Chapter 540：The Lonely Top Student 3

Hearing Little Cutie’s prompt, Tang Wan immediately looked up at Jiao Tong, then said with an apologetic expression, “Sorry… did I hurt you?”

Jiao Tong’s long lashes trembled slightly. He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

With that, he prepared to walk past her.

Seeing this, Tang Wan’s eyes flickered. She quickly reached out and tugged lightly at his sleeve. “Wait a moment!”

Jiao Tong stopped and turned back, looking at her gloomily. His tone, however, was unexpectedly gentle. “Do you need something?”

But Tang Wan knew—

Behind that quiet, melancholic exterior was a soul that had endured far too much.

His sadness wasn’t an act.

It was real.

Jiao Tong’s life had never been normal.

His biological parents were just temporary workers who couldn’t afford to raise him. After he was born, they even planned to abandon him at an orphanage.

But before they could, a so-called “fortune teller” approached them and offered to buy the child for 20,000 yuan.

They agreed without hesitation.

And just like that, Jiao Tong was taken to the Jiao family.

He grew up believing they were his real parents.

Everything changed when he was twelve.

One day, they made him drink a bowl of strange talisman water.

After that, he began to see things—

The spirit of the Jiao family’s deceased son, who had died in a car accident years ago.

Only then did he realize the truth.

He had been raised as a vessel.

A body prepared for their dead son to return to.

From that moment on, his body became weak.

The other soul entered him… and began fighting for control.

Fortunately, Jiao Tong’s will was strong.

He resisted desperately, refusing to be pushed out and turned into a wandering ghost.

To avoid suspicion, he forced himself to change.

The once bright and cheerful boy became silent… gloomy… withdrawn.

Since the Jiao family’s real son had been somewhat melancholic before his death, his transformation convinced them—

Their son had truly “returned.”

But the truth was far more terrifying.

The other soul never left.

It stayed inside him, growing stronger, interfering with his thoughts, wearing him down bit by bit.

As the years passed, Jiao Tong’s personality genuinely darkened under that influence.

Yet ironically—

Because of his striking appearance—those ink-dark eyes and cold, distant aura—

His melancholy only made him more attractive in others’ eyes.

Until one day—

He woke up to find his hands covered in blood.

That was when he realized:

The other soul had begun using his body to kill.

He wanted to end everything immediately.

To die and take that thing with him.

But he was stopped.

From then on, under the control of the Jiao family’s son, more crimes were committed.

One after another.

The city fell into panic.

Eventually, the target became Lin Ran.

But Lin Ran had the protagonist halo… and overwhelming luck.

This time, Jiao Tong was caught.

After his arrest, he confessed to everything.

He was sentenced to death.

And until the very end—

No one ever knew the real culprit was someone else.

After his execution, that soul devoured what remained of him…

…and continued on to harm others.

Tang Wan’s gaze softened slightly as she looked at him.

This time…

She wouldn’t let that ending happen.

 

 

Chapter 541：The Lonely Top Student 4

Thinking of Jiao Tong’s ending in this world, Tang Wan couldn’t help but feel a trace of sympathy.

She looked up at him and said a little awkwardly, “Well… people I touch might get unlucky. You should be careful for a while.”

Jiao Tong looked slightly surprised, then said calmly, “Thanks for the reminder. But it was just a bump—it should be fine.”

He had heard of her reputation at school. It was said that anything she touched could easily go wrong. Still, he felt it was probably just coincidence.

But the next second—

His sleeve suddenly split open where she had grabbed it.

At the same time, the top button of his shirt gave a soft click and fell to the floor.

Jiao Tong: …

Tang Wan: …

Tang Wan forced a smile and instinctively reached out. “Um… do you want me to sew it for you?” she asked, looking embarrassed.

Jiao Tong calmly withdrew his arm. “No need. The clothes were probably worn out anyway.”

Then he turned and walked away.

Tang Wan didn’t stop him. The first meeting had already left a deep enough impression. Next, she would approach him step by step.

As for the thing hidden inside his body… when it showed up, she would definitely let it experience the power of her hands.

When Tang Wan returned to the classroom following the original owner’s memory, all the students looked at her strangely. Clearly, the incident of her “tearing off the toilet door” had already spread.

Ignoring them, she walked straight to the last row and sat down.

Because of her destructive reputation, all the other desks and chairs were normal wood and metal. Only hers had been specially reinforced with iron after breaking countless times.

People even called it the “Iron Throne.”

Of course, the “king” here referred to the King of Bad Luck.

After sitting down, Tang Wan carefully avoided touching the desk with her hands. She rested her chin on her elbow, picked up a book, and began testing quietly.

After a moment, the glue binding the book suddenly came apart.

The book fell into loose pages.

Tang Wan’s mouth twitched.

She picked up one page carefully and rubbed it lightly with her fingertips.

A faint breeze passed, the paper folded slightly, then tore open from the edge with a soft ripping sound.

Tang Wan: …

She continued testing with her arms and elbows instead.

In the end, she confirmed something important—

Anything touched by her hands would eventually be destroyed, with the timing depending on how sturdy the object was. But anything touched by other parts of her body was completely fine.

If there was a barrier like cloth between her hand and an object, then the object would be safe—but the cloth itself would be damaged instead.

After figuring this out, Tang Wan took out the original owner’s smart pen, opened her phone, and placed an order—

One hundred pairs of white gloves.

Even if this body’s bad luck was outrageous, at least there was a way to control it.

Better to destroy gloves than anything valuable.

 

 

Chapter 542：The Lonely Top Student 5

After morning classes, someone from the teaching office came over. “Tang Wan, come out for a moment.”

Hearing this, Tang Wan stood up calmly. She didn’t need to guess—it was obviously about the toilet cubicle.

Sure enough, as soon as she stepped outside, the staff member looked at her helplessly. “Tang Wan, next time you go to the restroom, can you use the old campus public toilet? This semester alone, the school has repaired the cubicles three times because of you. If this continues, you’ll have to cover the repair costs yourself.”

At first, when desks, chairs, and even basketballs kept getting destroyed around her, the school thought she was doing it on purpose and fined her.

Later, they realized she didn’t need to do anything on purpose. Anything she touched would break.

Some teachers didn’t believe it and thought she was secretly tampering with things, until Tang Wan lightly touched a desk in front of them. A few minutes later, it collapsed on its own.

If her family hadn’t donated a large sum to the school in advance, they probably wouldn’t have tolerated such a “walking hazard” at all. After all, she broke something almost every day.

Tang Wan nodded slightly. “I understand. But the old campus restroom is quite far. If I’m late to class, I hope the teachers won’t mind.”

The staff member immediately said, “That’s fine, I’ll inform your homeroom teacher.”

“Alright, thank you. I’ll head back to class then.”

“Go ahead.”

When Tang Wan returned, the students who had been moving around the classroom aisles instantly rushed back to their seats, as if avoiding a disaster zone.

They had all witnessed her destructive ability firsthand.

Tang Wan didn’t feel embarrassed. Instead, she thought to herself: Iron Throne, huh… when everyone dodges you like this, doesn’t that basically make me the ruler of this class? One wave of my hand and they all scatter.

After school that afternoon, Tang Wan used the broken pages from her earlier book to wrap around the bicycle handle before riding home.

The original owner used to take the bus, but after a near-accident where a bus she boarded almost crashed, she never dared to take public transport again. If dozens of people died because of her, it would be a disaster.

Fortunately, the Tang family had bought an apartment near the school, so the commute wasn’t far.

Ten minutes later, Tang Wan stopped at the entrance of her residential complex.

The security guard saw her and quickly stepped forward to open the gate for her, clearly familiar with her “special condition.”

After parking her bike, she spotted Jiao Tong walking ahead with a cold expression, schoolbag slung over his shoulder.

Her eyes lit up immediately. “Little Cutie, Tong Tong lives here too?”

“Yes, Host! As they say, the one closest gets the advantage. Even if you’re not in the same class, you’re in the same community. Walking to school together every day—how romantic!” Little Cutie said dreamily.

Tang Wan: …

“Stop pretending to be a love expert.”

 

 

Chapter 543：The Lonely Top Student 6

Tang Wan had to admit—what Little Cutie said actually made sense. This guy really was getting better at these “romantic setups.”

The next moment, she walked toward Jiao Tong with a look of pleasant surprise.

“Classmate, what a coincidence! You live in this community too?” she asked with a smile.

Jiao Tong looked slightly surprised when he saw her, then nodded faintly. “Yeah.”

“By the way, I didn’t ask your name earlier. I’m Tang Wan—you can call me Wanwan.”

Jiao Tong glanced at her with those deep, melancholic eyes and replied gently, “Jiao Tong.”

“Jiao Tong… got it.” Tang Wan nodded, then glanced at his cuff again. “About your clothes… I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine. Not your fault. I’ll head back first. Goodbye.” His tone suddenly became hurried.

Tang Wan narrowed her eyes slightly, then smiled. “Okay, goodbye.”

She watched him walk off quickly.

“Little Cutie, did you detect anything just now?” Tang Wan asked, her expression turning serious.

“Yes, Host. The Jiao family son’s spirit was attacking him just now.”

Tang Wan clenched her fists. “Let him be arrogant for now. Once I get closer to Tong Tong, I’ll deal with him properly.”

Then she turned and headed home.

After returning to her room, she discovered—speechlessly—that aside from a wardrobe, the entire room was basically empty.

Because replacing broken furniture multiple times a month was too much trouble, her parents had simply let her sleep on the wooden floor.

After that, Tang Wan used Little Cutie’s monitoring to observe Jiao Tong’s situation.

When Jiao Tong rushed home, his adoptive parents immediately greeted him warmly, calling out to their “good son” with concern.

He responded coldly, tossing his schoolbag aside before slamming the door and locking himself in his room.

They were already used to his “rebellious” behavior, so they didn’t think much of it.

What they didn’t know was—

The moment Jiao Tong entered his room, he grabbed his own throat, his face flushing red as he growled, “Get out! Get out of my body!”

Inside his mind, another voice echoed.

A twisted, mocking laugh.

“As long as you give me your body, you won’t have to suffer anymore,” said the spirit of the Jiao family’s son. “This body was prepared for my resurrection. The Jiao family raised you all these years—it’s time you repay them. Hand it over!”

The more he spoke, the more vicious his tone became.

His soul had been nourished for over a decade—fed with incense offerings, even traces of ashes mixed into Jiao Tong’s food over the years to prepare for possession.

But what he hadn’t expected—

Was that Jiao Tong’s willpower would be this strong.

Strong enough to suppress him.

Even now.

Still, he wasn’t weak either. His strength grew stronger at night, when yin energy peaked.

In recent years, he had finally begun to emerge more often, clashing with Jiao Tong for control.

And he was confident—

One day, he would either devour Jiao Tong’s soul…

Or force him out completely.

Jiao Tong sneered coldly.

“Repay you?” he said, his voice dripping with hatred. “Believe it or not, if you push me too far, I’ll drag your entire family down with me.”

He had once believed those people were his real parents.

But after learning the truth—

All that remained…

Was resentment.

 

Chapter 544：The Lonely Top Student 7

But Jiao Tong was still a minor. The Jiao family had influence and even knew some Taoist methods. Even if he ran away, they would likely find him again.

And once they discovered that he had been suppressing their son’s soul inside his body—

He would definitely die.

So he had no choice but to pretend that the possession had succeeded, slowly gaining their trust.

When the Jiao family’s son heard his threat, he wasn’t afraid at all. “If you’ve got the guts, do it! I’d rather die together with them!”

Jiao Tong clenched his fists.

If the Jiao parents knew that the son they tried so hard to resurrect had become like this… would they regret it?

Probably not.

Like father, like son.

How could parents with twisted hearts raise anything decent?

They’d only regret it when the knife in their son’s hand turned on them.

After a while, Jiao Tong took a deep breath, released his grip on his neck, and collapsed onto the sofa.

Soon, his body began to tremble violently.

Another round of struggle between the two souls began.

It wasn’t until half an hour later that everything calmed down.

But his entire body was drenched in sweat.

Tang Wan, watching through Little Cutie’s feed, frowned deeply.

Then suddenly—

Her eyes lit up.

“I’ve got it.”

“Little Cutie, quickly—find me everything related to Xuanmen Taoism.”

Little Cutie was confused. “Host, what are you planning?”

Still, it immediately pulled up a huge amount of Taoist material.

Tang Wan grinned. “I’m going to become a fortune-teller.”

“A… what?”

“That’s right. Since there’s an evil spirit inside Tong Tong, I’ll approach him as a celestial master. That way, everything makes perfect sense.”

Little Cutie froze for a moment, then quickly poured cold water on her idea. “But Host, you’re not a real celestial master. You don’t have any spiritual power. You might be able to fake simple tricks, but actually driving a spirit out of someone’s body? Impossible. And with your current… destructive ability… honestly, it’s already a miracle if you don’t accidentally kill the villain.”

Tang Wan shot it an annoyed look. “Then I just won’t touch him.”

She opened the materials and began scanning through them rapidly.

With her IQ now well above 200, even complex Taoist texts were easy to understand.

Before long, she found a case very similar to Jiao Tong’s situation.

According to the book, there were only two solutions:

Either forcibly expel the evil spirit with powerful techniques…

Or strengthen the host’s soul so it could suppress and destroy the invading spirit on its own.

The first method required strong spiritual power.

Something Tang Wan didn’t have.

The second method was even harder.

Because she currently had no way to enhance Jiao Tong’s soul strength.

Which meant—

Both options were basically blocked.

Tang Wan couldn’t help frowning tightly.

 

Chapter 545：The Lonely Top Student 8

At this moment, Little Cutie suddenly said, “Host, don’t worry. Did you forget you still have a bottle of soul repair fluid you haven’t used?”

“Huh?” Tang Wan looked at it.

She did remember it—it was a reward from her very first mission. But after so many worlds, she’d never had a chance to use it.

“The essence of soul repair fluid is to restore and strengthen the soul,” Little Cutie explained. “The villain’s soul isn’t damaged, so giving it to him will mainly strengthen it.”

Tang Wan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

If that was the case, once Jiao Tong’s soul became stronger than the evil spirit’s, he could suppress it completely.

“Exactly. But be careful,” Little Cutie added. “The evil spirit is also inside him. If you don’t time it right, it might absorb the fluid too. That would backfire.”

“That’s easy,” Tang Wan said confidently. “I’ll give it to him at noon, when the sun is strongest. The evil spirit won’t be able to take advantage then.”

This time, she wouldn’t let Jiao Tong walk toward that tragic ending again.

That disgusting spirit? It could wait to be crushed.

The next day, Tang Wan deliberately timed her exit to “coincidentally” meet Jiao Tong downstairs.

After a night of struggle, his face looked pale, his already melancholic expression even heavier.

Tang Wan felt a flicker of heartache, but still greeted him brightly, “Tong Tong, good morning!”

Jiao Tong paused slightly, then nodded. “Morning.”

Inwardly, he was puzzled. Wasn’t Tang Wan supposed to be withdrawn and eccentric? Why was she acting so familiar after only meeting him twice—and even calling him ‘Tong Tong’?

“Are you taking the bus to school?” Tang Wan asked.

“Yeah.” He gave a faint response, glancing at her bright smile.

Just as he was about to leave, Tang Wan added, “Tong Tong, want to go together? I have a bicycle. You can ride, I’ll sit in the back.”

Jiao Tong narrowed his eyes slightly. “No need.”

Does this girl have a problem? We’re not even close.

Tang Wan didn’t look embarrassed at all after being rejected. She simply kept smiling.

Then she lowered her voice and said, “Tong Tong, you’d better come with me. Otherwise… the thing inside you might come out again.”

Jiao Tong’s expression instantly changed. The melancholy vanished, replaced by sharp vigilance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“How could you not?” Tang Wan leaned closer and whispered mysteriously, “I’m a celestial master. I can see the hidden evil spirit inside your body.”

A flicker of shock crossed Jiao Tong’s eyes.

A celestial master?

How could she possibly be one?

 

Chapter 546：The Lonely Top Student 9

Seeing the doubt on Jiao Tong’s face, Tang Wan quickly put on a mysterious expression again.

“What I said is true. Haven’t you heard about my ‘destructive power’ at school? I didn’t actually break those things—it’s because there are ghosts causing trouble. I have to deal with them, otherwise accidents keep happening. Yesterday, I stopped you because I sensed something wrong with you.”

Jiao Tong’s expression turned uncertain.

After a moment, he asked carefully, “Are you really a celestial master? You can see… the thing inside me?”

“Yes,” Tang Wan nodded seriously. “It’s a malicious spirit. Somehow, it invaded your body and now wants to take it over. Have you read xianxia novels? It’s like possession—it wants to push your soul out and replace you to live in this world again.”

Hearing this, Jiao Tong finally believed her.

Because everything she said… matched his situation exactly.

For a moment, he looked at her with urgency. “Tang Wan… Master, can you help me?”

“Of course!” Tang Wan nodded firmly.

Jiao Tong’s expression immediately relaxed with relief. “Please, help me!”

At the same time, his favorability rose sharply.

Tang Wan was secretly thrilled. Then she curled her finger at him, signaling him to come closer.

Jiao Tong leaned down slightly.

“Your situation…” Tang Wan lifted her chin, trying to look composed. “It’s both difficult and simple.”

She paused, then added, “Actually, you don’t need to call me Master. Just call me Tang Wan.”

“Alright, Tang Wan,” Jiao Tong agreed without hesitation. As long as there was hope, he wouldn’t let it slip.

Tang Wan nodded, then continued, “You might not believe this, but the solution is very simple. You just need to stay close to me often. As long as I’m by your side, the spirit inside you will gradually be suppressed by your own soul. Within half a year, it will disappear completely.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiao Tong’s face turned cold.

At the same time, his favorability plummeted.

Tang Wan: …

Little Cutie: …

“Shut up,” Tang Wan snapped internally before it could even comment.

Meanwhile, Jiao Tong had already regained his composure. He looked at her indifferently.

“Is this your way of getting close to me?” he said calmly. “Or are you just playing around?”

With that, he turned and walked toward the community gate.

He had actually believed her just now.

But now?

It was obvious—she was just making excuses to approach him.

How ridiculous.

Seeing this, Tang Wan immediately panicked.

“Tong Tong, wait!” she hurried after him. “What I said is true! There really is something inside you. If you don’t believe me, stay with me for a while these next few days—or come find me at noon. You’ll see I’m telling the truth!”

 

 

Chapter 547：The Lonely Top Student 10

Hearing this, Jiao Tong suddenly stopped.

The next moment, he narrowed his eyes at Tang Wan. “If that’s true, I’ll believe you this once. But what if it doesn’t work?”

“If it doesn’t work…” Tang Wan smiled brightly, “then I’ll just marry you in the future. Saves you the trouble of finding a wife!”

Jiao Tong’s lips twitched.

Why did he even stop to listen to her nonsense?

Still… trying it once didn’t hurt.

“I’ll give you seven days,” he said coolly. “If nothing improves in that time—”

“Then I’ll admit in front of the whole class that I’m a liar!” Tang Wan cut in immediately.

“No,” Jiao Tong interrupted. “If it doesn’t work, don’t appear in front of me again.”

Tang Wan: …

That was harsh.

But she still nodded with confidence.

“Then let’s start today,” Tang Wan said quickly. “Wait here—I’ll get my bike.”

She ran off to the parking area, gripping the handlebars carefully through her gloves.

Soon, she returned. Jiao Tong was still standing there, expression as gloomy as ever.

Stopping in front of him, she handed him the bicycle. “I’ll trouble you to give me a ride.”

“Mm.” He nodded faintly.

He took the bike and pushed it out of the community.

Once outside, Tang Wan hopped onto the back seat, and the two rode all the way to school together.

As soon as they arrived at the school gate, the students of No. 1 High School were stunned.

“Wait—why is His Highness Jiao Tong coming to school with the ‘King of Destruction’? And he’s letting her sit behind him? Isn’t he afraid of something happening?!”

“Is that unlucky girl trying to harm His Highness? No way—we have to protect him!”

“Yes! Let’s go warn him to stay away from her!”

As for confronting Tang Wan?

Absolutely not.

No one had the courage. After all, who knew what might break—or who might get hurt—if they got too close?

After parking the bike, Tang Wan smiled at Jiao Tong. “At noon, wait for me on the rooftop. That’s when the sun is strongest—perfect for suppressing the evil spirit.”

Jiao Tong’s gaze flickered slightly.

“I understand,” he replied.

Recently, the presence inside him had been growing stronger. If what she said was true… then this was the perfect chance to test it.

The two went their separate ways toward their classrooms.

As soon as Jiao Tong entered his class, a girl hurried up to him, blushing as she warned him to stay away from Tang Wan. She listed example after example of the things Tang Wan had “destroyed.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered listening.

But today, he did.

After hearing everything, he had to admit—

Her title, “King of Destruction,” was well-earned.

And yesterday… she had only lightly tugged his sleeve, yet his cuff had burst open and the button had fallen off.

Thinking back to her explanation, a strange thought formed in his mind.

Could it be…

That when his sleeve burst, she had actually been helping him?

Was that the invisible clash between her and the thing inside him?