Li Li returned to the classroom to pack her desk.

  Her deskmate, Liu Hailin, asked, “What’s all this?”

  “Going to a prep school,” Li Li said, pulling an incense burner from under the desk and stuffing it into her backpack. “I’m studying abroad.”

  “Abroad?” Hailin’s eyes widened. “What about your boyfriend? Does he know?”

  Li Li wrinkled her nose and took out a copper coin sword. “When did I get a boyfriend? I don’t do early romance.”

  Sure, her grades were terrible, she burned spirit money on campus, and she performed religious rituals between classes—but she was still a good kid who didn’t date in high school.

  “Li Guang from the honors class! The top-ranked student!” Hailin nearly shouted, then lowered her voice when a few classmates glanced over. “Lili, you’re not going to ditch him, are you?”

  “Li Guang is not my boyfriend.”

  Li Li kept packing, pulling out half-burnt spirit money and a stack of yellow talisman paper she used as bookmarks.

  “What kind of school supplies are these?” Hailin muttered.

  “You don’t get it—I’m protecting the health and safety of our class.” Li Li hefted her heavy backpack. Several students here had weak spiritual defenses. “Li Guang has nothing to do with me.”

  “Then why does he come looking for you every day? I heard his homeroom teacher told him not to hang out with you—worried I'd tank his GPA. He said you’re his fiancée and asked who else he should hang out with.” Hailin rested her chin in her hands, dreamy-eyed. “Smart, handsome, and devoted. The perfect guy.”

  Li Li sighed. “That’s just an old family joke—a childhood promise. It’s the 21st century; we believe in free dating now. And I’m not even eighteen. No early romance for me.”

  Hailin looked exasperated. “Haven’t you ever felt anything for him?”

  “I cultivate the Path of No Romance.”

  “…” *I really hate that you’re this dense.*

  “Gotta go.” Li Li swung her backpack over her shoulder—and almost toppled over. She grabbed the desk to steady herself. “When I come back with a foreign degree, I’ll use their skills against them. Don’t miss me too much.”

  “Let’s keep in touch on WeChat after exams.” Hailin waved, still stuck on her favorite ship. “And don’t forget to tell Li Guang.”

  “What’s there to tell him?” Li Li grumbled. She handed Hailin a small red paper packet. “Here, a protection charm. I made it myself. Keep it on you.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Hailin took it, suddenly dramatic. “Does everyone in class have one… or is it just for me?”

  Li Li rolled her eyes. “Only made one.”

  Hailin beamed. “I am honored, my liege.”

  “Watch less TV.”

  The charm was indeed just for Hailin—but Li Li had already warned all the campus ghosts not to scare students. With the Qing-dynasty ghost keeping watch, things should be fine.

  With her leave slip approved, Li Li left school during class hours. The gate guard stared at her, looking like he wanted to ask something, but she kept a straight face, put on her helmet, and rode her e-scooter home.

  That evening, after dinner, Li Li was happily eating fruit and watching TV when the doorbell rang.

  She opened the door to find Li Guang standing there, eyes slightly red, holding a clear plastic pet carrier.

  “You’re going abroad,” he said, getting the first word in. His voice sounded wounded, painting Li Li perfectly as the heartless one.

  Li Li felt a headache coming on. “Let’s talk downstairs.”

  Under the dim streetlights in the complex garden, their shadows tangled on the ground.

  “This is my Gu King Scorpion, fed with my heart’s blood. It’s very intelligent—take it abroad with you.” Li Guang pushed the carrier into her arms.

  Li Li froze.

  Li Guang was from the Miao ethnic group—famous for their ***Gu sorcery,*** a secret art involving venomous insects. Raising insects often involved poison or blood, messy business. Even though the village committee had banned casting gu on people, as an heir, Li Guang hadn’t let the craft die out.

  “This isn’t really appropriate,” Li Li said vaguely, searching for a way to refuse.

  “You don’t like Xiao Xie?” Li Guang suddenly grew animated. “Then we can both take a Love Gu! You take the mother insect, I take the child. That way, if you’re in danger abroad, I’ll know immediately.”

  He seemed lost in his own fantasy, cheeks flushed, muttering softly, “The Love Gu… is taken at weddings… My mom and dad took it…”

  “Ew.”

  Li Li didn’t quite catch what he said, but the thought of swallowing a bug made her skin crawl.

  There’s a saying: Chinese people always meet in the middle. If Li Guang asked her to take his scorpion abroad, she might refuse. But if he asked her to swallow bugs with him, she’d happily take the scorpion.

  Li Li quickly accepted the carrier and peered inside. The scorpion was pitch black, sturdy, with large dark pincers and a gleaming venomous tail.

  Clearly well cared for.

  Seeing Li Li, the scorpion wagged its tail slightly, as if saying hello.

  “Hi there,” Li Li tapped the box.

  Li Guang’s face glowed with excitement, as if drunk: *She likes the Gu King I raised!*

  “Alright, I’ll take it,” Li Li told him. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Li Guang grinned brightly.

  “What does it eat?”

  A Gu King usually fed on blood—but Li Guang couldn’t bear the thought of Li Li bleeding for it. “Just mealworms are fine. Vegetable scraps work too. Whatever’s convenient.”

  The scorpion in the box: “…”

  Li Li scratched her head. *Can you really feed a scorpion like a rabbit?* Well, she’d look it up later.

  But having received such a valuable gift, she felt she should return the favor. She dug in her pocket, pulled out another protection charm, and handed it to Li Guang. “I made this. For your safety.”

  She closed her eyes as she gave it.

  *Sorry, Hailin—I actually made these in bulk.*

  Li Guang took the charm with both hands, looking dazed. “Then… does this count as… exchanging tokens of love…?”

  His voice faded to a whisper.

  Li Li had no idea what he was saying.

  She just scratched her head again. “Well, gifts exchanged, everyone goes home. Don’t you have morning study tomorrow? Get some rest.”

  Li Guang nodded, face still red. “You too.”

  “Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Holding the scorpion carrier, Li Li walked toward her building without looking back. Li Guang watched until she entered the elevator, saw the motion-activated light turn on and off on her floor, then clutched the protection charm tightly and headed home.