Chapter 191: The Whispers and the Woods

After class, I went to Yi Zhiqiu’s office. Today was the day Mo Qingyan and I had agreed to take action, and she had just reminded me of what we needed to do.

With a knot of apprehension in my stomach, I knocked on the door. Upon entering the office, I saw Yi Zhiqiu, his brows furrowed, intently studying a map spread across his desk. It was covered in a multitude of red markings.

A closer look revealed it to be a map of the Western Dormitory District, specifically where Willow Cypress Garden was located. While the area of Willow Cypress Garden itself had few red crosses, the surrounding region was densely covered, resembling the eerie calm at the eye of a storm.

My heart skipped a beat.

I then asked, “Teacher Yi, what are you looking at?”

“These are the missing persons in this city over the past decade,” Yi Zhiqiu explained. “It seems an alarming number of people have disappeared in the vicinity of Willow Cypress Garden.”

Before him, a computer displayed a case file detailing numerous missing individuals, their home addresses, and their suspected disappearance locations. The computer’s internet cable was unplugged, and a USB drive was inserted, suggesting the data had been borrowed from the police department.

“Is this, is this related to, a supernatural incident?” I feigned ignorance, as Yi Zhiqiu was unaware I lived in Willow Cypress Garden.

“It’s possible. I was called in last night to help resolve a serious case, but I don’t believe the situation is that simple. So many disappearances shouldn’t be the work of just one person. You should be careful and avoid that area,” Yi Zhiqiu said, rubbing his temples, seemingly exhausted from his efforts last night.

“I understand,” I replied, knowing that saying too much would only lead to more trouble, so I simply agreed.

“Indeed, it’s not good to discuss these matters too much with you. Just be careful. And, did you uncover any information yesterday?” Yi Zhiqiu covered the map, the computer screen went black, and he turned to question me.

“Yes, I spoke with some students from Class 2-C about the teachers. Teacher Ma’s reputation, in particular, isn’t very good among the students. Some mentioned seeing him with female students outside of school,” I recounted.

“The homeroom teacher for Class 1-B? But even if he were seen with female students outside, it could just be a home visit or other extracurricular activities. It doesn’t necessarily make him suspicious, does it?” Yi Zhiqiu pondered.

“True, but some female students reported that he looks at girls with a lecherous gaze. And apparently, he’s been seen with different girls outside of school. I’m not sure if it’s true or not,” I said vaguely.

“I see. That does raise some concerns. I’ll investigate it. Anything else?” Yi Zhiqiu pressed.

“Yes, there’s also a ghost story about the school’s woods. I heard from some girls about a way to trigger it,” I confessed, feeling a slight blush creep onto my cheeks as I spoke.

“Oh, the ghost story you mentioned yesterday? I checked it out last night and didn’t find anything unusual. I hadn’t even delved deep into the investigation before I was called away to help with work,” Yi Zhiqiu said. His ‘help’ was, of course, referring to apprehending someone at Willow Cypress Garden.

“If Teacher Yi doesn’t mind, we could go take a look now,” I suggested, glancing covertly at the time. We still had about an hour until the grade-level music class.

“Alright, thank you for the trouble,” Yi Zhiqiu said, nodding. He eagerly stood up, clearly wanting to distance himself from yesterday’s strange case and shift his mindset by doing something else.

We exited the classroom, with Yi Zhiqiu once again following behind me. Our destination was the small grove of trees in a corner of the school. To get there, we had to cross the sports field and a small garden, areas bustling with students during break time. Many eyes were fixed upon us.

I overheard numerous whispers. It was clear that my daily visits to Yi Zhiqiu’s office and our frequent encounters had become widespread gossip. In a generally repressed school environment, even the smallest rumor could spread like wildfire, let alone one involving the campus belle, Xia Yubing, who was adored by all.

Amidst the students’ fervent discussions, I could already discern topics like “dating,” “transactions,” and “teacher-student ethics.” Even though I never truly considered myself the real Xia Yubing, these rumors still left me feeling somewhat flustered.

If I could hear them, Yi Zhiqiu, with his superior strength, could certainly hear these rumors as well. Remembering what I had just said about Teacher Ma’s poor reputation among students, he remarked, “It seems this isn’t ideal. It will have a significant negative impact on your reputation. Perhaps we should find a suitable reason or position to allow you to legitimately assist me.”

“Teacher Yi, student rumors won’t disappear just because I’m given a legitimate identity. They will only fantasize about developments they prefer and believe them firmly. Even if you try to clarify, it will just be seen as an excuse,” I stated.

The only way to clear Yi Zhiqiu’s name would be for me to stop approaching him. However, I wanted to learn martial arts from him and obtain more elixirs and talismans. So, even with the rumors, I didn’t care, especially since I had never truly considered myself Xia Yubing, nor did I care about my reputation.

Unexpectedly, Yi Zhiqiu also said, “I don’t care about my own reputation. My duty is to ensure the safety of students as much as possible. At worst, you wouldn’t be forced to leave this school. But if my work affects your reputation, that wouldn’t be good. So, at the very least, you should have a legitimate identity.”

He exuded an aura of righteousness, seemingly unafraid of shadows, yet he cared about my reputation. This was truly the mark of an honorable gentleman, which made what I was about to do even more inconvenient to explain.

By this point, we had reached the grove of trees in the corner of the school. Even at midday, it retained an eerie gloom. Few students ventured here, but during activity hours, some still passed by.

“Yes, this is the place. I came here once last night and cleared away some malevolent energy. Something is definitely off here, but I can’t pinpoint exactly what,” Yi Zhiqiu explained.

At that moment, Yi Zhiqiu noticed a few students in the woods. His brows furrowed slightly, and he flicked out several talismans, simultaneously forming hand seals.

The talismans adhered to the surrounding trees, and a spiritual light rapidly spread, enveloping the small grove. Soon, a strange urge to leave the area welled up within me.

The students experienced the same. They quickly departed the woods, feeling no unnatural compulsion, as if they had simply decided to wander off.

Yi Zhiqiu’s hand patted my shoulder, and the subconscious urge to leave immediately vanished. This time, I paid close attention and indeed felt a surge of qi enter my body.

“It’s a barrier to repel people,” Yi Zhiqiu said. “With it in place, we won’t be disturbed, and ordinary students won’t be affected.”

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