Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Embers Three

One hour after the special edition of the Jinling Morning News, "Slap in the Face" article was released—

Jinling University Cafeteria, Second Building.

The crowd was bustling, students jostling each other to get food, with discussions about the ghost incident at the Medical School last night happening everywhere.

Bai Linlang and Mingyue sat at a corner, their food tasteless.

"Hey, focus."

Bai Linlang knocked on Mingyue's meat sandwich, "The meat's about to fall out."

Mingyue muttered an "Oh," but kept her eyes glued to her phone screen.

"The Morning News reacts fast."

"Isn't this a bit problematic?"

Bai Linlang spooned some porridge, her thoughts hidden while asking, "That article went viral. How long has it been since it was released? Look, people are all talking about it in the cafeteria."

"The Jinling Morning News really embarrassed themselves this time."

"Did you do it?"

Mingyue bit into her meat, mumbling, "I don’t have such far-reaching influence."

Bai Linlang pressed, "Then who did?"

Who could have such power to make a top-tier media outlet in China backtrack and even slap themselves in the face?

Mingyue glanced at Bai Linlang, already knowing what she was thinking.

"My brother handled it."

"Director, you’re overthinking it."

"That ghost article was just a reprint by the Morning News, it wasn’t an official release, so the level of impact is different. Even though they backtracked now, for those who understand the industry, the impact isn’t as big as it seems."

That’s still something most people wouldn’t be able to do, right?

Bai Linlang muttered to herself, sincerely admiring, "Ming family's older brother is really impressive."Mingyue paused.

Of course, her older brother was impressive.

But recalling how she had been harshly scolded by him while eavesdropping outside the meeting room yesterday, Mingyue could only think: some things are better left forgotten.

"My brother chewed me out on the phone yesterday," Mingyue said wearily.

"But he also mentioned the possibility of the public opinion turning around."

"The government in China doesn’t like official media spreading strange, supernatural stories. Maybe the Jinling Morning News didn’t expect that article they casually reprinted to blow up like this. I bet the backend is in chaos right now."

"Now that they've backtracked, the public will think the authorities are stepping in, with Mao Zhe at the helm."

Bai Linlang nodded. "The logic is solid."

"By the way, there’s something I wanted to tell you last night."

"Last time, An Xueru didn’t do well in her History of the General Studies exam, right? I heard from my senior that her grades this time in the Curse Spells exam aren’t looking too good either—" the Director paused, watching Mingyue’s expression, "—she might transfer departments."

Mingyue: "......"

Mingyue looked at her in surprise. "Is it really that serious?"

Bai Linlang: "……"

Bai Linlang: "You really don’t care about grades at all, do you?"

Mingyue: "I’m here to learn skills, not just to take exams."

Bai Linlang: "The problem is, even if she transfers, she won’t leave room 405."

She’s hostile toward you, and you’ll still be sharing a dorm with her. That’s the real trouble.

Mingyue slurped some porridge. "I'll deal with it when the time comes. If she tries anything, I’ll handle it."

Bai Linlang: "……"

Bai Linlang slammed the table. "Don’t slurp your porridge!"

Mingyue jumped in shock.The respectful and composed Director Bai Linlang ground her teeth for a moment before asking, "Have you figured out who sent the threat letter?"

"I see you’re not even a little bit nervous."

The surrounding noise was loud, with many people pointing at Mingyue. Mingyue ignored them, maintaining a strong mindset. "The person who sent the letter clearly wants me to know who they are."

"The paper is from the Tianxuan Pavilion in the capital. The embossing is very unique, it’s a glass lantern pattern."

"You know about Tianxuan Pavilion, right?"

Bai Linlang nodded. "Of course, it's the most famous yin-yang instrument brand in the country."

"It's incredibly expensive, but very effective."

Mingyue’s expression remained unchanged as she dropped a bombshell, "Tianxuan Pavilion is my maternal grandfather’s family." After saying that, she performed a dramatic slump in her chair.

Bai Linlang: "……"

She was dumbfounded.

The Ming family's past, filled with both love and enmity, was widely known in the world of ghost hunters.

Mingyue's uncle, Ming Dinghai, had a deeply devoted love story that many envied.

However, the challenges in his life meant that their love story wasn’t all that bright.

It was said that the family of his father-in-law looked down on Ming Dinghai, who had not yet made a name for himself, and after his wife, Miss Li, married him, their relationship was strained.

It was also said that in the late 1980s, Ming Dinghai became famous after a great battle, during which Miss Li took her family’s treasures to help her husband quell a rebellion and slay ghosts. Only then did her father’s family start to treat him better.

It was further rumored that both Ming Dinghai and his wife died young, leaving behind two children who had not inherited the ghost-slaying business. Miss Li’s family felt that their daughter had died for nothing and had failed to bear good offspring. They thought Ming Dinghai was a bad omen and thus began a feud with the Ming family, with later generations never showing a friendly face.

Of course, all of this happened before Mingyue’s yin-yang eyes improved.

How much of the gossip was true, Bai Linlang didn’t know.

However, it was certain that the relationship between the Li family and the Ming family was terrible.

So, this "Li" was from the Tianxuan Pavilion?

Bai Linlang: = =

"So you think… this threat letter was sent by your maternal grandfather’s side of the family?" Bai Linlang pondered, finding it hard to believe.Mingyue nodded. "Grandfather really liked my mother. My mother also has a brother, and my uncle has a son."

"My uncle felt that grandfather was always biased, giving all the good things to my mother."

"Not only did my mother fail to make Tianxuan Pavilion thrive, she also… well, passed away early..."

"Anyway, my uncle's family is very dissatisfied with ours."

"And my little cousin is one year older than me. We're in a competitive relationship as peers."

"When the Ming family hadn’t moved to Jinling yet, my cousin disgusted me countless times."

"I think he’s the one who sent the letter."

"The handwriting also matches."

Bai Linlang was furious. "What nonsense is this? You’re talking about blood relatives!"

"Blood relatives sending a dagger covered in blood? Your mother has passed away, and now he wants to pin the blame on her?"

"Picking on someone younger—what kind of ability is that? If he’s got the guts, he should go annoy your brother instead."

Mingyue smiled. "Because he knows my brother would beat him to death."

Bai Linlang slammed the table. "Why don't you tell your brother?"

Mingyue was silent for a moment. "There are some reasons..." She quickly changed the topic. "That dagger is fake. It’s shaped by yin energy."

"I remember the dagger was a gift my grandfather bought for himself when he received his Ghost Slayer license after participating in the Hundred School Joint Exam years ago."

"The pattern is quite unique. It’s carved with the Pure Mouth God’s spell. Normally, daggers have inscriptions of the Golden Light God’s spell or the Earth God’s spell."

Bai Linlang’s mind raced. "He’s not challenging you to the Hundred School Joint Exam, is he?"

"You’re only a freshman, Mingyue. Stay clear-headed."

Mingyue finished her soup. "I think that’s exactly what he means."

"When my family moved, Tianxuan Pavilion had no idea where my brother took me. And for several years, my yin-yang eyes didn’t work properly—without them, in the Ghost Slayer world, I was like fallen leaves on the ground, unnoticed."

"The exam site for the Hundred School Joint Exam is fixed, always in Yuzhou’s Fengdu. We’ll just have to wait and see.""Who knows if he's talking about next year's Joint Exam or the one after I graduate?"

"Fengdu is far from the emperor’s reach. It's neither within the influence of Tianxuan Pavilion nor Jinling University. He can’t do anything to me."

"Alright, as long as you’re aware of it."

Seeing that Mingyue’s expression was indifferent, Bai Linlang knew she wasn’t happy recalling that part of the past. She sighed inwardly and changed the topic. "The School of New Media should be working overtime to deal with the public opinion now."

"Yeah." Mingyue replied, finishing her radish cake. "I’ve seen the trending topics on Weibo. They've already retracted it three times, so they should be wrapping it up soon."

Before she could finish, Mingyue received a WeChat message.

After reading it, she looked completely confused.

"Director, do you believe this? The school newspaper wants to do a feature interview with me."

"Tonight."

Bai Linlang: "……"

Bai Linlang: "What?"

That night, at 8 PM.

The café beside the College of Literature.

Mingyue met with the reporter from the school newspaper for a brief interview.

During the interview, the reporter asked many sharp questions, without any hesitation, including some that turned the materialistic worldview upside down.

Mingyue answered to the best of her ability, carefully thinking through her responses, trying her best not to dig a pit for her fellow students at Spirit Academy.

After a long conversation, the reporter twirled his pen.

"So, the ghost incident at the Medical School... it’s real?"

Mingyue smiled and unwound the bandage on her wrist, showing the reporter the deep red wound still visible on her skin, uneven and raw: "This kind of bite mark should support my words."

The wound had skin flaking off, and a deep red color, with blood vessels visible underneath when touched.The reporter stared in shock, forgetting the prepared questions that were about to come out of his mouth. "What exactly does your Spirit Academy do every day?"

"What is the purpose of this academy?"

Mingyue lowered her head and re-wrapped the bandage around her wrist.

"For the strengthening of the yin-yang laws."

"For the balance between the living and the dead, we are the people caught between the cracks."

The reporter clenched his pen, his emotions stirred. "I believe in your original intention, but you must also know how much criticism Spirit Academy has received by the end of the day."

"Sorry, but if I give my subjective opinion, your actions make it easy for people to think you’re trying too hard without getting any rewards."

"People caught between two worlds, not belonging to either, and when they fall, no one will catch them."

"The Medical School might not thank you right now, and the School of New Media is probably cursing you."

"Most people are just watching with indifference."

Mingyue shook her head, her eyes clear, unaffected by the reporter’s leading words. "What profession in this world can succeed on both sides? Money is hard to earn, excrement is hard to eat, and reputation is even harder to bear."

"Having yin-yang eyes means being an oddity among the living. Naturally, one must seek the most unusual and extraordinary path to the top."

The reporter quickly took notes and chuckled. "To become famous worldwide?"

Mingyue tilted her head and smiled, "Why not?"

"Science can’t explain everything. So many scientists throughout history ended up believing in God. What does that show?"

Reporter: "......"

The reporter was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "Stop, we haven’t gotten anything usable from this interview so far."

"Don’t keep talking about things that’ll get us thrown into a black room."

Mingyue gently shook her head. "Not talking about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist."

"The yin-yang laws aren’t something visible to the eye. Doing good deeds to settle karma isn’t just for living with a clear conscience."

"It’s also so that your soul can rest peacefully in the afterlife."Reporter: "......"

The reporter silently recited in his mind about how material generates consciousness and consciousness reacts back on material, then teased, "Have you been to the underworld?"

Mingyue shook her head. "I’m only a freshman."

The reporter raised an eyebrow, probing further, "Has anyone from the senior years been?"

Mingyue replied, "I don’t know, but the senior courses include learning how to open the yin-yang path."

"The underworld is understaffed. Every year, during the Zhongyuan Festival, they need Ghost Slayers to help open the paths. Otherwise, the souls would get stuck at the city gates and can’t come out."

Reporter: "......"

I must still be dreaming.

Seeing his strange expression, Mingyue took out a good luck talisman she had casually drawn and handed it to him.

"This is our first meeting, so I don’t have much to give."

"Just a little thing, Senior, please accept it."

After leaving the café, the reporter called the editor-in-chief:

"Boss, we’re totally done for."

"Those Spirit Academy people keep talking about gods and ghosts, and they didn’t fall for any of our leading questions!"

"The School of New Media is definitely going to take the fall for this!" the reporter said with frustration.

"Damn it, if she weren’t from Spirit Academy, I’d think she was a righteous and moral person from the Horse Academy."

"She talked for ages, and all of it is stuff we can’t publish."

"Total waste of a feature interview."

"Stop complaining, I know — just keep writing, okay?"

After the call ended, the reporter hung up angrily and walked toward the dorm.

The moonlight was bright, and she took out the good luck talisman, holding it up to the moonlight. The vermilion ink notes were blood-red and round, and it was clear that the person who drew it had a deep skill in calligraphy with a brush.

The pattern was quite beautiful."What kind of superstitious nonsense."

The reporter muttered, but suddenly saw a flash of moonlight, as if it had fallen to the ground. She ran over and saw a gold chain nestled in the grass.

There was no one around.

The reporter picked it up and weighed it in her hand.

The chain must weigh at least two taels.

Reporter: "......"

Damn, how much is gold worth these days?