Chapter 33: A Single Bowl Capable of Containing Heaven and Earth

I was somewhat startled and froze in place.

I asked, "What do you mean?"

Liu Sui glanced at me twice, his face returning to its usual expression. He shook his head and said, "I’m not talking to you."

That made me feel even more uneasy. If he wasn’t speaking to me, then who was he talking to? I looked behind and to either side of me—there was no one else around.

Just as I was puzzled, Liu Sui picked up the bowl again and walked forward. I followed him, bewildered, feeling a chill down my spine.

Before long, we arrived at our dormitory. I pushed open the door to find Li Xiang and Hutou playing boisterously. The moment they saw Liu Sui, they immediately stopped and started cursing him, pointing at him. "So, you mute janitor, you actually dare to come to our dorm?"

Li Xiang was on the phone, but he tossed it aside, jumped off the bed in just his shorts, and started hitting Liu Sui. Liu Sui simply reached out and grabbed Li Xiang’s arm, causing Li Xiang to scream like a pig being slaughtered. This frightened Hutou, who had been preparing to get down from the bed; he quickly covered himself with the blanket and stayed on the bed.

I said to Li Xiang, "This isn’t your business. I asked him to come here. You go back to sleep."

Liu Sui released Li Xiang’s arm, and Li Xiang scrambled back onto the bed as if fleeing for his life, covering his head with the blanket and not daring to peek out again.

As for me, my awe for Liu Sui deepened—not just awe but genuine fear. I moved aside to keep my distance from him.

After entering the dorm, Liu Sui no longer paid me any attention. He deliberately walked to my bed and lay down. This changed my impression of him once again; it seemed this guy wasn’t just cold, but also shameless.

The two of us didn’t speak another word. I went over to Hutou’s bed, sat down quietly, and waited.

Time slowly crept toward midnight, and Liu Sui remained motionless, lying on my bed. Around 11:50 p.m., he got up and took out three incense sticks, lighting them.

I asked in confusion, "I thought you came to catch ghosts. Why burn incense?"

Liu Sui glanced at me. "These aren’t ordinary incense sticks. They contain a small amount of rhinoceros horn."

I asked what effect that had. He replied, "Ancient texts say that burning rhinoceros horn and sandalwood incense can reveal ghosts. Just watch."

At that moment, the dorm lights suddenly went out—it was lights-out time—and the room plunged into complete darkness. The clock had just struck midnight.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept through the dorm, chilling as if it came straight from a freezer, causing me to shiver involuntarily.

Then, the bathroom door creaked open. Someone emerged from inside. I shrank back, fearful, pulling closer to the bed. I remembered what happened last night: someone came out of the bathroom then too—and slept next to me. Could it be I wasn’t dreaming?

At that moment, Liu Sui finally rose from the bed. Holding his bowl, he said to the figure coming out of the bathroom, "Your mortal body is gone; why cling to this world? It’s truly distressing."

Suddenly, Liu Sui flung the bowl toward the person. The figure shrank instantly and was trapped beneath the bowl.

I was amazed, my heart pounding with excitement.

But before I could celebrate, another gust of cold wind swept through the room. I heard a noise beneath the bed and looked down. Crawling out was a person, face pale and covered in blood, limbs stiff.

I quickly covered my mouth, almost screaming. In that instant, I recognized him—it was Ren Yunwen, who was already dead. His manner of appearance was utterly eerie.

Liu Sui then turned and threw his bowl again, trapping Ren Yunwen beneath it.

"We don’t know each other. Why do you persist in harassing me?" Almost simultaneously, a cold, tone-deaf female voice came from near the dorm entrance as a fierce wind whipped up, sounding like a tornado.

I turned sharply. At the doorway stood a woman, motionless. Her hair hung down, covering her entire face, and her hands hung quietly by her sides.

I was both terrified and shocked. How many ghosts were in our dorm?

Liu Sui turned to face the ghost at the door and said coldly, "Are you the phone ghost? I don’t think your powers are very strong."

The ghost suddenly lifted her head, her face veined with red blood vessels, eyes rolling back, skin deathly pale and horrifying.

"We each mind our own business. You go your way, I’ll go mine. Why interfere? It’s pointless," the ghost spoke again with that sharp, icy, flat voice. Just hearing it made my hair stand on end.

Liu Sui remained unfazed and snorted coldly. He stepped forward and again threw his bowl at the ghost. Seeing Liu Sui act, I breathed a sigh of relief.

But unexpectedly, just as the bowl neared the door, the ghost vanished into thin air. At the same time, the wind inside the dorm grew even fiercer.

Liu Sui picked up the bowl and sneered, "I told you your powers were weak, but you didn’t believe me."

Then he bit his finger and swiftly drew symbols inside the bowl. Soon, a green flame flickered within it. Liu Sui’s lips moved rapidly, as if chanting something.

He threw the bowl again, and a piercing scream echoed through the dorm.

When the bowl hit the ground, the wind had ceased. Liu Sui switched on the desk lamp, his forehead drenched in sweat.

"Is it over?" I asked, doubtful.

He nodded, then shook his head. "The phone ghost is caught, but things aren’t finished."

"Why?" I asked.

Liu Sui’s face grew serious. "This is far more complicated than you think. This school isn’t as simple as you imagine."

He spoke earnestly, not joking.

I looked at his profile, puzzled. "Is there something wrong with this school?"

Liu Sui turned to me with icy eyes. "And you—you have problems too."

With that, he stood and left the dorm.