It was 11:30 p.m.
This wasn't the best time to summon the Pen Fairy. It was said that the Pen Fairy shouldn't be summoned after midnight, because at that time, the Yin energy was thick and there were more wandering creatures.
But Tao Bing'er was determined.
She quickly set up the table in the hall, laid out the paper, found a pen, and lit a candle.
All the doors and windows were closed, and all the lights were off.
Tao Bing'er sat at the table, looking at the hesitant Fang Yuan with impatience.
"Come sit down."
Fang Yuan sat down and said, "Tao Bing'er, I really don't know how to do this."
"It's okay, I'll teach you. Just hold your hand out."
Tao Bing'er's right hand intertwined with Fang Yuan's left, their fingers interlaced, holding the pen. Their arms remained parallel to the paper.
"Keep your arm balanced like this. Pay attention and concentrate. Don't push too hard on the pen, and don't let it drop." Tao Bing'er thought for a moment, then added, "Let's chant together in our minds, 'Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, come quickly! When you come, draw a circle.' When it comes, it will draw a circle on the white paper. Then, I'll ask it questions. Just focus and be sincere."
"Is that all? Tao Bing'er, please say it again." Fang Yuan was afraid she hadn't heard clearly.
Tao Bing'er repeated it.
Fang Yuan, making sure she understood the key points, nodded, and the two began to call on the Pen Fairy.
A few words were written on the white paper. Besides the names of dynasties and numbers, there were also the two eye-catching characters "Yes" and "No." Tao Bing'er wore a pious expression, her eyelids lowered, like a devotee worshipping Guanyin. Her lips moved, muttering, "Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, come quickly! Draw a circle when you come... Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, come quickly! Draw a circle when you come..."
Fang Yuan, half-believing and unable to speak, followed Tao Bing'er's lead, muttering silently.
At first, she found it boring. Holding the pen between her fingers, without exerting any force, how could she possibly summon the so-called Pen Fairy to draw a regular pattern? But as time went on, she felt her arm grow stiffer, as if it were detached from her body.
Fang Yuan tried to move her arm, but Tao Bing'er noticed and glared at her fiercely. The glare sent a burning pain through Fang Yuan, as if she were being burned by fire. She was terrified, afraid to move, and so she let her do it.
And so, the two of them remained frozen in place, like two lifeless statues.
After an unknown amount of time, Fang Yuan felt increasingly drowsy, nearly falling asleep. At that moment, she heard a low exclamation behind her, startling Fang Yuan out of her sleepiness.
Tao Bing'er glared again, but not at her, but behind her. Fang Yuan realized that Xu Zhaodi had been standing behind her, watching.
Then, she noticed the pen between her and Tao Bing'er's fingers was moving.
It trembled slightly at first, irregularly, moving horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and swaying here and there like a drunk.
Tao Bing'er, however, was excited. "Pen Fairy, are you here? Draw a circle, please?"
Something strange happened. After Tao Bing'er finished speaking, the pen slowly drew a circle. Although the arc was a little distorted and not quite standard, it was still a circle.
As the pen circled, Fang Yuan's fingers clearly hadn't exerted any force, as if controlled by some mysterious force. Her brain hadn't even given her the command to move.
How could this be possible?
Those legends about the Pen Fairy were actually true!
In contrast to Tao Bing'er's excitement, Fang Yuan felt an inexplicable chill.
She had a deep, ominous feeling that calling upon the Pen Fairy this time had been a mistake. Unfortunately, she couldn't speak, and Tao Bing'er couldn't hear her.
"Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, you're here. I have something to ask you. Can you tell me? If you can, circle 'yes'; if not, circle 'no'."
The pen moved, slowly moving to the left and circling the word "yes."
Tao Bing'er's voice trembled slightly. "Pen Fairy, I want to ask you, will I die?"
She completely ignored the startled glances of Fang Yuan and Xu Zhaodi, her gaze fixed intently on the pen.
The pen's movements suddenly became swifter, much faster than at first, and soon it had drawn a second circle next to the word "yes."
The hall of girls' dormitory 441 was eerily silent. Tao Bing'er stared intently at the circle, her face pale, her muscles twitching slightly. A few strands of long hair fell, obscuring her features.
In the candlelight, Tao Bing'er looked like a living corpse.
"How boring! Everyone is mortal! How dare you ask such an idiotic question?" a cold voice rang out.
It was Su Ya, who had unknowingly stood beside Xu Zhaodi.
Su Ya's words, though tinged with sarcasm, reminded Tao Bing'er.
Everyone will die. It wasn't the Pen Fairy's answer that was terrifying, but her question was too simple. No wonder the pen had been spinning so quickly.
"Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, I want to ask you, how many years do I have left to live!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Tao Bing'er regretted it.
There were some numbers on the white paper, from one to six, but they were too few. She was too young to live only a few years.
However, this time, the Pen Fairy didn't draw a circle. Instead, it remained still for a long moment before slowly drawing a horizontal stroke.
One year?
Tao Bing'er couldn't believe it. "Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, do I only have one year to live?"
This time, the pen responded quickly, immediately drawing a third circle next to the word "yes."
This circle was much more precise than the previous two.
Tao Bing'er was completely stunned by what was happening before her. The Pen Fairy meant she only had one year to live?
How could that be possible?
She was so young, so healthy, how could she only live one year?
A cold breeze suddenly blew, and the candlelight flickered. After a few swaying motions, it finally gave way and was blown out by the wind.
The hall was pitch black.
Outside, an autumn rain began to fall, a gentle patter. Though the sound was quiet, it seemed to drip down on Tao Bing'er's soul.
At that moment, a sudden thunderclap erupted. Tao Bing'er and Fang Yuan both let go of their pens, dropping them.
"Pen!" Tao Bing'er cried out, remembering something.
"It's here." Fang Yuan reached for the table and fumbled around, picking up the pen.
"No, I was asking, did you drop it just now?"
"Yes, it did. Don't worry, it won't break."
"It fell on the table... hehe... it fell on the table..." Tao Bing'er giggled.
Fang Yuan was afraid she was losing her mind, like Tang Tianyu, and had suddenly gone mad, so she quickly comforted her, "Tao Bing'er, it's okay. It's just a game. Look, aren't we still standing here, fine?"
Someone flicked the fluorescent light switch in the darkness, but there was no response—the power in the girls' dormitory had gone out.
"Who?" Xu Zhaodi screamed in the darkness.
"Xu Zhaodi, what's wrong with you?" Fang Yuan asked bravely. "It felt like someone just touched me," Xu Zhaodi said, unsure.
"It felt like? Could it be Su Ya?"
Of the four, Su Ya was closest to Xu Zhaodi.
"It wasn't me," Su Ya's answers were always simple and direct. Judging from her voice, she was some distance away from Xu Zhaodi. It was she who had flipped the light switch.
If it wasn't Su Ya, then who was it?
Just then, Fang Yuan seemed to hear a soft chuckle.
It was a man's chuckle!
How could there be a man in the dormitory?
Something shady seemed to be hidden in girls' dormitory 441, formless, drifting in the thick darkness. It drifted here and there, past the girls.
This wasn't going to work. Fang Yuan remembered that Tao Bing'er had casually put her lighter in the desk drawer after lighting the candle. She fumbled for a long time before finally finding it and lighting it immediately.
The moment the lighter lit, she seemed to see a figure flash outside the window.
However, it was only a glimpse; she couldn't be sure it was a human figure. Perhaps it was just an illusion created by the interplay of light and darkness.
The candle was lit.
There was a difference between having light and not having light. Even the faintest light could bring warmth and a sense of security.
"It's okay. Let's go, let's go to bed."
Fang Yuan and Xu Zhaodi helped Tao Bing'er back to the dormitory.
That night, Fang Yuan and Tao Bing'er slept together. She kept trying to find words to comfort and counsel Tao Bing'er. But Tao Bing'er was like a puppet, speechless. No matter how much Fang Yuan talked, she remained silent, simply hugging her tightly, afraid she would leave.