The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 326 Zou Zi, First Move (3k)

She never imagined she would meet him in Kyoto, because she remembered his personality.

In a dangerous place like Kyoto, he would definitely stay far away while muttering, "This is not good, this is not good, the consequences are too great."

Just like you would treat her.

At most, as they walked further and further away, they couldn't help but look back at the Kyoto people who were completely unaware of the impending doom.

Then, amidst much inner turmoil, she tried to help those around her, muttering, "It's not a big deal, we'll talk about it later."

Just like when I first met her.

He probably knew that the path of their lineage was not actually suitable for him.

He was too soft-hearted, but the path of their lineage was too domineering.

However, many things are predetermined by fate and cannot be changed by human intervention.
"Yes, it's fate, and no one can change it."

After a forlorn smile, her already ethereal figure became even more blurred as she turned and walked into the depths of Kyoto.

The only thing she still cares about is whether she has fulfilled what the Yin-Yang master said and helped him avoid his death.

After all, Kyoto seems to have settled down now.

With a great Confucian scholar personally overseeing the administration and the Confucian school in charge, not only were all the villains brought to justice, but even the reigning emperor wielded the swords of benevolence and the tripod. This can only be described as the ultimate achievement.

It can be said that ever since that person decided to come to Kyoto, the area was destined to be calm and uneventful.

Therefore, the concept of "death calamity" is naturally irrelevant. The idea of ​​"blocking calamity" is even more out of the question.

Could it be that the senior of the Yin-Yang School misread the secrets of heaven?
That shouldn't be the case; the others might be wrong. The one I prayed to shouldn't be wrong.

Just as she never expected to meet him in Kyoto.

She never imagined that she would have the chance to meet that person and even receive a divination from him.

I remember in the past, countless senior masters went to great lengths and exhausted their accumulated wealth in order to obtain a divination from this person.

After all, she encountered something extraordinary.
Then, she suddenly looked up, and after a long gaze, said something complex:
"I knew it!"

The clouds in the sky suddenly cleared, and the majestic power of the heavens descended, lifting the vast capital city into the blue sky in the blink of an eye!

Yes, in such a vast city as Kyoto, countless people play chess, how could it be as simple as what we see here?

Such a simple truth, yet she only understands it now.

Just then, the elegantly dressed young man, who had just crossed a certain line, turned around in astonishment.

Because behind him was a sheer cliff!
In just a moment, he would have followed that capital city into the blue sky, and then collapsed endlessly!
"how come?!"

The elegantly dressed young man stood there, stunned. He had never imagined that he would actually escape a calamity because of this.

In both the southwest and Qingzhou, the fate of the world was sealed with a single move!

How could Kyoto be the only one that went wrong?

After a long moment of stunned silence, he forced himself to turn around again and then ran for his life.

That gentleman is located in the capital, and both the Renjian and Dingjian swords are in the hands of the emperor.

Under such circumstances, it is still possible for someone to pull off such a move without making a sound.

This only proves that this was a heavenly struggle that all the mountain dwellers would have to flee for their lives in during the great era of the past!
He was just a mortal, and it was already a stroke of luck that he escaped death.

What good would it do to turn back?
It's just adding another skeleton to the pile!

So let alone him, even if the founder of his sect came, he could only shake his head and say, "It is the will of Heaven!"
So he ran away, ran away in a state of collapse.

Just like when the great calamity struck in the past, in the Northern Moon Marsh.
-
Inside the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the Empress, who had been sent flying by Gao Cheng's attack, barely managed to suppress the turmoil in her dantian. Enduring the sluggishness, she forced her unsteady steps to walk to the side of the motionless Yakushi.

She gazed at his stiff back and whispered, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Upon hearing this, the pharmacist, who was still holding the Ren and Ding swords in both hands, slowly turned around.

With just that one glance, the Empress's heart clenched—those eyes, which used to look at her with only warmth, now held only indifference.

Whatever she saw in those eyes was infinitely better than her current indifference!
Even if it was resentment, resentment that she had also kept it from him!
Because that means he still cares deeply about his older sister.

But now, everything is gone!
"Yuan'er, could you... perhaps scold your elder sister?"

The Queen's voice was very low, almost pleading.

The pharmacist paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the two swords, a ripple of emotion flashing through his heart before quickly returning to calm.

He shook his head slightly, as if he were talking about something ordinary:

"Why would I scold my elder sister? I know her temperament well and I'm sure you have something to hide; besides, just now, she clearly risked her life for me."

If these words had been spoken in the past, the Empress would have wept with joy—it would have shown that her beloved son did not blame her.

But hearing it now only sent chills down her spine.

Because there was still no emotion in those eyes, as if they were merely repeating "what should be said".

A thousand words were stuck in her throat, preventing her from uttering a single one.

Just then, the old imperial uncle, who was still unaware of what had happened, came running over, supported by the imperial guards, his steps unsteady.

He looked at the mess inside and outside the palace walls, then at Yaoshiyuan, and called out urgently, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, are you alright?"

The fate of the pharmacist's family rests entirely on his shoulders!

The pharmacist stood up, took the old imperial uncle's arm, and said gently, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Imperial Uncle. I'm fine."

He then leaned closer to the old imperial uncle, lowered his voice, and whispered in his ear:

"Uncle, please rest assured. I have already met the swordsman whom the founding emperor entrusted to us. From now on, our dynasty will have no worries. Moreover, Uncle is old, so please go back and rest. I will talk to you in detail after I have calmed down the situation."

No sooner had he said this than the old imperial uncle suddenly grabbed Yaoshi Yuan's wrist, his words filled with urgency and disbelief:
"No! His Majesty must be mistaken! It can't be his!"

Who was the pharmacist referring to? How could he not guess? It must be Gao Cheng!
But Emperor Taizu clearly said that the person holding the sword had long since turned to dust and lived in obscurity in the marketplace. How could he be Gao Cheng, whose family had been officials for generations?

The pharmacist shook his head and chuckled:
"Uncle, you're overthinking it. It can't be wrong, it's absolutely right."

Before he could finish speaking, he thought of Gao Cheng's appearance and sighed softly again—Gao Huan and Gao Cheng, father and son, were truly two extremes.

One is a great villain, the other a great loyalist.

These two people are actually father and son.

It's truly a cruel twist of fate!

"Your Majesty, it really can't be him!" The old imperial uncle wanted to persuade him again, but suddenly, the sky brightened abruptly, golden light pierced through the clouds, and then the earth shook violently.

The palace walls and halls groaned in pain. If the apothecary hadn't been quick-witted and caught the old imperial uncle, his old bones would probably have collapsed to the ground on the spot.

"What...what's going on?" The old imperial uncle, supporting Yaoshi Yuan's arm, stared blankly at the shaking world, his voice trembling. "Wasn't the disaster already over? How come it's not over yet?"

The pharmacist did not answer immediately, but instead held the Ren and Ding swords in his hands and closed his eyes to carefully feel them.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, frowned, and said, "I can no longer sense the dragon vein of my dynasty."

After saying that, he turned to his dumbfounded uncle and said bitterly, "At this moment, we are afraid that someone has already lifted the capital city we are standing on into the sky!"
-
Watching the elegantly dressed young man leave the restaurant, Du Yuan casually put the divine ox into the watermark given to her by the kitten.

He then placed the tea money on the table, and, supporting his old sword that still hadn't been properly sharpened, turned and walked downstairs.

He was going to the palace to have a proper meeting with that heroic emperor.

Just as I stepped out of the restaurant, a voice suddenly came from beside me: "Young man, could you wait a moment?"

Du Yuan stopped and turned around, seeing an old man in a gray shirt sitting beside a chessboard, nodding at her.

"Is the old man calling me?"

"Yes, yes, it's you, young man. Would you mind pausing for a moment and chatting with this old man for a bit?"

Du Yuan chuckled and shook her head:

"Sir, if you're not in a hurry, you can wait until I finish my business and come back to keep me company. Right now, I have more important matters to attend to."

The old man in the gray shirt waved his hand and said, "Hey, young man, maybe my matter here is also very important."

Seeing that the old man insisted, Du Yuan then took a good look at him: "You look very well, it doesn't seem like you have any trouble or urgent matters."

The old man in the gray shirt waved his hand again, pointing to the chessboard in front of him: "No need for much trouble, I just want to ask you to answer a question for me."

"Please speak, sir."

The old man pointed to the unfinished game on the chessboard and said with utter helplessness:

"Young man, this isn't really your business, but right now, you're the only outsider I can turn to for help. So, I'm playing white in this game, and it looks like I'm about to be completely wiped out by black. Do you think there's any chance of turning this game around?"

Du Yuan shook her head frankly:

“You’ve asked the wrong person. I know absolutely nothing about chess. If you’re asking for a solution, I really can’t tell you.”

The old man in the gray shirt shook his head and chuckled, continuing to patiently guide him: "Ah, just because you don't understand chess doesn't mean you can't tell me how to break the deadlock. Why don't you give it a try?"

"For example, if it were you, where would you place your next piece? Maybe if I heard your suggestion, I could come up with a solution."

As the saying goes, "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly."

Du Yuan still shook her head:

"If you ask me, I can only say that since it's a dead end, why not start a new game? Then the world will be vast, and we can do whatever we want. Why be stuck with this one game?"

These words were clearly beyond the old man's expectations. He was stunned for a moment before shaking his head and sighing bitterly:

"This game of chess has been a long and arduous struggle for me. If I can't solve this problem, how can I move on?"

Du Yuan was somewhat puzzled: "But the chess pieces are in our hands, why can't we start over?"

After saying that, he cupped his hands and smiled, "Sir, my business is indeed urgent, so I'll take my leave now!"

Du Yuan immediately turned around, sword in hand, and strode away. The old man in gray watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
"Has this situation truly become a dead end?"

Hearing this, Du Yuan wanted to turn around and say, "It's just a game of chess, why be so persistent?" But as soon as she turned around, there was no one behind her.

It was as if the old man in gray and the unfinished game were just an empty dream.

Du Yuan frowned slightly, about to investigate further, when she suddenly heard a voice from above:
"Zou Zi, a member of the Yin-Yang School, makes the first move!"

Then, Kyoto rose into the sky!
(End of this chapter)