Outside City No. 5, the young man Zong Cheng had turned into a puppet stood at the immigration gate. The old man, the thousand-odd porters, and the Painting Scroll behind him were nowhere to be seen.
The young man walked into the city with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. As he passed the gate, a soldier stopped him. "Show your electronic beacon."
The young man smiled. "Please inform Ginkgo Mountain that Zong Cheng has come to visit."
Before long, a Shadow Gate opened directly before Zong Cheng.
Qing Ji looked at him expressionlessly. "Come on. The old man is waiting for you at Ginkgo Mountain."
Zong Cheng stepped into the Shadow Gate and praised it, "This is one of the Forbidden Items I've wanted most, yet it has always been firmly controlled by the Qing family. If I had it, it would definitely make me happier." Qing Ji replied with a false smile, "In your next life, you can reincarnate as my grandson. Maybe then I'll pass it on to you."
Zong Cheng stood before the little cabin halfway up the mountain, still unruffled. "Perhaps I won't have to wait that long... The old man really does have courage. He's willing to sit down face-to-face with me despite being an ordinary person."
The old man calmly flipped through a chess manual inside the cabin. "You're not that frightening either, so there's no need for me to be afraid. Come in and sit down. No matter what happens today, one of us will disappear from this world forever. There won't be many chances to drink tea together after this."
Zong Cheng smiled and sat across from the old man. "Great minds think alike. I also believe today is the day this game ends. But I