Chapter Forty: Seeking the Ace of Ghosts

Though the meal was simple, consisting only of a bowl of plain rice porridge and a small dish of pickled vegetables, with nothing else, I had no airs about me. I picked up the bowl and drank the porridge heartily, pausing between sips to ask, "You know how to cook?"

At that moment, Nangong Xi was resting her chin in both hands, smiling at me. "My parents used to travel for work a lot, so I picked up a bit of cooking," she said. As she finished the sentence, a shadow of sadness crossed her eyes. It was easy to imagine why—she was, after all, a young girl who had endured hardships beyond ordinary comprehension. Missing her parents was only natural.

After the meal, I smacked my lips to show how tasty it was, and Nangong Xi joyfully danced around me, chattering about all the dishes she could make. It was half past seven, and after giving her a few instructions, I packed up and left the house. My words to her were simple: not to go out, to be careful at home, and she obediently agreed.

Walking down the street, my thoughts still lingered on Nangong Xi. With my parents away, having a little housekeeper at home was actually quite nice. The thought made the corners of my mouth curl upward.

With my improved physical fitness, running felt effortless. In less than ten minutes, I reached the school gate. To my surprise, school had returned to normal; students streamed in continuously.

This didn’t seem right... Hadn’t the Ghost King sealed the school? Why were students now allowed back to class? A sense of foreboding rose in my heart. But there was nothing I could do—I steeled myself and stepped through the school gates.

Along the way, I saw many students laughing and playing, their faces bright with joy. Soon, I entered the classroom, where my classmates were whispering among themselves. I had no time to listen to their chatter.

Unexpectedly, Chen Chen and Li Zijian had arrived early. Li Zijian was gaming as usual, while Chen Chen was resting his head on the desk. Only when I walked up did they notice me.

"Hey, Brother Yao, you really are something! Since you taught those guys a lesson last time, they haven’t bothered me again," Li Zijian said, giving me a thumbs-up.

I nodded lightly. Those guys were hardly a threat anyway.

"Lin Yao, have you noticed? All the students are back in school," Chen Chen remarked.

I nodded again, then mused, "I think the Ghost King must be plotting something—otherwise, things wouldn’t be like this."

Chen Chen agreed, nodding as well. "Don’t think about it. What’s meant to come will come," he said.

And so, we became the quietest corner of the class. Li Zijian entertained himself with his game, while Chen Chen and I leaned back in our chairs, eyes closed, conserving energy.

Time passed quickly; before we knew it, it was eight o'clock. Yet, the Ghost King, usually punctual, was suddenly silent. No matter how the classmates in the room called for him, it was as if he had vanished.

Helpless, I tagged the Ghost King and typed out, "Hurry up, where the hell are you?" As soon as I sent it, I realized the words were a bit harsh. Maybe I was the only one in class bold enough to speak to the Ghost King that way.

Unexpectedly, the Ghost King seemed to have a special fondness for me and replied, "Very well, today’s game will involve only Lin Yao." I was speechless when I saw the message, and Chen Chen beside me gave a bitter laugh. "Serves you right for talking to the Ghost King like that..."

But the rest of the class was gleefully stirring trouble.

"Serves you right..."

"Lin Yao is so ruthless, he even kills his own—he deserves punishment..."

"Just let them die already..."

I frowned at the flood of messages, feeling utterly vexed. Before I could vent my anger, Chen Chen stood up and shouted, "Damn it, you bunch of ungrateful wretches! You’re the ones who deserve to die!"

But Chen Chen was like an egg thrown against a stone—the classmates, transformed by the Ghost King, were no longer harmless.

Several stood up, drawing their weapons as they spoke:

"Dog from Class Two, what are you doing in our class?"

"Get lost!"

Dealing with these classmates was something I was quite adept at. As long as you showed a bit of strength, they would back down.

"If anyone’s dissatisfied, come find me. I’m always ready," I said, conjuring the Snow Blade. With a casual swing, I sliced the nearest empty desk clean in two.

That stroke startled everyone in the class; those who had threatened to attack me quietly retreated. Soon, all the students returned to their seats, and the sound of phones ringing filled the air.

"You’re all very united—excellent," came the Ghost King's voice.

"Today’s game is still a red packet grab, but Lin Yao is exempt," he said, posting a large red packet of 500 yuan in the group. Everyone rushed for it.

...

"Congratulations to Feng Qi'ao, *** , Lin Yao, Zhang Yi."

"Your task is, before the end of school at noon today, to find two classmates with the Ghost King's card on their back. No help from others is allowed. The game begins!"

As expected, this time the Ghost King expanded the scope to the whole school, making the task harder.

"Hurry up, Lin Yao, what are you waiting for? After the Ghost King's announcement, there should only be two with the card. Go on, quick!" Chen Chen whispered to me, and Li Zijian chimed in quietly.

I nodded, then headed out.

I remembered clearly that *** was one of Jiang Yuan's lackeys, and in this game, they would certainly try to harm me. Zhang Yi was a girl from Class Two and posed no threat.

Taking advantage of the break, I dashed through the floors searching for those with the Ghost King's card. Along the way, I bumped into many students, but their luck was not as dire as mine.

Our school had many students and several teaching buildings. Searching for two people among so many was like finding a needle in a haystack.

I ran onto the sports field, intending to head to another building, when I noticed a sneaky figure following me.

I deliberately ran to the center of the field, since there were no places to hide there.

Suddenly, I stopped. The person behind was startled and fell flat on his face.

Looking closely, it was ***.

"You—you—how do you run so fast..." Upon seeing me draw my weapon, *** scrambled backward, the small pouch at his waist—no doubt given to him by Jiang Yuan—forgotten.

"Who sent you to follow me?" I strode forward and kicked him; just as he was about to get up, he fell again.

But I was careless. *** suddenly pulled a handgun from his bag and fired. With a loud bang, the bullet struck my leg.

"Ah! Damn it!"

The pain was excruciating, like nothing an ordinary person could imagine. I collapsed onto the ground, sweating profusely.

Yet, I did not let go of the Snow Blade. With quick thinking, I stowed it back into my ring.