Early the next morning, the faint morning light dispelled the chill of the night dew. Zhong Shengwan tidied his clothes and headed to his father's study to report the matter of Yuan Yuan.
Zhong Kangping was sitting upright on the top seat, still looking serious and imposing, showing no sign of a smile.
It was not until he heard that Zhong Shengwan had properly sent the ghost child who had been haunting them for years to reincarnation that his tense face relaxed a bit. He then earnestly said a lot to Zhong Shengwan.
However, the content was nothing new. It was still about the clan's responsibilities and the glory of the family name, which Zhong Shengwan was already familiar with. Zhong Kangping's heavy expectations were evident in his words.
Zhong Shengwan just stood there with his head down, listening calmly. Those words seemed to come from behind a curtain of water, clear but no longer able to stir many waves in his heart.
After about half an hour, he finally left the study filled with the fragrance of ink and an air of oppression. As soon as he looked up, he saw Shen Cuiyu, Pei Yu, and Dongfang Xiao waiting under the corridor. Their eyes were filled with undisguised worry as they looked at him.
Zhong Shengwan paused slightly, then walked towards them. Finally, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"What are you standing there stupidly for? Let's go. Back to the academy."
"Your father..." Dongfang Xiao chose his words carefully and asked cautiously, "Didn't give you any more trouble, did he?"
"It's okay. I'm used to it." Zhong Shengwan looked calm, and his tone was as calm as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him. "I've been enjoying the luxurious life in the Zhong Mansion since I was born. Now it's only natural for me to do my part for the family and bring glory to the family name. It's a matter of mutual benefit, and there's no need to talk about trouble or fairness." He paused for a moment, looking at the golden trees in the distance in the courtyard. His voice became a bit lower. "Moreover, Father has already made a concession in this matter. I originally thought he would forcibly disperse Yuan Yuan without any explanation. The fact that he allowed me to handle this matter myself... I should be content."
He turned his head back, his eyes sweeping across his three companions. The faint smile on his face suddenly became more sincere and warm. The dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell into Zhong Shengwan's eyes, making them look clear and bright.
Zhong Shengwan subconsciously pressed the yellowed painting in his pocket while looking at the three people in front of him who had shared the mental prison with him and never left his side.
"Moreover, I don't feel lonely anymore." He said softly, his tone filled with a sense of relief and determination that he had never felt before. "Because I have friends who can walk side by side with me and share weal and woe."
..........
After this matter was settled, the four of them immediately set off and returned to the Vientiane Academy.
Rumors about Zhong Shengwan's inexplicable absence for several days had already spread in the academy. Now that they saw him return, many disciples couldn't help but cast curious glances at him.
Zhong Shengwan looked no different from his usual arrogant and calm self, except that there was a sachet protected by spiritual power hanging from his waist. He seemed to treasure it very much. Occasionally, he would also stare blankly at the sachet.
Everyone speculated that there must be a priceless treasure in the sachet...
Inside the Wenshi Hall of the Vientiane Academy.
Zhong Shengwan apologized to Mr. Yan, who was sitting in a mechanical wheelchair, for his absence due to personal matters without asking for leave.
Mr. Yan waved his hand. Although his expression was serious, he didn't really care about these formalities. He just said in a deep voice, "It's good that you're back safely." Then his tone changed, and his face became a bit more solemn. "However, during the days when you were away, all the B-, C-, and D-class missions have been taken. Now in the hall, only the A-class mission files are left."
His eyes swept across the four people in front of him, and his tone became more emphatic. "A-class missions are no small matter. They are not only extremely difficult but also much more dangerous than ordinary missions. If you're not fully confident, you can wait for another half a month until the hall receives and releases new low-level missions. However, if you do so, your group's training progress will fall behind by one session, and you'll have to make it up later."
Hearing this, the surrounding disciples who came to handle mission handovers or just to watch the excitement couldn't help but start whispering. Their eyes were all focused on this "well-known" four-person group, full of the intention of watching a good show.
The configuration of this group was so poor. If they really chose an A-class mission, there would be a lot of fun to watch!
"Hey, guess what they'll choose?"
"What's there to guess? If it were you, what would you choose? Of course, the one with lower difficulty!"
"Exactly. If it were me, I'd rather do ten D-class missions than take this risk! If you fail, you'll lose your points and your face. It's really a double loss!"
In the crowd, Liu Ruyan, who had just successfully completed a D-class mission and was feeling proud, heard this and a faint sneer appeared on her lips. She folded her arms and calmly watched, waiting to see how Shen Cuiyu would choose.
Shen Cuiyu exchanged a look with the other three. Almost without any hesitation, he said clearly and firmly:
"Mr. Yan, we're willing to take the A-class mission."
As soon as these words were said, there was a collective gasp from the surrounding people!
"Crazy! They're really crazy!"
"Daring to take an A-class mission for their first one? They're really overestimating themselves!"
".......... "
Mr. Yan's deep eyes swept across the four people's faces one by one. Seeing that they were serious and showed no sign of backing down, he finally nodded almost imperceptibly, with a faint look of admiration flashing in his eyes. "Since that's the case, I'll grant your request."
He turned his wheelchair and moved in front of the precise and imposing wall in the hall, which was full of countless secret compartments and mechanisms.
He just pressed his fingers on a few specific positions. The mechanisms turned, making a clear "click" sound.
Immediately afterwards, a scroll emitting a faint golden light slid out from a secret compartment and landed in Mr. Yan's hand. He handed it to Shen Cuiyu.
Shen Cuiyu took it with both hands and slowly unfurled the scroll. The surrounding area immediately fell silent. Everyone held their breath, wanting to hear just how dangerous this A-class mission was.
Inside the scroll, the outline of the case was written in cinnabar. Shen Cuiyu slowly read it out:
Applicant: Li Jinghuai, a woman from Linyu City.
Case: Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, she has been haunted by the same nightmare every night. In the dream, her late friend Song Yanling looked miserable and claimed that an evil spirit had targeted Li Jinghuai and that her life was in danger. She instructed Li Jinghuai to cut off a lock of her own hair, write down her birth date on red paper, and burn the hair wrapped in the paper on the Mid-Autumn night. She said that only in this way could Song Yanling cross the boundary between the living and the dead to protect her. At first, Li Jinghuai was terrified and told her husband Wen Zimo. Wen Zimo invited a master to exorcise the evil spirit, but that night Li Jinghuai dreamt of Song Yanling again. This time, Song Yanling's appearance became angry and ferocious, and she questioned Li Jinghuai for not following her instructions. Since then, Li Jinghuai has been having nightmares every night, either being ghost-pressed or seeing ghostly shadows in the house. Her health has also been deteriorating day by day.
Note: Several previous celestial masters who took over the case all treated it as an ordinary case of being haunted by evil spirits, but all exorcism methods were ineffective, and the situation continued to deteriorate. Therefore, it is classified as an A-class case.