"Take off your pants, and I'll tell you."
The atmosphere turned awkward the moment Jiang Xiuxiu said this.
A mysterious silence swept over the academy, and the entire environment fell into an eerie hush.
Jiang Xiuxiu touched the cat ears and tail in her pocket, looking confused as she raised her head, only to
see Xu Bai's face dark and brooding as he stared at her.
Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”
Wait a minute, what she said did sound a bit weird.
"Are you humiliating me, Teacher Jiang?"
The boss squinted his eyes, tilted his head, and a cold smirk formed at the corner of his mouth as he
listened to her words.
His tone was calm, but the emphasis on "Teacher Jiang" sent a chill down Jiang Xiuxiu's spine, causing her
to shiver. Her confidence that she had barely managed to muster instantly vanished.
Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”
Is this the legendary “handsome for only three seconds”?
But she didn't mean to humiliate him at all!
And she wasn’t some pervert who liked to look at men's lower parts!
Understanding the situation, Jiang Xiuxiu quickly took out the cat ear headband and cat tail underwear from
her pocket.
In front of the boss, she unfolded them one by one, letting them flutter in the wind.
After doing this, Jiang Xiuxiu clearly sensed that Xu Bai’s body stiffened.
"I really don’t mean to humiliate you," seizing the opportunity, Jiang Xiuxiu quickly opened her mouth to
explain herself sincerely, "I just purely wanted you to take off your pants."
And then, put on this pair of underwear with the fluffy long tail.
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't say this out loud, but she believed Xu Bai should understand.
Xu Bai: “...”
Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”
No, wait, this sounds even worse!
Noticing something was wrong, Jiang Xiuxiu’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly looked up at Xu Bai.
In the dim light, the young man was staring intently at the lingerie in her hand.
Instead of the anger or embarrassment she expected, his dark eyes were filled with confusion and interest.
As if he was very curious about the lingerie.
Even more terrifying, Jiang Xiuxiu noticed that Xu Bai's earlobes had a faint red tint, which stood out
against his pale skin.
It was clear that Jiang Xiuxiu had accidentally indicated to the boss that she wasn't insulting him but
teasing him.
Not just teasing, she had also expressed her desire for his body.
Not only desire, but also a kind of perverted desire.
For a moment, Jiang Xiuxiu couldn’t tell which behavior was more acceptable.
"I don't think I've seen this kind of thing before."
While Jiang Xiuxiu was wavering, the boss finally spoke.
As he spoke, he reached out and took the lingerie from Jiang Xiuxiu's hand.
He blinked and touched the fluffy cat ears and the long tail with interest.
Seeing Jiang Xiuxiu’s dumbfounded expression, he tilted his head and shook the cat ears in his hand at her.
"The craftsmanship is pretty good, it feels quite realistic." The boss said with slight surprise.
Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”
She had already thought of her seven ways to die, yet Xu Bai wasn’t angry?
"Is this a gift you prepared for me?"
Seeing Jiang Xiuxiu remain silent, Xu Bai suddenly looked at her and asked.
Hearing this, Jiang Xiuxiu immediately nodded, then shook her head, "This...this is for you, but it's very
important to me."
Although the clothes were basically prepared for the boss, what if he took the lingerie and didn’t wear it?
Jiang Xiuxiu thought for a moment and decided it would be better not to give it away yet, to be on the safe
side.
After saying this, she cautiously looked at Xu Bai with a mixture of shock and a bit of expectation.
Since Xu Bai was so curious about this lingerie, maybe, possibly, he might unzip his pants and put it on
now?
However, what Jiang Xiuxiu didn’t expect was that after hearing her words, Xu Bai looked at her for a long
time, and then a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
"So, you prepared it for me. You are quite bold."
"Wait a minute!"
Seeing Xu Bai’s smile, Jiang Xiuxiu suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
However, before Jiang Xiuxiu could finish speaking, Xu Bai moved.
He moved so quickly that someone like Jiang Xiuxiu, with poor physical fitness, couldn’t defend herself.
In almost an instant, he appeared in front of her.
The next second, Jiang Xiuxiu felt a hand tightly clasping her neck.
Unlike the previous light touches that were only meant to threaten or warn her, this time, Jiang Xiuxiu
could clearly feel Xu Bai’s great strength.
Her breathing quickly became labored, her throat being squeezed tightly. Even though her pain tolerance was
only 10, this inability to breathe, as if something was violently blocking her airways, made Jiang Xiuxiu
feel very uncomfortable.
Death is a painful and slow process, a process that cannot be completely avoided just by lowering the pain
level.
It was only at this moment, when she personally experienced this deadly harm, that Jiang Xiuxiu realized
this.
Now, Jiang Xiuxiu clearly understood that Xu Bai was truly angry with her.
He wanted to kill her.
"Very well, Jiang Xiuxiu, you are the only one who dares to treat me like this."
Xu Bai still wore that innocent smile, which, combined with his face, looked pure and harmless.
But in his deep black eyes, there was only cold and sinister malice.
His tone was gentle and cheerful, making his actions even more brutal. "Thank you for your gift, and
congratulations, you’ve successfully made me remember you."
Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”
Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”
Wait, wasn’t he happy just a moment ago when he was holding that lingerie?
Is this how perverts think?
This is simply beyond the comprehension of a normal person like her.
Looking at Xu Bai’s face, Jiang Xiuxiu was utterly despairing and gave up struggling.
Whatever, Xu Bai could do whatever he wanted.
After logging out of the game, she could still happily play mobile games.
Thinking of this, she tilted her head and cooperatively closed her eyes.
In fact, when she decided to meet Xu Bai, or rather when she decided to take revenge, Jiang Xiuxiu was
prepared to die at the boss's hands.
But she was quite open-minded about it, knowing this was just a game, and dying wouldn’t affect anything.
She was still here, doing all this, just to vent her anger.
As for taking off pants, she wasn’t intentionally causing trouble, she simply wanted to test if Xu Bai could
really endure humiliation for the sake of the Blood Jade and put on the cat tail underwear.
She could see that the Blood Jade was very important to Xu Bai.
What if Xu Bai could endure it? Then she would have five million.
But it seemed that Xu Bai had more dignity than she had imagined.
Just as Jiang Xiuxiu closed her eyes, lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt the pressure on her throat
disappear.
The force gripping her neck was gone in an instant, and Jiang Xiuxiu, caught off guard, sat on the ground,
clutching her throat and coughing uncontrollably.
But why?
The boss didn’t kill her, he actually held back?
As Jiang Xiuxiu pondered in confusion, she forced herself to suppress the pain and itching in her throat.
Above her head, Xu Bai’s slow voice could be heard.
"Tell me, what do you really want?"
His voice was slightly hoarse, sounding calm, but the slight tremor in his tone betrayed his inner turmoil.
On the other end, hearing the question, Jiang Xiuxiu blinked in confusion.
What does she want?
Why was the boss asking this?
And hadn’t she already told him what she wanted?
She was still clutching the poor cat tail.
Thinking it over, Jiang Xiuxiu firmly replied, "I’ve already told you what I want, it’s this."
"No different conditions?" Xu Bai squinted his eyes.
"No different conditions," Jiang Xiuxiu confirmed.
She didn’t have any other goals, if she couldn’t clear the level, what was the point of agreeing to anything
else?
Besides, now only she knew the whereabouts of the Blood Jade. She was in an advantageous position and felt
confident.
Even now, she understood that she was spared because she knew where the Blood Jade was.
She wouldn't reveal this ultimate card unless absolutely necessary.
After hearing Jiang Xiuxiu's reply, Xu Bai fell into silence.
His fingers gripped the iron bars of the school gate, and he looked at Jiang Xiuxiu with thoughtful eyes.
Brave, not greedy for power or money, not afraid of pain, and truly not afraid of death—this person was
completely resistant to any pressure.
But she held the key information.
"This lingerie is indeed interesting, but I can’t agree with your taste," he finally said after a while.
"It’s impossible for me to wear such clothes."
Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”
What do you mean by her taste? This was clearly the game's absurd setup!
It was normal that Xu Bai wouldn't agree to this. Jiang Xiuxiu wasn’t too surprised and nodded.
Indeed, even perverts, if they had no special kinks, wouldn't want to wear such clothes.
But to her surprise, after saying this, Xu Bai still looked at her.
"The Blood Jade is very important to me," he said slowly.
Only after the intense confrontation did Jiang Xiuxiu realize that Xu Bai had already exceeded his usual
appearance time.
Not just exceeded—it had been roughly twenty minutes, far longer than the usual five minutes.
Could it be that the boss's abilities are gradually increasing?
Jiang Xiuxiu was slightly stunned and felt something was off.
However, the image of Xu Bai's departing gaze lingered in her mind. She had expected it to be vicious,
sinister, and terrifying.
Contrary to her expectations, that gaze, though complex, was the most gentle and harmless look she had ever
seen from Xu Bai.
It dawned on Jiang Xiuxiu that Xu Bai, as a game boss, might be more intelligent and human-like than she had
imagined.
Perhaps, just as Xu Bai had not fully understood her, she also lacked a complete understanding of the real
Xu Bai.
But from the moment Jiang Xiuxiu turned the tables on Xu Bai, she suspected that in his eyes, she was no
longer just a pawn. He would now regard her as an equal, rather than as a mere tool.
Yet, Jiang Xiuxiu could never have anticipated that her initial desire for a slight revenge would, like an
indelible brand, leave such a deep and unforgettable impression on Xu Bai.
Conversely, Xu Bai could never have imagined that everything he was enduring was merely because of fifteen
thousand yuan.
After parting ways with Xu Bai, Jiang Xiuxiu naturally returned to her apartment. After washing up, she lay
on her bed, staring out the window.
She had survived the ghost attack period while confronting Xu Bai earlier. With no ghostly interference, she
could rest in her apartment without worries.
Despite her advantage due to knowing the correct location of the Blood Jade, Jiang Xiuxiu was quite
perplexed.
With her "great vengeance" settled, what should she do next?
Initially, she had counted on Xu Bai killing her in anger, but he turned out to be more rational than she
had anticipated. With her life spared, what should her next steps be?
Should she continue trying to get herself eliminated and happily exit the game as planned, or should she
leverage her rare advantage to attempt to clear the game?
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't know which to choose.
Especially since Xu Bai seemed unwilling to wear the cat tail underwear, it was likely that he would start
retaliating against her tomorrow.
She spread her limbs out and stared at the ceiling light.
In the silence, she suddenly recalled a comment made by Shu Xin in the rest area earlier:
"Anyone who understands the forum knows that the difficulty of tasks is the same for everyone in the game.
The game never sets tasks that players can't complete."
The game never sets tasks that players can't complete.
So, she still had a chance, right?
Should she give it another try?
Jiang Xiuxiu looked at her hands.
Unlike when she first entered the game, she now knew about 80% of the secrets of Cihe Academy.
She had a certain confidence in clearing the game.
So, which path should she choose?
Although Jiang Xiuxiu didn't give herself a direct answer, she knew that her heart had already made the
decision.
She felt an eagerness to stay and clear the game, rather than leave it behind.
She didn't want to waste such a good position.
Besides, as she thought when she entered the game, she wouldn't lose anything anyway.
Jiang Xiuxiu finally convinced herself in her heart.
Having made her final decision, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
There were only two days left until the game's final deadline of August 13th. She needed to rest and
recharge to clear the game within this short period.
She slept without dreams.
The next morning, despite feeling a bit sleepy, Jiang Xiuxiu got out of bed and went to the dining hall.
To her surprise, the last remaining male player had not been eliminated yet.
He had survived to the fifth day, but his mental state was deteriorating.
Jiang Xiuxiu could clearly see the fear and anxiety beneath his forced smile, as well as his reluctance and
dread towards the game.
Today was his turn to attend class, she recalled.
Upon seeing Jiang Xiuxiu, the male player smiled in delight.
"So you're still here," he said. "Do you think all these murders in the academy were really caused by the
vengeful spirit of that dead girl?"
From his question, Jiang Xiuxiu realized that his understanding of Cihe Academy was only superficial.
He might not have discovered anything, just like her initially, surviving through various means.
"Probably not," Jiang Xiuxiu hesitated before revealing a bit of information. "Rumors are just rumors. The
truth might be quite different."
"Not really?" the male player murmured, staring into the distance in confusion.
After a while, he lowered his head. "I'm about to go to class soon. I might not survive. If you have any
questions, you can find me in the rest area."
As he spoke, he forced a smile. "If I remember correctly, you seemed a bit interested in demons, right?"
Jiang Xiuxiu was momentarily stunned.
After two seconds, she smiled back. "Sure."
She had almost forgotten that there were many ordinary players in this game.
For them, information and intelligence didn't necessarily have to be exchanged for money or benefits.
After a bit more conversation, they parted ways.
Jiang Xiuxiu then went to the teachers' office to listen to gossip and news.
To her surprise, only two out of the usual five or six NPC teachers remained the next morning.
"They took leave and went home," one remaining teacher said with a bitter smile. "The academy has been quite
turbulent recently with too many incidents."
In the 80s, even two or three student suicides could drastically reduce enrollment in a public school, let
alone Cihe Academy with its "special" nature.
If the murders continued, those on leave probably wouldn't return.
Jiang Xiuxiu asked sharply, "What happened?"
"The dean died," the teacher replied. "She died last night, along with her husband. It seems the vengeful
spirit won't spare any informants."
The dean died?
Jiang Xiuxiu bit her lip.
Something was wrong. She shouldn't have died. The dean had assured her there was no issue with the Blood
Jade.
Jiang Xiuxiu recalled her conversation with the dean.
It hadn't been long, as the dean had little to reveal, and she didn't seem eager to share the truth.
The dean had viewed Jiang Xiuxiu as just a curious teacher who stumbled upon the Blood Jade.
Facing Jiang Xiuxiu's persistent questions, the dean had firmly stated, "It's just a stone. How could there
be a stone that can bewitch people?"
"So why did it end up with Mr. Wang, the principal, and you?" Jiang Xiuxiu pressed. "What is its purpose?
Can you tell me?"
Under pressure, or perhaps wanting to confide, the dean had reluctantly nodded.
"You should know the academy's origin," she said. "This jade appeared ten years ago, causing a massacre and
panic. A wealthy sponsor invited a master who buried it again and adjusted the academy's feng shui to calm
things down."
The dean had shown Jiang Xiuxiu the jade. Jiang Xiuxiu had previously only seen it as a rough, irregular
stone.
But upon closer inspection, she noticed it had carved, rune-like patterns.
"Before the master left, he told me and the principal that the jade was not the cause of the chaos but had a
righteous power to drive away evil. It was buried to seal something," the dean said. "If it reappears, it
must be wrapped in a special talisman and reburied."
The master's talismans were pasted around the academy to block the jade's aura.
Jiang Xiuxiu had wrapped the real jade tightly in one of these talismans and kept it with her.
So, when she met Xu Bai at midnight, she had both the real and fake jade. The real one was wrapped and
unnoticed by Xu Bai.
The most dangerous place was the safest. Xu Bai had never suspected she carried the real jade.
Thinking back, Jiang Xiuxiu realized the dean's words had significant hints.
"The jade is not the cause of the chaos; it has a righteous power to drive away evil."
"It was buried to seal something."
And the other players' ramblings about demons seemed related.
"The demon will come out. That's the demon."
"Don't let the demon escape. They excel at deception and temptation."
"Demon" or "devil" had frequently appeared in Jiang Xiuxiu's mind.
Players haunted by ghosts mentioned it, Li Xiaoxiao said it before her death, and Mr. Wang screamed "demon"
while attacking her and Xu Bai.
The more frequent it appeared, the more easily it was ignored.
Now, Jiang Xiuxiu couldn't overlook any detail.
Considering Xu Bai's behavior—his desire to destroy the jade, his violence, and the increased time he spent
confronting her—she began to suspect.
His power was growing.
A suspicion formed in Jiang Xiuxiu's mind, prompting her to stand up.
Without hesitation, she headed to the rest area.
A class period lasted 40 minutes. The male player should have finished his first class by now.
When Jiang Xiuxiu reached the rest area, she found the male player on the sofa, muttering incoherently.
Seeing her, he slowly looked up.
Jiang Xiuxiu saw he retained some sanity and approached him.
"What did you see?" she asked directly.
"I saw the demon," he said dreamily. "It's here. It wants to kill us."
"What is the demon doing now?" Jiang Xiuxiu pressed. "Why hasn't it killed us yet? Do you know?"
"Something is stopping it," the male player said haltingly. "It's getting closer. The shadow is getting
closer."
Jiang Xiuxiu stared at him, then asked her final question.
"Where is it? Do you know? Its true form, not its shadow."
"I know," he said. "Its body is buried underground."
Jiang Xiuxiu closed her eyes.
The truth was evident.
Xu Bai was the "demon," the true cause of the academy's tragedies.
Long ago, he was sealed underground by three Blood Jades. After sensing war and blood, he began to awaken.
His five-minute appearance limit was due to the seal. He had been influencing people to free him.
He wanted to return to the surface, using his power to influence the surroundings, hoping someone would
remove the jade.
When he told her his birthday was August 13, it was the day a child unearthed the jade, loosening the seal.
But he was inherently violent, his emergence meant death.
Soon after, the child's father went mad and killed his family, attracting attention.
A master assessed the situation, suggesting a special academy be built to suppress the evil and reburied the
jade.
Xu Bai was re-sealed for ten years.
Jiang Xiuxiu realized that Li Xiaoxiao must have been influenced by Xu Bai, her mind weakened by despair and
abandonment.
Using Li Xiaoxiao, Xu Bai influenced Mr. Wang to unearth the jade again.
The ten-year seal was broken.
Jiang Xiuxiu had sensed something was amiss, things happened too quickly and conveniently.
Xu Bai's mention of August 13 led to discovering the Blood Jade.
She then found it with Mr. Wang, who went mad.
Xu Bai saved her, claiming the jade caused the deaths and must be destroyed.
It wasn't just coincidence; it was a meticulously planned scheme.
She was Xu Bai's chosen pawn, spared initially due to a misunderstanding from her love letter.
After repeated tests, Xu Bai fully trusted her.
She seemed weak and controllable.
Xu Bai deceived her, claiming the jade was the cause, then killed those who handled it to strengthen the
lie.
He orchestrated the principal's suicide, then the dean's death.
He even spread the "vengeful spirit" rumor to cover up the "jade" lie.
Under such protection, no one could guess the true nature of the situation.
Even Jiang Xiuxiu, aware of the "truth," felt superior and dismissed the rumors, reinforcing her belief in
the jade's problem.
It was a brilliant strategy.
Twenty years ago, Xu Bai must have used similar tactics to destroy the jades and escape.
With two days left in the game, the deadline likely marked Xu Bai's escape date.
The players' goal was to seal him again.
Realizing this, Jiang Xiuxiu felt fortunate she kept the real jade instead of giving it to the dean.
She had to protect it while preventing Xu Bai from retrieving the other two jades.
She remembered Xu Bai's words in the teachers' office.
"There are two more jades in the school, one in the sealed classroom where we first met, and one protected
by the ghosts."
She needed to act now.
Jiang Xiuxiu stood up and headed to the rest area.
But she hadn't taken two steps when she heard the male player's anguished cries.
"Help me! Kill me!"
Turning back, she saw him clutching his head in agony, pleading.
His eyes, wide with terror, and trembling body showed his desperation for release.
Jiang Xiuxiu sighed, took out the small knife she had stolen from the kitchen, and stabbed it into his
heart.
With a dull thud, blood flowed down the blade.
The smell of blood filled the rest area.
She watched him die, then pulled out the knife and walked away.
Now, she was the last player left.
The real battle between her and Xu Bai had just begun.