My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

Qi Yu looked at Su Yue and nodded helplessly.

Su Yue smiled and said to the maid Xiaoling beside her, "Xiaoling, go and get the birthday gifts that the young master brought. They're in my room."

The maid nodded and hurriedly left.

While the chessboard was in play, the young members of the Su family who had been chatting and joking in the outer hall all came in, wanting to see what was going on.

"What do you think he'll give as a gift?" someone asked in a low voice.

"I heard it didn't cost any money, so it probably wasn't an expensive gift!"

"You guys say he's so uncouth, you wouldn't be sending him a rock, would you?"

"It's possible. He's just an ordinary scholar. I heard his family is struggling financially, so he probably can't afford any expensive gifts."

……

These people were whispering among themselves. In their eyes, Qi Yu was nothing more than a lowly, vulgar brute.

Although the people around him were talking quietly, Qi Yu still heard them and turned to look.

The people who were talking quickly shut up, pretending to be nonchalant, and awkwardly started chatting about how nice the weather was and whether they had eaten.

Qi Yu sneered, too lazy to pay attention to these people.

Qi Yu understood that others had no intention of befriending him and looked down on him.

Even though he had defeated Su Lie and berated him and Su Yuan mercilessly, he was so angry that he almost fainted.

They considered themselves to be crude and uncouth brutes, not the same kind of people as their group of rich, handsome, and beautiful women.

Making friends with oneself will lower one's character.

Qi Yu doesn't have the habit of being a sycophant. Although he's not exactly a gentleman, he still has principles.

Soon, the maid Xiaoling returned, carrying a large, square cloth bag.

And judging from Xiaoling's sweaty appearance, she must have some weight to her.

"Could it really be a stone?"

Qi Yu looked at the person who spoke; it was Su Ling.

Su Ling was not afraid of Qi Yu and met his gaze.

"What? Isn't it a stone?" Su Ling retorted.

Qi Yu smiled and said, "It is indeed a stone, not worth much!"

Upon hearing that it really was a stone, the Su family members around were stunned for a moment before trying hard to suppress their laughter.

Qi Yu curled her lip; these people's faces were truly disgusting!

Su Chengying looked at Qi Yu. When she heard that it was a stone, she raised her eyebrows, feeling somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.

Although he said it didn't need to be too expensive, the sentiment was enough.

But you really can't just give away stones!

You can give any vase, scroll, or calligraphy as a gift.

Then he glanced at Qi Yu and Su Yue without leaving a trace, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw their calm expressions.

Qi Yu might act foolishly and give himself a stone, but the daughter he raised wouldn't let him act foolishly.

Qi Yu took the wrapped chessboard from Xiao Ling, walked up to Su Chengying, and knelt down on one knee.

"I wish my father-in-law many happy returns of the day. This is just a small gift, nothing much, please don't find it offensive."

Su Chengying looked at Qi Yu, who was kneeling on the ground, smiled and nodded, then reached out and took the chessboard from Qi Yu's hands.

But the moment they made contact, Su Chengying's expression changed, and he looked completely taken aback.

The expression came suddenly and went quickly; he soon regained his composure.

"Yu'er, you're so thoughtful!" Su Chengying said with a gentle smile.

Qi Yu raised an eyebrow, thinking that he had made the right choice!

"I'm glad you're happy, Father-in-law."

Su Chengying touched the chessboard through the cloth bag and smiled, "I like it very much!"

Qi Yu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they like it!

In this way, he could say that he had given Su Yue an explanation, after all, she had been working hard to improve his relationship with his father-in-law.

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Chapter Twenty-Four: The Chess Master

Su Chengying shook his head and said seriously, "Your thoughtfulness is already the most precious gift. I really like this."

Su Chengda, watching Qi Yu and Su Chengying from the side, asked curiously, "Chengying, what gift is it? Let us see it!"

Su Chengying glanced at Su Chengda. To be honest, he really didn't want anyone else to see this.

But there's nothing we can do now, there are so many people watching.

Su Chengying instructed the servants to clean up the tea table next to him, and then placed the cloth bag on it.

Su Chengying stood up and, under the curious gazes of the crowd, untied the cloth bag.

What catches the eye is a stone that is neither stone nor jade. Under the light, it emits a faint milky white halo, crystal clear, like a peeled lychee.

Those present were all discerning individuals, and they immediately recognized that this stone was no ordinary object.

Only when Su Chengying pulled the cloth bag away did the entire chessboard become visible.

The chessboard emitted a faint light, like a luminous pearl.

Upon closer inspection, some strange beasts could be seen faintly on the chessboard, and Qi Yu even saw auspicious creatures such as dragons, phoenixes, and qilin.

Qi Yu blinked, staring blankly at the chessboard. It wasn't noticeable during the day, but it glowed at night!

This chessboard can be like this?!

"This is... the Precious Chessboard!" The second uncle, who had been silent until now, spoke up, revealing the name of the chessboard in one sentence.

Su Chengda and the younger generation all looked at their second uncle.

"Second Uncle, is there anything special about this chessboard?" Su Chengkun asked.

Looking at the chessboard, the second uncle fell into reminiscence and said, "When I was a child, my father mentioned that a hundred years ago, the royal family of the Dayun Dynasty dug up a peerless jade from Tiannan Mountain. It was as big as a carriage."

"The jade is crystal clear, and when placed in the sunlight, the phantom of a strange beast will appear."

"Later, the Dayun royal family dismantled this jade and made it into many objects."

"One of them is the Zhenlong Chessboard, and a set of matching chess pieces was made from the scraps. I think it was called the Boundless Beasts Chessboard."

"It is said that various strange beasts will appear when the chess pieces are under the moonlight and sunlight, which is very magical."

After the second uncle finished speaking, everyone looked at the chessboard in shock. Was this the Zhenlong Chessboard?

Then they all looked at Qi Yu with complicated expressions. This thing wasn't worth much money.

Damn it!

This thing is priceless! And it's not even worth a few dollars?

"Yu'er, how did you get it from the chessboard?" A strange light flashed in the second uncle's withered eyes as he asked.

Qi Yu blinked, somewhat bewildered. Was this chessboard really that famous?

Seeing how easily Li Chun gave it to me, I thought it was some cheap stuff!

Still somewhat confused, Qi Yu hadn't heard what his second uncle had said.

"Second Uncle, this is a chess piece that my husband won back from the former Minister of Rites, Li Chun," Su Yue hurriedly said.

She had just sensed a hint of danger, and then, by sheer coincidence, she caught a glimpse of something unusual in her second uncle's eyes.

Second Uncle nodded, closed his eyes, and didn't ask any more questions.

"Lord Li Chun? Is that the Chess Saint, Lord Li?" Su Cheng hurriedly interjected, asking.

Qi Yu turned his head to look at Su Cheng and asked in surprise, "Chess Saint? Old Master Li is the Chess Saint?"

Su Cheng nodded with a look of reverence and said, "Yes, Lord Li Chun is the chess saint of our Great Yun Dynasty. In the thirty years since, Elder Li fought against all the top chess players of the six kingdoms in the Golden Palace and defeated all the heroes of the world."

He was later bestowed the title of "Chess Saint" by His Majesty the Emperor.

As she spoke, Su Cheng's eyes widened, and she looked at Qi Yu, exclaiming in surprise, "You actually beat Lord Li in chess?!"

Qi Yu scratched his head and said, "Is Master Li a chess master? I played a game with him, and he is very skilled. I only won by a narrow margin."

As they were talking, Qi Yu remembered the other two old men and hurriedly asked, "Do you know Wei Zhong and Sun Guyuan?"

Upon hearing these two names, everyone turned to look.

These two are very important people!

Wei Zhong was a renowned Confucian scholar of his time, with students all over the world. Even the current emperor was Wei Zhong's junior fellow student.

Although Sun Guyuan was not as famous as Wei Zhong, he was still a highly respected Taoist master.

The Great Yun Dynasty established Taoism as the state religion, and Sun Guyuan was the junior brother of the current Taoist leader, holding an extraordinary position.

"Don't you know the two lords?" Su Cheng asked, her eyes wide.

Qi Yu blinked innocently and asked, "Should I know?"

Su Cheng was speechless. There were still people who didn't know Wei Zhong and Sun Guyuan.

Qi Yu shook his head helplessly and said, "Forget it, I won't ask anymore. It has little to do with me."

After saying that, Qi Yu looked at Su Chengying and said, "Father-in-law, I have also obtained the Myriad Beasts Boundless Chess set to match this Zhenlong Chessboard for you."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this. Even the Boundless Beasts Chess set was included?

The Zhenlong Chessboard and the Wanshou Wujiang Chessboard are a set, and their combined value is unparalleled.

This birthday gift is far too expensive!

A servant walked in, carrying two white chess baskets.

Qi Yu took it and then handed it to Su Chengying.