Chapter 165 Physical Education Class 3: Sepak Takraw is so much fun!
Within this barrier that confines you, only the high-hanging sun continuously transmits its heat to you, making you unbearably thirsty; there is not even a breeze.
You, Huimin, and Meiling sat together, silently gazing at the ball that rested quietly on the ground.
It's clearly an inanimate object, yet you always seem to sense that it's waiting for you to kill each other, provoking you to pick it up, and forcing you to enter the attack cycle again.
But you don't move, your gaze slowly sweeps across the girls who are still standing with their arms crossed and sharp eyes on the other side of the net, and then returns to your two teammates who are panting heavily due to physical fatigue and dehydration from excessive sweating.
What rules should we use?
Since you didn't bring your phone, you can't immediately access the many inspiring posts from Thai netizens.
However, you at least know that Thailand is a Buddhist country. All Italian styles are probably inseparable from it.
You then asked, "Meiling, Huimin, do you know anything about Buddhism? I don't see that you haven't taken any Buddhist courses... but surely some of your family members are believers? How do you Thai people view cognition and truth?"
They exchanged a glance. Meiling shook her head, but Huimin's eyes lit up: "I used to go to Jinglian's house a lot. Her family is the really devout kind. And since we're both descendants of the Flower Clan, her family always seemed to be trying to 'convert' me..."
At this point, Huimin and Meiling's eyes dimmed slightly. They had been fully engaged with you all day, but unlike their oblivious classmates, they were not indifferent to the deaths happening around them.
They are their good friends too.
"I'm sorry," you said softly.
Huimin shook her head and continued, "In short, for people with faith, everyone has their own 'consciousness,' which is their perception of the outside world. However, it is not absolute truth, but rather an interpretation of things in our hearts, a perception we construct... And cultivating oneself to become a Buddha is the process of breaking through preconceived notions to find the truth of all things in the world..."
This is it!
Your eyes gradually brightened. Isn't that what the rules of the game are all about? It seems to be imposed on you, but in reality, whether each rule can take effect, or to what extent it can take effect, seems to depend on how you understand it and how you 'construct' its meaning.
You're thinking about last night again.
Is it possible that... what you possess isn't actually the kind of "word magic" ability where words come true? Upon closer examination, it's simply that you're interpreting the meaning of things that already exist.
You conceived a plausible possibility, and others believed it. Coupled with the eerie secrets of the school after dusk, the terrifying ghost naturally appeared.
That's right, that's exactly it.
Having recognized these points, the current task is not to choose rules based on the situation, but to find a rule that is easier to interpret and use.
You naturally recall the locker room incident that happened not long ago.
You believe that you violated the rule that "beautiful things should not be exposed" because, obviously, those three girls tried their best to make themselves look more like girls by conforming to society's expectations of them. They were undoubtedly "beautiful," and could even be described as "girls."
You easily tied them to this rule, naturally assuming that it was merely a metaphor for a society's superficial aesthetic of women, implying things like makeup, clothing, and appearance. Then you used another rule involving gender to resolve that predicament.
But what exactly does "beauty" mean? Is beauty merely a matter of a pretty face, a good figure, and makeup? That's too superficial and foolish. While gender is a deeply ingrained social consensus and physiological basis that is difficult to change easily, the evaluation of appearance is something that can change at any time, and may even be overturned or despised.
You looked down at your hands, which bore the deformities of your knuckles from years of studying, the calluses from typing in the office, and the scars from playing dungeons for the past few months.
You suddenly ask, "If we understand 'beautiful things' as... unity, cooperation, and not harming each other, would that count as beautiful?"
Huimin was taken aback. Although she didn't know why you asked that, she still nodded: "Of course it counts, why wouldn't it?"
Meiling smiled too. She was a clever and quick-witted girl, and she probably understood what you meant: "It's much prettier than those things that involve tearing each other apart for a pointless victory, and the endless cycle of revenge."
Once you reach a consensus, the rules begin to change.
You nodded to each other, slowly walked towards the sepak takraw, and lifted it up again. This time it was your turn to serve, but the three of you simply stood in a triangle and gently passed the ball to each other.
Even though you pass the ball to each other so gently and carefully, it still hits you with a strange and terrible force.
But as it has happened before, no matter how malicious its force may be, its trajectory remains unchanged. It comes from your mutual caution and unwillingness to hurt each other, so with each pass, you are naturally able to carefully receive it and then gently pass it on.
In this way, it was just like a children's game of football.
The girls on the other side of the net were initially shocked, but then began to shout in dissatisfaction.
Their words undoubtedly affected Meiling and Huimin. They straightened their backs in frustration, almost losing their composure: "They're cursing us, saying we're scared!"
Meiling's tone was very anxious and dissatisfied. Fortunately, you don't understand her, so you can definitely stay calm and reassure people.
You wave your hand and calmly say, "Don't listen. It's fine if we don't understand what they're saying. Think about it, we know what we're doing, don't we? We know their goal is to make us keep attacking each other, so let's not fall for it."
They simply covered their ears with their hands. That's good, neither of you will be affected.
You guys kept passing the ball around and gradually started having a lot of fun.
Normally, activities that don't require much thought and just involve sweating should be relaxing and enjoyable, but you guys actually laughed about it.
The seriousness, anger, and hostility vanished, and the rattan ball, as if finally tired of the endless provocations, gradually calmed down.
At your feet, it becomes a real "ball," no longer a tool that causes harm.
The girls across from you looked at you, their expressions shifting from anger to confusion, and finally to a hint of exhaustion. They crouched down, hugging their knees, a faint expression of pain on their faces.
They are trying to alleviate the pain. They can finally feel the pain in their bodies again! They are slowly regaining normal cognition.
This scenario is rendering the barriers you've built ineffective.
You winked at Meiling and Huimin, and the three of them worked together to gently kick the ball towards the center of the net. The ball stopped at the top of the net, motionless, as if a contract had been reached.
A draw.
All around, a clamor like ocean waves arose—the cheers of the students, a background sound of an illusion that never existed yet was undeniably real.
The faint smell of blood in the air quietly dissipated. The wounds, bruises, and marks on your bodies from being hit and pricked by the thorny rattan balls faded away slowly, as if washed by warm water.
"Is it over?" Huimin stared at you blankly, a look of relief finally appearing on her face.
Meiling jumped up happily: "Does this count as passing the level? So it wasn't about defeating them, but... letting go of the confrontation? And it turns out that these kinds of supernatural events can be resolved without witchcraft!"
There's nothing wrong with her interpreting the scene as a paranormal event. You smiled and acquiesced.
"So, if you're not around in the future, we can handle things like this again?" Meiling's eyes widened.
"Yes," you said.
"Sisters, please stop chatting. Let's leave here first. What if they lock us up again later?" Huimin waved goodbye to the air.
She has a point. You all turned up your legs and ran, ready to find the teacher and come up with the classic excuse for taking a break: stomachache.
Just as you were about to leave, you suddenly heard a voice calling out to you:
"Wait a minute!"
It was the girls across the street. They rushed over, looking flustered, and even forgot that you couldn't speak Cantonese. They just asked you in shock, "Jiriguruka?"
You're busy, so ask Meiling to translate for you.
What exactly happened just now?
You were taken aback, then it dawned on you: They... actually remembered what had just happened?
This doesn't make sense. According to the conventions of dungeons, ordinary locals like them, who are also trapped in a certain scene, are usually treated like temporary NPCs.
Once the scenario is solved, they won't remember any of it. For example, the cruise in the Ying Kingdom instance, witnessing the death of their companions in those eerie scenes, the locals will only be immersed in grief for a moment. Once it's all over, they will immediately forget it and return to normal.
But at this moment, there was clearly genuine "fear" and "memory" in the eyes of the other girl. They looked at you with trepidation, as if searching for an explanation.
They even came directly to you! They still remember that you were the one who was always surrounded by Meiling and Huimin, and that you were the one who kept talking and the other two nodded and did as you said.
Compared to your astonishment, Meiling and Huimin were clearly only excited and pleasantly surprised.
This means that more students have joined them.
"You should tell them quickly!" Meiling said, shaking your arm.
You had no choice but to suppress the many thoughts running through your mind and answer them with a smile: "Something's not right about this school. You were kept in the dark before, but now you've probably finally realized it."
The girls' eyes were filled with confusion; they didn't quite believe it, yet they had no choice but to accept it. They wanted to ask more questions, but you didn't know what to say.
The whistle blew.
Phew, the teacher finally wants you all to gather together.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
