Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 194 A Gamble
Qinghe County enjoyed a rare and beautiful day with gentle breezes and sunshine, free from wind and frost.

On the Qingyuan River, Jiang Chen rode the wind.

"They arrived even faster than I expected. I thought they would hesitate."

On the ship, feeling a sense of longing, Qi Xiuning turned his gaze to the distance.

In a short while, Jiang Chen's figure appeared in front of the ship.

"Is he Qi Xiuning?"

With a quick glance, Jiang Chen locked onto Qi Xiuning's figure. Qi Xiuning was sitting by the window, wearing a crane-patterned robe, with two strands of white hair falling from his temples. He looked serene and exuded an air of composure.

With these thoughts racing through his mind, Jiang Chen landed, while the people on the ship, having already received Qi Xiuning's instructions, naturally had no reason to stop him.

"Jiang Chen of the Taiping Sect greets the Prefect."

Led by his attendant, Jiang Chen entered the room and bowed to Qi Xiuning.

Seeing this, Qi Xiuning did not hold back at all and immediately returned the greeting. At this time, although Jiang Chen's cultivation was only at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, no one in Qingyuan County dared to underestimate him with just the sword in his hand, not even the county governor.

That's why he chose to talk to Jiang Chen instead of forcing him. Of course, no matter what, he wanted to protect Liao Yonghuai, as he was indeed very interested in the secrets behind Liao Yonghuai.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, please take a seat."

Addressing each other as fellow Daoists, Qi Xiuning made a gesture of invitation.

Upon hearing this, without any hesitation, Jiang Chen sat down directly opposite Qi Xiuning.

“Fellow Daoist Jiang, Magistrate Liao is an official of the dynasty. Although his power and responsibilities are not great, he still governs a county and represents the face of the court. I know that he has some grudges against you, but he cannot die no matter what.”

"I hope you can let go of your grudges with him. In return, he is willing to give you a priceless treasure to atone for your past mistakes."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, realizing that he couldn't get any information out of her, Qi Xiuning directly stated her purpose.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen remained silent and quietly put down his teacup.

Their eyes met, and a faint but palpable sharpness emanated from Jiang Chen. Although he said nothing, his attitude was already clear.

Looking at Jiang Chen like this, Qi Xiuning remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“Sword cultivators are often unyielding, but you are not only a sword cultivator, but also the leader of a sect. You need to consider the Taiping Sect more.”

"Now that you have broken through to the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, the Taiping Sect also needs to shoulder more responsibilities. If you are willing, in addition to Qinghe County, Qingxi County can also be entrusted to the Taiping Sect for defense in the future."

Having backed down, Qi Xiuning offered a new bargaining chip.

Besides the area surrounding the county seat, Qingyuan County also has three other counties. Although the county seat has the largest area and the most resources, even a single county is extraordinary. In terms of cultivation environment alone, Qingxi County is better than Qinghe County.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen remained silent, but his aura momentarily faltered.

Having discerned this subtle change, Qi Xiuning knew that there was still room for discussion.

"Qingxi County alone is not enough. The truly valuable resources of Qingyuan Prefecture are all within the territory directly under the jurisdiction of the prefectural city. I need a share of the spirit sand mine." Jiang Chen stated his request in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiuning immediately frowned.

There is a spirit sand mine in Qingyuan County, which was previously jointly managed by the Lu family, the Wen family, and the county governor's office. The Lu family held the largest share, followed by the Wen family, and the county governor's office held the smallest share.

However, although the prefectural governor's office occupies a very small share, far less than the Lu and Wen families, it has the power to supervise and distribute spirit sand. This is a common strategy used by the central government of Nan Jing Kingdom to divide local families and maintain a delicate balance through the distribution of core resources such as spirit sand mines.

“Fellow Daoist, I cannot fulfill your request. Only forces with a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator in charge and sufficient resources are qualified to occupy a share of the spirit sand mine. This is the law of the imperial court and a consensus reached by various forces in Qingyuan County. Even I cannot break it.”

Shaking his head, Qi Xiuning refused Jiang Chen's request.

Upon receiving this answer, Jiang Chen's aura turned icy cold once more.

Noticing this change, Qi Xiuning glanced at Jiang Chen.

“You don’t need to put on such an act. Rules are rules. This applies to the Spirit Sand Mine, and it applies to Liao Yonghuai’s life and death. In any case, the laws of the court must never be trampled on.”

With a solemn expression, Qi Xiuning did not back down this time. In an instant, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat heavy. However, at this moment, Qi Xiuning changed his tone again.

"Fine, this time I've put you in a difficult position. Besides, there's still human sentiment under the law. How about this, you and I play chess. If you can beat me, I promise you that as long as you reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage, regardless of whether the Taiping Sect's resources are sufficient, I can ensure you get a share of the spirit sand mine immediately."

"If you lose, the treasure and Qingxi County will still be yours, but the spirit sand mine is out of the question, how about that?"

With a hint of helplessness on his aged face, Qi Xiuning proposed a bet.

Upon hearing this, and looking at Qi Xiuning, Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Seeing this, Qi Xiuning waved his sleeve, took out a chessboard, and gestured to Jiang Chen to invite him to join in.

Seeing this, without hesitation, Jiang Chen took the white pen and went first.

Go is a common pastime in the cultivation world. It evolved from the formation chess used by great cultivators to deduce formations and is quite mysterious. Although Jiang Chen himself did not know much about Go, his predecessor was extremely talented in this art.

He was taught by the White Crane Taoist in his childhood, and after a short period of study, he was able to beat the White Crane Taoist. It was from that time on that the White Crane Taoist never played chess with his predecessor again.

The white piece was placed, the black piece followed, and soon the room fell silent except for the sound of the pieces falling.

After about a hundred moves, the previously tense game took a new turn, with Black gaining a significant advantage and White falling into a complete disadvantage.

Holding a white piece and looking at the chessboard before him, Jiang Chen frowned, unable to make a move for a moment.

Looking at Jiang Chen like this, Qi Xiuning smiled slightly and did not urge him. He simply picked up his teacup, took a sip, and had to admit that Jiang Chen's chess skills were stronger than he had expected. It was just a pity that he lacked a bit of inspiration, so he spent some effort to set a trap and lock in the winning opportunity. Now, even if Jiang Chen realized it, he was powerless to turn the tide.

However, what he didn't know was that while Jiang Chen seemed to be pondering the chess game and trying to escape, his mind had actually wandered far away.

At that very moment, in the river, the mist dragon, which had been silent all along, slowly opened its eyes. Unlike its previous empty gaze, the mist dragon's eyes were now filled with a human-like quality.

(End of this chapter)