They All Say I've Met a Ghost

21

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(Part 2)

It's said that the fingers are linked to the heart, but I didn't feel a trace of pain. My eyes were fixed on Ning Tiance's lips. Had he put my finger in his mouth and bitten it in broad daylight, just like that?

Too, too shaming!

After he was finished, Ning Tiance saw my dazed expression. He took out a band-aid from the shopping bag and stuck it on for me. When he was looking down at my finger, I saw his long, long lashes trembling faintly, combing through my heart.

"I'm sorry," Xiao Ning said to me. "I'm used to biting my finger. I forgot we could go to the drugstore and buy a needle to get the blood. The wound would be smaller that way."

He looked perfectly serious, so I couldn't have any suspicions. I waved my hand. "It's all right, it's all right. I'm thick-skinned. It'll be fine soon. But what kind of secret recipe is this? Does mixing blood with insecticide multiply the insect-repelling effect? I'm a liberal arts student, I don't know much about chemistry. Is there a scientific principle behind this?"

Ning Tiance frowned when he heard the word "chemistry." He said, "I remember... in junior middle Year 3 chemistry, we did an experiment with magnesium reactions..."

Although Xiao Ning had been raised in the Maoshan Sect, it seemed he'd still received the nine years of mandatory education.

Neither of us knew much about chemistry. We looked at each for a moment then silently agreed not to discuss it.

"I suppose it's the same as putting cheese in a mousetrap," I said. "Mosquitoes like to suck blood or eat spoiled food. Using blood to attract them will multiply the effect of the insecticide."

"Something like that," Ning Tiance said vaguely. "Blood from the middle finger is the best, heart's blood."

"So your Maoshan Sect relies on insecticide mixed with blood from the middle finger to repel insects. I recall that that scenic area is pretty big. Doesn't that use a lot of blood?" I was a little worried about Xiao Ning's health.

"That's not necessary. We have special incense," Xiao Ning explained. "It's our sect's secret recipe. Only the Sect Leader can pass it on. As I haven't finished the final assignment yet, I'm not permitted to know it."

Xiao NIng and I strolled happily. He bought several sets of clothes at the mall. I rather wanted to pay for them, but when I saw the prices I silently recanted. At present, I had 15,000 yuan in my bank account. If 15,000 yuan could have paid for these clothes, I would have done it, even if it meant spending all my money. But the price was beyond my means.

In the end it was Xiao Ning who bought me a set of casual clothes. He said he felt bad about tearing my jacket that time at Benevolence Middle School and wanted to buy these clothes to make up for it. I kept saying he didn't have to, but Xiao Ning had already paid for them at checkout along with the clothes for himself. He said his shifu had given him a card when he'd left the sect. He didn't know how much money there was on it, but he'd never gone short.

I silently took the clothes Ning Tiance had given me and went back to 404 with the insecticide.

When I went into my bedroom I saw that the notebook had fallen onto the floor. I'd opened the window before I left. The wind must have blown it down.

Fortunately, I'd swept the floor before leaving in the morning. The notebook wasn't dirty. Otherwise, Teacher Liu would have been distressed again.

Today's meeting had left me frustrated. I kept saying I wanted to help Xiao Ning get rid of his out-dated ideas and connect with the new age, but the reality was that science was as impoverished as I was, while superstition was as wealthy as Xiao Ning.