Unsheathed

Zhu Lian's courtyard was lively today in a rare turn of events. Wei Bo didn't leave Downtrodden Mountain, and he instead visited Zhu Lian to play Go with him.

There were two exquisite Go stone containers on the table, and these containers were imperial wares that Chen Ping'an had purchased during his distant journey. He hadn't necessarily purchased these containers for a bargain price, but he had taken a fancy to them, so he decided to buy them anyway. Afterward, he gave them to Zhu Lian as a present after returning to Downtrodden Mountain.

Wei Bo was extremely skilled at Go, so he often visited Zhu Lian to play Go with him. Zhu Lian had liked to watch Sui Youbian and Lu Baixiang playing Go with each other back then, pretending that he was semi-terrible at Go. In reality, however, his Go skills were quite extraordinary. This wasn't a case of Zhu Lian hiding his skills, but rather that he had never viewed Sui Youbian and Lu Baixiang as like-minded individuals walking the same path. Of course, it was very likely that they viewed Zhu Lian the same way.

Even though Zheng Dafeng had suffered severe wounds to his physique and foundations at Old Dragon City, severing his path of Martial Dao, his observation skills and instincts still remained. He surmised that this commotion was most likely caused by Chen Ping'an, so he giddily ran over from the foot of the mountain.

The little boy in azure and the little girl in pink stood to the side and spectated the game of Go, with the former giving random and haphazard suggestions to the old cook. Zhu Lian didn't care about victory or defeat at all, so he genuinely listened to these suggestions and placed his Go stones accordingly.

This being the case, he naturally fell from a neutral position to a disadvantage, with the disadvantage quickly becoming a losing position. The little girl in pink adhered to the principle of remaining silent like a courteous person when watching games of Go, and she couldn't help but feel flustered at this moment. She prohibited the little boy in azure from spewing any more nonsense.

As a fire python formed from scholarly fortune in the scripture library of the Zhilan Cao Clan, she had been stuck with nothing to do after first gaining sentience. As such, she could only read to relieve her boredom. She didn't dare to call herself a Go official or whatnot, but she was at least able to clearly identify and understand the rough situation on a Go board.

While Cen Yuanji was resting after practicing the fist stance, she also walked over to participate in the lively affair. She had a very good impression of Mr. Wei, someone who possessed the demeanor of a godly person. This couldn't be helped, as Mr. Wei was truly far too handsome. Of course, Cen Yuanji's feeling of closeness with Wei Bo wasn't in a romantic sense. Rather, Cen Yuanji felt like she was gaining something every time she looked at him, even if it was just a fleeting glance. She treated this as feasting her eyes and admiring some beautiful scenery.

The young girl most likely wasn't aware that apart from the relatively strange and scary owner of Downtrodden Mountain, Old Immortal Zhu whom she trusted the most wasn't some kind of sixth tier martial artist at all. Rather, he was a genuine Far Roaming Tier cultivator.

Meanwhile, Brother Dafeng who was even more hunchbacked than Old Immortal Zhu was once a martial artist at the peak stage of the Mountain Summit Tier. As for the barefoot old man in the bamboo building, he was even more impressive, being a martial artist at the legendary End Tier. There was someone from the eighth tier, ninth tier, and even tenth tier gathered on Downtrodden Mountain.

Thanks to the little boy in azure's counterproductive help, Zhu Lian quickly lost the game of Go just as expected. The little girl in pink couldn't help but grumble in complaint. The little boy in azure glanced at the scene of the overwhelming loss before clicking his tongue in wonder and remarking, "Old Cook Zhu, you've only lost by a single move, so you can feel proud despite the loss."