Chapter 156: The Disciple Becomes Braver
Cen Dongsheng is serious.

Since that day, he stopped accompanying his apprentice to fight monsters every night.

Song Yutang felt very uncomfortable at first, but she was a disciple after all, and she couldn’t go against her master’s wishes. She could only start the process of practicing and collecting intelligence on her own.

Knowing the name “Ke Junchen” and knowing that he was the deceased who was sent to the Municipal Third Hospital a month ago, knowing this information, there is something she can do.

She asked a senior from the Student Union who had a good relationship with her (Cen Dongsheng got the information from her), and found out that the man was indeed a student at Tianhai University in the same grade as her and her master, and had died accidentally during the summer vacation.

Because he did not die in school, his classmates and roommates only learned about his death after the semester began, so the cause of death and other issues are difficult to investigate through the school’s channels.

But she heard some strange rumors about this man on the school’s BBS, from his classmates and even his roommates.

Ke Junchen is a loner with a weird personality and poor interpersonal skills, and his relationships with people around him are very strained; although Song Yutang also has a bad relationship with her two roommates, she can still make friends, but Ke Junchen is really alone.

I heard that he was admitted from a remote town, and it was not easy; but he did not cherish this opportunity, and his grades ranked last in the class. I never saw him study, and he was obsessed with weird interests all day long.

He doesn’t care about his appearance, which sounds like a big deal, as most male college students have no concept of “dressing up” – but most people will at least keep themselves clean, and they feel uncomfortable if they are dirty.

But Ke Junchen is different. He can wear a set of clothes from coat to underwear for several weeks. Even in the hot summer, when you sweat as soon as you move, he will still wrap himself tightly, sweat all over, and refuse to take a shower… Over time, his whole body exudes a fermented stench, and he looks more like a homeless person than a college student.

Greasy hair, gloomy face, and body odor, just this appearance alone is enough to keep people away. One can only say that his roommates are really having a hard time.

In addition, it is said that some people have seen him bringing animal corpses into the dormitory. He likes insects such as centipedes and spiders and carries out his disgusting habits to the end.

If it had stopped there, the treatment he “enjoyed” in the class might have been just isolation. After all, most of the young people who could go to key universities had some quality. But the problem was that Ke Junchen himself was selfish, arrogant, and didn’t care about other people’s opinions. He spoke harshly and often told people around him in a mysterious manner that he had “status.”

But his roommates had already met his parents and they didn’t think he was from a wealthy family. Naturally, his pretentious attitude would make people laugh at him behind his back. When Ke Junchen found out about this, he impulsively got into a conflict with others.

I heard that he was the one who took the initiative to pick a fight, but with his skinny arms and legs, he was no match for the others and was beaten until his teeth fell out. From then on, he became a complete laughing stock.

The final result was that this man became a loner and was known as the most unpopular “genius” in the academy.

So, at the beginning of the semester, when his classmates and roommates heard the news of his death, besides being shocked, they felt more like… laughing.

“Are all spellcasters… no, sorcerers so strange?”

Song Yutang still remembers vividly the living mass of rotten flesh she saw in the hospital, and the process of collecting pus to make raw materials; and after seeing the news, the girl’s mood became even more complicated.

As the opponent personally designated by her master and a sorcerer who possessed evil power, Song Yutang had imagined that he could be a smiling tiger, a seemingly ordinary college student, or even a lonely “wizard”…

But based on the information collected so far, Ke Junchen was a huge failure when he was alive.

What about his witchcraft? He was laughed at and had his teeth broken. Didn’t he ever think of revenge?
“…Oh, never mind. Maybe it’s all a disguise. I still have to fight people. I can’t take first impressions too seriously.”

This was the limit of the information that could be gathered from other people at school. The rest needed her to investigate and verify it personally.

The rumored Ke Junchen is undoubtedly a weirdo, but no one realizes that he is a sorcerer who possesses supernatural powers and can linger even after death. There must be something fishy behind this.

“The real problem is that Master won’t come and support me.”

Although she could indeed feel that her abilities had been fully exercised and grown in the process of clearing ghosts and monsters in the previous two weeks, she could also understand her master’s expectations of her and believed that the promise of “hoping to fight alongside him” was not false…

But Song Yutang still had some worries in his heart——

You won’t really ignore me from now on, right?
She felt that she had been very obedient, but for that young man, being obedient seemed to be of no use…

Later, she thought again, in fact, she and Cen Dongsheng were not simply a master-disciple relationship, but because she had always been helped by the other party, she was grateful and respected in her heart, so she obeyed his orders;
After getting used to it, Song Yutang would instinctively feel uncomfortable once the person who gave him orders left.

Maybe… I could be bolder and more proactive?
*
The next afternoon, Cen Dongsheng was teaching in the lecture hall. There was a ten-minute break between two classes.

Students were chatting and playing with their cell phones in their seats downstairs, or walking in the corridor, while the teacher was drinking tea and taking a break at the podium, explaining things to students who came to ask questions.

“Master!”

Cen Dongsheng, who was sitting in a chair reading a book, suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

He turned around and saw a lively girl in a sweatshirt lying on the table behind him, with her chin supported by one hand, looking at him with a smile.

…It’s Song Yutang.

Her expression and behavior revealed an undisguised intimacy, and her tall and beautiful appearance was very eye-catching. Many students in the classroom noticed her presence and looked at her intently. For a moment, the noise in the entire classroom became quieter.

“We haven’t seen each other for a few days, right?”

she says.

“……yes.”

He was a little surprised to see his apprentice suddenly appear. He thought that according to Song Yutang’s personality, he would send a message before coming to see him.

“Master is really cold.”

Song Yutang sighed.

“Obviously I miss you a lot.”

“…”

The girl’s lines sounded completely like she was acting coquettishly, and she probably didn’t even notice it herself, she just said it carelessly.

But what Cen Dongsheng was concerned about was that the other party seemed to have become… more bold? She would never say such things to herself before, and she had always been very “respectful to teachers” in all aspects.

Cen Dongsheng heard the noisy voices in the classroom and distinguished people’s curious whispers from the background.

……

“What is the relationship between these two people?”

“I think I know that girl. She’s Song Yutang, right? Someone posted a photo of her during military training on the forum. They all said she was the best-looking freshman in our class.”

“Did Song Yutang and Cen Dongsheng know each other before? Could it be that these two people are…”

……

“You don’t mind?”

Song Yutang’s eyes swept across the faces of the other people in the classroom. She had been a spell master for more than half a month, and like Cen Dongsheng, she could hear other people’s discussions. The girl replied in a low voice:

“I used to care, but now I don’t care anymore.”

“Because you feel like you’ve entered a whole new world and you can leave the worries of the old world behind.”

“Master really understands.”

Cen Dongsheng nodded. Of course he understood the feeling. Everyone has been through this.

However, the ponytail girl’s cheeks were slightly rosy, and it was obvious that she did not care about the rumors as much as she said.

“To be honest, I didn’t have much hope when I came to see you.”

Song Yutang said again.

“I didn’t expect that Master would actually attend class obediently.”

“You’re not the same.”

He smiled.

“Just now I felt that I was not the same person I used to be, but I still refused to give up my identity as a college student.”

“Because being a college student is easy.”

The girl held her chin up and answered slowly, with a very honest attitude. “I think there is no group of people in the world who have an easier time than college students. Of course, hard-working people will still work hard, but I have already practiced as a spell-binding master in this regard. For the rest of my time, I just want to enjoy the days when I don’t have to study hard or work.”

Cen Dongsheng laughed.

This is exactly the real reason why he wanted to go to college after living a new life.

Perhaps, there really is such a thing as fate in this world. He rescued Song Yutang by accident, and took her in as his apprentice on a whim, but the two of them got along well in every way, and they also had several strange similarities.

“However, I feel that Master is a big shot, so he must be busier than an ordinary student like me, right? He must have commissions or official business to handle.”

“Fortunately.”

Cen Dongsheng shook his head.

He is a big shot, indeed. He is now and will be even more so in the future. But it is a pity that he is just relying on his girlfriend and sister. He has no awareness of being a big shot.

“So… you’re pretty free?”

Song Yutang’s eyes lit up, she put down her hand and immediately planned to make the long-awaited invitation, but before that, Cen Dongsheng spoke again.

“What about you? How are you preparing for the task I assigned to you?”

“I……”

After Cen Dongsheng really asked, the girl felt relieved instead. This at least showed that her master was not going to abandon her and he still cared about her.

“I have already obtained some information and am preparing to make the final confirmation. The whereabouts of that person has not been found yet, but I already have a clue… Please rest assured, Master.”

“Come on.”

Cen Dongsheng applauded.

“So, what brings you here now?”

“I’m here…”

Song Yutang looked at the clock hanging on the wall of the classroom and realized that the bell for class was about to ring again, so she quickened her tone.

“Thank you. I have been receiving your teaching and care all along, so I want to give something back.”

“You can complete this ‘final exam’ and be qualified to become my assistant, which is the greatest reward for me.”

He meant what he said.

“I know that, but… there must be something else I can help you with, right?”

She placed her hands on her chest, also with a serious look on her face.

“Anything is fine, I’m willing to do anything!”

Song Yutang spoke the last half of the sentence a little louder, and there was another low commotion in the classroom. But the master and apprentice obviously didn’t care.

“Um……”

Cen Dongsheng touched his chin. His life was going quite smoothly now. If there was anything he cared about, it would naturally be finding his teammates.

Training Song Yutang was an attempt; on the other hand, the tentative search for “Miaoshenzi” never yielded accurate information because there were too few clues.

“By the way, Yutang, I think you are well-informed. Please help me find someone in school.”

Since his disciple is so enthusiastic, he will let her share some of his worries, although he has no hope at all.

“name?”

Song Yutang looked curious, but Cen Dongsheng just shook his head.

“Don’t you know the name? Which college is he from, and what year is he in?”

“In fact, I only know that the other party is a woman.”

“…”

Song Yutang blinked.

“This… seems a bit difficult, right?”

“It’s difficult, so please help me keep an eye out for… well, how should I describe it, someone special in school.”

Cen Dongsheng gave a vague answer casually.

“special person?”

“Yeah. A student who makes you feel different and has a different temperament at first glance, just like…yes, just like you.”

People with this destiny often have a temperament that makes them stand out from the crowd.

The apprentice’s expression became more embarrassed.

“Like me… you mean particularly beautiful?”

“Why do you think so?”

He was speechless.

Also, did you praise yourself intentionally or unintentionally… Although it is indeed true, maybe this is the confidence that belongs only to beautiful women.

“Do you think I chose you as my apprentice because you are beautiful, Song Yutang?”

“Uh, no…” the girl hesitated, “I think, probably not.”

“What do you mean by ‘probably’? It’s really not true.”

“Okay, Master.” She quickly changed the subject. “I don’t quite understand what you want from someone, but I’ll write it down anyway.”

“Ah.”

Cen Dongsheng nodded slightly.

At this time, the class bell had already rung, but Song Yutang just sat down obediently in the empty seat behind him, but did not leave, as if he was a student from another department who came to audit the class.

“…You’re not leaving yet?”

“Master, do you really dislike me so much…”

The girl’s eyes looked somewhat resentful.

“I was thinking, after class, if you are free, I would like to ask you to take a look at my recent training results, is that okay?”

“If it’s serious business, it’s not impossible.”

Before Song Yutang’s eyes sparkled, Cen Dongsheng continued:
“But unfortunately, forget it today. I’m not free.”

“…Another family matter?”

“Yes, family matters.”

Thinking of the faces of his family, the young man’s mouth corners unconsciously raised.

“I’m going to pick up my sister from school.”

(End of this chapter)