Shanhai High School 6

Don’t let me see this broken card again!

Two high school students sat in a café, while they were discussing developmental issues together.

The blooming of Gui¹ Grass was a very troublesome matter; not only had to face a series of physiological changes, but also had to face the hunting of ferocious beasts — it was an enormous underground gang, and the level of harm to the monsters was equivalent to that of human traffickers. The Monster Management Committee had sent out spirit beasts on many occasions to carry out large-scale suppression and thoroughly cleaning out, and though in many cases it had vanished without a trace at that time, but after a while, it had risen again from the ashes², like an incurable of vexed rotten scar, which caused the public to be very distraught.

However, in JinCheng, which was personally guarded by the Qilin clan, there were few vicious monsters who dared to engage in kidnapping directly. At most, like tonight’s ruffians, relied on people more to surrounded Ge Hao, to trapped and hold him down, while grabbing a handful of flower buds or roots that were used for winemaking from his spirit form, then sold them to the black market to rake in for ill-gotten wealth.

But this was enough for him to suffer a nervous breakdown! Ge Hao had scowled miserably, “I really don’t have any rare and precious medicinal value. Those people are morons, don’t you think so?”

“There’s also no medicinal value in Pangolin (Manis Pentadactylata) either. But look at what happened ne?” Ji XingLing leaned back on the chair, “And you are also called forget worrying flower.”

Forget worrying flower, just with these words of good and happiness were enough to fool a large number of uncultured outburst country bumpkin monsters scrambling to offer their wallets. Otherwise, you can ask for an “after drinking weeping bitter tears flower on the spot” to have a try, and it was guaranteed no one was harassed.

Ge Hao heaved out pain, long moan, and groans, the blooming period of plants was generally around twenty-five years old, which was also had a little meaning of “you can better protect yourself when you grow up”, but he was so unlucky, who would have thought that his blooming period had come ahead of time at the age of sixteen.

Not an adult yet ne.

No university entrance examination yet ne!

Ji XingLing suddenly remembered an important thing, “Have you ever lost your monster ID ma?”

“Of course not.” Ge Hao fish out a silvery-white card from the inside layers of his schoolbag, “There’s no way I would ever lose it.”

The application for a report on the loss of monster ID required at least three months to be done, so it should have nothing to do with the monster ID he had picked up. Ji XingLing had motioned to the other party to keep it well, and then he stood up as he carried two schoolbags in one hand, “Let’s go, I’ll take you home first.”

…

The deeper the night, the quieter it was still in Jiang’An ShuYuan.

If you stood in the garden and gazed up, there were only neat rows of orange eye-protection lamps.

Ji MingLang’s wife was a former famous movie star who was voted as the “No. 1 beautiful woman on the movie screen” for three consecutive years. Now, she was a good wife and loving mother, lady Hu MeiMei, who at this very moment was sitting on the sofa in the living room, and staring at her wristwatch in a bad mood. The nine snow-white big tails behind her were swinging back and forth, that was almost about to set off a small-scale hurricane.

It’s half past eight pm. 

Nine o’clock pm. 

Thirty minutes to ten pm.

When ten o’clock pm was approaching, the door lock finally emitted a “click——” sound.

Ji XingLing, who had caught the oncoming sofa cushions with agility, had promptly stated, “I’m sending Ge Hao home today.”

Hu MeiMei’s thoughts trail off to peculiarly, “Did you break someone’s leg?”

Young Master Ji was in a very complicated mood. What kind of lousy image as I reflected in my Mom’s mind in the end?

“Forget it. I don’t want to listen to your excuses.” Hu MeiMei stood up and ordered her son, “Hold well the gift box on the table and follow me to 1302.”

Ji XingLing’s eyes widened, “Why are we going to 1302?”

“Your (maternal) uncle just told me in the afternoon that it turns out the Guhuo Niao is working next door.” Hu MeiMei said, “Let’s go and see if we can poach.” 

“Not going.” Ji XingLing remarks righteously, “How can uncle do this ne, using his position to retrieve the monster records, he is so unethical.”

Hu MeiMei retorted sarcastically, “You every time get three hundred on the exam, which angers your mother, actually really had morality.”

Ji XingLing, “…”

I was wrong. Please continue.

“Even if you can’t poach, you must have a good relationship with the next door.” Hu MeiMei put her tail away. “The child who can be liked by Guhuo Niao will certainly not be bad in the study. If you communicate a lot with others, you may be able to score 700.“

Ji XingLing: ?

‘Mom?’

“Okay, I know you won’t be able to achieve 700 points, so score 400 points ba, you can do it, right?” Hu MeiMei stuffed the gift box into his arms, “Happy!”

Young Master Ji was reluctant to move even a half step; what was in his heart was a conflict.

“Mom, next door is my classmate, who has just transferred this semester.”

“Extremely reckless, his monster ID is littered around.”

“He is also unctuous, and likes to deceive people!”

“He talks too much hypocritical and mysophobia!”

“I’m not going!”

Hu MeiMei found a new point of penetration, “They are all monsters. How come others be able to take the test of 730, while you can’t even simply score 370?”

Ji XingLing emphasized, “I passed the test of 380. It’s not terrible!”

Hu MeiMei felt an ache in her chest.

Finally, she said, “Are you sure you do not want to go? Then from next month, you will have no pocket money.”

Ji XingLing, “…”

Ji XingLing, “Just go for five minutes.” 

Your brother Xing knew when to be humble and when to be assertive.

Lin Jing was eating a midnight snack.

The slightly sweetened walnut lotus seed soup, was nourishing for the brain as well as relieving inflammation. Aunt Jiang, while she was cleaning up the kitchen, reminded him, “Don’t read while eating. It’s not good for your eyes.”

“Mhm.” Lin Jing agreed, while his hand was continuously flipping and looking through the English materials. For next week’s exam, because of the difference in the progress of two school curriculums, the math may be slightly more challenging, and just in case he accidentally lost points, then filled in with English scores was his most foolproof method, so he had been brushed up his English test papers for the past two days.

At the age of sixteen-seventeen years old, there will always be some unknown sensitivity and vanity. After all, who didn’t want to be a blockbuster in the exam and became the envy, also discussion object of the rest of the students — let alone since the first day of kindergarten, the little boy Lin Jing had started constantly achieving outstanding praises and awards.

He put down the empty bowl, “Auntie, I’m going back to the bedroom to continue reading.”

“Rest early—”

Before she finished speaking, the doorbell rang “Ding Dong”.

Who will come at this hour? Jiang FenFang pressed the intercom questioningly, “Who is it?”

“Hello, we are the new neighbors who just moved in next door.” Hu MeiMei’s tone was radiant with joy, “We aren’t bothering, right?”

Lin Jing, “…”

Jiang FenFang opened the door.

Hu MeiMei had full smiles all over her face.

Jiang FenFang felt that this lady, who resplendent with jewels, was somewhat familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere in a magazine.

The identities of monsters were strictly confidential. Even for the Monster Management Committee, which was relatively bustled with activity, the outside reception window was also small, dark, and concealed. More than a dozen Yaksha³ who had taken turns in a shift had a sharp, ferocious and impatient tone, in which making every monsters folk who came to do things, had wished they could flee at express speed, that they were even more in no mood to clutched the window to scrutinize inside. When it was indispensable to communicate face-to-face, the staff would also appear as in a spirit form, should be the Flying Raindragon⁴, Black Tortoise⁵, LuDuan⁶, and other renowned monsters had gathered together all at once; there wouldn’t be able to make a clear distinction for who was a teacher, a doctor, or other social identities. Of course, there were not many monsters who had known that the Jincheng’s guard Qilin and RenRui Group’s Ji MingLang were actually the same person.

So even if Jiang FenFang racked her brains, she could only think of Mrs. Ji’s identity as a movie star.

Seeing Lin Jing sat by the dining table, Hu MeiMei immediately became more enthusiastic.

“You’re Xiao Jing ba. Are you still studying in this late hour ah?”

Lin Jing obediently greeted her in a well-behaved manner, “Hello, Auntie.”

“I heard Xiao Xing say that you are both classmates.” Hu MeiMei instructed her son to put the gift box away, “His grade ah… Auntie is thinking just so, if you are free at school, can you help in tutoring some of his math problems?  A perfect score of one hundred and fifty, at least this fraction of the score must be achieved ba?”

Upon hearing that, Jiang FenFang was very sympathetic; children who can satisfy their parents with a half score were indeed made people sad.

“Mom.” Ji XingLing, who couldn’t stand the house which was full of the brilliance of Xueba, had taken the initiative to lodge an appeal, “I want to go back to study.”

Lin Jing’s expression was visibly twisted.

Ji XingLing, “…”

What the fuck are you laughing at? Can’t I study ma?!

Hu MeiMei was overjoyed, and felt that the effect of Baize Lion plus the grade first-ranking treatment was immediate. So she might as well continue to redouble her efforts, “Xiao Jing, can you let Xiao Xing study together with you tonight?”

Lin Jing: Why?!

Indeed, Young Master Ji’s first reaction was also ‘Wocao. I’m not coming!’

But before he blurted out any rejection, he caught Lin Jing’s daunting and resisting look in time.

That would be very interesting.

So he said very sincerely, “Auntie Jiang, Student Lin, may I come over ma?”

Student Lin was tongue-tied; every pore in Lin Jing’s body was oozing NO.

Ji XingLing had succeeded in provocation again, and turned around in a good mood, “Mom, I think he is also very busy—“

“I’m not busy. Really, it’s very welcome.” Lin Jing cut him short, “What do you want to learn, English?”

Ji XingLing, “…”

Ten minutes later, Lin Jing, who took the book and test papers, had appeared in 1301.

As for why he changed places, because Lin Jing had never liked letting others into his bedroom, how should I say it ne, in fact, Ji XingLing didn’t like it either. Yes, but the Xuezha had no human rights.

Hu MeiMei had personally cut a plate of fruit and brought it in.

Lin Jing flipped open the English book, “How many words did you recite for the college entrance examination?”

Ji XingLing casually said, “One to two thousand ba.”

“What is the meaning of abnormal?”

“…”

Lin Jing cued, “The prefix ab- means away and separation.”

Ji XingLing attempted to save face, “I haven’t memorized the one behind.”

“But this is the word on the first page.”

“…”

Hu MeiMei felt that if she stayed here any longer, she might be dizzy with anger on the spot.

Ji XingLing snatched away the vocabulary book, and the abnormal was indeed on the first page.

He protested disgruntledly, “No, how come you choose the longest one to test me?” 

“Do you choose the length of the words that you need to recite?”

“Of course ah, otherwise you ask me what’s the meaning of ‘a’, I definitely understand what ‘a’ means.”

Hu MeiMei weakly returned to the bedroom.

She had urgently needed to call her husband, who was away on a business trip, so that she could share with him this shockingly parenting road.

“Okay, you write out the vocabulary to memory. I will do my test paper.” Lin Jing threw the rough paper and pen at him, “One hour, these three pages are okay ba?”

Ji XingLing, “There is a problem.”

“Suit yourself.” Lin Jing was plugging in a single earphone, “But if Auntie asks, I won’t lie for you.”

At the thought of pocket money, Young Master Ji had to endure humiliation for the sake of the pocket money and flipped open to the first page.

The silence wall clock on the wall had repeatedly circled.

The desk was very large, and the two of them occupied one side of each other and did not interfere with each other.

But someone was pretty active.

In the first half an hour, Ji XingLing had first finished eating an orange, and then forcibly took a pen away from Lin Jing’s pen case. Finally, felt too tired to sit; he simply half-lain on a chair as he was studying hard while holding a book in both hands.

Lin Jing was doing a reading comprehension, the content of the essay was too abstruse, there was some part that he couldn’t understand, and he temporally was not in the mood to deal with the troublemaker on his opposite side.

Ji XingLing had simply pulled his chair to sit beside him.

“Hey, why did you agree to help in tutoring me?” 

“I didn’t agree to help you in tutoring. I just study together with you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want your provocation to succeed.”

“…”

His competitiveness was quite strong.

Lin Jing finished filling out the multiple-choice questions, then checked it with the answers key, and got four wrong.

“What does your depressed face stand for?”

“It stands that I made mistakes in these four questions.”

Ji XingLing gave a thumbs up, “There are only four wrong with this so many questions. It’s fucking great.”

Lin Jing, “…”

He was very exasperating.

Ji XingLing continued to write out the vocabulary to memory, and the swift movement and lively style of his terrible handwriting, nearly flew out of the paper.

Lin Jing happened to be writing an essay, neatly like a printing block letter. Ji XingLing stared at it for a while and successfully found the next topic, “I found your hands are pretty good-looking.”

Lin Jing didn’t even raise his head, “Is there any part of me that doesn’t look good?”

Young Master Ji fell into silence, “How come you good student is not modest at all?”

“Have you finished memorizing the vocabulary?” 

“…You sound recorder⁷.”

“You beep pager⁸”

“You resorted to name-calling!”

“Pager is a big leap forward in the history of human communication. Why should it be used to attack you who don’t even know what abnormal means!”

“I know! Pervert!”

“You are perverted!”

“Wocao, I said this word means pervert.”

“…”

Lin Jing was rendered speechless, profoundly reflecting on whether he had drunk too much fake alcoholic beverages and why he had even lost in such a mentally retarded quarrel.

Ji XingLing was smugly grabbing his school backpack, and then dug out that monster ID card, “Here, take it back ba, it’s your things.”

Lin Jing’s psychological shadow had suddenly added another layer, with the distribution of ID cards to the gang members that were already very silly, and still so diligently to quarreling with such a person, even to go so far as actually to bicker and lose, it was simply unreasonable.

“Let me see this broken card again.” He pointed to the monster ID card, “I will stare at you every day when you recite vocabulary.”

Ji XingLing was utterly unable to understand, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

The time had already passed midnight. Lin Jing felt that time flew by in a flash, with the clock ticking and how time was slipping away, he should go to bed earlier, instead of having this silly topic of “whether or not to join a delinquent gang headed by Ji XingLing” to progressed into double boredom issue of repetitious discussion.

So Lin Jing was yawning, while he was holding the books and test papers in glistening teardrops, and went back.

“Thank you for the fruit and Goodbye, Auntie.”

“Xiao Jing, why don’t you drink a glass of milk then——” Hu MeiMei watched him pushed the door and leave, then turned around with her eyebrows raised. “Ji XingLing, you bullied your classmates again, didn’t you?”

Young Master Ji felt like vomiting blood⁹, “I didn’t.”

“Why are his eyes so red?”

“How should I know? It may be that my study has achieved remarkable results, so he shed tears of joy.”

Hu MeiMei, “…”

She did not want this son anymore.

Previous || TOC || Next

1. Ghost
2. resurgence
3. Yaksha (夜叉yèchā) – one of eight races of deities from Buddhist cosmology, sometimes said to be protectors of Buddhism. It’s a demonic being that eats human flesh. Interestingly, they are also sometimes said to be benevolent nature spirits. It’s possibly related to Rakshasas.

4. Flying Raindragon (应龙 yìnglóng) – also known as Yinglong or the Responding Dragon. A mighty, winged dragon with power over rain. 

   • In mythology, the Raindragon was a servant of the Yellow Emperor, assisted Yu the Great in taming the floods, and is sometimes credited with killing Chiyou and Kuafu.
   • It’s called the “Responding Dragon” because it responds to the prayers of people wishing for rain.

5. Black Tortoise (玄武 xuánwǔ) – represents the North, Winter, and the Water element. It’s also known as the Turtle-Snake (龟蛇), and it looks like a tortoise entwined with a snake. The Black Tortoise is closely connected to the warrior god Xuanwu.
6. LuDuan (甪端lùduān) – In Chinese mythology, the Luduan is an auspicious creature with the ability to detect the truth and travel over great distances in a very short time, also has exceptionally long lifespans. It looks like a deer with a green coat, the tail of a horse, and a single horn on its head. It is said to be fluent in all languages of the world. Whenever it encounters a wise and virtuous ruler, it offers books as a gift. Luduan is often mistaken for the Qilin. The Qilin has a more elongated body usually covered with scales and hoofed feet, while the Luduan has a rounded body and clawed paws. In addition, Luduan is able to “force” humans to tell them the truth with a mere hand gesture.
7. Sound recorder (复读机fù dú jī) – slang word which means that someone who keeps repeating words like a parrot.
8. Beep pager (BB机‎ bībī-jī) – slang word which means that someone is very talkative, and far too long-winded, like in the telephone that beeper non-stop.
9. Vomit blood (吐血tù xiě) – The vomiting of blood as a result of extreme emotional disturbance such as anger, hatred or sadness, and is frequently seen in Chinese historical dramas.