Pines, cypresses, and ginkgo trees grew within the temple. Autumn had yellowed the leaves, and ginkgo leaves drifted down on the breeze.
One landed on the Go board. A slender hand brushed it away, then placed a white stone.
"In Avici Hell, 'ten thousand deaths and ten thousand rebirths in a single day and night.' What exactly is this Hell you speak of? The Eighteen Levels of Hell?" Wei Jianye studied the white stones' formation, then placed a black stone, capturing a white one.
"More or less."
Xie De placed a white stone, capturing a black one.
A faint breeze carried the temple's sandalwood incense through the air. Against a backdrop of ginkgo leaves, Xie De spoke in a calm, unhurried, low voice. Neither his movements nor his play betrayed the slightest flaw.
"Someone set Wei Yanchi up and sent him into Hell. From what I can tell, he has no way to get out on his own. Hell and instances exist on the same level of alternate spacetime. The difference is that Hell lets you in, but never out."
"If there's no way out, why come to me? I've never been to Hell. How would I know how to rescue someone from it?"
Wei Jianye held a black stone over the board, hesitating over whether to play it. In the end, he placed it somewhere entirely irrelevant.
"Hell has its counterpart in Heaven. According to the Bible, leaving Hell requires an angel's guidance and help. As it happens, the Martial Arts Hall has an angel's eyes. All you need to do is take those eyes into Hell, find Wei Yanchi, and bring him out."
Xie De played another stone, effortlessly capturing another black one.
"The people from the Martial Arts Hall wanted to come with me to rescue Wei