Longzang

Chapter 467 Life and Death Game
"Come in," Zhang Sheng said.

Bao Yun entered the guest room, sat down gracefully, placed her hands on her knees, and acted with elegance and propriety.

She seemed to be casually looking at the room's furnishings, but in reality she had been secretly observing Zhang Sheng. Then she said, "No wonder that such a senior uncle was famous throughout the Taichu Palace back then. Your generation was also hailed as the strongest generation in a hundred years."

Zhang Sheng said calmly, "We've all run into some problems now, and you've already surpassed us."

"On the path to enlightenment, how can there be no ups and downs? As long as there is no problem with one's heart for the Dao, one can overcome all difficulties."

Zhang Sheng nodded: "Indeed, as long as the Dao heart doesn't have problems."

Bao Yun's gaze casually swept over Zhang Sheng again, and she suddenly said, "I haven't properly thanked my uncle for pushing me back then! It turns out that everything is preordained."

Zhang Sheng chuckled and said, "What is preordained? Heaven and earth are unjust, so we should defy them. Yuan'er's idea is to change the world, don't you know that?"

"Whatever he wants to do, I will do my best to help him."

Zhang Sheng smiled faintly and said, "How's your new city construction going? Why haven't I seen the Bao family come to provide assistance?"

Bao Yun then said, "Several great-grandfathers wanted to come and help, but I declined. Now that the Bao family's money, goods, and people have been used, this city will truly belong to the Bao family. I was thinking that there will inevitably be a time in the future when I have to rely on the family's help. If I ask later, the city will be better built, and I can get more resources from them."

"Girls really are outgoing."

Bao Yun shook her head: "Uncle is joking again. There are always conflicts within the Bao family. I was almost sold to Donghai Island to be used as a breeding slave because of my damaged Dao foundation and insufficient talent. So now, the more resources I can use in the family, the less those who are competing with me will have. So I'm doing this for myself."

Upon hearing that his Dao Foundation was damaged, Zhang Sheng's eyes softened, and he said, "There are many ways to repair your Dao Body. We will keep an eye out for relevant treasures for you in the future, and you will get better eventually. However, your elders in the Bao Family are truly laughable. They even want to sell a junior like you! Humph, if I had been born a hundred years earlier, I would have bought you directly."

Bao Yun lowered her head slightly and said softly, "It seems that Martial Uncle's problem has been solved. It is truly gratifying that he can achieve great success on the path to immortality in just a hundred years."

Zhang Sheng nodded: "I have a general idea of ​​what lies ahead. Once I figure out the last few things, I can start rebuilding."

"Uncle-Master is indeed a peerless genius! Then I wish you all the best in your journey!"

Zhang Sheng smiled and suddenly said, "You silly girl, what you want, I might be able to give you. Yuan'er, come in!"

Wei Yuan had already left his courtyard and was tiptoeing towards the edge of the main peak, preparing to escape under the cover of night. But Zhang Sheng's voice suddenly rang in his ears, instantly turning him into a statue.

Wei Yuan slowly turned around and moved step by step toward Zhang Sheng's courtyard, his speed comparable to that of an elderly woman in her seventies or a seriously ill tortoise.

Zhang Sheng's voice rang in his ears again: "Hurry up!"

Wei Yuan smiled wryly and could only activate his movement technique, his figure flashing as he appeared in the main hall.

Sitting before him were Zhang Sheng and Bao Yun, like two magnificent mountain peaks, each with its own unique scenery. At this moment, Wei Yuan felt that if the world's scenery could be measured in ten measures, eight measures of it would probably be contained within this room.

Wei Yuan focused his mind, calming himself and emptying his thoughts, remaining silent. Suddenly, several potential problems surfaced in his mind, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. He turned to flee!
Zhang Sheng smiled slightly and said, "You stop right there! I have a question for you on behalf of Bao Yatou: Between the two of us, who do you think is more beautiful?"

Wei Yuan's vision went black! This question was truly a matter of life and death, determining both the winner and the loser.

At this moment, all worldly activity ceased, as if the world were dead.

In that instant, Wei Yuan thought about many things, and also reflected on his life, lamenting the many twists and turns of fate.

But after thinking about it so much, I still can't come up with an answer. This question can't be answered, nor can it be left unanswered; it requires a ranking, yet there's no clear ranking. Answering quickly is wrong, answering slowly is wrong, and not answering is also wrong.

In a moment of panic, Wei Yuan blurted out, "This disciple is face-blind and cannot tell whether a woman is pretty or not..."

Both women were taken aback.

Bao Yun covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "Look how you've driven your junior brother to the point of talking nonsense." Zhang Sheng then said, "Alright, you can go now."

Wei Yuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and vanished instantly.

After Wei Yuan disappeared, Zhang Shengfang picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and said, "You won this round. Are you satisfied?"

Bao Yun shook her head: "He just feels more guilty towards me. I'd rather he said you're beautiful, that would be a real win."

Zhang Sheng snorted and said, "So you're going to elevate me to a high position only to push me down again?"

Bao Yun laughed and said, "How could that be? Of course, I'm enjoying the scenery with my sister from a high place."

Zhang Sheng was also somewhat helpless towards her. Looking at her noticeably paler and weaker new left hand, his heart softened. Otherwise, as a disciple of the Azure Sky Palace, Zhang Sheng's wit in arguments far surpassed his swordsmanship; even if he couldn't win an argument, he could still infuriate someone.

Bao Yun, knowing when to stop, changed the subject and asked, "I heard that there was a traitor in the Azure Netherworld during the last Great Curse of Cause and Effect. Has there been any follow-up on that matter?"

Zhang Sheng said, "We've got a general idea, but he doesn't want to investigate any further, and I'm a little reluctant to either."

"So, those are people from the Heavenly Azure and Water Moon Palaces. This is tantamount to betraying one's master and ancestors. Why not investigate? If you, sister, can't bring yourself to do it, then I will! If it weren't for my junior brother's good fortune that day, he would have been taken away by the Great Curse of Karma long ago! You are all magnanimous and won't hold it against me, but this grudge is too great, and I must avenge it!"

Zhang Sheng thought for a moment and then said, "If you want to, then do it. But first, let me report to Ancestor Xuan Yue, and you should also inform Ancestor Huang Yun."

"That's natural."

At this point, Baoyun prepared to take her leave, but before leaving, she suddenly asked, "Sister, have you been sleeping well lately?"

"Things shouldn't happen more than three times. From now on, just call me 'Uncle-Master.' I'm currently in mortal form and need to sleep for a while every day. Is there a problem?"

"It's nothing, I was just asking."

Bao Yun took her leave and returned to her residence in the new city a moment later. Seeing that it was still dark, she went to bed fully clothed, disguised her consciousness anew, and slept soundly until dawn without even having a dream.

Zhang Sheng had already completed multiple tasks at her seat, and she was now able to handle sixteen tasks simultaneously.

Wei Yuan sat in his study, restless. He knew he had definitely answered wrong, but he didn't know the correct answer. The question had been submitted to the "human element" (a metaphor for a resourceful person), but the lack of an answer was infuriating. If things continued to be handled at this pace, he would have been executed several times over by now.

Everything else in the everyday world is normal, but this question is the only one I can't answer; perhaps it really is difficult.

Just then, a cultivator came in carrying a box of books, saying that it was sent from the Kingdom of Wu.

Wei Yuan took the book box, opened it, and saw that it contained ten chess manuals titled "Ten Games of Scribbles," with a line of small print on the cover: "Annotations by Chen Zhou and Qiu Yue."

Wei Yuan's spirits lifted, and he immediately picked up a book and began to read it carefully.

Upon seeing one of the moves, Shen Zhou commented: "...This move is skillfully simple, seemingly foolish and evil, but in reality, its layout is far-reaching, and its effect lies dozens of steps ahead. It is like a strange rock in a deep mountain, which appears crude, but is actually born from heaven and earth, and is already close to the Dao!"

The monk Qiuyue also said, "...Is this how a person makes moves, or a celestial being?"

As Wei Yuan read, he absorbed the Qi (vital energy). The Qi came from all directions, a perfect balance of blue and purple, indicating that the chess manual had been printed and was circulating widely, with more and more people studying it. Chen Zhou, Qiu Yue, and the Seventh Elder's friends were naturally among the first to see it; being friends meant their cultivation levels were roughly equal. Therefore, Wei Yuan was absorbing an exceptionally large amount of purple Qi at this moment.

How to use this purple aura will be studied later; Wei Yuan was focused on reading the commentary at the moment.

To be honest, although Wei Yuan played this game, I couldn't understand his moves at all. I only understood their brilliance and how powerful they were after reading the commentary and annotations. It's quite remarkable that Chenzhou Qiuyue wrote ten chess manuals without praising the same move twice.

So Wei Yuan's lips curled up as he carefully read the annotations, reading them repeatedly, still wanting more, completely forgetting about his near-death experience.

(End of this chapter)