Mortal: Traveling Between Two Realms with Mei Ning to Pick Up Trash

The next day, it was just beginning to get light.

Before the market had even come to life, the roosters crowed.

Zhou Yu opened his eyes, heard the sound, and decided not to sleep any longer, so he got out of bed.

He opened the window; the dew on the bamboo leaves was still wet. Zhou Yu washed his face and walked towards the front shop.

The soul of the song is already inside.

The counter had been wiped clean, the floor swept, and the jade bottles on the shelf rearranged. Qu Hun sat behind the counter, reading a book.

Zhou Yu was amazed. Didn't the puppets need to rest?

Without asking any further questions, he stood by the counter, took out the jade slip containing the elixir manual, and continued reading from where he left off yesterday. Line by line, the text swept through his divine sense: the names, properties, identification, and refining methods of the elixirs.

As I watched for a while, my mind gradually calmed down, as if a stream was flowing by, washing away all my distracting thoughts.

My thoughts drifted in without me even realizing it.

So much so that Han Li walked right past him without noticing.

Until the sound of the chessboard hitting the table reached us, not loud, but exceptionally clear in the quiet shop.

Zhou Yu suddenly came to his senses, looked up, and saw that Han Li had already set up the chessboard.

"What are you looking at?" Han Li picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked in a calm tone.

Zhou Yu put away the jade slip, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Some medical texts."

Han Li hummed in agreement, did not ask any further questions, and picked up a black piece, placing it on the chessboard.

Zhou Yu smiled, walked over, sat down opposite him, picked up a white piece, and placed it down.

Han Li's start was much more stable than yesterday; he didn't move fast, but he took each step steadily.

Zhou Yu wasn't in a hurry and followed his rhythm. The number of black and white pieces on the chessboard gradually increased. Although the layout wasn't particularly ingenious, it was still quite orderly.

……

The two seemed to be completely absorbed in the moment.

As more and more black and white pieces appeared on the chessboard, it resembled two armies facing off, advancing and retreating, surrounding and attacking, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

The bamboo grove outside the window rustled, and the wind blew in, moving a few pieces on the chessboard. Neither of them spoke; only the sound of chess pieces being placed on the board could be heard.

A person quietly peeked out of the window on the side.

With graying hair, he leaned against the windowsill, glancing at the black pieces one moment and the white pieces the next, his mouth slightly open.

Zhou Yu didn't sense it, but Han Li did, though he didn't seem to have any ill intentions, so he didn't bother with it.

The old man watched for a while, then frowned and muttered something under his breath. He gripped the windowsill and leaned closer and closer into the room.

Zhou Yu made a move.

The old man clicked his tongue.

Han Li made a move.

The old man cried out, finally unable to resist, and climbed over the windowsill. Despite his age, he was surprisingly agile.

He stood by the chessboard, his face almost pressed against it, and studied it carefully for a long time.

"You can't play this game like that," he said, pointing to a white piece on the side. "Here, this is the right place. You're playing too softly. You don't capture when you should capture, and you don't block when you should block. You're playing like an old lady binding her feet."

Zhou Yu looked up and glanced at the old man.

The old man was wearing a white robe, his eyes fixed on the chessboard.

Master He?

"Senior is..." Zhou Yu stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.

The old man waved his hand. "My surname is He, and I live in the cave up there. I play chess, I play chess."

Master He glanced at Zhou Yu and then at Han Li.

Zhou Yu paused for a moment and looked at Han Li.

Han Li held the teacup, took a sip, and his face remained expressionless.

Master He didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly by the chessboard, cross-legged on the ground, looking up at the two of them.

"Come on, who wants to play a game with me?"

Zhou Yu glanced at Han Li, who put down his teacup, leaned back, and gave up his seat.

"Come here," he said to Zhou Yu.

Master He has already set up the chess pieces.

"You should leave quickly," the old man pushed Hei Zi in front of Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu picked up a black piece and placed it on the star position.

Master He picked up the white characters and then let them fall.

After finishing a few moves, Zhou Yu slowed down.

The old man's playing style is different from Han Li's. Han Li is steady and plays solidly, while the old man is fierce and goes straight for close combat.

Zhou Yu's playing style is rather soft. He tried to go around the opponent, but the old man wouldn't let him. He tried to retreat, but the old man wouldn't let him retreat either.

Zhou Yu frowned slightly, but the old man became more and more energetic.

"Young man, your chess moves are too soft," Master He said as he placed a piece. "Playing chess is like fighting a war. You have to use your strength to overwhelm others, but you also have to be tough when necessary."

Zhou Yu didn't reply, but looked at the chessboard, trying to find a way out.

Pick up the black stone and place it in one spot.

Master He looked at the move and smiled. "Interesting."

Instead of blocking Zhou Yu, he continued to expand the perimeter. Zhou Yu's black pieces managed to make a comeback in a corner, but the outer perimeter territory had already been almost completely swallowed up.

By the endgame, Black's disadvantage was already quite obvious.

After counting the coins, Master He clapped his hands and laughed like a child.

"We won! We won!"

After he finished laughing, he stared at the chessboard for a long time, his gaze settling on the group of black pieces that were surrounded.

I watched for a few breaths.

Zhou Yu shook his head and smiled, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, saying, "Senior He's chess skills are profound; this junior is no match for him."

Master He looked up at Zhou Yu and smiled, "You're not bad."

"Let me give it a try." Han Li had been watching for a long time and was itching to try it himself.

Zhou Yu stood up and made way for him, extending his hand, "Shopkeeper."

The two players set up their respective chess pieces, with black and white pieces placed on either side.

Zhou Yu stood to the side, watching quietly.

At first, Han Li was able to cope. His chess style was steady, and no matter how fierce Master He was, he remained calm and composed.

But by the middle of the game, Zhou Yu could tell that Han Li couldn't hold on any longer.

Han Li's pace slowed down as he placed his pieces. He stared at the chessboard, his brows furrowed, picking up and putting down the black pieces in his hand.

Master He, on the other hand, became more and more relaxed as he went down.

"Young man, your chess moves are too steady," he said as he placed a piece, "every move is correct, but every move is within the opponent's calculations. In chess, you can't just make the right moves; you have to keep your opponents guessing."

Han Li didn't reply, and placed the black piece on the screen.

Master He shook his head, picked up a white piece, and gently placed it down.

Zhou Yu looked at the black pieces being surrounded and attacked by the white pieces, and said nothing.

After counting the coins, Master He laughed again.

"Come on, let's continue."

……

"Old He, don't you get bored living alone on the mountain?" Zhou Yu asked casually after making a move.

"It's quite good," Master He said, picking up a chess piece. "I loved playing chess when I was young, but unfortunately, my chess friends passed away one after another during my seclusion, and there weren't many people left to play chess with me. Now I'm starting to think back to the fun I had back then."

Zhou Yu glanced at Master He, surprised that he had such a past. Han Li paused for a moment, holding the teacup.

Zhou Yu picked up a chess piece and said, "Then I'll have to play a good game with you, old man."

Master He laughed heartily, "Very good, very good!"

"Hey, hey!"

A clear, childlike voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the three's thoughts.

Zhou Yu, Han Li, and Master He all turned their heads and looked in the direction of the sound.

A child, about eight or nine years old, appeared in the lobby.

Seeing the three looking at him, he remained calm and unhurried. Instead, he took a half step back, cupped his hands, and struck a pose that was not quite standard but had its own imposing air.

"My Buddhist name is—Little Dragon!"

It was the same child who bumped into Zhou Yu in the alley yesterday.

As soon as Xiaolong finished speaking, his gaze swept over the three people, then caught sight of Qu Hun's expressionless face behind the counter. He paused slightly, then cried out "Ah!" and turned to run outside, shouting as he ran, "Dad, come quick! Come quick!"

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Master He stroked his white beard, shook his head, and chuckled. Han Li remained expressionless, simply setting down his teacup. Zhou Yu, however, recognized the child first, sighed helplessly, and got up to leave.

Han Li and Master He also arrived at the main hall.

At the gate stood a middle-aged man, looking helpless; he was clearly just an ordinary person.

Upon seeing Han Li, he became even more reserved, rubbing his hands together. "Shopkeeper...may I ask...does this mean my son can cultivate immortality?"

Han Li's gaze fell on the spiritual root talisman on the ground that Xiao Long had used. The spiritual light on the talisman had dimmed, but the patterns were still faintly discernible.

He paused for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Uncle, this talisman is called the Spirit Root Talisman. It can only detect whether one has a spiritual root, but not the type of spiritual root."

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man was overjoyed. He pulled Xiaolong into his arms, his voice choked with emotion, "He can cultivate immortality... my son can cultivate immortality!"

Little Dragon, hands on his hips, chest puffed out, grinned and said, "Dad, once I become a cultivator, I can help you with the heavy work!"

The middle-aged man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he simply nodded forcefully.

Xiao Long turned to Han Li, his gaze falling on the used talisman. He suddenly said, "Boss, I've used this talisman, so no one else can use it."

As he spoke, he darted to the side, grabbed Zhou Yu's sleeve, and looked up at him with a grin, "Big brother who cultivates immortality! So you live here!"

Zhou Yu looked down at those bright, sparkling eyes, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Why not just give it to me!" Xiao Long patted his chest. "Once I've mastered my cultivation, I'll definitely protect you all!"

Han Li glanced at Zhou Yu, his lips twitching slightly in a half-smile. "Your friend?"

Zhou Yu sighed, pulled Xiao Long away, and looked at Han Li, "We only met once."

Zhou Yu gently pulled Xiaolong's hand away, squatted down, and said seriously, "This talisman is not mine; it depends on the shopkeeper's decision." As he spoke, he glanced at Han Li.

Xiao Long was quick-witted. He immediately let go of Zhou Yu, turned around and ran to Han Li, stood properly, looked up, and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.

Han Li seemed somewhat helpless as well.

The middle-aged man also came to his senses and hurriedly stepped forward, his face full of shame. "Shopkeeper, how much is this talisman? Can I...can I pay it on credit? I promise I'll pay you back! I'll sell everything I own to pay you back!"

Han Li glanced at the talisman, then at the little dragon, then at Zhou Yu, remained silent for a moment, and nodded slightly.

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, repeatedly bowing and thanking the shopkeeper, "Thank you so much, shopkeeper! Thank you so much, shopkeeper!"

Xiao Long jumped up with joy, grabbed the middle-aged man's arm, and shouted to Han Li, "Thank you, boss!"

He turned to look at Zhou Yu again, "So you live here! I'll remember that! I'll come find you again to play!"

The middle-aged man thanked him repeatedly, then pulled Xiaolong along and hurried out of the bamboo forest. Even after they had gone quite a distance, Xiaolong's voice could still be heard drifting back, "Dad, Mom will be so happy when she finds out—"

The sound faded into the twilight.

Han Li stood with his hands behind his back at the shop entrance, watching the backs of the father and son disappear into the distance. After a long while, he turned around and went back into the shop.

Master He stroked his beard and smiled, "It's also a matter of fate."

Zhou Yu looked at the empty bamboo path, shook his head, and followed them in.