Lanke Chess Edge

Chapter 408: A Visit from Yuhuai Mountain

“Master, Mr. Ji, the tea is ready!”The middle-aged doctor returned from the back courtyard with a cup of tea in his hand, but when he came out, he saw only his master, Tong Xian, outside examining a scroll.

“Uh, Master, where is Mr. Ji?”

Tong Xian didn’t even look up, his gaze fixed on the scroll in his hand as he answered.

“He went home. We were having a good chat, but suddenly he stood up and said that a guest would be visiting soon, and then he left.”

“Oh…”

The middle-aged doctor nodded in disappointment, placed the tray on the examination table, and poured tea for Tong Xian. Then he curiously turned his attention to the diagrams.

“Master, what is this? Did Mr. Ji give it to you?”

“Yes, Mr. Ji entrusted it to me before he left. It is said to be a health-preserving exercise from a certain Taoist lineage. It contains only the movements and key teachings. It is not difficult, but the key is perseverance.”

The middle-aged doctor examined it for a while and then asked another question.

“Is it possible to learn it from just these diagrams?”

Tong Xian finally turned to look at his apprentice.

“Nonsense, you can’t learn anything just by looking at it. You have to practice. And if you don’t understand something, go find Mr. Ji and ask him to demonstrate it.”

“Oh, oh…”

The two drank tea and studied for a long time, before continuing to diagnose and prescribe medicine when more villagers arrived for treatment.

…

At this moment, Ji Yuan had already returned to Ju’an Pavilion, waiting for the people from Yuhuai Mountain to arrive.

Ji Yuan hadn’t actually known exactly what time the people from Yuhuai Mountain would arrive, but rather he sensed the auras of Wei Yuansheng and Wei Wuwei. Although these two couldn’t strictly be considered successful chess pieces yet, they already possessed the potential to become such.

As the Wei family father and son clearly intended to find Ji Yuan, and they were close enough, Ji Yuan could vaguely sense their presence.

At this time, very few people in Ning’an County knew that Ji Yuan had returned, never mind those in Desheng Prefecture. The presence of the father and son meant that they must have come with the contingent from Yuhuai Mountain.

So Ji Yuan went home a little earlier to avoid them arriving to an empty residence.

Upon reaching the end of Tian Niu Lane, before even approaching the secluded Ju’an Pavilion, Ji Yuan could already hear a cacophony of chatter. This noise could only be attributed to the small characters inside Ju’an Pavilion arguing and chatting amongst themselves.

However, their volume was quite low, easily overlooked by passersby, who might only hear a small burst of noise but struggle to pinpoint its source.

Ji Yuan pushed the courtyard gate open from the outside, and the commotion in the courtyard immediately ceased.

Only after they realized it was Ji Yuan did the group of small calligraphy spirits come to their senses.

“Oh, Master has returned.”

“That scared me to death. I thought some busybody had discovered us.”

“How come Master walks so quietly?”

“How can anyone hear footsteps when we’re making so much noise?”

“What else can we do? How could we possibly sense Master!”

“Can’t you just be quiet?”

“Can you even be quiet yourself?”

“Of course I can be quiet!”

“You can’t, you’re the noisiest!”

“Bullshit! I’m the quietest, you’re the noisiest! You’re the loudest of all!”

“You’re noisy!”

“You’re noisy!”

…

“Sigh… All of you, stop arguing!”

Ji Yuan spoke calmly, his voice soothing yet overpowering all the noise of the small characters. Ju’an Pavilion finally quieted down. Ji Yuan looked at the small characters that had scattered everywhere, from the table, the door, the ground, the tree, and so on.

“People from an immortal sect will be arriving soon. Do you want to return to the ‘Sword Intent Inscription,’ or do you want to stay outside?”

“Stay outside!”

It was quite rare that the hundreds of small characters unanimously agreed.

“Okay, then try to be as quiet as possible and don’t disturb them, understand?”

“We humbly obey!”

These young spirits, perhaps having learned from the local Land God of Dongle County at the foot of Yunshan Mountain, now all liked to respond with “we humbly obey”1 whenever Ji Yuan issued them any orders, feeling that it better highlighted their respect for their master.

“Hehe, alright then, let’s find a place for you to hide.”

Ji Yuan concluded. He wasn’t at all worried that these little characters wouldn’t know what to do. He wasn’t fooled by their constant chatter and seemingly tough behavior; in truth, they were all quite formidable.

Having received Ji Yuan’s orders, the group of small calligraphy spirits immediately floated up into the air, swayed left and right once, and then all ran up to the jujube tree in perfect unison.

Even the little paper crane joined in the fun and flew up to the tree, but it quickly flew down again and landed on Ji Yuan’s shoulder. It was the one who went to inform the people of Yuhuai Mountain, so why should it hide?

…

In the sky somewhere in Desheng Prefecture, Ju Yuanzi, Yang Ming, and Qiu Feng rode the wind and clouds, carrying three other people with them. Those three were Shang Yiyi, Yang Ming’s female disciple; Wei Yuansheng, Qiu Feng’s only disciple; and Wei Yuansheng’s father, Wei Wuwei.

Originally, Wei Wuwei had not been included in the travel plans, but Wei Yuansheng told Qiu Feng that his father and Mr. Ji were very familiar with each other, had known each other for a long time, and had a very good relationship. He said that Mr. Ji had specifically given his father guidance on how to visit Yuhuai Mountain. The boy asked if it would be appropriate to bring his father along.

The suggestion was naturally accepted. When dealing with Ji Yuan, Yuhuai Mountain always held to one main principle: build a good relationship and get close to him. They would do whatever it took to become as close as possible with Ji Yuan.

In the words of the high-ranking cultivators of Yuhuai Mountain, fate was fate; sometimes it didn’t matter how it came about. Even immortals needed personal connections.

Although it wasn’t his first time flying in the sky, Wei Yuansheng was still very excited, especially since this time he was going to Ju’an Pavilion.

“Father, Master, is Ju’an Pavilion just an ordinary courtyard, or is there actually a hidden world inside? Maybe that well that has been covered all this time is the entrance to the hidden realm, and once we go in, it’s a whole new world?”

Wei Wuwei pursed his lips and didn’t say anything. Qiu Feng thought for a moment and then spoke.

“You can ask Mr. Ji about this yourself. It’s not convenient for us to say, but it’s fine for you to ask.”

“Haha, Master, you want to know too, don’t you?”

Qiu Feng remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Meanwhile, Ju Yuanzi stroked his beard and smiled, looking at Niu Kui Mountain, which was nearby.

“This mountain is steep but not dangerous, with many peaks but not densely packed. Its overlapping peaks contain a realm within them. What is this mountain range called?”

Wei Wuwei quickly stepped forward to speak.

“Replying to Master Ju, this mountain is called Niu Kui Mountain. It was here that Mr. Ji saved nine young warriors, and then they all went down the mountain together. This place was very likely where Mr. Ji once lived in seclusion.”

Ju Yuanzi glanced at Wei Wuwei and nodded.

“Hmm, that makes sense!”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but observe the terrain of Niu Kui Mountain more carefully, not wanting to miss a single detail. As a result, he eventually discovered the location of the giant boulder promontory. From a distance, he could see spiritual energy gathering there, with a faint crystalline quality, and even a kind of heavenly aura.

However, the clouds they rode did not descend; they merely swept by in the distance, mainly to avoid offending Ji Yuan.

Wei Wuwei stood at the very back of the group, his hands behind his back, chest puffed out, gazing at the vast landscape below, a surge of boundless pride rising within him.

‘This is the power of immortals! What is power, what is wealth, what is martial arts—none of it can compare to trampling a thousand mountains beneath one’s feet and discussing mortal matters from the clouds!’

Having seen Niu Kui Mountain, they knew they were not far from Ning’an County. Soon, the clouds they were riding arrived at the outskirts of Ning’an County.

“Master Ju, Senior Brother, we have come to visit Master Ji. To show our respect, it would be best if we landed outside Ning’an County and proceeded on foot.”

“Master Qiu is right, that’s exactly right!”

“Indeed!”

The clouds they were riding descended in a wooded region outside the county capital. A moment later, the group emerged from the woods and walked along the official road towards Ning’an County.

About half an hour later, the group entered Ning’an County and approached Tian Niu Lane. They immediately spotted the very conspicuous noodle stall opposite the street’s gate entrance.

“This is Sun’s Noodle Stall! It’s Mr. Ji’s favorite noodles!”

Wei Yuansheng immediately cried out, and Wei Wuwei echoed him.

“That’s right, that’s Sun’s Noodle Stall. They specialize in braised noodles and offal soup. Generations of their family have honed this craft, and the taste is indeed excellent. According to my Wei family’s spies, the Sun family has a rule when making noodles: whenever they open their stall, they always leave a portion of noodles and offal soup on hand, so that if Mr. Ji suddenly comes by, he can have some to eat.”

Upon hearing Wei Wuwei’s explanation, Ju Yuanzi and the other two were deeply moved.

“This family is truly blessed!”

“Yes, ordinary mortals have their wisdom.”

“Let’s go!”

The group slowly approached Tian Niu Lane, paying close attention to Sun’s shop as they passed by. Wei Yuansheng stepped forward and bowed with cupped hands in greeting to Sun Fu, who was busy at work.

“Excuse me, shopkeeper, is Mr. Ji home, or has he gone to the county capital for a stroll?”

Sun Fu looked over the group of people. They seemed quite extraordinary as a group, giving off a strange but indescribable feeling, but he didn’t sense any ill will. Hearing that the question was about Ji Yuan, he answered.

“Mr. Ji should be at home now. He had noodles for lunch and then went to the county capital. He came back about 15 minutes ago.”

Wei Wuwei smiled.

“Thank you for letting us know, shopkeeper. Please accept a small token of my appreciation!”

As he spoke, he walked a few steps closer to the noodle stall and put down two five-wen coins.

“Hey, hey, this won’t do, this won’t do! You only asked one question!”

“Oh, it’s fine, consider this payment for Mr. Ji’s noodles.”

Wei Wuwei nodded and smiled before walking away from the noodle stall and entering Tian Niu Lane alongside his group.

Wei Wuwei’s composed manner drew the attention of the other masters once again, prompting Wei Yuansheng to ask a question with a puzzled expression.

“Father, why did you only give him ten coins? Why not give him a few taels of silver?”

Wei Wuwei looked at Wei Yuansheng with a smile, realizing that his son was still too naive.

“Haha, Yuansheng, that’s just how things are. He’ll only accept ten coins. Think about how much would feel appropriate for him.”

Wei Yuansheng seemed to be deep in thought as he listened.

Tian Niu Lane was winding and twisting, but Ju’an Pavilion is in the most secluded corner. As long as they followed the route with the sparsest crowds, they would find it. Before long, the group arrived outside Ju’an Pavilion and saw the jujube tree that resembled a large canopy.

“We’re here.”

From the oldest to the youngest, the group subconsciously straightened their clothes before walking to the front of the Ju’an Pavilion. The courtyard gate was only slightly ajar, and a glance up revealed the new plaque with its rich, dark ink.

“Sir’s calligraphy is truly masterful, exquisite, and divine!”

Wei Wuwei murmured in admiration, and Qiu Feng and Yang Ming nodded in agreement. After speaking, the former looked at the group and stepped forward to knock on the courtyard gate. Only Ju Yuanzi continued looking at the plaque, occasionally frowning from time to time.

“Mr. Ji, Yuhuai Mountain has come to pay you a visit!”

Ji Yuan had already prepared tea and other refreshments in the courtyard. He walked to the courtyard gate, gently opened it, and saw six people standing outside, bowing with their hands clasped in greeting.

“Please don’t stand on ceremony, gentlemen. I have just prepared tea and snacks.”

Visiting Ju’an Pavilion didn’t feel like visiting the residence of a powerful immortal cultivator; rather, it felt like being a guest in a kind and gentle home.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group entered and took their seats in the courtyard. Only the three immortals and Ji Yuan had stone benches, while the other three sat on chairs or wooden stools.

Ji Yuan was very welcoming and personally poured tea for everyone.

He first poured tea for Ju Yuanzi, the most powerful cultivator among the Yuhuai Mountain contingent, making this long-time master feel flattered and overwhelmed.

“Thank you, sir!”

Ju Yuanzi thanked him and was about to take a sip, but before his lips could even touch the teacup, he suddenly looked up at the tree. He was puzzled for a moment, then lowered his head again.

The actual translation from that chapter was “this humble deity shall obey the decree,” which is similar in style here, but seems completely out of place. I made the decision to translate it to something that made more sense in context