The lecture hall was silent.
So silent you could hear the gentle sizzle of Phoenix-Feng Yue's feathers outside the window.
Professor Miller, the kindly old history professor, was still staring at the attendance sheet as if it held the secrets to the universe.
It probably did, at this point.
Li Wei stood there, dripping, his mind a chaotic soup of three different voices arguing about transportation methods.
See? Yin Mode said smugly. Riding a giant fire bird is way more efficient than the bus.
The carbon footprint of a mythological creature is currently unquantifiable, Yang Mode countered. This was an irresponsible choice.
A swift steed is essential for battlefield mobility, Zhuge Liang added sagely.
Li Wei just wanted a towel.
And maybe a nap. For like, a week.
**
A soft, feminine voice cut through the awkward silence.
"That was quite an entrance, Mr. Li."
Everyone turned.
It was Professor Ai, the university's specialist in Ancient Chinese Literature.
She was beautiful in a quiet, understated way. Always dressed in elegant silk blouses, with her dark hair pinned up perfectly. She had a gentle smile and a voice like flowing water.
She was also, according to campus legend, the hardest grader in the entire arts department.
She walked to the window, her expression unreadable.
She looked at the twenty-foot-tall bird of pure, elemental flame that was currently preening outside.
Phoenix-Feng Yue let out a soft, questioning chirp.
A wave of
Professor Ai smiled.
And then she answered.
Out loud.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Your Highness," she said, her voice calm and clear. "Though I must confess, this form is even more magnificent than the ancient texts described."
**
The room went dead silent.
The telepathic link in Li Wei's head exploded with a single, deafening emotion from Feng Yue.
Li Wei's jaw dropped.
Professor Ai turned away from the window, her gentle smile still in place.
She looked directly at Li Wei.
"My name is not Ai," she said, her voice taking on a new depth, a new resonance. "That is merely the name on my university ID."
She took a step closer, and the air around her seemed to shimmer, to grow heavy with the weight of centuries.
"You may call me Bai Suzhen."
The White Snake.
The legendary, powerful, and famously tragic figure from myth.
Was his literature professor.
Of course she was.
At this point, Li Wei wouldn't be surprised if the school janitor was a rogue terracotta warrior.
"I have been watching you, Li Wei," Bai Suzhen continued, her eyes sharp and intelligent. "All semester. I was... assigned to you."
"Assigned?" Li Wei squeaked.
"I am... was... Feng Yue's mentor," she explained, her gaze softening as she looked back at the giant phoenix. "And I am her sworn protector. My purpose here has been to monitor the anomaly. You."
Phoenix-Feng Yue let out another chirp, this one laced with
She knows her! Yin Mode thought. She can help!
This introduces a new, highly influential variable, Yang Mode calculated. Her motives are currently unknown. Probability of trustworthiness: 54.3%. We must remain cautious.
**
"This whole university is a monitoring station, isn't it?" Li Wei asked, the pieces finally, terrifyingly, clicking into place.
Bai Suzhen nodded.
"A 'supernatural monitoring station' is a crude way of putting it," she said. "We prefer the term 'inter-dimensional academic sanctuary.' It has better optics for the recruitment brochures."
She began to pace, her movements fluid and graceful.
"The Dean, as you've met, is Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise of the North. He guards the dimensional weak point this campus was built upon."
"The head of the physics department? That's Lei Gong, the God of Thunder. He has a... vested interest in the laws of nature."
"And the angry lunch lady in the cafeteria who always gives you the smallest portion? That's a very grumpy pixie queen in exile."
Li Wei's mind reeled.
His entire life.
Every class.
Every awkward interaction.
It had all been a lie. A stage. And he was the only one who didn't know he was in a play.
He felt a surge of hot, bitter anger.
Betrayal.
It was becoming a familiar feeling.
"So everyone has been lying to me?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Everyone?"
Bai Suzhen stopped pacing. Her expression was one of profound sympathy.
"Not lying, Li Wei," she said softly. "Protecting. The universe is a far more complicated and dangerous place than you can imagine. Your ignorance was your shield."
"But that time is over."
As she spoke, Phoenix-Feng Yue became agitated.
Her flames flared brighter.
A wave of
It wasn't directed at him.
It was directed at Bai Suzhen.
**
The White Snake saw the phoenix's agitation.
Her gentle smile never wavered, but her eyes grew cold.
"Her Highness is unstable," she said, her voice taking on a new urgency. "This transformation, it was... unexpected. If she remains in this form for too long, the power will consume her mind, leaving only a mindless beast of destruction."
She turned her full attention to Li Wei.
"I can help her," she said. "I know the rituals. I can guide her back to her human form."
Hope flared in Li Wei's chest.
"You can?"
"Yes," Bai Suzhen said. "But there is a condition."
Of course there was.
"The ritual must be performed in a place of immense spiritual power. A place where the veil between realms is thin."
She looked him directly in the eye.
"It must be done in Penglai."
Penglai. The hidden immortal realm. Feng Yue's home.
"And you," Bai Suzhen continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "must come with me. Alone."
"Your chaotic energy is the key. You are the catalyst for the reversal, just as you were the catalyst for the transformation."
The offer hung in the air.
The perfect solution.
The only hope.
It's a trap, Yang Mode's voice hissed in his mind. The probability of deception is now 87.6%. Her request for isolation is a major red flag.
But she can save Feng Yue! Yin Mode argued. We have to trust her!
Li Wei looked at the giant, beautiful, burning bird outside the window.
He felt her fear. Her pain. Her confusion.
He had to save her.
No matter the cost.
"Okay," he said, his voice firm. "I'll do it."
A slow, triumphant smile spread across Bai Suzhen's face.
Her eyes, for just a split second, seemed to flash with a cold, serpentine light.
A hidden agenda.
A deeper game.
"Excellent," she said, her voice like smooth, cool silk.
"The Phoenix Queen cannot remain in this form."
"The prophecy demands it."
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