Chapter 175: Unexpected Encounters and Hidden Agendas

“What does it matter? Just help me dry it. Besides, even if I bought a training uniform and brought it to school, where would I change? Wouldn’t I still have to come to Teacher Yi’s office anyway?” I chuckled.

“Ahem! You could perfectly well change in the gym’s locker room before coming here, then change back into your school uniform after practice,” Yi Zhiqiu stated.

“Oh, even so, if I keep changing in your office and then going out to change back into my school uniform, it’s bound to cause misunderstandings among other students. Then, when you go around asking about school rumors, you might just hear that the ‘School Belle’ changes into loose training clothes every day to practice yoga in Teacher Yi’s office.” I chuckled teasingly.

“Alright, alright! Do as you please. Luckily, I’m teaching you Tai Chi, not leg exercises or yoga.” Yi Zhiqiu covered his head, admitting that the thought of a beautiful girl in a miniskirt practicing leg techniques or lying on the ground for poses was far too alluring for him.

“Ahem, no more jokes. I’ve brought some new information today. Besides the urban legends, there are also some things I need to inquire about regarding the faculty,” I said.

Only then did Yi Zhiqiu breathe a sigh of relief. He walked over, once again using his Pure Yang Palm to dry the sweat from my school uniform, listening intently as I recounted the rumors and faculty affairs.

I no longer needed to deliberately seek out information about the faculty; I had heard plenty of unsavory rumors before. For instance, the third-year director was rumored to enjoy physically punishing female students, or that there were ‘unwritten rules’ in play.

Another rumor claimed a biology teacher once fell seriously ill after cursing a student he disliked. Some students had even reportedly seen a Chinese language teacher with numerous arms attached to their back.

I didn’t need to ascertain the truth of these matters. While many of the rumors sounded baseless, it would be presumptuous for an ordinary student like me to judge their authenticity. Therefore, the best course of action was to relay everything I heard to Yi Zhiqiu.

“Hmm, I’ll make a note of these things and visit those teachers later to verify their authenticity,” Yi Zhiqiu said, jotting down notes.

“Next are the urban legends. It’s said that in the small grove in the northeast corner of the school, there’s a secret realm for couples to meet. However, another student claims that it traps meeting couples, never allowing them to leave.”

I divulged the information Mo Qingyan had permitted me to share. These two differing versions had also come from Mo Qingyan, yet both pointed to the same legend.

“That sounds interesting. I’ll go investigate tonight,” Yi Zhiqiu said, noting down the location of this urban legend.

At this moment, I recalled Mo Qingyan’s task and feigned concern, asking, “Do you have to search for anomalies at school every night?”

“Not every night, no. Why do you ask?” Yi Zhiqiu turned his head to inquire.

“I heard you say that the school at night is terrifying, and the school rules also forbid students from staying overnight. Isn’t that actually quite dangerous?” I asked, my voice laced with concern.

“It’s not too dangerous, actually. It might be a bit risky for you all, but I’ve already spent a week sweeping through the area. Those demons and ghosts probably won’t dare to show their faces for a while,” Yi Zhiqiu replied.

Hiss, how formidable. Did he really spend an entire week sweeping through the entire campus, clearing out all the demons and ghosts?

“Moreover, the school’s seal is quite stable. It just feels like there are some artificially added arrangements, yet only traces remain, with no discernible foundation. These traces are all related to the urban legends, which is why I asked you to inquire about them,” Yi Zhiqiu explained.

So, I asked again, “Talking like this won’t tell me which night he won’t be at school. Are you feeling very tired? Perhaps balancing work and rest to maintain a full mental state would be better?”

“Are you concerned about me? This work is a bit tiring, but it’s also a great opportunity for training. Since those demons and ghosts no longer dare to show themselves casually, I don’t need to come every day. Resting for a few days without other matters would be good,” Yi Zhiqiu replied.

Although I didn’t pinpoint the exact night Yi Zhiqiu wouldn’t be at school, I had at least convinced him to prepare for a few days of rest. He would still come to school tonight to investigate the urban legend, but perhaps he wouldn’t come for the next few days, allowing me to report back to Mo Qingyan.

“Well, Teacher Yi, let’s leave it here for today. I’m going to participate in club activities now.” Feeling that my school uniform was mostly dry, I stood up and said.

“Alright, that works,” Yi Zhiqiu nodded. I stood up and left the office.

Because I had submitted my test early, I emerged from Yi Zhiqiu’s office earlier than anticipated. It was now free activity time, but there was still a while before club activities began.

After lunch, as I walked past the teaching building, deep in thought, I heard a somewhat familiar female student call out nearby, “Look, it’s the School Belle, Xia Yubing!”

I turned my head to see a group of three—one boy and two girls—gathered together, staring at me. I recognized all of them; they were former classmates from my second-year class. The girl who called out to me was Qu Yinqiu. While not as stunning as Xia Yubing, she was still quite a pretty girl.

The other boy and girl were Bo Yan and Meng Fei, respectively. Bo Yan and I had previously been on nodding terms, but he held no ill will towards me, making ours a typical classmate relationship. Meng Fei was much the same.

“Qu Yinqiu, Bo Yan, Meng Fei. What are you all chatting about?” More than a year of being classmates made me instinctively greet the three, just as I would have before.

“Eh? Xia Yubing, you know us?” Meng Fei asked in surprise. It was then that I realized Xia Yubing hadn’t interacted with them before. However, the words had already left my mouth, impossible to retract. I could only force myself to explain, “We’re all students in the same grade. It’s perfectly normal to know each other, isn’t it? Don’t you all know me too?”

“Miss Xia, you jest. How could our notoriety compare to that of the esteemed School Belle, hehe.” Qu Yinqiu laughed, but knowing that the School Belle actually remembered their names, the trio still felt a sense of flattered surprise.

I thought to myself, ‘There’s no time like the present.’ Since I needed to inquire about urban legends or teachers from students anyway, asking them would be just as effective. So, I sat down beside them and said, “Since we all know each other’s names, we’re friends now. I don’t have anything to do anyway; how about we chat for a bit?”

“Of course, of course we can!” Bo Yan quickly interjected. As the only boy there, surrounded by three female classmates, one of whom was the School Belle, he found himself stammering slightly.

They had been chatting quite animatedly, but as soon as I sat down beside them, they seemed to lose track of what to talk about. This once again made me realize just how immense Xia Yubing’s charm as the School Belle truly was.

Perfect. Since they weren’t speaking, I could steer the conversation. I directly asked, “By the way, do any of you know Teacher Ma?”

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