The Back Mountain of the Academy, especially near the Mirror Lake, was always like spring all year round. Moreover, the pear tree was unusual, so it didn't feel bleak at all. It was full of green leaves, casting a shade.
They sat in the shade and stared at the chessboard for a long time. They still couldn't figure out what was so special about the chessboard, nor could they figure out a way to open it.
Mu You used an embroidery needle to tidy up her hair and said angrily, "You still haven't figured out a way?"
Fourth Brother looked at the chessboard and said seriously, "I've thought of 73 ways. But since Eldest Brother and Second Brother can't open it, those methods won't work."
Mu You said, "We have to try."
They left the pear tree and came to the water-drawing room by the stream. They saw Fourth Brother put the chessboard on the stove and let it be burned by the blue flame. Their expressions changed slightly.
Beigong Weiyang held the zither and asked worriedly, "Even if the Buddha's chessboard won't be burned, will Youngest Brother be roasted in it?"
Ximen Buhuo pointed at the chessboard on the stove with his bamboo flute and said, "It's been burning for a long time, but it's still not black. This chessboard is not a barbecue plate, and Youngest Brother is not pork."
Fourth Brother didn't pay attention to them. After confirming that the chessboard had been burned to a very high temperature, he picked it up with iron tongs and threw it into the cold stream behind the blacksmith's room.
There was a sizzling sound, and white mist appeared in the stream. The big white goose, who was squatting on the top of the waterwheel and looking into the distance, was startled. It flapped its wings and flew to the stream. It was very dissatisfied with these people.
Heat expansion and cold contraction was the best way to destroy a hard object. However, to the disappointment of the Academy, the chessboard didn't change at all. Not even a crack appeared on it.
In the following days, the people of the Academy did many things to the chessboard.
Mu You threw the chessboard into the tactical array of the Cloud Gate, trying to tear it apart, but to no avail. Wang Chi boiled a pot of the most poisonous and corrosive soup in the world, threw the chessboard into it, and cooked it for three days and three nights. In the end, most of the fish in the stream died, and the big white goose was so angry that it was sad, but the chessboard did not move. Fourth Brother took out the small iron pot left by Ning Que in the Back Mountain and tried to blow up the chessboard, but only killed half of the fish in the Mirror Lake. The big white goose was so sad that he did not want to live, but the chessboard was still there.
One day, Fifth Senior Brother Song Qian suddenly said, "Speaking of the chessboard … I always feel that since it's used to play chess, it must be related to chess."
He and his Eighth Brother were the best chess players in the world. When it came to playing chess, or the chessboard, there was no one more familiar with it than them.
Everyone's eyes lit up and they looked at him with hope. Mu You asked, "Then?"
Song Qian touched his head and said, "Then … there's no then."
Hearing this, everyone was angry. They thought that since he could not reason with them, why did he suddenly speak? Wang Chi was dealing with the pot of poisonous medicine, so he did not fully understand the situation. He took out two boxes of chess pieces from his yard and asked, "Then … where should we play the chess pieces?"
They wanted to teach Wang Chi a lesson, but thinking that their Youngest Brother was in the chessboard, Chen Pipi was in Linkang, and Eleven was the youngest in the Academy, they held back their anger.
Fourth Senior Brother thought for a moment, then took the chess box from his hand, and then poured all the chess pieces in the box onto the chessboard, only to hear the crisp sound of the chess pieces echoing continuously.
The chessboard was full of black and white chess pieces.
Everyone surrounded the chessboard and looked at it nervously. They even forgot to breathe.
However, nothing happened.
From the chessboard and the pear tree back to the back of the mountain of the Academy, Sixth Brother had not said a word. Until now, when everyone looked dejected and desperate, he stood up with a big iron hammer in his hand. He looked at them and said honestly, "We still have to smash it in the end."
He looked at them and said honestly, "Let me do it."
Mu You said, "Senior Brothers didn't smash it in Xuankong Temple."
Sixth Brother said, "We have more time. We can keep smashing it."
Fourth Brother thought for a while and sighed, "It seems that we have no other choice."
The quiet back of the mountain of the Academy became noisy from that day on. There was a dull sound by the Mirror Lake. Sixth Brother kept smashing the chessboard with the iron hammer.
Although he was strong and had swung the iron hammer countless times in his life, he would eventually get tired. When he was tired, Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother would step up to replace him.
Those who were obsessed with chess left their chessboards. Those who were obsessed with sand tables also left the sand tables. Those who were obsessed with arrays also left the arrays. They became hardworking blacksmiths beside Buddha's chessboard.
Those who were obsessed with music didn't change. Beigong Weiyang and Ximen Buhuo were too thin and weak. They tried twice but couldn't even lift the iron hammer. So they were driven aside. Looking at the scene of their fellow disciples working hard, the two of them couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. So, they sat on the side and played an impassioned song to cheer for everyone and the guy in the chessboard.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The iron hammer kept falling on the chessboard. The ground of the cliff plateau at the back of the mountain was shaking. The fish that survived a few days ago hid in the water grass in fear. The big white goose stared at the chessboard curiously, wondering if the silly guy was in it. The little white wolf howled at the bright moon in the night sky in the depths of the forest. It wanted to learn the majestic manner of its father, but it was disturbed by the hammering sound coming from the foot of the mountain. Only the old yellow bull was calm. He sat on the meadow and ate the grass from time to time.
Countless hammers fell on the chessboard, but the chessboard didn't calm down.
Mu You's dinner was a little late. The brothers who were blacksmiths were hungry and dissatisfied. Some of them began to miss the girl who used to cook for them.
"She is Haotian. Of course she can cook better than me! You want to eat? Then get her out of the chessboard! "
Mu You was very angry. She squatted down and looked at the chessboard. She said earnestly, "Little Brother, when can you come out? Remember to bring your wife with you. "
…
…
In front of a famous Taoist temple in Linkang, Chen Pipi was teaching thousands of followers in the square. He looked calm and his words were clear and definite. The autumn wind blew his Taoist robe and made it flutter. The chubby lad in the past did look like a messenger of Haotian Taoism.
Ye Su had left the South Jin Kingdom, but the New Stream that he founded in a shabby alley did not decline. Instead, it was flourishing at an unimaginable speed.
Because Chen Pipi was working hard to continue his cause, and with the help of the Sword Garret, no one in the South Jin Kingdom dared to stop the preaching of the New Stream. As for those stubborn Taoists and divine priests who were loyal to the Divine Halls of West-Hill, they had already become corpses in the Great Swamp in the dark of night.
The grand preaching and teaching was a reflection of the popularity of the New Stream in the South Jin Kingdom. Among the thousands of believers, there were old and young, poor and rich people.
Today, Chen Pipi was teaching the third volume of the West-Hill Scriptures, which was originally abstruse and difficult to understand, and could only be explained and defined by the divine priests. But with his calm voice, it became the simplest and clearest words. The original meaning of the scriptures was not lost, but the interpretation was completely different from that of the Divine Halls of West-Hill.
After the preaching, thousands of believers bowed to Chen Pipi in front of the Taoist temple and then left. According to the requirements of the New Stream, if they wanted to show their devotion to Haotian and the New Stream, the first thing they had to do was to be kind to others and themselves, and live a good life.
It was a simple requirement, so it was really easy for the preaching of the New Stream. It seemed that it was the same for any religion at the beginning.
Under the protection of several disciples of the Sword Garret and the army of the South Jin Kingdom, Chen Pipi left the Taoist temple and walked to the alley where he lived. Along the way, the believers he met all respectfully gave way to him.
When he returned to the shabby room in the alley, he looked at the disciple of the Blind Sword Garret who was standing by the window. He took off his Taoist robe and complained, "It's so annoying to have so many people follow me every time."
Liu Yiqing turned around. The sunlight seeped in from the window and illuminated the white cloth covering his eyes. He smiled and said, "I heard that since you sent people to follow you, you have gained more respect."
"I don't know if it's respect or fear."
Chen Pipi wiped the sweat off his body with a wet towel. His white fat was trembling, and he looked nothing like the celestial being he was in front of the Taoist temple.
Liu Yiqing said, "Respect, to a large extent, comes from fear … such as the attitude toward the Divine Halls."
After a moment of silence, Chen Pipi threw the wet towel into the basin and said, "I know what you want to say. If the Divine Halls really want to kill me, you can't do anything about it."
Any powerful organization was most afraid of internal division or internal challengers. Ye Su's New Stream was undoubtedly the one that the Divine Halls of West-Hill were most wary of. The South Jin Kingdom was under great pressure from the Divine Halls of West-Hill to hand Chen Pipi over.
Liu Bai's death naturally made the Sword Garret and the Divine Halls of West-Hill irreconcilable enemies. Of course, the South Jin Kingdom would not hand Chen Pipi over. The problem was that the Divine Halls of West-Hill could send people to Linkang at any time to kill Chen Pipi. Chen Pipi's Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow had been sealed, and he was no longer the cultivation genius he used to be. That was why the Sword Garret was so nervous and sent so many people to protect him.
"As far as I know, the Divine Halls secretly sent a red-robed divine priest to Linkang. He has already met the one in the imperial palace. I'm worried that the royal family of the South Jin Kingdom will change their attitude," said Liu Yiqing.
Chen Pipi looked at him and said with a smile, "You have already killed an emperor. What's the harm in killing another one?"
Liu Yiqing said bitterly, "I can't kill everyone from the South Jin Kingdom."
After a moment of silence, Chen Pipi said, "Or, we can leave."
Liu Yiqing said, "What I want to ask is, when is the Academy going to do it?"
Chen Pipi walked to him and looked at the sunset outside the window. He said, "I think it should be soon."
Liu Yiqing said, "Then I think the Divine Halls will do it soon."
Chen Pipi said, "Yes, my father will definitely not miss this opportunity."
…
…
Let's keep watching. We won't be disappointed in the end. There will be a surprise. I can't wait. This is the first chapter of today. I will continue to write. I'm really tired.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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