On an afternoon of torrential rain, even in July at the height of summer, there was still a trace of chill in the air.
Thick clouds blanketed the sky, shutting out the sunlight. Amid flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, gusts of wind blew in from every direction.
They scattered fallen leaves across Chunhe Garden.
Some were bamboo leaves, some willow leaves, and some were petals that had only just blossomed amid clusters of flowers.
In weather like this, Chen Yi naturally could not stay in a pavilion open to the wind on all sides and drink tea.
Instead, he set up a chessboard in the study room with Xiao Wuge.
One taught, while the other learned.
The black and white stones on the board were laid out and gathered up again; not a single game was completed.
Xiao Wuge was only beginning to learn. Though he progressed quickly, he had mastered too few standard chess patterns to support him through an entire game.
Chen Yi was not in a hurry about this.
Ever since learning Go, he had spent more time on the Chess Dao than on calligraphy practice, second only to the Martial Path and Medical Dao.
Although that was partly because of his Martial Dao Body and his Great Accomplishment in the Medical Dao, the fundamental reason was the usefulness of the Chess Dao.
Originally, Chen Yi had not believed such old sayings as "using all living beings as chess pieces," "using heaven and earth as a chessboard," and "judging a person through chess."
But judging from the mysteries of the Chess Dao he had obtained, as well as his many plans and deductions, the realms described by those sayings should all be attainable.
It depended only on the position of the chess player, or the