After classes dismissed at noon, Wu Qianfeng wandered aimlessly around the campus, not knowing what to do with himself. The two afternoon sessions were taught by a professor he loathed, so he planned to skip them—he had initially thought he was the only one with such a bad habit, only to discover upon arriving at this school that it was practically the norm for the student body.

It didn't take long after arriving at the school to realize that the student discipline here was so abysmal it would make even Wu Qianfeng—a seasoned transfer student with seventeen previous schools under his belt and a reputation for broad experience—gasp in disbelief. This was especially true of the "Special Class," populated only by grotesque demons whose very existence seemed unnatural, and humans whose psychological states were equally warped. To think that he had been assigned to this class simply because his attire on the very first day didn't meet school regulations felt profoundly unfair.

Generally, a transfer student needs time to settle into a new environment, and Wu Qianfeng, having been steeped in Daoist practices for so long, naturally lacked common ground with his peers. In any school he attended, the number of days he actually bothered to attend classes could be counted on one hand, meaning he never made friends anywhere—and this school was no exception. He felt his classmates were weird; they, in turn, viewed him as a monster. Wu Qianfeng usually had no one to talk to, and furthermore, being surrounded by apparitions made him afraid to practice any spellcraft. His days were unbearably dull and frustrating.

Wu Qianfeng drifted casually through the grounds, unwilling to return to the dormitory to face the wealthy son sharing his room. In his view, the eccentricities of rich kids were purely the result of having too much leisure time, forgetting that in the eyes of ordinary people, he himself was just another rich kid with baffling quirks.

Even the vegetation on campus consisted of rare, expensive flora; while pleasant to look at, it seemed a waste of money when they could have planted simple turnips and sweet potatoes, which he could steal for a snack during his truancy. Thinking this, Wu Qianfeng drifted past the entrance to the cafeteria, where the ebb and flow of people told him it was lunchtime.

The school cafeteria was arguably the least normal part of the entire institution. Not only was the food delicious, but the chefs and servers were polite, and one never found a dead, unidentifiable fly or mosquito in the dishes. The steamed buns couldn't even be used as projectiles—if thrown at someone's head, they would merely bounce off softly instead of cracking a skull. Most outrageously, one could actually order off a menu like in an outside restaurant; if you managed to sweet-talk (or intimidate) the chefs, bringing in a few bottles of liquor wasn't even out of the question.

"Hmph, how can a cultivator indulge in gluttony?" Wu Qianfeng muttered to himself dismissively. His own meal was simple: a bottle of plain water and two meat-filled buns. Nominally, this was to maintain a clear mind and curb desire, but the real reason Wu Qianfeng ate this way was simple: he had no money. Although his family spared no expense to send him to this school, they had severely restricted his living allowance—enough only for daily necessities—to prevent him from running away again in pursuit of the Daoist path. A few days prior, to ward off the demons in his class, Wu Qianfeng had been forced to purchase numerous Daoist artifacts, pushing his finances into the red. He would have to subsist on bread for the rest of the month.

"I shouldn't have eaten here," Wu Qianfeng mumbled, gnawing listlessly at his bun while watching others feast on delicacies. This only made the food in his hand taste worse. Wu Qianfeng wasn't a picky eater; he enjoyed anything tasty. It was peak lunchtime, and every table was occupied by wealthy students prepared to savor gourmet dishes, with plates piled high with the exact foods Wu Qianfeng craved. "I hate rich people!" he cursed silently in his heart. "If any of you are beset by demons and beg me for salvation, I will certainly charge you an exorbitant fee." Just then, several classmates from his own class walked in. Wu Qianfeng hunched lower; he certainly didn't want them to see him right now.

"Wu Qianfeng..." a familiar voice called out.

"Sigh..." Wu Qianfeng wondered if this boy who spent all his time fraternizing with monsters had better eyesight than the actual monsters.

"You're eating here too?" Chen Kangshan walked over. Behind him, Xue Ziyun was aggressively shoving aside students queuing up, and in moments, he and the Han sisters had reached the front of the line. He turned back and shouted loudly, "Shanwa, what are you getting?" Chen Kangshan’s expression grew awkward; he had deliberately come over to talk to Wu Qianfeng to avoid queuing with those three, but somehow he couldn't escape becoming the center of attention. "Anything is fine, whatever... Uh, shall we sit together?" Chen Kangshan replied to Xue Ziyun before immediately sitting down next to Wu Qianfeng and asking.

Wu Qianfeng largely understood his motive; it seemed life wasn't easy for this guy even when consorting with demons. Despite the rich and appetizing meals Xue Ziyun and the others ordered, Wu Qianfeng didn't want to sit with them, as it would inevitably make him look like one of their group. "I—I'm waiting for someone," Wu Qianfeng said quickly.

Chen Kangshan walked away disappointed; he had hoped to share a table with Wu Qianfeng. Wu Qianfeng felt a pang of apology watching him go, but no matter how Chen Kangshan tried to show he wasn't like those three monsters, others would forever assume they were a clique—Chen Kangshan was an indispensable member of the infamous "Gang of Four."

"Hello, may I sit here?" As soon as Chen Kangshan left, another voice sounded right next to Wu Qianfeng's ear.

Wu Qianfeng looked up, muttered something to himself, but did not voice an objection. The reason was simple: standing beside him, balancing a tray, were three young women.

The girls took his silence for consent and promptly sat down next to him. Suddenly surrounded by three young ladies, Wu Qianfeng’s heart hammered. He hastily shoved the rest of his bun into his mouth, preparing to vacate the seat.

"You are Wu Qianfeng, right?" the round-faced girl who had first greeted him asked softly, her voice delicate. "I heard that while you pose as a student, you are actually a very skilled Daoist practitioner, is that true?"

Although Wu Qianfeng knew perfectly well that his Daoist skills were still quite far from "very skilled," facing the three pairs of curious and admiring eyes, he couldn't help but puff out his chest slightly. "I have been practicing Daoism since childhood, without stopping for over a decade. 'Very skilled' might be an overstatement, but I’ve certainly achieved minor success."

"Wow, he really is a Daoist cultivator!"

"That's amazing!"

"Then you must know a lot of things, right?"

The girls' cheers and exclamations made Wu Qianfeng even more puffed up. He shook his head grandly and said, "Not exactly everything; I still have much more to learn... The Dao is profound..."

"Then can you fly on a sword?" The prettiest of the three girls leaned toward Wu Qianfeng, her eyes shining with excitement as she asked.

Wu Qianfeng scratched his head. "That's just a story from novels; true cultivators don't learn that." In truth, he couldn't learn it. Achieving sword flight required not just natural talent and diligence, but also instruction and guidance from a true master. Wu Qianfeng had only learned some basic Dao techniques from his grandfather, who had been a Daoist priest for a few years, and today's rudimentary level was the result of his own persistent, haphazard efforts of imitation. As for sword flight, he hadn't even touched the doorstep.

"What about summoning lightning bolts and fireballs?"

"Um... That's magic from Western fantasy novels, right? I'm a Daoist."

"How about reading fortunes via a crystal ball?"

"...That's a witch's specialty."

"Or sticking pins into a scarecrow to curse someone to an early death?"

"...What are these girls thinking nowadays?"

After asking for a long time, the three girls shook their heads in disappointment and huddled together, chattering amongst themselves. "He doesn't know anything at all! Can he actually help us with what we need?"

Wu Qianfeng overheard their conversation, felt his pride wounded, and quickly interjected, "Whatever you need me to do, just say the word, and I'll certainly handle it for you... as long as it's not cursing someone to die early..."

The three girls conferred in hushed tones and finally made up their minds. The round-faced girl took the lead in speaking: "Actually, we came to ask you for a favor. We wonder if you're willing?"

Wu Qianfeng asked, "What is it? Did you encounter a demon?" Considering the sheer density of monsters at this school, he stayed cautious. If the girls needed him to help resolve a dispute with a demon, he would definitely find an excuse to decline. At least for now, he didn't want any direct confrontations with the monsters; being outnumbered, he stood no chance against a dozen of them (though they didn't seem friendly to each other usually, who knew if they'd unite against a Daoist?).

"Demons? How could that be? If only we met a demon—Inuyasha is so cute."

"Who said that? Sesshomaru is way cooler!"

"Shippō..."

Wu Qianfeng realized he couldn't understand a word they were saying. He patiently listened as the girls debated for a long time about which demons were cute and which would make good boyfriends. Just as he felt he was about to break down, the girls finally remembered his presence and returned to the original topic: "How could it be a demon? It's us... we've encountered a ghost." The girl lowered her voice mysteriously.

"A ghost?" Wu Qianfeng’s eyes immediately lit up. "What kind of ghost? How many? Has anyone been hurt?"

The girls seemed unwilling to discuss the matter in such a crowded place. "Let's eat first, and we'll talk after. Huh, Xuanxuan, why are you ordering such a huge pile again? Didn't you say you were going on a diet?"

"But that chef kept recommending these dishes, saying they were especially delicious today."

"That's just you—you can't resist buying things when someone recommends them."

"You're criticizing me? You ordered a huge pile yourself! Can you even finish it?"

"But every dish looks so good!"

"How can we eat all this? Wu Qianfeng, why don't you help us eat some?"

Before Wu Qianfeng could react, chopsticks were thrust into his hands, and delicious dishes were piled onto the plate before him. Before his rationality and pride could mount a defense, his hungry stomach took over, prompting his hand to reach out. The first mouthful of meat was more than his stomach, accustomed to a week of just bread and boiled water, could handle. Forgetting that girls were watching, he used both hands, stuffing food into his mouth relentlessly. Only when a feeling of fullness finally registered did he stop. He had consumed the vast majority of the food on the table by himself. The three girls didn't seem to mind, but they found Wu Qianfeng’s ravenous state amusing and exchanged giggles while pointing at him.

The round-faced girl noticed Wu Qianfeng saw them laughing at him, blushed slightly, and fiddled with her chopsticks. "After we finish eating, let's go outside to talk about things?"

Wu Qianfeng suddenly realized he could no longer refuse this matter. Having eaten their food meant he was indebted; no matter how difficult or dangerous the task, he had to see it through for them.

The three girls led Wu Qianfeng to a secluded corner of the campus and began recounting the strange events they had experienced. The three were classmates and shared the same dormitory (Wu Qianfeng realized at this point that even the dormitories at this school were tiered by quality—ranging from single rooms with private bathrooms to four-person rooms. Wu Qianfeng occupied a two-person room; he had assumed all accommodations were the same and now regretted not pestering his parents for a single room, which would have made handling certain matters easier and spared him the annoyance of watching his strange roommate). Their room happened to be the furthest one down their floor, directly facing the window at the end of the corridor.

When they first moved in, the girls were quite pleased with their location—it was quiet and well-ventilated, and they could look out the corridor window to enjoy the scenery. However, after living there for a while, they began to sense something amiss.

Outside the girls' window was the school's rear wall, adjacent to a patch of dilapidated, low-rise buildings belonging to a staff housing complex for a formerly top-tier state-owned enterprise in Lixin City. That enterprise had since gone bankrupt and restructured, and this housing area was now slated for demolition and rebuilding. In fact, Chengjin High School was built partially on the cleared land. Now, the entire area was a mess. Looking out the window, one saw nothing but empty, uninhabited structures. The door and window frames removed by former residents gaped open like a pair of malicious eyes. Shards of broken glass, scraps of paper and plastic bags fluttering in the wind, and assorted garbage accumulated in every corner, along with small animals abandoned by their owners and their old homes, roamed the area, sometimes letting out piercing cries when someone was caught off guard.

Such a view was far from pleasant; it was almost unbearable for these pampered girls. They started keeping the windows shut, curtains tightly drawn, constantly arguing with teachers to change rooms. Since there were no vacant dorms of the same quality, the teachers could not accommodate their demands, so they stayed put day after day, each vowing to have their parents secure better housing for them next semester.

As time passed, the three girls gradually discovered that their room had more issues than just the depressing view; there was something "unclean" inside as well.

Wu Qianfeng interrupted her here. "Did you see it, or did you hear it? How many people saw it the first time? Did it happen during the day or at night? How many times has it happened in total so far? Did any of those instances involve all three of you seeing or hearing it simultaneously?" He asked this for a reason. Based on Wu Qianfeng’s past experience, so-called supernatural events, especially those narrated by young women, often had a high degree of fabrication, rarely reaching even a ten percent chance of being true. Usually, they were a mixture of auditory and visual hallucinations stemming from the participants' own fear, anxiety, and overthinking. If all three claimed to have heard or seen it, Wu Qianfeng would first suspect a collective delusion caused by their own fear. Only if two or more experienced the event concurrently would he seriously consider it from his "professional" perspective.

"I saw it with my own eyes; it was terrifying!"

"I saw it last night too..."

"It has no feet; it just floats..."

"White, it was white, it scared me to death!"

"..."

The girls erupted in a jumble of frantic chatter, and Wu Qianfeng couldn't decipher what they were trying to express. He waved his hands and said loudly, "Slow down, slow down, one at a time."

The round-faced girl named Xuanxuan seemed to be the spokesperson for the group. She addressed Wu Qianfeng again. "Are you suspecting we're lying? Or do you think we're all hallucinating? Let me tell you, I’ve seen it at least ten times myself, and DiDi has seen it even more. There were several times when all three of us saw it together—how could that be fake!"

Wu Qianfeng was now about seventy percent convinced. He asked further, "Can you describe the circumstances? Was the thing you saw aggressive?"

"The first time was when I saw it," Xuanxuan began to recall. "It was shortly after school started, one night Didi and I were watching TV, and Xiao Ai was on the computer. Our curtains were drawn, so when we heard a pattering sound outside the window, I thought it was raining and got up to close the window. As soon as I lifted the curtain, I saw a white figure outside lightly tapping our window. I didn't think about anything else and immediately screamed... (Her roommate interjected: Her commotion was huge; the whole floor could probably hear it.) The other two didn't know what happened and rushed over to look. I was completely paralyzed with fear, just squeezing my eyes shut and yelling, 'Ghost! Ghost!' When they looked out the window, they saw nothing. They thought I had seen things, kept advising me, explaining theories about how ghosts don't exist, and eventually, I almost convinced myself it was just an optical illusion, so I didn't dwell on it. But not long after, the same thing happened again. This time, the two of them saw it... Didi, you tell him; your personal experience will be clearer."

Didi was a quiet girl and was slowly starting to speak when a bossy voice suddenly cut in: "Oh, what are you three beauties doing here? Why are you whispering with this little Daoist? Have your standards dropped this low?"

Wu Qianfeng turned around to see Zhu Heihuang swaggering over from the small campus path. He wore a half-smirk, clearly already acquainted with the three girls. Wu Qianfeng couldn't help but think to himself, Could this matter actually involve that spider demon...