Xiao Shanya's face grew increasingly grim. She suddenly realized something and pointed at the ghost with a trembling finger. "You're... Song Zhixiu?"
Looking at the ghost's half - smiling expression, Xiao Shanya's heart sank to the bottom. Her legs went weak, and she knelt straight down in front of the ghost. She sobbed, "I wasn't the one who bullied you back then! I only participated a few times. Most of the time, I was just watching. Why are you coming after me instead of them?"
The whole toilet was silent for a few seconds. Then the ghost suddenly burst into laughter. The sound was shrill and somehow desolate. "You're still so self - righteous. The moment you watched and laughed, you became one of the bullies. Am I wrong?"
The next second, the ghost's aura of resentment surged. The wooden door was shattered by the black mist. She grabbed Xiao Shanya's neck tightly. No matter how Xiao Shanya struggled, the ghost's icy hand didn't budge an inch. It tightened further, lifting Xiao Shanya into the air.
Just as Xiao Shanya was about to suffocate, an image of the photo she saw in the dormitory flashed through her mind. She almost spat out the words one by one. "Teacher Qi..."
Sure enough, the ghost's arm suddenly froze. A look of confusion flashed in her eyes. Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Shanya's strong will to survive allowed her to break free from the ghost's hand. Without even taking a breath, she rushed straight towards the door.
But as soon as Xiao Shanya took a step, she was controlled by the ghost and thrown to the ground. The back of her head hit the steps hard. She let out a whimper and lost consciousness.
The ghost's expression was cold. Just as she was about to touch Xiao Shanya, a burning talisman hit her hand.
She turned her head sharply and saw Yu Nian standing quietly at the door, followed by Ming Mingzhong and Feng Chengyuan.
Yu Nian glanced at the ghost. The image of the woman's delicate face flashed through her mind. She said softly, "If you insist on killing her, you'll only increase your own karma. By then, you'll be full of malevolence, and there'll be no chance for reincarnation."
The ghost's facial features contorted grotesquely for a moment. She was extremely angry. "Stinking Taoist! You want to ruin my good deed too?"
Her arm stretched straight out, and her pitch - black nails lunged towards Yu Nian.
Feng Chengyuan's eyelids twitched. Almost instinctively, he wanted to step forward to block in front of Yu Nian.
But Yu Nian reacted faster. She waved her long arm, blocking Feng Chengyuan and Ming Mingzhong behind her. Then she took out a willow branch with leaves from her bag.
Ming Mingzhong was stunned. "There's no willow branch in my bag. Where did this come from?"
"I snapped it off on the playground when we first entered the evil situation."
The ghost was both angry and hateful. They were in a fierce fight, and yet Yu Nian still had the mind to chat leisurely with others? A pale, cold light emanated from her body. The ghost's original figure suddenly swelled until she was twice as tall as Yu Nian. Then she let out a roar and pounced on Yu Nian.
Yu Nian's eyes narrowed. Just as the ghost was about to pounce on her, she flipped her wrist. The willow branch moved nimbly like a long snake and accurately hit the ghost's rotten and blackened hand.
There was a soft hissing sound, and a visible puff of white smoke came from the ghost's hand. She let out a shrill scream. The scream was so ear - piercing that Ming Mingzhong got goosebumps and quickly covered his ears.
There has always been a saying among the people that beating ghosts with a willow branch makes the ghost shrink three inches with each strike.
Willow trees belong to the yin. Ghosts can attach themselves to willow trees, so willow trees can also restrain them.
Sure enough, after being whipped twice by the willow branch, the ghost's originally bloated and terrifyingly large figure suddenly shrank until it returned to normal.
The thick aura of resentment around her gradually dissipated, but she still stared at Yu Nian with hatred.
Everyone thought Yu Nian would continue to whip the ghost until it vanished into thin air. But unexpectedly, Yu Nian broke the willow branch in her hand and threw it aside.
Song Zhixiu said coldly, "You don't need to pretend to be kind here. You're all just as hypocritical and hateful. If you have the guts, kill me. Otherwise, as long as I have a shred of consciousness left, I'll return the pain a hundredfold!"
She seemed to think of something. She hugged her head tightly with both hands and let out a shrill scream. The scream was so ear - piercing that the whole toilet shook violently.
Yu Nian looked down at Song Zhixiu lying on the ground. If she hadn't met those bullies back then, if she were still alive, she should have graduated from university by now. She would be wearing decent clothes and living a wonderful life calmly.
But at this moment, she had become a fierce ghost. Her red dress was torn to pieces by the aura of resentment and could hardly cover her body.
Yu Nian took off her coat, walked forward slowly, and put it on Song Zhixiu.
Her movements were extremely natural, without the slightest bit of affectation. Her almond - shaped eyes showed neither pity nor sympathy but peace.
It seemed that putting the coat on Song Zhixiu was just a matter of course.
Song Zhixiu was stunned. Her screaming gradually subsided. Her fingers hanging by her side curled silently. Her chapped and pale lips parted slightly. "As a Taoist, why don't you kill me?"
Yu Nian calmly looked into her eyes. "Why should I kill you? If someone bullied me like this, I'd also take revenge."
Song Zhixiu could hardly believe that such a decisive statement came from the mouth of a legitimate Taoist.
Before she could react, Yu Nian's gaze shifted to the half - closed door outside the restroom. "Since you can't let her go, why don't you come out?"
There was a crisp sound. A circular object rolled out from behind the door crack. After rolling a few times, it stopped in front of Song Zhixiu.
It was a plain ring stained with blood.
Ming Mingzhong's eyes suddenly widened. "Isn't this Liu Xiuer's ring? Why is it here?"
Yu Nian didn't answer his question. Instead, she turned to Feng Chengyuan. "In your impression, what kind of person is Liu Xiuer?"
Feng Chengyuan didn't seem surprised. He replied, "She's gentle, amiable, and unflappable. However, if a person is too calm and gentle, it can be a bit scary. For example, even though Teacher Liu Xiuer's beloved fiancé had just passed away, she could still teach us without changing her expression."
Yu Nian picked up the ring and looked at the character "Xiu" engraved on the inside.
Since she first met Liu Xiuer, she had been wearing this ring on her ring finger. Everyone knew that Liu Xiuer was engaged to Teacher Qi and they had a deep affection for each other. So naturally, they thought this ring was the engagement ring that Teacher Qi gave her.
But if you thought about it carefully, you'd find something strange. The school rules of Yingde were so strict. The scandal between Teacher Qi and Song Zhixiu should have had a great impact. But why was it only Song Zhixiu who was affected in the end? Why had Song Zhixiu's boyfriend never shown up, and why had their photo been burned? And why did Teacher Qi die in the same way as Song Zhixiu...
Yu Nian raised her eyes and said calmly, "If I'm not wrong, the real owner of this ring should be Song Zhixiu. It was the token of love that Teacher Qi gave to Song Zhixiu. On that day, Song and Qi took that photo and officially became a couple."