Chapter 91: Playing Weiqi

YUWEN SONG HADN’T THOUGHT that he’d wake to another person in the room. He even thought that he must still be half-asleep. He blinked several times, then rubbed his eyes, unable to help himself. Only then did he tentatively ask, “…‌Sect Leader Yan?”

This entire trip, he’d behaved himself like a miniature adult, and it was rare for him to do something so childish. Shen Qiao was secretly amused and said gently, “I trust that you know this man. He’s indeed Huanyue Sect Leader Yan. You should greet him properly.”

Yuwen Song cupped his hands and bowed. “The junior Yuwen Song greets Sect Leader Yan.”

Yan Wushi made a sound of acknowledgment, which was already quite obliging coming from him. “No need for courtesies,” he said. “We last met two years ago, but a glance from me is enough to see that you’ve grown quite a bit.”

“In that case, would you like to apprentice under my venerable self?” said Yan Wushi.

A faint sullenness came over Shen Qiao’s face. “How unkind of you, Sect Leader Yan. When did you sink to the point of stealing someone else’s disciples?!”

Yan Wushi gave a leisurely smile. “Look at his reaction: he didn’t immediately refuse. In fact, he even hesitated after hearing this suggestion of mine. It’s obvious he’d rather be this venerable one’s disciple than yours!”

Yuwen Song rushed to declare his loyalty. “I’m grateful for Sect Leader Yan’s favor, but this junior has already told Daoist Master Shen that he’d follow the Daoist discipline. The word of an upright gentleman is no different from a swift horse: once spoken, it cannot be reined in. I beg Sect Leader Yan’s understanding!”

Yan Wushi raised an eyebrow. “What’s so great about being his disciple? You can’t do this, have to cherish that. If you apprentice under my venerable self, your two shixiong will both be over twenty years your senior, so in the future my venerable self might even be able to pass you the position of sect leader. Huanyue Sect is wealthy, and no matter what happens, you won’t be required to wear a Daoist robe all year round. Looking at things this way, aren’t there plenty of perks?”

Shen Qiao was angry. “Could Sect Leader Yan have followed this humble Daoist here just to steal my disciple?”

“If there was no demand for him, that’d be evidence of his inadequacy. Me trying to steal him from you proves that you have a good eye for disciples, so you should be thanking my venerable self.”

Shen Qiao finally understood: Yan Wushi could twist each and every reasoning under the heavens to justify himself if he so wished.

Yuwen Song silently rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t stand seeing Shen Qiao in this speechless state and leapt to help his future shizun out of this quandary. Attempting to draw Yan Wushi’s attention back to himself, he said, “Daoist Master Shen and I intend to head to Bixia Sect. May I inquire as to Sect Leader Yan’s plans?”

“Didn’t you just invite this venerable one to Bixia Sect as a guest?” said Yan Wushi, perfectly composed. “This venerable one accepts.”

Wait! No, that’s not what I meant! he cried in his heart. He couldn’t resist pleading for Shen Qiao’s help.

“Sect Leader Yan,” Shen Qiao said quickly, “Bixia Sect is currently on the wane; it’s no longer of high status. I fear that it’s unworthy of your regard.”

The corner of Shen Qiao’s mouth twitched. “But I’m not a Bixia Sect disciple. When under the roofs of others, we shouldn’t overstep.”

“No matter,” said Yan Wushi. “Once they see my venerable self, I’m sure they’d dare not refuse me.”

Shen Qiao was speechless for a moment. Finally, he couldn’t take it, and said, “This humble Daoist is puzzled greatly over something: Bixia Sect and Huanyue Sect have no relationship, and the former is on the decline, so it has no benefits to offer Huanyue Sect. So why does Sect Leader Yan insist on going?”

“Naturally, it’s for you,” said Yan Wushi. “Why else would my venerable self grace that tiny sect with my presence? And once they see me, how could they dare refuse? They’ll be falling over themselves to welcome me.”

Shen Qiao was about to spit blood in rage—it was like Yan Wushi was acting oblivious and perplexed on purpose. What he understood even less was Yan Wushi’s subtle shift in attitude after some time apart.

After a long period of silence, he could only force out a single sentence: “What if I refuse to let Sect Leader Yan come along?”

Yan Wushi was astonished. “Just now you said you had no right to decide anything, so how does your permission matter? Why are you being so unreasonable, Daoist Master Shen?”

Then Yan Wushi suddenly turned to him. “Do you really not want to be this venerable one’s disciple?”

Caught off guard, Yuwen Song shook his head back and forth like a rattle-drum. Yan Wushi didn’t say anything—he only gave a faint smile, as gentle as water. But with this smile, a shiver traveled through Yuwen Song’s body.

When faced with someone who didn’t understand “no,” who couldn’t be chased off, and who Shen Qiao probably couldn’t even fight off, he could only choose to ignore him.

However, Yan Wushi’s entire existence was, intrinsically, quite difficult to ignore. As the three walked together, his face—so handsome it bordered on supernatural—would instantly draw the notice of others. For example, when they were staying at inns or enjoying meals, practically every concierge considered them a group and assumed that Yan Wushi would be paying the bills and calling the shots, so they all rushed toward him. Shen Qiao made many fruitless attempts to correct them, which left him physically and mentally exhausted.

The three of them had already arrived at the foot of Mount Tai. The sky was dark, so they planned on staying beneath the mountain for the night before making the climb.

It was the best season for sightseeing trips on Mount Tai. The inns at the foot of the mountain were usually full, and it was clear the innkeeper hadn’t expected guests to arrive at such a late hour. He quickly came out personally to greet them, then had the concierge serve them enough hot food to fill the table. Smiling apologetically, he said, “I’m truly very sorry. These days, there’ve been a great many guests who wish to sightsee, so we only have one room left. Will this be acceptable?”

Yan Wushi sent Shen Qiao a glance. Shen Qiao had already given up on correcting others who assumed they were traveling together—he didn’t speak but let Yan Wushi respond instead.

Faint amusement flashed through Yan Wushi’s eyes. He leisurely replied, “That works. How large is the room?”

“Not that big,” said the innkeeper with a laugh. “There’s only an inner section and an outer section, but it’s elegantly furnished. Once your esteemed self sees it, I guarantee your satisfaction. There is no inn in the surrounding ten miles that’s comparable to ours!”

At this time of year, most of the sightseers were literati. To cater to their preferences, the inn had made some preparations, so the innkeeper smiled and said, “Yes, yes!”

He also threw in some flattery: “My lowly self assumed that the three gentlemen were men who wandered the jianghu; never did I expect such intellectual hobbies! Masters of both pen and sword, truly outstanding!”

Shen Qiao really couldn’t figure out why Bixia Sect held any appeal to Yan Wushi, so he had been forced to conclude that it was a whim. However, he hadn’t expected that this whim would send Yan Wushi tagging along for the entire journey, saying nothing about going their separate ways. Now that they were about to enter Bixia Sect’s gates, Shen Qiao felt his head throbbing nonstop, fearful of what trouble this fiend might unleash upon the sect. He tried again and again to get rid of him, but it was to no avail—instead, he spent the entire journey being messed with, which left him thoroughly despondent.

Upon hearing that all the inns within ten miles were full, Shen Qiao couldn’t help a slight frown as he considered whether they should climb the mountain that night. After all, Bixia Sect was located just halfway up the mountain. If he hadn’t been considering Yuwen Song’s youth and frailty, a small distance like that would have been no issue.

Yan Wushi seemed to have read his thoughts. “Why don’t we let Yuwen Song sleep on the bed, and the two of us can play some weiqi outside?”

Shen Qiao gave a wry smile. “Is Sect Leader Yan still unwilling to tell me? Just why are you going to Bixia Sect?”

“My venerable self has already said that it’s for you,” said Yan Wushi. “But you didn’t believe me.”

Shen Qiao shook his head. Of course he wouldn’t believe him. “I’m still gradually recovering my martial arts—currently I have around eight to nine-tenths of my past strength. But it’d be a bit of a stretch to say that I’m your match. If I fight you, my chances of victory are slim, so I’m still unworthy of being your opponent.”

Yan Wushi raised an eyebrow. “Daoist Master Shen, your beloved Daoist path of cultivation emphasizes spiritual tranquility and non-interference, yet you carry around thoughts of murder and battle day in and day out. If you’re so full of wrath, how many eons will you take to attain Daoist enlightenment?”

His gaze swept over Shen Qiao and Yuwen Song, whose expressions were equally speechless. He casually threw in another line: “I heard that there’s a peerless beauty at Bixia Sect, whose name is Yue Kunchi.”

Shen Qiao was stunned. “That’s the sect leader’s shixiong, and…and he’s a man. You actually…?”

“Then let me try again,” said Yan Wushi. “I heard that the Bixia Sect Leader is a peerless beauty, whose appearance surpasses even Yuan Xiuxiu’s. My venerable self has admired her for a long time, so I wish to meet her.”

Whatever the case, Yan Wushi insisted on coming, and Shen Qiao was helpless to stop him. Without understanding his reasons, he couldn’t very well take it upon himself to deny him entrance, breeding enmity between Yan Wushi and Bixia Sect for no reason.

After they finished their meal, the concierge took the three of them to their room.

The room was indeed as elegantly furnished as the innkeeper had claimed. Leaving aside Shen Qiao, who was easy to accommodate, even Yuwen Song revealed an expression of delight. For the sake of his future disciple, Shen Qiao felt that sacrificing a night here was worth it.

Yuwen Song was quickly urged into bed, but Yan Wushi grabbed Shen Qiao. “Let’s play a game.”

Shen Qiao gracefully declined. “This humble Daoist isn’t a skilled player.”

Yan Wushi said coolly, “Back when your eyes were bad, you even played blind against yourself.”

Shen Qiao hadn’t expected him to remember so clearly—how embarrassing. Unable to refuse any further, he could only sit down.

Yan Wushi told Shen Qiao, “Your skills and mine are about equal, and this time I lost due to a couple of mistakes. You should let this venerable one have a chance at victory as well; that’s only fair.”

Shen Qiao had wanted to meditate and train, but when he heard these words, he ultimately couldn’t bear to. “All right, then let’s play another.”

In the second match, Shen Qiao lost to Yan Wushi, but it was by an even smaller margin than the first—practically only a single move.

Yan Wushi gently consoled him. “It was only because I had the advantage of going first. You can make the first move this time.”

Shen Qiao frowned as he stared at the board, thinking that something seemed off, but never having been the competitive type, he responded right away. “Let’s stop. Wins and losses are unimportant. You won once and I won once; with this, we’re even.”

“The game is akin to the sword,” said Yan Wushi. “Did you gain any insights?”

Shen Qiao was taken aback, then scrutinized the board for a moment before shaking his head. “Forgive me for being slow. I don’t see it.”

“Let’s play another game,” said Yan Wushi. “This time, appreciate it properly: advancing and retreating are akin to swinging a sword at an enemy. If you grasp this, the rest will follow.”

Shen Qiao had always admired his insight into martial arts. He immediately agreed and approached the game with greater seriousness.

He’s really too gullible, Yan Wushi thought. Spin any sort of nonsense and he’ll believe it.

Shen Qiao stared at the board for a long time before he finally couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ve heard that the board is like a battlefield, and one can thoroughly understand the hearts of men and the art of war through it, but I can’t see anything related to the sword here. Did you lie to me on purpose?”

As if nothing was amiss, Yan Wushi said, “Of course not. You misunderstood.”

Naturally, he wouldn’t admit that he’d only done it because he found the sight of Shen Qiao struggling as he deliberated incredibly entertaining.

“Then may I ask Sect Leader Yan to explain the insights he gleaned so that this humble Daoist may grasp them as well?”

Yan Wushi stood up. “The sun’s risen. This venerable one will wake Yuwen Song. Without carving, jade cannot be made useful. He should practice the sword.”

Shen Qiao was speechless.