Chapter 2: The Powerful Heterochromia

Even someone who wasn't blind could feel the unease and tension radiating from Song Xue and the others. Eventually, the group arrived at a room at the very end of the second floor.

For some unknown reason, this room was much darker than the outside. Even though it was the height of summer, it still gave off an indescribable chill.

The tables and chairs in the room were scattered in disarray, and the dust had already formed a thick layer.

The moment they stepped inside, they wanted to flee in a panic.

"Su Yan, you... you just wait here for a moment. The teacher and the other students will be here soon," Song Xue said, suppressing the fear in her heart.

"And you?"

Su Yan’s voice remained as calm as ever, which only confirmed their belief that she was indeed blind.

"We're going to call the others." Before Song Xue had even finished speaking, the other girls had already bolted out the door.

Accompanying the sound of hurried footsteps was the click of the door being locked.

The group ran out of the abandoned building in one breath, all of them drenched in sweat.

Although Song Xue was panting, the expression on her face was one of irrepressible excitement.

"Song Xue, is it really okay to lock Su Yan in there?"

Wang Lan couldn't help but shiver just by glancing in that direction.

Every student at Xinghua knew that people had died in this building and that it was haunted, which was why it had been abandoned. It was a taboo for the entire county; no one dared to enter.

"What could possibly happen? It’s just to teach that girl a lesson. You don't actually believe in ghosts, do you? Don't joke around. We're high school students now; how can we promote feudal superstition?"

Song Xue spoke righteously, completely forgetting that she had been just as fearful and wary only minutes ago.

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' Don't forget that you all agreed to this. We'll just lock her in for one night and let her out first thing tomorrow morning. Let's see if she dares to be arrogant again."

"If she doesn't go home all night, what if her family comes looking for her?"

Given Su Yan's special circumstances, let alone a whole night, even if she didn't return after dark, her family would surely come looking.

Song Xue, however, revealed a meaningful smile. "Don't worry, we don't need to worry about her family."

...

Su Yan’s fingers lightly brushed across the dust-covered tabletop, then she walked over to the window, which was mostly shattered.

There were even footprints left behind from someone jumping down from there.

It was only her first day at this school, and these people had already given her such a big surprise.

The air around her surged, and a black ghostly shadow suddenly appeared out of thin air behind her.

"My Lady, those little wenches are truly wicked. They actually trapped you here on purpose, hoping to use the dead spirits here to harm you!"

The ghost hovered beside Su Yan, looking extremely wary. It relayed everything it had just overheard from Song Xue to Su Yan, sounding indignant and gnashing its teeth by the end.

Although Su Yan’s eyes were covered by a black cloth, it did not hinder her from seeing everything.

"There are no ghosts here, or at least, they haven't come out at this hour."

The floating ghost paused; since the Lady said there were none, then naturally, there were none.

"My Lady, do you need me to go and teach those little wenches a lesson?"

"I'm not that petty." After Su Yan finished speaking, the corner of her mouth curled up slightly.

The ghost shuddered violently and automatically moved several meters away from her.

Every time the Lady wore that expression, it meant someone was about to suffer.

However, those ignorant girls were truly blind; of all people to provoke, they chose the one who would make even ghosts kneel and beg for mercy. They were truly tired of living.

"My Lady, shall we head back now?"

It asked cautiously.

Su Yan picked a chair that wasn't too dirty, wiped it clean, and sat down.

"This place is not bad."

After saying that, she tilted her head and closed her eyes.

The ghost didn't dare to say another word and vanished without a trace in a flash.

Su Yan didn't know if she had fallen asleep, but her thoughts drifted back to her childhood.

Her memories stopped at the year she fell ill at age five. A high fever left her unconscious for days and nights, and that was when a certain person suddenly arrived at her home.

That person said she was born with a baleful aura and that if she stayed with her father, she wouldn't live past ten. The only way to break the curse was to send her thousands of miles away, preferably to be adopted by a family that had no descendants.

Her father actually believed it, and somehow, he found Granny Li.

At that time, Granny Li was only 48. Her husband had died young, and she was raising her only son in Daliushu Village.

Just a year before adopting her, Granny Li’s son and grandson had suddenly fallen into the mountains and perished, leaving her as the only living soul in the entire household.

In fact, she later felt that it was Granny Li who had found her.

From then on, she lived with Granny Li. Strangely enough, after arriving at Granny Li’s house, she never fell ill again. Even the blindness caused by that high fever "recovered" one day out of the blue.

She remembered it very clearly; that day was her eighth birthday.

Granny Li told her the time had come, and then her dark world was filled with color.

And not only color, but also many more terrifying things.

She could see people, and even more so, she could see everything that others could not.

It turned out that ghosts and monsters really existed in this world. They lived in another world—a world that could only be reached after death.

It was also that day she learned that the Granny Li who raised her was actually a very powerful shaman. She could not only exorcise evil spirits for the villagers but also guide vengeful ghosts to reincarnation.

But for an eight-year-old child, all of this was simply too terrifying.

That time, she was so frightened that she fell into a coma for three full days, and it took another month for her to accept this reality.

Granny Li said that her eyes were the most powerful magical artifacts in the world; they could not only destroy all demons and monsters but also open the gates to that other world.

From that moment on, her life was never peaceful again.

Every day, countless ghosts and monsters wanted to get close to her. Some wanted her help to fulfill their dying wishes, while others wanted her eyes.

If not for Granny Li’s profound cultivation, which protected her every time, she would have likely been torn to shreds by these ghosts long ago.

She lived in a daze for a year, and once, Granny Li nearly lost her life trying to save her. That time, she cried.

She didn't want to live under Granny Li’s protection for the rest of her life; she wanted to become the person who could do the protecting.

After that, she embarked on a path that ordinary people could never imagine.

Ten years of cultivation, and even Granny Li could no longer predict her current abilities.

The black cloth covering her eyes was special. It wasn't to protect her, but to protect all the ghosts that appeared around her.

Because as long as they were swept by her gaze, even the most powerful vengeful spirit would vanish into nothingness, and not all ghosts deserved to die.

"Girl, remember, until you can fully control these eyes, never take off the black cloth unless it's a last resort. But Granny believes in you; that day is not far off."

This was the last piece of advice Granny Li gave her before she left.