Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 29

“Sheng Baobao, you scare me!”

The moment Fang Xinxin hears Sheng Baobao’s voice, all the fear she has just felt turns into anger. She thinks everything that just happened is Baobao’s revenge. Enraged, she flings open the squat toilet door and storms out, puffing up like a disgruntled pufferfish, wishing she could explode in anger with Baobao.

“You—”

Just as Fang Xinxin is about to unleash a curse, she sees Baobao staring intently at the wall of the sink with a very serious expression.

“You—what are you looking at?” Fang Xinxin swallows nervously, feeling a creeping unease. “Are you trying to scare me again? I warn you, my cousin is a policeman, and my aunt works in the court. If you scare me like this again, I’ll have my cousin arrest you and let my aunt sentence you to jail.”

Perhaps because of the fear she just experienced, Princess Fang is unusually loud and chatty now. Her sharp voice and long-winded words give Sheng Baobao a headache.

“Shut up.” Baobao grabs her and pulls her behind her, as if trying to shield her from whatever is in front of them.

“What are you doing?” Fang Xinxin asks, grabbing Baobao’s slightly loose collar and swallowing hard.

Her racing thoughts finally start to slow down. Upon careful consideration, the possibility of Sheng Baobao being the one to scare her seems almost impossible. Despite how much she dislikes Baobao, Fang Xinxin knows that if she hadn’t provoked her so many times, Baobao wouldn’t have bothered confronting her, let alone scaring her in the middle of the night in the bathroom.

Moreover, when Fang Xinxin rushes out of the stall earlier, Baobao had been standing by the entrance, about seven or eight steps away from the squat toilet. The knocking sound has still been ringing in her ears just a second before, but Baobao’s voice had come from the direction of the door right afterward. Baobao isn’t some kind of superhero; she can’t possibly run to the door in an instant without making a sound.

In other words, the person who knocked on the door isn’t Baobao.

Fang Xinxin breaks out in a cold sweat, her legs trembling so much that she almost collapses onto the floor.

“Let’s get out of here. This place is… weird.”

Without Baobao holding her, Princess Fang clings to Baobao tightly, wrapping herself up like she’s trying to hide.

“Where did this come from?” Sheng Baobao’s gaze leaves the strange wall and immediately shifts to the bracelet on Fang Xinxin’s wrist. Without saying a word, she unties the bracelets, pulling the thin ropes apart with a swift motion.

The moment she touches them, an uneasy feeling washes over her. Baobao feels like she has encountered something similar before, but when and where, she can’t remember.

“What are you doing?!”

Though the bracelet is cheap, it’s still hers, and Sheng Baobao has destroyed it without asking, making Fang Xinxin angry.

However, seeing the serious expression on Baobao’s face, she suddenly realizes something. She holds back her anger and instead asks cautiously.

“I knew something was off about this rope. The old man who sold it to me in the afternoon was shady and looked miserable. How could I have bought such cheap stuff? He must have used some kind of evil magic to trick me into buying it.” Fang Xinxin says angrily, completely forgetting that she had been immediately tempted by the idea that these bracelets could ward off ghosts and evil spirits, buying every single one the old man had.

Baobao doesn’t respond. After destroying the bracelets, she turns her attention back to the wall of the washbasin. The thick, foul-smelling blood that had been seeping from the wall gradually disappears. What remains now is simply a wall with a faintly eerie aura.

“Is it… gone?”

Although Fang Xinxin is just an ordinary person, she can feel that the chilling sensation has subsided significantly after the bracelets are destroyed. She doesn’t dare say what’s really happening, only daring to ask quietly.

“Don’t come to the east bathroom at night. It’s better to take a flashlight and walk a few more steps.” Sheng Baobao breathes a sigh of relief, turns, and speaks seriously to Fang Xinxin.

There’s something wrong with this toilet, but Fang Xinxin can’t yet figure out what the problem is. Maybe it’s just like the rumors say—someone has died in the same place, leaving behind a vengeful aura. The bracelet on Fang Xinxin’s wrist had likely been the trigger, trying to awaken something dark.

“I won’t come here, even if you kill me! Let’s go, let’s go quickly!”

Fang Xinxin almost shakes her head like a rattle. She hugs Baobao’s arm tightly, wishing she could lean her whole body against her.

“Yeah.”

As they leave, Baobao turns her head and looks back at the washbasin wall one last time.

Just after they leave, a bracelet that Fang Xinxin has dropped earlier, accidentally, seeps slowly into the ground in the corner of the squat toilet, disappearing into the earth…

“What are you doing?!”

Fang Xinxin had thought Sheng Baobao would return to the dormitory with her, but instead, Baobao walks toward the west corridor without entering the dorm.

“What do you think I’m doing? Going to the toilet!” Baobao rolls her eyes helplessly. “You think I enjoy the smell of the toilet in the middle of the night?”

“Then, hurry up!” Fang Xinxin hesitates.

Reason tells her that it’s safe now, and she can return to the dorm on her own, but emotionally, she feels that this roommate—who never gives in to her—is more reliable.

“Okay, Princess!” Baobao feels that since dealing with Princess Fang, she has started rolling her eyes more often. It’s totally unladylike.

“Humph.” Fang Xinxin hums, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. So Baobao does recognize her nobility and beauty as a princess. Fine, she’ll let go of her previous criticisms of Baobao.

When Fang Xinxin returns to the dorm and lies back in her bed, the mat that has been scorched by the summer heat has already cooled. Sheng Baobao climbs into the upper bunk, covers her belly with a thin blanket, and prepares to fall asleep without a care.

Fang Xinxin, lying back in her own bed, can’t sleep. The summer towel blanket is too small—if she covers her upper body, her legs are exposed to the cold, and if she covers her feet, her neck feels chilled, as if something is blowing on her. Every time she opens her eyes, she imagines seeing a terrifying ghost face staring back at her.

Even though it’s summer, Fang Xinxin is sweating coldly from fear.

She can’t sleep anymore!

Feeling truly frightened, Princess Fang finally closes her eyes, drags the blanket with her, and gropes her way to the opposite side of the bed. She climbs the ladder with difficulty and squeezes into Baobao’s bed.

“You must have been scared just now. I’ll stay with you.”

At this point, Princess Fang remains stubborn, insisting that Baobao is the one scared, though in reality, it’s Fang Xinxin who has been frightened. Still, she claims she’s doing this out of kindness to keep Baobao company.

Poor Baobao, who has just started to fall asleep, is woken by her.

“Sleep inside.”

Reluctantly, Baobao agrees. She knows that if she refuses now, Princess Fang might cry.

Although Fang Xinxin is delicate, petty, and deep into her princess syndrome, she is still just a young girl on the verge of adulthood. At this moment, Baobao is willing to extend her a little help.

Baobao moves to the edge of the bed, knowing that if Fang Xinxin sleeps on the outside, she’ll probably still have wild thoughts, fearing that a ghostly hand might reach out from between the bed slats and grab her. In that case, she’ll never be able to sleep.

“Thank you.”

One side of Fang Xinxin is pressed against the solid wall, and on the other side, she feels Baobao’s soft, warm body. Princess Fang’s restless heart finally calms a little. She murmurs a quiet “thank you,” so soft it’s almost inaudible.

The next morning, when Xu Hanyan and Lin Lan see Fang Xinxin coming down from Baobao’s bed, they are both shocked.

In Lin Lan’s opinion, even if she saw a sow climbing a tree, it wouldn’t have been more surprising than seeing Fang Xinxin climb into Sheng Baobao’s bed. Princess Fang, with her proud demeanor, should have despised anyone who made her lose face.

By this time, Sheng Baobao has already gotten up and is not in the dormitory. Fang Xinxin breathes a sigh of relief. After last night, she isn’t sure what attitude she should adopt toward Sheng Baobao.

The little princess scratches her hair irritably and climbs down from Baobao’s bed, still clutching her towel blanket. It is then that she realizes how hastily she ran to Baobao’s bed last night—she hadn’t worn slippers and ran over barefoot.

The floor of the dormitory is relatively clean, but Fang Xinxin’s princess syndrome still kicks in, and she can’t help but feel that her feet are somehow filthy. Looking at Baobao’s clean checkered sheets, she feels a pang of guilt, as if she has dirtied someone else’s bed.

Forget it, it’s just a sheet. She’ll buy her a new one.

Fang Xinxin stands on the climbing frame and orders Xu Hanyan to bring her slippers.

“Xinxin, why are you…?” Xu Hanyan hands her the slippers, her tone cautious.

“What does it matter?” Princess Fang quickly interrupts her. “Give me the bracelet I gave you yesterday.”

Fang Xinxin remembers that she bought the bracelets yesterday and gave one to Xu Hanyan.

“Here, it’s here.” Xu Hanyan likes that bracelet a lot and always wears it on her wrist.

“Hmph.”

Fang Xinxin can now practically confirm that the bracelets are the cause of the trouble last night. She grabs the bracelet from Xu Hanyan’s hand and prepares to tear it apart like it’s a toy.

She tries once with force, but fails. She tries again with even more strength, but it still won’t break.

Fang Xinxin’s face turns pale with frustration. She walks to the drawer and grabs a pair of scissors, attempting to cut through the bracelet.

It is just an ordinary string, so thin, but even with the scissors, it isn’t until they are notched that the string finally snaps.

Her hands are already red from the sharp edges of the scissors.

Sheng Baobao seemed so casual when she broke the bracelets yesterday. Fang Xinxin now understands that the strength needed to break them is likely far greater than she realized. She guesses correctly—Sheng Baobao is no ordinary person.

“Xinxin!” Xu Hanyan’s cheeks flush with anger.

“Okay, this is clearly no good. Don’t you always like my golden carp bracelet? I’ll give you that one instead.” Fang Xinxin shoots her an annoyed look.

The golden carp bracelet is a delicate little gold bead shaped like a carp, about the size of a soybean, threaded onto a red rope bracelet. It is small and intricate, making it very popular with girls.

Xu Hanyan quickly grabs the bracelet that Fang Xinxin tosses to her, feeling both pleased and slightly embarrassed.

Though her family is better off than most, her father’s business has been struggling recently, and her sister is favored more than her while her brother is the apple of their parents’ eye. The resources Xu Hanyan has access to are limited.

The bracelet Fang Xinxin gives her feels almost like charity, something her parents would only buy for her on special occasions like her birthday or after she scores well on a major exam.

She has seen her parents flattering business partners to ensure good deals for so long that it has become clear to her—when it comes to benefits, dignity and face mean little.

Thinking about this, Xu Hanyan’s expression softens, and a brighter smile creeps onto her face.

“The little girl is quite capable.”

Jixing stands outside the dormitory building, his gaze fixed on the location of the women’s restroom on the east side of the third floor. A cold smile creeps across his face.

The ghost talisman he crafted using his own life force has been destroyed, and his battle with his junior apprentice has drained his vitality. It has taken him over ten years of recuperation to recover about 80% of his former strength.

Not only that, but to save his life, he reluctantly tears apart the beads, leaving only the largest central one. As a result, the power of his magical weapon has been significantly reduced.

Over the years, Jixing has been searching for the person who ruined his plans.

It is no secret that a girl’s body was unearthed when the old bridge in Rangping collapsed. Jixing follows the clues and soon discovers the woman who took the body—the girl’s mother, Jiang Huiling.

At the time, Jiang Huiling made headlines by suing her mother-in-law for abusing her granddaughter, creating quite a stir in the county. Jixing doesn’t need to do much digging; he quickly hears of two suspicious figures connected to the case.

Chunming, the child adopted by his junior brother, and Lady Hua, who is said to be the messenger of the Yellow Immortal and is highly respected in the area.

Chunming can be ruled out first—he is too young. Even with his master around, it won’t be easy to break his natal spell, let alone for a young monk who hasn’t yet graduated.

It is Lady Hua who seems more troubling. Jixing doesn’t believe the rumors about the Yellow Immortal Messenger, but he suspects Hua Yingpo might be a Taoist master. She could easily break his spell without being harmed by it, and her strength is likely comparable to his own.

Now, severely injured and not fully recovered, Jixing doubts his ability to defeat her.

In addition, his junior brother seems to have predicted that Jixing would eventually return for revenge, so he built a thatched hut near the Hua family’s home. With their combined forces, Jixing would be even more outmatched.

Jixing has always been patient. Realizing he can’t take his revenge just yet, he decides to lie in wait for the right moment.

Now is the perfect time to strike.

The little girl from the Hua family and Jikong’s young apprentice are both away studying, and the older men are not there to protect them. If he can kill the two children, it will deeply wound both Hua Yingpo and Jikong, leaving them physically and mentally shattered. They might even lose half their lives.

At that point, he can refine the two children into ghost puppets. He knows they will likely hesitate to do so, but once they are too fearful to use their powers, it will be the perfect moment for revenge.

After Sheng Baobao and Chunming receive their admission letters, Jixing visits the provincial university and carefully examines the Feng Shui of the entire university town.

The women’s restroom is particularly intriguing. Over the years, he has assisted many influential figures, and arranging for Sheng Baobao to stay in a dormitory on that floor is not a challenge.

The bracelets that Jixing sold to Fang Xinxin are soaked in corpse oil and were offered in front of an evil god statue for 49 days. They are designed to gather Yin energy and were intended to stir up some lingering resentment.

“What a shame, you’re still too young.”

Jixing sneers. He can tell the bracelet has begun showing some effects, though minimal. It is likely because the girl has noticed it but, due to her lack of skill, hasn’t fully broken his magic.

He is unaware that someone easily tore several of the bracelets apart the day before. However, due to a series of accidents, one bracelet slipped through the cracks, leading him to believe his abilities are far superior to Sheng Baobao’s.

“Let me help you.”

Jixing takes out a palm-sized black pottery bottle from his robe and prepares to pour the foul-smelling liquid beneath the toilet.

“You! It’s you! What are you doing sneaking around here?”

Recently, some girls have reported hearing strange noises outside the first-floor toilet, so Xu Lin has been checking the area periodically. Since Jixing has his back to her, she hasn’t seen his actions.

The layout of the girls’ dormitory on each floor is identical, and Jixing’s position at that moment is near the first-floor restroom. His outfit seems especially odd—who would wear a headscarf in such hot weather? Naturally, Xu Lin assumes he is a peeping Tom.

“Shut up.”

Jixing turns his head, his eyes clouded and eerie, resembling those of an evil spirit. Xu Lin doesn’t see his face clearly, but she is frightened by his gaze.

“What are you doing here? This is the girls’ dormitory. Come with me to the security office.” Xu Lin steadies her breath and quickly takes a few steps forward, as though to apprehend him.

“Grandma Xu, what’s going on?”

“Grandma Xu, is something wrong with this person?”

Several students, noticing the commotion, approach to help.

Seeing more and more people gathering, Jixing sneers, quickly pours the liquid into the corner of the wall, then tightens his scarf and hurriedly leaves.

“What is that? It reeks!”

A group of students gathers around and sees that the liquid is quickly absorbed by the floor and wall, leaving only some damp marks behind, as if a small amount of water had been splashed.

But the foul stench they can still smell confirms it is something far worse than water.

“It’s fine, kids. Go on to class. I’ll get some water to wash it down later.”

Xu Lin waves her hand, signaling the students to stay back. “Don’t worry, I’ll notify the security department to step up patrols in the dormitory and keep an eye out for the man with the headscarf.”

Several girls, seeing that the man has run off, warn Xu Lin to be cautious before leaving in small groups.

A group of people gathers around and notices that the liquid has been absorbed as soon as it touches the ground and wall. All that remains are some damp watermarks on the floor, as if a small amount of water has been splashed.

But the foul odor they just smelled makes it clear that it is not water.

“It’s fine, kids. Go to class now; I’ll get a few buckets of water to rinse it later.”

Xu Lin waves her hand, signaling the students to keep their distance. “Don’t worry, I’ll notify the security department to increase patrols around the dormitory and keep an eye on the man with the headscarf.”

A few girls see the shabby man running away. After advising Xu Lin to stay safe, they leave in small groups.

Baobao wakes up early in the morning and runs to the library to research the history of the school and the changes in the area.

The campus legend Fang Xiao mentioned yesterday is indeed nonsense. Since the founding emperor of the Sanqing Dynasty, this area has always been a residential zone for ordinary people, with no history of brothels. When the provincial university expands, it requisitions a section of residential houses, and Xu Lin’s house is one of them.

In fact, there hasn’t been a murder in this area for nearly a hundred years.

However, the strange Yin energy in the third-floor bathroom is puzzling.

Baobao returns empty-handed by the end of the day. Yet, apart from the mystery surrounding the bathroom on the east side of the third floor, she finds herself curious about the person who has sold the Yin-gathering bracelets to Fang Xinxin.

Why has this person sold the bracelets to Fang Xinxin? What are they really after?

She thinks about it, but never suspects that the person behind it is actually targeting her.

To uncover the truth, Baobao stops by the stationery store after leaving the library and buys some sketch paper and charcoal pencils.

“Wearing a headscarf, a hunched figure… what about the eyes? What shape are they?”

Baobao scribbles quickly with a pencil and eraser. Fang Xinxin, meanwhile, sighs. She feels a little annoyed at having to sit there all afternoon and be a human question-and-answer machine.

“There seems to be a mole here. His lips are thinner, and his eyebrows are a little white. He should be quite old.”

In truth, Fang Xinxin’s memory isn’t very clear. Since the man has been wearing a headscarf, most of his face has been in shadow. Moreover, she hasn’t been interested in studying the appearance of an old man selling bracelets. It’s already impressive that she can recall even a vague outline.

“That’s about 60 to 70 percent accurate. When Xu Hanyan comes back from class, you can have her take another look.”

The four girls in their dorm aren’t all in the same major. Lin Lan and Xu Hanyan are attending class, so only the two of them remain in the dorm.

Baobao picks up the drawing board and looks at the sketch vertically. She is sure the old man in the drawing is someone she has never seen before.

“I didn’t expect you could draw.”

Fang Xinxin says with some surprise. She thinks Baobao has a fairly ordinary background and hasn’t developed any special talents.

Obviously, the little princess’s pride has been somewhat deflated.

“I learned a little.” Sheng Baobao replies casually.

In reality, she hasn’t touched a paintbrush for years. In her original world, she has been an art student. But a few years before she inexplicably begins traveling through time, she stops painting altogether.

At the time, she thinks she hates it. But now, as she picks up the brush again and feels the familiar touch, she realizes she doesn’t dislike it as much as she thought.

Baobao sets the portrait aside and suddenly has the urge to paint for someone else.

The first person that comes to mind is, of course, her childhood sweetheart.

“Grandma Xu, can you help me call Sheng Baobao from room 306?” Chunming walks over with a bag of things, looking for someone.

“I remember you. Are you her brother?”

Xu Lin adjusts her reading glasses, eyeing him carefully, and smiles warmly.

The child looks so charming that Xu Lin is especially impressed.

“No, we’re neighbors. We grew up together,” Chunming replies, shaking his head.

“So, you’re childhood sweethearts,” Xu Lin murmurs, slightly stunned. She seems lost in thought for a moment, her eyes growing distant. “That’s wonderful, truly wonderful.”

When she comes back to her senses, her smile becomes even warmer. “Wait a moment, I’ll call someone for you.”

Each floor has a public landline, and Xu Lin instructs the person who answers to notify Sheng Baobao to come down.

Coincidentally, at that moment, Baobao has just decided to draw a picture for her childhood sweetheart. When she comes downstairs, she is still holding a drawing board and a few pencils.

“I saw someone selling home-grown oranges on the roadside. They’re really sweet,” Chunming says, handing Baobao a bag of oranges. “Grandma, try a few. They’re delicious.”

He takes out a few small oranges and gently places them into Xu Lin’s arms.

“Thank you, dear. Grandma won’t be shy about accepting,” Xu Lin says, smiling as she accepts the fruit and slowly walks back to her duty room.

“Xiao Mingzi, I’ll draw a picture for you. You’ll be the second person to receive one from me.”

Baobao feels a burst of excitement as she touches the brush again.

“Alright,” Chunming agrees, smiling.

He wants to ask who the first person is, but seeing Baobao’s eager expression, he decides not to.

“Over there,” Baobao says, pointing to a large flower bed outside the dormitory. A streetlamp stands nearby, perfect for painting.

The provincial university’s campus is filled with students from the Architecture and Design departments, and it isn’t unusual to see students sketching in various corners. Drawing portraits of classmates and passersby is common.

Many people notice the pair of young artists, not just because Baobao is painting, but because both of them stand out. Chunming, in particular, with his tall posture and handsome features, catches the attention of several girls nearby, especially outside the crowded girls’ dormitory.

Since Baobao has just drawn a portrait, her skill is now around 70-80%. She quickly sketches the outline of Chunming’s figure, leaving only the final details to complete.

Wanting to finish the portrait later, Baobao waves Chunming off, planning to spend time that night adding the finishing touches. She intends to give the portrait to him the next day.

Xu Lin, unbeknownst to Baobao, has been watching from behind for a while. Just as Baobao is about to head upstairs, Xu Lin speaks up.

“Student… could you… could you please draw a picture for me? Don’t worry, Grandma will pay.” Xu Lin’s voice is soft, and she seems nervous, as though afraid of being rejected.

Baobao pauses, surprised for a moment, but then agrees.

Having drawn several portraits recently, she is feeling quite confident. She goes back to the dorm to grab another sheet of sketch paper.

“His hair is very long, his face is square, his eyebrows are thick, his eyes are large, and his eyelids are double-folded… His nose bridge is high… His ears are protruding, and his earlobes are big. The elderly say that people with big ears are blessed and have long lives… Here, right here, it’s lower, his eyebrows are a little splayed… he looks very simple…”

As Baobao sketches, the elderly woman corrects her description, offering more details.

As Baobao draws, she begins to feel that the face forming on the paper is oddly familiar. Isn’t this the young man in the military uniform she has encountered twice?

“Is he your grandson?” Baobao asks cautiously.

“…” Xu Lin falls silent for a moment. Then, a joyful smile spreads across her face, one that is brighter than anything Baobao has seen before.

“No, he’s my lover…”

As Baobao looks at the face slowly taking shape on the paper, she notices tears welling up in Xu Lin’s eyes.

Protruding ears, large earlobes—everyone says that this is the face of someone with a long life. How she wishes that man were in another place now, blessed with many more years.