Spirit Reaper - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Senior Sister in Red—The Abandoned Dormitory and the Legend…

After finishing her one-on-one meeting with Liu Yan, the sun was already dipping low by the time Wuyi started heading back to her dorm.

Her head throbbed as she recalled the “assessment standards” Liu Yan had mentioned. She had thought she could cruise through these four years by just studying and taking exams, but the grading system for the Daoist Studies major was… unique.

Her grade depended on how many spirits she “processed” in a semester!

Technically, this was just an extension of her “part-time contract” with Qin An, making ghost hunting a daily routine. But where was she supposed to find “performance targets”? Liu Yan told her she needed at least ten successful missions per semester but didn’t say where to find them. Was she supposed to just wait for the Heavens to drop ghosts in her lap?

Lost in her grievances over this inhumane grading system, Wuyi took a wrong turn. By the time she snapped back to reality, she had reached a desolate, overgrown wasteland.

Weeds stood half a person high, and piles of rusted construction waste littered the corners. In the center of this clearing stood a tall building. Upon closer inspection, Wuyi realized the layout was identical to the current L University dorms.

However, the exterior of this building was crumbling, its walls riddled with pits and completely strangled by vines and wild grass. It had clearly been abandoned for years.

The decay alone wouldn’t have caught Wuyi’s eye. What stopped her in her tracks was the sky-piercing resentment emanating from the middle window of the fourth floor.

The first thought that popped into Wuyi’s head was: Isn’t this just a home-delivered performance target?

Excited as she was, her logic told her not to act rashly. She needed to investigate the source of this resentment first. Silently marking the path in her mind, she turned back toward the main campus.

…

Back at the dorm, her roommates were all present. After a quick greeting, Wuyi sat at her desk and dived into the school forum.

L University’s forum was divided into four sections: Study, Gossip, Supernatural, and Help. She clicked straight into the Supernatural section. Stories of local hauntings flooded her screen. She typed a few keywords into the search bar.

Click.

HOT! Regarding the abandoned dormitory building— Poster: This is a true story! I’m a junior Finance major. Last week, my roommates and I went out for drinks and returned late, around 1 AM. Since we missed curfew, we hopped the wall near the old dorms. Even though it was summer, that place felt like a walk-in freezer. But that’s not all! I didn’t notice it at the time, but my roommate saw it.

She swears she saw a woman in a bright red dress with long, disheveled hair standing by the window on the fourth floor! Just standing there, face obscured. By the time my roommate looked again, she was gone!

Comments:

• 1F: Are you talking about the North building? You guys are brave! That place is a famous forbidden zone. A senior sister actually died there!

• 2F: You’re lucky to be alive. Who hasn’t heard the legend of the Red Sister?

• 4F: Every few years, someone “plays the drop tower” off that roof, but the school suppresses the news. I heard someone from the Daoist Academy say the experts there can’t handle it—they’re waiting for a ‘destined person’ to show up! Stay away!

“The Red Sister? No way, Wuyi. You’re reading the ghost forums this late? Aren’t you afraid of nightmares?”

“You scared the life out of me!” Wuyi nearly jumped out of her chair as Xie Yunqing appeared behind her. She patted her chest, exhaling sharply. “I was just bored and happened to click it.”

“Sure, sure, Miss Brave,” Yunqing giggled, pointing at the screen. “Since you’re curious, I’ll tell you what I heard from older students. They say a senior sister hung herself there after a heartbreak. Her resentment lingered, and the building was abandoned after too many ‘accidents.’ Word is, if you go there at midnight and meet her, you can make a deal. As long as you have something of equal value to trade, she’ll grant any wish.”

“That’s just—”

CRASH—!

The sound of shattering glass cut Wuyi off. Across the room, Liu Shu stood frozen, a pool of water and glass shards at her feet.

Wuyi jumped up and pulled Liu Shu to safety before grabbing a broom. Once the mess was cleared, she checked on her. “Are you okay? Did you get cut?”

Liu Shu gave a hollow “No,” and Wuyi sighed in relief. She assumed their ghost talk had simply spooked the girl.

“Sorry, was our topic too creepy? It’s probably not the best thing to talk about at night…” Wuyi apologized, scratching her head.

“It’s fine. My hand just slipped. I’m tired, I’m going to sleep,” Liu Shu said, her eyes darting away. She climbed into her bunk and went silent immediately.

“How weird…” Yunqing whispered. She turned back to Wuyi. “I wasn’t finished! The Red Sister—”

“Stop, stop.” Wuyi waved her off, the mood ruined. “It’s late. Let’s not talk about scary things.”

“Fine. But seriously, if you ever decide to go on an ‘expedition’ to that building, you have to take me! I’m in!” Yunqing’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

…

After brushing her off, Wuyi stared at the glowing screen.

A Red Sister? There was definitely something in that building, but she couldn’t gauge its power level yet. If it truly reached the “Red Entity” grade, it would be trouble. But why hadn’t Liu Yan and the other experts done anything? Why leave such a massive source of resentment in the middle of a university?

Exhausted, Wuyi collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

The next day, after finishing her theory classes, she hurried to the department’s supply room. Just as Liu Yan had promised, showing her wooden plaque gave her “VIP” access. She successfully “looted” a large batch of yellow paper, cinnabar, and other essentials.

Ignoring the strange looks from other students, she rushed back to the dorm.

Thud—! She swung the door open and nearly collided with Liu Shu, who was heading out.

Liu Shu’s eyes widened at the sight of the yellow paper and cinnabar spilling from Wuyi’s bag.

“Is that…?”

“Oh, this?” Wuyi laughed awkwardly. “Just some stuff I use for… doodling. Don’t mind it! Believe in science! There are no such things as ghosts!”

Realizing she was making it worse, Wuyi tried to change the subject. Her eyes landed on Liu Shu’s wrist. “Hey, that red string is pretty…”

Liu Shu’s reaction was near-panic. She whipped her hand behind her back. “It’s just something I got from a temple. An ordinary string. Nothing special. I have to get to class, bye!”

Wuyi watched her sprint away, utterly baffled. She knew the string wasn’t special—it had no spiritual energy or ghostly aura. So why was Liu Shu acting so strange?

Something is definitely wrong here, Wuyi noted. She decided to keep an eye on her roommate. But first, she had to draw some talismans.

Tonight, she was going to pay that dormitory a visit.