Chapter 118: Chapter 118: The Bizarre Painting That Grants Wishes Is Gu Yuan’s Storeroom?

"Mm."

Luo Huan nodded in response to Mr. Luo’s belated apology.

She still couldn’t completely forgive her father.

Not for killing Du’er.

Nor for nearly destroying Chilling Middle School.

These were things that no apology could erase.

A rift still existed between the father and daughter.

It was a rift that only the great power of time could heal.

A gentle breeze brushed past Luo Huan’s cheek. She lightly took a lock of hair and tucked it behind her ear, taking the first step to bridge that gap herself.

"In the future... I’d like to go out and explore. Can you come with me?"

"I—"

Hearing her words, Mr. Luo was about to agree immediately.

But then.

A sharp, twisting pain shot through his heart.

It wasn’t from Yun Zhenyue’s punch.

It was a gnawing pain, like insects chewing through him.

His body...

’Has it already reached this point?’

Mr. Luo’s eyes dimmed. He had finally understood his daughter’s feelings, and she was even willing to take the initiative to close the distance between them. He would be happy to accompany her anywhere.

But in his search for his daughter, he had battled many powerful abominations.

He had once angered a top-tier Evil Star and been afflicted with a deadly poison. Recovery was impossible. His body was already beyond saving, and today’s great battle had left him utterly spent.

’I can only do my best to keep her from finding out.’

’She’ll have to walk the road ahead on her own.’

Seeing Mr. Luo remain silent for so long, Luo Huan lowered her head, her expression unreadable.

Yun Zhenyue saw this and patted Luo Huan’s shoulder.

"Don’t overthink it. Maybe he has his reasons."

"...Mm," Luo Huan said softly, taking a deep breath.

Just then.

Mr. Luo looked at Yun Zhenyue and asked, "My lady, you’ve helped me so much. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"If I am of any use to you, please do not hesitate to give your command."

He wanted to curry favor with Yun Zhenyue.

That way, after he died, Luo Huan could rely on Yun Zhenyue’s power.

’What do I need?’

Yun Zhenyue didn’t have to think hard; there was indeed one favor she needed to ask.

"I remember... today should be the monthly exam, right?"

"What did you say?"

Mr. Luo was stunned for a moment.

’The... the monthly exam?’

’She can shatter a heart chamber with a single punch!’

’And she’s still thinking about the monthly exam?’

’Did she really come to Chilling Middle School just to study?’

"Well, I have been studying for a few days, so it’s about time my progress was tested," Yun Zhenyue said, a bit sheepishly. "Or should we wait until after Chilling Middle School is rebuilt to hold the monthly exam?"

’I still have a mission to complete, after all.’

"No!"

Mr. Luo immediately shook his head.

"Since this is your request, I will give the order now."

...

Soon.

To the utter bewilderment of all the ghost students.

And the dumbfounded expressions of the matchmaking partners.

They were holding the monthly exam right there in the ruins of Chilling Middle School!

Mr. Luo personally brought over desks and chairs.

The ghost homeroom teacher somehow managed to dig out exam papers from somewhere.

To save time.

He filtered the questions from each subject, greatly reducing the test’s length.

But it was still enough to differentiate those who had actually studied hard.

This didn’t feel like the aftermath of a great battle at all.

Everyone felt it was a total pain in the ass.

Then came the nerves.

This time, Mr. Luo himself was proctoring the exam!

Along with a crowd of ghost teachers!

All of them staring!

Everyone felt like they were sitting on pins and needles, their scalps tingling with anxiety.

During the exam.

More than a few outside abominations, seeing Chilling Middle School in ruins, tried to come and scavenge.

But they were all swatted to pieces by Mr. Luo with a single slap!

To avoid disturbing the students.

Mr. Luo later went so far as to create a barrier around the entire athletic field, sealing it so that not even a fly could get in.

Yun Zhenyue, however, was not affected.

She wrote at a furious pace.

In the end.

Yun Zhenyue was the first to turn in her test!

And she received an unexpectedly high score!

A perfect score in every subject!

Even Yun Zhenyue herself was surprised.

’But come to think of it,’ she mused, ’the credit for this score should go to Du’er’s notes. They helped me memorize the key points for every subject.’

’She was a top student, after all. Thanks to her, and perhaps the grader going easy on me, getting a perfect score isn’t so strange.’

With Yun Zhenyue leading the way.

The ghosts of Class 2 performed exceptionally well this time.

Even Luo Huan got a higher score than she ever had before, and for a moment, she was so moved she almost cried.

The others weren’t so lucky.

Han Sumei’s hands trembled as she wrote.

She finally finished her paper a second before the exam ended.

But due to her fear of Mr. Luo, her frayed nerves, and the difficulty she’d had studying these past few days, she ultimately didn’t pass.

Of all the matchmaking partners, only Yamada Aiko passed.

The other girls, dejected by their results.

Chose to teleport back to Wansheng District.

The moment they received their scores.

Yun Zhenyue, however, was told by Mr. Luo to wait a moment.

He had something to give her.

A reward for placing first in the monthly exam.

Yun Zhenyue had assumed it would be a certificate or something of the sort.

But as Mr. Luo slowly approached.

He brought a rolled-up painting.

"There are rumors that I possess a secret treasure that can grant wishes. Those rumors are true."

"This is a Calamity Star Ghost Artifact. I begged for a long time to get it from that great being, and I’ve always kept it in my office."

"On normal days, I would admire it for a while, immersing myself in the painting to dispel my attachments."

’Grant wishes?’

Yun Zhenyue was stunned. ’That’s too ridiculous,’ she thought.

She watched Mr. Luo carefully unroll the painting.

As the scroll unfurled.

It revealed... a very strange scene.

The painting was filled with junk.

A worn-out television?

A pile of CDs, broken headphones, a useless stereo.

Yun Zhenyue’s head spun as she looked at it.

’Especially when I saw that pile of cardboard in the bottom right corner?’

It looked so much like the pile she had at home, ready to be sold.

Later, Gu Yuan had said it was cluttering up the house and sold it for her.

’This is too much of a coincidence!’

"This painting... is very unique," Yun Zhenyue said with a peculiar expression. "Mr. Luo, do you enjoy admiring this sort of thing?"

"Wow, that’s a lot of trash!"

"Is this some kind of abstract art?" Luo Huan exclaimed in surprise.

’Trash?’

Mr. Luo lowered his head and saw the junk filling the entire painting.

He was immediately dumbfounded.

"That’s not right. The last time I looked at this painting, it had a few potted plants on it."

Mr. Luo murmured in a low voice, his eyes filled with confusion.

"How did it turn into a pile of trash?"

"Could it be... that the great being threw his trash in here?"

His expression was extremely awkward.

But it was that great being, after all. His ways were rather unique; it was understandable.

"Ahem~"

Mr. Luo coughed twice and handed the scroll to Yun Zhenyue.

"Anyway, this ghost painting is quite magical. The great being said that once my regrets were resolved, he would do me a favor. I would just have to enter the painting to find him."

"Getting help from the great being is basically the same as having a wish granted."

"My regrets ran very deep before, so I could never find the great being whenever I entered."

"Now my regrets are resolved, but I no longer need this painting. I’ll leave it to you."

"Trust me, no matter what your wish is, he can help you fulfill it."

...

「Meanwhile.」

Gu Yuan had just finished playing a simulation game and was about to take a break.

He had withdrawn his attention as soon as he knew Yun Zhenyue was safe.

But he had used a bit too much force just now.

And had accidentally broken his controller.

Gu Yuan couldn’t be bothered to fix it.

He had an ability that allowed him to replicate anything he had ever seen.

He had previously used this ability to copy a huge pile of new controllers.

He stood up.

And walked over to a painting hanging on the living room wall.

The painting depicted a cozy little room.

There was a comfy bed, a computer, and various figurines...

Rain was falling outside the window, but the room felt exceptionally warm.

Gu Yuan gently reached his hand into the painting and pulled out a controller.

He had created all these Ghost Paintings, and each contained a pocket dimension.

The things inside this painting had all been replicated by him as well.

Gu Yuan was usually too lazy to go out.

His bedroom drawers were small, and he had no place for larger items, so he stored all sorts of miscellaneous things inside the paintings.

Some of the Ghost Paintings were interconnected, making it very convenient for him to retrieve things.

Just then.

Gu Yuan had just brought over a cup of tea when he suddenly heard a noise coming from one of the Ghost Paintings.

’Was that someone calling out to me?’