Black Piece

"Very similar? What's very similar?"

Yin Zhaoxian followed Yin Qing's gaze and looked up. The City God's statue sat calmly and imposingly on the altar, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity rose in his heart.

"Father..."

"Let's go. We're going home."

Yin Qing didn't dare say much. Yin Zhaoxian didn't press the matter either. He took his son's hand and walked silently out of the temple.

They brushed past the many worshippers coming and going in the City God Temple, their eyes fixed straight ahead, ignoring the vendors hawking their wares outside. The Yin Family Master's steps were even faster than when they had arrived.

Only after leaving the Temple Quarter did Yin Zhaoxian slow his slightly aching feet.

"Qing'er, what did you say looked like what?"

Yin Qing met his father's gaze nervously and answered.

"That old gentleman just now—his face looked exactly like the City God inside the temple! Father, I really didn't see wrong, and I'm not talking nonsense!"

"Mm."

Yin Zhaoxian gave a soft reply, leaving Yin Qing, who had been bracing himself for a scolding, somewhat stunned.

"Your father actually felt he looked familiar too, but I wasn't sure."

Normal people paying respects to the City God wouldn't carefully study the deity's features. Besides, he had only caught a few glances of that old gentleman and hadn't memorized his face. Yin Zhaoxian wasn't certain, but Yin Qing remembered it clearly.

"Qing'er, you must not tell anyone about today's events, not even your mother. Got it?"

"Oh..."

"Mm?"

"Got it, Father..."

Yin Qing was a little puzzled—why couldn't he even tell his mother? But he didn't dare argue with his father.

"Mm, Qing'er, you must remember: women have long hair but short wit. Your mother is a bit better, but only a little. Once she starts chatting with the neighbors, she'll spill everything!"

This time, Yin Qing was only half-understanding.

"Also, if you ever see that 'Great Mister' you mentioned again, you must bow and greet him properly. Got it?"

"Mm, got it!"

Yin Zhaoxian led Yin Qing home, thinking that if the new resident of Ju'an Pavilion hadn't had any trouble in half a month, he would bring Yin Qing to pay a personal visit!

As for ghosts and gods, some believed, some scoffed. Many passed down tales by word of mouth, but few had seen them with their own eyes. Still, it couldn't be denied that most people held an attitude of "better to believe than not," or at least kept a reverent heart.

And for Yin Zhaoxian, this time, it was truly too strange to ignore!

Ji Yuan had already returned home. Even though he hadn't locked the courtyard or the inner room when he left, it wasn't just because there was nothing worth stealing—it was also because no thief would dare break into Ju'an Pavilion.

Pushing open the door, he took a willow branch he had snapped off on the way from his sleeve pocket, rolled up his sleeves, and began his belated tooth-brushing routine.

Brushing his teeth was one of the most inconvenient things Ji Yuan had encountered since coming here. Willow branches weren't used casually either. Before brushing, he broke the branch into sections, took two of them, and chewed the tips until they frayed into fibrous bristles, like a small brush, to scrub each tooth. Then he used a thinner, fresh willow twig to pick between his teeth.

After fiddling around for a while, Ji Yuan picked up a wooden ladle, scooped half a gourd of water, and swished it in his mouth.

"Urgh... blub blub blub... ptooey..."

He spat out a mouthful of green-tinged rinse water and repeated the process several times before feeling clean.

Actually, salt worked better, but salt was expensive. Unless one was a high official or nobleman, using it for brushing teeth was too wasteful. Ji Yuan didn't think he was qualified for such luxury yet.

After brushing, Ji Yuan felt that he might have nothing to do for most of the day. No internet, no phone, no acquaintances to chat with. Going out wasn't very interesting either, unless it was at night when the temple fair was going on.

'Sigh... I've turned into a lonely old man... How did my grandpa and great uncle-in-law pass the time back then?'

No sooner had the question come to mind than an answer popped up.

Play chess!

And that was also connected to his greatest reliance. Ji Yuan couldn't help feeling glad that he had just asked the Old City God about chess manuals.

Thinking this, he sat down on the stone stool in the courtyard, extended his right arm, formed sword fingers with his hand, and visualized that chess piece in his mind.

As the familiar sensation of numbness and itching like an electric current rose, the phantom of the chess piece appeared at the tip of his sword fingers.

'Black!'

Ji Yuan's heart jolted. Before, the chess piece had a faint, illusory quality, making it hard to tell whether it was a white piece or a black one. But now, though still ethereal, it had clearly become a black piece.

Not only had the color turned black, but the black piece now gave a feeling of moving toward solidity. It made Ji Yuan wonder if one day this piece could actually "land" on a chessboard.

As for why this change had occurred, it was almost certainly related to his finger pointing at that sinister thing last night. Recalling the cold, gloomy sensation of that thing spinning as it clung to his arm, it wasn't hard to deduce that the chess piece had absorbed something from it.

'Yin energy? Geomantic vein malignancy? It couldn't be resentment, could it? Let me first try if I can still draw in spiritual energy.'

In fact, Ji Yuan had already noticed something strange before. Normally, when he held the piece and gathered spiritual energy, it seemed to come from some kind of suction from the chess piece itself. Yet it never absorbed spiritual energy—or absorbed very little. He would need to figure that out slowly later.

Putting aside what he couldn't understand for now, Ji Yuan cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and began to visualize the Rotten Axe Chess Game in his heart.

As his distracting thoughts dwindled and he became more absorbed, a wind began to stir in the courtyard.

The wind wasn't strong, but it was continuous, swirling within a ten-foot radius around Ji Yuan without dispersing. Strands of azure spirit qi gathered from all directions—yes, around the black piece, a gradually thickening emerald radiance began to coalesce.

'Good, excellent!'

This time, no one disturbed him, and Ji Yuan tried to see if there was a limit.

Woo... woo...

The wind was still the same strength, yet it seemed Ji Yuan could hear its sound. The branches and leaves of the jujube tree in the courtyard swayed, and the rustling sound rose and fell in rhythm with the wind.

At Ji Yuan's fingertip, aside from a small black dot at the center, a large mass of Azure Spirit Qi had gathered, spanning half a person's length, slowly rotating like a whirlwind.

At this level, Ji Yuan could barely hold on. His mind began to sting, and his arm felt as heavy as if he were lifting a weighted barbell.

Everything has its limit. A life-cherishing person like Ji Yuan even felt somewhat afraid to absorb so much spiritual energy.

'Let some dissipate first, then absorb when it's thinner!'

Forcing his thoughts, he suppressed the visualization of the chess game. The surrounding Azure Spirit Qi gradually scattered, turning into wisps of spiritual wind flowing through the courtyard. Only when it had diminished to a third did Ji Yuan move to gather it.

Zzzt...

First came a sensation like an electric shock, then a sharp ache at his fingertip as the Azure Spirit Qi surged in, the soreness climbing up his arm along with it.

"Hiss..."

Ji Yuan stood up almost by reflex.

Endure it!

It was an extremely unpleasant feeling, a signal that his body was overloaded. Even the most nourishing thing becomes poison when taken in excess. Fortunately, the endurance he had built in the Mountain God Temple allowed him to bear this pain.

Ji Yuan maintained his intent, guiding the qi to circulate through his body rather than letting it settle in one spot, slowly reducing the pressure.

About ten minutes passed before the pain began to ease. By then, Ji Yuan's body was trembling, with slight involuntary spasms.

'Good thing I was smart and let most of the Azure Spirit Qi disperse first. Courting death like that would have been too stupid!'

Another ten minutes passed, and all reactions within his body subsided.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Ji Yuan gasped for air, calming his heartbeat and exhausted body. He slumped lazily onto the stone table, unwilling to move.

He felt the surrounding wind gradually fade, while the Large Jujube Tree in the courtyard swayed its branches and leaves cheerfully.