Chapter 53: Enlightenment, the Face of Late-Blooming Greatness
Fine, slender crow’s-feet branched at the corners of his eyes; a distinct cross-shaped wrinkle had appeared at the outer eye corner. His lower eyelids were sunken, the bridge of his nose broken, brows short and tightly knit. Red veins ran through his eyes, and his expression was bleak and despondent.
It was the physiognomy of someone prone to taking his own life.
After a brief hesitation, Su Keke walked toward him.
“Sir, you look like you’re not feeling very well. Would you like to find a place to rest for a bit?”
Hearing a voice suddenly address him, the man froze for a moment before realizing she was speaking to him.
He looked up at the girl, surprised.
People were coming and going here; no one ever stopped for a stranger. Just moments ago, he had fallen into a strange state, as if he were the only person left in the world—or rather, as if the world had abandoned him.
He felt insignificant, like an ant. No one cared whether an ant lived or died.
The feeling was awful. A sudden urge rose in him—to simply leave this world altogether.
“You’re carrying a backpack—are you going to school? Hurry along, don’t be late.” The man didn’t answer her question.
“Sir, studying is just my side job. Do you know what my main job is?” Su Keke smiled at him and asked.
“What is it?” The man didn’t really feel like talking, but he sensed the goodwill emanating from the girl. He had received far too many cold stares and malice lately; this sudden kindness made him grateful.
The girl’s voice was crisp and bright as she laughed. “My main job is being a feng shui master. Sir, from your physiognomy, you have the look of someone who achieves greatness late in life. The setbacks and hardships you faced in your early years are merely stepping stones on the road to success. You must hold on and get through this.”
The man froze slightly, murmuring the words “late-blooming greatness.”
Then he let out a miserable smile. “Is that so? I’m almost forty and still have nothing. My wife betrayed me and ran off with another man. My company went bankrupt, I’m buried in debt, and my mother—my mother couldn’t catch her breath from the anger and was literally angered to death.”
He laughed bitterly. “So tell me—how late is ‘late’?”
The person next to him happened to get up and leave, so Su Keke sat down beside him.
“Does how late really matter, sir?” she asked. “When Liu Bang gathered troops to rebel, he was nearly fifty. Fifty back then—over two thousand years ago—is equivalent to seventy today. Yet he went from a minor county official to the supreme leader of a nation.
“And there’s Jiang Taigong. When he was young, his family was poor; he slaughtered cattle and sold meat. It wasn’t until he was nearly eighty that he finally realized his ambitions, met King Wen of Zhou, and was later revered by King Wu of Zhou as the State Preceptor. There are many people like them. When they were young, how could they have known what opportunities and achievements awaited them later? Yet they persevered. So, sir, believe me—you can do it too. I have a feeling your opportunity is coming very soon.”
The man’s expression shifted. The gloom in his eyes slowly faded as a ray of light broke through the clouds.
He suddenly laughed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t give up so easily.”
At the very least, he would make that adulterous pair pay the price they deserved!
Hearing the sound of the subway pulling in, Su Keke hurriedly stood up and waved to him. “Goodbye, sir! I’m going to school.”
“Goodbye, little girl.”
Before boarding, Su Keke glanced back once more. The man had already stood up and left.
She let out a soft breath.
Her master always said not to stop people who wanted to die—but when she truly encountered one, she couldn’t help wanting to lend a hand.
Besides, she hadn’t been making things up. That man really did have the look of late-blooming greatness. Once he got through this ordeal, he would prosper in the future.
Thinking that she had saved a life with just a few words made Su Keke feel incredibly proud. She couldn’t help humming a little tune on the subway.
Because of the delay, Su Keke arrived just as the class bell rang.
Students who entered right on the bell were rare to begin with, and since she was wearing casual clothes, she stood out even more.
Su Keke hurried back to her seat.
The uniforms at Yuehua Elite High School were custom-made by the school. It was said that when designing them, the administration had conducted surveys and sought students’ opinions.
White short-sleeved shirts all around, paired with sky-blue uniforms. Boys wore long tops and trousers—straight and neatly pressed, looking sharp and handsome. Girls wore blue uniform tops with light-blue plaid skirts, youthful and full of vitality.
They were very pretty, but Su Keke didn’t like them much. She felt the skirts were too short—above the knees—even though there were safety shorts underneath.
She was quite glad she didn’t have to wear one. Yet not long after that thought crossed her mind, the homeroom teacher informed her that her uniform was ready and told her to pick it up.
At noon, Su Keke changed into the uniform in the dormitory.
“Come on, Keke, spin around,” Qin Xing urged.
Su Keke obediently turned in a circle.
Qin Xing stared at her, clicking her tongue in admiration. “Keke, you’re amazing. Your face is so full and soft—you look cuddly—but how come once you put clothes on, you don’t look fat at all?”
Luo Man set down the book in her hands and smiled as she added, “Keke doesn’t lack flesh, it’s just that her frame is small. That’s a truly enviable figure—you can eat however you want and never get overly fat.”
“Exactly! Luo Man, look at Keke’s little waist and those smooth, straight pale legs. She’s not as tall as me, but her proportions are perfect—absolutely golden ratio.”
Su Keke tugged awkwardly at the hem of her skirt. “Isn’t this skirt a bit too short?”
Qin Xing immediately rolled her eyes. “Short? You must’ve never seen how short hot pants can be. In summer, which girl isn’t wearing a miniskirt and showing off her pale legs? Keke, you’re way too conservative.”
Su Keke’s face reddened as she muttered, “I’m just not used to it. A whole section of my thighs is exposed.” The skirts she usually wore all covered her knees.
Her shy reaction made the other two burst into laughter.
Suddenly remembering the curse, Qin Xing asked, “Keke, who do you think put that little paper doll there? What were they trying to do?”
Su Keke shook her head. “I don’t know either. Logically speaking, witchcraft curses are inherited techniques of the Gu-witch sect. They shouldn’t appear here.”
“Do you think the person who cast the curse is still in our school? If they are, that’s really creepy.”
Su Keke’s expression turned serious. “I broke the curse. The person who cast it would be able to sense that. If they’re still at the school, they might show up again.”
“Alright, let’s not talk about that for now. The curse is broken anyway—no matter who uses that desk in the future, nothing will happen. And that’s all thanks to our Master Su Keke!”
After flattering the “master,” Qin Xing coughed lightly and asked, “Keke, since you know all this stuff, have you ever seen those… um, unclean things?”
Su Keke tightened her little face and nodded.
Qin Xing’s face instantly paled. “Th-there really are such things?”
Luo Man’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she held back.
Su Keke began educating them: “There are many kinds of unclean things. Just among ghosts, there are wandering spirits, vengeful ghosts, charms, and so on. As for ‘living’ entities with physical bodies, there are zombies, corpse-people, and the like. Birds and beasts can take form as well—becoming demons or spirits. There are also many kinds of yin-sha. I’ve followed my master for so many years and have only encountered a portion of them.”
The two of them: …
