The Young Girl's Chronicles of Demon-Slaying

Chapter 14: The Scriptures

The students attending the class were clearly not freshmen, and the material Lin Yuqin was covering was quite in-depth. But it was strange! Even though he had never studied music before, as Fang Heng listened to every word Lin Yuqin spoke, his mind automatically broke it down, transformed it, and turned it into something he could understand. The entire process felt as automatic as a machine—it happened naturally, filtering out the irrelevant details, retaining the essence, and automatically transforming it into knowledge. It was a magical feeling. He even had the mental bandwidth to multitask—listening to Lin Yuqin’s lecture and comprehending her words while simultaneously wondering to himself what on earth was going on. Had he suddenly become a genius? He rolled his piercing black-and-white eyes, feeling as if he’d split into two parts: one daydreaming, the other listening intently to the lecture. The lesson covered advanced material he’d never studied before—he had absolutely no foundation in it—yet he was able to grasp and understand it. He even had the feeling that if he were to sit down at the piano and demonstrate the playing techniques Lin Yuqin had described, he’d have no trouble at all. It was practically like a castle in the air—but better than a mere fantasy, because he had actually built such a castle! Was it because he’d been reborn and possessed her body, or was this girl simply naturally quick-witted? Fang Heng suspected it was mostly due to the girl’s sharp mind. After all, he knew full well what he was like before—though he’d managed to get into college, it was nothing more than a third-rate institution, hardly worth mentioning, and even there, his grades had been mediocre at best. This might have had something to do with him being too busy working part-time jobs to earn a living, but if he had truly been an academic star, none of that would have been an excuse. And now, without having had any prior exposure to music, he had actually understood what Lin Yuqin was saying—and grasped its meaning. For the old him, this would have been impossible. So this could only be attributed to the girl’s sharp mind—or perhaps to some kind of “chemistry” created by the fusion of his soul with her body? In just a few short days, many strange and unusual things had already happened to him; one more wouldn’t make much difference—especially since this was a good thing. He pondered it for a moment while multitasking, then decided not to dwell on it further and instead began listening attentively to the lecture. After all, Lin Yuqin was in the middle of a class and needed to fulfill her duties as a teacher at the lectern. So after Fang Heng walked in, she didn’t pay him much attention, glancing at him only occasionally while focusing mostly on her lecture. However, during those occasional glances, she was somewhat surprised to find that Fang Heng appeared to be listening very intently. Could he actually understand what she was saying? She wondered to herself, but it wasn’t the right time to ask. She could only continue teaching while keeping an eye on him, waiting until after class to inquire further. A class lasted two hours. In the past, Fang Heng would have found even an hour too long, let alone two, but today, the class seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. When he heard Lin Yuqin announce the end of class, he actually felt as if he hadn’t had enough—he wished she would lecture for another two hours just to satisfy him. Whoa, what’s going on here? Had he become so engrossed in the class that he couldn’t tear himself away? As the class ended, the students in the audience began to file out. Occasionally, a student would approach the podium to ask Lin Yuqin a question, and she would personally take the stage to play a passage on the piano to clarify their doubts. Fang Heng remained seated, watching as students filed past him one by one; almost every single one of them eyed him curiously. After waiting about ten minutes, once most of the students had left, Lin Yuqin finally walked over to Fang Heng with a smile and asked, “So, was it boring?” Fang Heng shook his head. Not only was it not boring, but he’d actually found it thoroughly engaging—he even wanted to keep listening. Something must have gone haywire in his brain. Lin Yuqin asked with a hint of curiosity, “I noticed you were listening very intently during my lecture just now. Have you studied music before?” “No!” Fang Heng shook his head again. “Then do you understand what I’m saying?” Lin Yuqin pressed further. After a moment’s hesitation, Fang Heng decided to be modest and said, “I understand a little.” “Really?” Lin Yuqin was clearly skeptical. After all, how could someone with absolutely no musical background possibly understand concepts like “plainchant,” “coda,” “polyphonic music,” and so on? Without having specifically studied them, one would have no idea what these technical terms even meant. And since Lin Yuqin naturally used many such musical terms during her lectures, she remained skeptical even though Fang Heng admitted he could understand a little. However, after giving it some thought—figuring he might just be saying that to save face—Lin Yuqin didn’t make a big deal of it and said, “Come on, let’s head home.” University professors enjoy that kind of freedom—they only teach one class a day, and about two or three classes a week. Most of their remaining time is actually spent giving private lessons; after all, the main reason university professors earn so well is because they teach so many private lessons. Fang Heng sensed that Lin Yuqin clearly didn’t quite believe him, but if the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t have believed it either. So he didn’t try to defend himself—it would have been too much trouble, and he didn’t know how to explain it in a way that would convince her. After Lin Yuqin motioned for him to leave, he followed her out of the classroom. However, as soon as they stepped outside, someone called out to him. “Professor Lin!” The person who called out to Lin Yuqin was standing right at the doorway—he’d spotted her the moment she stepped out. It was a boy wearing glasses, a white shirt, and jeans. The boy was unremarkable in appearance, but standing there, he gave off a simple, clean impression at first glance. As for Fang Heng, he detected a scent on the boy that left him slightly puzzled. The scent was both familiar and unfamiliar; yet when he tried to pinpoint exactly what it was, he found himself unable to describe it, and a hint of puzzlement involuntarily crossed his face. As if sensing the same feeling, the boy also glanced at Fang Heng with a hint of surprise. He sized him up for a moment before turning his gaze back to Lin Yuqin. “Lin Dian, why didn’t you come to class today?” Lin Yuqin clearly recognized the boy and called him by name. “I took a leave of absence because I had something to do,” Lin Dian replied. He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old—at that age, he was likely a freshman in college who had only been there for half a semester. As he spoke, he seemed a bit shy, just like a young man who hadn’t yet experienced much of the world. Lin Yuqin’s question was clearly a joke; since he’d requested a leave of absence, she couldn’t possibly have been unaware of it. Seeing the shy expression on Lin Dian’s face, she laughed and said, “All right, I know you took a leave of absence. So why are you back? Did you finish what you needed to do?” “Um… I went back to grab a few things.” After saying this, Lin Dian asked, “Professor Lin, have you been having nightmares from time to time lately?” “Does my complexion look that bad? Did you notice right away?” Lin Yuqin touched her face in confusion. It would have been one thing if Fang Heng had noticed at home—after all, she’d just gotten out of bed and wasn’t wearing any makeup. But now that she was at school, she’d put on makeup and tried to cover it up. If he could still tell even then, just how haggard must her complexion really look! Lin Dian gave Lin Yuqin a thorough once-over, then solemnly handed her the book he’d been holding all along: “Ms. Lin, believe it or not, I think you should recite this scripture every night before bed. I guarantee you’ll sleep soundly and won’t have any nightmares!” He emphasized the last two sentences, sounding extremely confident. “What kind of book is this?” Lin Yuqin asked, taking the book with some confusion. However, as soon as she held it in her hands and glanced at the cover, she found herself at a loss for words—no wonder Lin Dian had called it a sutra; it turned out to be a Buddhist scripture titled *The Diamond Sutra*. The book had a sturdy cover and a slightly yellowed hue; it didn’t look particularly special, much like the sutras placed outside temples to give away to visitors. Fang Heng stood on tiptoe out of curiosity to take a closer look. When he saw that it was the *Diamond Sutra*, he was slightly taken aback, then began to scrutinize the young man more closely. Could this guy have some kind of secret? he wondered to himself. Earlier, when Lin Dian had mentioned that Lin Yuqin was suffering from insomnia due to nightmares, Fang Heng had assumed he’d simply deduced it from her complexion. But now, he’d so solemnly presented Lin Yuqin with a sutra. What does this mean? Could it be that this Lin Dian guy had sensed that Lin Yuqin’s house was haunted? But unless he’d seen it with his own eyes, Fang Heng hadn’t detected anything unholy about Lin Yuqin—had Lin Dian really picked up on it? Or was he just guessing? Lin Yuqin held the sutra, feeling a bit at a loss for words. Would reading a sutra really help with insomnia and nightmares? Or was it like those students who use calculus as a sleep aid—would she fall asleep after just a few glances? “You didn’t take a day off just for this book, did you?” The tone of his voice had clearly changed. If Lin Dian admitted that was the case, Lin Yuqin would probably give him a lecture. “Of course not! This is just a side trip!” Whether out of quick wit or because it was actually true, Lin Dian hurriedly denied it. “Really?” “Really!” Lin Dian affirmed. “All right, then! Since you’re showing such concern for your teacher, I’ll put this book away,” Lin Yuqin said. “Just keeping it won’t do any good. Remember to read it every night before bed. You don’t have to read the whole book—just a passage will do. Once you feel your mind has calmed down, keep reading another passage. That’ll be even more effective!” Lin Dian advised earnestly. “All right! I’ll do as you say!” Lin Yuqin tapped Lin Dian on the head playfully with the sutra, then said, “It’s getting late. You just got back—go get some rest! I’m heading home, too.” “Mm-hmm!” Lin Dian nodded and said, “Goodbye, Teacher Lin!” After saying goodbye, Lin Yuqin took Fang Heng by the hand and turned to leave. Lin Dian, however, didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stood where he was, watching Lin Yuqin and Fang Heng’s retreating figures. Only after the two had walked a distance and were nearing the staircase did he pull something out of his pants pocket. (End of Chapter)