Layer upon layer of dark clouds blanketed the sky, and the spring rain fell in an unbroken drizzle.
Fine as ox hair, the rain sprinkled down, enveloping all of Qing Mao Mountain in a thin veil of mist.
The inn's first-floor dining hall remained cold and deserted, with only four tables of guests.
Fang Yuan sat beside the window. A gust of wind blew in, carrying poetic charm and the fragrance of flowers.
"Fine rain on the Heavenly Street moistens like crisp oil; grass appears afar, yet vanishes when near." Fang Yuan gazed out the window and softly recited the line before withdrawing his gaze.
Fine wine and exquisite dishes covered the table before him, perfect in color, fragrance, and flavor. Green Bamboo Wine in particular was rich and mellow, yet carried a fresh note. The emerald liquid rested quietly in a bamboo cup, casting the warm, lustrous glow of amber from this angle.
At the nearest table sat two people, grandfather and grandson. Both wore simple clothes and were mortals.
The old man sipped rice wine while looking enviously toward Fang Yuan's table. Clearly, the fragrance of Green Bamboo Wine had stirred his craving, but he had no money to buy it.
The grandson ate braised fragrant beans, crunching loudly as he chewed. At the same time, he pestered his grandfather, shaking the old man's arm. "Grandpa, Grandpa, tell me the story of Human Ancestor. If you don't, I'll go back and tell Grandma that you came out to sneak drinks!"
"Even having a drink isn't peaceful." The old man sighed, though his face showed loving affection. With his dry, stick-thin hand, he stroked his grandson's head. "Then I'll tell it. It is said that Human Ancestor gave his heart to Hope Gu and escaped the encirclement of adversity..."
The story of Human Ancestor was the most widespread and oldest legend in this world.
The old man's story went roughly like this.
It was said that Human Ancestor escaped adversity because of hope. But he had ultimately become decrepit with age. Without strength or wisdom, he could no longer hunt. Even his teeth had all fallen out, leaving him unable to chew many wild fruits and vegetables.
Human Ancestor had already sensed death gradually drawing near.
At that moment, Hope Gu told him, "Human, you cannot die. If you die, your heart will be gone, and I, Hope, will lose the place where I dwell."
Human Ancestor spread his hands helplessly. "Who wishes to die? But heaven and earth demand my death. I have no choice but to die."
Hope Gu said, "There is hope in all things. As long as you seize Lifespan Gu, you can gain new lifespan."
Human Ancestor had long heard of lifespan Gu, but he helplessly spread his hands. "When lifespan Gu is still, no one can detect it. When it flies, it is faster than light. How could I possibly capture it? This is far too difficult!"
Hope Gu then told Human Ancestor a secret. "Human, never abandon hope in anything. Let me tell you: at the northwestern corner of the earth stands a great mountain. At its summit is a cave, and within that cave live two Gu—one round and one square. As long as you can subdue these two Gu, there will be no Gu under heaven that you cannot capture, not even lifespan Gu!"
Human Ancestor had nowhere left to turn. This was his sole remaining hope.
After enduring a thousand hardships and ten thousand trials, he found the mountain. Braving every conceivable danger, he climbed to its summit. At the cave entrance atop the mountain, he had only the last shred of strength remaining, and he staggered inside.
The cave was pitch-black, so dark that one could not see one's fingers. Human Ancestor walked and walked through the darkness. At times, he stumbled and bumped into things he could not identify, smashing his head until blood flowed. At other times, he felt that the darkness was boundless and vast, like another world where there was nothing around him but himself.
He consumed much time, yet could not escape the endless darkness. Subduing those two Gu, one round and one square, was even more out of the question.
Just as he sank into confusion, two voices came from the darkness.
One said, "Human, have you come to capture us as well? Go back. Even if you had Strength Gu with you, it would still be impossible."
The other voice said, "Human, retreat. We will not take your life. Even with Wisdom Gu to help you, you might not be able to find us."
Human Ancestor collapsed weakly onto the ground, gasping for breath. "Strength Gu and Wisdom Gu left me long ago. I have little lifespan left and nowhere to turn. But as long as there is a thread of hope in my heart, I will not give up!"
Upon hearing Human Ancestor's words, the two voices fell silent.
After a long while, they finally said, "I understand, Human. You have already given your heart to Hope Gu. You will not give up no matter what."
The other voice continued, "Since that is so, we shall give you a chance. As long as you speak both our names, we will serve you."
Human Ancestor froze. To accurately call out two precise names from the sea of words was simply like fishing for a needle in the ocean.
Moreover, he did not even know how many characters were in the names of these two Gu.
Human Ancestor hurriedly asked Hope Gu, but Hope Gu did not know either.
Human Ancestor had no other path left, so he could only grit his teeth and begin naming them. He spoke countless names and consumed a very, very long time, but there was not the slightest response from the darkness. Clearly, every name was wrong.
Gradually, Human Ancestor's breath grew weaker and weaker. Within the cave, he crossed from old age into his twilight years. Like the setting sun at dusk, he slowly sank down, with half of him already fallen beyond the horizon to become the evening glow.
The food he had brought with him dwindled, his mind turned ever more slowly, and he had little strength left even to speak.
A voice in the darkness urged him, "Human, you are about to die. We will let you leave. Use your final time to crawl outside the cave and take one last look at this world. But you offended us, so as punishment, leave Hope Gu here to keep us company."
Human Ancestor clutched his chest tightly and refused without hesitation. "Even if I die, I will never abandon hope!"
Hope Gu was deeply moved. It responded to Human Ancestor with all its strength, releasing a pure white radiance. Specks of white light emerged from Human Ancestor's chest.
But the white light was too weak. It could not illuminate the darkness at all; it could not even take care of Human Ancestor's whole body, only lighting the small area around his chest.
Yet Human Ancestor felt an invisible, brand-new strength surge from Hope Gu into his body.
He continued speaking, naming names. He had become muddle-headed with age. Many names had already been spoken before, but he could not remember and said them again, wasting much effort for nothing.
Life flowed away with time, and Human Ancestor had little lifespan remaining.
Finally, when he had only one day left to live, he spoke the character "square."
A sigh came from the darkness, and one voice said, "Human, I, Square, admire your persistence. You have spoken my name. From today onward, I shall obey your commands. But only when I am with my brother can we capture all the Gu in the world for you. By myself alone, I cannot do it. So give up. You are already at death's door. It is not as good as using your final moments to take one last look at this world."
But Human Ancestor firmly shook his head. He seized every moment and continued speaking, guessing the other Gu's name.
Time slipped away second by second. He had only his final hour left.
But at that moment, he accidentally spoke the character "rule."
In an instant, the darkness vanished.
Two Gu appeared before him. Just as Hope Gu had said, one Gu was square and called "Square." The other Gu was round and called "Rule." Together, they formed "Rule Gu."
The two Gu spoke together. "No matter who it is, as long as they know our names, we shall obey them. Human, since you now know our names, we shall serve you. But remember: it is best not to let other living beings know our names. The more who know our names, the more people we must subdue at the same time. Now, you are the first person to subdue us. Speak your demand."
Human Ancestor was overjoyed. "Then I command you to capture a lifespan Gu for me first."
Rule Gu worked together and captured an eighty-year lifespan Gu.
Human Ancestor was already one hundred years old. After eating this lifespan Gu, every wrinkle on his face vanished at once, his withered limbs filled out again with strong, beautiful muscles, and the vigor of youth once more radiated from him.
With a carp leaping upright, he sprang to his feet.
He looked joyfully at his body, knowing that he had become a twenty-year-old youth again!
"That is all for today. Time to go home, good grandson." The old man finished the story, and his wine was gone as well.
"Grandpa, keep going! What happened to Human Ancestor afterward?" The grandson refused to let it go, shaking the old man's arm.
"Let's go. I'll tell you another time." The old man put on a bamboo hat and straw rain cape, then draped a smaller one over his grandson.
The grandfather and grandson left the inn, stepped into the curtain of rain, and gradually went farther away.
"Rules..." Fang Yuan's gaze was deep and distant. He turned his wine cup, staring at the Green Bamboo Wine within, his heart filled with reflection.
The legend of Human Ancestor was widely spread throughout this world; there was scarcely anyone who did not know it. Fang Yuan had naturally heard it long ago.
But whether legends or stories, the benevolent saw benevolence and the wise saw wisdom. The grandfather and grandson had merely treated it as a story, while Fang Yuan could taste the deep meaning concealed within.
Just like Human Ancestor.
When he did not know the rules, he groped through darkness. Sometimes he staggered and stumbled, smashing his head until blood flowed and ending up in a sorry state. At other times, all he found was endless vastness, leaving him lost without direction or purpose.
This darkness was not merely darkness. Strength, wisdom, and hope could not restrain it.
Only when Human Ancestor learned the rules and revealed Rule Gu's name did the darkness suddenly vanish, allowing Human Ancestor to welcome the light.
Darkness was the darkness of rules, and light was likewise the light of rules.
Fang Yuan shifted his gaze away from the wine cup and looked outside the window.
In the distance beyond the window, the sky was gloomy and dim, verdant mountains stretched endlessly, and fine rain drifted like mist. Nearby, elevated bamboo buildings stood one after another, extending into the distance. Two or three pedestrians walked the road, their feet stained with rainy mud; they either wore gray-green straw rain capes or held yellow oilcloth umbrellas.
Fang Yuan summarized in his heart, This world is like a great chessboard, and all living things are chess pieces, operating according to their own rules. The seasons have rules: spring, summer, autumn, and winter cycle in order. Water has rules: it flows downward. Hot air has rules: it rises upward. Naturally, people have rules as well.
"Everyone has their own stance, desires, and principles. Take Gu Yue village, for example: servants' lives are cheap, while masters' lives are precious. That is the rule. Therefore, Shen Cui wanted to cling to the powerful and wealthy, exhausting every scheme to escape her status as a slave. Gao Wan went to every possible length to curry favor with his master, using his master's power to bully others like a dog."
"As for uncle and aunt, their nature is greedy; they want to swallow up parents' inheritance. The Academy Elder, meanwhile, mainly wishes to cultivate Gu Masters and maintain his own position in the academy."
"Everyone has their own rules. Every profession has its rules. Every social group has its own rules. As long as one sees through these rules, one can stand aside with a clear view. Cast off darkness and gain light; maneuver within them and move with a blade through an ox."
Fang Yuan thought again of his own situation, having long since mapped everything out in his heart. For Gu Yue Mo Chen, the one in power in the Mo family, preserving the prosperity and interests of his branch is paramount. Mo Yan causing me trouble has already broken the rules. To preserve the lineage's reputation, he certainly will not act against me. He may even take the initiative to compensate me.
"In truth, the Mo family's power is formidable. If they insist on punishing me over damaged reputation, I have no strength to resist. But Gu Yue Mo Chen is afraid in his heart. He is not afraid of breaking the rules himself; he worries that others will follow him in breaking them. If elders intervene in disputes among juniors, matters will escalate. If it reaches the high-level, it will become an enormous threat to the entire village. What Gu Yue Mo Chen fears is that, in future conflicts, someone else might act against his grandson, Gu Yue Mo Bei. His branch has only this one male descendant. What if he dies? Perhaps even he himself does not realize this fear. He merely wishes to uphold the rules on instinct."
Fang Yuan's eyes were utterly clear. From beginning to end, he had seen through this matter as clearly as fire.
Gao Wan did not bear the surname Gu Yue. He was an outsider, a servant.
What did it matter if a master put a servant to death? In this world, it was perfectly normal.
Fang Yuan had killed Gao Wan. Gao Wan's death was not the key; the key was his master, the Mo family behind him.
"However, the box of chopped corpses I sent this time will probably be interpreted by Gu Yue Mo Chen as both concession and threat. That is exactly how I want him to understand it. Without mishap, the Mo family will not pursue Gao Wan's death. Of course, if my aptitude were one level higher, if I were Grade B, the Mo family would feel threatened. Even over damaged reputation, they would suppress me, a future threat." Fang Yuan sneered inwardly.
Strength could be relied upon; weakness could also be used.
Although Fang Yuan was currently within the game, a chess piece himself, he understood the rules in his heart and already possessed the mindset of a chess player.
Ordinary people were mostly like Gu Yue Mo Chen or the Academy Elder: they knew only their own rules, with different trades separated like mountains. How difficult was it to be like Fang Yuan, to see the general situation and master the rules!
To understand rules, one had to be like Human Ancestor, crawling and rolling through darkness, wandering in confusion for a time.
At such times, strength, wisdom, and hope were not much use. Only by consuming time and experiencing things firsthand could one gain experience.
Human Ancestor could reveal the names of Rule Gu because he had consumed time, trying countless times beneath the enveloping breath of death.
Fang Yuan could master the rules because of the experiences accumulated over five hundred years in his previous life.
Since his rebirth, he was confident that he could forge an even more glorious future. Not because the Spring Autumn Cicada had reappeared, not because he knew of many secret realms and hidden treasures, nor because he grasped the general course of the future.
It was because of the life experience he had gained in five hundred years of dealing with people and conducting himself in his previous life!
Just as Human Ancestor, having mastered Rule Gu, could easily capture all Gu beneath heaven!
And Fang Yuan, having mastered rule and square, could look down from above, his gaze piercing through the tangled affairs of the world. He could either draw silk from a cocoon or strike the nail on the head. He stood high and laughed proudly, coldly watching the people of the world as chess pieces, following their respective rules and advancing step by step.
Darkness was the darkness of rules; light was the light of rules.
And the reborn demon lord was already walking in the light.
Before you continue