The Great Worm Lich

Zhang Lisheng entered the Mingde Building of Sichuan University and walked through the long corridor with wide doors. In order to maintain the historical flavor of the old building designed and built by Liang Sicheng, a renowned architect, 100 years ago, the numerous repairs that had been carried out had not made too many changes in the main structure. However, in the rooms that were used as offices now, the situation was completely different. Small changes such as circuits and cable installations for the modern office conditions could be seen everywhere.

In the spacious and bright Academic Affairs Office on the first floor of the red building, Deputy Director Wang Qiuli personally verified Zhang Lisheng’s information on the Internet before entering his information into the catalogue of invited scholars. Then, she looked up at the young Stanford Doctor sitting on the sofa by the wall and said enthusiastically in fluent English, “Dr. Zhang, all of the procedures have been completed. I’d like to extend my warm welcome to you in becoming an official member of the Sichuan University’s visiting scholars. In the next half year of your academic exchange life in China, our Sichuan University will be fully responsible for your food and accommodation expenses. Your accommodation is at the university guest house that has the environment of a standard star hotel. For meals, you can either choose to dine in the guest house restaurant, or you can choose the student canteen, with both buffet provided free of charge. As for your traveling around, due to the reason that we have limited university vehicles, it is difficult to guarantee for you to use the car alone. For this reason, we’ll provide a car subsidy of 150 Yuan per day, in Chinese currency, not the US Dollar. Other than this, if you have anything else that you require, please don’t hesitate to let us know as long as it is reasonable!”

“I can still ask for more?” Zhang Lisheng looked at the charming and attractive deputy director of Sichuan University’s Academic Affairs Office who looked over 40 years old but still well-maintained and blurted out in bafflement, “No no no, Madam Wang! I came to your school for academic visits! There’s no reason for me to be taken care of by you.”

“Usually, there’s no such treatment for ordinary visiting scholars, but you’re the invited specialist for the scholar exchange project ‘100 Famous Universities, 1000 International Specialists’ from the Department of Education. It’s because of this that our university has special regulations. This treatment is already the result of the numerous reductions of the ‘Practical Saving’ program advocated by the central government. I hope that you’re happy with it.” When Wang Qiuli was saying these words, there was some inexplicable sense of superiority in her tone.

“Happy! I’m very happy with it! Thank you!” Now that the procedure was completed, Zhang Lisheng had achieved his purpose too. He, who did not want to waste his time around the details, shrugged and stood up from the sofa. “If there is nothing else, Madam Li, I’d like to settle down and recover from jet lag first. Then, I’ll begin to go to the pristine jungle in Western Sichuan to do some field research…”

“You’re going to the pristine jungle to do some field research?” Wang Qiuli’s eyes widened as she interrupted the young man’s words.

“Yes, but don’t worry, I have a very rich field experience so there’s no need to trouble your university. In fact, if you have read my papers before, you’d be able to guess that half of them are written in the terrible environments of the jungles.”

Wang Qiuli was an administrative official at the university so how could she possibly have seen the professional journals of a visiting scholar? However, it was apparent that it would be rude if she said no so she could only flash a wry smile and reply, “Of course I have seen your wonderful works, but, but Dr. Zhang, why don’t you reconsider it? Don’t be so anxious to do field research, our university also plans to invite you to hold two or three professional lectures during the summer…”

“Oh, a biology lecture for your students and people with similar interest from the society? I’m very honored to be invited, Madam Li. However, in this case, I’m even more imperative in the field research of the pristine jungle of Western Sichuan. After all, as a biologist, I can’t always use the Hawaiian Islands or the example of Shrimp B1 Island to explain the wonders of science to Chinese biology enthusiasts or Chinese local university students, can I? This is an insult to a professional scholar!”

“T-This…” Wang Qiuli felt dumbfounded and was rendered speechless over Zhang Lisheng’s stubbornness and persistence, that would usually appear in scholars who had their concentrations on academic research, and could not argue at all.

“If you have no opinions, I’ll take my leave first. See you, Madam Wang.” When Zhang Lisheng saw her opening her mouth but could not say a word, he shrugged and turned his gaze to Li Mingjin who was by the side. “Miss Li, can you bring me to the place I’m staying for me to settle down.”

“Of course, Dr. Zhang.” The girl nodded. Wanting to laugh but dare not to, she faced the deputy director of the Academic Affairs Office, who was known for her capability in Sichuan University, and said, “Director Wang, I’ll accompany Dr. Zhang to the guest house first.”

Then, together with Zheng Tianliang, who had been laughing dryly since he entered the Academic Affairs Office, she took Zhang Lisheng away with them.

After leaving the red building, the three of them walked a long distance on the campus, and finally came to a hotel that occupied a small area but was brand new, with a neon sign board with the words ‘Wangjiang Hotel’ written on it.

“Dr. Zhang, this is the Wangjiang Hotel that is only built this year in our Wangjiang Campus of Sichuan University. It is also the best guesthouse in the school, I hope you’ll be happy with it!” Li Mingjin explained while walking up the steps to push the door to the hotel open.

“I’m very happy with it, Miss Li.” After entering the foyer, Zhang Lisheng pretended to look around and said, “This hospitality is beyond my imagination.”

“This is nothing, you’re too polite.” Li Mingjin smiled and walked to the counter to explain the situation to the person-on-duty. Very soon, she took a room card back to Zhang Lisheng. “Dr. Zhang, your room is on the top floor ‘A0166’ and it can overlook the scenery of the entire campus. It will be yours for the next six months.”

The instant her words left her mouth, the young and beautiful lobby’s assistant manager, who also followed closely behind the vice president of the Sichuan University Student Union, also flashed a big smile and added in English, “If you need anything, please feel free to contact the receptionist, Dr. Zhang. I’m honored to serve you.”

“Oh, thank you very much!” Zhang Lisheng took the room card and swept a glance at Li Mingjin and the assistant manager of the hotel lobby as he yawned and said with a smile.

Upon seeing the young man’s exhausted look, Li Mingjin sensibly bid goodbye and took Zheng Tianliang together with her, while Zhang Lisheng walked into the elevator alone and came to the room that Sichuan University prepared for himself.

Although the room was just a standard room that was turned into a double deluxe room, by having one of its standard beds removed and the other bed replaced with a comfortable double bed, without any suite living room, the huge floor-to-ceiling window and the area of more than 30 square meters did not make it feel very cramped.

Zhang Lisheng locked the door and habitually pulled the two curtains down. Then he sat down on the bed and closed his eyes, wanting to cultivate the secret method to kill his time. However, to his surprise, his heart gave a jolt as he lowered his head and muttered, “Caution is the parent of safety…”

Then, just like this, he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep not long after.

The young man slept for three to four hours. By the time he woke up, the sun had already gradually slanted to the west.

He quietly walked out of the room and left the hotel. Blending in with the group of university students walking on the lush road of the Sichuan University campus, he walked out of the university inconspicuously and entered a taxi parked outside the door. “Mister, do you go to Hengze City in the Qu County?”

“Hengze City in the Qu County? That’s very far away! I’ll have to drive on the highway and it would cost about two pieces of ‘little lamb’ including the toll and bridge fare. It would be dark already when I come back and I won’t be able to get a returning passenger as well. Ah, it’s not an easy drive…” The taxi driver was a big, burly, tall and fat middle-aged man. When he saw Zhang Lisheng’s skinny body and that he had walked out of Sichuan University, he did not reject Zhang Lisheng but made things difficult for him instead.

“Mister, I’ll give you 1500 Yuan and even if you just make one trip, it’d be worth it for you too!” Zhang Lisheng was no longer the simple mountain village boy last time. After hearing the driver’s words, he smiled and took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket, before counting fifteen pieces and handing over to the driver.

“Oh, young man, you’re very generous! Deal! I’ll send you there! I promise to send you safely to the destination. Let’s go now!” Upon seeing the red hundred-yuan bill, the driver smiled widely right away. After taking the money, he patted his chest loudly, started the car, and drove into the street.

After driving and stopping multiple times in the traffic of the Chengdu City, it took them a long time to finally enter the highway. At this time, the taxi finally increased its speed and arrived at Hengze City in Qu County before the sun set in the evening.

In just a few years, the county and the city had expanded more than twice its original size. The streets had more than 20 floors of high-rise residential buildings and commercial buildings now. At night, the whole city would flash its neon lights, completely in contrast with the scenery like last time, of which only a small area of the most prosperous place in the county seat was brightly illuminated.

“By relying on tourism and wood selling, Qu County has developed really fast. I’ve been here once before six months ago and at that time, there had been no high-rise buildings like this before. Oh yeah, young man, we’ve reached the county seat so where exactly do you want to go?”

“Just stop right here, Mister!” Zhang Lisheng looked at the slightly familiar streets outside of the window and stayed silent for a while before replying quietly.

“Okay.” The tall and fat driver stopped the taxi on the side of the road. After saying, “Thank you, Mister,” the young man walked out of the car.

Although it was already night now, the breeze was still caressing the street with its hot air.

“I really don’t recognize it much now…” Zhang Lisheng lamented to himself. After walking along the bustling street for a while, he entered a Sichuan restaurant that looked quite clean from the outside and ordered a few local dishes like bamboo spicy chicken, duck blood broth and the hot and sour sesame fish. After chowing down the food with great gusto, he randomly flagged down a local taxi on the street and rushed towards the mountain village in his memory.

The village road that could barely accommodate two cars when he left had now been upgraded to become four lanes but even so, the road still seemed to be not enough to accommodate the traffic. When he passed by the intersection of the Damu Town center street, he was even stuck in a traffic jam for several minutes.

The drastic changes in his hometown had gone beyond Zhang Lisheng’s imagination. When the taxi drove across the town center station, he stared at the lush jungle that had seemingly remained the same by the roadside absentmindedly. It was only until the car had stopped at the empty space of the Guawo Village’s threshing ground that he finally returned to his senses.

A bonfire party was being held on the threshing ground. It looked like the barbecue party that Zhang Lisheng participated in the US, with just an additional touch of wilderness. The young man looked at the fire outside the car and threw a hundred yuan bill to the driver. Then, he got off the car directly and quietly walked on the mountain road to head towards the Zhang Family’s old house.

On the open space, be it the tourists or the young villagers, nobody paid any attention to the return of a powerful wizard who was already walking on this mountain village inlaid in the jungle of Western Sichuan again.