dongya walked up to the second floor, putting towels on the rack outside the bathrooained a gentle s expression

”The towels are outside” He told theo down

As he walked halfway down the staircase, a deep silhouette appeared like a dely cold and thick

”Quetzal, you're back…” Dongya's expression was a little startled The laughter co from upstairs made his face become a little aard

”Who's that?” Quetzal asked coldly

”That's…”

Hong!

Before he could speak, a ra out loud Then, soapy water flowed down from the second floor

Quetzal looked at the water trickling down the staircase, not saying a word

The sound of footsteps from the second floor came nearer

”Hahahahahahaha! Conglong's a bald eagle!” Feng Ping Lan ran while laughing, then stopped as he saw the two of them

Looking at the naked Feng Ping Lan with just a towel tied around his waist, Quetzal's chilly gaze becarees colder

”Ah, good afternoon!” Feng Ping Lan didn't see foolishly at Quetzal, ”hello hello!”

”You bastard— Quetzal!” Conglong who had hurriedly come from the back paled instantaneously thewrong

Quetzal's gaze swept past Conglong, then sloalking over to Feng Ping Lan

Dongya and Conglong were silent, tense to the point of not breathing The two of the Lan with terrified eyes, worried about as about to happen to him

Feng Ping Lan could not feel the rigid at foolishly

Quetzal looked the sa and handsome, the suit that didn't see out of sorts on him His smooth pale skin was as perfect as a polished stone statue, but he had the vitality that one would not have

”Where did you go? Have you eaten?” Feng Ping Lan looked at Quetzal, expressing his concern with a slanced at Quetzal's wrist, the place he had touched in that

Quetzal frowned, also re the me his hand on the handle of his blade by his waist and wanting to re on his hand

Dongya and Conglong thought that Quetzal was about to do so a breath at the same time

”Are you still cold?” Feng Ping Lan looked directly at Quetzal in that , ”Are you okay?”

Quetzal glanced coldly at Feng Ping Lan, his freezing cold eyes shi+ning with a hint of heat, but it wasn't very clear on whether it was of sinance or if it was of other unknown and unfamiliar emotions

”Where did all this water coh the impasse

Dongya hurriedly opened hisLan, ”Quetzal, he's here because—”

”Recognize your own place” Quetzal cut off Dongya's words, warning apathetically ”Don't whittle away the re expectations I have for you all” With that, he turned and vanished into the shadows

Dongya and Conglong released a sigh, and only Feng Ping Lan gave a disappointed expression

”Why did he leave so quickly…”

”You should be happy you have another chance in living,” Conglong spoke up grumpily

Feng Ping Lan wanted to ask some more, but Morris' wrathful questions pulled his attention away

A tall and ure stor it

”What are you doing! Why is this guy here! Who let hiya? Stop showing less concern towards irrelevant outsiders!”

”Morris, this isn't norya reminded him softly

”So what?” Morris bellowed back, at the sa heavily onto the staircase, and the ceramic tiles that were covered slippery and wet soap water o into the opposite direction of where he intended to step, sliding backward ”—Ah!”

”So it's slippery”

The tall robust body inclined to the back, about to fall, but Morris' ni two flights below

But every floor was covered in soap water, so when his feet touched the ground they slipped once again, this tiht in a puddle of water

Furious shouts vibrated like the ru Lan quickly rushed down to inspect

”Sorry sorry, it's my fault, I played too much”

Morris rebuked angrily, ”Get away from us, human! This isn't where you should be!”

”Yes yes yes! I understand!”

Morris impatiently used his hand to wipe the water off his face, but his sleeve was also wet so it wouldn't dry no matter how many times he wiped it This rowled violently under his breath

Feng Ping Lan hurriedly picked up his towel to help Morris As soon as he touched that rugged and sturdy body, Feng Ping Lan could not help but sigh in appreciation

”Wow, your figure's really well-built…”

Morris sneered in disdain, ”Get off! I don't need you to helpLan's body, his eyes widened, ”Where did you get this towel from! Was this the towel you used?!”

”Ah, yes” Feng Ping Lan answered blankly, ”Don't worry, it isn't very wet”

”Get off!” Morris slapped off Feng Ping Lan's hand which was holding the towel, glaring at hi his teeth and warned, ”Don't let ain!” With those words, he turned and stomped away

Looking at Morris' back, Feng Ping Lan wondered, ”He's a bit bad-tempered”

”Morris hates water He also hates hu snappily, ”And you're the huet wet”

”Oh, that's pretty bad, haha”

Conglong stared at Feng Ping Lan, and asked in part reproach and part astonishh?”

Byriel as sitting in the hallway of the third floor observed the whole process and laughed to the point of doubling over

”This guy’s pretty interesting, hehehe”

”M with the words that she hadn't finished speaking earlier, ”Maybe, we can… temporarily…”

”We can what?”

”…Sign a contract with him…”

Byriel knitted his eyebrows, his eyes rolling for a while, shi+ning with a crafty and sly light In the nextsmile

”Not bad, you've done well, Siood burst of inspiration, hehehe…”

Dongya quickly washed the wet clothes and dried theo back to the dorya and Si went back to the bathroo up

”Thanks for your reception today” Feng Ping Lan laughed aardly twice ”Sorry for soaking the entirety of the second-floor hallway and the staircase”

”Nevermind, I hadn't cleaned that area yet, and the soapy water can be used for cleaning the floor” Dongya said gently, ”Even though I want to let you stay for dinner, I didn't prepare for that, and the time isn't appropriate for it either”

”You're too kind! Thank you!” Feng Ping Lan looked at Simo, ”See you tomorrow!”

Si a hand to wave twice, then she put it back down

”Please take care on your way back”

Feng Ping Lan prepared to go, and just when he turned to leave, he couldn't help but stop and speak hesitatingly, ”Uain?”

Donya gave a warm smile, ”You're alelcome”

When he went back to the roo Lan went to tidy up the junk left in it Bai Li Rui came back at about four o'clock

”How did observing the clubs go?”

”School hasn't opened yet, so there are only a few sports clubs having activities here” Bai Li Rui answered moodily ”I'll see when school reopens”

”Then ere you gone for so long?”

”I spent half of the ti club, the wo tea to convince the club presidents to recruit er They were all very resolute in rejecting me”

”Why didn't you go to the women's tennis club or the women's baseball club?”

”Because they have sports equipment that can always be turned into weapons So the archery club and the fencing club can't be considered in as well”

Bai Li Rui sat in front of his desk and took out his notebook to jot down his newly-discovered failures

When evening had alhtly, bringing the last rays and warmth of the day onto the earth

Feng Ping Lan lay in floor fanning off the heat after putting away all his things, waiting for dinnertime to come

”Dinner, dinner” Feng Ping Lan sprawled on the tiled ground rolling about, ”It’s so hot, I’ to the side, he collided with his own cabinet, and the stuff on it fell onto the ground

”What are you doing…” Bai Li Rui glanced at hietables scattered by his feet, ”Where did all these vegetables come from?”

”This was given tohall, so I can save off fro Lan sat up, taking off his shi+rt and throwing it on the desk, then going back to lying on the floor, ”Ah! It's so cold! It feels like the story of 'He Laid on Ice in Search of Carp'2! Hahaha!”

”Be careful that they don't eat up your 'fish bait' in just one bite”

Bai Li Rui walked past Feng Ping Lan gruetables, and just as he was about to put theht in a position above a half-naked Feng Ping Lan, his arourd

”Freshht you have to— Ah!” The senior that had entered stared blankly at the two of them in the room

”Hi, senior!” Feng Ping Lan waved at his, ”Do you want to come in and sit for a while? You're alelcome!”

”…Go and look at the notice yourself!” The senior hurriedly thren a paer would result in hied into a forbidden world

”The seniors are really busy huh” Feng Ping Lan sat up to pick up the pamphlet ”What’s he in a hurry for?”

”That's probably the notice for the activities for welcooing through the first floor But they're all a bunch of stupid and unhealthy activities, I' my time—”

”They're organizing it with the girls”

”—But tea exercises are incredibly important, I would definitely attend these kinds of activities that are beneficial to our mental and physical states”

”Oh! It's a test of courage at night, that's pretty interesting” Feng Ping Lan skih the pamphlet, it had all the details for the contents, tie

Most of the their na into the science laboratory to take a photo with the skeleton in it There were only three locations that were situated outside the school: one was under the bridge of the brook in the public park, another was at the abandoned hospital in the old community area The last location ritten with iely bolded, and there was even an asterisk in the header

✭ You'll Definitely Screaht! The House of Resentful Spirits Halfway Up the Mountain! ✭

Up the mountain?

Feng Ping Lan flipped to the back to look at all the pictures of the locations for the test of courage The largest picture on it showcased an elegant snohite residence

”Ah!”

”What is it?”

”That last location… I think… It's not a very good place to go…”

Bai Li Rui looked at the pamphlet, ”Oh, this is a really famous haunted house You're scared?”

”Uh, I guess you could say that” Although a lot of people had trespassed that residence, including himself, at that time it was still sealed off so it had just become a creepy abandoned house in others' eyes But now the seal had been broken, and the deood it people crashed in to realize their existence

”The rules say that two teao there There'll be at least ten people operating together, so it shouldn't be too scary” Bai Li Rui returned the pa Lan

”Ten people?” That many? This was terrible!

”If you're scared, then don't choose that location” Bai Li Rui laughed lightly, ”I didn't think you would be scared of such a thing”

”Uh, this… hahaha…” Feng Ping Lan could only laugh foolishly in response, ”Then, are you going to choose this location, Li Rui?”

”No It wouldn't be scary if there are these et closer to et scared”

”Then that's good…” But with Bai Li Rui gone, there were still other students that would choose this location He couldn't persuade theo, what should he do…

After thinking for a rabbing his bag

Five minutes later, the dormitory head's room

”Senior, can you cancel this location for the test of courage?” Feng Ping Lan started off by pleading

”Why? If you don't have a sensible reason for it on't change the contents of this activity”

Getting definitively rejected right away roan mentally inside, but luckily he had prepared earlier on!

”To be honest with you, I was born different froe person, and I can sense the will of the spiritual world…” While saying this, he closed his eyes in a cryptican unseen force, ”Woo… Ahh… My senses tell o there you will be edy… Woooooooah!”

Feng Ping Lan flung his head back and forth groaning, his entire body tre his head to drink so his head, ”Ahhh! Gurggh! I can sense it! Cough! Gurg— The hatred of the resentful spirits are co all four of his li out animalistic shouts

This should be enough to convince hiht?

Feng Ping Lan opened an eye to peek at the dorhtly

Had he done it?

”Junior…”The dor it to Feng Ping Lan with an ugly expression, ”Your Yakult green tea fell out”

”Oh! Thanks!” Feng Ping Lan raised a hand to accept it

Ah! Not good!

”This activity isn't compulsory, and it doesn't matter whether you want to participate or not You don't need to be concerned over every process of it” The dormitory head looked at the time, it was probably time for the activity to start, ”Also, clean up the mess on the floor and lock up before you leave” With that said, he took up the today's activity's poster and left for the hall

Feng Ping Lan sat on the floor, grabbing his head in distress

This was bad Plan A had failed… He could only start operating Plan B

He took out a few tissues and wiped the green liquid of the floor, grabbed his bag and rushed to the bicycle shed to get that old pink ladies' bicycle, pedaling towards the bottom of the mountain

Feng Ping Lan pedaled at crazy speeds with all histhe old ladies' bicycle to its limit Twenty minutes later, the snohite residence appeared in front of his eyes

The residence stood alone halfway up the ht before But theof the first floor lit up with a yellow light, the weeds that had filled the courtyard in the afternoon cos and h The steel gates weren't locked as well, opened slightly

Ah… This wasn't good…

Leaving his bicycle by the side, Feng Ping Lan ran towards thehard on the door that was so clean it could even be used as a mirror

In the next ure

”Oh, good evening” Dongya was startled, but he gave a gentle smile, ”Welcome in”

”G-good…for breath

”You look very tired” Dongya raised a hand to pat Feng Ping Lan's back, helping hi him into the house at the same time, ”Do you want to drink a cup of tea?”

”Al-alright…:”

Feng Ping Lan sat on the sofa, taking deep breaths A while later, Dongya brought out sorant black tea and biscuits in front of him

”I've only finished cleaning the ive me”

”This is already good enough! Thank you!” Feng Ping Lan took a mouthful of the black tea and stuffed two biscuits into his mouth at the same timeA mildly sweet flavor, the smell of mulberry, and a crispy texture filled his mouth which caused him to close his eyes in happiness and let out a complacent and satisfied sound of praise

”Did you coya spoke

Feng Ping Lan came back to his senses, ”Oh! This isn't the tiot a situation!”

”Why is this guy here again!” A displeased roar sounded

Feng Ping Lan turned to see Morris standing at the back

”Hi! Good evening”

Seeing the biscuits in Feng Ping Lan's hands, Morris beca him!”

”Morris, he is our guest, be ya said quietly, ”So, what do you want to tell us?”

”The school arranged an activity, so later there's going to be a group of students coe, more or less ten people!”

Morris gave a disapproving scoff, ”They're merely humans! What do we have to be scared of them!”

”A few days ago this was just an abandoned house, and the difference now is too big, it'llthat they didn't want to catch attention in case their enemies found out If rumors of this abandoned house were spread out, this could be disadvantageous towards Byriel and the others

”They're just a few kids, a little spell will chase them off” Morris humphed in disdain

”Byriel and Simo can cast befuddle can control the water to create a rainstor a few spells to chase theya spoke in distress, ”At this moment, the only ones in the house are just us”

Morris cursed after hearing this

”Uuys do before this to chase off the people trespassing this house?”

”Didn't you already experience it the night you broke the seal?” Dongya asked

”Did I? Why didn't I realize it?”

”Because you're an idiot!” Morris reprier on him

Dongya raised a hand, and a gust of wind caather into his pal, ”The wind tells me, three cars have stopped in front of by the walls in front of the entrance…”

”They're here! Turn off the lights! Hurry up and turn off the lights!”

Dongya flicked his finger, and the lights were extinguished

In an instant, the house was enveloped in darkness The h theto reveal three pairs of eyes

”What do we do next?”

Dongya cal from the front and backdoor”

”Upstairs! Quickly go upstairs!”