Chapter 28: Could You Cooperate and Be a Good Student?

Li Xuan sat in a chair, watching the conversation between Fang Xiaoyi and the principal. He mused that it was no wonder the current principal only appeared for a little over a minute in the movie; the old woman was clearly terrified. She stayed away from the school, leaving Fang Xiaoyi to handle every matter, large or small, regarding the students.

The staff members sitting nearby wore varied expressions, suggesting they knew at least a little something about the horrific legends of Nalanmude High School.

Li Xuan picked up the faculty contract on the table, feeling a slight sense of surprise. Good heavens, as a temporary teacher, he was starting off with a salary of over twelve thousand. It was specifically noted that he was an inexperienced newcomer, which was why he was being offered this level of pay; should he pass future evaluations and demonstrate teaching results, his salary would increase. It seemed the experienced teachers earned even more.

Besides, the horrific curse primarily targeted the students. As for the teachers, they went home conscientiously after their classes each day—what did the curse have to do with them?

After the meeting, Fang Xiaoyi caught up with Li Xuan and stopped him. She said, "The school hasn't had any male teachers before. Since you've arrived, Teacher Li, how about I assign you to the class with those four boys? Please rest assured, as long as you pass the probationary period and your teaching ability is recognized, I will personally apply to the Education Bureau to raise your pay to that of a mature teacher!"

Currently, teachers' salaries were issued by the Education Bureau, though the school provided additional subsidies and rewards for outstanding teachers. Nalanmude High School did not have Li Xuan begin teaching immediately; instead, they had him adapt to the environment and introduced him to their various teaching philosophies.

Two days later. The teaching building.

Li Xuan, dressed in a casual suit and carrying a briefcase, pushed open the door to the classroom, which held only four students. The Dean of Students, Fang Xiaoyi, followed behind him. Seeing the four boys in the classroom looking on, dumbstruck, she said, "From now on, Teacher Li Xuan will be your homeroom teacher, as well as your mathematics teacher! Any matter from here on out must be reported to Teacher Li before you can proceed..."

The four boys were Gao Hanqiang, Li Guozhong, Liu Zhuobin, and Di Zhiheng.

Upon hearing this, they began to complain. Di Zhiheng said unhappily, "That’s so troublesome. Do I have to report to the teacher before I can take a leak? If I can’t find Teacher Li and I accidentally wet my pants, who’s going to account for that?" His words were laced with mockery.

Fang Xiaoyi frowned deeply but did not lash out. She replied, "I am referring to class time. As for break times, you only need to follow the school rules! Remember, you must follow the school rules!"

Di Zhiheng laughed. "Yes, yes, we will definitely follow them!"

After giving a few more instructions, Fang Xiaoyi left the classroom.

Li Xuan had not acted rashly over the past two days. Instead, he had wandered the campus as an ordinary teacher, using the sensitivity of his Heavenly Canopy Ruler to discover that there were truly many ghosts in this school... on the rooftop, in the women's restrooms, on the playground, and even inside the dormitories. And they were all exclusively female ghost students wearing school uniforms.

The place where they appeared most frequently was in the vicinity of the four boys, where they would try to signal them to leave in various ways. Unfortunately, the boys had never practiced cultivation, making it difficult for them to hear the ghosts speak during the daytime. Every time these female ghost students tried to warn them, they would suddenly be snatched away by a pair of hands, as if something were preventing them from letting these four boys escape.

Li Xuan had seen these hands several times. They must have belonged to the former Dean of Students, Ruan Shiyin.

Hmph! The purpose of school rules was to safeguard the students' growth and prevent them from going astray. Now, however, the intention had been violated, turning the rules into a means for an evil spirit to vent her anger and kill. In the Dark Law, once a ghost kills, they are beyond redemption! Although Li Xuan had not yet reached the rank required to enforce the Dark Law, he still wanted to say that Ruan Shiyin was a dead woman walking.

He remained undercover as an ordinary teacher to test whether Ruan Shiyin was a rule-based entity or a traditional ghost. In classic Hong Kong horror films, some ghosts were incredibly invincible, like the possessing spirit in *The First Rule*, which feared nothing and could only be killed while it was possessing someone. Meanwhile, the zombies and ghosts in *Mr. Vampire* belonged to the traditional category; if one’s magic power was high enough and the ritual implements were strong enough, they could be killed.

Li Xuan was cautious because the movie *The Haunted School* suggested that the only way to destroy the devil was to burn the place where she died... This method had been left behind by a former student of Nalanmude, and somehow it became the protagonists' only hope. But the final minute of the movie revealed to the audience that burning the school office was not an effective solution, as Ruan Shiyin seemed to have possessed the discipline prefect, beginning a new cycle of slaughter.

What a nuisance. His magic power was only a pittance, not even enough to fill a cup. He really looked forward to being like the characters in the *Uncle Nine* films—holding a peach-wood sword, throwing out a sky full of talismans, spinning and leaping in an endless dance with evil spirits until he subdued them. He hoped the next world wouldn't be so gloomy; he wanted a normal world for once.

Thoughts aside, there was still a mission to complete. Li Xuan opened the school-issued lesson plan and said, "Students, let us begin our new semester's curriculum. First..."

Before he could finish, Di Zhiheng stood up and said, slouching, "Hey, Teacher, by the looks of you, you're only a few years older than us, probably just graduated from college. Don't be so rigid. Why not be friends with us and talk about life? What's the point of learning this and that every day?"

Liu Zhuobin, who was sitting to the side with long hair, laughed and said, "That's right. If we learn all this stuff now, will we even be able to use it later? We'll just end up working like dogs for someone else anyway."

Li Xuan narrowed his eyes. It seemed he needed to turn up the intensity. He pulled the school rules from his briefcase and flipped through them, then took out a copy of the faculty handbook to read, before letting his gaze fall upon Liu Zhuobin's long hair.

"School rules are extremely important. You must follow them, especially the seven that Teacher Fang mentioned in the auditorium!"

Liu Zhuobin chuckled. "That's inhumane. Does she want to be a dictator? Does she want to be a tyrannical nun?"

Li Xuan smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up. "You're Liu Zhuobin, right? I'll supervise you as you go to a barbershop to cut that long hair of yours. The three of you are coming too; I'll explain to you why you need to follow the school rules."

They were rebellious teenagers, after all. But their crimes did not warrant death...

When Liu Zhuobin heard he had to cut his long hair, he became agitated. "You're just a homeroom teacher! What right do you have to cut my hair? Even the Dean of Students doesn't have that requirement!"

*Bang!* Li Xuan vaulted over the teacher's desk in one fluid motion. His right hand darted into his pocket, a flash of cold light appeared, and a dagger was driven firmly into Liu Zhuobin's desk with a loud *thud*!

The four boys fell silent immediately. There was a faint sound of them gulping.

Li Xuan gripped the handle of the dagger with his left hand while gently stroking Liu Zhuobin's long hair with his right, smiling like a benevolent father. "Can Student Zhuobin listen to the teacher just once? After class, you all will come and listen to my teachings, won't you?"

His gentle tone was laced with a hint of chill. It was more than these high school boys could handle. They all lowered their heads, not daring to make eye contact, and whispered, "Okay."

"The voice is soft, have you eaten yet?"

He pulled out the dagger, and the briefcase hanging from his elbow tilted. *Clatter, clatter*—seven or eight gleaming, sharp daggers spilled out, hitting the floor with a cacophony of metallic clangs...

The four boys' hearts hammered against their ribs. They stood up at once, using every ounce of their strength, and practically roared, "Teacher, we are the most obedient students!"