Chapter 8
Evening, Shadow Academy .
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The first period was used for discussions, as usual, and the actors’ costumes and large-scale equipment the group in charge of stage props had ordered had been delivered . The entire classroom was in disorder as they distributed the things, ascertained measurements, and assembled the materials .
Feng Ping Lan sat at his desk looking at his phone . Liu Yi Chen had helped him download a few cartoons, and he had spent the entire afternoon watching them, content with his lot .
“Here, your costume . ” Liu Yi Chen handed the costume over to Feng Ping Lan .
“Oh . ” Feng Ping Lan took it without even lifting his head .
“We’ll be rehearsing soon, where’s your script?”
“In my bag . ” Feng Ping Lan replied whilst staring at the screen .
“You’ll be performing as the Princess’ bodyguard, he doesn’t have many lines . You can get off the stage as soon as you finish reciting your lines . Go try out your costume first, see if it fits . ”
“But I want to watch Dora . ” Feng Ping Lan yawned, “I don’t wanna move . ”
“Out of the question . You’ve been watching long enough . ” Liu Yi Chen took away the phone in Feng Ping Lan’s hand . “Be good, quickly change into your costume . ”
“Oh…” Feng Ping Lan yawned, standing up, then started undressing on the spot .
Seeing Feng Ping Lan’s calm and unperturbed actions, his classmates stared, flabbergasted .
“What are you doing!” Seeing that Feng Ping Lan was about to take off his pants, Liu Yi Chen hurriedly grabbed onto his hand .
“Changing my clothes . ”
“Go to the changing room!”
“It’s cold outside . I want to change in here . ”
“No! Go immediately!”
“Class Rep’s so mean, so scary…” A sob started to leak out of Feng Ping Lan’s voice, “Like Soup-popo1…”
“What did you say!”
Dongya hurriedly came over to placate, “Don’t scare him . ”
“Are you blaming me?” Liu Yi Chen’s fury rose, and couldn’t help but answer in turn, “I wasn’t the one to cause him to turn into this!”
“I just think, there is no meaning in intimidating a child like this,” Dongya replied calmly .
“Even if he’s a child, there are rules he has to follow!”
“Aiyaya, what’s this, a family ethics drama?” Byriel smiled lightly .
Feng Ping Lan looked at the two of them, his face filled with fear, not daring to speak aloud, tears starting to well up in his eyes .
“You do it if you think you can . ” Liu Yi Chen glared at Dongya . “There’s a rehearsal in ten minutes, he needs to be there . ”
She wasn’t deliberately trying to find fault in him, but as a class representative, she couldn’t discriminate in favor of him under the watchful eyes of everyone, let alone the fact that she couldn’t explain Feng Ping Lan’s situation to their classmates . During this extreme phase, she had to establish her standing among them, even if her actions were disagreeable .
“I’ll bring you to the changing room . There’s no need to be afraid of the cold, I’ll summon a warm breeze for you . ” Dongya spoke gently, reaching out a hand to lead him to the changing room .
But Feng Ping Lan did not take it, turning his head instead to gaze at Quetzal, who sat diagonally from his seat .
“Quetzal…” Feng Ping Lan said very carefully, “Are you angry?”
Quetzal looked at Feng Ping Lan indifferently, then slowly shook his head . That had nothing to do with him, he had absolutely no reason to become angry .
“Am I a bad child?” Feng Ping Lan asked .
Quetzal did not answer .
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“Of course you aren’t,” Dongya replied gently .
But Feng Ping Lan did not listen to him, focusing all his attention on staring at Quetzal .
“Will you run away?” Feng Ping Lan asked, trembling with fear and trepidation . “I’m going to change my clothes, will you still be here when I come back?”
Quetzal looked at Feng Ping Lan, not understanding why he was asking him this, even more so not understanding why he attached such importance to this question . He looked as if he was afraid of hearing the answer to this question, but if he was afraid, why would he voice it?
He hadn’t intended on answering him, but Feng Ping Lan continued to stare, looking as if he wasn’t going to drop it if he didn’t have his answers .
After a moment’s silence, he answered in a low voice, “…Yes . ”
Feng Ping Lan heaved an evident sigh of relief, revealing a look like a weight had been taken off his shoulders, a smile rising up his face once again .
Quetzal reminded in a low voice, “Dongya is waiting for you . ”
“Oh, okay!” Feng Ping Lan turned, taking Dongya’s hand, and headed to the changing room .
Feng Ping Lan quickly changed into his costume and rushed back to Quetzal .
“I finished changing!”
Quetzal looked at him . He did not understand why Feng Ping Lan was reporting every single thing he did to him .
“Wasn’t that fast? I only spent three minutes!”
Quetzal could see Feng Ping Lan wanted his acknowledgment, and so rigidly nodded his head .
But Feng Ping Lan was not satisfied by that, he remained at his spot, with no intention to leave, as if he was waiting for something .
“Did you forget?” Feng Ping Lan tilted his head .
Quetzal furrowed his brows, puzzled .
Feng Ping Lan reached out his hands to clasp Quetzal’s palm, placing it on his head, then swayed it a few times .
“Like this . ” Feng Ping Lan placed down Quetzal’s hand, smiling, “You have to remember next time!”
Then, he turned, running towards the stage to gather with the others .
During the rehearsal, although Feng Ping Lan’s performance was stiff and rigid, nobody minded, because he wasn’t playing the main role . Every time he got off the stage, he would run down to find Quetzal, pulling Quetzal’s hand to rub his head, and the entire rehearsal session ended without a hitch .
For the last two periods, Feng Ping Lan kept on yawning, extremely absent-minded . During practice sessions in zhoushu class, he fell right to sleep against the wall .
“Is this a side-effect of the transformation curse?” Dongya seemed incredibly worried as he looked at Feng Ping Lan . “He isn’t usually this tired . ”
“No . ” Liu Yi Chen said exasperatedly, “It’s now bedtime for little kids . ”
With Yin Su Shuang’s permission, Feng Ping Lan headed to the sickbay to rest, until they were let off their classes .
The next day . The day school students were let off in the afternoon, starting their ten-day-long holiday . The Shadow Academy classes had also been suspended, in order to conduct the base-setting ceremony for the five schools’ joint School Festival Trials .
Feng Ping Lan and the Contracts were not required to attend, but out of curiosity, the group headed to school to observe the ceremony .
The ceremony was simultaneously carried out in both the hidden space of the Shadow Academy and the school grounds of the real world . The principal ritual spell was conducted in the Shadow Academy, and the hallways of the Shadow Academy’s school building were packed full of students wanting to spectate the representatives of the four schools in the courtyard .
The central space had been enlarged, about as spacious as a sports field . The field was empty, absolutely nothing in it .
“Aren’t they gonna play a welcoming song?” Feng Ping Lan was curious . “Will there be animals and floats?”
“Keeping our silence throughout the process is the ceremony’s tradition, because extreme focus is required while setting the base of connections . ” Liu Yi Chen replied in a whisper, “Silence represents our respect for them . Don’t say a word when the representative groups appear . ”
“Okay!” Feng Ping Lan replied .
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“Shh!”
Evening, 8:30 pm . Four teams entered the court from four corners . The four leading representatives of the four schools were wearing their own school ceremonial robes, the instruments for conducting the ceremony in their hands, stepping in silently .
Each magic circle was being constructed by five individuals at the same time, and while they were carried out separately, their movements quick, each stroke was very skillfully drawn, perfectly combined and put together, without a single mistake made .
About twenty minutes later, four magic circles of varying shapes appeared in the courtyard, the surface areas of each being as large as a classroom .
The audience held their breaths, none of them making a sound, nor did anyone dare to act rashly .
Once the magic circles were completed, all the members took their respective positions inside or outside the formation, waiting in silence .
8:53 . A drawn-out and tinkling toll of a bell sounded .
This was the most unstable moment for all magnetic fields around the world . The dividing line between the real world and this space was originally as distinct as the barrier between oil and water, and now, it was starting to pervade each other, turning muddy .
The Summoner in the courtyard started to chant, manipulating their tools . As they chanted, the lines of the magic circles started to glow, the gleam of the lines strengthening gradually, becoming dazzling . Then, within the halo, under the lines of the array, a hazy image seeped through .
The images were displaying the scene of the other shadow academies . While their side was conducting the ritual, the various schools on the other end were casting the same spells at the same time, and the magic spells of the two sides would start to resonate, at last connecting to form a space opening .
As the leading teams within the Shadow Academy were setting up the connecting spells, the Zephaniah faculty members were subtly scattered across the school grounds outside the Shadow Academy, placing stabilizing and obstruction spells all around .
Although the process of setting up the base was conducted within the Shadow Academy, the turmoil and fluctuations caused by the spells would influence the real world . Especially the moment it was completed, where the shock waves of the powerful spells would gush out of the Shadow Academy, flowing into the real world .
Although those shock waves wouldn’t influence an ordinary human, it would stimulate those low-level demons, or create electrical malfunctions . Therefore, they needed to extend an obstruction barrier, confining the shock waves within the Zephaniah, which had controlling spells in place .
“Set!”
The last command was uttered .
Light rays shot out violently, spurting into the air like a fountain .
A fleeting rainbow flashed across the skies of the Shadow Academy .
On the surface of the earth, the very same rainbow flashed above the various shadow academies scattered across the world .
Several dots lit up at the same time . The invisible channels were linked together at this moment .
A shock wave diffused and overflowed, like a bursting ball of water . However, they were contained within grounds of Zephaniah’s school compound . The stimulated enchantment and spiritual power whipped and surged within the wards like the tides in a hurricane . The low-level mixed demons dodged them, stupefied . Those mixed demons who touched the shock waves by accident were unable to handle the immense power pouring in, and were instantly vaporized .
Soundless wails congested the school grounds . In a place unseen by ordinary humans, countless low-level life forms were facing a calamity .
An average human would not be able to sense the abnormality of such a torrent of spells, and someone with a sensitive constitution would feel drumming in their ears at best .
Within the male dormitories, there were a few rooms with their lights still on . Zephaniah had a rule that stated all students had to leave the dormitories during the long holidays, but the longest they could stay was until the afternoon of Saturday, and so they were still a few students left residing in the dormitories . Bai Li Rui was one of them .
He was the only one in the room . Ever since Kaido had moved away, no longer did a new roommate move in again .
Bai Li Rui sat before his laptop, a terrifying horror movie playing on the screen .
The room was brightly-lit, but Bai Li Rui was still hugging his pillow to boost his courage . He did not like these kinds of films, but in order to gain a better understanding of supernatural phenomena, he had forced himself to watch these nightmare-inducing clips .
On the table sat a delicate doll bed . On it, a tiny purple figure lay .
This little bed had originally been placed within his modified closet, but as he was too scared of watching a horror movie alone, he had brought Jiu Shao out along with his bed to accompany him .
On the screen, the main leads had just arrived at a sinister old residence, and discovered a person sitting in a rocking chair of a dark room, back facing those who had come . The extremely curious and moronic main leads slowly stepped towards the figure in the darkness .
Bai Li Rui swallowed, reaching his hand to touch the person on the little bed to pacify his heart full of dread .
Just then, the person on the tiny bed abruptly opened their eyes . A shocking sound effect just happened to play then .
Bai Li Rui solidly jumped in his fright, a fearful cry coming out of him, his entire body collapsing backward .
Jiu Shao sat up, rubbing his eyes, turning to glance out the window .
Looking at the electric sparks caused by the enchantments, he sat there, stupefied . “What’s that? Has the Third Prince’s plan succeeded? That said, why am I seeing this, is this hell or heaven…”
Jiu Shao sized up his own surroundings .
“It must be neither, heaven wouldn’t be this poverty-stricken, and hell wouldn’t be this plain . Anyhow, heaven and hell is a human’s territory, who knows where demons go after their deaths…”
He turned his head and spotted Bai Li Rui, backing away guardedly .
Bai Li Rui looked at Jiu Shao with pleasant surprise, “You’re finally awake!‘
Jiu Shao tilted his head, “You know me? This slightly idiotic-looking human looks a little familiar, where have I seen him before?”
”I found you in a washing trough behind the gymnasium, I made a contract with you . ” Bai Li Rui explained worriedly, “Did you forget?”
Jiu Shao thought about it, his eyebrows wrinkling, the drooping curve of his brows making him seem even more distressed .
“Right… I remember now… I failed, the Third Prince has no need for a useless soldier, he doesn’t want me anymore…” He lowered his head in a long sigh, mumbling with sobs .
Bai Li Rui scratched his head, at a loss of what to do . A notion suddenly flashed across his mind, and he opened his closet, taking out the food he had been storing for a long time .
“Um,” Bai Li Rui held out a peach, placing it before Jiu Shao, saying clumsily, “Do you want some peaches?”
Jiu Shao looked at the peach, an eyebrow raised, looking a little astonished . He looked at Bai Li Rui guardedly, “How did you know I liked peaches?”
“You told me you wanted some before you passed out . ” Bai Li Rui scratched his head, “You don’t like honey peaches? That’s fine . ” He opened his own little refrigerator, taking out other kinds of peaches, including canned ones, laying them out one by one before Jiu Shao .
Jiu Shao, seeing so many kinds of peaches, couldn’t help but be struck dumb . He had never seen, nor known there were so many types of peaches .
“Do you like eating peaches too?”
“It’s passable . I prepared these for you . ” Bai Li Rui spoke honestly, “I didn’t know when you would wake, or know the kind of peaches you liked, so I bought all of them . Don’t worry, they’re all fresh, none of them are spoilt . ”
All the unfresh peaches had gone into his stomach .
Jiu Shao looked at Bai Li Rui, and after a long moment, muttered, “This new master has a good heart, this is the second person who has treated Jiu Shao so well…”
The first had been the Third Prince, although that had been a long time ago, and the Third Prince had only treated him well that one time .
But he had always kept it in his memory .
With his mood slightly loosened, Jiu Shao lowered his head, abruptly realizing that he was wearing a western-style lolita outfit .
“What’s with this weird-looking clothing…”
Bai Li Rui spoke with a slightly embarrassed smile, “Your old clothes were filthy and damaged, so I helped you change into new ones . ” He opened his closet, an entire row of tiny clothes emerging from within, “If you don’t like this set, there are many other styles . ”
“Where are my old clothes?”
“I have them . ” Bai Li Rui reached in to draw out a set within the stack of folded clothes .
The chang pao had been transformed into a narrow short skirt, its back and waist exposed, converted into a crisscrossing bandage-style .
“The clothes were a little torn, so I modified it a little . ”
Jiu Shao sighed, “This new master has a good heart, but he has wicked intentions…” He glanced at Bai Li Rui, asking in puzzlement, “Why are you so nice to me?”
“Uh, because I made a contract with you…” Bai Li Rui regretted it the moment he said that . He should have spoken much sensible, much cooler lines, but as things had happened too quickly, he could only think of this reason .
“That’s right, I signed a contract with him, because the Third Prince no longer wants me…” Jiu Shao lifted his head, looking out the window, saying fearfully, “What’s going on there? Are there other Summoners here?”
Bai Li Rui followed Jiu Shao’s gaze, but found nothing there .
“Is there something there? I don’t see it . ” Bai Li Rui spoke, confused, “What’s a Summoner?”
“Humans who summon demons to make contracts with them, those who enslave demons . ”
“Then, am I considered a Summoner?”
Jiu Shao shook his head, “You’re not . ”
In his memories, he recalled seeing Feng Ping Lan and Quetzal’s group in this school, and bit his lip uneasily .
“There are so many Summoners were, big and small, and Quetzal…”
“Quetzal? You know him?”
“You know Quetzal?”
“He’s our school doctor . ” Bai Li Rui answered . “I have a friend who worships him quite a lot . ”
“Quetzal as a school doctor? War God Quetzal? Impossible… No, it’s possible, when I was investigating, I saw him collecting human urine… But, what is Quetzal doing here? Is the Twelfth Prince here too? I have to quickly report to the Third Prince—” Jiu Shao mumbled to himself, at last stopping short, then giving a long sigh .
“The Third Prince doesn’t want me anymore, must I still swear fealty to him? Besides, will he still trust me, who has signed a contract with a human…”
Bai Li Rui saw Jiu Shao fall into his bitter thoughts . He tried his best to think of something to make him happy, but didn’t know what to say, and could only repeat his words, “Um, do you want some peaches? I’ll peel it for you . Choose one!”
Jiu Shao glanced at Bai Li Rui, then looked at the table full of peaches, and after a moment’s silence, pointed at the white peach, “This one . ”
“Okay, just wait a minute . ”
Bai Li Rui picked up the peach, turning to walk towards the low cabinet . He attentively removed the skin, then took out a paring knife, cutting the peach into smaller pieces .
“My body hasn’t completely recovered to its full strength, it’s just slightly better than a mixed demon…”
Jiu Shao muttered, looking out the window at the same time, where the drifting mixed demons were met with a violent death of explosions from the luminous flux .
“There’s something wrong with this school, I have to get to the bottom of this . Discover information unknown even to the Third Prince, let him know of my importance…”
Across the ocean . A resplendent and gorgeous city on land .
The afternoon sun’s rays brought with it an air of indolence . Atop a high building in the heart of the city, a golden silhouette stood before a large French window .
There were dense symbols drawn on the French windows with white lacquer, a magic circle similar to a connection enchantment .
Suddenly, a dazzling radiance lit up on the magic circle . When the rays dimmed, the scenery outside the window was no longer the gold and jade metropolis nightscape in glorious splendor, but an enchanting, treacherous jungle of the imperial city .
It was a scene of the netherworld .
The imperial city in the mirror, was his palace .
One of his palaces .
Looking at that palace surrounded by woods, he shook his head .
“How unsightly…”
He would build a new palace, in a beautiful land of his choice, where he could see the morning sun and the red evening clouds, where he could establish his imperial palace and supremacy .
The ringing of a phone .
“Is it done?” He asked .
“It’s done . ” The person on the other end replied, “The crux has been set, all that’s left is for your troops to open the entrance to the other side . ”
TL Notes
‘Soup-popo’: Popo 婆婆 means grandma .