Lu Yin stared at Eight Colors. "Senior, Wang Wen never did anything without reason. This model must be important."
Eight Colors agreed. "That's right. I watched him every time he studied it before, but ever since he went to the Heavenly Origin Universe, I haven't seen him study it again, so I forgot about it too. If you hadn't mentioned that there was tea and a chessboard on the stone table when he looked at you, I wouldn't have remembered. It was so, so long ago."
Lu Yin fell into thought. A chessboard, chess pieces, a model.
Had the pieces on each chessboard formed the model?
He returned to Outer Heaven and summoned Wang Qi.
"Greetings, Lord Lu."
"What did Wang Wen usually enjoy doing?"
"Drinking tea and playing chess."
"Who did he play with?"
"No one. The old ancestor played against himself."
"Did the pieces move differently in every game?"
Wang Qi thought back. "Not exactly. A lot of the time, every game was different, but there were several games he repeated."
"Set them up for me."
Wang Qi recalled what he could and placed the pieces on the board.
He recreated several of Wang Wen's games that had left a strong impression on him.
Lu Yin watched in silence. He appeared calm, but inside, a tempest was raging. He had played these games too, against Wang Wen, in the back mountains of the Heavenly Sect.
They were exactly the same.
Wang Qi placed a white piece. Lu Yin suddenly reached in and placed a black one.
Wang Qi froze. "How did you know to play there, Lord Lu?"
"Keep going."
Wang Qi asked no more questions. He placed the pieces one by one, and Lu Yin followed suit. For a moment, it felt as though he had returned