Chapter 2: The Legend of the Female Ghost

"Fan Wei, I apologize to you on his behalf," said Chen Jiayao

This house actually has a ghost, a female hanging ghost

Chen Jiayao, believing in his sincerity, learned that he had no relatives in the country. To repay his life-saving grace, she offered to lend him a courtyard in Xiaomazi Alley for him to live in. That courtyard was originally purchased by her father for use as a warehouse, but a year ago it began to be haunted, resulting in several deaths. After that, no one dared to live there, which turned out to be a bargain for Ouyang Yun

Her face immediately flushed red, and she shot a glare at her good friend. Then, with poise, she approached and said, "Hello." She felt that his clothes looked very familiar, which puzzled her a bit, and she quietly asked, "Mr. Ouyang, do you live nearby?"

He handed the gold bar to her, and Ouyang Yun smiled more elegantly, feeling an inexplicable surge of the phrase "young and wealthy" in his heart, which made his smile intentionally even more radiant

More people curiously scrutinized the camouflage outfit; the style of the clothing was quite peculiar, yet it was also very attractive. Worn by the little thief, it appeared quite spirited.

The female ghost originally intended to merely frighten him, to scare him half to death would have sufficed. However, she did not expect that he would be so audacious as to not fear even a ghost. Caught off guard, she was startled herself, instinctively letting out a cry and struggling to break free from his control

If only it were a female ghost, as Ouyang Yun surveyed the surroundings of the courtyard, such thoughts crossed her mind

However, how could such a formidable individual have lost his clothes as well

Glancing at the ghostly face with a red tongue swaying in his hand, Ouyang Yun couldn't help but chuckle silently, thinking to himself, "Ghosts are born from the heart," which was indeed quite true. He chased after it, only to see a shadow leap over the courtyard wall and suddenly vanish. The agility displayed was remarkably professional, far surpassing his own climbing skills. Thus, he had no choice but to abandon the pursuit, reflecting: the acting was impressive, and the fundamentals were not weak; no wonder they could successfully play the role of a ghost. Heh, too bad they encountered me, the Zhong Kui.

There are rumors that Fan Wei is a disciple of the Cangzhou Baguazhang, so despite the large number of Tsinghua participants, the outcome was that Yanjing won

It is like this. Ouyang Yun took out a gold bar weighing about half a pound from his pocket and said: "I have no money on me, only this, but I do not know the exchange rate. Could you help me exchange it?"

Chen Jiayao knew he had misunderstood and explained: "The charm of allure."

Chen Jiayao looked at the golden bars, smiled, and said, "I didn't expect you to be a wealthy man"

This rascal stole my clothes

"Jia Yao, are you friends?" A gentle voice. Chen Jia Yao and Ouyang Yun turned to look, and saw the gentle Pan Mei Ren. Meeting the gaze of the "wealthy young man," a soft blush appeared on the girl's face.

Chen Jiayao covered her mouth, her eyes wide open as she looked at him, her face flushed, and she stammered, "He is very handsome"

Fan Wei's facial color changed, his upper and lower teeth interlocked, producing a creaking sound, though it was unclear whether it was from anger or coldness

Having tried all the keys without success in opening the lock, he no longer exerted himself and entered the room on the right

Pan Meiren's eyes lit up

"It is not theft, it is borrowing," Ouyang Yun said, touching his nose, appearing quite gentlemanly

Chen Jiayao took out her wallet from her pocket and pulled out all the banknotes inside. Just as she was about to say that this amount of money could be used for now, she was interrupted by a loud shout coming from behind Ouyang Yun

You are my savior, of course you can

This statement is quite modern; in the era of Ouyang Yun, it was rather ordinary. However, now it is the 24th year of the Republic, so this statement seems somewhat shameless

Today's students are truly innocent! Very good

It is him! The girl who shouted this is very familiar, the class monitor Fan Wei. Fan Wei is only wearing shorts and a shirt, and in this May weather, it is naturally difficult to withstand the morning chill. His exposed limbs are all frozen red, and mucus is hanging on his face. There is a scratch mark on his left cheek, and his hair is messy with a few blades of grass stuck in it, looking quite disheveled. He charged over aggressively, followed by a dozen or so boys, some of whom were holding large sticks.

It was already nighttime, and the sky was gray, causing the light in the room to be dim. What came into view was a quivering tongue, just a few inches away from his face. The owner of the tongue had a ghastly pale face, with two streaks of blood flowing from the eye sockets, and white hair cascading over the shoulders. The tongue was astonishingly half a foot long—was it a ghost? Ouyang Yun gasped in shock, his heart nearly stopping.

"Strong words and unreasonable arguments!" Fan Wei began to feign luck, and his face indeed turned bright red, leaving one to wonder whether it was genuine luck or anger; his hands extended in a rather gossiping manner.

Fan Wei felt very frustrated, and the consequences were quite serious. No wonder the clothes on Ouyang Yun looked so familiar; they originally belonged to Fan Wei. Then, Chen Jiayao and Pan Meiren recalled the brawl that occurred between Yan University and Tsinghua University six months ago, and couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety for Ouyang Yun.

What a domineering name "Beauty" is

The exclamations were devoid of any ghostly aura, merely human voices. Ouyang Yun felt considerably relieved and laughed heartily, saying, "It seems to be a coward!" He suddenly relaxed his grip, swiftly seized the trembling tongue with his right hand, and kicked the female ghost in the stomach with his left foot, instantly sending her flying. He then leaped off the bed and turned on the electric light.

In the yard, apart from a few sparse trees, the rest of the area was vacant, seemingly unused for at least six months. However, his years of experience as a special forces soldier quickly led him to notice several anomalies. At the entrance of the restroom, he discovered a toilet that had been aired out; upon entering, he found no spider webs. This indicated that the restroom had definitely been used recently. The three main houses at the back also did not resemble the front house, which was covered in dust and filled with cobwebs. Strangely, in the left room, although the lock on the door was rusty, he could see through the curtains that the quilt on the bed was neatly folded, and on the clothes rack in front of the bed hung a qipao and a dress, suggesting that someone must be living in this room.

The female ghost hung by her neck stretched her hands out like claws, reaching towards his shoulder; her head lowered, mouth agape, revealing two sharp fangs, a blood-red tongue flicking across his face, a slippery sensation, as if she was preparing to feast upon him

Ouyang Yun smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth, and said in a lowered voice: "I never left at all." She blinked and looked down, asking: "How do you like my outfit? Quite stylish, right?"

The female ghost was kicked away by him, rolling on the ground for a while. At the moment the lights turned on, she covered her face with her hands and quickly ran out of the room, then opened the main door and fled outside

He returned to the room and caught a faint fragrance, smiling: it turns out she is still a beauty-loving ghost

In the midst of a hazy blur, a damp sensation enveloped her. Could it be raining? Ouyang Yun pondered as she reached out to wipe her face and opened her eyes

The brawl incident is a typical case of romantic entanglement, originating from Pan Mei's involvement with two partners. As a result, one of the partners, Fan Wei, became enraged and rallied a group of close friends to confront the other partner. The two sides engaged in a flurry of punches and blows in Pinghe Hutong, culminating in Fan Wei causing the other partner's boat to spring a leak

The ghost was dressed in a loose floral robe, with both hands reaching out towards him, its nails sharp and long, suggesting it was a female ghost

Chen Jiayao glanced at Ouyang Yun and noticed that his eyes had noticeably brightened, resembling a light bulb powered by a strong electric current. She thought to herself that it seemed he was yet another person enchanted by charm. Recalling some "charming past events," her eyes curved into crescent moons as she introduced, "This is my classmate Pan Meiren, Ouyang Yun." She put away the gold bar and said, "This matter is on me."

Yanjing University is located on the main road leading from the Summer Palace to the city, just five kilometers from the city center, directly opposite Tsinghua University. Its layout reflects traditional Chinese characteristics, with the east-west axis aligned with the Yuyuan Mountain Pagoda as a focal point. From the Alumni Gate, one passes over a stone arch bridge and a Huabiao (a ceremonial column taken from the ruins of the Old Summer Palace). On either side of the square courtyard are the nine-bay Mu Building and the Democracy Building, while the front features the Xieshan-roofed Beigong Building (the administrative building). Flanking it are the Religious Building and the Library. Continuing along the central axis to the east leads to the Siyiting Pavilion in Weiming Lake, with the Boya Tower and the Linhu Pavilion by the lakeside. The eastern part is demarcated by Weiming Lake, dividing it into the northern male dormitory area and the southern female dormitory area. The male dormitory area includes four male dormitory buildings: De, Cai, Jian, and Bei, as well as the Huashi Gymnasium. The female dormitory area is arranged along a north-south axis, featuring the Shit Building, the North and South Pavilions, female dormitories, and the Bao Gymnasium.

If it were someone else facing such a situation, they would likely faint from fear. But who is Ouyang Yun? After several years of being a special forces soldier, his mental fortitude is far stronger than that of the average person. Therefore, although he feels a bit anxious, he will not simply give up.

Each of them brought a gold bar and a silver ingot, which constituted the entirety of the activity funds

Ouyang Yun initially only wanted to borrow some clothes, but classmate Fan Wei, who prides himself on being a master of Bagua Zhang, was not so easy to deal with. As a result, he was thrown to the ground several times. Not wanting to cause trouble, he took off his clothes, revealing the camouflage uniform underneath, handed the clothes back to their original owner, and sincerely said: "I am sorry"

Fan Wei was robbed of his clothes by Ouyang Yun by the wall. Furious, he led his men to search for him everywhere. Upon seeing that this little thief was actually flirting with Pan Mei, his anger grew even more. Without saying a word, he gathered his brothers and surrounded them.

Strange! He muttered to himself: "Did Chen Jiayao deceive me? This is clearly her boudoir, yet she told me to stay as I please. No, no, she didn't enter the courtyard just now. Could it be that she is unaware that someone lives here? Or is it that this is originally a ghost's room, a female ghost?"

By the shores of Weiming Lake on the campus of Yanda University, Chen Jiayao and Ouyang Yun were engaged in a lively conversation. Ouyang Yun meticulously crafted her own background—a young overseas Chinese returning to her homeland, studying medicine, and this time returning to serve her country.

She has not yet reacted, and Wang Fang along with a few roommates exchanged glances between the two, then smiled ambiguously. Wang Fang leaned closer to her ear and said, "When did you meet another young master? Hehe, he is more handsome than your Brother Chu."

"Fan Wei, let it go, they didn't mean it." The gentle voice, of course, belonged to Pan Mei.

With a confident toss of her hair, completely forgetting that she had gotten a buzz cut after enlisting, Ouyang Yun said nonchalantly: "Classmate Chen, could you do me a favor?"

Ouyang Yunya gritted her teeth tightly, suddenly sitting up. She grabbed the ghost's two wrists with both hands and shouted, "Where did this little ghost come from?!" The little ghost's wrists were warm and soft, quite similar to those of a human.

Chen Jiayao hurried back to class, leading him to the door and leaving behind a set of keys before quickly departing. Today's college students are quite different from their peers in the 21st century, who took pride in skipping classes and viewed perfect attendance as shameful. They are remarkably diligent, genuinely linking their university education to serving the country. It is no wonder that when Ouyang Yun mentioned the phrase 'serve the country,' Chen Jiayao immediately regarded him with newfound respect.

Fan Wei let out a heavy grunt, took the clothes, and walked away without looking back, yet he had made up his mind to find his senior brother at noon and ask him to help him vent his anger

Chen Jiayao was anxious: "Don't act recklessly, he is my friend! Ouyang, return his clothes to him."

Hello, Mr. Ouyang," Pan Meiren said shyly, lowering her head

Yanjing University was officially established in 1916, originally named Peking University. Its predecessor consisted of three church schools established by American missionaries in Beijing, which included a seminary, a law school, and a medical school, comprising nearly 20 departments in total. Although it was nominally a church school, under the presidency of American educator John Leighton Stuart, there was no emphasis on Christian teachings; instead, it promoted liberal education, making it one of the more renowned universities in China at that time. It was also the only university that did not relocate after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

She smiled and said, "No, I'm just a bit tired." Her gaze instinctively wandered around, and she was taken aback when she saw Ouyang Yun, dressed in a suit and holding a bag, smiling at her from not far away.

Oh

"Is a simple apology enough to settle this?" shouted one of Fan Wei's brothers, appearing indignant.

Then let it be? Among his brothers, a few may have had their tempers soothed by Pan Mei's gentle voice, and they advised him.

As a young person who has come into the twenty-first century, Ouyang Yun is naturally an atheist; he fears neither gods nor, by extension, mere spirits. Thus, he reluctantly accepted her kindness.

The room on the right was not locked, and the quilt on the bed was covered with a sheet. The floor and the sheet were covered in dust. He decided to stay in this room, cleaned it earnestly, and broke a slight sweat. During this time, he stretched and thought to himself that he would take a nap first. He hid his backpack under the bed, closed the door, and placed a bowl filled with water tightly against the door. He lay down fully clothed and soon fell asleep.

Chen Jiayao is a student in Class 36 at Yanjing University School of Medicine. She returned to the dormitory just before midnight last night. Due to the extraordinary events she experienced, she did not rest well, and when she got up in the morning, her eyelids were noticeably dark. She and several classmates were holding books and were on their way to the classroom. Wang Fang, who is closest to her, noticed her troubled expression and asked with concern, "Jiayao, are you feeling unwell?"

Ouyang Yun has been lingering here for a while, and at this moment, he smiled and said: "Good morning, classmate Chen Jiayao!"

Xiao Mazi Hutong is approximately a fifteen-minute walk from Yan University, and the Chen family's courtyard is indeed unoccupied, as evidenced by the rusted lock on the gate. The courtyard is quite large, nearly over six hundred square meters, which in the context of Beijing during Ouyang Yun's era, would certainly qualify as a "mansion." The buildings in the courtyard are typical of a siheyuan structure, with three tiled rooms at the front and back, a kitchen on the left, and two slightly shorter rooms for servants along with a toilet on the right—this aspect particularly pleased Ouyang Yun. Although life as a special forces soldier is tough, having a background in medicine, he possesses a certain degree of cleanliness. If one were to ask him what he was most concerned about before his time travel, it would be the fear of not having a toilet.

"Fan Wei, what are you doing?" Chen Jiayao, fearing that Ouyang Yun would suffer a loss, hurriedly protected him like a hen shielding her chicks