Volume 1 Chapter 26: Coward

“Seriously? Haunted?”

“And they want you to do an exorcism?”

“You’re going right now?!”

That night, Zhang Shaoqing’s incredulous voice echoed in the dorm room.

He stared at Wen Yang with a baffled look, scratching his head. “All this just for a bit of money? Aren’t you afraid you’ll be the one ending up on the casket?”

Ning Chu had already decided which table to sit at during Wen Yang’s funeral feast.

If Wen Yang hadn’t let the news slip today, he never would’ve known this guy was about to deliver himself straight to some hungry ghost.

Great—not only did he have to worry about the flashy flirts chasing after Wen Yang, now he also had to guard against lustful spirits eyeing his body.

“Was it really necessary to curse me like that?” Wen Yang said helplessly, spreading his hands. “I’m just going to check things out tonight. Tomorrow I’ll call my uncle and ask how to deal with it—maybe have him come over.”

“I think you should just call your uncle right away. Otherwise, we’ll all be getting posthumous honors.”

Ning Chu deliberately tried to scare him, hoping Wen Yang would back off.

“My uncle’s health isn’t great,” Wen Yang said with a frown.

No kidding—when he was young, all his ‘energy’ was spent on exorcizing thirsty ghosts. How could he possibly be healthy?

Ning Chu silently rolled his eyes. 

He was pretty sure this was a “ghost-hunting” plot arc from the novel. He even remembered that when writing this part, he’d just finished fapping to an exorcist hentai doujin. Still not satisfied, he’d written his own version:

Late at night, Wen Yang went alone to the school’s teaching building. There, he ran into a fierce red-clothed ghost. Quick as lightning, he stabbed her with his sacred weapon. After several rounds of exorcism, the ghost weakened, collapsed to the ground, and dissipated completely.

…What the hell had he been writing?

If ghosts in this world were real—and visible, touchable ones at that—then it was a lot more dangerous than he’d thought.

“I’m heading out.”

“Wait! I’m coming too!” Ning Chu, unable to relax, jumped up and grabbed Wen Yang’s arm. “Hold on—let’s at least bring something for self-defense.”

“Why are you taking this so seriously?” Wen Yang said, half laughing. “There’s no such thing as ghosts. It’s probably just someone pulling a prank.”

“Your uncle’s literally an exorcist!”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly what he told me—it’s all just superstitious nonsense.”

Or maybe your uncle just didn’t want you to know the real nature of his work?

Ning Chu didn’t bother arguing anymore. He turned to Zhang Shaoqing. “You coming?”

“Hell yeah!”

“What about Wang Jie?”

Wang Jie was still glued to his game, replying at lightning speed, “I’m in a ranked match! Don’t bother me!”

Damn shut-in.

So that made two people… plus one 1.6-meter tall boy with zero combat ability.

Ning Chu scanned the dorm for something usable as a weapon, but Zhang Shaoqing beat him to it—he opened his wardrobe and pulled out a giant wrench.

“Here. Weapon.” He looked a little too excited, weighed it in his hands, then swung it in the air toward nothing in particular, a grin on his face. “Don’t worry. If there is a ghost, I’ll smash it with one swing.”

Why the hell are you keeping something so deadly in the dorm?! Planning to cosplay as a serial killer at night?

Ning Chu eyed his twisted, over-excited grin and, for a moment, saw the future version of him as some unhinged villain. 

He unconsciously stepped back to put some distance between them.

“Here, I’ve also got a fruit knife,” Zhang Shaoqing said, pulling a short blade from a drawer and handing it to Wen Yang. “If you see a ghost, just stab it.”

“For the last time, there’s no such thing as ghosts,” Wen Yang sighed. “My uncle’s just into old superstitions. Why can’t you believe me?”

He tried to talk them out of it, but Ning Chu was already lacing up his sneakers with a worried look. Zhang Shaoqing, wrench in hand, looked like he was itching to bash the first ghost that showed up.

“…Fine,” Wen Yang muttered, shaking his head. “You two just want something exciting to do tonight.”

“That’s not it—it’s because little Ning Chu is worried about you~” Zhang Shaoqing teased.

Ning Chu shuddered, goosebumps prickling his skin. “Shut up!”

Since they were heading to the teaching building late at night, there was a high chance they’d run into a couple sneaking around.

“Just don’t mistake a pair of lovebirds for ghosts,” Zhang Shaoqing said with a smirk, ignoring Ning Chu’s curse.

…Why do you people always talk about “fooling around outside” like it’s nothing?

What, do couples in this world seriously not have the money for a hotel?

Ning Chu sighed to himself. By the time he looked up, Wen Yang and Zhang Shaoqing were already heading out the door one after the other. He hurried to catch up, blurting, “Wait—what about my weapon?”

“You?” Zhang Shaoqing glanced at him. “If you see a ghost, just run faster.”

“Not having a weapon makes me feel unsafe!”

He jogged after them, glancing toward the pitch-black garden below the dorm.

It’s a little unnerving… 

Sure, in the novel there were no accounts of vengeful spirits hurting people—if anything, they were the ones getting exorcised so hard that they end up passing out with their eyes rolled back and their legs spread out wide open for their conquerors—but who knew what the real world was like?

“I’m telling you, there really aren’t any ghosts,” Wen Yang repeated. “It’s all just some prank.”

By late September, the loud chorus of cicadas and frogs had already faded, but under the streetlights, swarms of insects still clustered thick in the air.

It was already past nine at night. Outside the dorm road, there were only a few students walking here and there. The basketball courts were the only lively place, their shouts carrying faintly in the distance.

Ning Chu kept close behind Wen Yang and Zhang Shaoqing, eyes darting toward every dark corner.

Even though he knew that the ghost was supposed to be a beautiful woman… he still felt a bit scared.

“This should be the building,” Wen Yang said, stopping in front of the teaching block.

Ning Chu instinctively looked up—the whole place was swallowed in shadow, and for a moment, it seemed like he saw a figure flicker across the corridor.

“…Kinda creepy.”

“Wow, scared already?” Zhang Shaoqing teased as usual. “Want to wait here for us instead?”

“Ha! I’ve danced on top of a grave in the middle of the night before!” Ning Chu shot back, puffing up his chest. At the same time, he edged over to hide behind Wen Yang and added under his breath, “Bet you’ll be the first to run.”

“Enough chatter. Let’s go upstairs.” Wen Yang switched on his phone flashlight.

With the beam cutting through the shadows, the building’s gloomy veil lifted a little, and Ning Chu’s heart settled somewhat.

Following Wen Yang’s lead, the three stepped inside.

Since term had only just begun, Ning Chu had barely been in the teaching building—only a few times for freshman lectures.

The first floor had the lobby, a tiered lecture hall, and some offices. They were just heading down the hallway toward the lobby when all three of them stopped in their tracks.

“Wooo~”

A low sob drifted over from the distance. Goosebumps instantly prickled across Ning Chu’s arms. He shuffled sideways—only for a pair of hands to suddenly clamp tightly around his arm.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Wen Yang’s face was pale as he gripped Ning Chu like a lifeline. “There’s really a ghost?!”

“If it comes closer, you run first—”

Yeah right. With the way his legs were shaking, he probably couldn’t run at all.

Ning Chu blinked, then turned—only to see Zhang Shaoqing had already backed up a good ten meters without anyone noticing.

So I’m the bravest one here?

“Wooo~”

The soft, mournful sound sent another chill through the air. All three of them tensed instinctively.

“Break me~ hnn~”

…

The hands clutching his arm let go. Wen Yang’s expression turned knowing as he nodded. “See? Told you there are no ghosts—just superstition.”

He glanced at Ning Chu beside him. 

He had to admit, Ning Chu’s body felt soft… and there was a faint pleasant scent clinging to him.

“Yep, we really did stumble onto a pair of lovebirds. Tsk tsk,” Zhang Shaoqing said, having quietly returned to where he’d been. “The girl had a nice voice, though.”