Chen Ge left Old White to guard the house, stored all his Red Clothes employees in the comic book, and left the horror house carrying the white cat.
The gatekeeper at New Century Paradise had long since fallen asleep, and the roads were nearly deserted. He waited a good while before finally hailing a taxi.
Just past three in the morning, Chen Ge arrived at Xicheng Private Academy. He rushed to the restroom stall on the top floor of the teaching building with the diploma in hand.
"How do I use this thing?"
He tried again and again, but the Blood Gate never appeared. Chen Ge didn't know whether something had gone wrong with the Spirit-School's door or whether he had simply missed the window.
"The Spirit-School's door still has no 'Door Pusher.' Looks like I'll have to come back tomorrow at midnight."
No sooner had he finished speaking than his shadow shifted shape. A drop of blood seeped through the restroom stall door, and then that drop blossomed like a flower.
Blood-red veins spread across the entire door panel, and a thick, coppery scent of blood leaked through the gaps.
The vivid crimson and the blood-light emanating from the diploma resonated with each other. Chen Ge pushed against the Blood Gate, and in an instant, an endless tide of red swallowed him whole.
When he came to his senses, his vision was saturated with red. The entire building was drenched in blood.
"The Spirit-School?"
Chen Ge stood rooted in place. Before he could fully recover, footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.
On instinct, he flipped open the comic book and summoned Men Nan and Xiao Bu.
Moments later, the restroom door was pushed open, and two exquisitely beautiful little girls appeared in the doorway.
One wore a white dress, the other a red dress. Their features were remarkably similar, yet their reactions to Chen Ge were worlds apart.
"Ying Hong? Ying Bai?"
"The Blood Gate opened — I knew it had to be you." Ying Hong tilted her head, glancing Chen Ge up and down, then shifted her gaze to Xiao Bu and Men Nan. Her cute brows furrowed slightly, and she pulled Ying Bai by the hand, retreating a few steps away. "So? What do you want at your old school? We're not exactly thrilled to see you, but since you saved the school that one time, we suppose we can help you out."
"Is the headmaster around? I'd like to have a proper talk with him." Chen Ge was genuinely worried about the Spirit-School. After all, it sat dangerously close to the Blood City, and the old headmaster of Muyang Middle School was only a half-Red Dress. Chen Ge feared the man couldn't handle things alone.
"Follow me." Ying Hong wasted no more words and led Chen Ge to the school infirmary.
It had been left vacant ever since the school doctor was killed.
"I said I wanted to see the headmaster — why are you bringing me to the hospital?" Chen Ge was thoroughly confused.
Ying Hong spread her hands in resignation. "Go in and see for yourself."
Chen Ge pulled back the blood-red curtain and found a portly old man dressed in red robes, chatting warmly with several students.
The old man looked up at the sound, and a kindly smile spread across his face. "Chen Ge? What brings you here?"
"Sir — when did you break through to Red Clothes?" Chen Ge was stunned. Last time he'd left, the old headmaster had still been only a half-Red Dress. It had barely been any time at all, and not only had the headmaster fully ascended to Red Clothes, but his power felt utterly unfathomable.
"I can't quite remember the exact date. Ever since I became headmaster of this school, I've been guiding these children, and little by little, I just… became a Red Clothes." The old headmaster of Muyang Middle School was a truly unique spirit. After death, he had devoured no other ghosts, yet he had still become a half-Red Dress. Now, somehow, this old gentleman had inexplicably broken through to full Red Clothes.
Through the old headmaster, Chen Ge glimpsed an entirely different path for spirits to break through — one that perhaps Yan Danian could try.
"How did you manage it? Can you share some details?" Chen Ge stood among a cluster of children and students, feeling distinctly out of place.
"My experience probably wouldn't be much use to you. The children of the Spirit-School — some were victims of bullying, some came from broken homes, never having known love or warmth growing up. I wanted to heal the wounds of their childhood, to truly make this Spirit-School into their home." The old headmaster patted his round belly with a chuckle. "In truth, I didn't do anything special. It was the children who slowly began to accept me. They influenced the will of the school, and gradually, I gained the school's will as well."
The Spirit-School's door was at its weakest point. It urgently needed to find a Door Pusher for itself. Under these circumstances, the old headmaster had won the acceptance of the majority of the children, and with no other competitors or troublemakers, the will of the school had begun to vest itself in the old headmaster, slowly making him the master of this door.
In terms of raw power, both the Painter and Chang Wenyu outclassed the old headmaster. But neither of them could truly bring salvation to the students trapped behind the door.
The old headmaster was the weakest of them all, yet this elderly man was the most suitable.
He could not build a paradise behind the door, nor could he lead every student to freedom from the door's bonds. But he could pour every ounce of his strength into building a sanctuary.
"A four-star scenario can give birth to a Fierce Spirit. The Spirit-School is a four-star scenario recognized by the Black Phone. If given more time, perhaps the old headmaster really could become a miracle."
To become a Fierce Spirit without devouring a single other spirit — this was something that should have been nearly impossible, yet the old headmaster's quiet persistence was slowly turning it into reality.
The old headmaster had illuminated a path for Chen Ge. He felt he should have a real conversation with Yan Danian as well — to understand what truly lay in Yan Danian's heart.
"Headmaster, has that Blood City come after us at all while I've been gone?" The last time Chen Ge had entered the Spirit-School, Zhang Ya had just become a Fierce Spirit and was still gravely wounded, and his employees hadn't yet grown in strength. This time was different — he now had three top-tier Red Clothes alone.
"That city…" The smile vanished from the old headmaster's face. "It's not looking good. Come to the top floor — you'll see for yourself."
The headmaster led Chen Ge to the top of the teaching building. The iron door leading to the rooftop was the only door in the entire Spirit-School that had not been sealed shut with wooden planks.
"I'll open the door. Don't come too close — it's dangerous." The old headmaster produced a key from within his red robes. Engraved upon it was a miniature Red Dress Heart.
He slowly opened the door a crack, and dense blood-mist immediately drifted through the gap into the hallway.
Once he confirmed there was no danger, the old headmaster gestured for Chen Ge to come over. "Take a look yourself."
Using his Yin Eye, Chen Ge peered through the gap.
Surrounding the Spirit-School on all sides stood an array of buildings — every single one drenched in blood-red!
"This is completely different from the last time I was here!" Chen Ge was shocked.
"The Spirit-School has been swallowed by that Blood City." The old headmaster's expression was bitter. "Not long after you left, the city kept drawing closer and closer. We had no choice but to abandon part of the campus, concentrating all our strength on the main grounds. We used every remaining plank and Soul Nail to seal the main campus completely, leaving only this one door."