Two

Zhou Mu packed his luggage quietly, minimizing his presence so as not to disturb You Qi, who was resting with his eyes closed.

Just passing by him, Zhou Mu couldn't help stealing another glance, then another, then another.

He also noticed a few books on You Qi's desk—Herb Breeding Studies, Herb Pharmacology, Fungi Protection, and the like.

His roommate's bearing looked far more like a combat-command major—yet he raised plants? Unbelievable.

No wonder he'd brought a potted plant back.

Zhou Mu felt a little closer to him anyway. Anyone who tended flowers and plants couldn't be all that bad.

'I...' Zhou Mu took two steps toward You Qi. 'Want me to water your plant?'

The instant Zhou Mu spoke, You Qi's eyes snapped open. Accustomed to living alone in the dormitory, he wasn't used to another person's voice in the room. The distance Zhou Mu thought was safe was, to him, well within his alert range.

Those pitch-black eyes held nothing short of killing intent—even the immortal herb he'd brought back sensed the aura and promptly wilted...

You Qi watched Zhou Mu's cautious manner: clearly afraid, yet insisting on moving in with him, even striking up conversation.

So this was what a Feral Being raised in a Human Race settlement looked like?

His sense of danger had dulled. He trusted rules and systems too much, soaked through with Human Race naivety.

With that thought, You Qi shifted slightly.

Just that small movement, and Zhou Mu leapt up in fright, jumped back a step, then caught his calf on the bed frame and tumbled into the bed he'd just made—some small creature with no sense of balance.

And after sinking into the blankets, whether or not he realized how embarrassing it was, he drove his head back against the mattress once in mournful protest.

You Qi: '...'

The pale silver Mouth Cage and his fringe hid most of his expression, but a flicker of bewilderment crossed those dark pupils.

...So weak.

Was he so used to living among the Human Race that he'd forgotten how to call on his spiritual power at will?

How had Hualing admitted a student like this?

Zhou Mu climbed out of the blankets in embarrassment and crept back up to You Qi.

This time, perhaps to prove he wasn't entirely useless, when he reached the spot where he'd been standing before, he glanced at his feet.

Then stepped forward another two paces.

To show he had some backbone.

You Qi: '............'

...Even the dullest animal knew to give You Qi a wide berth.

But precisely because of that—even tacked on later—those two steps were forward, not back.

Even calling it dull, naive, foolish—You Qi fell silent for a second.

He frowned. 'That's my assignment...'

A Guardian Grass. His advisor had told him to raise it until it 'spoke.'

Zhou Mu caught the refusal and felt a stab of disappointment—just then, You Qi's tone shifted. 'Go ahead and water it.'

Huh? Seeing the tide turn, Zhou Mu snatched up the watering can at once. 'Sure, sure, don't mention it!'

You Qi: '...'

...

Zhou Mu hadn't picked up his textbooks yet. After tidying the dormitory, he went to collect his own. You Qi also needed to fetch his new books.

You Qi didn't bother with Zhou Mu, and Zhou Mu didn't suggest, 'Let's go together.'

He simply trailed three steps behind You Qi, heading the same way—companionship laced with a measure of going their separate ways.

They reached the Office. The air conditioning was on inside, and the glass door was naturally shut tight.

A teacher was just about to come out. The door was half-open when he saw You Qi walking straight toward him. He held the door and stepped aside two paces to clear the path. 'Hello, students!'

You Qi walked in without turning his head. 'Hello, teacher.'

Zhou Mu: '...'

Zhou Mu darted in after him and tacked on, 'Hello, teacher.'

The ones handing out books were students too—three Ghost cultivators.

Only then did Zhou Mu realize the chill inside wasn't from the AC—it was simply because of those three Ghost cultivators...

'Which professor did you apprentice under?' one of the Ghost cultivator students asked.

Hualing was a bit like the specialized schools Zhou Mu had seen in Human Race territory—traditional apprenticeship combined with modern large-class lectures.

'Scattered Man of Lakes and Seas,' Zhou Mu said. 'Water-element Feral Race, Environment and Resources major.'

'Ah, got it.' The Ghost cultivator briskly handed Zhou Mu a stack of books that had already been sorted.

Zhou Mu held the books; the top one pressed against his chin.

Fortunately, he was merely unused to calling on his spiritual power constantly—not actually helpless. He carried them out with ease.

By contrast, You Qi's treatment on the other side was entirely different.

Unlike Zhou Mu's way of thinking, the Ghost cultivator student understood perfectly that You Qi's major had nothing whatsoever to do with what kind of person he was.

There was even a persistent rumor around the academy: the reason the School leadership wouldn't let You Qi choose a more 'violent' major was their fear that he'd be provoked into a violent outburst and set a fifty-year Hualing record by eating a classmate...

Studying herbs. Just fine.

No need to ask You Qi for his details—everyone knew his major. The Ghost cultivator had already swiftly handed the books to You Qi.

Zhou Mu, books in hand, followed You Qi out while glancing down at the spines—and suddenly spotted one with a rather different style.

Tucked among the textbooks was a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

A wrong book had been handed out!

'Hey, wait, wait!' Zhou Mu shouted.

You Qi's steps actually paused for a beat, slightly hesitant.

'They gave me the wrong book—let me go back and swap it.' Zhou Mu pulled out the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, jogged over, and set the rest of the books down at You Qi's feet—as if expecting You Qi to watch them while he went to exchange it.

The companion thus conscripted, You Qi: '...?'

Anyone else at Hualing, stared at by You Qi like that, would already be screaming for the Principal to save them.

Zhou Mu, however, considered them bonded by the watering incident, and darted back at top speed like a rabbit.

'Huff... classmate, wrong book.' Zhou Mu found the Ghost cultivator student from before. 'Or did you give me an extra one? I'm in the water track—what would I do with Romance of the Three Kingdoms?'

The Ghost cultivator looked at him, expression strange. Seeing Zhou Mu's bewildered face—as if he genuinely didn't know—he asked, 'You...didn't consult your advisor before the term started?'

Scattered Man of Lakes and Seas?

Zhou Mu, baffled: 'I did! We even added each other on WeChat and have been chatting. The teacher himself is an aquatic being—he even showed me a photo of his true form. Turns out he's a snail. I couldn't tell which kind and was too embarrassed to ask, so I posted online asking people to help me figure out whether he was an apple snail or a river snail.'

Ghost cultivator: '...'

The Ghost cultivator said slowly, 'Classmate, this book was written by your advisor.'

Zhou Mu didn't register it for a moment. 'Which one?'

Ghost cultivator: 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.'

Zhou Mu: '?'

Ghost cultivator: 'Luo Guanzhong.'

Zhou Mu: '???'

Ghost cultivator: 'Guanzhong is his courtesy name; Scattered Man of Lakes and Seas is his literary name. This is the master's proudest work, so every disciple gets a copy.'

Zhou Mu: '..................!!!!'

He opened it up—the title page bore an inscription: 'For my disciple Zhou Mu, to keep. The rolling Yangtze flows east, its waves washing away heroes. From your teacher, Luo Guanzhong.'

...A personally signed copy with a dedication!

Zhou Mu was dumbfounded. 'Everything I learned as a kid in Human Race schools was fake—what, "based on history"? Teacher Luo... Teacher Luo actually lived through the Three Kingdoms himself! And his Pacifying the Feral Beings—could it be...'

The little Feral Being, raised on years of Human Race education, was clearly in disarray. He hadn't expected his water-track major to come with a Chinese-language-and-literature advisor.

Ghost cultivator: 'There are probably plenty of gaps in what you've learned. Make sure to fill them in properly at Hualing from now on. A life has its limits, but knowledge has none!'

A Ghost who'd actually been to school, alright—famous quotes came in ready-made sets.

Zhou Mu: QAQ

The Ghost cultivator giggled. 'You're adorable. Zhou Mu, right? I'm Xu Tianyi. You're from a Human Race area—what a coincidence, I used to be human too. Which dorm are you in?'

Zhou Mu was still dazed and answered absently, 'Building 5, Room 1203 Dormitory.'

Not just this one Ghost cultivator—the expressions of everyone in the Office changed.

Wasn't that You Qi's room?

The Ghost cultivator asked, stunned, 'You live with You Qi? That You Qi?'

He gestured at his own mouth, miming a Mouth Cage.

Zhou Mu: 'Yeah.'

The Ghost cultivator's face filled with sympathy. He pushed the book back into Zhou Mu's hands, thought for a moment, and advised, 'Hear the Way in the morning, and dying in the evening is acceptable.'

Zhou Mu: '..................'

.

By the time Zhou Mu chased back out, both the books and You Qi were gone—clearly no intention of waiting for him.

Walking back to the dormitory alone, Zhou Mu cradled the book in one hand, gazing at it with reverence, while the other couldn't wait to message his old classmate: 'I got a personally signed copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.'

His classmate was pure Human Race and replied within moments.

A very brief and powerful message: 'Are you insane?'

Hmph. Let's see who's the crazy one.

At the dormitory door, Zhou Mu pocketed his phone, glanced up to see the room across the hall had its door ajar but seemed empty, rubbed his nose, and looked away.

The next second, Chun Shijiu's voice rang out from behind him, accompanied by a thick whiff of alcohol: 'Have you eaten? I'll take you to the Canteen.'

Zhou Mu nearly dropped his book. He turned, still shaken. 'I'm not going!'

The way that guy said 'Canteen' sounded more like he was headed straight for the kitchen...

The more Zhou Mu trembled, the more delighted Chun Shijiu seemed.

Drunk, he looked even more unhinged. Though he couldn't smell anything, he still leaned in toward Zhou Mu and took a sniff, his tone almost rapturous—which made him all the more terrifying.

'You know what? I drank ten jin on the strength of that whiff I got at noon.'

Zhou Mu slipped quickly into his own dormitory and shut the door!

You Qi was inside tending the Guardian Grass. Zhou Mu saw his books had all been placed on the bed. 'Thanks for bringing my books back.'

Business was business, but Zhou Mu, with the pampered habits of someone raised among the Human Race, couldn't help grumbling after he said it: 'Why didn't either of you wait for me...'

He thought he'd only let out a barely audible mutter, and You Qi indeed showed no reaction—but in fact had heard every word clearly.

Amusing.

'Heh.' Outside the door, Chun Shijiu laughed softly.

Leaning against the door, he kept talking to Zhou Mu:

'Come out and chat, Zhou Mu. I'll show you around the School.'

'Which advisor are you under?'

'I have the School Rules Handbook you love so much—come out and I'll give it to you.'

'How well-done do you like it?'

Zhou Mu: '??'

Chun Shijiu was nothing but a rogue...!

Zhou Mu was just considering calling the dorm supervisor when You Qi, by the desk, lifted the entire pot of Guardian Grass.

The Guardian Grass, wilted earlier by his fright, still hadn't recovered.

He pinched a leaf. 'Tch...'

The Guardian Grass trembled.

A moment later, the wilted leaves of the Guardian Grass slowly unfurled again...

You Qi raised his hand and tossed the Guardian Grass toward Zhou Mu.

This time Zhou Mu was quick enough to catch the pot.

You Qi didn't look at Zhou Mu. 'Hang it on the door.'

'...Oh.' Zhou Mu carefully opened the door, saw Chun Shijiu had actually gone to fetch the School Rules Handbook for him, quickly hung the pot on the door's nail, and shut the door at once.

—'North of Mount Chang there is a grass called Guardian. Placed at a door, when anyone passes by at night, it will cry out at them.'

Chun Shijiu saw only that narrow crack of door closing. He stepped forward two paces, regretfully.

The alcohol made his steps unsteady, and his behavior grew more outrageous—he even tried to peek inside through the peephole.

The plant in the pot mustered its leaves with great effort, then burst into a piercing shriek: 'Look, look, look—what the hell are you looking at, you dead pervert! You XXXX XX, I XX your XXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXX, at someone else's door you XXXXXX, shameless rotten eyeballs, XXXX your eighteen generations of ancestors, all XXX rotten eyeballs, your ancestral grave splitting into twenty-eight pieces of XX, still looking, still looking, I XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX—'

Chun Shijiu: '..................'

...Shit. Sober now.