Chapter 974 Chess
Li Mu was on the fourth day of his stay in the Sanctuary of the Way when his presence was requested for an audience with the Grand Master of the Sanctuary and the Supreme Savant of the Brotherhood of Swords. That was also the day when the first snow fell.
In one single night, winter came quietly and draped the whole world under a sheet of white.
Every inch of the wilderness save for places within range of Trees of Eternity had turned into a subzero tundra. Even Upper King Realm elites could be frozen to death if left exposed to such harsh cold conditions for too long.
The Serenity Mountains where the Sanctuary of the Way was perched have a total of five Trees of Eternity. Each of different sizes, the Trees were arranged in a pentagram formation with one at the main summit of Old Sand Ridge being the biggest. The Trees ceaselessly enveloped the entire mountain range in soft emerald-green phosph.o.r.escent domes of their emanation, keeping the whole area safe from harm.
The champions on the summit of Old Sand Ridge were hardly concerned about any attacks by wild beasts, but even they relied on the Trees of Eternity to provide refuge and sanctuary from the frigid cold of the winter.
Such miraculous beings as the Trees of Eternity are, they could survive the deadly cold of winter while their glowing emanation provides warmth as well.
Green Ox led Li Mu to the highest point of the Old Sand Ridge summit where they came to the entrance of a fenced enclosure of a modest-looking hay shack that seemed rather quaint to Li Mu. Hanging over the bamboo-hewn door of the shack was a plaque that says:
The Hall of Virtue.
It was a stark contrast to what anyone would think of when a.s.sociated with the word “Hall”, more so, with the droves of chickens skittering back and forth around the snow-covered compound. Notwithstanding the sight of a beagle slumbering languidly at the door of the shack and its kennel sitting just nearby. The dog gave Li Mu not so much as a cursory glance, never mind a bark or a growl fierce enough to drive any unwanted intruders away,
“This is the Hall of Virtue? The sanctum of the greatest symbol of power and might on the Old Sand Ridge in Serenity Land?!”
Li Mu was beginning to wonder if this was some sort of joke or if was this all just some illusion.
He swiveled around to face Green Ox with an expression that think, “Have you taken me to the way place?”
Green Ox merely beamed as if he had seen this coming. “Go on in. The Grand Master is inside waiting for you.”
“Very well,” Li Mu nearly groaned out loud.
“If that’s your way of saying that this is the right place.”
Li Mu stood at the bamboo fence of the enclosure. He pushed past the gates and stepped into the compound.
Creak!
The protesting squeal of the door being opened immediately caught the attention of the chickens. A rooster—colored orange, red and black—c.o.c.ked its head up, its chest puffing warily at the sight of an intruder here to plunder its territory and female mates. In contrast, the rural dog did not even open its eyes, its peaceful slumber remaining undisturbed.
“That’s something in common with that b.l.o.o.d.y Husky,” muttered Li Mu.
Everything here is filled with the same rustic atmosphere of a countryside hamlet.
For one moment, Li Mu saw himself back in Randeng Temple on Earth.
“Li Mu here to see the Grand Master of the Sanctuary. Requesting permission to enter.”
Li Mu bowed in full salute at the front of the hay shack’s door.
“Do come in.”
A cheerful voice rang from the other side of the door.
Li Mu stepped up the ledge and pushed in.
The first thing he noticed was how brightly lit and s.p.a.cious was the inside of the shack.
A grandpa-like old man was sitting in a chair in the living area of the shack, facing a middle-aged man who reeked of nothing but booze. The elderly man with hair and beard as white as the snow outside was in a game of chess against his inebriated companion. But what amazed Li Mu was not then but instead the chessboard. “That was Chinese chess!” At any rate, it was a very surrealistic sensation since the older man looked older than the history of Chinese chess itself.
Something told Li Mu that the drunken man must be the Sword Savant Green Ox mentioned earlier.
Li Mu had been speaking to Green Ox the way earlier. Apparently, the Sword Savant is a figure of prominence and prestige that many feared and admired in equal measure. As the deadliest and fiercest luminary in the crafts of swordsmans.h.i.+p the domains of Men had witnessed in a thousand years, he one day realized that he needed to mellow down. That prompted him to come here where he could enjoy the tranquility and peacefulness as a form of self-enrichment and he became a frequent guest of Old Sand Ridge since then.
The Sword Savant lifted his droopy eyelids at the stranger who entered.
Li Mu immediately felt his hair rise. The pair of eyes, though drowsy and half-opened, emitted such a gaze that speared straight through his body and soul like a pair of swords. The chilly premonition of death seeped through him and he felt the phantom sensation of being stabbed, inundating him with terror and petrifying panic.
All that discomfort came from just one stare.
There was no doubting it. This man could have killed him without so much as lifting a finger.
That’s scary.
On the other hand, the frost-maned elderly bear of a man with remarkable features exuded a more friendly appearance, a constant resemblance to the many grandpas relaxing and lazing in a nursing home for senior citizens.
“Greetings, sirs.”
Li Mu politely bowed to them both.
“Heh, Come here! I’m sure you’ve seen this game before. Come have a look!” The elderly man turned around to glance at Li Mu with a smile.
Li Mu complied and approached them.
He could barely boast of any exceptional talent in chess. With just as much skill as the regular enthusiast, directly facing two connoisseurs who appeared to know more about chess than him was not his ideal way to impress them. But when he craned over to peer at the chessboard, he was so flabbergasted that cold sweat broke all over his forehead.
“What on Earth am I looking at?!
“Is this a joke?!”
The first notion that crossed Li Mu’s mind was that two of the Battlefield of Chaos’ most powerful figures were having a go at him. But the longer he observed the game, the more he was certain: this was not a joke. They really were novices in chess play.
“They’re just noobs!
“Amateurs who are no better than me!”
Between the two, the Grand Master of the Sanctuary was the better player.
Li Mu was astounded. “I thought they always say that champions often have keener and more brilliant minds than most people?! What are these two noobs doing?! They should have been able to easily steamroller professional players like those on Earth!”
“Hahaha! A draw game! Your chess play is improving, my old friend! Your skills are now on par with mine, the best chess player of the Brotherhood of Swords…” muttered the middle-aged man, exhaling another breath of alcoholic effluvium. His hand came up without warning, sweeping across the board viciously and knocking the chess pieces onto the floor.
“Huh?!”
Li Mu nearly bit on his own tongue in shock.
“What’s that for?!
“He was about to lose. Yet he swiped the board and threw everything to the ground. That’s just… cheating. This is the best chess player in the Brotherhood? Or is he the best simply because no one wishes to antagonize him?”
But the elderly Grand Master looked unfazed. This dearly wasn’t the first time this happened.
Li Mu wiped the sweat off his brows nervously.
“Perhaps this is the lat.i.tude you get by being one of the deadliest men in these parts.”
“Your skills do have improved, my friend,” responded the Grand Master before he peered at Li Mu. “You seem to know chess as well, young one. How about a game with the Sword Savant? He’s known for two things: his unrivaled skills with the sword and his love for chess. The latter is what he enjoyed above all else.”
“Ah?!
“Are you being serious?! Me?!
“So you two big shots summoned me here for the purpose of chess?!”
The Sword Savant sn.i.g.g.e.red smugly. “Oh? You admit that I’m beginning to outstrip you? That’s why you found someone else to join us? Good. So be it then. Come, brat. Let’s see what you can do,” he said, pointing at one of the bamboo chairs in the corner like a bully in the playground spoiling for a duel.
Li Mu was just about to lower himself into the chair when the Grand Master said suddenly, “Wait a minute. How about a wager? This is the first time you’re playing against each other. What are you giving up if my friend Li here defeats you?”
“As if he could,” the Sword Savant snorted, pulling out a flask of wine from no one knew where and upended it, emptying its contents down his throat. “If he could defeat me,” he said happily, “Then I’ll pick something out of my Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p discipline. Heck, if he deserves it, I’ll even teach him all seventy-two techniques in the discipline!”
“Is that true?!” Even the old Grand Master himself was surprised. “As far as I know, you have not imparted the entirety of that Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p to all three students of yours, no? Are you really certain about this?”
The Sword Savant produced another flask of wine and gulped down every drop inside. “Since when have I gone against my word? What’s more, the brat needs to win me before that! You think that’s easy?”
The old Grand Master bobbed his head, but he quietly and furtively gave Li Mu a knowing look.
Li Mu did not fail to notice it, but he felt confused and puzzled all the same.
“Is this him trying to help me?!
“Is he trying to set up his own friend?!”
At any rate, Li Mu has nothing to lose. As two of the few most powerful men in the Battlefield of Chaos, both the Sword Savant and the old Grand Master were at least Emperor-cla.s.s Cultivators, meaning, the Whitehair Swordsmans.h.i.+p he mentioned must be a discipline that could at least match his level as well.
“So all I have to do is just win seventy-two times?”
Li Mu s.h.i.+fted himself in the bamboo chair, starting to plot his success.
But with barely any talent in chess, he could not be certain of complete success. He needed something more.
“How? What can I do?”
Li Mu thought of an idea he remembered. It was from Earth.
He retrieved his cell phone and powered up his music player app. “I love listening to music when I’m playing chess,” he explained.
“Oh, that? Is it called a cell phone? High Chieftain of the Beast Race Zhong Dajun has something like that too. He was using it when we met. That thing’s only decadence, brat, and for that, he has only the understanding of a wooden pail when it comes to chess. He’s lousy.”
“High Chieftain of the Beast Race Zhong Dajun?”
The name sounds funny, but hearing that he has a cellphone too made Li Mu wonder if he too was from Earth. Li Mu made a mental note of the name. Perhaps one day he could find out more about this fellow.
“Please, sir,” Li Mu offered the Sword Savant to make the first move.
Standing not on ceremony, the Sword Savant took his first piece: a red s.h.i.+—which loosely translates as “guard”—and moved it forward.
Li Mu made his moves following the instructions on his phone.
In barely a quarter of an hour, the Sword Savant could not believe his eyes.
He had lost.
“That’s impossible!? You’re so good at chess!” He stared at Li Mu with eyes as large as saucers.
This time, he no longer looked at Li Mu with that same penetrating gaze. It was more of a confused and astonished stare like any other ordinary man.
“Lost by just one move, my friend. What a shame,” the old Grand Master commented.
“d.a.m.n, brat. I can’t believe that you have such skills in chess play despite your age. All right, time to go serious this time.” The Sword Savant began rearranging the pieces.
“After you, sir,” Li Mu said again.
Another quarter of an hour pa.s.sed.
“Another game!” The Sword Savant refused to accept his defeat.
That would be followed by a string of defeats…
“Again!”
“One more!”
“Another game!”
“That’s impossible! Again!”
In two hours, the most feared swordsman of the land lost a total of twelve games at Li Mu’s hand. Li Mu responded to each and every maneuver he employed with unnerving alacrity and swiftness, making his move almost immediately after the Sword Savant has ended his turn. It was the Sword Savant who had to take time to think.