Chapter 521: Sketch of Walking Dragon

3:45 a.m., express hotel, in a certain suite.

Huá Sāng lay on the soft bed, arms spread out, her fair and delicate feet poking out over the edge, dangling slightly.

Her long, unkempt hair fanned out behind her, a bit of dust clinging to her petite oval face, skin pale, her forehead covered in tiny beads of sweat.

Her round, alluring apricot eyes were dull and lifeless, a small tear mole dotted the corner of her eye.

Her exquisitely shaped willow-leaf lips were slightly parted, gasping for breath.

This girl was very beautiful, but her usual slovenly habits, casual attire, slightly hunched posture, and the dark circles seemingly branded on her face completely masked the fact that she was actually a black-haired, long-straight beauty.

“……”

After being forced to “study” for nearly two hours, that mysterious voice vanished without a trace, never sounding again. Huá Sāng lay motionless on the bed, as if dead, but inside she was already elated.

That must have been a new Spirit Pattern loss-of-control symptom just now, right?

Mm, this time it was still fairly tolerable, Huá Sāng thought.

She was long used to the various strange symptoms that came with Spirit Pattern loss of control.

Auditory hallucinations like signal interference were at least better than growing black hair all over, having her sense of direction reversed, or seeing everyone as a giant turtle. Compared to the ever-present, ever-increasing crushing pressure she endured, these were nothing.

As long as she could get through this period, it would be fine, right?

Although she’d already learned most of that stuff once, reviewing and refreshing her memory wasn’t bad either.

It was a pity her condition was so poor today; she couldn’t go see that mysterious senior and would have to wait until next time…

Huá Sāng thought optimistically, took a deep breath, forced out a faint smile, then slowly closed her eyes, emptying her mind and entering a meditative state.

In a daze, the sound of flowing water rang in her ears, wisps of breeze brushed her cheeks, and the darkness before her eyes faded like mist blown away, revealing a wide river gradually appearing before her.

Bright sunlight poured down, golden ripples shimmering on the river’s surface.

Suddenly, the breeze picked up, howling as it drove clouds from the horizon. In an instant, the sky was overcast; one moment it was bright daylight, the next as dark as night.

“Boom—-!”

Muffled thunder rolled, dazzling lightning snaked through the leaden clouds, and in a flash, a torrential downpour poured over the entire river.

The sky grew darker and darker, black clouds churning above. With a bolt of lightning splitting the sky and water, the wide river seemed to be cleaved open, water splashing up over three meters high on both sides. From afar, a white line snaked along the river for several miles.

Black clouds billowed, mist rolled, waves crashed against the shore with terrifying force.

Immediately after, a massive black shadow slowly rose from beneath the river, breaking through the waves to reveal a ferocious face–a huge snake, blue-violet all over, with a prominent, jagged head.

In an instant, the wind and rain intensified, the river roared like thunder.

The giant snake shot eastward along the river like an arrow released from a bow…

——–

Inside the suite, moisture filled the air. On the glass windows, on smooth metal, on the TV screen… tiny droplets of dew gradually formed.

Suddenly, the entire suite shook violently as if struck by some enormous beast. The teacup on the table gave a soft clink.

As if awakened by that sound, Huá Sāng, lying flat on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes. The once dull and lifeless eyes were now crystal clear, like two deep, jet-black gems, brimming with spirit.

A huge snake with a jagged head slithered deep within her eyes.

It was as if the scene she’d just witnessed had been branded into her gaze.

Soon, as the snake in her eyes vanished, she closed her eyes again.

As her thoughts drifted away, something began to churn in the darkness, making a wet, sticky sound. The next moment, a giant turtle phantom, exuding a filthy, impure aura, leapt out of the darkness like it was emerging from a swamp, bursting into view.

The giant turtle was as massive as a mountain, its form faint and ethereal, like a mist that could dissipate at any moment.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked by, and a torrential rain poured in the darkness. As if sensing something, the giant turtle phantom raised its huge head.

The blue-violet snake with a jagged head descended from the sky, and the instant it touched the turtle phantom, its body swiftly coiled around the turtle’s massive form.

Then.

It tightened, and tightened again, as if trying to strangle it.

“Roar—-!”

“Ao—-!”

Two earth-shattering roars exploded almost simultaneously.

In that instant, Huá Sāng’s consciousness seemed to cut out, plunging into brief silence.

In the unlit suite, Huá Sāng, eyes tightly shut, suddenly began to convulse.

At that moment, the Black Iron Ruler shot up with a “whoosh,” like an arrow leaving the string, flying straight toward Huá Sāng’s head.

Then, it hovered above her brow and tapped lightly.

A pale golden ripple spread through the air.

In an instant, Huá Sāng snapped awake as if from a nightmare, her eyes wide open, pupils shrinking to pinpoints, trembling violently.

A terrifying pressure was born out of thin air, crushing her limbs and bones, the sound of bones cracking echoing endlessly, finally breaking through the shackles of her body, stirring up the air and whipping up miniature storms.

“Rip–!” Mattress, quilt, pillow, robe, panties… all burst into fragments with a series of soft pops, merging into one sound.

Pure white, pale blue, pink… all sorts of fabric scraps, swept up by the swirling air, danced and circled in the suite like flocks of birds.

Immediately after, a sweet metallic taste surged up her throat. Huá Sāng opened her mouth and vomited a mouthful of black blood as thick as mud.

The black blood splattered onto the carpet, instantly making a faint sizzling sound.

As wisps of blue smoke rose from the carpet, Huá Sāng collapsed limply onto the ruined bed. Through the pile of fabric scraps, her graceful curves were faintly visible.

After a session of Spirit Seal cultivation, though her psychic energy fluctuation had weakened to the extreme, her complexion was clearly much better, a peach-blossom flush showing beneath her once-pale skin.

In the darkness, a palm-sized piece of pink lace drifted down, covering her face. She was silent for two seconds, then slowly reached out from the pile of scraps, grabbed a piece of her robe, wiped the sweat from her forehead, tossed it aside, and let out a long sigh.

“Sigh, the Spirit Seal condensed from this Sketch of Walking Dragon is getting less and less effective. I don’t even know if I can suppress that big turtle next time…”

As she spoke, she tilted her head, looking gravely at the Black Iron Ruler beside her, her brows tightly knit.

Although the senior never lies, I’ve been fishing for turtles in the back mountain for so many years, so why haven’t I ever caught that thing? Huá Sāng wondered.

——–

Late at night, in a high-end apartment complex.

Li Xuan, looking haggard with slightly sunken cheeks, sat on the toilet holding a roll of paper in both hands, staring blankly at the drain in the corner.

Suddenly, a wave of psychic energy fluctuation swept over.

He froze for a moment, then shakily turned his head toward the source of the fluctuation, frowning.

He could sense that the psychic energy fluctuation was coming from Huá Sāng’s direction.

“……”

In silence, he put down the roll of paper, took out his phone, and with trembling hands dialed a string of gibberish.

“Beep–!”

“Hello? Operator Li Xuan? Did you call because you detected an abnormal psychic energy fluctuation? We just picked it up too. Night Corrosion Level 6.2, high value.”

“Mm, mm…” Li Xuan responded weakly, then took a deep breath and said to the person on the other end, “This, this matter, you all, just leave it to me, I’ll handle it.”

“Understood, thank you for your hard work!”

After ending the call, Li Xuan’s hand went limp and his phone fell to the floor.

“Damn it, this junior sister is really toxic!”

With a cry of utter misery, his stomach suddenly churned violently, and a mask of pain silently appeared on his face.

When he said toxic, he meant it literally, because just eating a few peanuts tainted with Huá Sāng’s saliva had given him diarrhea akin to mild Nocturnal Syndrome.

If Li Xuan weren’t a psychic, tonight would have been his death day.

Cause of death: dehydration.

But who could have imagined that Huá Sāng’s Spirit Pattern out of control had gotten that severe?

Though he didn’t know what method she used to suppress the Spirit Pattern’s rampage, so it didn’t affect the outside world, the Night Corrosion Level in her body–even her bodily fluids–was over 3.0, comparable to late-stage severe Nocturnal Syndrome.

The Headmaster sent her over in that way–who knows if he was planning to use her as a remote poison gas bomb.

Never mind that she’s always lazy and looks utterly drained; the fact that she’s still alive at all is a miracle to Li Xuan.

Thinking of Huá Sāng’s cheeky grins these days and her shameless demands for this and that, Li Xuan rolled his eyes and cursed fiercely, “How can she still laugh!”

Early morning, Hua City University of Technology, College of Liberal Arts counselor’s office.

“…At that time, in order to stop that girl from being taken away by bad guys, I shouted and rushed out. Who knew there was more than one of them? As soon as I made a move, over fifty sturdy men stood up from the barbecue stall next to us.” Lu Yibei spoke excitedly to the middle-aged woman in front of him.

“More than fifty! Counselor, do you know what it means to face more than fifty sturdy men?”

The middle-aged woman stared blankly at Lu Yibei and shook her head.

“I’m telling you, that scene was nothing short of a sea of people. Even though I’ve trained in some fighting techniques, two fists can’t beat four hands, right? I was quickly surrounded, but I didn’t back down!”

Lu Yibei gestured as he spoke.

“I pointed at the Scarface leading them and said: This is a law-abiding society now, just try touching me! See? There are cameras everywhere on this street. If you lay a finger on me, you won’t get away. Guess what he said?”

“…” The middle-aged woman shook her head again.

“He said: I know this street like the back of my hand. If I didn’t already know those cameras were broken, how would I dare to surround you, you little bastard!?”

“And then…” Lu Yibei glanced at the various proofs Jiang Li had gotten for him on the desk, a barely noticeable trace of pain flashing in his eyes, and continued, “Then I spent ten days in the hospital.”

The middle-aged woman was at a loss for words, her mouth twitching violently for a while before she finally spoke, “Uh, Lu, I basically understand the situation. I’ll contact the professors later. You… you should go to class first, okay?”

Although the idea of one person being beaten up by more than fifty sturdy men sounded too fantastical, with the hospital and police reports, plus Lu Yibei’s vivid storytelling, she ultimately chose to believe him.

“Thank you, Counselor!” Lu Yibei thanked her, stood up and bowed slightly, then quickly left the office.

As soon as he stepped into the corridor, he heard whispers coming from the office.

“Ha, this Lu is as impressive as ever. Last time he got stabbed eighteen times, this time he took on fifty sturdy men alone. Amazing!”

“Amazing, sure, but… why does he always run into these things?”

“Maybe… he’s the chosen one?”

Hearing the discussion from inside, Lu Yibei suddenly stumbled.

Chosen one, my ass!

If that proof wasn’t so outrageous, would I have to go to such lengths to make up stories?

The higher-ups really have a huge misconception about ordinary people’s combat abilities! Lu Yibei thought.

But, the fact that the proof was so fantastical isn’t entirely the higher-ups’ fault, right?

After all, she was pampered as a child, and after becoming a psychic, she was directly Class B. Her concept of an ordinary person’s combat ability is vague–five sturdy men or fifty, it’s all the same to her.

Or maybe… she thinks I’m really that strong, that in her eyes, I could take on a hundred by myself?

Lu Yibei secretly pondered for a moment, self-importantly deciding the latter was more likely.

……

He had wasted quite a bit of time in the counselor’s office, and the first class of the morning was already over.

When Lu Yibei hurried into the classroom for the second period, he immediately saw a familiar face.

Lu Yibei, “…” Oh no, the torment of the empty-nest old man 2.0 is coming!

As usual, there were only a few students in the classroom, but Professor Ma had arrived early to prepare for class.

Seeing Lu Yibei at the door, a brief look of delight flashed in Professor Ma’s eyes, but his expression quickly darkened. Just as he was about to speak, a “Certificate of Bravery” was handed to him.

Glancing at the certificate, Professor Ma froze for a moment, looking at Lu Yibei in surprise, “You again…”

“Shh, shh!” Lu Yibei made a silencing gesture, winked at Professor Ma, and lowered his voice, “Professor, you know, sometimes things are out of my control.”

Professor Ma looked around, then replied in a low voice, “I get it, dealing with mysterious incidents, right? Alright, find a seat and listen carefully. This semester is much harder than last.”

“You really are so unde–“

Lu Yibei was about to praise Professor Ma’s understanding, when he heard him say, “Come to my office after class. I’ve got something good for you.”

Something good? Who are you kidding? You just want to use my labor for free again, right?

Lu Yibei complained inwardly, then changed his tone and said seriously, “You really are so good at looking out for yourself!”

Bad stuff!

“You’ll lose your credits…”

“This… you misunderstood. I meant, if a man doesn’t look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him. You’re simply my spiritual mentor, my beacon of belief!”

“Hmph! Smooth talker.” Professor Ma snorted softly and said, “Hurry up, find a seat and listen carefully!”

“Alright!”

Lu Yibei responded, then quickly ran to the second-to-last row by the window and sat down. He steadied himself and, taking advantage of the time before class officially began, quietly started thinking.

I’m busy trying to find a way to sneak into the Great Pure Palace and steal the last fragment of the Pure Lotus Sword. I could have to leave Hua City at any moment, and I’ll definitely miss a lot of classes. This can’t go on!

Looks like, just in case, the 1:1 replica Paper Cicada Immortal I asked Du Sixian to prepare early on might come in handy.

I just don’t know if she’s finished it yet, but there’s still some time. After I go to The Midnight Watchers Society later, I’ll swing by Xingfu Community to check. Lu Yibei thought.

To avoid neglecting his studies, smoothly get his diploma, renovate the old mansion, open a little tavern, and live his dream of selling psychic junk for a living, getting a Paper Cicada Immortal to help with attendance was absolutely necessary!

Two short periods, a total of ninety minutes of class had ended.

As the bell rang for the end of class, after watching Professor Ma leave, Lu Yibei stood up, grumbling in his heart about how troublesome the old man was, while following in his footsteps toward the College of Liberal Arts office.

After leaving the teaching building, Lu Yibei didn’t take the same path as Professor Ma to the College of Liberal Arts office, but deliberately took a detour, choosing the road near the main path of Gate No. 4.

It had been a long time since he’d seen the headless senior sister.

Although there were Du Sixian and the many hauntings of Hua City, who intentionally or unintentionally looked after the headless senior sister and the little Hauntings within the University of Technology, Lu Yibei still wanted to visit her.

……

At noon, the sunlight at the turn of late spring and early summer was already rather harsh, making people want to avoid it.

After lunch, the students of Hua City University of Technology returned one after another to their classrooms or dormitories, making the campus quite deserted for a while.

Lu Yibei walked alone on the main path of Gate No. 4, heading toward the abandoned little warehouse where the headless senior sister and the little Hauntings often gathered.

Arriving in front of the little warehouse, Lu Yibei, as usual, sat down leaning against the rusty iron door, raised his hand and gently knocked on it, softly saying, “Senior sister, are you there? I came to see you!”

“……” He waited for a moment, but there was no response.

“Senior sister? Are you there?”

“……”

Lu Yibei called out softly again, but still received no reply.

“That’s strange, where did she go? Did she go to class?”

“Duang, Duang, Duang—-!”

Just as suspicion was rising in his heart, a dull sound of metal hitting the ground reached his ears. Looking toward the sound, he saw that “Lu Xun” from in front of the library had somehow come to the corner of the little warehouse, crouched against the wall, half his body poking out.

“What the–! Mr. Lu Xun, why are you here in broad daylight?” Lu Yibei exclaimed.

In broad daylight, the bronze statue in front of the library had actually gotten up and walked away. If other students saw this, they’d be terrified!

“Hmph—-!”

“Lu Xun” let out a cold snort, the sound carrying a certain arrogance, like “facing the world with knitted brows.”

Lu Yibei, “???” It seemed a bit unhappy?

“Mr. Lu Xun? What’s going on with you…”

“Hmph—-!”

Hearing the bronze statue snort coldly again, Lu Yibei finally remembered–it couldn’t speak, and before, it couldn’t even make a sound. This snort might be a “new skill” it had recently developed.

Thinking of this, Lu Yibei took out a notebook and ballpoint pen from his backpack, handed them to “Mr. Lu Xun,” and said gently, “Sir, do you know where senior sister went? If you do, could you please write it down for me?”

“Hmph—-!”

“Lu Xun” snorted coldly, took the paper and pen from his hand, bent over and wrote for a while, then handed them back to him.

“……”

After reading the strong, neat characters on the notebook, Lu Yibei tilted his head, looking at “Lu Xun” with a puzzled expression, and asked, “You’re saying she’s been hiding a lot lately, as if she’s encountered something scary?”

“Hmph—-!”

“Lu Xun” snorted coldly and nodded.

Lu Yibei, “……”

That’s odd. The hauntings of Hua City get along like a family; there shouldn’t be any haunting attacking the headless senior sister!

If it were an outside haunting, I would have sensed it as soon as it entered Hua City.

If it’s not a Hua City haunting, nor an outsider haunting, then what is she afraid of? Lu Yibei wondered in confusion.