She’s a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist’s Halo

After finishing her words, Ding Ling walked out of the bathroom. Yan, having washed her face, returned to her spot and began applying makeup to conceal the twitching of her cheeks.

Was she really going to help Ding Ling cover up?

Huh?

Originally, Yan had considered going to the famous temples and Taoist shrines in Bin City this weekend with her childhood friend to seek some peace charms. She planned to get a few extra to help her roommates ward off the ghost king's dark aura.

But now, with Ding Ling actively assigning her a new identity... it seemed Yan couldn't do that anymore.

If she were truly someone from the mysterious Xuanmai or Xuanmen sects, naturally, she wouldn't go to another sect's shrine to seek peace charms.

Yan had just managed to divert Yi Zhi's attention away from her.

Now Ding Ling was back.

Pain, such pain!

All she wanted was an ordinary college life!

For a moment, Yan felt a pang of envy for Chu Bingbing, who was next door, frantically unpacking her deliveries.

Such a simple, unpretentious life—spending money like crazy, buying and unpacking deliveries—was truly something that wouldn't attract any attention from the other roommates.

The third and fourth classes of the morning were attended by the whole dorm, so the air conditioning was turned off when they left. Now that everyone had returned, Yi Zhi walked in carrying a large cardboard box, taking a deep breath.

"It's so cool in here, so refreshing! What temperature is the AC set to?"

Chu Bingbing glanced up and let out a surprised "Huh?"

"The AC isn't even on? How is our room so cool?"

At this moment, Yan noticed Ding Ling's clenched fist and understood.

The dark aura doubles as an air conditioner, huh? Saving on dorm electricity bills too.

She followed up with an "Ah," then, as if remembering something, added, "It must be the cool air from this morning that hasn't dissipated yet. Our dorm is small, and the AC was on all night, so the cold air stayed trapped inside. We locked the door when we left for class, and the balcony door was closed too, so the cold air didn't escape."

"Oh, I see," Yi Zhi said, sitting down with the cardboard box, seemingly accepting the explanation.

Chu Bingbing nodded repeatedly. "That makes sense."

"Are you guys taking a nap? I'll turn on the AC," Yan said as she walked over to switch it on. When she turned back, she saw Ding Ling's pale face flash her a grateful smile.

Normally, Ding Ling would slowly release her dark aura, but today, because Senior Shen Hui had urgently come to the dorm, the concentration of dark aura in the room had become unusually dense, enough for even the ordinary roommates to notice.

Fortunately, after revealing her identity to Yan earlier, Yan had immediately stepped in to cover for her, and the other roommates hadn't become suspicious.

Feeling mentally exhausted, Yan climbed into her bed, curling up inside the bed curtains, finally feeling safe.

She opened her phone, tempted to send a message to Zhu Jue, but decided against it. These matters couldn't be discussed over text. She'd wait until Zhu Jue finished class so they could talk in person.

Also, she really needed to break the habit of looking at people's heads to see if they had halos!

"Yi Zhi, what did you buy? A little succulent? It's so pretty," Chu Bingbing asked.

"It's a plant that can eliminate odors. I'm putting it in the bathroom shelf," Yi Zhi explained.

"And some cherry tomatoes. I have an elective class where I need to submit a potted plant grown in the dorm, so I got a few for the balcony. I don't want to end up without anything to turn in by the end of the semester."

"An assignment for the end of the semester? Well, take good care of them," Chu Bingbing said, wincing. She had once seen online news about agriculture students who couldn't graduate because their plants or animals had died. Even though Yi Zhi's was just a semester assignment, she decided to keep her distance to avoid any accidental mishaps.

A plant that eliminates odors? Lying in bed, Yan recalled a conversation she had with Yi Zhi over ten days ago. Yi Zhi had actually gone and gotten one.

The dorm bathroom had been kept relatively clean these days, with Chu Bingbing placing scented candles and perfume inside, but after use and due to the drainage system, there was always a slight odor.

Yan's eyelashes fluttered. If such a plant truly existed, every household would buy it, and it would have already become famous. As far as she knew, most people used spider plants to absorb formaldehyde, but other plants didn't seem to have that function, right?

After some thought, she closed her eyes to sleep. Due to encountering a female ghost last night, her sleep quality had been poor, and the early morning class had left her eyelids heavy.

"Shh, Yan's sleeping," Ding Ling whispered, and Chu Bingbing stopped unpacking her deliveries, quietly climbing into bed as well.

Yi Zhi carefully arranged the shelves and pots she had brought back on the balcony, nodding in satisfaction.

This box, labeled as a delivery, was actually something she had taken out from her personal space.

In her modest space, Yi Zhi had planted several types of plants from this world. For fruits, she had chosen cherry tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, ground cherries, and root vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes, along with a few vegetable seedlings... all of which were growing exceptionally well, even without being nourished by spiritual energy! They had already reached maturity.

Since the dorm lacked cooking equipment, Yi Zhi had sampled a few of the fruits, and they tasted incredible!

The fruits were rich in flavor and had an excellent appearance. Whether in her past life or this one, she had rarely eaten such delicious fruits.

In fact, eating them gave her a feeling of being cleansed from within!

With such high-quality produce and the special effects of the spiritual spring in her space, Yi Zhi was confident that the vegetables and fruits from her space could dominate the market if she ever decided to sell them.

For comparison, she had transplanted a cherry tomato seedling from her space to grow on the dorm balcony, planning to observe the differences between those nurtured in her space and those grown in the dorm with her wood-element spiritual energy.

Yi Zhi had come to Bin City on a scholarship. In this world, she was an orphan whose parents had passed away. Since middle school, she had relied on community and school support to continue her education, with nothing to her name except an old house left by her parents.

Although the scholarship was enough to cover her four years of college, her life in the apocalypse in her previous life had instilled in her a desire to hoard as much as possible. Having money and supplies gave her a sense of security.

Especially since she had recently discovered that gold and jade seemed to have the ability to expand her small space!

A few days ago, Gu Jiasui had given her a jade ring, which Yi Zhi had accidentally brought into her space. The ring had nearly slipped from her hand, and the entire space had seemed to grow excited.

Yi ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‍Zhi had searched her entire body and thought back for a long time before concluding that it was the ring causing the reaction.

In her previous life, Yi Zhi hadn't owned much gold jewelry. When she had found some while scavenging for supplies, she had usually traded it for necessities, as survival was the top priority in the apocalypse. Occasionally, she had stored some in her space, but it had never caused any changes.

But in this world, a simple jade ring had caused her space to tremble. She was genuinely puzzled. Why was that?

Yi Zhi couldn't figure it out. If she had discovered this in her previous life, wouldn't she have been able to expand her space much earlier?

Was there some difference between items from the apocalypse and those from this world?

With her busy school schedule and no nearby places to buy gold or jade, Yi Zhi planned to visit Bin City's famous antique street over the weekend. She didn't intend to buy anything expensive—just a small gold or jade trinket to experiment with.

While in her space, she had relied on her strong control over it to prevent the space from forcibly taking the jade ring. After all, it was a gift from her roommate Gu Jiasui, and losing or having it disappear would be hard to explain.

Thinking of this, Yi Zhi became more determined. If it hadn't been for Gu Jiasui's gift, she wouldn't have discovered the potential for her space to expand and upgrade. She began pondering what kind of gift to give in return.

After her nap, Yan got out of bed and passed by the sixth bed, where she noticed two pots of increasingly lush gardenias.

These two pots of flowers... She counted on her fingers. It had been almost half a month since move-in day, yet they were still blooming so vibrantly, with not a single fallen petal in the pots.

Was Yi Zhi's healing ability really that effective?

Yan turned and entered the bathroom. Scanning the area, she noticed a small pot at the bottom of the shelf, about the size of a typical succulent, containing a plant that resembled a trumpet in shape.

Back in Ningcheng, Yan's neighbors had loved filling their balconies and rooftops with plants, and there was even a grandmother who adored succulents, but she had never seen a plant like this before.

She crouched down for a closer look, extending a finger toward it.

In an instant, before Yan's finger even moved, the pale green trumpet-shaped leaf seemed to reach out toward her.

Huh?

Wait, what?

Yan froze, her right hand stiffening in place. Was this... her imagination? Was she seeing things?

There was no wind in the bathroom.

After glancing at the unknown deodorizing plant twice, Yan washed her hands and left.

She stood on the balcony, using a pole to retrieve the clothes she had washed the night before. After a night and half a day, they were already dry. Her gaze fell on the newly placed potted plant on the shelf, and a thought suddenly struck her.

Gardenia, cherry tomato plant, and an unknown plant.

Apart from the nearly dead gardenia at the beginning, Yi Zhi hadn’t brought back any dying plants recently.

So, perhaps her ability wasn’t healing-related, but something connected to plants?

Plant affinity, or the ability to control plants?

Regardless, it had nothing to do with her, so Yan stopped thinking about it. For now, she didn’t want to attract Yi Zhi’s attention any further.

Gu Jiasui didn’t return to the dorm at noon. In the afternoon, she sent Yan a message asking her to save a seat for her in class.

Yan didn’t ask why—celebrities’ privacy wasn’t something to pry into.

Just before the class bell rang, Yan watched as Gu Jiasui arrived, carrying a beautifully wrapped brocade box, and sat down beside her. She then slipped the box into Yan’s bag.

Yan was puzzled but didn’t say anything.

Gu Jiasui was carrying a small bag—was she temporarily storing the item with Yan?

As the class bell rang, making conversation difficult, Yan noticed a message from Gu Jiasui on WeChat.

**[Gu Jiasui]**: It’s for you.

**[Gu Jiasui]**: A painting I made. It’s not expensive, so don’t refuse it this time.

Yan glanced at the brocade box in her canvas bag. She had casually mentioned it, but she hadn’t expected Gu Jiasui to go so far as to use a brocade box. It must have been framed.

She had almost forgotten about it!

But… Yan gently touched the material of the box. It didn’t seem like the common, inexpensive Song brocade. At a glance, it might even be made of Yun brocade.

Thinking of Gu Jiasui’s usual style, Yan’s lips twitched. It was very likely.

Well, a Yun brocade box didn’t matter much. Along with a painting she had made herself, it was certainly more affordable and easier to accept than the ice-grade jade bracelet from before.

As she took notes during the lecture, Yan noticed that Gu Jiasui had excellent handwriting.

Having grown up alongside a pair of genius twins, Yan had been exposed to everything from musical instruments to calligraphy and painting.

Gu Jiasui’s handwriting, even though written quickly with a gel pen, was elegant and fluid, showing a unique style that wasn’t copied from anyone else’s work.

Yan felt a sense of familiarity but couldn’t quite place it.

Gu Jiasui was from ancient times, so it made sense that her handwriting was refined. She must have come from a scholarly or official family and had likely studied under a famous calligrapher of her era.

The professor occasionally called on students to answer questions, which kept Yan fully focused, leaving no room for idle thoughts.

After the last class of the day ended, the students hurriedly left the classroom.

“I’m not going back to the dorm now,” Yan and Gu Jiasui said simultaneously, then laughed.

Yan had arranged to meet Zhu Jue for dinner at the medical school’s cafeteria. The campus was bustling at this hour, and the two didn’t have a chance to discuss the matter of the ghost king.

The cafeteria was crowded, so Yan found a secluded corner by the window and saved a seat while Zhu Jue went to buy their meals.

With no one around, Yan took out an alcohol wipe to clean her hands and then thoroughly wiped the table.

Zhu Jue returned with a claypot of ribs with rice, a bowl of duck blood and vermicelli soup, and a plate of stir-fried rice noodles. He had a big appetite and usually ate two portions of staple food. Yan sampled each dish, leaving the rest for her childhood friend to finish.

She had chosen this corner of the cafeteria specifically to avoid eavesdroppers. Sitting close together, they whispered about the day’s events.

When Zhu Jue heard that Yan had been mistaken for someone from the mystical arts community, he nearly choked on his food.

After a moment of thought, he said, “That’s fine. I asked Da He the other day to help me get a string of Five Emperors Coins for you. He gave me an address in Bin City’s antique street. Da He said the person there knows their stuff. We’ll go this weekend.”

After learning about Yan’s three roommates, Zhu Jue had made preparations. The other two were manageable, but the ghost king was a headache.

Humans and ghosts were fundamentally different, and living with one for an extended period wasn’t ideal. So, he had reached out to Da He, a high school classmate who was into metaphysics, to ask if there were any protective talismans or artifacts that could help.

Genuine Five Emperors Coins were hard to come by, but smaller versions were easier to find. Since he needed them quickly, he was willing to pay the price.

“Hmph, you kept this from me again,” Yan pouted, though her lips curled into a slight smile.

“If there are extra Five Emperors Coins, get a few more for the other roommates,” she added. Since they were helping Ding Ling hide her identity, it wouldn’t do to have the others affected by lingering ghostly energy.

“Panxi Studio is also on the antique street, right? We can stop by to get some paper, brushes, and paints.”

They had been learning traditional calligraphy and painting since childhood, and once they became proficient, they used natural mineral pigments. Panxi Studio was one of their long-time suppliers, a family acquaintance.

After dinner, they left the cafeteria. The sky was still light, so they found a bench along the campus path. Yan took out the brocade box Gu Jiasui had given her from her canvas bag.@@novelbin@@

“Jue, look at this. Isn’t this Yun brocade? I remember the texture from when we visited the Yun Brocade Institute in Jinling City and bought some.”

As Zhu Jue examined the box, Yan slowly unrolled the scroll inside, curious about what Gu Jiasui had painted.

When she saw the painting, she was stunned. She had expected a simple landscape or flower-and-bird painting, but instead, it was a realistic scene!

The painting depicted a heroic woman standing up for justice, shielding another woman from a group of ruffians. The crowd around them watched, and there were even puddles on the ground.

It was a historical rendition of the day Yan had intervened to save someone!

Though there were no modern elements in the painting, Yan could immediately recognize the scene.

Gu Jiasui’s gift was truly unexpected. In the corner of the painting, there was a small inscription in classical Chinese, along with a seal.

“‘Portrait of Lady Yan, the Heroic Savior,’” Zhu Jue joked, naming the painting.

Yan glared at him but then froze as she looked at Gu Jiasui’s calligraphy.

During class, the gel pen had made the strokes less distinct, but now, with brushstrokes on the painting, the handwriting was unmistakably the “Jianing style.”

This was the unique calligraphy style of Princess Jianing, a historical figure who had been at odds with her husband and devoted her life to music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and artifacts before passing away young. The Jianing style was known for its flowing, graceful lines and elegant charm.

“Jue, the photo from the museum,” Yan said urgently.

On the day Lu Jianian had caused a stir online, she and Zhu Jue had visited Bin City Museum, where an exhibition featuring a piece of Princess Jianing’s calligraphy was being held.

Comparing the museum photo with the painting, the brushstrokes were identical.

“This is unreal.”

“It’s as if Princess Jianing herself wrote this,” Yan murmured.

Thinking of Gu Jiasui’s “time-traveler” aura and her habit of casually giving away valuable items, Yan and Zhu Jue exchanged a look, their expressions turning strange.

It seemed Yan had stumbled upon another big secret.

Surely it couldn’t be what she was thinking… right?