Young Woman Meets Immortal, Black and White Chess Game

This young woman before me appears to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her face is exquisite and flawless, her black hair flowing, already exhibiting a hint of mature charm and allure. A thick, insulated cotton robe, meant for warding off the cold, envelops her delicate body, yet her impressively proud and mature figure is still discernible.

So, beautiful girls really do show up on their own, even in the middle of these deep mountains.

Lin Tianlu felt a mix of emotions surge within him, and he let out a long, soft sigh.

However, the bland life of the past dozen days or so seemed to have worn down his temperament quite a bit. Now, only a slight ripple stirred in his heart.

For him, seeing another living person suddenly on Taiyi Mountain was far more astonishing.

Still, the atmosphere between them was somewhat delicate; they looked at each other in silence.

Lin Tianlu put down his chess piece and stood up, clearing his throat. He was just about to speak first to break the silence.

But as the words reached his lips, he hesitated again.

How... should I speak?

Relying on the fragments of memory left by the scholar he had been, he knew that the current era was similar to the Tang and Song dynasties, with only slight differences in cultural customs. But ultimately, it was still an ancient time with very classical speech.

If he were to open his mouth now and speak a string of modern, colloquial phrases...

Would it sound awkward to the other person?

While he was agonizing over how to phrase his words, the beautiful young woman quickly put on a serious expression, hurried forward a few steps, and bowed.

"This junior, Hua Shuya, greets the Immortal Sect's immortal!"

"?"

Lin Tianlu's expression froze slightly.

Immortal? Was she referring to him?

Without a trace, he glanced around, confirming there was no one else nearby. He then tentatively asked in a deep voice, "Young lady, what makes you say that?"

"Within Xima County, everyone knows that Taiyi Mountain is home to an immortal gate and the Daoist Sect, where immortals impart their teachings. All the disciples cultivate immortal and divine arts, achieving eternal life."

The young woman named Hua Shuya, with her poised demeanor, cupped her hands in a respectful bow, her voice clear and pleasant. "As I traveled here, I saw no signs of human habitation on Taiyi Mountain – no water, no food, no houses, no buildings. Only you, Senior, sitting alone here, playing chess.

To have such leisure and disposition, surely only an enlightened immortal in this world could possess such an unflappable state of mind and ability."

She slightly raised her head, and a hint of brilliance seemed to flicker in her clear, bright, beautiful eyes.

Those eyes were indeed beautiful, but the look in them was like finding some peerless treasure, somewhat fervent.

Lin Tianlu felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, but he mirrored her gesture, cupping his hands. "Your deduction is not wrong, young lady. But I am not from this immortal sect. I am merely a humble scholar who happened to stumble upon this place. And because the mountain path is steep and difficult to descend, I was forced to stay here temporarily on the summit."

"Scholar?"

Hua Shuya seemed surprised.

Regaining her composure and looking closely, this 'Senior' did indeed appear to be wearing a very plain and ordinary coarse white robe. His apparent age was about the same as hers, and he certainly didn't seem like a noble and transcendent immortal.

Could it be that she had mistaken him for someone else?

The young woman's face flushed with embarrassment, and just as she was about to speak, her heart suddenly jolted.

--Wait!

The summit of Taiyi Mountain is perpetually shrouded in damp mist, its terrain is high, and the temperature is extremely low. As she made her way up, she felt increasingly cold, relying on her cold-weather clothing to maintain her body temperature.

But this person before her...

Was wearing only a common scholar's robe?!

And upon closer inspection, she couldn't sense any aura from him!

Because of her family's wealth, she had practiced martial arts since childhood. Although young, she had a sharp eye. One could tell a person's bearing and whether they were accustomed to luxury with just a few glances.

But now, she couldn't see through this young man of similar age at all.

He was standing right in front of her, yet under her martial sense, she couldn't detect even the slightest trace of his presence. It was as if he had completely merged with the surrounding nature, becoming one with heaven and earth, ethereal like smoke, elusive like the mountain mist.

His face was handsome and refined, his gaze deep as an abyss. Although he wore no luxurious adornments, he inexplicably possessed a detached, transcendent aura that made her feel unable to reach him.

She had never encountered such an aura in her more than ten years of life!

Not even her parents, nor her renowned grandfather, could compare!

Yet such a divine figure claimed to be a 'humble scholar'... Could he be hinting at something, or testing her?

With this thought, Hua Shuya's tone became even more respectful. "Your words, Senior, are well noted by this junior."

"?"

Lin Tianlu was a little surprised, thinking how truly deferential ancient women were when speaking.

However, he didn't pay it too much mind and soon asked, "Young lady, did you come up the mountain alone? And for what purpose?"

Hua Shuya quickly bowed and patiently explained, "Senior. I was passing through Xima County and happened to hear tales of an immortal sect on Taiyi Mountain.

I didn't believe these folk rumors at first, but about half a month ago, there were repeated distant howls echoing through the mountains, as if an immortal sect had appeared. Moreover, an elder in my family has been ill for a long time, so I thought of coming up the mountain to seek immortal destiny and the path to longevity. However, the heavy fog in the past few days made the mountain path difficult to traverse, which delayed me somewhat.

As for my other attendants, most of them lacked the stamina and are now waiting halfway up the mountain. Only I have reached the summit."

Lin Tianlu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

Were his usual KTV-style howls reaching beyond the mountains?

It was clear from the young woman's solemn expression and focused gaze... no one should know the deeper meaning behind those lyrics and songs, or she'd face social death.

Right, thankfully I've sung plenty of Japanese and English songs. No one can actually understand them.

It's just that there are quite a few people coming up the mountain.

His eyes lit up quickly. "Then, young lady, do you have a way to get down the mountain?"

Hua Shuya replied with utmost seriousness, "Your junior has set up a large number of interconnected iron chains on the mountain. When the time comes, you can carefully descend along the chains."

Lin Tianlu rejoiced inwardly.

Finally, a way down the mountain.

Although life on the mountain was quite leisurely, living like a wild man every day was ultimately strange.

Hua Shuya hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Senior. May I ask why you are alone here..."

Lin Tianlu chuckled, "I was trapped here by some accident and can only find idle pastimes to pass the time. Like this black and white chess, it's quite interesting as a form of self-entertainment."

"Black and white chess?"

Hua Shuya glanced curiously at the chessboard on the stone table nearby.

Black and white pieces, a messy game, it looked no different from the street Go games in the marketplace.

Although she had practiced martial arts since childhood, she was also well-read and naturally understood a little about chess. At first glance, it seemed this Immortal was not very familiar with secular Go techniques and was just randomly...

Huh?!

But Hua Shuya's expression quickly changed, her gaze fixed on the chessboard as if her attention was completely captivated by the game.

How could this be?

How could this seemingly chaotic and disordered mess of a game give her a sense of wonderful coordination? It was as if this game was meant to be played this way, every move and every piece placed steadily, astonishingly brilliant.

As her gaze intensified, she felt more and more that this game was extraordinary, profound and mysterious, containing ultimate principles, causing her heart to tremble for a moment!

Seeing her entranced, Lin Tianlu chuckled, "Are you interested in my random moves, young lady?"

"Senior... may I... play a few moves?" Hua Shuya's voice trembled slightly.

"It's fine. Play if you wish."

Lin Tianlu also felt a rare spark of interest, rolling up his sleeves, full of enthusiasm.

He had lived alone on this isolated mountain for more than half a month. Now, to suddenly have a knowledgeable and graceful young lady to play chess with was a pleasant affair.

Even if it was Gomoku.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Senior."

Hua Shuya took a deep breath, calming her pounding heart, and sat down opposite Lin Tianlu.

"--!"

The moment she sat down, her pupils contracted sharply, and her breathing seemed to freeze.

The young man sitting opposite her, who had seemed unremarkable just a moment ago, now suddenly erupted with a terrifying aura like a deep abyss, like a god or a demon, overwhelming her like the sky collapsing and the earth shattering, almost causing her soul to vanish in an instant!

In a daze, Hua Shuya felt the continuous mountain peaks before her crumbling and shattering, the starry sky extinguishing, countless fleeting images rapidly flying and intertwining in her vision, drawing lines of indescribable and bizarre light.

When everything had been destroyed, the heavens, earth, mountains, and rivers were nowhere to be seen. It was as if only the ordinary young man before her remained, his smile unchanged.

And beneath her, the so-called Taiyi Immortal Mountain was long gone. Instead, there was a hazy, illusory galaxy, deep and pitch black, with only countless stars shining and flowing, weaving together to form a celestial chessboard. The vast human world flowed, transforming into countless crystal-clear black and white chess pieces, floating and rotating around them like a dream.

The young man's smile was inscrutable. With his left hand behind his back and holding a black piece in his right:

"Young lady, you've been holding onto your piece for a long time. I'll go first then."

As soon as he spoke, his sea of consciousness and soul trembled!

The starry chessboard immediately churned like turbulent waves, stars spinning, as if the entire boundless universe was contained within a single piece in the young man's hand.

Hua Shuya's eyes trembled, her face turned deathly pale. In that instant, she felt how insignificant her own existence was, like a tiny speck of dust in a river of sand, being looked down upon by divine eyes, feeling nowhere to hide!

In her line of sight, only the chess piece slowly falling from the young man's hand remained—

As the piece landed, a faint ripple spread across the chessboard.

"Pfft—!"

Hua Shuya suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, her beautiful eyes rolled back, and she immediately collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"..."

The smile on Lin Tianlu's face froze. Wiping the blood from his face, he was completely stunned.

"???"

--What's going on?

It's just a game of Gomoku, why did she suddenly spit blood?!

Or is she... here specifically to extort me?