Chapter 90: The Former Safety Consultant

I took a closer look.
It was a chart.
The front listed each student’s name and seating position.
Yi Zhiqiu had just started as a Safety Consultant at our school, so naturally, he wouldn’t know many students.
These were actually recorded by seat number.

The first column on the chart was “Yin-Yang,” under which were recorded physiques such as neutral, leaning towards yang, leaning towards yin, moderately yang, and moderately yin.
Among them, the boys were clearly more yang, and the girls were clearly more yin, but there were exceptions.

The second column was “Artifacts.”
Most students did not carry any artifacts, but as I had estimated before, about one in every ten students did.

But Yi Zhiqiu had also classified the students’ artifacts by level.
Most were “artifact-like,” with notes indicating they were amulets, red strings, or sachets.
Next were “weak artifacts,” most of which were longevity locks.

This showed that the vast majority of students didn’t know they were carrying artifacts; they just wore them as good luck charms.
Most were obtained from temples or Daoist monasteries with their parents or family, while a small portion were longevity locks worn since childhood, which were considered weak artifacts.

As for “medium-grade artifacts,” I had to flip through several pages before I saw one entry.
Year 1, Class A, Bai Yue, three medium-grade artifacts, type: silver ornaments.
Under her physique, it was written, “Flourishing Yin,” and she was also specially circled and marked as an individual requiring special attention.

However, there were no other notes after Bai Yue’s name.
It seemed Yi Zhiqiu hadn’t figured out that she practiced Gu arts.
And she was the only girl I saw whose physique was described as “Flourishing Yin.”

The last column was labeled “Negative Energy.”
I saw that many students were tainted with negative energy.
Most of it was ominous aura, but some was also self-generated negative energy like resentment and hatred.
This accounted for about one-third of the student population.

It was worth noting that none of the students who wore artifacts had any negative energy.
Wearing an artifact on your body can continuously purify ominous aura.
Even if you are afflicted, wearing an artifact for a few days can cleanse you completely.

“So?”
“What are your thoughts after seeing this statistical chart?” Yi Zhiqiu asked.

His sudden question startled me.
I could only say subconsciously, “It feels like very few people are wearing artifacts, and a lot of students are contaminated with negative energy.”

“Indeed.”
“If half the students wore artifacts, the number of students afflicted by negative energy would drop to a negligible amount.”
“The aura of an artifact purifies the people around it.”
“As long as there are enough artifacts in the vicinity, you can still benefit from the purification even if you’re not wearing one yourself,” Yi Zhiqiu said.

“Half the students?”
“Isn’t that an exaggeration?”
“Artifacts are so expensive, often costing tens of thousands.”
“Only students from very wealthy families can afford them,” I said.

Yi Zhiqiu turned to look at me.
“It seems you’ve looked into the price of artifacts.”
“That’s right, those high-quality artifacts do indeed cost tens of thousands.”
“But an amulet from a temple or Daoist monastery only costs a few hundred, and a longevity lock for a child is only about a thousand.”
“Compared to the effects they bring, it’s absolutely worth the price.”

I almost forgot.
The shop owner had indeed recommended a sachet that cost only five thousand.
Xiao Qing also often bought artifacts in that price range to place at home.
For an ordinary family, it was affordable.

If you were unlucky enough to encounter a ghost, as long as it wasn’t a powerful one like the Painted Skin Ghost, a small artifact might just save your life.
And normally, purifying ominous aura could also ensure your health, keep your mood pleasant, and bring good luck.
Although the effects were slight, it was indeed worth the price.

But I still shook my head and said, “The vast majority of people don’t know the terror of ghosts and monsters.”
“Even if they have artifacts at home, they won’t necessarily carry them.”
“Hoping for half the people to carry artifacts is really a pipe dream.”

“True, but that’s the job of a Safety Consultant.”
“I’ve been to some other prestigious schools.”
“Those schools all hire professional exorcists as Safety Consultants.”
“Under their guidance and promotion, many students wear artifacts on them.”
“Even if it’s not half, it’s about thirty to forty percent,” Yi Zhiqiu said.

So other schools had an official position of Safety Consultant, and Yi Zhiqiu wasn’t an exception.
Actually, I had also wondered, since ghosts and monsters were so dangerous and terrifying, why wasn’t there someone specifically responsible for protecting the safety of students?
It turned out that Jianlong Middle School was the exception.

“But now you’re here, aren’t you?”
“If Jianlong Middle School had a Safety Consultant before, it wouldn’t be… and I probably wouldn’t have been attacked by the Painted Skin Ghost,” I paused.
I was about to say that it wouldn’t be the ghostly place it is at night.

“You’re wrong about that.”
“You don’t think Jianlong Middle School never had a Safety Consultant before, do you?” Yi Zhiqiu suddenly asked.

“Eh?”
“There was one?”
I had never heard of Jianlong Middle School having a Safety Consultant position before.

“Yes, there was.”
“According to the archives, Jianlong Middle School had a Safety Consultant four years ago.”
“This Safety Consultant’s office was actually left behind by him,” Yi Zhiqiu said, pulling out a file from his hand to show me.

On the file was a middle-aged man with a weather-beaten face and a scar.
The file stated that he was a professional police officer who was accidentally injured during an operation and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, so he retired to a less active role as a school Safety Consultant.

“This is basically the public story.”
“In reality, he was probably a professional exorcist.”
“That operation most likely involved being left with an incurable wound by a ghost or monster, and it left him with psychological trauma, so he could only retire to a less active role,” Yi Zhiqiu said with a sigh.

“Why are you showing this to me?” I asked.
Logically, this wasn’t something a student should be shown.

“Because of this,” Yi Zhiqiu flipped to the second page.
At the end of the file, it was written that this retired exorcist, the previous Safety Consultant, had mysteriously disappeared one day without a trace.
And the last place he was seen was at the school.

“I want to ask you for a favor.”
“Help me ask around among the students if there are any clues or rumors about this senior.”
“I’m new here, after all, and it’s hard for me to chat openly with the students.”
“Miss School Beauty should have an easier time gathering information than me, right?”

So that’s what it was.
I nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll help you.”
“But whether I can gather any information is another matter.”
“After all, it was five years ago, and the students who experienced it back then have all graduated.”

“No problem, just ask around casually.”
“It’s fine if you can’t find anything.”
“But if you do find any clues, you must not investigate further on your own.”
“Remember, you must come back and report to me first, otherwise you might be in danger,” Yi Zhiqiu said very seriously.

“I’ll remember, I’ll come and tell you first if I find any clues,” I nodded and agreed.

“Mm, you can go back to class now,” Yi Zhiqiu said.
I saw him flip to the file of the girl who had hanged herself.

After leaving the office, I heard Yi Zhiqiu muttering to himself, “This damn school… the water runs deep.”
“To think there’s such a powerful hanging ghost.”
“No wonder my senior met with misfortune.”