Chapter Thirty-Four: Seeking the Scarlet Stone Leaf

I looked at the ring. It appeared rather rough, entirely black, with a black stone set atop it—by all accounts, it seemed unfinished. I tried slipping it onto my finger. As the ring slowly slid onto my middle finger, my wristwatch twisted strangely for a moment, though the sensation lasted only a few seconds.

I attempted to channel a bit of spiritual energy into the ring, and, just as I suspected, my consciousness entered its interior. There was nothing remarkable inside; the space was small, about two or three square meters. The ring still held the belongings of the previous owner: clothes, money, a few machetes, and various miscellaneous items.

I casually pulled out a sheet of paper and exited the ring, and to my surprise, the paper rested solidly in my hand. With a thought, I placed the paper back inside, and sure enough, it vanished from my grasp. “This is a fine thing…” I muttered quietly.

I quickly cleared out the ring, leaving only bandages, disinfectant, a few blades, and the paper. Then I bent down, picked up my backpack, and, with a thought, it settled neatly into the ring. A smile spread across my face.

This was practically a portable warehouse. Given that the Ghost King would surely make our lives difficult these days, storing things in the ring would also prevent any ill-intentioned classmates from stealing them. Truly, I’d stumbled upon a treasure.

I swiftly tucked all of our backpacks into the ring, and, strangely, I felt the ring grow heavier—though later I realized it was nothing but my imagination.

“Let’s go, let’s go, time to study,” I said, nudging Li Zijian, who was crouched on the ground playing games.

“Hey, come on! I’m almost in the finals—you, you, you…” he protested.

Chen Chen and I took the lead toward the alley’s exit, and as we walked, I mused to myself. Chen Chen and I had only been good friends before, but now we were brothers in arms. He seemed almost like a low-budget encyclopedia, perhaps because of his family background, though I didn’t know anything about his family. I’d have to find an opportunity to ask.

“What are you thinking about?” As I pondered, we had already left the alley, heading toward the school. Chen Chen tilted his head at me, his smile gentle and healing.

“No big deal. I was just thinking about the Ghost King’s game,” I replied with a casual excuse, not expecting Chen Chen to take it seriously.

“Well, I think this game is going to claim a lot of lives, and…” He hadn’t finished before I cut him off.

“Let’s take a cab; it’s almost noon.” I showed my phone to Chen Chen—11:30 already. It took us twenty minutes by taxi from the school to here; walking back would be even slower.

Chen Chen nodded and flagged down a taxi.

...

About twenty minutes later, we returned to the school. I glanced around; everyone else was laden with bags, while we walked empty-handed. The three of us hurried upstairs.

The classroom was already full; it seemed we were the last to arrive.

“Chen Chen, come to my class,” I called out to him just as he was about to head to his own. Then I pointed at the ring to signal that his belongings were with me and it would be best if we stayed together. He hesitated for a moment but followed me into my classroom.

Most of my classmates were chatting within their little groups. Seeing me bring in an outsider, they merely glanced up, unconcerned.

We reached our seats. Chen Chen grabbed a chair and sat beside me, while Li Zijian was already back to his game.

I could only smile wryly and settle in for some rest. Most classmates posed no threat to me; as long as I wasn’t a class enemy, these three days would fly by. Still, I worried there might be hidden experts among us, though none had revealed themselves yet.

As I stared out the window, lost in thought, my phone rang right on cue.

“Everyone’s very punctual, so let’s begin the game. Please form teams—no limit on numbers—and report your team leader and members in the group chat within five minutes.”

Without hesitation, I entered the names for myself, Chen Chen, and Li Zijian. I expected some debate over team formation, but the classmates had clearly planned their groups ahead of time. Some formed teams of four, six, even more than ten. Of course, there were lone teams as well, like Feng Qi’ao.

“Everyone is quick as always.”

“Well then, the first game: Please find a Red Stone Leaf somewhere in the school—one per team. The game ends at midnight. Begin!”

As soon as the Ghost King announced the task, many students stirred, hoisting their bags and heading out of the classroom.

“It’s certain there aren’t enough Red Stone Leaves; otherwise, the game would be pointless…” Chen Chen whispered beside me.

“Let’s go; no point wasting time here.” Chen Chen nodded, stood up, and strode outside. Li Zijian and I followed, the three of us wandering aimlessly around the school.

We ran into plenty of classmates along the way, but everyone was cautious, keeping their distance. Even so, many girls strolled along, snacking as they chatted, seemingly carefree.

“If it’s a leaf, wouldn’t it be near the grove?” We had plenty of time, so we might as well check it out.

Our school had only a small patch of trees near the basketball court. Calling it a grove was generous—just a few trees, really. The school was diligent about landscaping; the trees were often pruned into attractive shapes, and some had confessions carved into their bark, earning them the nickname “Love Trees.”

The basketball court wasn’t far, and we soon arrived. “With so many leaves, how do we even begin?” Li Zijian said, puffing on his cigarette.

I’d already thought that since the Ghost King specified a Red Stone Leaf, it was probably red. It shouldn’t be hard to spot red among so much green. Confident, I approached one of the trees, crouched, and began searching. Chen Chen and Li Zijian did the same, each picking a tree.

Many other classmates came to the Love Trees, but seeing us there, they wandered off again.

It was a sweltering summer noon; classmates searched under the blazing sun, while we enjoyed the shade, resting when we tired.

Finally, perseverance paid off. Beneath the outermost tree, I found a single red leaf pressed under a stone. The leaf’s veins were distinct, cool to the touch, and perhaps because I possessed spiritual energy, I could see a shimmering flow like water, the leaf enveloped in spiritual light.