MRSG Chapter 10

Zhou Mu held You Qi’s chin, pinched it with his fingers, and smiled happily.

You Qi could sense that his actions had deviated slightly from what he originally intended, but he didn’t seem to mind. In that brief moment, he simply wanted to see Zhou Mu’s reaction.

Clap clap clap clap clap!!

Suddenly, a round of applause erupted in his ears.

Seeing that after taming Senior Little Howl, even the terrifying Senior You Qi had obediently complied, all the elementary school students collectively applauded—completely sincere and enthusiastic.

You Qi, who had been indifferent just moments ago, now felt a little awkward…

He nonchalantly pressed Zhou Mu’s hand down.

The young ones were pure-hearted. When they were scared, their fear was genuine; when they cheered, their excitement was just as real. This might have been the most popular You Qi had ever been at Hualing Academy.

So impressive!

Not only were they clapping, but a few bolder students even started approaching, clearly wanting to reach out and touch him.

Xu Tianyi’s face changed.

Fortunately, Zhou Mu intervened just in time, pushing Little Howl forward. “Hey, you guys can pet this one instead!”

And in the blink of an eye, Senior Little Howl was completely swarmed.

Little Howl: “…Woof!”

It didn’t seem like Zhou Mu was looking out for the kids. Rather, he had a clear distinction between what was private and what was public property. After speaking, he turned his head—only to find You Qi squinting at him.

What did he mean by *‘pet this one’—*was he referring to him? Did Zhou Mu really think he was in the same category as Little Howl?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Zhou Mu teased. “Oh? Don’t tell me you actually want to shake hands with them?”

You Qi knew Zhou Mu was probably saying this on purpose, but surrounded by the noisy children, he found himself in a surprisingly good mood despite the teasing.

He scoffed and pressed a hand on Zhou Mu’s head, ruffling his hair into a complete mess.

Xu Tianyi: …gradually becoming suspicious.

He had seen discussions on the school forum—how You Qi hadn’t been punished and had instead grown even closer to Zhou Mu. Some speculated that You Qi was raising Zhou Mu as future prey.

But now, he really didn’t understand anymore. No way… am I the only one in this entire school who thinks something isn’t right? Just what kind of eating are we talking about here?!

“Alright, everyone, please return Senior Little Howl to his original spot. We’re about to begin the next part of our training.” Xu Tianyi spoke numbly. He had no choice but to accept things as they were—after all, he didn’t have the guts to ask You Qi directly, Are you actually keeping Zhou Mu as livestock?

Senior Little Howl, who had never suffered such humiliation in his life, was finally released. He snorted aggressively from his nose. “Hmph!!”

Once the group was reorganized, Xu Tianyi led them to finish unlocking the rest of the campus map that they hadn’t covered last time.

Truth be told, Hualing Academy was huge. Built against the mountains, its terrain was complex and varied. Since teleportation wasn’t allowed, even the young students had to walk everywhere, making it quite the test of endurance.

And among all the panting, exhausted elementary schoolers, Zhou Mu—already standing out like a crane among chickens—was sitting comfortably in You Qi’s arms.

Other students kept glancing at him every few steps. What had begun as admiration for their senior had now turned into sheer resentment.

Zhou Mu grinned smugly. “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m injured!”

Xu Tianyi thought to himself, Damn, this kid adapted fast.

At the start: Training with elementary schoolers is so awkward…

Now: I reign supreme above all!

Meanwhile, Tian Qi had no trouble navigating the uneven terrain. Even though they were all elementary schoolers, differences in race meant differences in physical ability. Plus, he had already worked his way up from small group leader to assisting Xu Tianyi directly—helping with the microphone cord and maintaining order.

Originally leading at the front, Tian Qi suddenly halted on a step, turning back uneasily. “Senior… this place…”

It wasn’t just him; the other freshmen were starting to sense it too. There was something unsettling about this area.

Xu Tianyi floated ahead. “No need to be afraid. You all have student records, so you’re perfectly safe. This place is called Jinyuan—‘Jin’ sounds like ‘Jin’ in ‘forbidden,’ because in the early days of the school, it was originally called Jinyuan (Forbidden Courtyard).

I’ve already introduced you to many of the school’s barriers before. Hualing Academy is the first comprehensive school across the three realms, so to maintain order, various restrictions have been put in place.

And because of these advanced barriers, when demons first started appearing in the human realm, Hualing was used to contain them. But rest assured, for the sake of student safety, the administration chose the most secure location possible. Remember how the principal mentioned during the opening ceremony that the Founder left behind something special?”

Xu Tianyi reached out, and the air in front of him distorted slightly—revealing the presence of an invisible barrier concealing what lay beyond.

“This is the place. What the Founder left behind is here. So even if you feel traces of lingering demonic energy, there’s no need to be scared. This is actually the safest place in the entire school—safer than the classrooms, even.”

After all, in the classrooms, you could still get bitten by an upperclassman or bullied by your peers. Not to mention, some students even deliberately came here during exam season because it was quiet and safe for studying.

With that explanation, everyone felt reassured.

“Alright, we have two options: we can either pass through Jinyuan, or take a detour. Which one do you want to choose?” Xu Tianyi asked.

Zhou Mu, seemingly not a fan of the lingering demonic energy, slumped against You Qi’s shoulder. “Senior, if we’re going, let’s go quickly…”

“Heh, alright then! We’ll head through Jinyuan!” Xu Tianyi led the way, stepping through the barrier and vanishing. Seeing this, the others followed suit.

Beyond the barrier, Jinyuan was fully revealed.

Numerous stone pillars stood tall, engraved with ancient runes. At the center was a sunken courtyard with a magic circle about two meters in diameter. In its very core lay a glazed platform, upon which rested a single, pristine hand.

Yes, a hand. A fresh, human right hand, cleanly severed at the wrist and adorned with a ring of golden jade.

Tian Qi was the first to notice it, crying out in alarm: “Senior, there’s a human hand over there!”

The hand, which had been resting peacefully, suddenly twitched—then stood upright and waved at them. Tian Qi stumbled back two steps in shock.

“Don’t panic,” Xu Tianyi said calmly. “I already told you—the Founder left something behind——It’s this hand.”

Everyone: “……”

Even though most of those present weren’t human, they couldn’t help but fall into a speechless silence upon hearing Xu Tianyi’s words.

Who would have thought that amidst all the empty formalities during the opening ceremony, the principal had actually slipped in such a blunt and literal truth?

Xu Tianyi explained to everyone, “Our Founder had half of a Qingqi bloodline and was naturally born with multiple hands. After attaining the Dao, he cut off a few of them for refining, leaving one behind at the school. This hand possesses thirty percent of the founder’s abilities—more than enough to protect the campus.”

Not only had the Founder cultivated for many years, but he was also a top disciple of Erlang Shen. So, naturally, the hand he left behind was incredibly powerful. No wonder Hualing had been able to stand firm for so long, managing so many students with little disorder.

The freshmen who came here for the first time, like every generation of new students before them, passed by the Founder’s hand with reverence. Although it wasn’t a requirement, led by Tian Qi, the young students all waved to it.

Upon seeing this, the hand also waved back in a slow and friendly manner.

However, when You Qi walked past carrying Zhou Mu, the hand suddenly stopped waving. It returned to its original position on the glazed platform—but unlike before, its fingers curled slightly, as if ready to form a hand seal at any moment.

Seeing this, the freshmen began whispering among themselves.

It was easy to understand why. After all, during the opening ceremony, the principal had used this very hand to issue a warning to You Qi. As the most powerful restriction protecting Hualing, it naturally became more vigilant when faced with someone as potentially dangerous as him.

Earlier, everyone had applauded You Qi, but now, the atmosphere had turned a little strange.

You Qi had been to Jinyuan before, so he merely let out a disdainful chuckle at the scene.

But the one who suddenly became furious was Zhou Mu. He pushed himself up on You Qi’s shoulder, straightened his back, and shouted, “Teacher Hand! Everyone here paid tuition fees—why are you not waving to us?!”

You Qi: “……”

That’s… not the issue here…

Zhou Mu protested against the hand, “Our school motto is about embracing all races and fostering unity and kindness. Teacher Hand, be a little more enthusiastic, okay?”

The hand remained silent for a moment, then it actually pinched its thumb and index finger together to form an “OK” gesture.

Then, it resumed its dignified and elegant wave—though this probably wasn’t its main function.

Zhou Mu withdrew his gaze and whispered, “So pretentious! Right?”

He looked up and saw his roommate staring at him. In the next second, You Qi lowered his chin onto the top of Zhou Mu’s head, rubbing against him through his mask, letting out a muffled chuckle. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Let’s take a break here.” Exiting Jinyuan, Xu Tianyi saw that everyone looked exhausted and told them to stop for some water—even though he, as a ghost, didn’t need to drink water himself.

Xu Tianyi had been hovering about two meters in the air the entire time. Otherwise, with the lingering heat of the day, everyone would’ve ended up sticking to him.

Well, not everyone—Zhou Mu was sticking to You Qi instead…

Xu Tianyi saw that You Qi had stepped away to get a better signal and reply to a WeChat message. Seizing the opportunity, he floated over. “Junior, I haven’t had the chance to check on you yet. About what happened before… are you okay?”

Zhou Mu looked at him in confusion. “Senior, why do you always act like I’m about to get eaten by You Qi?” From their first meeting, Xu Tianyi had been dropping hints, and even after witnessing their camaraderie all this time, he was still asking the same question.

Xu Tianyi widened his ghostly eyes and couldn’t help but blurt out his true thoughts: “And why do you look so confident about this?!”

“Oh,” Zhou Mu answered, “because after living together for a while, I’ve realized that You Qi is actually warm-hearted and kind, honest and trustworthy… and he doesn’t eat much.”

“…What the hell do you mean, ‘he doesn’t eat much’…” Xu Tianyi had initially wanted to ask why that was even considered a virtue, but then he thought about it and figured—maybe it actually was.

Xu Tianyi was both concerned for his junior and a little bitter. When he first met Zhou Mu, he had even thought about asking him out.

“This might be Stockholm Syndrome. Under such high pressure, are you truly happy? Is your happiness real? Epicurus said that recognizing your mistakes is the first step to saving yourself—” He paused midway when he noticed Zhou Mu’s gaze shifting focus behind him. With a calm tone, he deduced, “He’s standing behind me, isn’t he?”

Zhou Mu nodded.

Xu Tianyi smiled and said, “But what do I know about happiness? As Hui Zi once said, ‘You are not a fish, so how do you know what makes fish happy?’”

With that, he maintained his expression and—taking advantage of being a ghost—didn’t bother making up an excuse. His translucent body gradually faded and disappeared on the spot.

Zhou Mu: “…Senior?”

You Qi walked over, cracking his fingers, preparing to drag Xu Tianyi back out.

“Forget it, forget it,” Zhou Mu stopped You Qi.

You Qi’s face darkened slightly, a wave of irritation rising in his heart. Just now, Xu Tianyi had been spewing nonsense, and yet Zhou Mu wasn’t holding a grudge? Lowering his head, his entire shadow loomed over Zhou Mu, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. “Why?”

Zhou Mu wrapped himself back around You Qi.

At that moment, You Qi’s irritation dissipated almost instantly.

Zhou Mu gazed into the distance and said solemnly, “We humans have an old saying— ‘Respect the dead.’”

You Qi: “……”

The author has something to say:

Xu Tianyi: Wow, I really died well!