Chapter 21: A Nightmare and a Familiar Stranger

Bai Yuliang wearily opened his eyes.

His vision was clouded with dense, red bloodshot veins.

He glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was already noon.

He had slept for a long time, yet his rest had been far from peaceful.

Indeed, it had been a nightmare.

In his dream, he witnessed all his classmates devoured by malevolent spirits.

Their deaths were gruesome and tragic.

He had dragged Qichuan Feng, running endlessly.

Finally, they reached a cliff.

Just as he turned around, Qichuan Feng, who was behind him… also turned.

He stared in disbelief at the head rolling on the ground.

Then, a voice echoed in his ear, “You couldn’t protect me, so let’s die together.”

Immediately after, his own head… also fell.

“Thump, thump, thump…”

The urgent knocking at the door pierced through Bai Yuliang’s scattered thoughts.

He rubbed his face, admonishing himself not to overthink, then moved to open the door.

“Yuliang, your father told me you came back last night.”

Standing outside the door was a serene and elegant woman.

She had beautiful black hair, styled into a standard side ponytail befitting a married woman, and a gentle smile that made her look like a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko straight out of a painting.

This was Shimizu Sakura, Bai Yuliang’s mother from Sakura State.

“Ah, yes, yes, I came back last night,” Bai Yuliang responded, lowering his head slightly and speaking softly. “Mom, did you wake up late today too?”

“I woke up early, but you were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t have the heart to wake you,” his mother said, standing on tiptoe to pat his head. She smiled. “It seems you’ve been studying very diligently with Teacher Matsui, Yuliang. That’s wonderful. With such effort, what good university won’t you get into?”

‘University?’

Bai Yuliang’s heart swelled with a sigh.

‘Mom, you don’t know, that’s already a distant dream for me. All I want now isn’t to get into a university, but simply to survive.’

Bai Yuliang had many such thoughts, but he knew he couldn’t voice them to his parents.

He was facing powers beyond human imagination, and ordinary people would only be a burden.

“It’s Sunday today, do you have any plans?” his mother suddenly asked with excitement. “I… haven’t practiced swordsmanship much since I became pregnant with you. Today, I’m planning to visit the dojo where I learned swordsmanship a long time ago.”

“Eh? Mom, you know swordsmanship?”

“Yes, your mother used to be quite formidable, winning national championships many times,” she said, her eyes gleaming as she spoke of the past. “Yuliang, would you like to cultivate a hobby outside of studying? I could introduce you to my master!”

“Ah, no, no, thank you. And I don’t have time today…”

Bai Yuliang waved his hand, thinking, ‘I have enough on my plate right now; how could I possibly have the time to learn swordsmanship?’

“I left something at Teacher Matsui’s house yesterday, so I plan to go pick it up today.”

“Oh, I see. That’s a bit of a shame then…” his mother said with some regret, finally asking, still a little hopeful, “Next time you’re free, why don’t you give it a try?”

“Maybe next time,” Bai Yuliang replied, still declining. ‘If I have that much free time, I’d rather learn to cook with Dad,’ he thought.

However, Bai Yuliang could never have imagined that, much later, he would inevitably have to meet that so-called master.

****

After leaving home, Bai Yuliang took the bus.

When he checked his phone again, many people in the group chat were discussing whether they should visit Teacher Matsui together.

“Teacher Matsui is too terrifying. Will anyone actually go see him?”

“See him? Why not? All our changes started with Teacher Matsui! He’s the source of all evil!”

“Exactly! We should drag him out, so he can’t assign homework anymore!”

“Give it a rest. Teacher Matsui can kill us without anyone knowing. Would he be afraid of us dragging him out?”

“But there’s strength in numbers…”

“More people won’t help. Teacher Matsui must have some special power, just like Yuliang-kun said yesterday… the power of a ghost?”

“Ghosts… so terrifying…”

The class group chat was buzzing with chatter, but in the end, Bai Yuliang didn’t see anyone say they would go with him to visit Teacher Matsui.

‘Alas… it’s human nature,’ he thought.

With a bitter smile, Bai Yuliang silently put away his phone, mentally preparing himself to face absolute terror.

Still, even after being in this world for so long, Bai Yuliang hadn’t gotten used to the transportation here, especially the bus.

This enclosed, high-speed tin can not only had an unpleasant odor but also induced intense dizziness.

Perhaps it was nothing for modern people, but for Bai Yuliang, every ride was a major challenge.

If he couldn’t hold his breath and concentrate, he would inevitably get motion sickness and vomit.

Holding his breath and concentrating, for a Daoist, was also when he was most vulnerable.

Coincidentally, at that very moment, a hand slowly reached towards his back…

“Who’s there!”

The instant the hand touched his back, Bai Yuliang spun around like lightning, glaring sharply.

Then, in the next second, he froze in bewilderment.

Before him was an extremely cute and beautiful girl.

She had smooth black hair that reached her waist, with two strands falling to her chest, which, combined with her old-fashioned glasses, made her appear very demure.

Yet, this seemingly bookish hairstyle starkly contrasted with a small, delicate, and adorable face.

Through the glasses, a pair of clear, light blue ‘peach blossom’ eyes were distinctly visible.

Most striking, however, was the remarkably vast and ample ‘resource’ sealed beneath her plain attire—a reserve that would astonish anyone.

And this remarkable ‘reserve’ appeared on such a cute girl.

“Um…”

Seemingly embarrassed by his stare, the girl before him looked at him somewhat helplessly.

“Could you please let go, Yuliang-kun?” Her tone carried a hint of a plea.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I just thought…”

Realizing his impropriety, Bai Yuliang quickly let go.

However, he then suddenly paused.

“Eh? Who are you? You actually know me?”

“Huh?”

This time, it was the girl who was stunned, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

“Yuliang-kun, stop joking around. This isn’t the time for it.”

Bai Yuliang thought, ‘I’m not joking, big sister, who exactly are you? Where would I know a beautiful girl comparable to Qichuan Feng? If I had known you earlier, maybe Qichuan Feng wouldn’t have been the first girl I wanted to protect.’

The next moment, the sunlight from outside the window streamed into the interior, falling coincidentally on the girl’s glasses, illuminating the otherwise clear lenses until they appeared white.

At that instant, Bai Yuliang felt memories in his mind starting to overlap, and he suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, you’re—”

A name was about to escape his lips, however…

“Ugh—”

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