Chapter 11 Grudge

• My grandma said a wealthy woman came to her with a 12-year-old boy after being recommended by another disciple.
• The boy was unconscious and barely breathing. His skin was pallid, and he looked as if he was on the verge of dying.
• Grandma immediately could tell that the boy had a Child's Fate.
• The child here referred to the child deities that lived in the immortal world. Some came down to the mortal world to have fun while others were sent down as a form of punishment, but once their time was up, they would return to the immortal realm. That was why those with a Child's Fate wouldn't live for long.
• There were two types of Child's Fates—the true Child's Fate and the pseudo Child's Fate.
• It was easy to overcome a pseudo Child's Fate. All it took was sacrificing a paper doll as a substitute for the one with said fate, and the child would be able to carry on living a normal life.
• It was a lot harder if it were a true Child's Fate, though.
• The boy that Grandma was asked to save had a true Child's Fate.
• I became nervous upon hearing this. "Grandma, did you save him?"
• "I did," Grandma said as she cried. "Even as I think about it now, I'm still filled with regret. I shouldn't have accepted the task just because I wanted to be a hero…"
• In order to overcome a true Child's Fate, the boy needed to switch his fate with someone else.
• That meant they needed to find another young boy who was born at the same time as the one with a Child's Fate and exchange their fates. After that, the substitute would die on behalf of the boy, and the boy could continue living a normal life.
• The act of exchanging people's fates required a deity with advanced cultivation.
• Firstly, Grandma thought that her reputation would soar if she took on a task that no other sect dared to. It would be evidence of her great powers. Secondly, she figured that it would be incredibly difficult to find the right substitute. Even if she took on the task, the boy's family might not be able to find a suitable candidate.
• However, the very next day after agreeing to it, the boy's family brought her the name, address, and birth details of the substitute.
• "I helped that boy exchange his fate…"
• Grandma sounded deeply sorrowful, so I attempted to console her. "Grandma, you saved a person's life. You didn't do anything wrong."
• "No. I killed an innocent child. That child didn't have a Child's Fate but was forced to die in someone else's place," Grandma refuted. "Celly, you have to remember this. Everyone has their own fate. We shouldn't try to change it in any way, or we'd suffer serious repercussions."
• The repercussions came almost immediately.
• Soon after Grandma did the exchange, someone reported what she did to higher deities. They apprehended the third mistress and executed her on the grounds of going against the natural order of life and taking an innocent person's life.
• Once that happened, Grandma dissolved her sect, got married, and had a family. She no longer practiced her discipleship, but every year, she would visit the altar of other disciples and worship with great sincerity. It was both her way of atoning for what she did and accumulating blessings for the third mistress.
• I recalled Grandma taking me to ritualistic dances when I was a child. She would cry every time she lit a candle at the altar, and I now knew that it was out of guilt.
• Grandma continued to tell me what happened. "The third mistress was pregnant when she was executed. Animal deities hold grudges. I'm the reason why Mr. Cassius lost his wife and child, and throughout all these years, I've feared that he would come after our family. I'm more than willing to give my life to make up for it, but I don't want any harm coming to you or your father…
• "Now… Now, everything's alright. Mr. Cassius is benevolent. Not only did he not come after our family, but he even took you in as his disciple. Celly, you must remember to do more kind deeds from now on and help Mr. Cassius become a higher deity to repay him for the mercy he showed us."
• Well, from all this, I gathered that my family did owe Cassius a lot.
• Grandma and I talked about other things, and I only hung up once I was certain her emotions had stabilized.
• When I answered the phone, I left the classroom and headed to a corner behind the academic building. It was a quiet place—perfect for answering calls. However, when I ended the call, I realized that it was a little too quiet.
• The building blocked the sunlight, and I was standing in a shadowy area. There wasn't anyone around me. A gust of wind blew over, and it felt a little chilly.
• I was too afraid to linger much longer, so I immediately tried to run off, but as soon as I lifted my foot, I kicked into something again.
• This time, I hit it with my knee. It was as if whatever was tripping me was slowly coming up from the ground. First, it was my foot, then my calf, and now my knee.
• The more I thought about this, the more petrified I became. I stomped my feet a couple of times and ran off.
• Just as I was about to leave the shadowy patch, I heard someone calling from behind me.
• "Celeste!" It was Mindy's voice. "Didn't you say you had something to do? Why're you still in school?"
• I instinctively reacted before processing what was happening. My head was already turning before I remembered that there wasn't anyone near me, and Mindy wouldn't have come here.
• There was nothing behind me.
• I got goosebumps, and a chill ran down my spine as I shrieked and ran off as fast as I could.
• I didn't stop running until I reached the academic building and saw other students around me.
• Just as I was about to call Mr. Lee, a classmate of mine spotted me and came over. "Celeste, the class representative is looking for you."
• I wasn't familiar with the class representative. To me, he was our lecturers' messenger, so if he were looking for me, it meant that a lecturer was looking for me.
• "Do you know why the class representative is looking for me?" I asked.
• "He said Professor Medina wants you to see her at her office."
• I knew it. Medusa wasn't going to let me off the hook so easily.
• If I didn't go to her, she might record my tardiness as me skipping class instead.
• I didn't want to be targeted, so I had no choice but to head over to Medusa's office.
• Medusa told me that she had a name list that needed to be entered into the system. I was allowed to leave once I completed the task.
• She left after giving me all the instructions.
• I was the only one in the office, and I finally had a chance to call Mr. Lee.
• The moment I made the call, I heard a squeaky sound coming from the phone.
• It was a piercing noise that sounded a lot like someone scratching their nails against a chalkboard.
• "Ahh!" I jumped in fright and threw my phone away from me.
• Just then, the tapping sound of someone typing on a keyboard echoed in the silent office.
• Next, I saw two bold, red words appearing on the computer screen.
• 'Help me…'
• I was terrified!
• Frantic, I rushed toward the door.
• However, after taking a few steps, I felt myself being tripped by something again. This time, I felt a tight grip around my thighs and lost my balance. I ended up crashing to the floor.
• Although I couldn't see anything, I could feel a pair of large, cold hands caressing my thigh.