The Blue Bird looked at Jing Jiu.
Jing Jiu said, "Don't look at me. It has nothing to do with me."
Tong Yan looked at the Blue Bird.
The Blue Bird said in the human language, "Don't look at me. It has nothing to do with me."
Hearing this, even Jing Jiu looked at the Blue Bird.
This was the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror; everything had something to do with her.
The Blue Bird said, "I'm the mirror spirit, not the rule."
This statement had a deeper meaning, but she didn't explain it. She left it to Jing Jiu and Tong Yan to ponder over.
Jing Jiu didn't express his opinion on this matter. "Continue," he said to Tong Yan.
It was Duke Mo's choice whether to break through or pass the Heavenly Tribulation, or to face it or give up.
When Jing Jiu placed the black Go piece on the board, a flash of lightning struck down from the sky. It was Tong Yan's turn now.
Looking at the deep end of the wind and snow, Tong Yan fell silent for a while. Then she picked up a white Go piece with three of her fingers and placed it on the board.
The Blue Bird walked to the board and pulled the white Go piece with his right claw to adjust its position. "Why are you still as stupid as when you were little?" he complained.
Tong Yan retorted expressionlessly, "If I'm stupid, what are you then?"
It was evident that Tong Yan and the Blue Bird had known each other before, and they were quite familiar with each other. Jing Jiu didn't mind it. He picked up a black Go piece and placed it on the board.
Tong Yan placed the Go piece on the board.
Jing Jiu placed it on the board again.
His two hands kept on placing the Go pieces.
The number of Go pieces on the board increased gradually.
The Blue Bird walked among the Go pieces. His steps were light, as if he was dancing.
It was a wonderful scene.
Yet, the Cultivation practitioners outside the Huiyin Valley and in the real world couldn't see it. They couldn't see the wind and snow falling in the Royal Palace and the lightning striking down from time to time. All they could see was what the Blue Bird could see. It was evident that the Blue Bird did this on purpose. She didn't want the outsiders, especially Bai Zhenren, to know that Duke Mo had encountered the Heavenly Tribulation.
The Cultivation practitioners in the real world were well aware that the situation in the capital of the Chu Kingdom was very tense. Yet, they had seen all the changes in the world in the Green Sky Mirror over the last ten days, such as the changes of the sea and the changing royal flags on the top of the city walls. As such, these events couldn't affect their mood; all they wanted to do was watch the game of Go.
Occasionally, they would hear a low and oppressive rumble coming from the depths of the image, which made them a little curious. Why would there be thunder in such a windy and snowy day?
…
…
This Go game between Jing Jiu and Tong Yan was different from the one on the Chessboard Mountain.
That game of chess was called the Heaven Shocking Game because both sides were filled with killing intent on the chessboard. Every time a chess piece was placed, heaven and earth would respond. Wind blew, rain fell, and thunder and lightning intersected.
That Go game was called the "Shocking Game" because the two of them were full of lethal intent on the Go pieces. Every time a Go piece was played, heaven and earth would respond to it, and the wind would rise and the rain would fall, as well as the lightning and thunder.
Nobody could tell what the water tasted like, and few people could appreciate the beauty of this Go game.
Jing Jiu and Tong Yan played their Go pieces casually. The people outside the Huiyin Valley were bewildered, unable to understand what they were playing.
Que Niang was the only one who stared at the scene in the sky, her face blushing slightly and her body swaying slightly, as if she had drunk some strong alcohol.
A moment later, her face grew pale, as if she had drunk too much alcohol and wanted to vomit.
She had won first place in the chess tournaments of the Plum Meeting several times in a row, and was recognized as the best chess player. She was the only one who could understand the Go game played by Jing Jiu and Tong Yan.
To her surprise, she found that Jing Jiu and Tong Yan's Go skills were much better than before.
Xiang Wanshu let out a bitter smile, thinking that he knew the Go game very well, but he could only judge the current situation from Que Niang's reaction; it was really ridiculous.
Many Cultivation practitioners had also come to their senses. After Jing Jiu and Tong Yan played their Go pieces, they stopped thinking hard and looked at Que Niang immediately.
Outside the Huiyin Valley, countless heads were seen moving back and forth between Que Niang and the sky. The scene was similar to the chess tournament of the Plum Meeting, but it was more amusing and funny.
The Go game in the pavilion had entered the middle stage, and Que Niang's reaction became less and less. It was hard for people to judge the situation from her facial expressions.
She stared at the scene in the sky with her nose slightly opened, showing that she was extremely nervous. Her face turned from pale to red, and the expression in her eyes changed from bewilderment to determination.
…
…
Those eunuchs were still waiting for the news.
The men of sacrifice from Cangzhou outside the palace and the spies in the crowd were also waiting for the news.
The Royal Palace was tightly guarded, and nobody was in sight.
In the wind and snow, Liu Shisui held an umbrella while looking at Duke Mo in the square.
He didn't know what the Emperor wanted him to see, but since he was the only one in the Royal Palace, he decided to come and have a look.
The man in black was indeed very powerful, and his Cultivation state was unfathomable. If he wanted to harm the Emperor, Jing Jiu wouldn't be able to stop him, and he would be killed in two moves.
The question was, what was he doing standing in the snow? Was he an idiot?
Liu Shisui couldn't help but sympathize with this man when he thought that he had forgotten many things and could be considered an idiot.
Duke Mo was of course not an idiot. He was the swordsman with the highest Cultivation state in this world, and also the wisest and most benevolent person in this world.
Wisdom was a good thing, and so was benevolence; but sometimes it was very difficult to make a choice when both of them were present.
Duke Mo was faced with such a choice, which was why he had remained silent for a long time.
He came to the Royal Palace of the Chu Kingdom that day at the invitation of Crown Prince Jing, and he also wanted to help Shaoqiu.
The situation of the world had been stabilized, and Qin, Zhao and Chu were the most powerful states.
If these three states could maintain the current balance of power, it would be difficult for wars to start again, and millions of people would be able to live in peace. He didn't need to worry about the Qin Kingdom and Zhao, and the ruthless Crown Prince and the gloomy and terrifying Jiuqiansui wouldn't make any mistakes. Only the idiotic emperor of the Chu Kingdom made him feel somewhat uneasy.
He worried that the emperor of the Chu Kingdom wasn't really an idiot.
Sure enough, when the imperial court of the Chu Kingdom was at its most stable, the idiotic emperor suddenly issued an edict for Crown Prince Jing to enter the capital.
Did he want to take advantage of the chaos to regain power at the risk of a civil war?
Such a method could be said to be extremely bold and crazy. How could an idiot do it?
Therefore, he came covered in wind and snow, intending to kill the emperor for the sake of the world.
Who would have thought that at this most critical moment, he would suddenly understand a trace of Heaven's secret?
At that time, the Blue Bird flew across the sky, leaving messy paw prints in his heart and on the snow.
He looked up at the sky and vaguely saw another world.
This gray, snowy sky didn't seem real. It seemed … that it could be cut open with a sword?
Just as this thought came to Duke Mo's mind, thunder began to fall from the snowy sky.
He was now faced with a choice.
Draw the sword to the sky.
Or …
Turn around and kill the emperor.
He knew that in the snow pavilion on the side of the palace, not far away, the emperor and Crown Prince Jing were playing chess.
Thunder and lightning fell incessantly from the snowy sky, and the loud rumbling was incessant.
Some of the lightning were like pillars, and some were like threads, falling all around him. The snow melted, and the exposed bluestones were scorched black everywhere. Stone chips burst out and cracks appeared.
Duke Mo held the hilt of his sword, and his eyes gradually filled with determination.
Seeing this scene, Liu Shisui didn't stay any longer. He turned around and left.
…
…
The chess game in the snow pavilion had entered its final stage.
Liu Shisui returned to the pavilion with an umbrella and shook his head at Jing Jiu.
The wind and snow suddenly disappeared, and thunder and lightning stopped.
Jing Jiu was silent for a while. He picked up a chess piece and put it on the chessboard, saying, "I won."
The Snow Palace was silent.
It was the same outside the Huiyin Valley.
Tong Yan looked at him in Silence. She didn't see any joy in his eyes, only tiredness and regret.
It was rare for Jing Jiu to have such an emotion.
Why was he tired?
And for whom was he regretting?
His shoes squeaked in the deep snow.
Duke Mo walked through the palace gate.
Tong Yan sat in her wheelchair, silent. No one knew what she was thinking.
Jing Jiu looked at the chessboard and said something.
Everyone knew that he said this to Duke Mo.
"When you look back on the past later, I hope you won't regret your choice."
…
…
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