Chapter 65: The Prisoner’s Lamp

“In the ‘Meng Liang Lu’ of the Southern Song Dynasty, there is such a custom recorded.”
The old professor on the podium was full of vigor, his graying beard moving as his upper and lower lips constantly touched.

“Before a death row prisoner’s execution, the jailer would leave a long-burning lamp in the cell.
If someone added oil to the lamp before it burned out, the execution would be temporarily suspended.”

“This lamp was not for the prisoner, but a hope for the living.
Historical records show that a female doctor once added oil to a death row prisoner’s lamp for seven consecutive days, and finally waited for the unjust case to be overturned.”

Bai Ling listened to the old professor’s explanation absentmindedly, her thoughts entirely on the back of the figure not far in front of her.

The young man was wearing an ill-fitting T-shirt, and his long hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing his pale neck.

That was Feng Yi.
He was listening to the old professor’s class with full attention, and was even amused by some of the witty remarks he threw out.

Who knew if the zombie was really amused, or if he was just clumsily imitating the students around him.

‘The oil in the lamp will always burn out.
Not all unjust cases will have a day when they are overturned.’

The eight-hour countdown had seven and a half hours left.

Unlike Bai Ling, Xu Zhi was currently staring blankly at the teaching building not far away.

Half an hour ago, he had learned from Gu Xiyan that the zombie named Feng Yi was hiding in Lin’an University, but…

“They have already learned Feng Yi’s true identity.
Commander Ye has authorized the activation of the city-wide surveillance system.
It will take at most eight hours to find him!”
Zhou Xuan’s words still lingered in his ears.

Eight hours was already very fast to find a zombie with no traces.

Yes, the clues they could find, other teams in the Demon Suppression Division could also find.
It was just that with the help of Inspector Ai’s authority, they were a little earlier, just a little earlier.

Xu Zhi had not chosen to share the news that Gu Xiyan had brought with the Demon Suppression Division.
This was not because he was greedy for credit, but because he felt that this matter was not so simple.

Whether it was the fact that his target was only demon slayers and demons, or his reaction when Lu Qingyu had contacted him in the medical hall this morning, it seemed that there was something he didn’t know behind this matter.

He felt that this matter was like the calm before a storm, and would lead to a bigger event.

And Lu Qingyu, her reaction was even stranger.
A person who hated demons, why would she make such a request after seeing Feng Yi’s information?

“If he doesn’t continue to harm people, please at least let him experience university life, even if it’s just for a little while.”

Xu Zhi didn’t understand.
He, who had been hunting demons for so many years, simply couldn’t understand why Lu Qingyu would make such a request.

From Feng Yi’s life, he was an outstanding student, Ming Yun’s proud disciple, and a great hero who had sacrificed his life on the front lines of the fight against demons.

But that was when he was alive.
Now, he was just a zombie who was killing people everywhere, using a hero’s corpse, a monster who was desecrating a hero!

But…

Xu Zhi closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

Since last night, this zombie seemed to have suddenly calmed down.
No one had been attacked, there were no witness reports, and there were not even any traces of corpse qi reappearing.

The Demon Suppression Division had once guessed that he might have stopped his activities, but the news that Gu Xiyan had brought told Xu Zhi that he had not.

“Um, I think I’ve found him…”
Gu Xiyan’s voice came from the headset, with a hint of uncertainty in her words.

“Where is he?”
Xu Zhi immediately pressed his headset.

“He… he’s in class…”

“Ah?”

‘Wait a minute.’

‘A zombie?’

‘In class?’

Xu Zhi didn’t know that at this moment, it wasn’t just a zombie in class, but also a snake demon.

He only knew that he had to get to the scene immediately.

It wasn’t that the matter of a zombie attending class was so rare that he had to go and see it right away.

It was that the classroom was crowded.
If that thing went crazy, everyone in the classroom would die.

“Which classroom is it? I’ll be right there!”

By the time Xu Zhi had arrived at the entrance of the lecture hall, it was already break time.

Gu Xiyan was leaning against the window of the corridor at the back door of the classroom, waiting for him.

“What’s the situation?”
Xu Zhi asked anxiously.

Gu Xiyan pointed to the classroom with her chin.
When she moved her neck, she accidentally pulled on her wound, and she grimaced in pain.

Xu Zhi looked towards the classroom.
In the front row of this lecture hall, the young man with his long hair tied into a ponytail was staring blankly at the crowd of people next to him.
The students were laughing and playing, showing off the double gold cards they had drawn in a mobile game yesterday.

His gaze swept over, and Xu Zhi suddenly found a figure who shouldn’t be here.

‘Bai Ling?’

‘What is she doing here? Didn’t I tell her to leave quickly?’

And the girl who was sitting in the back row, looking boredly out the window, seemed to have felt Xu Zhi’s gaze and turned her head.

The two gazes met in the air, and the meaning of each other was obvious: ‘What are you doing here?’

Bai Ling glanced at Feng Yi, who was in a daze, stood up, and walked quickly towards the back door of the classroom.

“What are you doing here?”
The girl blinked, and her heels unconsciously ground on the ceramic floor tiles.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave early?”
Xu Zhi could tell at a glance that this girl was hiding something from him.

This girl had been like this since she was a child.
When she lied, she would have some involuntary small movements, just like now, when she was unconsciously grinding the floor.

“I didn’t want to miss this class, did I?”
The girl muttered in defense.
“This professor is really good.”

“Then what did this professor say?”
Xu Zhi narrowed his eyes.

“The prisoner’s lamp of the Southern Song Dynasty, and, and…”

The girl couldn’t make up any more.
She had been distracted for nearly an hour, paying attention to Feng Yi’s movements.
As for what the old professor with the graying temples had said?

She really hadn’t been paying attention.

“You guys know each other?”
Gu Xiyan, who had been watching for a long time, suddenly inserted herself into the conversation.
She blinked, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two.

“You’re… Gu Xiyan?”
Only then did the girl notice her.
This person had just been leaning against the window, blending in with the environment.
Her presence was so low that the girl hadn’t even noticed there was someone there.

“What do you mean by that pause? Huh? You stinky brat?”
Gu Xiyan suddenly reached out and pinched the girl’s cheek, pulling it outwards.
“You’re even wearing a cheongsam to class? Are you addicted to cross-dressing?”

‘This is bad!’

The girl couldn’t have imagined that Gu Xiyan and Xu Zhi would be in the same frame.
Wouldn’t the dark history she had been hiding for so long explode at once?

“She’s my childhood friend!”
Xu Zhi couldn’t stand it anymore and pulled the girl behind him.
“I was about to ask how you two know each other?”

The girl hid behind Xu Zhi, her heart pounding, afraid that Xu Zhi would ask why Gu Xiyan was calling her a “stinky brat.”

“I told you yesterday that I was going to a comic convention to meet up.
It was her.”
Gu Xiyan explained,
“Your childhood friend is really good-looking in a dress.
You can’t even tell she’s a boy.”

?!

‘No, sis, can you just say a few less words?’

The girl’s heart almost skipped a beat.

If she said a few more words, her underwear would be stripped clean in front of Xu Zhi.

“Did you pretend to be a boy online to trick little girls?”
Xu Zhi suddenly flicked the girl’s forehead with his finger.

“I…”
The girl held her forehead, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
But in her heart, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Xu Zhi was a block of wood and wouldn’t think of anything else.

“Hmm?”
Gu Xiyan suddenly raised her voice.
“You mean… she’s a girl?!”

“Uh… mmm…”
The girl scratched her face in embarrassment.
“Sorry, I lied to you.
Actually, I’m a girl…”

“No, you mean that artist Qing…”
Gu Xiyan’s words were interrupted by a small hand that suddenly stretched out.

Seeing that this girl was starting to be reckless again, the girl hurriedly covered her mouth.

“Yes, yes, don’t talk anymore!”

“Mmm, compared to that, let’s prepare to evacuate the crowd.”
Xu Zhi’s tone suddenly became serious.
“We must deal with him as soon as possible.”

His gaze was like a sharp sword, shooting straight at Feng Yi’s back.

“No!”
The girl suddenly raised her voice.