The immortal is beside me

Chapter 46 If you ever find it, don’t forget to tell your ancestors

A banner was hung in the center with the words "Jianguo Road Community Chess Competition Finals" written on it. A group of people gathered around it, some chattering and commenting, some holding their breath and thinking, and everyone's eyes were focused on the chessboard in the center.

With a light click, the final chess piece was placed in the center, and the situation was decided.

The crowd erupted in excitement, filled with the sounds of national treasures, discussions, and analysis. Amidst the incessant cries of monkeys, the losing player slowly stood up and solemnly shook hands with his opponent.

"Brother Xiao Zhou's chess skills are truly amazing. I accept my defeat with complete conviction."

The man asked seriously, "Where did you learn this chess? Your level is not like that of an ordinary person."

Zhou Qing pulled his hand back and replied, "I learned it from a friend."

"Friend? What kind of friend could learn such a chess skill?" the other party exclaimed. "Is your friend a professional?"

"Of course not. How could our friend Xiao Zhou not understand chess?"

Uncle Wu, who was watching the game from the side, interrupted at the right moment. Turning to Zhou Qing, he said, "I've heard you talk about your chess friend for a long time. When are you going to ask him to come over and play chess with us?"

"I haven't seen him for a while." Zhou Qing said, "Let's talk about it when we have time to contact each other."

If you calculate it, it has been about six hundred years since we last saw each other.

Since returning to the mortal world, he hadn't yet visited his old friends from the immortal world. With the burden of his soul weighing on him, he had originally planned to rest for a decade or so, completing his earthly cultivation and fully recovering before returning to look for them. After all, hundreds of years had already passed, so a few more years wouldn't be a big deal.

Over the past thousands of years, he had come into contact with many people, but few could be considered friends. Back when he was a guest official at the Immortal Alliance, he had interacted with tens of thousands of people, but only two could be considered close personal friends: Ye Qiansheng and Yuan Tiangang.

Ye Qiansheng had been dead for many years. If Yuan Tiangang were still alive, he would have been his longest-standing friend.

He and the "genius demon" became acquainted after working together for several months to cut the dragon vein.

After cutting the dragon vein, Yuan Tiangang accepted the invitation of the Jiuli Immortal Alliance and returned to the Immortal Alliance with him to act as a cultivator.

As a rare practitioner of the Yi-shu technique, the alliance often asked Yuan Tiangang to assess fortunes and provide guidance for various operations. He later accompanied him many times, fighting alongside him in more than a thousand battles, and each time he was away for 1,300 years.

Of course, a monk’s life is not just about cultivating enlightenment and slaying demons, but also about having some entertainment occasionally.

"Chess?"

Zhou Wuqing looked at the chessboard in front of him, a little puzzled: "You, who practice Yi Shu, still need this kind of thing?"

Since the ascension of the new Emperor Li Longji, the wars on all sides have been gradually pacified, and the need for guest officials to participate in battles has become increasingly rare. He had nothing better to do today, so he had planned to leave the Immortal Alliance to relax, but on his way, he happened to run into Yuan Tiangang, who was tinkering at the chess table.

"The essence of Yi is nothing more than observation and deduction, and the Way of Go is the condensation of observation and deduction, making it naturally suitable for cultivation."

Yuan Tiangang sat behind the chessboard and put the pieces back in their places one by one. "But apart from cultivation, this chess itself is a great toy and fun to play with. Brother Zhou, do you want to try it?"

Zhou Wuqing glanced at the chess pieces with the words "Soldier", "Chariot" and "Horse" written on them, and thought for a moment.

He was bored today, so it would be nice to have some fun to kill time.

He leaned over and sat across from the chessboard: "How do you play this thing?"

"Horses move in a straight line, elephants fly across fields; chariots move in a straight line, cannons move over mountains; soldiers move horizontally and vertically across rivers; generals never leave their palaces, and their two soldiers never leave their generals' side."

Yuan Tiangang hummed a folk jingle and placed the last chess piece. "That's the rule. As for the details, we'll know after we make the next move."

"What's so difficult about this?" Zhou Wuqing picked up a piece and pushed it forward.

After a stick of incense.

Da. A car landed on the side, flanked by the artillery shells in front, and the car and artillery shot down.

"Checkmate." Yuan Tiangang withdrew his hand and sat back down cheerfully. Across from him, Zhou Wuqing stared at the chessboard, a rare look of surprise on his face.

"Brother Zhou is truly quick-witted. He's already become familiar with the game after just two games."

Yuan Tiangang laughed and said, "It's just that your chess moves, Brother Zhou, are too aggressive. You blindly attack while neglecting to defend. From the perspective of Yi Shu, this is a sign of being too aggressive and easily broken. You should moderate your aggressiveness to achieve further success."

Zhou Wuqing didn't answer him, but just stared at the chessboard, as if he was reviewing and thinking. After a while, he raised his hand and flicked it, and the messy chess pieces automatically returned to their original positions in an instant.

"Come again."

"I'm happy to accompany you." Yuan Tiangang nodded and pushed out a piece.

After another stick of incense.

"Oh, I never thought that the invincible Brother Zhou would have such a day. It's really rare."

Yuan Tiangang made his final move, fanning himself with a leisurely gesture. "For someone who has only just begun to understand the art of chess, and yet has achieved this level without the aid of Yi techniques, it's truly remarkable. I'm quite pleased with myself."

"Then that's all for today. Brother Zhou, if you're interested in meeting me again in the future, we can definitely come back." His smile froze, and he tried to get up, but couldn't. An invisible aura pressed down on him, pinning him firmly to his seat.

"Again." Zhou Wuqing stroked the table expressionlessly, and the chessboard returned to its place.

The leisurely folding fan stopped in the air, and the smile on Yuan Tiangang's face gradually disappeared. He felt like he had hit a wall.

Why haven't I heard before that this person has a competitive nature?

He immediately realized that most of the people who could compete with this person were dead.

"Uh...Brother Zhou, I remember the Fourth Elder said he wanted to talk to you about the previous expedition to the Turks. Why don't we just stop here today..."

"Let's talk after this game."

……

"...Brother Zhou, didn't the Elders' Hall assign you to investigate the situation in the Western Regions? Why don't you go first..."

"Let's go after this game."

……

"Ahem, Brother Zhou, my fan spirit looks a little tired. Let me first attach some spirit to it and then... hey, hey, what are you doing?"

"After the attachment, let's start another game."

"? How did you do that?"

"..."

"..."

"In the end, I stayed with him for seven days and seven nights. The disciples in the sect saw that we hadn't come out of seclusion for a long time and thought that we had gone astray in our cultivation. They were so scared that they came to rescue us."

In the quiet room of Tianji Academy, Yuan Tiangang stroked the chessboard in front of him and chuckled, "He's just like that. He doesn't like to be offended at all."

"Your old friend really has a unique personality." Luo Mingxian in front of him racked his brains for a long time before finding this word.

If the first story told by Yuan Tiangang made him sigh that he was a genius, then the second story was a fall from heaven to earth, making him even feel like his filter was broken.

"Of course." Yuan Tiangang said, "Back then, his temper was as famous as his strength. Anyone in the Immortal Alliance would start a long speech by mentioning his name."

"But later on, those people died, and no one mentioned those things anymore."

The room suddenly fell silent. Luo Mingxian, who was sitting at the desk, lowered his eyes and pretended to glance at the back of Yuan Tiangang's hand on the chess table.

The skin on the back of his hand was full of wrinkles, extending up the arm, as if time was eroding him from here.

In the world of immortal cultivation, this phenomenon has a special adjective - the Five Deteriorations of Heaven and Man.

"Practicing the art of Yi has allowed me to live for 1,700 years. I've witnessed countless births and deaths. It won't be long before I too die."

Yuan Tiangang said, with that faint smile on his face: "Let's take advantage of this opportunity to reminisce about the past, otherwise after I leave, no one will know about these old things."

Luo Mingxian took a deep breath and said, "Master, I have informed the capital and local authorities and have mobilized all forces in the country to search for you. I am sure we will find a way to prolong your life."

"No need for such polite words. I've told you many times before that violating the Heavenly Forbidden Law will inevitably harm your body and shorten your lifespan, and there's no cure. No one knows better than I do how much lifespan Heaven has left me."

Yuan Tiangang closed his eyes slightly. "It has been over six hundred years since Zhou Wuqing disappeared. During these six hundred years, I have tried countless methods to find clues about him, even trying to pry into the secrets of heaven, but I still haven't made any progress."

"In the coming time, I will slowly recount all those events to you one by one. When my life ends, you will inherit my legacy and, without violating the Heavenly Forbidden Principle, develop the ways of Yi Shu and continue searching for any traces of him on my behalf."

“If you ever find it, don’t forget to tell those who came before you.”

"."

Luo Mingxian looked at the wrinkles on his hands and wanted to say something but stopped himself several times.

These days, Yuan Tiangang has been giving lectures and arranging rituals more and more frequently. Everyone in the Tianji Academy just thought that the Heavenly Master was in a good mood to preach to the world. Only a very few people, including him, knew the real reason.

He was preparing for his own death.

Luo Mingxian was silent for a moment, then he put his hands on his knees and bowed slightly.

"I will obey the orders of the Heavenly Master."

(End of this chapter)