Chapter 35: Blackie

“Very similar, similar to what?”

Yin Zhaoxian looked up, following Yin Qing's gaze. The statue of the City God, calm and majestic, sat high on its platform. A strange sense of familiarity welled up within him.

“Father…”

“Let’s go, we’re going home!”

Yin Qing hesitated to speak. Yin Zhaoxian didn't press him, simply took his son's hand, and walked silently out of the temple.

They brushed past numerous worshippers entering and exiting the City God Temple and paid no attention to the various goods being hawked outside. Mr. Yin walked even faster than when they had arrived.

It wasn't until they were out of the temple district that Yin Zhaoxian slowed his slightly aching steps.

“Qing’er, what did you say was similar just now?”

Yin Qing, somewhat uneasy, met his father’s gaze and replied.

“That old gentleman, his appearance, it looks so much like the City God in the temple! Father, I really didn’t see wrong, and I’m not making things up!”

“Hmm.”

Yin Zhaoxian gently hummed in acknowledgment, which left Yin Qing, who had been bracing himself for his father’s criticism, somewhat bewildered.

“Actually, I also felt a bit familiar with him just now, but I wasn’t sure.”

Ordinary people praying to the City God wouldn't scrutinize his face. Additionally, Yin Zhaoxian had only caught a few glances of the old gentleman and hadn't remembered his appearance clearly, so he was unsure. But Yin Qing remembered it distinctly.

“Qing’er, you must not tell anyone about what happened today, not even your mother. Do you understand?”

“Oh…”

“Hmm?”

“I understand, Father…”

Yin Qing felt a hint of confusion, wondering why he couldn't even tell his mother, but he dared not argue with his father.

“Yes, Qing’er, remember this: women are long on hair and short on wisdom. Your mother is a bit better, but only to an extent. When she chats with neighbors, she’ll spill everything!”

Now Yin Qing was somewhat confused but also starting to grasp the meaning.

“By the way, if you ever see that ‘Great Gentleman’ you mentioned again, make sure to bow and greet him. Do you remember?”

“Yes, I remember!”

Yin Zhaoxian led Yin Qing home, thinking to himself that if the new resident of Jū’ān Cottage had no incidents for half a month, he would personally take Yin Qing to pay a visit.

Talk of ghosts and deities is something some people believe, while others scoff at it. There’s much hearsay but little direct sight. Yet, undeniably, most people adopt an attitude of “better safe than sorry,” or at the very least, maintain a sense of awe.

For Yin Zhaoxian, this experience was truly mystical!

***

Ji Yuan was already home. Even though he hadn’t locked the courtyard or the inner rooms when he left, it wasn’t just because there was nothing to steal, but also because no petty thief dared to steal from Jū’ān Cottage.

Pushing open the door, he took out the willow twigs he had broken off on the way from his sleeve pocket, rolled up his sleeves, and began his belated teeth-brushing routine.

Brushing his teeth was one of the most inconvenient things Ji Yuan found after arriving here. Willow twigs weren’t used casually either; before brushing, he would break the twig into sections, then soften the tips of two sections into a fibrous texture, using them like small brushes to clean all parts of his teeth. Afterwards, he would use a finer, fresh willow twig to pick between his teeth.

After fiddling for a long time, Ji Yuan picked up a wooden ladle and scooped half a ladle of water into his mouth.

“Ur-bloop-bloop-bloop… *spit*…”

He spat out a mouthful of greenish rinse water and gargled repeatedly several times until he felt his mouth was clean.

Actually, salt would work better, but salt was expensive. Unless one was a high-ranking official or noble, using it to brush teeth was too wasteful. Ji Yuan felt he wasn’t qualified for such luxury.

After brushing his teeth, Ji Yuan felt he might have nothing to do for a long time today. With no internet or phone, and no acquaintances to chat with, going out didn't seem appealing unless it was the night market.

‘Ah, I feel like a lonely old man… How did my grandfather and great-uncle used to pass the time?’

As soon as he pondered the question, an answer popped into his mind.

Chess!

This was also related to his greatest reliance, making Ji Yuan glad he had just asked the old City God about the chess manual.

Thinking this, Ji Yuan sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, stretched out his right arm, formed a sword-finger gesture, and visualized the chess piece in his mind.

After the familiar tingling sensation of electricity arose, the phantom image of the chess piece appeared at the tip of his sword-finger.

‘Black!’

Ji Yuan’s heart jolted. The original chess piece had a faint, ethereal quality, making it difficult to discern if it was white or black. But now, though still illusory, it was distinctly a black piece.

Not only had its color changed to black, but the black piece at his fingertip now felt like it was gaining substance, leading Ji Yuan to wonder if at some point this piece could truly “land” on a chessboard.

As for why this change occurred, it was very likely related to the one-finger gesture he made towards that ominous entity last night. Recalling the chilling sensation as that thing was absorbed and spun on his arm, it wasn’t hard to deduce what the chess piece had absorbed.

‘Yin energy? Earth vein malevolence? Surely not malevolent aura? First, I’ll try to see if I can still draw in spiritual energy.’

In fact, Ji Yuan had always had a strange feeling that usually, holding the piece to gather spiritual energy seemed to involve some kind of suction from the piece, but it rarely, if ever, absorbed spiritual energy. He would need to figure this out later.

Setting aside things he couldn’t understand for now, Ji Yuan cleared his mind and began visualizing the Lanke chess game.

As Ji Yuan’s mind became clearer and he grew more absorbed, a wind began to stir in the small courtyard.

The wind wasn’t strong, but it was continuous, swirling around Ji Yuan within a ten-foot radius without dissipating. Streams of azure spiritual energy gathered from all directions, creating a gradually denser verdant aura around the black chess piece.

‘Good, very good!’

This time, with no one to disturb him, Ji Yuan tried to see if there was a limit.

Whoosh… whoosh…

The wind remained the same strength, yet it seemed to allow Ji Yuan to hear its sound. The branches and leaves of the jujube tree in the courtyard swayed, rustling rhythmically with the swirling wind.

At Ji Yuan’s fingertip, apart from a small black spot at the center, a large mass of azure spiritual energy had gathered, extending about half a person’s length, slowly revolving like a vortex.

At this level, Ji Yuan found it hard to bear. His mind began to ache, and his arm felt heavy, as if he were lifting a heavy barbell.

Everything has a limit. Ji Yuan, being someone who values his life, was even somewhat hesitant to absorb so much spiritual energy.

‘Let some dissipate first, and then absorb it once it’s thinner!’

Forcing his thoughts, he suppressed the visualization of the chess game. The surrounding azure spiritual energy gradually dispersed, transforming into currents of spiritual wind flowing through the courtyard. Only when it had dissipated to about one-third of its original volume did Ji Yuan mentally command the piece to retract.

Zzzzt…

First, there was a sensation like an electric current, then a soreness in his fingertip. The azure spiritual energy flowed in, and the aching sensation climbed up his arm.

“Hiss…”

Ji Yuan almost instinctively shot up to his feet.

Endure it!

This was an extremely unpleasant sensation, a signal that his body was overloaded. Even beneficial things become poison if consumed in excess. Fortunately, he had developed good endurance from his time practicing at the Mountain God Temple, so he could still bear this pain.

Ji Yuan maintained his focus, guiding the spiritual energy to circulate throughout his body rather than concentrate in one spot, slowly relieving the pressure.

After about ten minutes, the pain began to subside. By then, Ji Yuan’s body was trembling, experiencing slight, involuntary spasms.

‘Good thing I was smart and dissipated most of the azure spiritual energy first, otherwise, it would have been too foolish to kill myself like that!’

Another ten minutes passed, and all reactions within his body completely subsided.

“Huu… huu… huu…”

Ji Yuan breathed heavily, calming his heart rate and body fatigue. He slumped down, resting his head on the stone table, not wanting to move.

He felt the surrounding wind slowly dissipate, and the branches and leaves of the large jujube tree in the courtyard swayed merrily.