Chapter 4: Secretary Chen's Daughter

  My mother's education was relatively traditional and conservative, I was young at that time, my heart was very pure, I regarded love and marriage as sacred, wanting to reserve my first time for my future lover, so in a normal school like this girls' country, I didn't even touch a petal. At this time, being forced by the monster king, I was anxious and angry, feeling ashamed and humiliated, and suddenly broke through the dream state with an unknown divine power, sat up straight and pushed hard.

  "Ah……” The woman was caught off guard, shouting as she fell under the bed. Immediately afterwards, the window creaked open with a "bang", and a black shadow darted out of the window. Due to the speed being too fast and the light being dim, I couldn't make out what it was.

  I'm panting like a cow, my body is trembling slightly beyond my control, this is the result of fear and anger. Although it was the beautiful woman's body that seduced me, after all, it's a monster, no matter how beautiful the body is, it's just conjured up, stripping off that skin might be extremely disgusting. I have a feeling of being humiliated, being raped... Fortunately, it didn't happen, otherwise, I would regret it for the rest of my life.

  I really can't figure out why that monster would take a liking to me. If it just wanted to absorb my yang energy, there are plenty of stronger people in this village than me, so there's no reason for it to fixate on me the moment I arrived. Although I do look quite good, with a bit of handsomeness and refinement, I'm not at the level where everyone who sees me falls in love, or flowers bloom, or cars explode their tires - let alone move heaven and earth, and make ghosts and gods weep, to the point where even monsters fall deeply in love at first sight.

  I wanted to go knock on Old Chen's door immediately, but hesitated for a moment and dispelled the idea. After all, being "teased" by a monster wasn't very glorious, and I didn't want it to become public knowledge. Besides, calling Old Chen wouldn't be of much use anyway, so I might as well wait until tomorrow when he would invite an expert to come and subdue it.

  I got out of bed and turned on the light, closing the window tightly, not daring to sleep again. There was still a faint scent of fragrance in the room, which was the aura of that monster. From this, it can be seen that everything before was not an illusion. Normally, beasts have a strong stench, but this monster could refine its stench into a fragrant scent and transform into a human, showing that its cultivation is not shallow, possibly having cultivated for over a thousand years. Such a thousand-year-old monster, if it wants to take my life, would be as easy as turning its hand over, and the current method is still considered "gentle", but if I refuse it again, I'm afraid...

  I was chilled to the bone again, feeling anxious and worried, yet also fearful, and very frustrated. For two consecutive nights, I had been deeply tempted and strongly stimulated, without any release. Which normal man wouldn't have a belly full of evil fire? If I were to be seduced once more, I'm afraid even if I knew it was an old sow turned into a demon, I would still be unable to resist following its lead.

  It wasn't until the sky was barely light that I finally fell asleep with a sense of relief, and by the time I woke up it was already past 10 o'clock in the morning.

  Lao Chen went to the village office to handle things, I rushed to the village office, and there were many people crowded in the office. It turned out that two families were fighting over irrigation water sources, and the village cadres were mediating.

  It wasn't until half an hour later that things were finally settled. I walked up to Old Chen and asked: "Has the matter you mentioned yesterday been taken care of?"

  Lao Chen was a bit nervous, glanced at me repeatedly, then pulled me into an empty office next door and said somewhat irritably: "You can't come here to talk about this kind of thing, you have to be mindful of the impact! I'm a party member, an atheist, if the higher-ups find out... Alas, you should also consider my situation, this matter needs some time, needs a good opportunity, you first calm down and stay at my place for a few days."

  I only just realized that he hadn't asked for help from anyone, and wasn't even planning to ask again, he was just putting on a show for me. I got angry and shouted loudly: "Did you hear the woman's scream last night? Did you hear the sound of the window being smashed open? Fine, I'll leave, rather than staying here hiding, I'd rather go to a coastal city to work. But it has already come to your house, I can leave, but can you and your family?"

  Lao Chen's face changed greatly, he indeed heard some noises last night, but didn't take it to heart at the time, and only now did he understand the severity of the situation. If that evil thing can enter his home, then it's also possible for it to be unfavorable to him and his family. My words are not a threat, but rather a warning bell for him.

  "What exactly happened?" Old Chen asked in a low voice.

  "Last night a woman was pressing against me, touching me all over..." I didn't dare to say too much in detail, just roughly said it once, but as a man, Old Chen could understand the implication.

  Lao Chen gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind: "I'll go ask the monks at Huayan Temple right away, but this matter can't be publicized, try not to cause any impact, you know?"

  I nodded, five or six years ago there was a local "movement", many temples were demolished, statues were smashed, and no one dared to rebuild the golden body until now. Although the freedom of faith has been restored, it is still quite sensitive. As a party member and cadre, Old Chen naturally avoids talking about it.

  Lao Chen didn't go himself, but instead sent his messenger Xiao Liu to fetch them. In the afternoon, he brought back six monks who chanted scriptures in the classroom to help the deceased attain a better afterlife. These six monks were all very old, dressed in tattered robes, with yellowish complexions and thin faces, but their expressions were solemn and dignified, with an air of majesty that was unmistakable. They were clearly genuine monks who observed the precepts, unlike those fake monks in the city who wore sunglasses, rode motorcycles, and played with their mobile phones.

  There are two reasons for holding the ritual in school. First, it's inconvenient to hold it at Old Chen's house. Second, the source of evil is near the school.

  The curious villagers were blocked far away and not allowed to approach, I only took a few glances outside the classroom without entering. On the blackboard hung a yellow cloth embroidered with Buddha images and lotus flowers, on the podium were placed three small Buddha statues, incense candles were lit, and offerings of fruit, dried bamboo shoots, and mushrooms were arranged, all desks and chairs were moved to the back, and the monks sat in the students' chairs beating wooden fish and reciting scriptures.

  I couldn't understand what they were chanting, it was like a song, the sound was peaceful and prolonged, compassionate and mysterious. The area around the school seemed brighter, and that faintly eerie atmosphere also dissipated a lot.

  Lao Chen required the monks to chant in the classroom at night and bring back a stack of yellow paper, 10 cm long and 3 cm wide, which was very respectfully pasted on the gate of his house. I was a bit strange and couldn't help asking: "What is this thing?"

  "Paper money!" Old Chen said without turning back, continuing to paste the yellow paper.

  Although I'm not very familiar with these things, I also have some basic common sense and said: "Talismans are used by Taoist priests, do monks also draw talismans?"

  Lao Chen scolded, "You kids don't understand things, stop talking nonsense."

  "But there are no runes drawn on it?"

  "This... I also asked a high-ranking monk about this, and he said that this is a characterless (script), the truly divine talisman script is indeed characterless."

  I didn't say anything else, but secretly shook my head repeatedly. "Divine transmission" should also be unique to Taoism, how can monks say "divine transmission"? Buddhism and Taoism have been passed down in China for thousands of years, and there is mutual integration and learning from each other's strengths and weaknesses, but the monks drawing talismans are too far-fetched. These monks may be real, but they are absolutely not orthodox, maybe some are unreliable. (Later I found out that actually, esoteric Buddhist monks also draw talismans, especially the Tianyan sect of Hanmi Buddhism which emphasizes true words and symbolic texts.)

  At this time, a person rushed in with a gust of wind and shouted: "Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

  I followed the sound and found it was a 17 or 18-year-old girl, with short hair that reached her ears, clear and beautiful eyebrows and eyes, wearing a printed T-shirt and blue jeans, carrying a small brown leather bag on her back. Although her skin was slightly darker, it was the healthy color of someone who had spent a lot of time in the sun, she wasn't very tall but well-proportioned, full of youthful energy, especially her big eyes with clear black and white pupils that shone brightly.

  Lao Chen responded with a single word: "I'm back."

  "Big sister, what delicious food have you brought for me?"

  The girl didn't respond to her brother, but instead looked me up and down with curiosity. Although my appearance is far from that of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars, I still have a decent face that can satisfy the audience, and after reading books for a few years, I also have some bookish flavor, which can still make people's eyes light up in this poor and remote place.

  "What kind of person is this?" The girl asked in dialect.

  Lao Chen had already posted a note on the wall, and smiled: "This is our new teacher Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang, this is my eldest daughter Chen Xing, who just came back from playing at her classmate's home."

  I didn't know he had such a big daughter, and upon hearing this, she smiled and nodded: "Hello."

  "Hello, Teacher Zhang!" Chen Xing tried to look serious and said, then ran up the stairs. Halfway through, he turned back with a smile and said, "Teacher Zhang, you don't seem that old, and you're still quite handsome."

  I was shocked. Is this considered praise from a student to a teacher? Old Chen pretended to be angry, saying: "This girl, so young and ignorant, has no manners at all!"

  Chen Xing let out a string of silvery laughter and ran upstairs to play with her brother. Huā Shěn was cooking in the kitchen, calling out: "Xīng xīng, come quickly and help me! Where have you run off to? You're so big now and still don't know how to help me do things!"

  "Here comes, here comes..." Chen Xing quickly went downstairs again, stuck out his tongue at me, and ran into the kitchen to help with the cooking.

  Before long, the dishes were ready, and Old Chen naturally invited me to stay for dinner. There was fish and meat, plus two bowls of green vegetables and a bowl of soup, which made for a sumptuous meal. Chen Xing was a lively and outgoing girl who chattered nonstop as she ate, talking about how great some Hong Kong movie was, or how wonderful her classmate's designer clothes were.

  I didn't really talk to her, although she was only two or three years younger than me, but she came from a better family background and lived a carefree and happy life, while I lost my father at a young age and grew up in poverty, we were like people from two different eras.

  Lao Chen and his family of six were still quite enthusiastic towards me. People in poor mountainous areas are mostly simple and respectful to teachers. Moreover, as a village cadre, Lao Chen often had guests eating at home, so the whole family was used to it and seemed very natural. Except for Lao Chen, no one else knew that I had encountered something strange last night.

  After dinner, when I strolled to the school and looked at the monks, I had a strong sense of unease, as if something in the darkness was peeping at me, making me feel uneasy. Moreover, the fact that the monk drew talismans made me feel a bit unreliable, so in the end, I still decided to spend the night at Old Chen's house.

  Lao Chen was very confident about the monk and the "wordless talisman", repeatedly assuring me that there would be no problem tonight, so I could sleep at ease. For the past two days, I hadn't slept well, so before 9 o'clock, I went to sleep in the room next to Lao Chen's bedroom. Chen Xing might have been living on the third floor, but I didn't pay attention. When I went to bed, Chen Xing and Chen Jiqiang were still watching TV in the first-floor hall.

  In my dream, I suddenly felt myself being pressed down again. My brain was still clear, but my whole body couldn't move, and I couldn't open my eyes or mouth, just like the situation two nights ago. After a moment, I found some differences, tonight there wasn't that orchid-like fragrance, but a very light girl's body scent, as if I had smelled it somewhere before. The person in my arms moved differently than the previous two times, tightly wrapping around me like an octopus, twisting their body back and forth, kissing my face and neck repeatedly, breathing quickly, with hot gasps.

  I feel something is off, this time it should be a real person, but who exactly? At that time I wasn't in a completely clear state of mind, only my sense of taste, smell and touch were more sensitive, my thinking ability was in a semi-paralyzed state, so no matter how hard I thought, I couldn't figure out who the woman on me was.