Chapter 691: Chaos in the Back Mountain

Beneath a vigorous ancient pine tree, there was a stone table, and two people were playing chess.

Two men with long beards and messy hair, whose ages could not be discerned, sat facing each other. Shuyuan Houshan was like spring all year round, and it was currently spring. Although there had been several bouts of continuous spring rain in the past few days, the temperature was not low; otherwise, there would not have been so many women dressed in light clothing on the long streets.

Yet for some reason, the two men sitting by the stone table were still wearing the Academy's thick winter clothes, and their robes were covered in stains, as if they had not been washed for a long time.

These two were fully focused on the chessboard, battling within the square inch.

Needless to say, these two were the Academy's Fifth Teacher and Eighth Teacher.

Before entering the mountain, one was a master of the South Jin Kingdom, and the other was a palace chess master of the Yuelun Kingdom. Later, they entered the mountain and became fellow disciples, yet they never forgot the grievances and grudges of those years. Whenever they were free, they would hold the chessboard and sit under the pine tree for days, sometimes even forgetting to eat or dress, leading the other fellow disciples in the Back Mountain to wonder if these two would eventually die of blood-vomiting, freezing, or starvation.

But it could not be denied that the two men's attainments in chess were at the pinnacle; apart from each other, it was hard to find an opponent.

"This move is foul; you should have placed the piece here."

"Foul move, another foul move. If you had placed the white piece here and moved a few more steps, wouldn't you have slaughtered his great dragon?"

"This move is not bad, but it's still not clever enough. If I were you, I would set an ambush here, let him walk a few more steps, hehe..."

"Eh, this move is actually beyond my expectations. It has a bit of my style; the child is teachable, the child is teachable."

I do not know when, but a black figure sat down beside the two, watching them play.

The Fifth Teacher and Eighth Teacher were so focused on the chessboard that they didn't even eat, and although they sensed that there seemed to be an extra person beside them, they did not look up even once.

At first, that person could be considered a "true gentleman who watches chess in silence," not speaking for the first three games, just watching the two play intently. But once the fourth game began, he seemed unable to hold back any longer and started making intermittent comments. Later, the volume of his voice grew louder, and his tone gradually became presumptuous, as if he were comparing the two top chess players in the world to mere bunglers.

After enduring four or five games, the Fifth Teacher, whose temper was slightly worse, finally slapped the table: "A true gentleman watches chess in silence; if you can do it, you come, if not, shut up."

"If I come, I come." The man in black sat in the Fifth Teacher's seat, took the black pieces, and began to play against the Eighth Teacher.

A layer of coldness covered the faces of the Fifth Teacher and Eighth Teacher. As masters of the chessboard, the only people they valued besides each other were First Brother Li Manman and Fuzi.

Although they did not know who the person before them was, the two teachers decided to teach this fellow a good lesson.

Then, the expressions on their faces quickly changed from cold sneers and disdain to solemnity. Their brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and finally, with a long, heavy sigh, the two looked at each other and bowed simultaneously to Yu Liancheng: "Teacher's chess skills are superb; we admit defeat. May we ask for Teacher's great name?"

The young man in black thought for a moment, smiled slightly, and said: "You may call me Alpha!"

"Then, may I ask if that chess opening of yours has a name?"

"Heaven Earth Great Harmony!"

When these four words fell, the young man in black turned into a wisp of black smoke and disappeared.

Beside the stone path, among the flowering trees, the Eleventh Teacher sat amidst the flowers. His clothes were covered in all sorts of petals, looking quite comical.

He picked up a petal from his shoulder and muttered to himself: "If there is nothing outside the heart, and no affairs outside the heart, and no one enters this Back Mountain, would this flower cease to exist? Before the teacher entered the Back Mountain, this flower bloomed and fell in the mountain for thousands of years on its own; what connection does it have with your heart or mine?" It seemed this teacher was pondering a very profound philosophical question.

"The existence of objective matter does not shift based on human consciousness. Of course, if you were to have a thought and flowers bloom, time reverses, and all things grow, that would be another matter." A clear, bright voice rang out, and a black figure stepped along the path paved with fresh flowers, approaching with a smile: "This question is actually not difficult; what is truly difficult is another question."

"What question?"

"Who are you?"

"You ask who I am? I certainly know; I am Wang Chi."

"No, you don't. Do you really know? Who are you? Wang Chi? No, that is just a name, a code. You can be called Wang Chi, I can be called Wang Chi, anyone can. After you take away the code, who are you then?"

Not long after, that black figure had already left, but Wang Chi had fallen into an unprecedented state of stupor. A pile of questions swirled around him, giving him a splitting headache.

Who am I?

Where do I come from in life, and where do I go in death?

Why must I appear in this world?

What does my appearance mean to this world?

Did the world choose me, or did I choose the world?

An uninvited guest entered the Back Mountain, and the Back Mountain was thrown into complete chaos.

The Fourth Teacher's River and Mountain Plate was overturned, but the endless quicksand did not pour out like a surging river to flood the entire room; instead, it was blocked by a strange rune. The Fourth Teacher looked at this rune and fell into deep thought, feeling that this rune was filled with infinite mystery, something he had never heard of or seen before.

Seventh Sister Mu You was the only female disciple among Fuzi's disciples. Her hobby was embroidering in the wooden bridge pavilion. A gust of wind suddenly rolled in, blowing her embroidery handkerchief into the sky. When it was blown back down by the wind, three enchanting and gorgeous peonies had appeared on the handkerchief. And those stitches and threads faintly formed an array, mysterious to the extreme.

The youngest, Twelfth Brother Chen Pi Pi, was hiding in the bushes, appreciating the beauty of words and pictures, still blushing and feeling agitated, when suddenly a cold voice called his name. The voice sounded very much like a woman Chen Pi Pi feared most. Instantly, the Twelfth Brother gave a start, nearly scared into losing control and opening the floodgates.

The usually arrogant goose honked wildly, chased by something buried deep, running all over the lake, losing quite a few goose feathers. Even Fuzi's cow was kicked twice.

Finally, Yu Liancheng came to a figure beside the waterfall. Before he could make a move, the figure turned around. This was a young man wearing a strange high crown. He looked solemn and first bowed to Yu Liancheng: "Teacher Yu has graced the Back Mountain with his presence; Junmo failed to welcome you from afar, and I hope you will forgive my offense."

Immediately following, a sword appeared in the hand of this Second Brother of the Academy, and flames of excitement danced in his eyes: "I have long heard that Teacher's cultivation is profound, and I would like to ask for your guidance. Would that be possible?"

"How direct." Yu Liancheng chuckled and suddenly asked a very strange question: "Have you seen Liu Bai's sword?"