Chapter 518: The World Is Like a Chessboard, Each Game New

Chapter 518: The World Is Like a Chessboard, Each Game New

On the Tea Horse Road, horsemen one by one turned their mounts and slowly headed toward the veiled woman and the bookish scholar with his bamboo box.

Cao Fu’s face was full of bewilderment. "Uncle Sui, what is Jingcheng doing?"

The old vice minister Sui Xinyu’s aged face could no longer hold its composure. Though furious inside, he still tried to keep his tone steady, forcing a smile. "Jingcheng has never liked going out since she was a child. Perhaps seeing so many horrifying scenes today has unsettled her mind. Cao Fu, you should comfort her later."

Cao Fu nodded and smiled. "Rest assured, Uncle Fu. Sui Jingcheng has been frightened—this is very normal."

Sui Wenfa was the most astonished, murmuring, "My aunt doesn't usually go out much, but she's never been like this. In many family crises, even my parents would panic, but she was always the calmest one. Father says she often helps strategize on difficult official matters, methodical and well-organized."

Cao Fu continued to communicate with his protector through ripples in his heart lake. "Have you discerned their depth?"

The blade-wielder Xiao Shuye hesitated for a moment before replying with his mind, "Don't underestimate them. Best not to make mortal enemies. Now that the Dazhuan Dynasty is seething with undercurrents everywhere—haven't we ourselves left our sect's territory? Who knows which big or small turtles have crawled out of the deep pool? For instance, if the opponent is a registered immortal master of the Golden Scale Palace, it would embroil your master in endless entanglements with them."

Cao Fu said, "Unless he intends to forcibly take Sui Jingcheng, everything else is negotiable."

Xiao Shuye nodded. "That would be best. That man doesn't seem like the type who likes meddling in mortal affairs, otherwise he wouldn't have left the pavilion earlier on his own."

Cao Fu smiled bitterly. "I'm just afraid we're the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—and this fellow is the slingshot underneath. Maybe he came for us from the very start."

Xiao Shuye laughed. "If that's the case, what else can we do but fight? Sui Jingcheng is someone your master is determined to get, bearing a great opportunity. Since we spotted her first, don't hesitate. On the path of cultivation, if you miss an opportunity once, you might never grasp it again in this lifetime. In the end, the master has your best interests at heart. You already have a lingering connection with Sui Jingcheng, and you were the first to discover the value of her Dharma robe. This enormous fortune of destiny should rightfully fall into your hands."

Xiao Shuye glanced at the unfathomable young man in blue robes. "If he's a purely martial artist, as long as he's not a direct disciple of the eight masters before Wang Dun of Wuling Kingdom and myself, then it's fine. If he's a cultivator, as long as he's not a Golden Scale Palace practitioner—whom the master claims has grand designs—that's also fine. I warned you to be cautious just now to prevent accidents, but there's no need to be overly wary. Most of the current experts have flocked to the Dazhuan capital."

Cao Fu nodded. "We'll take it step by step. First, confirm his identity—no rush to kill. That Sui Jingcheng seems to have grown suspicious of us. Strange—how did that woman figure it out?"

Xiao Shuye smiled. "Your betrothed is half an immortal now. Her mind and intuition naturally surpass ordinary people's. Our plan was still too crude, too coincidental, so she's bound to be suspicious. Of course, she might be bluffing you. You should remain restrained. A woman who is meticulous yet bold enough to gamble—truly a born cultivation seed. She's a good match for you. When you become an immortal couple, she'll greatly benefit both you and our sect. Let me add one more thing: the master only wants her robe and hairpins; the woman herself is yours."

Cao Fu said helplessly, "My master has treated me better than her own son. I know it in my heart."

Xiao Shuye chuckled. Some things he wouldn't say—it would hurt feelings. Why was the master so good to you, Cao Fu? Don't be ungrateful. After all, the master was a golden core female cultivator. If not for the fact that you were still low in cultivation, not yet at the Observation Realm, with the Dragon Gate Realm even further off, you two would have already become Dao companions on the mountain. So if Sui Jingcheng really becomes your woman once she's on the mountain, she'll have plenty to suffer. Maybe after you obtain the Bamboo-Clad Plain Gauze Dharma Robe and the three gold hairpins, you'll have to grind her down into a pink skeleton yourself.

Xiao Shuye believed that when that day came, Cao Fu would not hesitate to make the right choice.

The Dao is ruthless. On the path to immortality, aside from Dao companions bound by a contract, women are like shoes—no matter how stunningly beautiful, they can be changed or discarded at any time.

The horsemen slowly advanced, as if afraid of startling the woman who had put her veil back on.

She stood up again, behind the young man in blue robes, and whispered, "Mr. Chen, I know you are a true immortal on the mountain, and you clearly mean no harm to me or the Sui family. You were just disappointed earlier and too lazy to bother. But that Cao Fu is sinister and set a trap for me. If you save me today, I will be your servant forever—even if it means carrying water, fetching tea, or carrying boxes and poles, I, Sui Jingcheng, will do it gladly!"

The young man, who had turned to face the riders, looked back and gently shook his folding fan. "Stop talking nonsense. A gallant hero of the jianghu performs righteous deeds without expecting anything in return. Don't say things like 'I'll serve you as your wife' or 'I'll be your beast of burden'—you'll only mess things up. By the way, do you think that Hu Xinfeng, the so-called gallant, deserves to die?"

The veiled woman thought carefully, weighing her words. Perhaps she thought the young immortal was testing her mind, so she answered cautiously, "He was only cowardly and lacking in courage; he didn't kill anyone. His crime is not worthy of death."

The man nodded with a smile. "Remember, those are your words. No going back?"

She nodded firmly.

He closed his fan, tapped it lightly on his shoulder, leaned back slightly, and turned to smile. "Hero Hu, you can disappear now."

Hu Xinfeng fled in panic, leaping off the Tea Horse Road and dashing down the mountain, cutting through brambles with great momentum. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The two sides were only about ten paces apart. Sui Xinyu sighed. "Foolish girl, stop causing trouble and come back at once. Isn't Cao Fu devoted enough to you? Do you know that what you're doing is biting the hand that feeds you?!"

As he spoke, the old vice minister, whose skill at chess was unrivaled in the nation, was filled with rage. "The Sui family has been pure and upright for generations! How can you behave like this?! Even if you don't wish to marry Cao Fu hastily, even if it's hard to accept this sudden betrothal, your father and Cao Fu, who has come all the way back to this heartbreaking place just for you, are both reasonable people. Do you have to be so rash and make your father look bad? Bring shame to the Sui family name?!"

The young boy Sui Wenfa and the girl Sui Xinyi were both pale with fright.

They had never seen their grandfather so enraged.

The veiled woman said bitterly, "Father, there is one thing I know: cultivators are the most ruthless. Love and marriage in the mortal world are things they avoid at all costs."

Cao Fu's gaze was gentle as he said softly, "Miss Sui, when you become a true cultivator on the mountain, you will learn that Dao companions do exist. For those who meet in the mortal world before cultivation and continue their bond on the mountain, that is rare as phoenix feathers. How could I not cherish that? My master is a golden core earth immortal, a true pinnacle cultivator. She came out of seclusion recently and, reading my fortune, saw that the Red Luan Star of marriage was bright. She specially asked for our birth dates and, after calculations, gave only an eight-character prophecy: 'a match made in heaven, rare in a century.'"

The veiled woman hesitated, asked him to wait a moment, and took a handful of copper coins from her sleeve. Clenching them in her right palm, she raised her arm and gently dropped them into her left palm.

She picked through them, then raised her head, clenched the coins in her fist, and laughed bitterly. "Cao Fu, do you know why, after my first betrothal fell through, I wore my hair in a married woman's bun? As if I were widowed? Later, even when my father reached an understanding with your family about the marriage, I still didn't change my hairstyle. It was because I used this method to divine that that poor scholar who died young was my true match in this life. You, Cao Fu, are not. You weren't before, and you still aren't now. Back then, if your family hadn't suffered calamity, I would have married you to follow the family's wishes, as a daughter's duty. But after that first time, I swore I would never marry again. So even if my father forces me to marry you, even if I once misunderstood you, I will die before I marry!"

She threw the copper coins to the ground angrily, pulled out a gold hairpin from her sleeve, and in an instant, pierced through the thin gauze of her veil, pressing it against her neck. Blood seeped out. She looked at the old man on horseback, sobbing, "Father, just let me be willful this once?"

Sui Xinyu pounded his thigh with his fist in fury, grinding his teeth. "Rebellion! This is outright rebellion! How did I give birth to such an infatuated wretch?! Talk of immortals sending gifts in dreams, auspicious omens from some sage..."

He was so angry he couldn't speak coherently.

Cao Fu smiled bitterly. "Uncle Sui, maybe we should forget it? I don't want to see Jingcheng in such distress."

The scholar in blue robes pressed his bamboo fan against his forehead, looking vexed. "What is this farce? A woman threatening suicide, an old man forcing a marriage, a considerate immortal master, a clueless boy eager to call him uncle, a girl with a budding heart tangled in confusion, a murderous grandmaster of the jianghu hesitating to pick a fight. None of this has anything to do with me! At the pavilion, the fighting is already over. This is a family matter. Why don't you go home, shut the door, and discuss it properly?"

One rider slowly moved past Cao Fu and Sui Xinyu, who had been riding side by side, and asked, "I am Xiao Shuye of Qingci Kingdom. May I ask which sect this young master belongs to?"

The man opposite casually raised his hand, suspending the scattered copper coins in midair. He smiled. "A Golden Scale Palace guest elder, a minor golden core sword cultivator. Coincidentally, I also just came out of seclusion. I don't like the look of either of you. I thought I'd follow your example and also try a bit of 'hero saving beauty.'"

Then he turned and sneered at the veiled woman. "What kind of fortune-telling is that, throwing coins and pretending? Who do you think you're fooling?"

She stood motionless, still pressing the hairpin against her neck.

Cao Fu said telepathically, "My master mentioned that the Golden Scale Palace's chief guest elder is indeed a golden core sword cultivator with tremendous killing power!"

Xiao Shuye, who had been ranked among the latest ten, nodded slightly and replied with his mind, "This is serious. The robe, the hairpin, and especially that oral formula on Sui Jingcheng could involve my master's Dao foundation. We can't back down. I'll test him. If he's really that golden core sword cultivator from Golden Scale Palace, you flee immediately—I'll stall him. If he's a fake, then there's nothing to worry about."

The man twisted his wrist, slightly moving his fan, causing the copper coins to rise and fall in the air. He clicked his tongue. "Brother blade-wielder, you're carrying a heavy killing intent. I wonder how heavy your blade aura is, and whether in a race between a jianghu saber and a flying sword from the mountain, which would be faster."

A ray of rainbow light shot out from the blue-robed scholar's brow.

The moment that miniature immortal flying sword appeared, Xiao Shuye immediately retreated backward, grabbing Cao Fu's shoulder, launching into the air, twisting, landing on a large branch, and then fleeing in a single bound.

But the blue-robed figure was already standing atop the branch Xiao Shuye had just stepped on. "If I have the chance, I will visit you, Xiao Shuye of Qingci Kingdom, and Immortal Master Cao."

As he spoke, Xiao Shuye tossed a golden talisman behind him.

But a flash of sword light pierced the talisman's core, then spun back into the young sword immortal's hand, where he clenched it and it shattered.

Xiao Shuye fled even faster.

So it really was that golden core sword cultivator from Golden Scale Palace!

The blue-robed scholar stepped back and drifted down to the Tea Horse Road, folding fan in hand, smiling. "Generally speaking, you should be weeping tears of gratitude and thanking the gallant hero, who would then say 'no need' and gallantly depart. And in fact... that's exactly what's happening."

He reached out, and the green walking staff he had stuck in the ground beside the road flew up into his hand. He seemed to remember something and pointed at the old man on horseback. "You scholars—not truly bad, not truly good, clever enough, but also stupid enough to infuriate a person. No wonder you made friends with someone like Hero Hu, willing to die for you. I suggest you don't blame him later. From what I can see, your friendship across generations was not in vain. Don't hold a grudge."

He pointed at the boy. "No matter how good his nature, raised in a household like this, he'll probably just become another grandmaster of chess who doesn't know how to be human."

Then he pointed at the girl. "Jealousy toward those close to you is no good."

Finally, he turned to the veiled woman and smiled. "Actually, before you stopped me to drag me into your mess, I had a decent impression of you. In your whole family, you were the one who seemed the most like a clever good person. Of course, when you feel your life is hanging by a thread, a gamble is only natural. You had nothing to lose—if you won, you escaped the trap those two set for you; if you lost, you merely wronged the devoted Immortal Master Cao. No real loss to you. So I'd say your luck at gambling... is quite good."

The blue-robed scholar asked finally, "But did you ever consider another possibility—that we both lose? I could die. Back at the pavilion, I was nothing but a mortal scholar, yet I never dragged your family into trouble, never tried to ingratiate myself with you, never asked to borrow a few dozen taels of silver. Good things didn't become better; bad things didn't become worse. Right? What was your name? Sui something? Ask yourself: if you were to cultivate immortal arts and become a mountain man like Cao Fu, would you really be any better than him? I doubt it."

With one step, which seemed ordinary but covered over ten zhang, he vanished in the blink of an eye.

The copper coins had already fallen to the ground.

The veiled woman put away her golden hairpin, crouched down, and behind the gauze of her veil, her face was expressionless. She picked up the copper coins one by one.

She tucked them into her sleeve, still not standing. Finally, she slowly raised her arm, her hand passing through the gauze to wipe her eyes, and choked back a sob. "This is what a true cultivator is like. I knew it—exactly as I imagined a sword immortal to be. I've missed this opportunity on the path..."

At the foot of the mountain.

Hu Xinfeng was hiding near a cliff, trembling with fear.

It wasn't that he didn't want to run farther, but beyond this mountain there was no cover. He was afraid that if he kept running, he might catch someone's eye and bring another calamity upon himself.

Then his vision blurred. Hu Xinfeng's knees went weak, and he nearly fell to the ground. He reached out to steady himself against the cliff, quivering. "Hu Xinfeng greets the immortal master."

The young scholar in the blue robe and conical hat smiled. "What a coincidence—we meet again, brother. One kick, one punch, and one pebble—three times exactly. What, Hero Hu, do you find my bones especially fine and wish to take me as a disciple?"

Hu Xinfeng sighed. "Kill me or cut me up—say the word, immortal master!"

The young scholar looked at him with admiration. "What strong will this hero has!"

He gently slapped Hu Xinfeng's shoulder. "I'm just curious—earlier at the pavilion, what did you and that Jiang River Flood Dragon Yang Yuan discuss in secret? This game of human hearts isn't much to watch, but it's better than nothing—consider it a way for me to pass the time."

Hu Xinfeng's shoulder gave way, the pain piercing to the bone. He dared not cry out, clamping his mouth shut. He felt as if every bone in his shoulder was crushed. Not only that, but he involuntarily began to kneel. The man only bent slightly at the waist, his hand still gently resting on Hu Xinfeng's shoulder. Finally, Hu Xinfeng was on his knees, while the man, still bending over, looked at this ill-fated hero with a smile.

The man let go, propped his book box against the cliff, took out a wine flask, and drank. He pressed the flask down in front of him, though it was unclear what he was pressing. To Hu Xinfeng, whose vision was blurred by sweat yet who still strained to keep his eyes wide open, it seemed ominous and strange. The scholar smiled. "Finding a reason for you to live is actually very simple. At the pavilion, you were forced by circumstances to read the situation. Killing that unlucky Sui old man, leaving the two women the other side wanted, presenting your pledge of allegiance to that Jiang River Flood Dragon to save your own skin—that was understandable. Later, when a long-lost son-in-law suddenly appeared, you lost the goodwill of an old vice minister, and even became enemies with him beyond repair. So when you saw me, just a frail scholar, unharmed and walking down the road, it made you furious. But you just misjudged your strength a little, hit a bit too hard, a few too many times—isn't that right?"

Hu Xinfeng knelt on the ground, shaking his head. "I deserve to die."

The man stepped on Hu Xinfeng's instep, crushing the bones of his foot. Hu Xinfeng only gritted his teeth and didn't cry out.

Then the man kicked Hu Xinfeng in the forehead, pinning his head against the cliff.

The scholar bent over, elbow on his knee, and asked with a smile, "It's better that you know you deserve to die—saves me the trouble of finding a reason for you."

Hu Xinfeng was ashen-faced. "I only ask one thing: if the immortal master kills me, please don't implicate my family!"

The scholar narrowed his eyes at Hu Xinfeng. Hu Xinfeng forced out, "I beg the immortal master to grant this!"

Then Hu Xinfeng saw the young scholar smile. "I accept that reason. Get up. At least you still have a bit of backbone—don't let me accidentally break it. If a person kneels too long, it becomes a habit."

Hu Xinfeng staggered to his feet, lowered his head, and wiped away his tears.

There was no pretense of pity.

Earlier, he truly felt he was about to die. He had thought of all the people in his family—how a single immortal fire could consume them all, or how in one night, blood could flood the floor, and everyone would be gone in an instant.

The man took a drink. "Tell me—what did you talk about with Yang Yuan?"

Hu Xinfeng, back against the cliff, enduring the pain in his head, shoulder, and foot, forced himself to speak without holding anything back. "I told Yang Yuan that I was familiar with all the inside and outside affairs of the Sui residence. He could ask me afterward. Yuan Yang agreed and said I was clever."

Chen Ping'an drank and nodded. "Actually, at every moment, each of you seems to have made the most correct choice."

Then Hu Xinfeng heard this unfathomable young man's tone change again. He smiled. "Except for me."

The blue-robed scholar glanced at the distant scenery and asked casually, "Have you heard of the Golden Scale Palace in the deep mountains on the Dazhuan border?"

Hu Xinfeng nodded. "I heard Senior Wang Dun mention that immortal palace at a small drinking party. I was humbly seated at the back, but I heard clearly—even when Senior Wang Dun mentioned the name 'Golden Scale Palace,' he was full of respect. He said the palace lord was a mountain immortal of extremely high rank, perhaps only the Dazhuan Dynasty's Guardian True Man and the Female Martial God could match him."

The scholar snorted with laughter. "An impure martial artist below the ninth realm dares to call himself a Female Martial God?"

Hu Xinfeng wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face awkward. "That's just how the jianghu respectfully addresses that female grandmaster. She never calls herself that."

The blue-robed scholar drank. "If you have any miraculous medicines like healing balms, apply them now. Don't bleed to death. I don't have a habit of collecting corpses."

Hu Xinfeng, as if granted a pardon, quickly crouched down, took out a porcelain bottle, and began gritting his teeth as he applied the medicine.

The man suddenly asked, "How much silver is this bottle worth?"

Hu Xinfeng hurriedly looked up and smiled bitterly. "It's a secret elixir from the Immortal Herb Manor of Wuling Kingdom—rare and extremely expensive. Even someone like me, who has my own sect and some ways to make money, it hurt to buy three bottles back then. It was only because I had the connection of having drunk with Senior Wang Dun that the manor agreed to sell me three bottles."

The man said, "Making money and treading the jianghu—it's not easy."

Hu Xinfeng felt at this point that he was jumpy and paranoid. Damn this ill-omened 'Grass and Wood Assembly'—he swore he would never set foot in Dazhuan Dynasty again, to hell with the Grass and Wood Assembly.

The man suddenly looked down and asked with a smile, "Do you think the title of 'Golden Scale Palace golden core sword immortal guest elder' is enough to scare off that Immortal Master Cao and Xiao Shuye?"

Hu Xinfeng hesitated, then nodded. "It should be enough."

Hu Xinfeng sat down on the ground, thought a moment, and said, "Maybe not?"

The blue-robed scholar actually took off his book box, took out the chessboard and bowls, and sat down as well. "Then do you think that Sui Xinyu and his family of four deserve to die?"

Hu Xinfeng shook his head and smiled bitterly. "What could they possibly deserve to die for? Sui Xinyu has a decent reputation as an official, and his character isn't bad. He just cares a bit too much about his reputation, keeps himself clean, and likes to play it safe in officialdom. He's not very practical, but isn't that how all scholar-officials are? Being able to not harass the people, not harm them, and even do some good deeds—that's already good for Wuling Kingdom. Of course, I deliberately cultivated a relationship with the Sui family for my own jianghu reputation. Being able to know an old vice minister like him—there aren't many in the Wuling jianghu. But Sui Xinyu also wanted me to help him meet Senior Wang Dun. I had no such ability, so I kept making excuses. After a few times, he stopped asking, knowing my difficulty. At first, I overestimated myself and boasted a bit—that was Sui Xinyu being kind."

The blue-robed scholar did not agree or disagree. He raised one hand, two fingers together, and conjured a legendary immortal flying sword.

Hu Xinfeng swallowed his saliva.

Was this really the chief guest elder of the Golden Scale Palace? A sword immortal who looked young but was actually hundreds of years old?

But the scholar simply used the flying sword to pick up a chess piece, carving it delicately—as if writing a name—then gently placed it on the board.

Hu Xinfeng thought back. When they had first met at the pavilion, this immortal was playing a chess game by himself. Later, when Sui Xinyu played with him, the immortal didn't put the thirty-odd pieces back in the bowls but kept them beside him. Perhaps at that time, some pieces had names carved on them? He had been worried that Sui Xinyu, being skilled at chess, would notice such clues while pondering his moves?

The man picked up another piece. "If I heard correctly, you're the leader of the Cross-Ferry Gang in Wuling Kingdom?"

Hu Xinfeng smiled bitterly. "You're mocking me, Immortal Master."

The man flipped over the piece he had carved, engraved the three characters for 'Cross-Ferry Gang' on it, then placed it on the board.

After that, he carved a dozen more pieces in one go, placing them on the board one after another.

The flash of sword light disappeared into his brow.

Then Hu Xinfeng saw that the authentic sword immortal seemed to be lost in thought.

Earlier, at the pavilion, he had clearly been a terrible chess player—so bad that even Hu Xinfeng could beat him.

But at this moment, Hu Xinfeng felt that the man playing his solitary game was unfathomably deep, bottomless.

Chen Ping'an placed his walking staff across his knees and gently stroked it.

Back then, the game at the mountain-top town of Zhengrong Peak—every person, every event, had been like pieces placed on precarious intersections. Each one held danger, yet was full of spirit.

Even without the final appearance of the great sword immortal Ji Yue from Ape Cry Mountain, who casually killed a golden core sword immortal from Golden Scale Palace, it had been a brilliant game full of excellent moves.

But that game, Chen Ping'an had not been able to walk into that town to examine each thread in detail. The sect leader Lin Shu, the former imperial prince, the two spies from Jinfeng Kingdom planted in Zhengrong Sect, the old cultivator from Golden Scale Palace who fought to protect the prince's identity—all of them, without exception, had been exquisite pieces that moved on the board of their own accord, truly living as themselves rather than dead stones.

As for today's game at the pavilion—it was nothing but nauseating. People's hearts rose and fell unpredictably, the shift between good and evil offered no surprises, could not withstand scrutiny, and provided no benefit. It wasn't good enough, nor was it bad enough.

The old vice minister Sui Xinyu—a bad man? Certainly not. He spoke elegantly and was a master chess player.

But he only cared about his own reputation, good at avoiding calamity. Even Hu Xinfeng thought the old vice minister didn't deserve to die. Of course, Hu Xinfeng didn't realize that this answer, along with his earlier plea before death, had saved him twice, making up for two of the three "tests" of fists and stones. But there was still one more. If he had answered wrong, Hu Xinfeng would still have died.

This Hu Xinfeng was a true veteran of the jianghu. Before the pavilion, he had been willing to escort Sui Xinyu on the long journey to the Dazhuan capital. As long as his life wasn't in danger, he was still that famous Hero Hu.

Du Yu of Ghost Axe Palace had said it well: "Without facing death, you don't see the hero." But when a hero dies, it seems like nothing more than that.

The storm at the pavilion—Sui Xinyu, muddled; Yang Yuan, putting on an act; Cao Fu, the highest in cultivation but the most calculating—among these three, perhaps none was more infamous than the Jiang River Flood Dragon, Yang Yuan. Yet Yang Yuan was the one who had let a scholar he could have killed with a flick of his finger go, even feeling that "Chen Ping'an" had some backbone and spirit, even surpassing Sui Xinyu, that old recluse renowned in officialdom, literary circles, and the chess world.

Hu Xinfeng sat opposite this transcendent figure. The bleeding had stopped, but the pain was real.

The man didn't look up. He asked casually, "In the jianghu, when a gallant hero performs a righteous deed, punches the chief villain to death, and the other minions who helped the tyrant don't deserve to die—the hero punishes them and swaggers away. The rescued person kowtows in gratitude. Do you think the hero looks dashing?"

Hu Xinfeng blurted out, "Dashing my ass..."

Then he slapped himself, quickly corrected himself, "Reporting to the immortal master: not truly dashing. If the hero is a local one in a kingdom or prefecture, helping local people, that's one thing. The villains are either dead or wounded, they've learned their lesson, and they wouldn't dare harm the rescued. But if the hero is just passing through, and he leaves, what happens in a year or two? Who's to say the rescued person won't suffer even more? Maybe the villain was only robbing girls, and after the hero leaves, he goes and kills the whole family. Who's to blame then? Does the hero bear responsibility? I think he does."

The man nodded. "If you were that hero, what would you do?"

Hu Xinfeng said slowly, "See the good deed through. Don't rush off. Grind down those other villains that can't be killed with one punch. Don't flaunt your heroic style. Evil needs evil to grind. If not, they won't learn. Make them afraid to the bone, so they wake up screaming in nightmares, thinking every morning when they open their eyes, the hero will be standing there. Only then, I think, can the rescued person be truly safe."

The man looked up and smiled. "You speak fluently, without much hesitation. Have you done this kind of thing before? More than once?"

Hu Xinfeng couldn't bear the pain, wiped his forehead again, and quickly nodded. "I did some things like that in my youth. Later, when I had a family and a sect of my own, I stopped. First, I couldn't manage everyone else's troubles. Second, it was too easy to get entangled in trouble. The jianghu isn't necessarily deep everywhere, but it's muddy. No one can say they've always had their way. 'Revenge is a dish best served cold' isn't just for the wronged and blood-feud victims. The descendants and friends of evil men have that kind of patience too."

The man nodded. "You're a jianghu man who has figured things out. In the future, when you gain or lose greatly, and your mind is in turmoil, you must suppress the evil flood dragon... evil thoughts in your heart. It doesn't matter what you did in anger. In the end, it's what you said: the jianghu is deep and muddy, so be careful. You've built up a not insignificant enterprise as a jianghu hero. Don't fail at the last hurdle and implicate your family. The best thing is to not put yourself in a difficult position between good and evil. It has nothing to do with the good or evil of your original heart, but it's not good for others or yourself."

Hu Xinfeng looked utterly baffled.

Was he about to die again?

Was this a last meal speech?

The man smiled and waved. "Aren't you leaving yet? What, you think you have too long to live, so you have to sit here and chat? Or are you thinking that since your fists can't beat me, you'll play a game of chess with me like the old vice minister, to wipe the floor with me on the board?"

Hu Xinfeng said bitterly, "Immortal Master Chen, so I'm really leaving now?"

The man looked up with a strange expression. "What, do you want me to beg you to go?"

Hu Xinfeng quickly said he wouldn't dare. Struggling to his feet, he limped away.

At this moment, he no longer felt the pain.

Looking at himself in the mirror, seeing Chen Ping'an everywhere.

Chen Ping'an smiled, continued to gaze at the chessboard, the pieces being strangers like Hu Xinfeng.

He found it uninteresting, so he waved his sleeve to collect them, mixing black and white indiscriminately as he put them back into the bowls. Then he shook his sleeve and scattered the pieces he had placed on the board at the pavilion earlier back onto the board.

He stared at each piece.

One hand propping his cheek, the other shaking his folding fan.

The game at the mountain-top town on Zhengrong Peak—setting aside the depth of realms and complexity—shared certain threads with his hometown, oddly similar in some ways.

After a long silence, he put away the chessboard and tools, returned them to his bamboo box, stored his conical hat, walking staff, and the box, folded his fan, and hung the now-empty sword-nurturing gourd at his waist.

Chen Ping'an pasted a Stele-Carrying Talisman on himself and began to move stealthily.

There was something he needed to verify.

There was also something he had forgotten to say.

But saying it or not didn't really matter. Many people in this world, when they go from being the one who laughs at jokes to becoming the joke others laugh at, and bear hardships, only blame others and hate the world—they never blame themselves and reflect. Over time, some of these people grit their teeth and get through it, enduring until the clouds part to see the moon. Others suffer without knowing it, finding pleasure in inflicting suffering on others, calling themselves strong. If parents don't teach them, even immortals can't change them.

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On the Tea Horse Road toward the foot of the mountain, the four Sui family riders descended in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

It was the clear-eyed young boy who couldn't hold back first. "Aunt, that Cao Fu is a bad man with ill intentions. The Jiang River Flood Dragon Yang Yuan and his crew—he sent them to put on a show for us, right?"

The veiled woman sneered. "Ask your grandfather. He's good at chess, learned, and reads people well."

The old man snorted.

The girl was especially dejected, swaying on her horse, nearly falling off several times.

Sui Xinyu, having been a vice minister, spoke to the boy and girl. "Wenfa, Wenyi, ride ahead a bit. Your aunt and I need to discuss something."

The boy called out to his distracted sister a few times, and they both spurred their horses slightly, riding ahead, but not too far—about twenty paces from the two riders behind.

The old man slowed his horse, then rode alongside his daughter, looking worried and frowning. "Jingcheng, Cao Fu is now a cultivator from the mountains. That old man with him is a top expert that Hu Xinfeng can't even compare to—probably a grandmaster of the jianghu on par with Senior Wang Dun. What will we do now? I know you resent your father for being blind and not seeing Cao Fu's ill intent, but the real matter now is how the Sui family will get through this."

The veiled woman said flatly, "For now, Cao Fu won't dare trouble us. But the way home is nearly a thousand li. Unless that sword immortal Chen shows up again, we'll be lucky to live to return home—I doubt we'll even make it to the capital."

The old man fumed. "That sneaky, pretending-to-be-weak bastard! At the pavilion, he acted helpless, and even after revealing his identity, he was so vague. Since he's a sword immortal like in the tales, why didn't he just kill Cao Fu and the other? Now we've let the tiger go free!"

Sui Jingcheng felt suffocated and took off her veil, revealing her stunning face. She looked ahead like an uninvolved outsider, mimicking the old vice minister's words and tone, smiling. "At the pavilion, we turned a blind eye to his troubles. Later, no matter what, he saved us once. Now we turn around and resent him for not doing enough good deeds? Isn't that just biting the hand that fed us? Have the descendants of the pure Sui family lost their conscience?"

The old man nearly raised his whip to hit her—this sharp-tongued, unfilial daughter!

He lowered his voice. "The urgent matter now is what we should do to escape this disaster!"

He was so angry his teeth itched. "And you, with your nerve, blaming your father? If it weren't for you, would the Sui family have this calamity? Don't you dare speak to your father with such sarcasm!"

The veiled woman actually nodded. "Father's lesson is correct. Very well said."

The old man couldn't contain himself any longer and lashed out with his whip, striking this heartless daughter hard.

When the boy and girl ahead saw this, they quickly turned their heads. The girl covered her mouth, weeping silently. The boy also felt the sky was falling, not knowing what to do.

Sui Jingcheng remained unmoved, only frowning slightly. "I still have a bit of meager Daoist method. If you injure me, our one-in-a-thousand chance of survival might become a completely hopeless deadlock. Father, you've dominated the chess world for decades, a national champion—you should understand such basic chess wisdom, right?"

The old man raised his hand again, nearly bringing the whip down on her face, but hesitated, then slumped in dejection. "Forget it. Let's just wait to die."

The woman was silent for a moment, looked around, and then said softly, "Assuming the worst—that Cao Fu and the other won't give up and are following us from afar—our only chance for survival is to bet on the best outcome, that the sword immortal Chen is heading the same way, toward the Wuling capital. Judging by his route earlier, it's possible. But Father, don't get your hopes up too high. I think as long as Cao Fu and the other don't let Chen see them, and only move carefully against us, Chen won't care about our fate. There's no way around it—on this matter, you were wrong, and so was I."

She laughed self-deprecatingly. "Truly a father and daughter. Add my obedient niece, and it's 'birds of a feather flock together.'"

The old man snapped, "Stop the cynicism! In the end, it's all your own doing!"

Sui Jingcheng sighed. "Then we'll find a way to make it seem like the sword immortal Chen is secretly following us, and make sure Cao Fu and the other just happen to see it, so they'll hesitate and not gamble with our lives."

The old man's face brightened slightly. "That's a good plan, Jingcheng. Let's think it through carefully and make it flawless, natural."

But the woman's expression darkened. "Even if we fool Cao Fu, breaking our ruse is actually very simple. I can think of it, and I believe Cao Fu will think of it sooner or later."

The old man was terrified. "What do you mean?"

She smiled bitterly. "Have the Jiang River Flood Dragon Yang Yuan come to kill us again. Isn't that simple?"

The old man's face was full of sorrow. "I am doomed!"

She suddenly burst into tears, put her veil back on, turned her head, and said, "Father, you're not wrong. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, there wouldn't be so many disasters. Maybe I would have married a scholar long ago, gone to a faraway land, managed the household, raised children, and you would have safely continued your journey, gone with Hu Xinfeng to the Dazhuan capital. Maybe you still wouldn't have gotten that inlaid treasure, but you would have played chess and bought new finely printed chess manuals to bring home, and you would have sent one or two to your daughter and son-in-law..."

She choked, unable to continue.

The old man was silent for a long time, then let out a single sigh. Finally, he smiled bitterly. "Forget it, foolish daughter. I don't blame you for anything."

The father and daughter rode slowly along.

On a tree branch far off along the Tea Horse Road, a young scholar in blue robes leaned against the trunk, gently shaking his fan and looking up at the sky, smiling. He murmured, "How can there be such a shrewd woman? And her luck in gambling is absolutely first-rate. Even more calculating than Yao Jinzhi from Tongye Continent. If she were to follow Cui Dongshan up the mountain to cultivate for a while, who knows how many cultivators she'd have wrapped around her finger when she came down? Interesting. Barely counts as a new chessboard."

After a moment of silence, he gradually suppressed his smile and muttered, "The chessboard is new. And the people's hearts?"