Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 341: Chapter 341. Permission to See the Spring of Life

After returning to the Royal Academy, Li Shi asked Amon to give her one day to get permission to see the Spring of Life.

Amon left her to do her things. He went to check the scoreboard at the information center. He expected to see his rank go back to the top of the board. He frowned when he saw that Sima Fang’s name was still at the top. His scores had closed in on her but not enough to overtake her.

Amon visited Xin Wuming. He had asked Xin Wuming to keep track of Sima Fang’s activity. It turned out Sima Fang had also completed a short-period special mission when Amon was out doing his. Xin Wuming told Amon that their recent investigation informed them that Sima Fang had fostered a good relationship with Vice Principal Fei Wung since she entered the junior class. She received the special mission from the vice principal.

”Hm...” Amon contemplated the situation. Sima Fang probably analyzed why she lost to Amon in the Junior Class. Hence, she came up with this strategy. It was difficult for Amon to catch up if they both had the advantage of gaining special missions.

There were only a few months left till graduation. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He ordered Xin Wuming to send a message to Gao Lan. She was to organize a team of Demon Gang members to harass Sima Fang when she went out for missions. Xin Wuming’s people would monitor Sima Fang’s movements inside the academy. When she went out, they would notify the Demon Gang so they could act.

*

The next day, Amon met Li Shi. Huang San was there with her. When they saw Amon, Li Shi said, ”Good news. Principal Li Niang has given her permission for you to see the Spring of Life. You have Prince Huang San here to thank for that. He helped me talk to the principal after I told him your request.”

”I heard you make quite an impression in the palace,” Huang San said. ”What did my sister say to you?”

”She tried to recruit me. She also tried to ask me to persuade you to join her side,” Amon answered. ”She has no idea that you wish to compete with her.”

”That is as I intend,” Huang San replied. ”So, do you want to take up her offer?”

”No,” Amon answered.

”Why?” Huang San asked.

”If I join her side, I will just be one of her myriad underlings. With you, I will be number two.”

”Rather confident, aren’t you,” Huang San remarked with a laugh. He then added, ”You are willing to be number two? I thought you weren’t willing to be under anyone.”

”That is before I know you are of the royal family. Furthermore, I will still be more like your partner than your direct subordinate.”

”I can work with that,” Huang San said.

Li Shi didn’t quite get their conversation. She said, ”Sorry, but I don’t have much time. If you wish to see the Spring of Life, we must go now. I still have many tasks to attend to.”

”I will leave you to it then,” Huang San said before leaving.

After he left, Li Shi gestured for Amon to follow her. On the way, she explained that he was only permitted five minutes at the Spring of Life. She would also supervise Amon the entire time.

They arrived at the private section behind the tutor’s main office building. The place was a garden. No one was there. The private section labeled for this place seemed to encompass a very small circle of people.

”I’m sorry. I will have to blindfold you,” Li Shi said. In her hand was a piece of black cloth.

”Are the top ten graduates who win the privilege to use the Spring of Life also blindfolded when brought to the site?” Amon asked.

”They are,” Li Shi answered.

The garden was not that big. His eyes scanned the place before he nodded for Li Shi to blindfold him.

After Li Shi did, she held Amon’s arm. He walked following her lead. After walking for some time, the side of his mouth curved up into a sneer. The garden was not that big, but Li Shi led him around the place in random patterns multiple times. No doubt it was to throw off Amon’s sense of direction.

She wasn’t aware Amon was picturing himself moving on a map formed in his mind. With his photographic memory and acute analytic mind, he easily traced his current position in the garden even without a visual reference.

Li Shi finally gave him the signal to stop. He stayed still as he heard rustling sounds. In his mind, he was standing before one of the four statues at different corners of the garden. Not long after, he heard a rumbling. Li Shi held his arm, signaling him to walk again.

”Be careful, there are steps ahead,” Li Shi informed.

Amon slowed his steps. His foot groped for footing ahead, which had disappeared. That foot descended and found the floor was at a lower elevation. They went down a flight of stairs. Amon felt the temperature and humidity change as he descended the stairs. They were no longer outdoors.

The descent was long. They were pretty deep underground. Amon counted every step he took. He only reached the end of the stairs when his count reached nine-hundred-and-ninety-six.

Li Shi continued to lead him under a blindfold. Amon continued to count and memorize his steps. They turned a few times. Amon memorized those as well. From what he could tell, Li Shi didn’t lead him in circles this time. There seemed to be a genuine maze down here.

Finally, they stopped again. Li Shi released his blindfold. He didn’t see any water. It was a plain hallway ahead. He looked back and saw a similar hallway.

When he gave Li Shi a questioning look, she said, ”You need to see to pass this part. There are traps ahead. We deactivated them when we brought the graduates down. You are under special circumstances. It was a chore to deactivate and activate the traps, so I will just tell you how to navigate through them.

”I see,” Amon said. He preferred it this way.

”If you pay attention to the flooring tiles, you should notice they have different patterns,” Li Shi said. ”Only step on the ones depicting clouds.”

She went ahead and demonstrated. Her feet gracefully stepped on the tiles with cloud patterns. She stopped a distance ahead and told Amon, ”Your turn.”

Amon copied her. After arriving at her place, she said, ”This time, only steps on the tile with patterns depicting trees.”

They went on for some time. Amon was amazed by the number of traps placed here. Li Shi informed him that if the traps were triggered, it would release an assault that wound the trespassers as well as sounding an alarm that notified the higher-ups in the Royal Academy.

After passing several trap areas, Li Shi finally said, ”The Spring of Life is behind this door.”

Amon didn’t see a door. They were still in a hallway. The hallway had another intersection several meters ahead.

Li Shi didn’t explain. She placed her hand on the wall of the hallway. The wall lit up upon her touch. Words of power flared as straight lines forming a rectangle appeared on the wall. The wall within the rectangle became blurred before vanishing altogether. There was now a rectangle opening on the wall.

”... You use something to unlock this door?” Amon asked.

”The enchantment here detected my presence,” Li Shi answered. ”Remember I mentioned only four people are allowed access to the Spring of Life? If someone outside of us four touched the wall, it won’t react.”

”So, the enchantment only needs your presence?”

”No, it needs me to consciously tell it to open.” Li Shi said.

”... Smart,” Amon remarked. ”This way, someone couldn’t just capture you and bring you here to open this door.”

”Yes. The enchantment connects to my mind directly. Even if someone coerces me into opening this door, they can’t hear my true instructions. I can slip in a warning to sound the alarm and ask for reinforcements.”

”Very well thought,” Amon remarked. In his mind, he thought, ’This complicates things...’

”Come in. I can only allow you five minutes inside. Make full use of the time, and do not touch the water!” Li Shi warned as she entered. She stopped midway and added, ”Oh, take a deep breath before you step in.”

When Amon stepped into the room beyond the opening, it was like entering a different world. He felt like he was submerged in solid-liquid. He suffocated due to the sudden change. Even when he had taken a deep breath as Li Shi asked him to, he was still taken aback.

It took him some time before he could breathe normally again. He looked at the opening he came in from. Despite the wall being gone, there was an invisible barrier that blocked the aura inside this place from spilling outside. This aether inside this place was tens of times denser than inside his basement.