Silence Is Zhou

Fang Xian took Song Yizhou's umbrella and was about to make a run for it.

But after a moment's hesitation, Song Yizhou spoke up. "Fang... Fang Xian."

"What's your WeChat ID?"

Fang Xian narrowed his eyes and raised the umbrella over his head.

Yu Feng, my man.

See?

Pretty girls really do know how to lie.

She's definitely after a handsome guy like me.

Fang Xian shook his head. "Sorry, I don't use WeChat much."

That stopped Song Yizhou cold. A little embarrassed, she said, "No... This umbrella belongs to a senior of mine. I still have to return it to him."

Oh, so that's it.

Innocent little Fang Xian looked as though everything had clicked into place.

Fair enough.

"Here."

Fang Xian pulled up his WeChat QR code.

Song Yizhou said, "'Looking for a Worthy Opponent'... Is this you?"

"That's me," Fang Xian said. "I was young back then."

[Silence Is Zhou sent you a friend request.]

[Request accepted.]

[You can now start chatting.]

"I'll return the umbrella in a few days."

Fang Xian gave the umbrella a shake.

Song Yizhou nodded gently, still standing with effortless grace.

"Oh, right."

In the end, Fang Xian decided to say it. "Try not to go out much lately."

"Huh?" Song Yizhou said.

Fang Xian studied her face. "I mean, don't wander around outside campus."

"It might be dangerous out there."

He raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I'm just saying."

"That senior of yours looked pretty dangerous today."

When Song Yizhou thought about it, he had a point.

"Be careful in this downpour, then."

"Good night," she said.

If she'd said that to someone like Zhang Yuhang or Chen Kang, he probably wouldn't have slept a wink tonight.

That "good night" was far too calculated.

"Oh."

Unfortunately for her, Fang Xian was a true Sigma Man.

He opened the umbrella and walked into the pouring rain.

The road to Peach Garden climbed uphill the whole way.

Rhododendron Trees lined both sides, their pleasant scent all but washed away by the downpour.

Fang Xian's face showed nothing.

Inside his backpack, Xiao Jiu poked her head out.

"Chirp."

Rain passed straight through Xiao Jiu's body. A little frightened, she pressed herself against Fang Xian.

When he paid her no attention, she anxiously crawled around his neck.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

"Chirp!"

She didn't even want her favorite lollipop.

Only then did Fang Xian glance at the little creature and slowly say, "From now on, you can't attack anyone without my permission."

"Whether it's [Interference] or some other ability, you're not allowed to use it!"

"Chirp..."

Xiao Jiu looked a little hurt and lowered her head.

"Chirp, chirp..."

Fang Xian had been studying child psychology lately. Now was his chance to put it into practice!

Calmly, he took the Urban Legend item [Soothing Necklace] from his pocket.

It had originally belonged to Xiao Jiu, but Fang Xian had shamelessly pocketed it.

"As a reward for listening to me from now on, I'm giving you this."

"Your big brother here is giving you your first present."

Keeping a stern face, Fang Xian held up the necklace.

Xiao Jiu first checked his expression. When she realized he really was giving it to her, she lit up.

She planted a quick kiss right on Fang Xian's cheek.

"Xiao Jiu!"

Fang Xian panicked. "You're still a child!"

"No, a little urban legend!"

"You can't do that again!"

"If you run into any strange big urban legends, come find me right away!"

Wearing the necklace, Xiao Jiu swayed happily, apparently not listening to a word he said.

At that very moment.

Somewhere in Jiangzhou.

In a spacious apartment, dark yet warm.

Just outside stood Jiangcheng Tower, the central landmark of Jiangcheng District.

Someone put a call on speakerphone and sipped juice while wiping down their body.

"Mm."

"Someone found Li Wan's remains."

"I know."

"As an urban legend, Li Wan was extremely powerful. You know the person in charge said she'd already laid claim to her."

"Someone snatched her out from under you... Couldn't you kill him?"

"Oh, you already tried."

"And you failed."

"What good are you, then?"

"Don't forget, you'd have died long ago if it weren't for [the Radio Station]. Anything connected to urban legends dies young. You should know that."

"The closer you get to urban legends, the sooner you die."

On the sofa.

The voice rose slightly.

It sounded like a throat scraping against sandpaper.

There was a strange sense of distance in it.

"Your next assignment isn't coming from [the Radio Station]. It's coming from me."

"Find the person who ruined our plans."

"Then kill him."

"I don't care how."

At the other end of the call, there was a pause before a voice finally answered, "Understood."

Overcast skies.

Morning.

Jiangzhou Normal University.

Building 16.

"Today's debate topic is whether the advent of smartphones has been a good or bad thing for modern university students."

"On one side, we have Industrial Design Class 151."

"On the other, Physics Class 153."

Fang Xian watched the debate from the back of the classroom.

He scrolled through Tremble while he was at it.

There was still plenty of good stuff on Tremble.

For instance, someone had filmed him the last time he'd caught an urban legend and called the police.

Specifically, they'd caught him soaking wet as he crawled out of a drainage pipe.

The person filming had been far away, and the footage was pixelated. Without looking closely, even Fang Xian couldn't recognize himself.

Good enough.

Fang Xian looked up.

His roommate Chen Kang, the second speaker for the affirmative side, was passionately laying out his arguments.

As the second most handsome guy in their dorm, Chen Kang deserved the title, in Fang Xian's opinion.

"Xian, are you heading out again with all that gear?"

Wang Dashan glanced at Fang Xian's backpack.

Usually, when Fang Xian put on that backpack, it meant he wouldn't be back that night.

"Going exploring is a man's idea of romance—but I haven't decided yet. I'll see how things go."

As he spoke, Fang Xian glanced at his backpack.

Along with the supplies he'd needed last time, he'd packed lollipops to activate Xiao Jiu's Obsession.

One lollipop bought him a day of access.

Fang Xian didn't mind spending that much.

A week had passed since he'd returned from Xinlin Subdistrict.

The lifespan he'd gained from capturing Xiao Jiu had made his lifespan debt look a little less terrible.

Only a little over 5,960 days in the red!

More than enough.

Fang Xian decided it wasn't a problem at all, then asked about his roommate's love life.

"How are things going with Gao Lu lately?"

Wang Dashan pursed his lips. "Not bad. We're making decent progress."

Fang Xian had noticed two hours ago that Wang Dashan kept checking his phone for unread WeChat messages.

It got Fang Xian thinking. WeChat had only become popular in the past few years.

Back in the early years of the new millennium, everyone still made phone calls.

Keeping in touch had been far more of a hassle then.

With that thought, Fang Xian tapped a finger.

[Urban Legend Compendium]!

[Activate]!