Chapter Seventeen I Descend into Hell

  Yunhai Fan took the bottle, a transparent crystal bottle similar to an ordinary wishing bottle in the mortal world, except without the tightly wrapped pink ribbon and the speechless fragrance: "Can you confirm that the curse was cast by Wen Zhan?"

  "Alright," Ge Hui said definitely, "I've already tracked his aura. It's a very strong scent of ice system magic."

  To show her solemnity, she added with emphasis: "Remember to hurry up, the curse you've been cast will be fully activated in a week, and by then you'll..."

  "Then you'll become the first puppeteer in history to become a puppet yourself." Yun Hai Fan smiled as he took over Ge Hui's words, "However, don't worry, I won't."

  Her faint smile was free from any worry, as if everything she had just said happened to a person she didn't know at all. It filtered out the worries in Ge Hui and others' eyes, leaving only determination.

  "Xiao Fan..." Fear flooded into Ke's eyes, "I..."

  Yun Hai Fan merely asked in a soft voice, "Was it you who called Zhi Yin over?"

  "Yes." She didn't know what she meant by asking this question, but Yu Ke still hesitated and responded.

  "Xiao Ke, I think although we don't need to say these things between us, but I feel that some words still need to be said." Her smile dispelled the uneasy atmosphere, "Thank you."

  "This... isn't necessary..." She suddenly thanked him, leaving Kei at a loss for words for a moment. "I... is there anything I can do to help you?"

  "Hmm..." Yun Hai Fan tilted his head, "I want to know about Wen Zhan's schedule."

  The first person that came to Xiang Ke's mind was Yin Xu, as the number one mischievous student in the puppetry class who never sang in tune and only broke rules but had never been punished. He naturally knew all the teachers' personalities inside out. So when Xiang Ke asked about Wen Zhan, Yin Xu's beady eyes rolled around twice before he got a piece of excellent information —

  The exhibition will be left alone in the office every Wednesday evening.

  It is said that this was Yin Xu's exclusive discovery as a boarder. The school had very few boarders, and Yin Xu felt comfortable occupying a dormitory alone, but at the same time he also felt a sense of emptiness and loneliness. Therefore, he usually relied on reading to pass the time. As a result, one day he forgot to bring his book back to the dormitory, fortunately, he discovered it not too late, and rushed back just in time for the curfew.

  It wasn't until he was about to arrive at the classroom after circling around the office building that he caught a glimpse of an office on the first floor with its lights still on, which should be Wen Zhan's. Under the cover of the trees and bushes, he crouched by the windowsill and peeked inside.

  Yin Xu spoke in a style reminiscent of a certain sharp-tongued writer from the mortal realm: "I crouched down, listening to the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the trees, and I knew I was doing something dangerous. I thought to myself: I've actually become so bold, but being cautious is still necessary - didn't Wen Zhan not discover me yet? I hope he won't suddenly lift his head like I did..."

  "That's enough." Xiang Ke interrupted Yin Xu's rare literary tone, "Get to the point."

  "He was flipping through a very thick book, with a candle by his side." Yin Xu answered He Ke's question neatly and then smiled ambiguously, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

  Yun Hai's sail stood quietly behind him, waiting for him to finish laughing before speaking: "Is it very funny?"

  "When... of course it's not funny." Yin Xu bit her tongue to stop laughing, "Fan sister, are you really going?"

  "The Buddha said: If I don't go to hell, who will? Yun Haiyan's expression was stern and just as he spoke the words that made people gasp in shock. 'However, if you want to sacrifice your life for me, then thank you in advance.'"

  "This..." Yin Xu hesitated slightly, unable to tell whether Yun Haifan was speaking the truth or joking. Yun Haifan found his small green bean-like eyes rolling around in confusion quite amusing and chuckled as he walked away.

  However, although she was smiling as she left, Yin Xu saw an indescribable bleakness in her silhouette. Even when she had been expelled from the classroom before, her silhouette had always been carefree. Perhaps it was because it involved life and death that no one dared to be careless anymore.

  "Hey, shall we go pick her up that day?" Xiang Ke nudged Yin Xu, who was staring blankly at Yun Hai Fan's back.

  "Ah, oh, let's not do it." Before Ke could misunderstand that Yin was afraid of death, he hastily explained, "Although I haven't known Fan sister for as long as you have, I know that once she makes up her mind, no one can change it. Since we don't have the confidence to save her, let's not stir up trouble and possibly distract her from taking care of us."

  He saw a rainy dusk half a year ago, when he lost his job to make a living and couldn't pay the rent, was driven out by the landlord, and could only huddle under someone's eaves to barely avoid the rain. The rain in the wind hit him at an angle, wetting his clothes, which stuck to his body, making him feel chilled to the bone. He shivered with cold, suddenly noticing that the rain had weakened a lot.

  The girl who had just finished her part-time job and returned home stood in front of him with an umbrella, blocking some of the dense rain for him.

  He lifted his head to look at the unfamiliar girl, and saw that she took out a necklace. He only remembered that the purple crystal on the necklace shone with a faint light, beautiful beyond compare.

  "What color is it?" the girl asked.

  "Purple... purple color." He replied with a slight tremble.

  "You can go to the Quin School for appraisal, and you'll be admitted as soon as you pass. There's no charge at all. You can even move into the school dormitory tonight." The girl glanced at her wristwatch, "It's not closing time yet, so it's still possible to make it there now."

  He thanked him and was about to leave when the girl called out: "Here's your umbrella, I'm already home, you still need it."

  After finishing speaking, the girl handed him an umbrella and opened the lock to enter the door.

  He was at a loss for words for a moment.

  Everything was just as the girl had said, and he found a place to settle down smoothly. It wasn't until later that he learned the magic school was supported by the entire country and never treated students harshly; it wasn't until later that he learned the necklace was actually an identifier, only people born with spiritual power could see purple; it wasn't until later that he learned the girl was in his class; most importantly, it wasn't until later that he knew the girl's name was Yun Haifan.

  "Hey, you seem to be in a daze today." Xiang Ke called out to Yin Xu, "Are we just going to do nothing and watch her go..." Xiang Ke couldn't bear to say the words "go to her death".

  "We may not be able to do it, but I know there is someone who definitely can!" Yin Xu's usual joking tone was gone, replaced by a rare serious expression.

  "Will he help us?" Xiang Ke was clearly skeptical.

  "It will." Yin Xu felt that one sentence was not convincing enough, so he added another sentence, "It definitely will."

  "Why?"

  Because of that... Yin Xu ultimately didn't say those hypocritical words "good people live a peaceful life", but instead fell silent and sank back into his memories once again.

  "What's gotten into him." Xiang Ke muttered under his breath, but Yin Xu's words also ignited a spark of confidence in him.