Chapter 2, The Rusty Ring

Jia Liyu put the dagger back, preparing to take another look at the fishbone. As she pinched the fishbone, the spines on it happened to catch on her glove. When the glove was pulled away, it revealed something rusty and ring-like underneath. "A ring?" Jia Liyu set down the fishbone and picked up the ring, imitating Gollum's voice from 'The Lord of the Rings' and said, "myprecious!" After saying this, she laughed to herself

Jia Liyu took the note, flipped it twice, then let out a cold laugh and directly threw it into the fire to burn. Jia Xiaowei did not understand what kind of trick his two cousins were playing and turned around to go play.

The ring has been completely covered in embroidery, losing its original appearance. However, Jiali Yu can roughly determine that the ring likely comes from somewhere on a fishing boat, possibly one of the links of an iron chain, or it could be an accessory from a certain type of giant fishing net.

After Grandma finished cooking, Jia Liyu went to the card table to call Grandpa for dinner. On the way back, he happened to run into Jia Beicheng. Jia Liyu pretended not to see him and continued walking back. Jia Beicheng stopped him and questioned: "Xiao Wei said you burned my note?"

Jia Liyu ignored him and walked past Jia Beicheng, who no longer obstructed him and shouted from behind: "Li Yu, you are no longer the top student who was the center of attention in middle school. What do you have to be proud of? Do you know that you will be beaten to death by Ye Feng when you return to school next week?"

Jia Liyu studied until 11:30, went to bed, and lay in bed still holding onto the ring, reluctant to let it go, and then unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep.

Jia Liyu crouched down, opened the small door of the cabinet, and indeed saw some items inside, including a small wooden box, a black box, a sling, a spearhead, and a bundle of thick rope

Jia Liyu took a conch shell and held it to her ear, the distant sound of the waves echoed beside her. Jia Liyu certainly knew that this was not the true sound of the ocean, but rather the resonator concentrating and amplifying the vibration frequency, allowing some subtle sounds to be heard. The same effect could be achieved with a glass cup and a thermos.

After rummaging through the place for a while and finding nothing of interest, Jiali Yu took the compass and left the small room. Although this visit to the small room did not yield any suspected cultural relics, at least it was not a trip made in vain.

Thus, science is sometimes truly the arch-nemesis of fairy tales and romance

Certainly, the two identities of Lin Yaozu mentioned above are not the root cause of Jia Liyu's unresolved grievances. The true reason that fills Jia Liyu with righteous indignation is his other two identities: the boyfriend of Yao Menghan and the "master" of Jia Beicheng

On the way home, Jia Liyu felt a surge of emotions once again, recalling the mention of "Thirteen Young Master" by Jia Beicheng, which evoked some unpleasant memories.

After some contemplation, I ultimately shook my head and silently sighed: "If I really took a dagger over there, even if I had a valid reason, it would become invalid. Moreover, if I were to act impulsively and harm someone, my entire life would be ruined, which is not worth it"

Jia Liyu's body was soon completely enveloped by a golden light

I took out my grandfather's compass. After going downstairs, Jiali Yu showed the compass to grandmother

Putting down the conch shell, he picked up the dagger beside him and made a few gestures with it, pondering to himself: "Should I sharpen it with a stone and then take it to school for self-defense?"

There were many items. Jia Liyu rummaged through the contents of the box and discovered several fish hooks, four or five sea conchs, two strings of fish bones, a rusted and chipped dagger, and a pair of tattered gloves

Jia Liyu approached the old, dilapidated vegetable cabinet, first opening the two small windows at the top. Inside the cabinet, he found nothing but a half-rotten basket; there was nothing else. He closed the small windows and then opened the middle drawer, which was equally empty.

They are all things used for fishing. Jiali Yu took out the black box, blew off the dust on top of the box, and then opened the box

After dinner, Jiali Yu returned to her room to do her homework. She worked on her assignments for a while, then took out the ring to play with it for a bit, as if it were truly the magical ring from the movie that possessed special powers

"Xiaowei, what do you have in your hand?" Jia Liyu asked with a smile

It seems that a steel wool ball is necessary. Jia Liyu took a piece of tissue from his pocket, wrapped the ring in it, and placed it back in his pocket. He then continued to rummage through other items and found an anchor, a compass, and a bound yellow-covered edition of "Investiture of the Gods" in a small box.

"Well, it's better to take it out than to let it rust away there," Grandma expressed her support

After Jia Liyu returned home, his mood gradually calmed down, especially when he inquired about his grandfather's fishing trips at sea during dinner, his attention shifted to the vast and mysterious ocean.

Jia Liyu put the book back and took out the compass, but as he looked at the densely marked eight trigrams and directions on it, he felt a bit dizzy and thought to himself that he would study it further when he had more interest in the future

The so-called "Thirteen Young Masters" refers to Lin Yaozu, the only son of the Director of the Education Bureau, who is also an outstanding student ranking at the top of the "Rocket Class" at Bailu No. 1 High School, a true scion of the elite.

Jia Liyu rubbed the ring with his hand a few times, but only managed to remove a thin layer of yellow rust, still unable to see the material inside

The melodramatic feud that occurred in the second semester of the first year of high school unfolded among several individuals. At that time, Jia Beicheng had the opportunity to peel apples and shell lobsters for Lin Yaozu. Despite being fully aware of the unusual relationship between Jia Liyu and Yao Menghan, he still assisted Lin Yaozu in pursuing Yao Menghan.

The "Third Brother" mentioned by Jia Xiaowei refers to Jia Beicheng, who was once a childhood friend of Jia Liyu and is now his enemy. The two of them were admitted to Bailu No. 1 High School together and were inseparable, their bond closer than that of biological brothers. However, an incident that occurred in the second semester of their first year of high school led to a falling out between them.

She found a nylon lanyard in the drawer, strung the ring on it, and hung it around her neck. Thus, Jiali Yu went to help her grandmother cook with her first pendant in life

The small room on the second floor is merely a storage space of about 45 square meters. As Jia Liyu pushed the door open, he was immediately met with a tangle of cobwebs. He reached up to remove the cobwebs from his hair and looked around, discovering that the room was filled with various old items such as a bellows, a sewing machine, a sickle, a three-legged seed planter, and a tin bucket. He had seen these old objects during his childhood, but now, after years of disuse and long-term vacancy, they were covered in dust and emitted a musty, stale odor.

Upon hearing the words "Thirteen Shao," Jia Liyu halted his steps, then turned around and walked back to Jia Beicheng, enunciating each word clearly: "How can you still have the audacity to mention that nonsense about Thirteen Shao to me? Do you still have a shred of dignity left, traitor?" After saying this, he turned and left, hearing Jia Beicheng sneer behind him, saying: "A good-for-nothing student with nothing to his name, pretending to be high and mighty. It will be too late when you come to beg me later."

The ring had turned over a dozen times, and in some places, the true form of the ring was already revealed, deep black in color, resembling both wood and jade. After turning a few more times, the ring's original shape was almost fully visible. Jia Liyu scooped a ladle of clear water from the water tank to wash the ring, and a finely carved black ring appeared before him. Upon closer inspection of the ring, one could see faint golden threads shimmering within the wood grain.

Jia Liyu turned a deaf ear, and Jia Beicheng added: "As long as you are willing to ask me once, I will ask the Thirteenth Young Master to intercede for you"

Sitting in front of the stove, Jia Liyu occasionally took out her ring to caress and admire it, feeling as joyful and carefree as a child who has just received a beloved toy, momentarily forgetting that she would soon have to face the school bully Ye Feng next week and the first provincial quality inspection exam the week after that

Jia Liyu was engrossed in play when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. He hurriedly stuffed the ring into his clothes and turned around to see his seven-year-old cousin, Jia Xiaowei, standing at the kitchen door, holding a piece of paper.

Jia Liyu watched as the note was gradually reduced to ashes, feeling little emotional turmoil within. The past is already behind, and the future holds no possibility of forgiveness for him. Why should there still be any entanglements now?

Jia Xiaowei walked over and handed the note to Jia Liyu, saying: "This is from Third Brother."

This book is likely a reading material for leisure during idle times at sea. Jia Liyu reached out to touch the book, which had already turned yellowish and blackened from being soaked, and found that it had become a hard block, clearly unreadable.

This appears to be more high-end than iron rings or silver rings. The more Jia Liyu looked at it, the more she liked it, continuously caressing the ring. Wherever her fingers touched, there was a cool sensation, and an inexplicable image of towering waves flashed through her mind. Jia Liyu immediately decided to carry it as a pendant close to her.

It seems that the items are inside the cabinet below

Jia Liyu smiled and nodded, returned the compass to her room, and then went to the kitchen to find a steel wool ball to give the rusty ring a "bath." Jia Liyu embedded the ring in the steel wool ball, holding it tightly with one hand while using the other hand to rotate the ring, wiping it thoroughly as the yellow rust gradually fell away

The night outside the window was as dark as ink, silent and profound. A gust of cool breeze, seemingly from nowhere, blew into Jia Liyu's bedroom through the window. Suddenly, a golden light illuminated his chest, mysterious and extraordinary