Chapter Twenty: Campus Ghost Stories

When Murong Xun saw the attributes of the fried rice, his expression shifted dramatically—how could there be something like this? He recalled how little the strengthening serum had increased his stats last time. Although this effect was only temporary, it was still quite formidable.

Looking at the fried rice before him, Murong Xun, who hadn’t been hungry at all, suddenly felt his appetite awaken. He picked up his spoon and took a bite; instantly, the deliciousness struck his taste buds and shot straight to his brain. It was clearly an ordinary dish, yet to Murong Xun, it tasted like something he had never savored before.

Although he enjoyed good food, Murong Xun was never someone who actively sought out gourmet experiences. Yet now, a simple plate of fried rice gave him an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, which made him frown in confusion. Suppressing the feeling, he ate mouthful after mouthful.

The eerie chef stood silently nearby, calmly waiting. Watching this scene, Xu Ying and Zhang Jiao couldn’t help but swallow their saliva in secret. They had long been hungry, but their earlier hesitation had caused the chef to ignore them entirely.

When Murong Xun finished, the chef seemed quite satisfied and took away the empty plate.

“Can I get it to go?” Murong Xun called out just as the chef turned to head back to the kitchen.

The chef turned, holding the plate in one hand, and pointed to the table with the other, shaking his head. It was clear he meant the food could only be eaten here.

Murong Xun nodded and didn’t press further.

After eating, he felt warmth suffuse his entire body, and his energy returned in abundance. He had fought several battles earlier; while none had been particularly intense, the cumulative exhaustion had been significant. Now, he could feel strength coursing through him anew.

He sensed a countdown within himself—most likely the timer for the temporary boost.

The chef showed no intention of collecting payment. Murong Xun checked his points card; the total remained at fifteen.

“Well, we’ll take our leave now,” he said directly.

Without waiting for a response, he glanced at the two women, got up, and left. The chef made no move to stop them as they reached the canteen entrance. After a few steps outside, Murong Xun looked back and saw the chef standing in the doorway, waving as if to say “Safe travels.” As he watched, the canteen doors closed tightly once more.

Faced with this bizarre scene, the three of them could only leave quickly, bewildered.

“Are there any campus legends here? Anything about the canteen?” Murong Xun asked once they’d put some distance between themselves and the building.

Xu Ying and Zhang Jiao exchanged glances—this was unprecedented. Murong Xun was asking them questions, and in a much friendlier tone than usual.

“There are plenty of campus legends, though who knows how many are true. But there is one about the canteen,” Zhang Jiao replied after a moment’s thought. She had heard of these stories because she liked Xu Dong and paid close attention to such things.

“They say the School of Literature has a midnight canteen. Every night at midnight, its doors open on their own. Sometimes, if a student goes in but doesn’t want to eat, they’ll be driven out. But if they’re willing to eat, they’ll be warmly welcomed.”

As she spoke, Zhang Jiao’s eyes widened. Wasn’t that exactly what had just happened to them? The chef’s cold indifference toward them stemmed from their reluctance to eat.

Murong Xun nodded for her to continue.

“Besides the canteen story, there’s the tale of Room 402 in the girls’ dorm, the so-called thirteenth step, howls under the full moon, and voices from the corners,” Xu Ying added, recounting the well-known rumors that circulated at their school.

Murong Xun nodded again, encouraging her to go on. Bolstered, Xu Ying began to elaborate.

“First, about Room 402 in the girls’ dorm. They say a senior died there, but nobody knows exactly how. Afterward, strange things kept happening. The girls who moved in all ended up meeting with misfortune. It got so bad that the school even swapped the boys’ and girls’ dorms, making the boys move into the former girls’ rooms. But everyone who stayed in 402 had something happen to them. Eventually, the entire fourth floor was sealed off.”

She recounted the widely-circulated rumor in one breath, then looked at Murong Xun in confusion. In the dim night, his face was indistinct, but she could tell he was deep in thought.

Murong Xun was indeed lost in thought. He had a sense that the odd happenings at the school were somehow linked to these tales—these rumors might not be without cause.

But with so little information, it was impossible to find solid leads.

“There’s also a legend about a building on campus. On its fourth floor, there’s an invisible step, only a few people can reach it. That’s the so-called thirteenth step.”

“It originally only had twelve steps?” Murong Xun asked.

“That’s right,” Xu Ying nodded. “I heard a few students once played a game there, answering questions as they climbed. If they answered correctly, they moved up a step; if not, they stayed put. One boy made it to the eleventh step. The twelfth should have been the top landing, but he answered correctly again and, following the rules, leaped two steps. When he did, he vanished completely—supposedly entering the fabled thirteenth step.”

At this point, Xu Ying shuddered. She had always assumed these campus ghost stories were just tall tales to scare people. She’d even tried the thirteenth step herself, but only ever made it to the twelfth. There was no thirteenth step, which made her all the more skeptical. But after what happened tonight, she was filled with dread. Perhaps, after all, some legends were true.

After all, the midnight canteen had appeared right before their eyes.

Murong Xun didn’t ask further about the other two mysteries. His purpose in asking had only been to confirm some suspicions, and by now he had heard enough.

Looking at the second main quest in his task list, Murong Xun felt as if he’d fallen into a trap of his own thinking. The quest was to escape the ghostly realm, so he had assumed from the start that where he was now must be that realm. But who was to say he was already at the destination for his mission? The place where the ghost bus had originally taken them might have been the real ghostly realm, but after taking the rail train, who could say they hadn’t ended up somewhere else entirely? This school was making him reconsider everything.