Wen Ning waited at the entrance for almost an hour.
During that time, the elderly security guard looked up at him every ten minutes, scrutinizing him like a newly arrived animal at the zoo.
At first, Wen Ning smiled back at him. Eventually, he gave up and leaned against a tree, scrolling on his phone. His battery was nearly dead by the time the final bell rang.
The bell was a piece of electronic music that echoed across the campus.
Before long, the classroom building stirred. First, a few fast runners burst through the doors, their backpacks bouncing behind them. More and more students followed, rushing toward the school gates.
Wen Ning put his phone away and straightened up, scanning the crowd.
He had never seen Chen Mu in person. The copy of the Book of Life and Death listed her Eight Characters of Birth and basic information, but the Underworld did not provide photographs.
Fortunately, he soon no longer had to worry about that.
The elderly guard had already emerged from the gatehouse. He stood beside the retractable electric gate, both hands behind his back, watching Wen Ning with a piercing gaze.
Beside him stood a stainless steel restraining fork, the U-shaped kind used to pin down troublemakers and unauthorized street vendors. Its handle had been worn shiny, clearly an old companion with years of service.
Wen Ning glanced at the fork, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Once most of the students had left, the teachers began coming out as well.
Some rode electric scooters through the side entrance, some walked in small groups, and a few young female teachers stood at the gate, talking to parents about their children's behavior at school that day.
Wen Ning looked over the young female teachers twice, still unsure which