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

As soon as Ding Ling entered the room, she began handing out items from the canvas bag she carried with her.

"What's this?" Gu Jiasui asked curiously, accepting a small wooden box.

Opening it, she found a silver bell wrapped in red cloth.

The bell was exquisitely crafted, clearly not a modern design but rather something made using ancient techniques.

"It's a little bell," Ding Ling said casually.

In Room 320, it had become a habit for the roommates to bring things for one another. Chu Bingbing and Yi Zhi took their boxes with familiarity.

Chu Bingbing let out a soft "wow" as she saw the double-strand silver bell inside.

"Little bell, are you trying to make us carry you around every day?" she teased.

Ding Ling, after all, was like a little bell herself.

"It even has zodiac signs engraved on it," Yi Zhi quickly noticed, spotting the character "Zhi" and her own zodiac animal on the bell.

"This must be custom-made," Chu Bingbing remarked, shaking the bell in her hand. The sound of silver bells filled the dorm room, crisp and pleasant.

While silver wasn't particularly expensive, each bell was unique, clearly showing Ding Ling's thoughtfulness. The engravings of names and zodiac signs warmed everyone's hearts.

Yi Zhi thought to herself that since everyone was giving out gifts, she should probably prepare another batch of fruit in a few days.

After all, compared to Yan's Five Emperor Coins, Gu Jiasui's gifts, and Chu Bingbing's cosmetics, her previous batch of fruit had been consumed and was gone—purely a consumable item.

Yan also received a bell from Ding Ling, but at the same time, she saw Ding Ling lift her bed curtain with lightning speed and slip something onto her bed, giving her a wink.

Yan: ...

What had Ding Ling done? What had she secretly given her?

After blow-drying her hair and ensuring her scalp was dry, Yan slowly applied essential oil to the ends of her hair. It smelled lovely!

The little bells Ding Ling had prepared for her roommates were items she had requested the Special Case Unit to expedite in the past few days.

Even though Yan had already given everyone Five Emperor Coins, Ding Ling couldn't just do nothing.

The silver bells weren't particularly valuable, but they had been treated by professionals from the Special Case Unit for protection. While they might not have any extraordinary effects, they could at least help nourish the body and ensure safety.

After finishing her hair, Yan climbed into bed and slowly felt around for the item Ding Ling had slipped under her bed curtain.

It was another wooden box, exquisitely crafted, clearly made from high-quality wood, with layers of golden brocade inside.

It was also a bell, but not the usual kind of bell charm. Instead, it was the type you hold and shake.

This seemed to be... a Taoist ritual instrument?

The inscriptions and special characters on it were unfamiliar to Yan.

Where had Ding Ling gotten this? Judging by the packaging, it seemed to be from a legitimate source. Was this really meant for her? It definitely felt much more valuable than the Five Emperor Coins she had given out.

Holding the box, Yan felt it was almost too much to handle, almost scorching her hands.

After some thought, Yan pulled out her phone.

**[Yan]**: ?

**[Yan]**: This is too valuable.

Ding Ling, still at her desk, couldn't help but shake her head lightly when she saw Yan's message.

Valuable?

She had exchanged her accumulated merits from the Special Case Unit for this Qingning Bell. After being unearthed by the archaeological team, she had donated all her burial items to the state, earning her a significant amount of credit.

The Qingning Bell was considered a rare artifact in the Special Case Unit's treasure vault. However, a treasure's value also depended on who wielded it. Left unused, it was nothing more than a lifeless object.

Now that she had retrieved it for Yan, it was like matching a fine steed with a worthy rider.

When Yan said it was valuable, she clearly wasn't referring to its market price but rather its true significance.

The Qingning Bell wasn't its original name. After being confiscated by the Special Case Bureau and undergoing nearly a century of suppression and transformation, it had been renamed.

Ding Ling believed that only in Yan's hands could this bell truly shine.

**[Ding Ling]**: Don't worry, it's not worth much. It's just something I dug out of the storage room that's been sitting unused.

**[Ding Ling]**: Please, you must accept it.

Reading Ding Ling's reply, Yan bit her lip. It was clear there was no way to refuse.

This was too much. She was really in a tough spot.

Moreover, now that Ding Ling had acknowledged her special status, she couldn't even ask how to properly use this item.

**[Yan]**: Alright, I'll keep it here for now. You can take it back whenever you need it.

She decided to treat it as something Ding Ling had entrusted to her. Sooner or later, she would have to return it.

The box was too big to take down from the bed for now, so Yan simply placed it at the foot of her bed. Her bed was 1.8 meters long, and even curled up under the blankets, her feet wouldn't reach it.

She didn't dare to keep it by her pillow, afraid she might dream of something strange at night.

The large bronze bell had some weight to it. Yan planned to bring it to Zhu Jue the next day so they could study it together and decide whether to store it in a bank safety deposit box.

Yan couldn't shake the feeling that this item was of cultural relic level. Given that Ding Ling had obtained it through some unknown channel, it wasn't something she could easily take out for appraisal.

Today, all the events on campus were related to Zhu Jue's roommate. Yan lay comfortably in bed, thinking, "Just a few more days, and it'll be vacation. Then, I'll follow the Jidao racing team with Zhu Jue, and I definitely won't run into those two 'halo figures' from the dorm again."

The thought alone made Yan chuckle under her blanket.

Meanwhile, in the boys' dormitory, Room 414.

Yuan Ye, who had already retrieved his special buff and had his blood-red wedding attire equipment reclaimed by the system, returned to the dorm earlier than Zhu Jue.

Yuan Ye looked as calm as ever. Only Xiao Qingnang and Chu Shen were in the dorm; the others hadn't returned yet.

Yuan Ye let out a long sigh of relief. He glanced at Xiao Qingnang, who was studying a medical textbook, and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

"Such a grind king. This guy really lives up to being a med student, still poring over textbooks late at night," Yuan Ye thought.

He walked over to Chu Shen and slapped his buddy on the shoulder.

Seeing the flood of unread messages marked in red on Chu Shen's phone, Yuan Ye twitched his lips again. "Aren't you bothered by all these unread messages, Shen?"

He wasn't a perfectionist, but seeing those red dots unclicked was genuinely unsettling!

Chu Shen didn't seem to care. "No need to deal with them," he said.

"It's the restaurant group chat."

Since it was a weekday and classes were in session, the Chu family's small restaurant had hung up its "Closed" sign. Yet, from last night until now, the regular customers had been spamming the group chat with countless messages. Chu Shen was exasperated—he had only been away for one day!

"Boss Chu, have you really not considered taking a leave from school?"

"Chef Chu, with your culinary skills, why even bother with school? It's such a waste of talent!"

"Calm down, everyone. Of course, he has to study. It's Bin City University, after all. Chef Chu is majoring in food science. I'm sure he'll create even better dishes during his studies."

Chu Shen didn't add customers on WeChat, but they had gone ahead and created multiple group chats for the Chu family's small restaurant, exchanging updates and forming cliques among themselves. He couldn't be bothered to get involved in such nonsense.

Dropping ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍out of school to run a restaurant? Not a chance.

"Shen, your fried rice is truly this good!" Yuan Ye gave a thumbs-up.

Hearing this, even Xiao Qingnang, who was studying on the other side, turned his head and nodded. "Indeed."

Chu Shen rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. Although he was used to hearing such compliments, it still felt awkward when they came from people close to him.

"Of course! Even Zhu Jue's roommate, that celebrity, added you. It just shows how irresistible your fried rice is!"

Yuan Ye didn't hold back on the praise, especially since they had all enjoyed two free meals today—one was the fried rice Chu Shen brought, and the other was dinner.

At that moment, Ye Ping'an pushed the door open. Chu Shen quickly spoke up, "Ping'an, is your livestream over?"

"It's over," Ye Ping'an replied, waving his hand. He had also picked up a few cans of beer from the supermarket. During dinner, since there were ladies present, he hadn't felt comfortable suggesting drinking. After all, it was polite to follow the host's lead.

But now, with nothing to do and the night stretching ahead, a cold beer sounded perfect.

"Oh, this room-temperature one is for 'Elder Xiao,'" Ye Ping'an teased, handing over the only can of room-temperature beer.

Xiao Qingnang had a way of speaking that felt like it belonged to a wuxia novel or a classical tale. From what they knew, his family came from a long line of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, so calling him "senior brother" or the like probably came naturally to him.

On top of that, he always carried a thermos filled with various herbal concoctions, checked everyone's pulse to offer advice, went to bed early, woke up early, practiced the Five Animal Frolics, and never touched anything cold. The guys in the dorm had jokingly nicknamed him "Elder Xiao," as he lived like a retired old man.

Xiao Qingnang didn't mind. After all, he was significantly older than the rest of them.

"Thank you," he said, taking the room-temperature beer from Ye Ping'an and first wiping the rim of the can with a wet wipe.

Zhu Jue walked in just in time to receive a cold beer from his roommates. Feeling Yuan Ye's gaze fixed on him, he casually raised his can and clinked it with the others.

"Did you save some for Fan? It wouldn't be good if he came back and saw us drinking without him."

Ye Ping'an patted the table. "Don't worry, we left him a sip."

Compared to Xiao Qingnang, Lin Fan wasn't as eccentric, but he rarely drank in the dorm. Usually, he would just take a small sip from a cup as a gesture.

Today, they had also found out that Lin Fan had transferred from the military. Given the strict regulations there, his cautious approach to alcohol made sense.

Ye Ping'an felt a sense of relief. In their dorm, drinking was just a casual thing—each person would open a can and sip a little. No one smoked, and most importantly, everyone was capable of taking care of themselves. They were all clean freaks, changing and washing their clothes daily. Compared to the smell of smoke wafting from other dorms in the hallway, the messy rooms, and the unpleasant odors, their dorm was a haven. No one bragged or rambled about politics either. They were truly lucky.

"Even though Brother Fan isn’t here, let’s celebrate that he didn’t get punished today, that we got to eat Brother Shen’s fried rice, and that we met the significant others of our two roommates." Five cans of beer clinked together, filling the dorm with a lively atmosphere.

Ye Ping'an downed a can of ice-cold beer, feeling utterly refreshed. His streaming session for the day was over, and his work tasks were complete. Life was good!

Although he had been secretly lurking in the StarCraft stream’s chat, it was hilarious because these interstellar viewers were total "country bumpkins."

Due to the loss of historical knowledge over time, anything in Ye Ping'an’s stream sparked intense discussions among them. They were endlessly curious, marveling at and praising everything.

He had been working hard to maintain his poker face, barely holding back his laughter.

Honestly, watching these future viewers wildly speculate and rave about things from Earth—calling it the pinnacle of civilization, the wisdom of the ancients—his face was practically contorting from trying not to laugh.

If it weren’t for the fact that he was trying to glean more information about the future from these comments, he would have turned off the chat long ago.

Still, today’s harvest wasn’t bad. He had gained even more insights.

He quietly recorded the information he had gathered. Ye Ping'an didn’t dare use digital notes, opting instead for a separate notebook to organize the various pieces of intel.

Right now, he was sorting through his stream notes.

...

Yuan Ye silently observed Zhu Jue, noting that his expression showed no signs of abnormality. He seemed completely normal, even when he saw Yuan Ye.

This meant, at the very least, that Zhu Jue hadn’t recognized him. Yuan Ye breathed a small sigh of relief.

But then he thought again: If it were him, walking with his significant other on campus and suddenly encountering two ghostly figures—especially one dressed in a blood-red wedding gown—dashing into the woods and disappearing, would he be able to stay so calm?

The answer was obviously no.

If it were him, Yuan Ye would have probably bolted on the spot, running to a crowded area, and once back in the dorm, he wouldn’t have been able to resist sharing the story with his roommates for analysis or posting it online to ask for opinions.

But Zhu Jue? He acted as if nothing had happened.

Could it be that he was blind and didn’t see anything?

Yuan Ye had literally run right past the couple, holding up the hem of his dress as he dashed into the woods!

Yuan Ye’s computer screen displayed a game interface, but he had no desire to play at all right now.

What weighed most heavily on his mind was the qipao ghost. She had suddenly stopped chasing him and, facing their direction, respectfully said, "My lord."

The term "My lord" wasn’t something you’d hear in modern times. It was more like something from a hundred years ago, during the feudal era.

Nowadays, Yuan Ye only heard people being called "My lord" in historical dramas.

That ghost seemed to be from the Republican era, about a century ago. What kind of people would a ghost from that time address as "My lord"? What were Zhu Jue and his girlfriend Yan?

Or rather, were they even human?

Here was the big premise: Yuan Ye speculated that there were two possibilities for why a ghost would address someone as "My lord."

First, they were of the same kind.

In other words, if Zhu Jue and Yan were also "ghosts," they would be of a higher rank than the qipao ghost. That would explain why the other ghost retreated upon their appearance.

It was like how, in ancient times, when a princess or emperor appeared, commoners and merchants would have to step aside.

Thinking this, a glint of insight flashed in Yuan Ye’s eyes.

At the time, because of the buff from the costume system that transformed him into a ghost bride, his aura had seemed stronger than that of the qipao ghost.

In a traditional horror movie, he would have been the ultimate villainous spirit!

He didn’t know why the qipao ghost had chased him. Was it because he had suddenly appeared and she mistook him for an enemy, or was that area her territory?

After some thought, Yuan Ye switched tabs to look up information on "Bin City University’s Mingzhi Hall." When he saw the historical records and rumors from a century ago to the present, he couldn’t help but curse the idiotic system in his heart for nearly getting him killed.

Holy crap, that qipao ghost really had been around for a hundred years! A century-old senior!

The damn system had sent him to a girls’ dormitory where many seniors had died, dressed as a red-clad ghost bride, full of menace. No wonder he’d been mistaken for someone trying to take over her turf!

Yuan Ye’s hands trembled slightly as he gripped the keyboard. He had only encountered one senior ghost at the entrance of Mingzhi Hall. Thankfully, the damn system hadn’t made him go inside, or he might not have made it out alive.

"Stupid system, come out here! Is this world really this fantastical? Next time, can you give me a heads-up if the costume mission involves ghosts? I @@#￥￥..." he ranted internally.

If he hadn’t stopped at the entrance and run into Zhu Jue and Yan along the way, he might have really been done for.

Thinking about it this way, Zhu Jue and Yan’s identities became even more suspicious.

The century-old senior ghost on campus had retreated upon seeing them. Was it out of deference to a fellow ghost or to someone special?

The entire night, even as he lay in bed, Yuan Ye couldn't stop thinking about this issue.

No matter what, Zhu Jue and Yan didn't seem to be ordinary people.

If even a century-old ghost addressed them as "my lord," they might not be human—or even ghosts.

At this thought, Yuan Ye suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

No, no, they probably weren't ghosts.

Yuan Ye suddenly remembered that Xiao Qingnang had taken everyone's pulse in the dorm. Ghosts definitely wouldn't have a pulse.

So, ruling out the ghost option, did that mean they were special individuals who supervised ghosts? Like the Xia Country's Dragon Group?

That would explain why the qipao ghost called them "my lord" and respectfully vanished, too afraid to chase him anymore.

It made sense, perfect sense!

If Zhu Jue and Yan were special individuals who could eliminate ghosts, like Taoist priests from Maoshan or something similar, it would all add up!

Yuan Ye didn't know much about this field. His knowledge came either from novels or movies like *Mr. Zombie*.

Wait, those coins!

Suddenly, Yuan Ye remembered another piece of strong evidence.

During dinner, he had caught a glimpse of Yan's bag when she took out her phone. Inside, he saw a string of ancient coins tied together.

At the time, he didn't think much of it, assuming they were just some kind of accessory.

Now, Yuan Ye carefully recalled the appearance of those coins and searched on his phone browser.

"What does a string of ancient coins mean?"

Sure enough, the browser immediately provided the answer he was looking for.

"Five Emperor Coins: used to ward off evil spirits, dispel bad luck, and ensure safety."

Yuan Ye clenched his fist in bed. That was it.

He read through some descriptions, which explained that these coins had been used for centuries, and almost every practitioner in the field owned a set.

Yuan Ye exhaled, now convinced. They must be involved in the mystical arts—Taoist priests, perhaps? Or maybe folk practitioners? Definitely not from the Buddhist tradition.

He wasn't well-versed in this area, but he had read on forums like Tianya that different regions had different schools: northern shamans, southern mediums, and Taoist priests from Maoshan and Laoshan.

Zhu Jue and Yan were from Ning City, the capital of Xia Country, so he couldn't quite pin down their origins.

But if that were the case, why had they ignored him when they saw him?

Yuan Ye's mind grew more tangled the more he thought about it. If they were Taoist priests, why had they let him go when he transformed into a ghost?

The qipao ghost had fled at the sight of them, like a mouse seeing a cat. Yet, when he ran, they didn't seem to react at all.

Were they unafraid, waiting for him to walk into a trap? Or did they have another motive?

Did they stay behind to investigate after he disappeared into the woods?

The more he tried to make sense of their identities, the less everything added up.

He sighed repeatedly in his mind, even resorting to asking the "idiot system" for answers.

"Idiot system, are you sure the buff you gave me was for turning into a ghost? If my roommates are Taoist priests, why didn't they react when they saw me?"

"Please call me Little Zhi. The transformation buff was automatically awarded after you won the PK. The system confirms it was the Red Dress Ghost buff."

The buff from the transformation didn't last long, and he could pause its duration to save it for later use.

But now, Yuan Ye had no desire to activate the ghost buff again. It was useless and only attracted ghosts.

Even asking the "idiot system" didn't yield any answers—just official responses. He forced himself to stop thinking about it, or he wouldn't get any sleep tonight.

Perhaps because he dwelled on it so much, Yuan Ye spent the entire night dreaming about transforming into a red-dressed ghost, with the qipao ghost relentlessly chasing him.

In the dream, he was exhausted, running everywhere, and even after waking up, he felt drained.

The most crucial part was that, upon waking, he couldn't remember a key detail from the dream.

Yuan Ye rubbed his temples as he got out of bed. Passing Zhu Jue in the hallway to the bathroom, their eyes met, and he jolted awake.

He remembered. In the dream, he was running, the ghost was chasing, and Zhu Jue and his girlfriend were silently watching from above.

Yuan Ye splashed water on his face to snap himself out of it. It was just a nightmare, but it was deeply unsettling.

He only had one class in the morning. Last night's events left him restless, and he wanted to revisit the path where it all happened. In broad daylight, with plenty of yang energy, ghosts shouldn't appear. As a normal student passing by, he figured it would be fine.

At noon on Tuesday, Yan and Zhu Jue met up as planned. Today, Yan carried a backpack containing a large wooden box with a brass bell inside.

To find a place away from the crowd, Yan and Zhu Jue decided to head to the road near Mingzhi Hall.

On a bench by the roadside, Yan carefully touched a bronze bell, while Zhu Jue held a magnifying glass. The two of them studied it for a long time.

"It seems like the writing of an ethnic minority, somewhat similar to the ancient southwestern shamanic language that Grandpa used to study," Yan remarked.

"I think so too. The symbols at the end aren’t the most primitive. But as ordinary people, we probably can’t activate anything," Zhu Jue pondered.

Yan cautiously set the bell upright and gently shook it. A melodious sound rang out, seemingly spreading invisibly through the air, resonating and lingering.

Yan and Zhu Jue exchanged glances. They waited for a while, but everything seemed normal. The bell had a pleasant, ancient charm to its sound.

"Nothing’s wrong. Let’s pack it up. Thinking about it, it’s probably safer to keep this in the dorm," Zhu Jue suggested. The two treated the bell as if it were a sacred relic, carefully wrapping it and placing it back into the wooden box.

At the same time, Yuan Ye, who had just arrived on the path but hadn’t yet turned into it, suddenly froze.

A long, resonant bell sound seemed to descend from the heavens, enveloping his ears. In that moment, he felt as though he was no longer himself, as if he had been controlled.

When he finally snapped out of it, his entire body felt as though it had been cleansed, serene and at peace.

"What just happened?" Yuan Ye murmured to himself.

As he was about to turn into the path from last night, he noticed two familiar figures slowly walking away. Yuan Ye’s pupils contracted.

It was Zhu Jue and Yan.

The path was empty except for the two of them.

Which meant that the strange bell sound had come from them.

Yuan Ye quickly retreated, hurrying back the way he came.

He immediately began to think. Zhu Jue and Yan had suddenly returned to this place at noon, clearly with a purpose.

Especially since both of them were carrying backpacks today, as if they had brought a lot of things.

Could it be that they were here to perform some kind of ritual to exorcise spirits? Or had he run away too quickly last night, and they hadn’t brought their equipment, so they came back today to lure him out?

Yuan Ye’s hands, stuffed into his pockets, clenched tightly. Were Zhu Jue and Yan actually special individuals, like Taoist priests?

He absolutely couldn’t use that red-dressed vengeful ghost’s buff again!

These two were definitely hiding something deep!