Probably moved by Shan Weihao’s sincerity—or maybe I was just out of my mind—I accidentally blurted out something I shouldn’t have.

*[Never mind. I was just spouting nonsense earlier. Take your money and go. I need to get back to class.]*

“Master! I’m begging you—help me! You must have a way. If the money isn’t enough, I’ll keep paying until it is!”

Shan Weihao deployed his ultimate move again—clinging to my leg like a drowning man. Honestly, one kick from me and you’d be dead. No, scratch that—you *would* be dead.

*[Stop torturing me. I really can’t help. If I could resurrect the dead, why would I still be stuck in class? I’d be the richest person on earth by now!]*

“You’re a true master—a transcendent being who scorns worldly desires! Please help me! I’ll be your servant, your beast of burden, anything!”

*Scorn worldly desires? Me?* Are you kidding? I’d pocket a fifty-cent coin dropped on the street. How “worldly” is that?

I checked my watch. I’d dragged him up to the rooftop nearly ten minutes ago. If this dragged on, teachers would start paging me over the intercom. How embarrassing would *that* be?

*[Bro, take your money back. Let’s talk after school, okay?]*

“No! You’re tricking me again! You didn’t even answer my call last night. I won’t let you escape this time.”

*Tch.* This guy was relentless. Ordinary bluffing wouldn’t work anymore.

*[Do you really think this clingy act is fun? Take your money and go. We’ll meet tonight. You know where I live—I’m not running anywhere.]*

“You’re right. Then we’ll meet tonight… Master.”

*[Stop calling me ‘Master.’ My name’s Qiuyuchen. And for the record—I can’t guarantee success.]*

“Even if there’s only a one percent chance, I’ll never give up!”

*Hmph.* His determination was impressive. But the price? Not everyone could afford it.

After finally shaking off Shan Weihao, I trudged back to class, exhausted. Yet every classmate stared at me like I was a ghost. It made my skin crawl.

*What’s going on? Why are they looking at me like that?*

I slid into my seat and nudged the “old lech” beside me.

*[What happened? What’s wrong with everyone?]*

“Big bro! Seriously, man—were you a Shanghai gang boss in your youth? Or a yakuza executioner in Japan? Did you *see* the cash in that kid’s backpack? Holy crap—I’ve never seen that much! So you’ve been hiding your true colors all along? I’m sticking with you from now on. You’ve gotta protect me!”

*[That was his money. None of my business.]*

“Come on, bro—we’re tight. Spill it. What really happened?”

*[Class is starting. Shut up.]*

Shen Yufeng knew my style. If I didn’t want to talk, you could pry my jaws open with a crowbar and I’d bite it in half—zero words out. He turned back to the lesson. But a few classmates still kept sneaking glances my way.

At lunch, I brought my bento to the rooftop to eat in peace—only to spot another familiar figure.

“Xia Bing? What are you doing here?”

“Oh? And what about you? Is this rooftop reserved just for you now?”

Well, normally I’d eat in the cafeteria with Shen Yufeng. But today? Too much attention. I hated trouble. How would I explain this morning’s drama if someone asked?

“It’s been so long… haven’t you blended in yet? Even without best friends, you should have *someone* to chat with, right?”

“N-none of your business!”

Xia Bing turned away, hunching over her lunch. I peeked—nothing but bread? Red bean buns, stir-fried noodle buns, pineapple buns… *How obsessed is she with bread?*

I set a carton of milk in front of her.

“Heard milk goes great with bread.”

“No thanks.”

“Just take it. Strawberry-flavored. A girl can’t survive on junk like this. You cook amazing meals but can’t take care of yourself?”

She finally relented and took the milk.

“…Thanks. How’s your throat?”

“Better. I can talk now—just a little sore. Should be fine by tomorrow.”

Her eyes met mine. We both flinched away instantly. Awkward silence.

“Do… do you have something to tell me?”

“Yeah. This morning… what was with all that money?”

*Sigh.* Of course. Thanks to Shan Weihao, I was practically a monster in everyone’s eyes now.

“Nothing much. He wanted a favor. I refused. He thought it was about money. That’s all. I’m not some mafia boss who kills people over unpaid debts.”

“Oh. Good. If you got arrested, I’d lose my job.”

*Is that really how you see me? How depressing.*

“But… he came with so much cash. Doesn’t that show he’s serious? Shouldn’t you at least consider helping?”

*Serious?* Since when does throwing money around equal sincerity? To a merchant, it’s just a transaction. And ten thousand bucks to resurrect a corpse? I’d be getting ripped off.

“Drop it. I haven’t decided yet.”

“Money aside… isn’t helping others its own reward?”

Maybe for small favors. But this? Far heavier.

“…Sorry. I overstepped. Ten thousand is serious cash—that favor must be tough. I’ll head back. Don’t be late for class.”

I nodded, packed my bento, and let my thoughts drift…

“Old lech—first period after lunch is Cute Teacher’s class, right?”

“Yep! That sweet voice right after lunch? Wipes out all the drowsiness… Whoa! You’re already asleep?!”

“Don’t wake me till second period.”

I *looked* asleep. But really, I was napping to visit the Celestial in my dreams.

“Well, well—‘Lizard.’ Rare to see you here.”

“No time for chatter. Straight to the point: here’s what happened…”

I summed it up in three minutes. The Celestial just shrugged, utterly unimpressed.

“Even *I*—an angel—or the Father Himself can’t casually mess with human life and death. We’ve turned a blind eye to you keeping that ghost around. But *reforging her body*? You’d be defying the Goddess of Life!”

“No worries. I’m tight with her.”

“Keep spinning fairy tales! This isn’t happening!”

“So many humans die every day… why not just close your eyes and forget this ‘tiny’ thing?”

“You—you… I swear, you won’t last in this world!”

“What can you do? I’ve got a body now—even if it’s just in the spirit realm. Still planning to pop me like a bubble?”

The Celestial fell silent. Angels weren’t fighters. Even at 30% power, I could wipe the floor with her.

“Waaah! You horrible lizard! I brought you to this world out of kindness! Now you’re strong, you treat me like trash! Ungrateful wretch! I *hate* you! Waaah…”

*Whoa.* I was just matching her tough-girl act—didn’t expect the mighty Celestial to burst into tears. Now *I* was flustered.

“You’ve lived millions of years… can’t you stop sobbing like a kid?”

“WAAAH! You yell at me, threaten me, and now call me *old*?! I’m calling the Father and the Goddess! They’ll wipe you from this world! Send you back to be a stinking lizard!”

*No!* I’d only lived sixteen years here—I wasn’t leaving before losing my virginity (and honestly, never). To calm her down, I pulled something from my Dragon Treasury as a peace offering.

“Ta-da! Know what this is? A *magic puppet*! Want it?”

“Is… is this a real magic puppet? For me?”

Magic puppets were crafted by a mad artisan from my past life. Useless to humans—they lack innate magic. Even human mages just mimic ancient elven and angelic tongues. Only angels or elves could use these. Spirits dwell in leaves, springs—unseen by mortals. Angels? Humans only receive their divine messages, never touch them. But this puppet? They could possess it, reshape it to their true form… a perfect tool for a little “vacation” from the Father’s watch. (Worthless to me, though.)

“This is our… *under-the-table* deal. In return, you tell me if resurrecting the dead works here.”

“Well… it *can*. But that girl’s body is gone. What’s your plan?”

I patted the Celestial’s shoulder, grinning. “Now that you’ve got this, we’re partners in crime—uh, *allies*. So… a tiny favor shouldn’t hurt, right?”

“You—you’re not going to… NO!”

She stumbled back, arms crossed over her chest.

“Just give in already.”

“N-no! Anything but that! I’ll do anything else—*anything*—but not that!”

“You know it’s inevitable. Don’t worry—I’ll be gentle. Won’t hurt a bit.”

“Then… be gentle. It’s my first time…”

“Aaah~” Her face flushed crimson. She collapsed to her knees, legs splayed, trembling.

*Seriously?* It’s just plucking one angel feather to stabilize a soul. Did she have to moan like *that*?

“I’ll take my leave. Hope our next collaboration is smoother.”

First item for resurrecting Mengze—angel feather: secured!