Ya She

Chapter 76 Shi Boqiong (Part 2)
【Thirteen】

Time is of the essence. Master's side has finished its move, and now it's Zhao Gao's turn. To prevent Zhao Gao from defeating them one by one, they need to regroup as soon as possible.

The boss had no time to grieve over the brief meeting and parting with the infant across two thousand years; he immediately led the doctor toward the last white chess piece in his memory.

From afar, when the boss saw that small figure squatting in front of the palace gate, idly picking at bricks, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he slowed down his walking speed.

The last white piece is Tang Yuan.

Besides them, no one else in the entire game has survived. And the eldest son...?

He never got to see him one last time.

Actually, he probably had a premonition when the eldest son said goodbye to him... but he never expected that his premonition would actually come true.

The doctor was delighted to see Tang Yuan and immediately ran over, picked him up, and spun him around twice. Tang Yuan complained a couple of times, but then wrapped his arms tightly around the doctor's neck before letting go.

When the doctor and Tang Yuan looked at the boss, the latter had already composed himself and calmly led them toward the main hall of Xianyang Palace.

【14】

On the way, the boss seized the opportunity to inquire about Tang Yuan's game progress. Based on his information, it seemed that the key to victory could be either fulfilling the wish of the defending antique or destroying it. This indicated that the key to breaking the game was different for each player, and it all depended on the rules set by the defender.

After asking his question, the boss fell silent and led the way with his head down. The doctor, who was holding Tang Yuan's small hand, followed behind. Seeing the boss's silent back, he seemed to guess what was going on and sighed silently.

They traveled in silence until the two adults and one child arrived at the main hall of Xianyang Palace. They discovered that Zhao Gao had not abandoned Shi Boqiong to continue his journey, but was instead holding and playing with the stone, as if he had anticipated their arrival.

Moreover, Zhao Gao, despite being surrounded and in dire straits, seemed unconcerned, appearing instead quite pleased with himself, as if victory was assured. In contrast, the Taoist priest in the green robe sitting opposite him had a deathly pale face and fine beads of sweat on his forehead, clearly indicating that he was exhausted of his spiritual energy.

This is a stark contrast to his initial confident and composed demeanor.

"Oh dear, the survivors of the game are just as I predicted!" Zhao Gao curled his thin lips slightly. "It seems that the two junior brothers you found for me, Master, are indeed exceptionally skilled!"

“However, although there are four white pieces left on the chessboard, and there are indeed four people standing in front of me, this person doesn’t seem to be here, does he?” Zhao Gao flipped over a white chess piece. The red characters on the back of the piece had disappeared; the character “婴” should have been written there. “Tsk, you’ve lost a piece of your own, so it’s not my fault.”

Zhao Gao picked up the blank chess piece from the board and placed it in the pile of removed pieces.

Tang Yuan glanced at the remaining chess pieces on the board, then at the people present, and asked in surprise, "Huh? Uncle isn't a teammate?"

"It's good enough that he's not a match!" The doctor thought he might be ignorant and fearless, and didn't find the sarcastic Zhao Gao to be scary at all. He walked to the chessboard, picked up a blank chess piece from the table, and recalled that he had obtained a chess piece in the Cloud Elephant Tomb, but the back of the chess piece had Ying's name written on it.

Zhao Gao glanced at the doctor and said indifferently, "Oh, you're asking why I didn't put him in the game? It's because you have to write your name to participate in the game, how would I know what his name is?"

"..."

As soon as this was said, the whole audience fell into silence.

However, Zhao Gao's words were not entirely sincere. In reality, even if Zhao Gao knew the doctor's name, he didn't want him involved. After all, the doctor was someone who had survived a great calamity and was destined for good fortune, breaking a curse that had lasted for thousands of years. Naturally, Zhao Gao didn't want such a person with extraordinary luck to participate in the game.

See? Even though he didn't invite this person to the game, he still made it to the main hall of Xianyang Palace alive. What an eyesore!

"Alright! I can't let irrelevant people be present at the chess game I've painstakingly put together." Zhao Gao waved his hand, and the doctor disappeared before his eyes.

The boss sensed something was wrong, but he was frozen in place, unable to move even a finger, let alone take a step forward.

Fortunately, for some reason, Zhao Gao seemed somewhat wary of the doctor. The doctor was likely only expelled from the game and wasn't in any real danger. This also suited the boss's wishes; he hadn't wanted the doctor involved in the first place, and now that the doctor was gone, it was for the best.

Zhao Gao then looked at Tang Yuan and smiled dangerously at him, saying, "Cheating isn't a good idea, junior brother, is it?" Tang Yuan's face flushed red instantly, and then, as if sensing something, he immediately lowered his head.

"Ah! My little white snake!" Tang Yuan anxiously tried to grab the little white snake on his wrist. But his hand grasped at empty air; the little white snake's petite body vanished from his wrist, transforming into a girl of about ten years old who hugged him tightly. Unfortunately, this illusion only lasted for a moment before disappearing as well.

Tang Yuan's eyes widened. Who was that pretty, adorable little girl? Could it be Xiao Bai? Where could Xiao Bai have gone? Could she be dead?
The shopkeeper noticed, however, that the green-robed Taoist, who had remained silent all along, had grown even more pale. "Tsk, finally only my fellow disciples and I are left." Zhao Gao brushed the dust off his clothes; to him, wiping away the dust was like cleaning a doctor's robe.
Sheng and the little white snake did it as easily as flicking dust off a sleeve.

Seeing Tang Yuan's pale face, Zhao Gao kindly explained, "Don't worry, regardless of winning or losing this game, for every piece that dies, Master will expend his own cultivation to ensure its safety. The same applies to your little white snake."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yuan and the boss both breathed a sigh of relief, but then became worried again.

"You set this up to weaken Master's power." The shopkeeper had already anticipated this, but was powerless to stop it. Especially since Master had been instrumental in starting the game, how could Master not have foreseen it?

Or...did Master do this on purpose?

Zhao Gao toyed with the stone tablet in his hand and asked in a low voice, "Do you know how our master acquired his cultivation?"
"Haha, I only found out later that the tradition of our sect is that the disciple must devour the master's cultivation. Only in this way can it be passed down from generation to generation."

“Our good master left halfway through teaching me back then, and I thought he was unwilling to pass on his cultivation to me. But not long after, he chose you.”

Zhao Gao's gaze was like a knife piercing his boss.

Tang Yuan weakly raised his hand from the side: "Master even chose me..."

The boss had never heard such a statement before. Although he was certain that Zhao Gao had said it to disturb their peace of mind, he still couldn't help but look at his master.

The Taoist priest in the green robe remained calm, though his face was pale, and offered no explanation.

Zhao Gao suddenly felt bored and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, we should continue playing chess." "But before that, we must first punish the two pieces for acting without permission and violating the rules." Zhao Gao snapped his fingers.

The magnificent main hall of Xianyang Palace around them immediately disappeared, and the Liubo chessboard between him and the Taoist in green robes suddenly grew larger. In the void, the four of them stood on the chessboard, as big as chess pieces.

The boss and Tang Yuan were trapped in place, as if by an invisible wall of air, unable to take a single step. Zhao Gao and the Taoist in green robes remained seated cross-legged on the ground, each occupying one of the opposite corners of the central square of the chessboard. "Senior brother, is that a die Zhao Gao is holding?" Tang Yuan had blind trust in his master, so...

Even though the situation seemed unclear, I wasn't particularly worried. "That's called Shi Boqiong, the precursor to dice. It has fourteen sides: twelve numbers and two sides with characters." "And characters too?"

"Yes, one side says 'pride,' referring to the arrogant chess move, also known as the owl chess move. The other side says 'wife fear,' which is the opposite of pride and means an unfavorable move."

"Huh? Rolling a number means you move a certain number of steps. What happens if you roll the characters on one side?" "Rolling the 'pride' side gives you another chance. Rolling the 'wife' side means you can't move at all, and it's your turn to move the other side." "Oh, I see." "The characters on both sides are small, so it's difficult to roll them. Generally, rolling a number is more likely." Tang Yuan had never played Liubo before. After asking the shopkeeper for a long time, he found that the rules of Liubo weren't very helpful.
Zhao Gao had simply put them in a game of chess, where they would fight each other to force his master to intervene and weaken their spiritual power.

In this game of chess, even the winners cannot move forward. They are all sacrifices.

"Senior brother, do you think Master can beat that bad guy?" Tang Yuan touched his wrist, where the little white snake used to coil up, but now it was empty.

The boss wanted to give him a positive answer, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

Tang Yuan might not be able to see it clearly yet, but he could see that Zhao Gao and his master were actually sitting on a square formation. The complex characters were like living venomous snakes, flowing from under his master to around Zhao Gao. It was obvious that Zhao Gao was absorbing his master's spiritual power, and he didn't know how long it had been going on.

It might have started from the very beginning of the game.

Is this the kind of chess game that Master has always wanted?
Zhao Gao's thoughts were not hard to guess; he probably wanted to defeat his master, seize his spiritual power, and make him experience what it was like to be sealed for a thousand years.

The shopkeeper couldn't fathom his master's thoughts, but he couldn't let things continue like this. Seeing his master's face grow increasingly pale, the shopkeeper laboriously pulled out the Nirvana Compass. If anyone could use this Nirvana Compass more precisely, it would undoubtedly be the Taoist priest in the green robe.

Just as the boss was about to make a move, Zhao Gao casually threw a dagger at him, and to Tang Yuan's surprise, the dagger pierced straight into his chest.

Instantly, many vines appeared beneath the boss's feet, binding his body like ropes, preventing him from even making a move to dodge.

The instant the dagger pierced the air wall, the boss forcefully threw the Nirvana Compass in his hand at the Taoist in green robes, while he himself drew the Yue King Sword from the void and slashed at the direction from which the dagger came, precisely intercepting it before it pierced his chest.

"Being stabbed is nothing; your jacquard silk robe will keep you safe. Tsk, that should have been mine." Zhao Gao glanced at the altered crimson dragon pattern on the shopkeeper's robe and scoffed.

Zhao Gao withdrew his gaze, looked at the Taoist in the green robe, and said with a faint smile, "Then, let's continue playing chess!"

As he spoke, his hands continued their actions. With one hand, he threw Shi Boqiong out, while with the other he attempted to intercept the Nirvana Disc in mid-air.

Shi Boqiong tumbled through the air, drawing a beautiful arc, before landing on the chessboard, spinning rapidly. Just as Zhao Gao was about to snatch the Nirvana Disc, a slender, pale hand caught it firmly. Zhao Gao stared intently, his breath catching in his throat.

The Taoist priest in the green robe, whose eyes had been tightly closed for over two thousand years, suddenly opened them.

Zhao Gao hadn't been gazed upon by those eyes for a very, very long time. In his memory, when those eyes looked at him, there was indulgence, regret, sadness, and later disappointment, sighs, and remorse...

But now, those eyes are looking at him, calm as still water, without a trace of emotion.

"Ah! Senior brother! Master isn't blind after all!" Tang Yuan was extremely shocked.

“Master was never blind. The reason he never opened his eyes was because he made a blood oath back then, vowing never to see anything in the world again, and activated the God-Sealing Array to seal this person.” The shopkeeper said slowly, unable to believe what he was seeing. “And the scar on Master’s forehead is the mark of this blood oath.”

"Ah! What will happen if Master breaks the blood oath?" Tang Yuan was extremely nervous; the blood oath sounded terrifying. The boss was silent for a moment, "I don't know either."

Shi Boqiong continued spinning around, showing no sign of stopping.

But the master glanced at the Nirvana compass, reached out, and decisively moved the compass needle. The scar on the green-robed Taoist's forehead began to crack, and crimson blood gushed down, winding its way across his jade-like face, finally landing on the chessboard and being quickly absorbed by the talisman array.

Zhao Gao seemed trapped by an invisible hand, and a bottomless vortex suddenly appeared beneath his feet. "Very well, let's perish together, it's not impossible," Zhao Gao smiled, stomping his foot hard. The chessboard cracked beneath his feet and rapidly expanded outwards.

Zhao Gao offered no resistance, letting himself fall into the whirlpool, and the green-robed Taoist closest to him also plummeted down with him. The innkeeper and Tang Yuan watched helplessly as the two fell one after the other. "Senior brother!" Tang Yuan cried out anxiously, jumping up and down in frustration.

The shopkeeper glanced at the spot where the green-robed Taoist had fallen, a premonition forming in his heart that his master had done this willingly. Seeing the shattered chessboard drawing ever closer, the shopkeeper decisively grabbed Tang Yuan and dragged him towards the edge of the board. "Senior brother, this is all an illusion, isn't it? Even if we fall, ah! We'll just be kicked out of the game, right?"

Tang Yuan ran while chattering incessantly, interspersed with a few screams from nearly falling. The boss grabbed Tang Yuan with one hand as they ran, while rummaging through his pockets for an antique that could solve the situation, but he was at a loss.

"Senior brother, why don't you let me go? According to my calculations, you can't get to the edge of the chessboard with me..." Tang Yuan said breathlessly.

"Shut up." The boss noticed that Tang Yuan was trying to break free, so he simply carried him on his back and continued running forward.

Just as he was about to reach the edge of the chessboard, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he felt his foot slip and his heart sank, knowing that he still hadn't escaped.

Did Zhao Gao even take this into account?
The boss sighed silently, but didn't seem flustered.

Even if he fell, it wouldn't matter. He didn't think his master's move could kill Zhao Gao. At worst, he could just find another place to continue fighting him.

More than two thousand years ago, they had both won and lost, suffering losses on both sides. This time, he wouldn't lose again. The boss patted Tang Yuan behind him and said, "Don't be afraid."

The next second, his other wrist was grabbed tightly, and the feeling of weightlessness vanished. Looking up along his wrist, he saw the doctor's face.

"Phew, luckily I grabbed a chess piece before I left, thank goodness I made it back..." The doctor breathed a huge sigh of relief. At that moment, the shopkeeper suddenly understood why Zhao Gao hadn't included the doctor in this game. Perhaps it was because his master's magic and Zhao Gao's magic shared the same origin; this person could enter and exit any treasure vault, and similarly, could freely enter and exit Zhao Gao's game. Strangely enough, after the doctor pulled the shopkeeper and Tang Yuan away from the vortex of the cracked chessboard, the illusion around them vanished, and they returned to the dilapidated backyard of the desolate cottage. "Clatter!" A small object fell to the ground.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and discovered that it was Shi Boqiong.

The side of the stone coin lying face up bore the character "骄" (pride). "Senior brother... this '骄' doesn't mean..." "Ah... it means 'one more time'..."

【15】

September, 260 BC, Handan.

"When a son is born, he is laid on a bed, clothed in garments, and given a jade scepter to play with. His cries are loud and clear, his red robes are magnificent, and he will become a king and his family..." The child's voice echoed clearly in the hall, a familiar melody carrying a sense of destiny.

Zhao Gao felt weak in his limbs, and even when he opened his eyes, he couldn't see his surroundings clearly. He felt as if he were tightly wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Ah, the Nirvana Compass, time reversal—has it sent him back more than two thousand years? What's the point? He's still the reincarnation of the Blood Fiend Star.

However, hearing his young brother earnestly chanting, Zhao Gao's cold heart softened slightly. But he couldn't help but sneer again.

It's just another cycle.

A moment later, a maid rushed in, excitedly reporting, "The Grand Astrologer observed the stars last night and brought good news: a lucky star will be born today! King Zhao is overjoyed and has granted a general amnesty!"

Zhao Gao was taken aback upon hearing this.

It seems that someone is with him in this cycle of reincarnation.

[16]

The alarm clock kept ringing incessantly by the bedside. Tang Yuan frowned, pulled the blanket over his head, turned over, and tried to go back to sleep.

The little white snake in the snake basket got impatient and slowly crawled out, finding a gap to slip under the covers. "Hey, stop messing around... let me sleep a little longer..." Tang Yuan vaguely felt the little white snake licking his cheek.

This was their usual interaction, but suddenly a phantom image of a little girl in white blocking his way flashed through Tang Yuan's mind. The blanket was pulled back, the alarm clock was paused, and Tang Yuan, his face flushed, carefully removed the little white snake from his head.
They lifted it down and put it into the snake basket.

Finally, the annoying alarm clock stopped ringing, and the little white snake contentedly coiled itself into a spiral in its basket and went back to sleep. Because it was winter, the little white snake slept more and more, as if preparing for hibernation. Tang Yuan looked down at the little white snake for a long time.

I don't know what I was thinking, but it took me a long time before I got up to brush my teeth and wash my face, my ears still red.

Speaking of which, that day not long ago felt like an eternity.

From bringing the blue stone tablet home, to being knocked on the door by his senior brother in the early morning demanding it back, to the doctor uncle obtaining the Candle Dragon Eye—it's said that the doctor uncle went to the Silent House to wait for his senior brother before dawn, then went to the Lake Pavilion to meet him by chance, followed his senior brother to the Shadow Tower, and was almost left there forever by Sister Caiwei. Later, the doctor uncle followed his senior brother to the Heavenly Light Market, and was tricked by his senior brother into going to the Cloud Elephant Tomb... until finally going to Xianyang Palace at night to play a game of chess.

The doctor's day was truly full of ups and downs and fascinating moments.

Tang Yuan recalled his master and Zhao Gao, who had disappeared at the same time. His senior brother, the boss, said that they must be playing a very long game of chess, which might not be decided for many, many years.

But Tang Yuan always felt that his master must have done something. Legend has it that the Nirvana Compass can allow people to travel through time and space. Perhaps his master really did go through reincarnation again with Zhao Gao...

Sigh, it's really lonely without that gluttonous master by my side.

Tang Yuan sighed like a little adult, but then made a face at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't sad at all! He wanted to study hard with his senior brother, and once he mastered his skills, he would go and save their master!

After quickly washing up, Tang Yuan put on his down jacket, took one last look at the little white snake that was sleeping soundly, and still worried about leaving the little white snake alone at home, he put the snake basket into his down jacket and ran out of the house.

He felt a cool sensation travel through his arm, winding all the way to his wrist before stopping. Tang Yuan touched the little white snake through his clothes, his face full of silly grins.

The streets were bustling with hurried pedestrians in the winter. Tang Yuan glanced at the gray sky, tightened his collar, and headed towards the commercial street.

On the way, Tang Yuan also bought a pancake. Although the doctor would definitely bring food after his night shift, he figured it would be steamed buns. Tang Yuan was honestly a little tired of them and didn't know why the doctor was so persistent.

Pushing open the carved door of the Silent Shop, Tang Yuan stamped his slightly cold feet and found that everyone was indeed sitting around the Eight Immortals table eating xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

This Ming Dynasty eight-immortal table was also newly moved out, and it comes with four benches. If guests push open the door and don't look carefully, they might think that Ya She is a restaurant! Fortunately, there is only one eight-immortal table, which is enough for them to sit on.

The boss and doctor are sitting on one side of the table, with Lu Zigang sitting next to them. On the other side of the boss sits a beautiful woman dressed in ancient costume, who is none other than Caiwei.

Caiwei was brought out of the chess game by the shopkeeper. The azure jade pendant was borrowed from Xiao Ji by the shopkeeper. After returning to the Silent Shop, the shopkeeper found Caiwei a jade carving made by Lu Zigang to live in. Caiwei can now appear every few days, walking and talking like a normal person. Many people think that the Silent Shop has gained a beautiful employee.

On the side of the shop facing away from the door of the Silent Shop sat two young men. Tang Yuan politely greeted these two Uncle Wangs, learning that one was the owner of the martial arts school that was about to open next door, and the other was a well-known history UP (content creator) online. Tang Yuan plopped down next to Sister Caiwei, showering her with compliments on her new clothes. That's right,
Caiwei always appears in newly made ancient costumes, which has recently attracted some Hanfu enthusiasts. Caiwei was amused by Tang Yuan and quickly got him a bowl of untouched wontons.

Tang Yuan ate the hot pancake with wonton soup.

A short while later, Uncle Wang Li, who ran the martial arts school, put down his chopsticks, said goodbye to his senior brother, the owner, and left. Apparently, his school was still under renovation, and he needed to oversee the work. He and Uncle Wang Zi'an were currently staying at the Silent House.

After finishing breakfast, Wang Zian, still half asleep, went back to his guest room to sleep. His time difference was completely different from that of ordinary people; he was probably dragged out of bed to eat breakfast.

Tang Yuan finished his pancake, then ate all the wontons one by one, letting out a satisfied burp. Caiwei and Lu Zigang cleared the table, while the owner went to the bar to boil water and make tea.

The doctor had just finished a long night shift. After eating breakfast, he slumped on the table, muttering about what had happened in the emergency room in the middle of the night, and then fell asleep.

The owner brewed the tea and brought it back, then turned around and took a blanket to cover the doctor.

Tang Yuan took a sip of the fragrant Da Hong Pao tea and couldn't wait to ask, "Senior brother, you promised to teach me today!" He had already lowered his voice, but the doctor wasn't sound asleep yet. Hearing this, the doctor immediately struggled to wake up and said angrily, "Study! You want to study! Once your household registration is settled and registered under my name, I'll send you to school!"

"Go to school?" Tang Yuan's eyes widened. Didn't they agree that he wouldn't have to go to school?
"Of course you have to go to school. I even got a talk with the neighborhood committee ladies. They said I was irresponsible and let you run around everywhere."

"What if we cause more trouble?" The doctor chuckled, propping up his eyelids. "Didn't expect that, did you? The little shabby house we live in is actually in a good school district; apparently, the schools in the catchment area are pretty good."

Tang Yuan quickly looked to his boss for help; he didn't want to go to school!

The boss looked at Tang Yuan, lost in thought, and after a while, he nodded and said, "I think it's okay. It's not appropriate for me to teach Tang Yuan. But I know a school that should be suitable for him."

"Okay, it's up to you. I don't want to be lectured by those old ladies again..." The doctor was relieved to hear that the boss was in charge and lay down to continue his dream.

Seeing that these two had only exchanged two sentences, Tang Yuan felt utterly hopeless about his future. But what could he do? He was just a weak and helpless child!
Tang Yuan rolled his eyes, sat down next to the boss, took something out of his pocket and handed it over, saying ingratiatingly, "Senior brother, this is for you."

"This is..." The boss hesitated slightly, but did not reach out to take it.

This is a mother-child knot, a token given by Madam Shi to Tang Yuan to allow him free access to Tianguangxu.

The doctor's words had stirred Madam Shi's thoughts. She still wanted to have a child of their own with the Lord of the Ruins.

Not long after, Tianguangxu changed hands, and the current owner is the eldest son, Fusu.

Just then, the eldest son, Fusu, was in a state of decline and could not remain in the mortal world. The Tianguangxu, where time did not pass, was just right for him.

However, Tian Guang Xu has lost its original ruler and has been weakened considerably, now in a semi-closed state where people can only leave but not enter. This was the question that Tang Yuan had been wondering about. It turns out that Tian Guang Xu did not fall, but rather that its ruler changed.

Young Master Huhai also followed Fusu to Tianguang Market, where he heard that the young attendant whose true form was a bronze power was also there. The original inhabitants of the market could choose to continue living there or leave Tianguang Market and return to their own timeline. However, once they left, no matter how hard they searched for the Ghost Market, they would never find a pass to Tianguang Market again.

Tang Yuan gave the mother-and-child knot to the shopkeeper because he knew his senior brother was worried about the eldest son, Fusu. Anyway, Madam Shi was no longer in Tianguang Market, so the mother-and-child knot was useless to him. He might as well give it to his senior brother, who might be so happy that he wouldn't have to go to school.

The shopkeeper took the knot in his hand, stroked the tuft of hair sticking up on Tang Yuan's head, and smiled, "Thank you, junior brother. But that school is suitable for you. Trust your senior brother."

Tang Yuan was dejected; he had a premonition that his wonderful life of freedom was about to end...

"It's alright, the school should allow applications for not staying in the dorms, so it'll be the same as it is now," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

Tang Yuan let out a wail, meaning that he might actually need to stay overnight!
At this moment, Caiwei brought over some fruit, peeling an apple while gently comforting Tang Yuan. Lu Zigang was wiping the antiques on the display cabinet with a rag, the doctor was wrapped in a blanket and fast asleep, and through the carved window, one could vaguely hear Wang Li next door directing the workers to carry out construction...

The once quiet and deserted Silent Shop is becoming more and more lively.

The boss clutched the knot in his hand, a smile playing on his lips. More than two thousand years had passed, and he was finally no longer alone.

(End of this chapter)