Black Piece

"What did it look like? What was it like?"

Following Yin Qing's gaze, Yin Zhaoxian looked up. The City God's statue sat high before the altar, calm yet imposing, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity rose in his heart.

"Daddy..."

"Come on, we're going home!"

Yin Qing did not quite dare to speak. Yin Zhaoxian did not expose him either, merely took his son's hand and silently headed out of the temple.

They brushed past the countless worshippers entering and leaving the City God Temple. Yin Family Master did not so much as glance sideways at the goods being hawked outside, and his steps were even quicker than when they had arrived.

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

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

Yin Qing met his father's gaze and answered somewhat uneasily.

"That Old Sir just now... his appearance looked so, so much like the City God inside the temple! Daddy, I really didn't see wrong, and I wasn't talking nonsense!"

"Mhm!"

Yin Zhaoxian answered softly, leaving Yin Qing, who had been waiting for his father's rebuke, somewhat stunned.

"Your father actually found him somewhat familiar too, but I wasn't sure."

Ordinary people praying to the City God would not carefully study the City God's features. Besides, Yin Zhaoxian had only caught a few glimpses of that Old Sir just now and had not remembered his appearance clearly. He was uncertain, but Yin Qing remembered it with perfect clarity.

"Qing'er, you must not tell anyone about what happened today either—not even your Mother. Do you remember?"

"Oh..."

"Hm?"

"I remember, daddy..."

Yin Qing was a little puzzled. Why could he not even tell Mother? But he did not dare talk back to his father.

"Mhm. Qing'er, you must remember: women have long hair and short sight. Your Mother is a little better, but only by so much. Once she starts chatting with the neighbors, every word will get carried outside!"

This left Yin Qing half understanding, half bewildered.

"Oh, right. If you see that Great Mister you mentioned again, you must greet him respectfully. Do you remember?"

"Mhm, I remember!"

As Yin Zhaoxian led Yin Qing home, he thought that if the new resident of Ju'an Pavilion came through half a month without incident, he would take Yin Qing to visit him in person!

Some believed in ghosts and gods, while others scoffed at them. There were many tales passed from mouth to mouth, but few who had seen such things with their own eyes. Yet it could not be denied that most people would rather believe they existed than not, or at the very least keep a heart of reverence.

And for Yin Zhaoxian, this time had truly been rather mysterious!

Ji Yuan had already returned home. He had not locked the courtyard or the inner room when he left, not only because there was nothing worth stealing, but also because no petty thief would dare come to Ju'an Pavilion to steal.

Pushing open the door, he took out the willow branch he had snapped along the road from his sleeve pocket, rolled up his sleeve, and began his belated tooth-brushing routine.

Brushing his teeth was one of the most inconvenient things Ji Yuan had found since coming here. Nor could just any willow branch be used. Before brushing, he broke the branch into sections, took two pieces and softened their tips into fibers, then used them like little brushes to scrub every part of his teeth. Afterward, he used a thinner fresh willow twig to pick between them.

After fiddling about for quite a while, Ji Yuan picked up a wooden dipper and scooped half a dipper of water into his mouth.

"Ugh, ptoo ptoo ptoo ptoo... ptoo..."

He spit out a mouthful of green-tinged rinse water, rinsing repeatedly several times before he felt clean.

Salt actually worked better, but salt was expensive. Unless one was among the high officials and noblemen, using it to brush one's teeth was far too wasteful. Ji Yuan was self-aware enough to know he had not earned the right to such extravagance.

After brushing his teeth, Ji Yuan felt that he might have nothing to do for a long while today. There was no internet, no phone, and no familiar friend to chat with. Going out was not particularly interesting either, unless there happened to be a Temple Fair at night.

Ah, this makes me feel like a lonely old man... How did my grandpa and Great Uncle-in-law used to pass the time?

No sooner had he thought of the question than an answer leaped into his mind.

Playing chess!

And this was also connected to his greatest reliance, making Ji Yuan secretly glad that he had asked the Old City God about chess manuals earlier.

With that thought, Ji Yuan sat on the stone stool in the courtyard, stretched out his right arm, formed Sword Fingers, and visualized that chess piece in his mind.

As the familiar numbness and itching of electric current rose up, the Chess Piece Shadow appeared at the tip of his Sword Fingers.

Black!

Ji Yuan's heart jolted. The previous chess piece had possessed a faintly visible, illusory quality, making it impossible to tell whether it was a White Piece or a Black Piece. Yet now, though still illusory, it was unmistakably a Black Piece.

It was not merely that its color had turned black. The Black Piece at his fingertips now seemed to be edging toward something tangible, making Ji Yuan wonder whether one day it could truly be "played" onto a Chessboard.

As for why this change had occurred, it was probably related to the finger he had pointed at that sinister thing last night. Thinking of the gloomy and cold sensation of it clinging to his arm and spinning, it was not difficult to infer that the chess piece had absorbed something.

Yin qi? Geomantic Vein Malignancy? It couldn't possibly be baleful qi, could it? First, I'll see whether it can still draw in Spiritual Qi.

In truth, Ji Yuan had felt something strange before. When he normally held a piece to gather Spiritual Qi, it seemed to be some kind of suction from the chess piece, yet it never absorbed Spiritual Qi—or rather, absorbed extremely little. He would have to slowly figure it out later.

Setting aside what he could not understand for the moment, Ji Yuan cast away his distracting thoughts and began visualizing the Rotten Axe Chess Game in his mind.

As Ji Yuan's distracting thoughts dwindled and he became increasingly absorbed, wind began to rise in the Small Courtyard.

The wind was not strong, yet it flowed on without end, circling within ten feet of Ji Yuan without dispersing. Strands of Azure Spirit Qi converged from every direction. Yes, an increasingly lush verdancy gathered around the Black Piece.

It works. Very good!

With no one to disturb him this time, Ji Yuan tried to see whether there was a limit.

Woo... woo...

The wind remained the same strength, yet Ji Yuan seemed to hear its sound. The branches and leaves of the jujube tree in the courtyard swayed, their rustling swept up by the wind in a rhythm of scattered order.

At Ji Yuan's fingertips, aside from a point of black at the center, an enormous mass of Azure Spirit Qi had gathered. It stretched half a person's height across, forming a slowly rotating vortex of wind.

At this point, Ji Yuan was starting to feel that he could not hold on. His mind began to sting, and his arm felt as heavy as though he were lifting a loaded barbell.

Everything needed moderation. A person as protective of his own life as Ji Yuan did not even dare absorb so much Spiritual Qi.

I'll disperse some first. Once it thins out, I'll absorb it!

Forcing his thoughts up, he suppressed his visualization of the chess game. The surrounding Azure Spirit Qi began to collapse bit by bit, becoming streams of spirit wind that flowed through the courtyard. Only when it had dispersed until one-third remained did Ji Yuan will the piece back.

Sizzle, sizzle...

First came a surge of electricity, followed by a sharp ache at his fingertips. The Azure Spirit Qi flowed in with the momentum, and that aching sensation climbed along his arm.

"Hiss..."

Ji Yuan sprang to his feet almost by reflex.

Endure it!

It was an agonizing feeling, a signal that his body could not bear the burden. Even the most nourishing thing became poison when consumed in excess. Fortunately, he had forged decent endurance at the Mountain God Temple before; he could still endure this much pain.

Ji Yuan kept his intent moving with the qi, doing his utmost not to let the Spiritual Qi remain concentrated in one spot. Instead, he guided it around and around through his body, slowly reducing the pressure.

About ten minutes passed before the pain began to lessen. By then, Ji Yuan's body was trembling, twitching faintly beyond his control.

Good thing I was clever enough to disperse most of the Azure Spirit Qi first. If I'd been courting death and killed myself like this, that would have been too stupid!

Another ten-odd minutes passed, and every reaction within his body finally subsided.

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

Ji Yuan panted heavily, calming his racing heart and exhausted body. He slumped down and lay sprawled across the stone table, too listless to move.

Feeling the wind around him slowly disperse as well, Ji Yuan watched the branches and leaves of the Large Jujube Tree in the courtyard sway with delight.