Wen Jiong came in haste and left in haste. He soon disappeared into the deep forest.
Lu Zheng and the two women exchanged smiles. They paid no mind to the grudges in the nether realm. Instead, they returned to Peach Blossom Manor, where Lu Zheng personally prepared a sumptuous dinner.
They stayed overnight at Peach Blossom Manor.
…
Early the next morning, Lu Zheng flew back to Tonglin County with Liu Qingyan, arriving just in time for Renxin Hall to open.
Liu Qingyan chatted and laughed with Du Yueyao as they saw patients in the hall. Lu Zheng prepared to head home.
However, just as he reached the doorstep, he saw a paper crane wobbling down from the sky.
“Hm?”
Lu Zheng reached out and caught the paper crane. With a slight sense, he recognised it as the standard paper crane communication method used by Baiyun Temple.
The sender was Daoist Mingzhang, asking him to return to Shaotong Mountain. He said Daoist Yuting had arrived and wanted to play chess with him.
Lu Zheng was speechless.
Daoist Mingzhang’s cultivation had already surpassed Daoist Yuting’s, but his chess skills had not improved. Now, with Daoist Yuting visiting, he had begun summoning Lu Zheng.
So Lu Zheng did not go home. He directly soared into the clouds. Moments later, he arrived at the summit of Shaotong Mountain.
Today was a bright sunny day. On the snow-covered peak, Daoist Mingzhang and Daoist Yuting sat facing each other across a stone chessboard.
“Master! Daoist Yuting!”
Lu Zheng descended gracefully and bowed in salute to the two elders.
Daoist Mingzhang nodded. Of course, he did not immediately yield his seat. Instead, he smiled at Daoist Yuting and said, “What do you think?”
“Good temperament! Impressive cultivation!”
Daoist Yuting’s last visit had been a long time ago, when Lu Zheng could not yet fly through the air.
Seeing Lu Zheng descend from the sky, Daoist Yuting could not help feeling that the younger generation had surpassed the old.
Lu Zheng scratched his head. “Daoist overpraises. It is mainly because Master taught well!”
Seeing that the teacups by their hands were empty, Lu Zheng naturally stepped forward to pick up the teapot. He found it had gone completely cold, so he circulated his true qi. The next moment, steaming hot vapour rose from the spout.
After refilling both cups, Lu Zheng sat to the side of them. He glanced at the chessboard and asked Daoist Yuting, “Where has Daoist travelled in the past year or two?”
Daoist Yuting placed a piece. “I wandered through several southwestern provinces. Worldly affairs are like smoke. Still, the mundane world is interesting!”
“What is interesting about it? Though the world is vast, what you call experiencing the mortal realm is merely skimming the surface. Though affairs are many, most are similar experiences.” Daoist Mingzhang responded with a piece. “In truth, quietly observing one county with tens of thousands of souls is already a small world.”
“Broad observation is inferior to deep specialisation.” Daoist Mingzhang said.
Daoist Yuting nodded. “That makes sense.”
Daoist Mingzhang stroked his beard and smiled. “It always made sense.”
Daoist Yuting placed another piece. “Go say that to those seniors who wander the mortal realm.”
Daoist Mingzhang smacked his lips, then lowered his head to study the board in silence.
Wandering the mortal realm versus secluding oneself and residing in one place. This had always been a matter where both sides had reason, endlessly debated without resolution.
Because there were many great experts who had achieved success through either path, and no clear victor could be determined. Thus, one could only say that what suited oneself was best.
So Daoist Mingzhang offered a couple of words of advice, merely doing his duty. What worried him now was how to resolve Daoist Yuting’s killing move.
If he could not resolve it, he would have to concede in at most ten more moves.
“Within eight moves, if you do not concede, I lose.” Daoist Yuting said calmly.
Daoist Mingzhang immediately grew angry. I clearly calculated ten moves, yet you say eight. Are you looking down on me?
I must hold out until the tenth move!
…
Then, on the fourth move, Daoist Mingzhang played more and more slowly. By the seventh move, he could not continue.
Daoist Yuting leisurely and comfortably picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip.
“Ahem!” Daoist Mingzhang blinked, then dry-coughed twice.
Lu Zheng said helplessly, “Master, at this point, even I cannot turn the tide.”
Daoist Mingzhang, “…”
Conceding, Daoist Mingzhang said, “Play, play, play. All you know is chess.”
Daoist Yuting laughed heartily. While collecting the pieces, he smiled. “This is my only remaining hobby. Can you stop me from playing chess? Come, come. Lu Zheng, you play. Do not hold back.”
Lu Zheng switched seats with Daoist Mingzhang, then took white and played first, placing a star point.
…
After a fierce battle lasting a long time, he won narrowly by one point.
Daoist Yuting cried out in satisfaction and pulled Lu Zheng into another game.
By the end of the second game, it was the hour of xu. The sky had already darkened.
“Good, good. Playing chess with Lu Zheng is still the most enjoyable!” Daoist Yuting laughed heartily.
At that moment, Yuanning, who had just arrived at the summit and waited nearby, stepped forward. “Master, supper is ready.”
“Let us go. It is cold. A cup of warmed wine will warm the body.” Daoist Mingzhang rose and said.
“Good, let us go!” Daoist Yuting stood.
…
Arriving at the rear hall of Baiyun Temple, Daoist Mingzhang and his guest took their seats. Lu Zheng accompanied them from a lower position.
“Is Senior Brother Yuanjing not here?” Lu Zheng asked.
“He went to Tushan Market…”
Daoist Mingzhang had just said this when his expression changed.
“Senior Brother?”
“Ghostly qi!”
“How bold! To dare act within Baiyun Temple’s territory!” As Daoist Mingzhang’s words fell, his figure vanished.
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered. Daoist Yuting said, “You go first. I will follow shortly.”
Lu Zheng nodded. His figure flashed, and he appeared mid-air.
He saw ghostly qi soaring into the sky from the forest below the mountain. Additionally, a mass of white cloud qi guarded the centre, slowly moving toward Baiyun Temple.
The white cloud qi defended steadily. Though it appeared drifting and thin, it was actually dense and thick, with extremely high defensive power.
However, the ghostly qi was cold and sinister. Yin energy swirled. It was no ordinary ghost, eroding the clouds, causing them to scatter. The formation trembled unsteadily, seemingly unable to hold much longer.
But now, Daoist Mingzhang had arrived above the battlefield. A giant white cloud hand seal suddenly appeared from nowhere, grasping downward toward the yin qi below.
“A Daoist true person!”
A hoarse, startled voice rang out. Yet there was no retreat or flight. Instead, the yin qi surged, transforming into countless sinister sword qi. Some shot toward the central cloud mass, while others rushed skyward in overwhelming numbers, piercing and dissipating the giant cloud hand seal.
“How bold!”
Daoist Mingzhang grew furious.
Though this ghost’s cultivation was not weak, it was absolutely no match for him. Yet upon his appearance, it dared continue attacking Yuanjing.
It was simply courting death!
Daoist Mingzhang snorted angrily. As his fingers shifted, a Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Talisman locked onto the ghost’s black light, swift as flashing lightning, shooting downward.
“Ah!”
The Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Talisman pierced the yin qi, seeking the ghost’s true body.
The ghost let out a miserable cry. After the cloud qi entered its body, its form destabilised. It flickered urgently, casting a spell. The next moment, it split into seven, hiding within the yin qi.
Then, it still shielded itself with masses of yin qi to resist Daoist Mingzhang above, while its true body slithered like a serpent, erupting origin yin qi into countless ghost seals that stabbed into the cloud mass. Amid ghostly wails and divine howls, it sought to erode the cloud mass completely.
This was a rhythm of resisting Daoist Mingzhang head-on, even at the cost of its own death, to kill Yuanjing!
What grudge? What hatred?
At this point, the central cloud mass teetered under the yin qi’s assault. Lu Zheng dared not delay further. He decisively acted, instantly appearing on the ghost’s other side. With a wave, he unleashed several Flowing Cloud Demon-Slaying Talismans.
This time, the ghost was finally shocked.
“There is another one?”
“Daring to attack a Baiyun Temple disciple? Then prepare to die a second time!”
With Lu Zheng and Daoist Mingzhang combining forces, an even larger expanse of cloud qi enveloped the surroundings. Dozens of Flowing Cloud Demon-Slaying and Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Talismans struck down. The two showed no mercy, directly scattering the yin qi.
“Ah!!!”
The ghost wailed miserably, still trying to assault the cloud mass with its final strength.
Unfortunately, Lu Zheng and Daoist Mingzhang would not give it the chance. Innate cloud qi threaded through, directly shattering it until its soul dispersed.
“Dead?”
“No! Not dead!”
Lu Zheng frowned. Only a mere few dozen strands of destiny light had entered his account.
Daoist Mingzhang’s gaze sharpened. “It is a ghost capable of soul-splitting technique, and this split soul was not important.”
“A formidable ghost!”
The soul-splitting method had pros and cons. It was not a common technique. To date, Lu Zheng had only seen one, the Night King, use it. Because the souls dispersed power, it had been defeated piecemeal by him and Xin Zhanting.
However…
This time it should be a formidable ghost. How had Yuanjing provoked this one?
Turning back, Lu Zheng saw the battlefield’s cloud qi disperse, revealing Yuanjing and another figure supporting each other.
“Senior Brother, you are injured again?”
Yuanjing’s brows shot up in anger. “I am not injured. Senior Brother Yuanye is injured!”
