Chapter 16: Investigating the Campus

Mingwen Girls' High School.

After circling the perimeter, Jing Wuji didn't find anything suspicious.

So the source is inside the school?

Looking at the still-operating campus of Mingwen Girls' High, Jing Wuji couldn't help but feel a tinge of disgust.

They always try to cover up anything unpleasant, with no real concern for the students' safety. All they care about is their interests.

Most of the police had already withdrawn, expanding the search perimeter. Only a few officers remained inside the school, scattered as they continued their investigation.

Jing Wuji paced outside the school, racking his brain for a way to sneak in.

After all, even the teachers here were all women—him, a male student, showing up would be way too conspicuous.

Could it be… that I have to dress as a girl?

That was Jing Wuji's last resort.

No, no, no—better not.

Just the thought of getting caught in women's clothing made Jing Wuji feel deeply uncomfortable.

Cross-dressing is like a switch: either zero times or countless times. Yes, that's exactly why I won't do it.

Making up his mind, he decided to sneak in using stealth.

Looks like I'll have to rely on my Shadow element again. If I get caught, I'll be labeled a pervert or a creep.

He moved to a dark, empty spot out of view. A dark arc of stardust flashed across his body, and the next moment, he merged into the shadows—then reappeared from within the shadows inside the school.

According to Xinxia, Lin Yun'er had said she was going back to the dorm, so that would be the first place to investigate.

With his first target in mind, Jing Wuji began walking through the school grounds.

If someone could see him, they would notice a layer of shadow cloaking his figure—a sign of Shadow Melding. Yet he was walking openly on the ground, clearly not entirely inside the shadows.

In other words, Jing Wuji was in a superimposed state: half in the shadows, half in the physical world.

Like Schrödinger's cat, without anyone actively observing him, he existed in both states at once.

But the moment someone in the real world tried to observe him, he would fully merge into the shadows. Conversely, if someone in the shadow realm tried to sense him, he would fully shift into the physical world—preventing anyone from realizing that the shadow they had sensed was ever him.

This was a technique he had developed after a long study. Perfect for stealth or assassination, though it did feel a bit like overkill to use it just to sneak into a girls' high school.

Along the way, all Jing Wuji saw were energetic middle school girls, faces full of youthful smiles and hopeful dreams for the future.

Tch, yet another reason to hunt down that demon.

While admiring the pure innocence of these young girls, Jing Wuji also searched for Lin Yun'er's dorm.

Mingwen Girls' High was surprisingly large—it took him quite a while to even locate the dormitory building.

Thankfully, after circling back to the main building and checking the aerial map again, he finally found Lin Yun'er's dorm.

As he stepped into the dorm building, Jing Wuji couldn't help but muse: Once the sacred ground of the socially active and popular, now I've finally set foot in it.

Lin Yun'er's dorm was easy to find—there was a police barrier sealing the door.

Jing Wuji crouched low and slipped under the tape, carefully avoiding contact so as not to leave any trace behind.

Inside, the room was spotless. The pink bedspread made it clear the owner had a classic girlish heart.

After carefully searching every corner, he found no signs of struggle or anything suspicious.

Looks like this wasn't the crime scene. Jing Wuji shook his head and prepared to check the next likely location.

A few police officers were still diligently searching other parts of the campus, holding on to hope that they might find the missing girl.

As Jing Wuji studied the layout of the school, he made his way to the library.

He scattered a ring of demon-sensing powder around the perimeter. When there was no reaction, he entered the library.

It was a large building, and it took Jing Wuji the entire afternoon to thoroughly search it. By the time the sun set, he finally emerged from within.

So it's not the library either. That means the last clue must lie in the cafeteria.

By now, night had fallen. The students who had been in class were now out, walking around the campus in small groups.

The missing girl incident hadn't caused any panic at all—just give them more material for idle gossip after meals.

There were too many people around. Any move he made now would be restricted. He'd have to wait until deep into the night to continue.

Jing Wuji hadn't even gone a hundred meters before he ran into three different groups of students. He had no choice but to pause his investigation—for if a demon appeared now, the students around him would only become liabilities.

He made his way to the area around the cafeteria and stood in the shadows beneath a tree, leaning against the trunk, waiting for midnight.

…

Late at night.

Moonless, windless—darkness blanketed the earth.

The campus was completely silent. It felt as if the vast world held only one person: Jing Wuji.

Standing in the shadows with his eyes closed in quiet meditation, Jing Wuji suddenly opened his eyes.

In this kind of environment, it wasn't an exaggeration to say—he was the sovereign of the night.

The world appeared crystal clear before his eyes, completely unaffected by the absence of light.

As usual, he began by scattering a ring of demon-sensing powder along the perimeter.

It was his last pouch.

As night fell, the students who had been in class had already finished and were now strolling around the campus in small groups.

The news of a missing girl hadn't caused any panic among them—it merely became another topic of gossip during their free time.

With so many people around, Jing Wuji's actions were restricted. He decided to wait until late at night to move.

He had barely walked a hundred meters before running into three different groups of students, forcing him to temporarily abandon his investigation. After all, if he provoked a demon now, the students nearby would only become a burden.

Jing Wuji made his way to the area around the cafeteria and stood beneath the shadow of a tree, leaning against the trunk as he waited for midnight.

Midnight.

The sky was moonless, the air still—darkness blanketed the land.

The campus was eerily silent. In this vast world, it felt as though Jing Wuji was the only one left.

From the shadows, Jing Wuji, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide.

In this kind of environment, it was no exaggeration to say—he was the master of the night.

To him, the world appeared crystal clear, entirely unaffected by the darkness or the absence of light.

As usual, he scattered a ring of demon-sensing powder around the perimeter—it was his last pouch.

Suddenly, footprints began to appear on the powder. They were not human!

Damn—it is a demon!

Jing Wuji's alertness shot to its peak. This was no joke—aside from the time he encountered a summoned beast, this was his first time facing a demon head-on.

Tensed and focused, he stepped into the cafeteria.

Mingwen Girls' High School's cafeteria was massive, more like a large conference hall. But that made sense—this was a private elite school. The spacious and luxurious cafeteria was one of the reasons why he, his father, and Mo Fan had chosen this school for Xin Xia. It wasn't just a girls' school, but also catered to higher-class families, so a girl like Ye Xin Xia—who had trouble walking—would be less likely to be bullied by her peers.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Suddenly, a series of loud thuds echoed from somewhere nearby.

Even the ground began to tremble, and the tables and chairs rattled slightly with each tremor.

This strange occurrence immediately put Jing Wuji on high alert.

The frequency of the vibrations made it seem like there was a construction crew working nearby.

But Jing Wuji was certain—there was no construction in the area. He had already checked that when he arrived.

From overhearing some student chatter earlier—not that he was paying much attention—he had still picked up some gossip.

There were even rumors about this: because of the frequent tremors, some of the girls joked that the cafeteria had gained a spirit and become sentient.

In other words, the cafeteria had already been shaking for quite some time!

Was the demon trying to build a nest?

There just wasn't enough information. Jing Wuji couldn't be sure what the demon's goal was, but he had a strong feeling that things were far from simple.

"Goo… goo goo…"

Suddenly, a strange low growling sound reached Jing Wuji's ears.

Finally—it shows itself!

The reason he hadn't acted sooner was because he was waiting—for this demon to come out!