Chapter 514: Mind Reading and Sharpening Knives

Ma Xiaowan was hung up.

Most of those present were terrified, for they had no idea what Ma Xiaowan had done wrong.

But Wu Xian knew the reason.

At the very start of the etiquette class, Wu Xian had realized that the etiquette teacher looked different to each person—and the moment he figured it out, he received a warning from the teacher.

From then on.

Wu Xian had concluded that the etiquette teacher could read minds.

So the most dangerous rule in the etiquette class was actually: “Respect your teacher.”

For even silently cursing the teacher once counted as disrespect, and without prior knowledge, few could stop themselves from muttering at least a few curses in their hearts.

But now.

Wu Xian was not paying attention to Ma Xiaowan.

Because their current trouble was far greater than Ma Xiaowan’s.

According to the etiquette teacher, they were safe in the classroom as long as they did not hear, see, speak, or move—but the four “teaching assistants” now began acting far more dangerously than before, each one turning sinister.

The bald, noseless man kept pressing his wounds near others’ eyes; the half-bodied boy played among the crowd; the crawling woman stared unblinkingly at one person—several natives had already fallen to their hands.

But the most troubling of all was the fourth teaching assistant.

Wu Xian leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes drifting aimlessly; his peripheral vision caught a man sharpening a knife.

Ssshh~ ssshh~ The man wore a white shirt, both eyes blind, his body drenched in blood, the whetstone seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Jin Shasha had collapsed in a pool of blood, her eyes vacant, blood continuously oozing from her mouth and chest; the man reached into her mouth, scooped up a handful of blood, and poured it onto the whetstone to continue sharpening.

His first target had been Jin Shasha.

After last night’s terror.

Jin Shasha knew she must not break any rule, no matter what.

So even though a ghost crouched beneath her feet sharpening a knife, she dared not move, nor did she cry out from sheer fear.

But after the man finished sharpening the knife.

He suddenly stabbed toward Jin Shasha without warning!

Jin Shasha instinctively flinched and let out a soft cry—the knife pierced her chest, sending her collapsing helplessly.

But because she had not broken the etiquette class rules, two red bars still marked her chest.

Then.

The man began sharpening his knife before Hai Weijiang.

Hai Weijiang was tough—he remained expressionless no matter how the man tried to frighten him, as if he saw nothing at all; once, when the man nearly poked his eye, Hai Weijiang merely frowned slightly.

After several such attempts.

The man’s expression turned puzzled, and he went to search for his next target.

That target was Wu Xian.

Through comparing Hai Weijiang and Jin Shasha.

Wu Xian now understood: the condition for these ghosts to harm someone was that the victim must be fully aware of the ghost’s presence!

The so-called “do not hear, do not see, do not speak, do not move” meant simply: do not interact with the ghosts.

Once interaction occurred, the ghost could strike.

Wu Xian had experienced six Blessed Lands; each had its own unique evils—perhaps in this Blessed Land, the ghost’s fundamental logic was that it could only harm a person after interacting with them.

The two dead in the language class were like this.

The night’s raid by the inspection spirit in the dormitory was also like this.

But current intelligence was still too scarce—the dangers in the Immigrant School were not limited to ghosts—so Wu Xian temporarily buried this theory deep in his mind.

Back to the knife-sharpening man.

If Wu Xian simply imitated Hai Weijiang, he could guarantee he wouldn’t be hurt—but honestly.

Wu Xian didn’t have the old man’s iron will, and he couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t instinctively unleash the “Ghost-Worm Devouring Spell” and obliterate the knife-sharpener the moment the blade neared his eye.

So Wu Xian chose another method.

The knife-sharpener crouched beneath Wu Xian, scooped a bit more blood from Jin Shasha’s mouth, and settled beside Wu Xian’s feet, preparing to sharpen his knife.

Spirit Technique—Cat’s Three Kicks! A giant leg materialized out of thin air and kicked the whetstone flying five or six meters away.

Hai Weijiang saw this, his eyes nearly bursting in disbelief as he stared at Wu Xian—but he immediately realized his lapse, and quickly resumed his earlier pose, a blade of grass between his lips, feigning nostalgic reverie.

The knife-sharpener remained in his sharpening posture for a long while before turning mechanically to search for his whetstone.

And since his eyes were blind, searching was difficult—he could only grope slowly along the ground.

Wu Xian nodded inwardly.

It seemed the giant leg conjured by Cat’s Three Kicks was visible only to him.

Also, beyond the requirement of interaction, these ghosts each had their own unique prerequisite for killing.

From Hai Weijiang’s lapse without being attacked, Wu Xian deduced: interaction must be mutual—if the ghost didn’t perceive the human, even if the human acted toward the ghost, the ghost would not strike.

This made the situation far more manageable.

The knife-sharpener was not stubborn.

After finding his whetstone, he immediately chose a new target—who tried to copy Wu Xian and kick the whetstone away—but as soon as his leg swung out, it was severed by a single slash, becoming the knife-sharpener’s second victim.

Then, the knife-sharpener began searching for his third victim.

As time passed, those who had been hung for breaking rules were lowered—fortunate yet unfortunate.

Fortunate because the teaching assistants would not attack those hanging.

Unfortunate because once lowered, they became the assistants’ prime targets.

……

Ding ling ling.

Finally, the dismissal bell rang.

The wooden door opened automatically; the four “teaching assistants” departed reluctantly.

The classroom’s temperature returned to normal; Wu Xian’s vision reverted to its usual slight double-image blur; all students exhaled in relief, sitting or collapsing, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat.

The psychological pressure of sharing a room with ghosts was immense.

And one could not cry, could not laugh, dared not even curse inwardly—only watch as others around them fell one by one; if the class had lasted longer than two hours, some might have despaired and taken their own lives.

Here,

All the natives’ expressions turned grim.

They had believed they escaped war, arriving at a paradise beyond the world, finally able to live in peace—only to discover this “heaven” was as cruel as a battlefield, merely in a different way.

Huh! Jin Shasha, who had collapsed in blood, suddenly stood up.

Her body was caked in blood, yet her wounds had vanished.

Not just her—others who had been attacked for failing to ignore the teaching assistants also rose unharmed, their faces filled with surprise and confusion.

This sight surprised Wu Xian.

It seemed that in class, the only true danger was breaking the rules.

Otherwise, even seemingly fatal injuries would vanish completely after class ended.

The etiquette teacher smiled, stepped before Jin Shasha, and lifted her chin with a finger. “You’re adorable. I’m starting to like you.”

The gesture turned Jin Shasha’s face crimson, but bound by the rules, she dared not respond to the teacher’s words.

Wu Xian’s face darkened instantly.

(End of Chapter)