Chapter 13: The Ring and the Plaque Return to Their Owner

One of the men, whose sharpness seemed to emulate that of a sword, broke the silence that had settled in the room. "Now we have all the plans," he said firmly, "what remains is how we deceive the young master into following Zhu Long."

The village chief, a man hardened by years and responsibilities, thoughtfully stroked his chin before responding. "Hmm... We can tell him that he's going with Zhu Long to get the soul ring," he suggested with a voice that resonated with cunning. "After all, I'm sure he wants to get his first soul ring."

Hearing this, the others nodded, convinced that this would be a good enough reason to persuade the young master without raising suspicions.

The village chief continued, outlining the plan in greater detail. "Well, tomorrow morning, when he wakes up, I'll tell him, and you'll take him along with the others," he said, directing his gaze toward Zhu Long, who nodded with a mix of determination and apprehension.

With the strategy set, the village chief rose from his seat and walked toward the house's door, followed by the others. They exchanged brief but meaningful farewells, the kind that say "see you tomorrow" and "may luck be with us," before dispersing into the darkness of the night.

Once alone, the village chief returned to his office. With reverence, he took the map he had used to illustrate his plan and, before putting it away, ran his fingers across the entire surface, tracing imaginary lines. Then, carefully, he returned it to its place.

With methodical movements, he extinguished the candles in the office, plunging the room into shadows. He repeated the process throughout the rest of the house, allowing darkness to envelop every corner. Finally, he entered his bedroom, a sanctuary of shadows and silence.

He lay down on the bed without turning on any light, as accustomed to the darkness as to the burden of his duties. The weight of the day began to dissipate slowly as he surrendered to well-deserved rest. With his mind still on the challenges they would face at dawn, the village chief closed his eyes and let himself be embraced by sleep, hoping that the carefully woven strategy would be enough to protect what they valued most.

The next morning, as the first rays of the sun began to peek through and the roosters announced the dawn with their crowing, the village chief awoke. He got out of bed and stretched, feeling his body's muscles awaken after a night's rest. With routine but efficient movements, he headed to the bathroom, where he took a quick shower and brushed his teeth, leaving behind the heaviness of sleep.

Once ready, he headed to the kitchen. There, he began to prepare breakfast with skill. He lit the fire and onto the hot skillet, he poured the eggs, which sizzled upon contact with the surface. While the eggs cooked, he cut 500 grams of bacon into strips and added them to another skillet, where they began to fry, releasing an aroma that gradually filled the room.

Carefully, he flipped the eggs and bacon until they were just right. Then, he served the food on two large plates, distributing the portions evenly. He took two glasses and placed them on the table along with the necessary cutlery. The milk he poured into a pitcher, leaving it in the center of the table so that each could serve themselves as they liked.

Just as he was finishing setting everything up, Xue Sha appeared coming down the stairs, his hair still damp from the shower. He sat at the table and watched as the village chief finished preparing breakfast. Once everything was ready, the village chief took a seat opposite him.

The village chief, with the first light of day bathing his weathered face, took a seat opposite Xue Sha and, with a look that denoted the seriousness of the matter he was about to discuss, said: "Let's enjoy the meal, and after we eat, I have to talk to you about something."

Xue Sha, with a nod of agreement, simply replied: "Okay." Without further ado, they both began to eat in a complicit silence, savoring the breakfast that the village chief had prepared with care.

After the meal, the village chief stood up and collected the plates, taking them to the kitchen. The cleaning routine was quick and efficient, a reflection of the discipline that governed his life. He returned to the table and sat down again opposite Xue Sha, who looked at him with a mix of curiosity and expectation.

"Do you want to have your first soul ring?" asked the village chief, looking directly into Xue Sha's eyes.

Xue Sha's response was immediate and full of enthusiasm: "Of course, I do."

The village chief nodded, as if he had expected that answer, and continued: "Well, if you want, you can go today with your uncle Zhu Long to look for the soul ring."

Xue Sha took a moment to digest the proposal. The idea of venturing out in search of his first soul ring was both exciting and intimidating. Finally, with a determination that reflected his youth and ambition, he replied: "Okay."

The village chief rose from his chair with a gesture of satisfaction. "Wait, I'm going to get something," he said, and headed to his room. Xue Sha remained seated, contemplating the possibilities that opened up before him with this new adventure. Meanwhile, the village chief searched his room for an object of importance, something that would undoubtedly play a crucial role in the upcoming events.

Upon returning, the village chief brought with him an old, time-worn wooden box. He sat down opposite Xue Sha and, with a solemn gesture, placed the box on the table, turning it so that it faced the young man. "You know, when I found you, you had these things with you," he said with a grave voice, laden with meaning.

Xue Sha looked at the box with curiosity and some unease. With trembling hands, he lifted the lid and discovered inside an ancient-looking silver ring and a metallic plaque engraved with the Chinese characters of his name.

The village chief watched him attentively and indicated: "When you leave, take these things with you. You can wear the ring, and the plaque... well, first put on the ring."

Following the instructions, Xue Sha slid the ring onto his middle finger, but noticed it was somewhat large. "It seems a bit big," he commented, looking at the village chief with a mix of confusion and amazement.

"Try injecting soul power," suggested the village chief, as if revealing an ancient secret.

Xue Sha closed his eyes and concentrated, channeling his soul power into the ring. To his surprise, the ring began to contract until it fit his finger perfectly. But that was not all; in his mind, a space opened up, a kind of one-square-meter void, in which floated several thousand gold coins and several pieces of clothing.

With a mix of amazement and caution, Xue Sha took the plaque with his name and, almost instinctively, introduced it into the space of the ring. The plaque disappeared from his hand and appeared inside the ring. He experimented with taking it out and putting it back several times until he felt comfortable with the process. Finally, he left the plaque inside the ring.

He looked up at the village chief, and a stream of thoughts crossed his mind. "It's strange that just when I'm leaving, he gives me something like this," he thought to himself. "It's as if it were the last time we saw each other." A bad feeling began to nest in his chest, but he pushed it aside, focusing on the adventure that awaited him and the words of encouragement that would surely come from the village chief before leaving.