Can You Play Chess

It was drizzling today.

Chen Xia walked slowly under a rain cape, wearing light green clothes. He didn't seem to be in a hurry.

There were some small puddles in the middle of the road, just like the various difficulties that people encounter in life. Some people would fall into the puddles and never get up again.

Others could get over the puddles, but they didn't know if things would get better afterwards.

Chen Xia was different. He lifted his feet with the rain cape over his head.

He stomped heavily into the puddle.

Mud splashed, but didn't get on Chen Xia at all.

He was still holding the oil-paper umbrella, walking unhurriedly. His light shirt fluttered in the wind and rain, but he didn't feel adrift at all.

When encountering difficulties in life,

Chen Xia would stomp them down and crush the difficulties.

That's what it means to have unobstructed thoughts.

The collapsed hiking trail of Little Cinnabar Hall was still in ruins. Because of the recent rain, moss had grown in many places, adding some greenery.

But this moss, whether intentionally or not, had grown on the head of the barely alive White Flame Sparrow Tribe Chief.

This made Bai Wu, who was still kneeling at the door of the pavilion, frown in suspicion.

It made Chen Xia laugh. His eyes glanced meaningfully at Bai Wu, as if this was a sign from heaven.

Bai Wu had been kneeling outside the pavilion for a month. For this ancient race, it was nothing. It was mainly to show submission to Chen Xia.

The White Flame Sparrow Tribe Chief gradually regained some strength. His breathing grew louder, but his injuries were still serious so he couldn't move. His eyes often wandered but didn't dare look at Chen Xia.

When looking at Bai Wu kneeling outside, his eyes were full of guilt.

He really had been too reckless.

Qiu Yi came to the pavilion again during autumn. She walked over quickly in her cold demeanor, her white clothes fluttering. She stood face to face with Chen Xia.

Chen Xia chuckled and said, "You, you, you...hello."

Qiu Yi's cold expression instantly collapsed. A blush spread across her pretty face as she opened her mouth to reply.

"Don't, don't, don't...imitate me."

"Okay, okay, okay," Chen Xia nodded. Then he curiously asked, "Why don't you stutter on the last word?"

Qiu Yi shook her head, meaning she didn't know. She refused to speak, not even willing to use the disembodied voice.

Chen Xia leaned his head on his hand and asked instead, "Then why did you come here?"

Qiu Yi opened and closed her mouth, as if wanting to speak, but seeing Chen Xia's appearance, she hurriedly stopped herself. Using the disembodied voice, she said,

"The Qiu family wants to see you and asked me to ask if you're free."

Chen Xia tilted his head and casually asked, "Why do they want to see me? I'm not some rare species."

"You know why," Qiu Yi softly replied.

"Mm," Chen Xia nodded. "It must be about relationships and worldly affairs on the path of cultivation, disputes in the mortal world. But seeing me is useless. I only take money, not action."

Chen Xia was quite honest, directly revealing his scam. All he cared about was finding willing victims.

Qiu Yi pursed her lips. The blush on her face completely faded. After thinking for a bit, she opened her mouth and asked,

"What cultivation...realm are you at?"

"Guess?"

Chen Xia chuckled and asked back.

"Can you...move mountains?" Qiu Yi stuttered, a curious and respectful look on her face. This was the most basic respect towards the powerful.

Chen Xia didn't reply. Instead he asked, "What is the highest realm of existence in Qing Province?"

Qiu Yi frowned slightly and thought carefully before replying with the disembodied voice,

"Throughout the history of Qing Province, there have been some powerful figures that were said to have killed their way into the realms beyond the mortal realm. They probably had cultivation bases above the Sea-Overturning Realm.

Right now, the most powerful being in Qing Province is the QueLong Patriarch, the number one of the eight great powers. His strength is probably at the peak of the Mountain-Moving Realm."

"No one else?" Chen Xia leaned his head on his hand and asked plainly.

"There are others, but I don't know if they count as part of Qing Province's territory," Qiu Yi replied. Her pretty face turned as she gazed through the mountains towards the sea at the border.

"The border of Qing Province is the Surging Sea. You've probably seen it before. It's a green sea, and ancient legends say it was a sea that cut off heaven and earth. Inside were many great demons, with thousands of true dragons lying dormant."

"Later, a powerful martial emperor appeared in the human race. He was extremely strong, killing 90% of the demons in the Surging Sea. He also severed the path of cultivation that had been blocked for thousands of years. Only then did Qing Province truly become the land of humans. Afterwards, the spiritual energy of the world revived, leading to the emergence of great demons like today."

Speaking to here, Qiu Yi's expression showed some admiration as she sighed and continued,

"So nowadays, there are still true dragons dormant in the Surging Sea, and quite a few. Fortunately they don't often appear, just leaping out once every few thousand years to ravage the surroundings."

"Most of these dormant true dragons are at the Mountain-Moving Realm. Some patriarchs speculate that in the deepest parts of the Surging Sea, right next to the Abyss of the Great Dao, there are Sea-Overturning Realm dragons that have been dormant for tens of thousands of years."

Chen Xia nodded and switched to leaning his head on his other hand. He changed the topic.

"Do you know how to play chess?"

"I've heard of it and know a little," Qiu Yi replied, a bit puzzled why Chen Xia was asking this.

"Want to play a game?" Chen Xia stood up and took out a chessboard from behind him.

"Okay," Qiu Yi didn't refuse.

Very quickly,

She regretted this decision.

Chen Xia might have decent character, but his chess skills were really poor.

Does he even understand the meaning behind attacking horses right at the start?!

By the end, Qiu Yi couldn't remember anything in her head. She was preoccupied by one sentence.

Your horses are gone.

Two months later, the barely alive White Flame Sparrow Tribe Chief finally could move again.

With the hiking trail gone from Little Cinnabar Hall, he knelt on the empty air and slowly crawled towards the pavilion.

Like a devout believer repenting for his mistakes.

Chen Xia sat atop the peak and naturally saw this. His expression was still calm, unchanged. He glanced at Bai Wu who was still kneeling, and nodded.

"As expected of father and son."

Their method of apologizing was so similar. A legacy passed down indeed.

Bai Wu heavily kowtowed towards Chen Xia, knocking his head against the floor with a clang. He pleaded,

"I was foolish and reckless to offend you. Please forgive me."

At the side, Bai Wu also got into it. He kowtowed to Chen Xia as well, begging,

"Please forgive my father. He didn't mean it. He just didn't understand."

The spectators watching from afar were shocked and sighed.

This meant the entire White Flame Sparrow tribe was now bowing to Chen Xia.

The figure in green clothes sat in the chair, hands crossed over his chest. He nodded lightly.

"Alright."

A plain voice.

But to Bai Wu and the White Flame Sparrow Tribe Chief, it was like heavenly music, making them ecstatic with joy.

Bai Wu's father finally learned his lesson too.

It was really gratifying.