Chapter 37: The Celestial Lord Taiyi of Central Yellow

The Longevity Society—the first character is not pronounced "chang" (first tone), but "zhang" (second tone).

Lu Mingfei chose this name for the society he founded, secretly implying a blessing that his own minuscule and fleeting life might continue to grow and extend even amidst a dangerous situation.

Lu Mingfei rose from his seat and spoke slowly:

"It is getting late today. I will share a brief, superficial glimpse into the incredible supernatural powers, achievements, and secret history of the 'Immortal Lord Zhonghuang Taiyi,' and then we shall conclude."

With that, he began to chant:

"Chanting the Taiping Sutra in the night, I dream of visiting the Yellow-Robed Immortal.
Two mysterious suns sink into the lake, the heavenly clouds tear apart in the haze.
A maiden sings by the lake, the lake is as deep as an abyss.
Heavenly ghosts arrive by treading the void, flapping their wings to lead the way.
In panicked bewilderment, I know not how I reached the palace.
The Venerable one wears tatters, face covered in plain white.
I bow my head to accept the karmic law, the divine mystery beyond description.
At dawn, I wake in a daze, the precious talisman engraved in my palm.
The Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, surnamed Ji, was a heavenly god descended to earth. His mother, Fubao, saw a great bolt of lightning circling the Dipper..."

Logically, the passage Lu Mingfei chanted consisted entirely of obscure, archaic language; even a native Chinese speaker might not immediately grasp the meaning of the verses. Were the people in the Norton Pavilion listening to gibberish?

However, that was not the case.

Lu Mingfei's voice and tone were as soft as a lullaby meant to coax a baby to sleep, but the words he uttered seemed to possess magic, seeping into the minds of every listener present without a sound, like rain moistening the earth.

The atmosphere turned eerie. The air began to thin, growing damp and sticky, as if a colossal monster that defied all logic and description had been crammed into the Norton Pavilion, making the spacious room feel narrow and cramped.

In the infinitely high and distant reaches, a great will seemed to hear Lu Mingfei's chanting, piercing through the barriers of time and space to cast its chaotic gaze downward.

Gusts of wild wind appeared from nowhere, howling through the semi-enclosed building. The crowd began to grow frenzied; every member of the "Longevity Society" present felt the calling, clapping rhythmically with excitement on their faces.

Lily, a beautiful and charming freshman with clear training in dance, even stood up, swaying her graceful figure to perform a bizarre dance that had never appeared in this world—and never should have.

The howling wind even caused the sturdy tables to tremble slightly. A glass sitting on the edge of a table followed this vibration, moving gently, moving…

Then, the unfortunate glass fell from the table, happening to land on the uncarpeted wooden floor.

"Clack!"

In this fanatical atmosphere, the sharp sound was unremarkable, but like a discordant note in a perfect concerto, it happened to wake a keen listener who had been immersed in the trance.

Zero.

She snapped out of her dream, her petite, delicate body shuddering violently. She stopped clapping and looked around.

Even Zero, who had witnessed realities beyond the imagination of ordinary people, possessed a resolute mind, and was as cold as ice, had never seen such an eerie and sinister scene.

The crowd surrounded the charming and passionate Lily, each person wearing a fanatical, excited smile. Their clapping seemed to set a disturbing rhythm, and for a fleeting moment, Zero felt her own heartbeat grow erratic.

As for Lily, who was dancing in the midst of the crowd, Zero—also a dancer—had originally been secretly analyzing the mysterious grace in Lily's movements. Now, however, she suddenly felt that every one of Lily's motions carried a profound lack of coordination. Some movements were not even physically possible for human joints. Merely glancing at them made Zero feel nauseous, forcing her to look away.

Lu Mingfei's whispered chanting was like a gentle breeze amidst the fanatical applause and the howling wind. But the moment this breeze touched the clear-headed Zero, it shed its hypocritical veil, striking her brain like a searing steel nail!

Zero felt a splitting headache. Without hesitation, she reacted. Her skirt flared as she extended her right leg, clad in a white over-the-knee stocking, and kicked hard against the table beside her.

Her seemingly slender and graceful silk-clad leg delivered an unimaginably violent blow. The heavy solid-wood table was sent flying, emitting a dull groan before crashing heavily into another table nearby.

This massive crash finally brought the members in the Norton Pavilion back to their senses. They looked around with dazed eyes, unsure of where to look.

Only Lu Mingfei frowned deeply, looking with displeasure at Zero, who was drenched in sweat but still as cold as ice.

He pointed a finger at the icy little beauty and said in a deep voice:

"Zero, you just didn't..."

Suddenly, a piercing siren sounded from outside, as if a master thief had triggered the alarms of every bank in the world at the same instant.

Red lights flashed on the ceiling, and the ear-splitting buzzing came from the loudspeakers hidden in the walls.

Now, all the men and women present were fully awake. The sinister, fanatical poetry reading seemed like a dream; now that the dream was over, its contents naturally ought to be forgotten.

Qilan exclaimed:

"President! It's an emergency alert! There's an urgent situation; let's head to the library immediately!"

Lu Mingfei was in a foul mood. He didn't know why, but he had been in such a perfect state today; his divine favor was at its peak, only to be interrupted by that pretty little girl. Even if she were to offer her own...

Ahem, where was his mind wandering?

"Isn't this a fire alarm? Are you sure nothing is on fire?"

Zero's voice was crisp, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, as she explained to Lu Mingfei:

"The first thing you do when entering Cassel College is read the 'Emergency Protocol Manual.' Since the day this college was founded, it has been prepared to handle all sorts of emergencies related to the dragon race. This alarm indicates a sudden emergency and summons high-ranking students to the library."

"Among the eleven people here, you, Qilan, and I must go immediately."

With that, Zero walked away on her slender legs, heading to the library without looking back. There was a hint of worship and envy in Lily's charming eyes as she said goodbye:

"Goodbye, President and Vice President. I wonder when the next exchange meeting will be."

"I'll set up a group on the Night Watchman forum when I get back, we'll talk then!"

He had just wanted to say something more, but was dragged off to the library by the anxious Qilan. The kid had an "A" grade bloodline and was immensely strong; Lu Mingfei couldn't resist him at all and was dragged along at a trot all the way to the library.

Upon arriving at the library, before he could even catch his breath, he saw Caesar walk in, head held high and expressionless in his school uniform, followed by equally expressionless student union officers, each carrying a briefcase, looking for all the world like they were attending a Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting.

Chu Zihang had already arrived. The members of the Lionheart Society and the Student Union were divided, sitting on the left and right sides, minding their own business.

"13 students, 12 'A' grades, 1 'S' grade, 27 professors. Everyone is here," Professor Manstein said to Professor Schneider.

The number of people...

Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered what Zero had said just a moment ago.

He slapped Qilan beside him:

"How many people were at our exchange meeting today?"

Qilan felt a bit bewildered:

"Eleven, of course, President. Today's meeting was amazing, I..."

Lu Mingfei didn't care for his nonsense at all and asked urgently again:

"Including me?"

"Including you."