Chapter 57: Bao Lei Appears

Zhang Xiaofan recited the verse and asked, "Old Man Li, why would Old Shen, the school janitor, know about Hundred Flower Village?"

"Old Shen?" Li Qingshan frowned. "The school's security guard? He helped us quite a bit back when we were dealing with Li Ting, so he knew a lot of the inside story. How is he doing now?"

"He's dead," Zhang Xiaofan sighed, recounting the events.

"Listening to you, it seems this situation is indeed dire," Li Qingshan said in a deep voice. "I only thought a few people around you had died; I didn't realize the toll was so high. It’s very similar to the days when Li Ting was on her killing spree."

"Old man, you're so powerful, you have to save us!" Hu Xiaotian said nervously.

Li Qingshan shook his head. "I was deeply afflicted by Li Ting's corpse poison years ago, and I haven't fully recovered. My strength is spent, so I'm sorry—I can't help you."

"But what about these dry corpses of yours..." Zhang Xiaofan began.

"Although I have many, as you can see, they only perform menial labor and possess no magical power whatsoever. Otherwise, do you really think you could have broken into my place and left so easily?" Li Qingshan scoffed.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaofan asked anxiously, "Is there really no other way?"

"How about this: I'll speak with an old friend of mine later and see if there's any solution," Li Qingshan said helplessly.

Zhang Xiaofan and his group left shortly after. It was nearly dawn, and the four of them were somber throughout the journey. Although they had completed Li Ting's task, they realized she had merely been deceiving them—once their utility was spent, she intended for them to die regardless.

Fortunately, at the final moment, Li Qingshan had used a substitution technique, sacrificing a corpse in their place. For the time being, the ghost Li Ting might not notice, but there was no telling what the future held.

Upon returning to school, Zhang Xiaofan rested for a while before being awakened by notifications from the group chat. Checking the time, he realized it was time for the red envelope grab.

He saw there were four envelopes. As he clicked through them, his pupils contracted. The "luckiest winner" titles had already been claimed. Though he hadn't won anything himself, a sense of foreboding washed over him.

As he continued to claim the envelopes, he was stunned to find that Su Qianqian and Lin Rou were once again the "luckiest winners" together.

"Damn it! How are Su Qianqian and Lin Rou the luckiest again? This Bao Lei is definitely targeting me!" Zhang Xiaofan felt a surge of fury, followed by a wave of helplessness.

He immediately messaged Bao Lei: "What is the meaning of this? Why are Su Qianqian and Lin Rou always the luckiest winners?"

Bao Lei: "Just good luck. Nothing I can do about it."

Zhang Xiaofan: "You're definitely doing this on purpose. Why? Why target me?"

Bao Lei: "This game is fair and impartial, thank you."

Zhang Xiaofan: "State your conditions. What will it take for you to let them go?"

Bao Lei sent a smiley face, followed by: "Kill yourself."

Zhang Xiaofan scoffed and replied: "You wish. As I see it, you can't kill us directly; you have to follow certain rules, and those rules are enforced through this game."

After sending this, Bao Lei went silent. Zhang Xiaofan frowned. He had intended to test her, but her lack of response suggested she was truly airtight.

Then, Bao Lei posted the game rules in the group: "Wait for me to arrive to explain the rules!"

The moment this was posted, the group chat erupted.

Since most students had not yet gone to their classrooms, many were communicating via the group. At that moment, Hu Xiaotian and Jiang Jiewei rushed in, clutching their breakfast, and stared at the group chat in shock.

"Bao Lei said... she's coming? Did I read that right?" Hu Xiaotian asked, stunned.

"You read it right, she really said she's coming," Jiang Jiewei swallowed hard, turning to Zhang Xiaofan. "Xiaofan, what is going on? It's broad daylight, and Bao Lei... she's dead!"

The memory of Bao Lei's death was still fresh. The entire red envelope game had started with her. The way she had stabbed a pen into her own eye and then into her throat—the gruesome nature of her death still gave the students nightmares.

Zhang Xiaofan frowned. "You read it correctly. If she isn't lying, then her ability to appear in broad daylight means she no longer fears the sun."

His heart felt heavy—confusion, fear, and bewilderment swirled within him. What had happened to Bao Lei after she died? Why had the mastermind chosen her as the host? Why had she become so powerful? Even Li Ting had been affected by the daylight.

First and second-year students were asking about Bao Lei, as they hadn't seen her before. The students eventually decided to head to the classroom to see how she would appear.

Wang Hu sent a message: "Xiaofan, since Bao Lei is coming, I think we should take the opportunity to get rid of her."

Zhang Xiaofan had already considered this. Even if Bao Lei wasn't the true mastermind, eliminating her might provide a chance to break the red envelope game.

He replied: "Agreed. Contact the others, and we'll look for an opening."

Wang Hu: "Understood."

Zhang Xiaofan messaged Murong Feng: "Murong Feng, Bao Lei is coming. Let's find a way to take her out."

Murong Feng replied shortly after: "We'll see. We aren't necessarily her match."

"It seems Murong Feng knows how strong she is, too," Zhang Xiaofan thought, shaking his head before grabbing some tools with Hu Xiaotian and Jiang Jiewei to hide on their persons.

"Xiaotian, cast a divination," Zhang Xiaofan asked. "If we move against Bao Lei, will it be a blessing or a curse for our class?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded, took out two copper coins, and muttered, "Heaven and Earth, profound and yellow, what is the outcome for Class 2-4 if we confront the ghost Bao Lei... Reveal!"

He tossed the coins into the air, but before they could land, they spontaneously ignited and were reduced to ash.

Hu Xiaotian coughed up a mouthful of blood, clutching his chest in horror.

"What happened?" Jiang Jiewei asked in shock.

Hu Xiaotian’s face was pale. "If we move against her, it is a great curse!"

The three of them arrived at the classroom, where many students were already seated. Soon after, Su Qianqian and Lin Rou walked in arm-in-arm. They looked remarkably relaxed and intimate, to the point that those unaware might think they were a couple.

Wang Hu and Zhang Hua arrived, surrounded by their followers. They came over to Zhang Xiaofan to discuss acting according to the situation. Zhang Xiaofan told them to follow his lead, fearing they might act recklessly; for now, rashly confronting Bao Lei was unwise.

Hu Xiaotian looked depressed, clutching his chest. When Zhang Xiaofan asked what was wrong, Hu Xiaotian replied, "I've been divining too much lately. It's too draining."

"It seems your divination takes more out of you than fighting ghosts," Zhang Xiaofan remarked.

"Naturally. Simple divinations about romance or wealth don't cost much, but divining life-and-death disasters is taxing. I cast a spell for the whole class this morning, and I didn't expect it to drain my mental energy completely. My head is killing me."

Zhang Xiaofan hadn't realized there was so much to it. He handed him a bottle of spirit water. "Drink this to recover."

"Don't you need it?"

"I have plenty of underworld currency. I can afford it."

"Then, thank you," Hu Xiaotian said, accepting it happily.

Just then, a female student on the balcony let out a piercing scream. Pointing out the window, she shrieked in terror: "Bao Lei... Bao Lei is here..."