Standing on the plank road between the cliffs, Shi Fengchen's expression became stern as he watched the two figures walking toward the buildings in the distance.
The ocean wind ruffled his yellowish beard, but it couldn't ruffle the wrinkles on his face. Those wrinkles represented the effort he had put into the Imperial court, as if they were made of iron.
"Master, they are about to enter the building. Should we strike?" the subordinate asked.
Shi Fengchen narrowed his eyes and said, "Wait. There are so many guests at the Four-Seas Banquet. If we strike now, it will cause trouble."
The subordinate understood what he meant. The Western Sea Sword School agreed to the request of the Pure Heaven Bureau to keep an eye on the Four-Seas Banquet, which was already a show of respect for the Imperial court. If the Four-Seas Banquet ended abruptly in order to capture those two demonic swordsmen, or even caused more trouble … who would bear the anger of Xiwang Sun?
"Who is in the building at this time?" Shi Fengchen asked.
Another subordinate said, "Most of the immortal masters have gone to the Cloud Platform."
Shi Fengchen was a bit displeased, thinking that they had escaped from the Inn the night before, but those practitioners didn't take it seriously even though they knew they would come to the Four-Seas Banquet.
"What about the Aoyama Sect?"
"They went there too."
"Who's there now?"
"Senior Master Zhu Jie was in the Zither Building just now."
"Him? Good. Send someone to inform him to keep an eye on those two guys in the conical hats. "
"The rest wait outside."
"Inform the Western Sea Sword School and ask them to bring the sword letters to the Cloud Platform. Don't worry about anything else."
Shi Fengchen's order was clear and definite.
He believed they would be caught as soon as they left the Lone Mountain.
The subordinates of the Pure Heaven Bureau also believed they couldn't escape today, so they couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Why did they dare come to the Four-Seas Banquet? What was the difference between being so ostentatious and seeking death?
"If I'm not wrong, they are the abandoned disciples of a famous sect, which means they have no future in Cultivation, so they were forced to leave the mountain gate and end up like this. For people like them, the most important thing is Cultivation. If they can get the precious treasure from Xiwang Sun, they might have some hope, so they must come. "
Shi Fengchen sneered, "People die for wealth, and birds die for food. The practitioners look superior, but what's the difference?"
…
…
Lonely Mountain was not lonely. The undulating mountain range grew along the coast, and the cliff faced the west. Naturally, there were several blue bays with clear waters.
The sound of a zither came from the other side of the bay. It was very pleasant to listen to, but it could not distract the people here. People stared at the big chessboard hanging down from the second floor and discussed it with their companions attentively. From time to time, they would exclaim that it was wonderful, and they would praise it. Of course, sometimes they would also hear angry criticism.
Jing Jiu wasn't used to such a noisy and lively environment, so he insisted on watching for a while. Zhao Layue bought him a booklet about playing chess the day before. He read through it and memorized the rules and the method of determining the winner. Yet, words were inanimate; one could only have a true understanding of the game by watching it with one's own eyes.
"How much do you understand?" Zhao Layue asked.
Jing Jiu said, "I don't think it's too difficult. We can try."
Zhao Layue said, "I told you that day at the Sea God Temple that this is the easiest thing for you."
Jing Jiu smiled, saying, "Then I'll go."
Zhao Layue nodded, saying, "Go and win."
…
…
The registration procedure was very simple. Jing Jiu was taken to a quiet corner, and his opponent was already sitting on the opposite side of the table.
Except for the conical hat he was wearing, there was nothing eye-catching about the table, so no one paid attention to him. Only the crisp sound of chess pieces falling on the chessboard could be heard.
It didn't take long for the game to end. Jing Jiu stood up and nodded.
His opponent was a young man, a disciple of an unknown sect. His face was red, and his eyes were full of dissatisfaction and annoyance.
They were all Cultivation practitioners, so they could tell the outcome of the game at a glance. Without counting, the young disciple knew he had lost by three points.
The gap between victory and defeat was very small, or he could have won if he had been more careful in the middle game. What really made him feel unreconciled was that Jing Jiu's moves were very jerky, like a beginner's, and he didn't even seem to understand the simplest joseki. At the beginning, he thought he would easily win a big victory. Because he didn't want to hurt his opponent's confidence, he deliberately took a few slow steps. Who would have thought that the situation would be so reversed in the end? He had lost inexplicably!
Until the last piece was placed, he still couldn't figure out how he had lost.
A steward of the Western Sea Sword School came to make a record and led Jing Jiu to another place.
Like before, his opponent was already waiting for him at the opposite side of the table. It was a middle-aged man with an indifferent expression.
The middle-aged man looked at him and said with a smile, "You're lucky."
Jing Jiu glanced at him, feeling a little surprised.
"The order of the game has been arranged long ago, but unfortunately, your luck ends here."
The middle-aged man pointed to a piece of paper pasted in the corridor and said, "I'm a very cautious person, and I won't make the same mistake as the little guy just now."
To be able to get the treasure of the Western Sea Sword School through the so-called leisure activities of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting was an opportunity not to be missed for many Cultivation practitioners who were not talented in Cultivation but good at it. The middle-aged man was such a person. He had investigated very clearly and found that the talented young man from Zhongzhou School had not signed up at all. There was no decent opponent in today's chess competition, so he was full of confidence in getting the treasure. At the same time, as he said, he was also very cautious. His previous game ended early, and he carefully observed the game between Jing Jiu and the young man, confirming that there was a great gap between Jing Jiu's chess skills and his own. As long as he didn't make any mistakes, there was no possibility of him losing.
Without saying anything, Jing Jiu picked up a black piece and placed it on the chessboard.
For him, this was a very natural action. Playing chess was not chatting, but for those Go players who had been immersed in this game for many years, it seemed a little impolite.
The middle-aged man frowned, a little displeased.
…
…
The sea breeze blew gently, lifting the white gauze curtain and bringing a fresh breath.
The sound of the chess pieces falling stopped.
Jing Jiu put down the teacup in his hand and didn't make any sound.
It was quiet.
The middle-aged man slammed the chess piece in his hand on the table, stood up, and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Jing Jiu won. The whole process was very similar to the situation of the first game.
His play was really similar to that of a beginner, or even worse. It was obvious that he didn't understand any joseki, and even seemed to be unreasonable. But as the game progressed, he was able to gain a little advantage in those small details, gradually gaining an advantage until he finally won, even if it was only a win of two or three points.
Just like the young man, the middle-aged man didn't understand where he had made a mistake until the end.
The administrator of the Western Sea Sword School came over and finished taking notes. Finally, he couldn't help but glance at Jing Jiu — the middle-aged man who had left with a flick of his sleeve was a very ordinary Loose Cultivator, but he was somewhat famous in the world of chess. The Western Sea Sword School had been paying attention to him for a long time, but they didn't expect him to lose to this guy in the bamboo hat.
Jing Jiu got up and prepared to leave.
The administrator motioned for him to sit down, and then gave him a new cup of tea.
This time, all he needed to do was sit at the table and wait for his opponent to come.
…
…
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