The frustration from failing to find a decent part-time job still lingered in Qin Yu's chest like a thin layer of dust.
Then suddenly—
Ding!
His phone screen lit up with the crisp sound of a new text message: a delivery notification. The gloom instantly dispersed.
He practically sprang up, walking briskly toward the parcel station.
Two boxes awaited him—one large, one small. The large one felt weighty in his hands, the other light.
Back in the dorm, Qin Yu first opened the one sent from his home in the southern district.
Inside, cushioned carefully with soft padding, lay a palm-sized turtle—its shell dark green, almost black—and beside it, a potted plant with thick, deep-hued leaves and roots wrapped in moist soil: Xuan Shen.
Both were treasures his two grandfathers had risked their lives to find years ago, deep within the uninhabited mountain forests of the South.
His grandfather had once told him that the turtle was no ordinary creature—it was a Ling Gui, a spiritual turtle capable of absorbing and refining ambient spiritual energy on its own.
When they discovered it, the little thing had been lying beside that very Xuan Shen, a plant said to draw in the essence of sun and moon. Even the dew that gathered on its leaves contained pure spiritual energy—clearly a rare treasure.
The two old men had dug up the turtle and the Xuan Shen together, along with the soil around them, and brought them home to nurture. They had accompanied Qin Yu ever since.
The second box had no sender's name, only an address label.
But just as he picked it up, his phone vibrated again—another message:
"Yu'er, your grandfathers are safe. Don't worry about us.Inside the box is a small wooden case with some spirit herbs we gathered along the way. Use them sparingly.Study well and don't push yourself too hard. Learn to relax when you need to."
Every word radiated warmth and concern.
Qin Yu quickly opened the box and found, indeed, a simple wooden case within.
When he lifted the lid, a refreshing, pure spiritual fragrance immediately wafted out. Inside lay several dried or half-dried spirit herbs, each different in shape and color, yet all carrying a faint, gentle spiritual aura.
His grandfathers were still out there, handling dangerous matters, yet they had taken time to collect these cultivation resources for him.
A rush of warmth filled his chest—only to be quickly replaced by worry.
He sat down and typed a reply:
"Grandpas, I received the package, and I love the spirit herbs. But please, from now on, don't trouble yourselves over my cultivation supplies. I can handle it on my own. Please focus on your work and stay safe. I'll be waiting for you to return to Jingdu."
He pressed send. The message showed "delivered," but no reply came.
Still, he knew they had seen it.
Night quietly descended.
Qin Yu took a hot shower, washing away the fatigue and dust of the day, then changed into clean pajamas.
He sat cross-legged on the chair by his desk, a borrowed ancient text open in his lap. Between his lips was a small piece of spirit herb root, which he slowly chewed. Warm, refined spiritual energy flowed through his meridians, nourishing every inch of his body.
Outside, moonlight draped the dorm in a silvery veil.
The breeze rustled the leaves outside the window, lending a tranquil calm to the small space.
In the fish tank beside his desk, the little Ling Gui drifted lazily in the water.
Then, it stopped. Its tiny head poked above the surface, bead-like eyes staring fixedly at the half-bitten spirit herb between Qin Yu's lips.
Qin Yu couldn't help but laugh, immediately understanding what it wanted.
He sighed softly, pulled out the spirit root, and pinched off less than a centimeter from the end. He flicked it into the tank.
"Here," he said with a small smile. "Consider that your ration for today. Times are tough, so I can't spare more."
The Ling Gui darted forward, snapping the herb out of the water with lightning speed, then slowly sank back to the bottom.
Moments later, bubbles began to rise—tiny, crystalline globes that shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
That was purified spiritual energy, expelled by the Ling Gui after digesting the herb.
Qin Yu's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he began to circulate his cultivation method, carefully drawing the spiritual essence from the air and guiding it into his body.
Just then—
Creak.
The dorm door opened a sliver.
A few muffled, despairing voices—tinged with sobs—floated in.
Two figures stumbled through the doorway: Lin Zihao and Su Ming, looking like drowned rats, supporting each other with trembling arms.
Their faces were pale, expressions blank—like men who had just survived the apocalypse—blending horror, disgust, and the hollow disbelief of the traumatized.
Lin Zihao staggered to his bed, pushed Su Ming aside, and collapsed into his chair like a pile of sludge.
Su Ming was even worse. He clutched his pillow tightly to his chest like a life preserver, eyes vacant and lifeless, muttering under his breath:
"Unlucky… cursed… today was a nightmare…"
"What happened to you two?" Qin Yu set his book down, brow furrowing in concern. "Didn't you go to that Xuanxue Club welcome event?"
It took Lin Zihao a long moment to gather strength before he looked up, face twitching with humiliation. "Don't even ask, Old Third… me and Fatty… we…"
He trailed off, looking like a man who'd rather bite his tongue than speak.
Qin Yu nodded patiently. "You went to the event, and then?"
Su Ming suddenly lifted his head, voice trembling with outrage:
"Then we found out the whole event room—except for the new recruits—was full of guys! All guys! Not a single senior sister showed up! Not one! And without senior sisters, of course, the junior girls bailed too!"
"All guys?" Qin Yu blinked, surprised. "Then why didn't you just leave?"
"We tried!" Lin Zihao sat up with a bang, slammed his fist on the desk, and his face alternated between pale and green with anger. "But those bast—those seniors told us the girls were just running late! Said they'd show up any minute! Then they started some stupid icebreaker games to 'pass the time'!"
He shuddered violently. "But when night fell and there was still no sign of a single girl—those maniacs… those monsters…"
"What did they do?" Qin Yu asked, genuinely curious.
Lin Zihao took a deep breath, eyes filled with existential despair. "Those beasts… they changed clothes… into maid outfits and JK uniforms! They said it was to 'heal our wounded hearts' and then—they dragged us up to dance those… those otaku dances with them!"
"Old Third! Can you even imagine it?! A bunch of big, hairy dudes, in miniskirts, spinning and twirling everywhere! It was worse than a damn horror movie! My eyes still hurt!"
Qin Yu: "…"
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, trying not to picture it—but failing.
"Pfft—seriously?" he said, fighting a grin. "That must've been… quite a scene."
"'Quite a scene'?! It was hell!" Lin Zihao roared, ripping something from his pocket—a yellow talisman tied with red string—and flung it onto the floor. "And this! This useless crap! It cost me five thousand yuan!"
He jabbed a trembling finger at the charm. "Those con artists said it was blessed—would boost your love luck! Love luck, my ass! Look what kind of 'romance' I ran into tonight!"
He raised his foot to stomp it—
"Wait!" Qin Yu said quickly, eyes catching the twisted, messy lines drawn on the talisman. "You paid five thousand for that?"
Su Ming, now revived by righteous fury, nodded hard. "Yeah! Five thousand! It's daylight robbery! When the semester starts, I'm reporting them for fraud!"
"You bought one too?" Qin Yu looked at him, incredulous.
Su Ming nodded miserably and pulled out an identical charm from his pocket. "Yeah… I got swept up in the moment… and bought it. Not just us—half the new recruits bought one! Everyone thought it'd help them get close to the senior girls…"
Qin Yu glanced at the two paper talismans on the floor—cheap, sloppy, meaningless scrawls of cinnabar.
He couldn't help but sigh.
Those things weren't worth five yuan, let alone five thousand.
Still… a spark flickered in his mind.
In Jingdu, legitimate part-time jobs paid almost nothing.
But this? Selling fake talismans for thousands apiece? There was clearly a market for mystical nonsense here.
He felt a grin tug at his lips, eyes gleaming with thought.
Compared to slogging through menial jobs, maybe his "old trade"… had far better money potential.
"Hey! What are you smirking at, huh?!" Lin Zihao caught the expression instantly and jabbed a finger at him. "You're gloating! You're totally laughing at us!"
"How could I?" Qin Yu quickly straightened his face, putting on a solemn expression. "Boss, Second Bro—you wound me. We're brothers of Room 306! When one suffers, we all suffer! When one falls, we all fall together!"
He clutched his chest dramatically. "Seeing you two endure such psychological trauma… my heart feels like it's being sliced apart! Truly! This experience will leave scars upon your pure souls—scars that will never fade!"
His tone was so earnest (and so fake) that both Lin Zihao and Su Ming looked even more miserable.
"Exactly!" Lin Zihao wailed, eyes glistening. "My crystal-clear, innocent young heart—it's been defiled! Wuuu…"
Su Ming joined in, wiping nonexistent tears. "And my eyes! My poor, pure eyes! Nearly blinded by those monsters! The world is too cruel…"
They looked at each other, united by shared trauma, and ended up hugging while fake-crying together.
Qin Yu: "…"
He could only shake his head helplessly.
Poor guys. Swindled and scarred all in one night.
Let them cry it out.
After a while, the two finally stopped their melodrama, washed up, and collapsed into bed.
Within minutes, their heavy breathing filled the dorm.
Peace returned once more.
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