That place? What is she talking about…
Li Kaiqi didn’t quite understand what “that place” Lin Xue’er referred to, but she felt this could be an opportunity. If she could grasp some weakness of her opponent, she might be able to put an end to her spying activities.
So, the moment the Dormitory door was closed, she hurriedly rolled out from under the bed. After waiting a little while, she quietly followed Lin Xue’er out of the Dormitory.
She kept trailing at a certain distance behind Lin Xue’er, passing through the Dormitory area, the Library, and finally arriving at a grove enclosed by an Iron Fence.
“The place I mentioned is the Back Mountain.”
Li Siqi frowned. For personal reasons, she had learned quite a bit about this School she attended. Among these things, one was the road ahead, leading to the Back Mountain, now blocked off.
Before the School Reconstruction, there had been a documented Rumor—that deep within the great mountain on the edge of the School, something beyond human understanding existed—what was called a Spirit.
It was said that on the night of a full moon, the Spirit would dance joyously in the mountain. If one could sneak up on it, they could make a Wish to it. After a certain Test, if successful, the Spirit would grant the Wish.
However, how could such a fairy tale-like Rumor be true? Yet, there would always be some who, driven by curiosity, would seek to uncover the truth.
So, after the School Reconstruction, a few students found the recorded Rumor about the Spirit and, following the legend, entered the Back Mountain on the night of a full moon to look for it.
As expected, things went wrong.
The girls who went searching for the Spirit lost their way in the mountain. Some fell to their deaths among the cliffs, others died of starvation or dehydration after days without food or water, and those who survived were all left mentally broken.
To prevent this from happening again, the School issued a Prohibition Order forbidding any student from going to the Back Mountain and set up the Prohibition Line with a guard to stop anyone from entering.
Incidentally, among the girls who survived, some babbled about meeting a man-eating Monster. The story spread and, by the time it reached outside the School, it became a tale of something sinister that once haunted the campus, claiming many lives.
Because of all this, Li Siqi hesitated when she saw Lin Xue’er quietly slip past a corner of the Iron Fence and cross the Prohibition Line towards the Back Mountain. After a moment’s hesitation, she still chose to follow.
Her hesitation wasn’t because people had died on the mountain, but because she couldn’t figure out why Lin Xue’er would come to such a place.
“Forget it, there’s no point thinking so much right now. As long as I keep following her, I’ll find out sooner or later.”
Focusing her attention, Li Siqi matched Lin Xue’er’s pace, following the stone steps up the mountain.
Because the mountain path was rarely trodden, moss covered the stone stairs, and weeds had grown in the cracks formed by years of neglect.
The stairs zigzagged irregularly along the mountainside, and without any safety measures like handrails, this section of the climb felt especially perilous.
However, this situation didn’t last long. After about ten minutes, the stone steps began to curve into the depths of the mountain, lessening the dizzying feeling of being suspended high above.
But as she went deeper into the forest, the surrounding trees grew denser and more lush than she expected.
On this overcast day with no sunlight, the mountain wind whispered through the woods, making the leaves rustle eerily and lending a strange and unsettling air to the surroundings.
Suddenly, a branch snapped with a crisp, loud crack. Li Siqi immediately ducked behind a large tree, staying perfectly still.
Because she had just accidentally stepped on a branch buried on the path, she was worried she might be discovered and quickly hid.
But Lin Xue’er, walking ahead, didn’t even turn her head, as if she hadn’t heard a thing. By the time Li Siqi dared peek out, Lin Xue’er was already about to disappear from her sight.
Seeing this, Li Siqi let out a breath and hurried to catch up.
But for some reason, no matter how she tried to run and close the distance, it seemed impossible to get any closer to Lin Xue’er’s figure. In fact, as she chased, she realized Lin Xue’er had vanished entirely.
“Damn it… If I’d known, I’d have run faster.”
She thought about just giving up since she’d already lost her. But just as she was about to turn back, Li Siqi discovered a serious problem—she couldn’t find her way back.
“No wonder those who came looking for the Spirit in the Rumor nearly never made it out. The environment here really makes it impossible to get your bearings…”
Even though the situation was far from ideal, Li Siqi didn’t panic.
She took out her Mobile Phone, but the screen showed no signal.
However, she didn’t seem surprised by this, her expression calm and unconcerned. At the same time, she opened a piece of Software called Compass and started pondering which direction to take.
“Oh right! I think I have a photo of the School’s Campus Map.”
She switched to her photo album and found a picture of the Notice Board, then zoomed in on the School’s Campus Map posted on the Notice Board.
After enlarging the image, she found the route she had entered from on the Campus Map, then compared the map’s east, south, west, and north to decide which direction to take from here.
“Tsk, after following her for so long, I actually lost her in the end. But since the one who tried to set me up was her, I won’t give her another chance to mess with me.”
Li Siqi snorted softly, then a faintly mocking smile appeared on her face. She seemed completely unfazed by the potential danger, not feeling uneasy, afraid, or even anxious.
Facing this situation so calmly, it was hard not to wonder what kind of experiences she had gone through to possess such psychological resilience beyond the average person.
However, just when Li Siqi thought she would have to return empty-handed, guided by the Compass, she unexpectedly caught sight of the person she’d been following.
“Looks like my luck’s not bad!”
Li Siqi thought her good fortune had allowed her to spot Lin Xue’er on the way out. What she didn’t know was that, at the moment she arrived, the figure standing ahead, back turned toward her, had a faint, meaningful smile on her lips.
Sure enough, as Li Siqi tried to approach, the other person spoke without even turning around.
“You’re so slow. I’ve been waiting for you forever.”
Hearing this, Li Siqi froze, staring in disbelief at the figure within her line of sight.
“You… You led me here on purpose?”
“If not, what did you think? Did you really think the person you’ve been tailing for days without result would suddenly give you such a perfect opportunity? Naive.”