The Great Worm Lich

The history of New York Girl dated back to the 30s. It was said that it was a little trick to boost the dispirited and desperate young people’s morale during the economic crisis. However, it had turned into an annual ‘legal fight’ of popular girl high schools in New York, the international metropolis. Especially to those who had been competing for over ten years, it was a devastating war to girls from Lowbige that was popular in Brooklyn and Fordham, the best private high school in Manhattan, the center of New York.

Nevertheless, such a war was completely meaningless to Zhang Lisheng. He looked at George expressionlessly, “George, your life could be more meaningful than this.”

“We can talk about such a serious issue in the future,” George picked up the backpack under the lab table and hung it on Zhang Lisheng’s neck. He then pulled Zhang Lisheng and ran downstairs.

Lowbige Junior High’s open-style school compound was crowded, it seemed like everyone in school rushed there. The main focus of the crowd was the six beauties wearing exquisite, low-cut gowns. Three of them were waving and smiling exuberantly at the young men who were surrounding them. The remaining three who looked rather older than the other three looked like cold beauties. They were ignoring everything that was happening around them.

“Hi Felicia, you’re the most beautiful lady I’ve ever seen. I love you.”

“That’s the Fordham Sisters. I’ve seen them in magazines but they’re more mesmerizing in real life.”

“It’s really them. Seems like this year would be the last year the three sisters would be helping their Fordham juniors in New York Girl’s voting. I think those annoying girls in our school would be relieved next year.”

“Have you lost your mind? If the girls from our school heard what you said, you’ll never find a girlfriend in Lowbige…”

George pulled Zhang Lisheng into the crowd. In the noise of discussions and clamors, he thought it was a pure waste of time to be surrounded by a bunch of screaming young boys who were clearly high on male pheromone.

“Psh shh…” He began chanting a witchcraft incantation softly to cultivate. In the crowded place, even George who was close to him did not notice his mouth that was constantly moving while muttering strange, meaningless syllables. However, someone happened to notice Zhang Lisheng’s unusual move eventually.

“Oh god, Sandy, guess who I saw?” Among the three cold beauties that gotten all of the attention, the one who had blonde hair and the most quaint features began looking at Zhang Lisheng closely after glancing through him unintentionally. She exclaimed softly to the two close friends around her all of a sudden.

“Could it be Michelle, that pretentious girl hiding among the crowd peeping at us? No wonder she didn’t come to defend Lowbige Junior High’s girls’ embarrassing achievement…”

“No, not Michelle. Sheila, it’s Mountain Worm. Do you remember I told you guys before that I was almost dead in the dense jungle in China Western Sichuan because of that idiot Henrick? We survived because a young hunter who saved me…”

“Not only that, the young hunter had a centipede that was over 100 centimeters long and as thick as a Birkin bag as his gundog. He was walking in the ancient jungle at ease while chanting some mysterious incantation, no animals or venomous worms dared to get close to him.”

“Hello sister, Sheila and I have said this before, it’s just your illusion. You must be too nervous back then, Henrick said that…”

“Trish, I’ve told you that Henrick the coward pretended to have a blurry memory, so that he would not lose his reputation as a wilderness survival expert. He’s just a bragging troublemaker. Since we’re on this topic, I must remind you that it’s best that you get your brother Henry to stay away from him. Otherwise, your family would regret that in the future. I was fully aware back then and so am I now, that young hunter named Mountain Worm really exists. He’s in the crowd right now, and I’ve no idea why, but he seems to be chanting an incantation now.”

“Tina, this is New York, America. We’re in Lowbige Junior High’s compound. Even if your young hunter really exists, he should be on the other side of the planet under our feet…”

“Don’t deny Tina just yet, my dear Trish. Don’t you think it’s interesting if you think about it? Alright Tina, honey, tell me where is your little hunter?”

“He’s right there, that yellow-skinned boy,” Tina lifted his arm and pointed at Zhang Lisheng. Looking at what she was doing, all boys where her finger was pointing at clamored meaninglessly all of the sudden.

“Lisheng, Lisheng look. That beauty’s pointing at us, I think she’s a famous lady from a rich family…”

“George, let go of my arm. I’m really hungry now,” Realizing that he was unable to cultivate in such a noisy environment, Zhang Lisheng stopped chanting witchcraft incantation and said, “I’ll go get a burger now and I’ll take a nap in the classroom, we’re having our afternoon class. Cheer for your New York Girls here, see if you could get one of those ladies to be your girlfriend.”

“Oh, Lisheng, since when have you’ve learned to be so sarcastic. Also, the New York Girl’s went through elimination, there’s only one of them each year. Go eat your burger, you lonely man. We’ll meet after school,” George let go of Zhang Lisheng’s arm and began clapping and clamoring enthusiastically.

Zhang Lisheng took some effort to get out of the crowd and walked to the school cafeteria. He did not notice that he was being watched by the most dazzling three girls in the compound. After eating his burger, Zhang Lisheng and George met after their math class and literature class. They cycled to Dan Souza Butcher Shop.

Along the way, George who dressed as thick as a polar bear stepped on the paddle strenuously while saying jokingly, “My buddy Lisheng, it’s hard for me to imagine that Ms. Lili would allow her little baby working until late hours when the weather’s so cold.”

“Because Uncle Lavin said that a boy needs some tough training, which my mom eventually came to agree with.”

“What a cruel stepdad, ha!”

“No matter on paper or in reality, Lavin’s just my mom’s partner. He’s not my stepdad.”

George was taken aback and sighed while talking to himself, “Friend, do you know what you lack the most? Emotion, you should put more emotion when you talk. Don’t always have a poker face on, you make me feel like I’m talking to a robot…”

“Shut up,” Zhang Lisheng said loudly while frowning

“That’s right, I feel so much better now.”

The journey that usually took 20 minutes became half an hour this time. The duo realized there were unusually little customers at the Dan Souza Butcher Shop today. It was clear that those housewives were unwilling to be out in the weather where the heavy snow had just stopped. Just like that, they did some dispensable work until 7 p.m… Zhang Lisheng then said goodbye to George who never asked about a friend’s personal life. He cycled home alone after feeding Mountoad.

It was deadly cold at night, during winter in New York. Breath turned into clouds of white fog as soon as the pedestrians exhaled, another cloud of white fog came, just as the previous one went away. Zhang Lisheng did not stop pedaling, he did not feel extra cold. However, he felt a bone-chilling coldness mixed with fluffy snow, as he waited for the light to turn green sitting on the saddle with a foot on the ground. All of the heat that he had in his body was taken away completely.

Cold sweat made Zhang Lisheng feel like he fell into an ice cave, he sneezed six to seven times continuously. He shrugged and twitched his nose while mumbling to himself as he shivered, “Sh*t, I’ll transform myself into a strong wizard worm when I improve in witchcraft so that I won’t have such weak body…”

A Cadillac RV suddenly pulled over next to him when Zhang Lisheng was talking. A blonde young lady with no make-up on rolled down the window and waved at him from the driver’s seat wearing a smile. She said loudly, “Hi, Mr. Worm. Do you need help and do you want to warm yourself in the car?”

It was a little absurd that the lady driving a big, luxurious RV greeted him out of nowhere, Zhang Lisheng was stunned from the surprise. However, he soon recalled where the name Mountain Worm came from. He was secretly troubled and pretended to speak in a blur, “Huh?”

Controlling a venomous worm had always been an attention-seeking and unusual thing. It would be fine if he was to do it before a foreign Tom, Dick, and Harry but if those Tom, Dick, and Harry became someone familiar or even friends, that would be bad news.

“Mr. Worm, the act you’re putting up is as bad as the time you pretended to be mature when we met in China. The light’s turning green really soon, you’re shaking. Let’s get into the car to get some warmth on the next street.”

“There’s no need for that, thanks,” Seeing that the light turned green, Zhang Lisheng sped up realizing he could not get away from this caring lady. Unfortunately, manual work could never catch up to a high-powered engine. Tina soon caught up to him. She slowed down and drove at Zhang Lisheng’s speed, “Get in, Mr. Worm. I knew that you’re a student at Lowbige Junior High and working at Dan Souza Butcher Shop…”

Zhang Lisheng was secretly shocked. He stopped cycling and touched the backpack on his back and asked Tina while looking coldly at her through the window, “How do you know so much about me?”

“I happened to see you at Lowbige Junior High today. It was inconvenient for me to talk to you at that moment so I got someone to follow you after school. Actually, I wanted to go back to China to thank you officially. But that means Henrick, who wanted to get away from the responsibility lied, making my family unable to believe in what I’ve experienced in Western Sichuan’s dense jungle. And my dad confiscated my passport…”

Hearing Tina’s explanation, Zhang Lisheng became softer now but he said in dissatisfaction, “Wait, you got someone to follow me?”

“Get in the car, we’ll speak after you got into the car for warmth okay?”

Zhang Lisheng sneezed again while saying with a cold face, “Miss, I should get the police to arrest you. But since you’re sincere in thanking me, I’ll forgive you for following me. But please, don’t do that again,” He peddled hard and turned into the alley at the ramp and soon gotten far away.

In the flowing snow, the Cadillac SUV stopped where it was, instead of going after him.