In the Dragon God Palace in Peng City, Qing Qiu sat across from Fan Li, puzzled. He shouldn't be here. He should be in Nanchao.
“You…” she started to ask.
“Are you hungry?” Fan Li interrupted with a smile. “Would you like some pastries?”
Qing Qiu was about to refuse, but Fan Li continued, “I’ve brought some new treats from the best pastry shop in Peng City.”
He placed two food boxes before her and opened them. The aroma of sweet pastries filled the air.
Inside, a colorful assortment of steamed buns, small cakes, crispy pastries, and candies delighted Qing Qiu.
“You didn’t go to Nanchao?” she flatly asked as if she were stating a fact, not asking a question.
But her hands were already reaching for the pastries. She picked up a pink mochi with her slender fingers and brought it to her lips elegantly.
She ate quickly, her chewing almost imperceptible. But there was one problem… Her speed was astonishing. The pastries within the food boxes vanished in an instant!
By the time the boxes were empty, Fan Li still hadn’t answered her question.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Qing Qiu frowned.
Fan Li smiled wryly.
He couldn’t speak.
Not at that speed.
But there were things he had to say today. He had to be honest with her.
“Bai Shijiu attacked me in Nanchao.”
As he spoke, he placed another food box before Qing Qiu. She instinctively reached for a pastry, but stopped midway, her fingers hovering over a pink glutinous rice ball.
“Is that true?” she asked.
She wasn’t questioning him, nor was she demanding proof. She simply wanted confirmation.
“Yes,” Fan Li nodded.
A figure emerged from the back of the palace.
Qing Qiu turned and saw another Fan Li.
“It’s a body double,” the two Fan Lis said in unison. “This is my greatest secret. I only reveal it to those I truly trust.”
They explained why he could be in both Nanchao and Peng City.
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“If you don’t believe me,” Fan Li continued, “you can examine my body double. This isn’t some simple disguise or illusion. He’s real.”
Qing Qiu shook her head.
“I believe you. Your auras are identical. It’s a true body double. But… such a profound technique. Is it the legendary ‘One Qi Transforms into Three Purities’?”
Fan Li smiled but didn’t answer. He would never reveal the system’s secrets. He looked at Qing Qiu expectantly.
“Qing Qiu, you once said that if the Pure Land attacked me again…”
To weaken Empress Yao Guang, Fan Li had to isolate her. Reducing the number of Sage Rulers in the Great Ci Dynasty was the most effective strategy.
Reduce, but not necessarily kill.
Qing Qiu, he hoped to win her over.
She stood up abruptly, her gaze shifting from the pastry boxes to Fan Li.
“Thank you for the treats. They were delicious.”
And with those words, she turned and walked away.
Fan Li frowned.
Had he gambled and lost? Would Qing Qiu betray her promise and side with Empress Yao Guang?
If so, his body double secret would be exposed. It would complicate matters significantly.
No.
He trusted his judgment. Qing Qiu was an honorable woman.
Suddenly, Qing Qiu stopped.
She stood there for a long moment with her back to Fan Li. Finally, she spoke.
“I… I have nowhere else to go.”
Her words filled Fan Li with delight. He wanted to embrace her, to express his joy. But her loneliness made him hesitate.
“Fan Li?”
“Hmm?”
“The world is vast. But… can you give me a home?”
…
Nanchao, the Go board world.
Bai Shijiu’s face was pale with shock. She stared at Huang Longshi with terror and disbelief.
“You! It’s you! It was you all along!”
She glared at Fan Li. “Liar! Deceitful scoundrel! You played a false game!”
Fan Li glanced at her coldly. The outcomes of both Go games were clear. Danzhu, the Chess Sage of ten thousand years ago, was no match for Fan Li. His skills were outdated, his strategies easily countered.
And Bai Shijiu, who had once lost to Huang Longshi, couldn't possibly defeat him now.
“Sage Ruler Bai,” Fan Li said. “I’ve never considered you an enemy. But you have repeatedly challenged me. The incident at the Tomb of King Zhou was your fault. Today, you betrayed your own ally.”
His voice echoed through the Go board world.
Bai Shijiu felt humiliated. But what could she do?
Her heart demon?
Fan Li was a false demon!
She had realized it after playing against Huang Longshi for a short while. This thin, unassuming scholar, he was her true heart demon!
The moment she understood, Fan Li’s influence over her vanished! But in its place, Huang Longshi’s presence loomed over her like a dark cloud.
Bai Shijiu was both enraged and terrified. She couldn't afford to lose.
Another defeat, and her path to immortality would be closed forever. She would never reach the Great Vehicle Realm!
Bai Shijiu knew this, and so did Fan Li. But he wanted more.
“You will both die today.”
His words were directed at both Danzhu and Bai Shijiu. A threat had to be eradicated. There could be no mercy.
“Huang Longshi.”
“This junior is here.”
Fan Li looked at him with admiration. This man, facing the Chess Sage of Great Ci, remained calm and collected. He was truly talented.
“Finish them.”
“Yes!”
Fan Li and Huang Longshi attacked. Every move was imbued with killing intent, leaving their opponents no room for escape.
Danzhu and Bai Shijiu couldn't withstand their assault. They lost ground rapidly.
“No!!!” Danzhu cried out. “A draw! How about a draw? Name your price! Anything you desire, I will grant it!”
Bai Shijiu also panicked.
“Huang Longshi, we… we have no grudge against each other. Why must you bully me? A weak woman! Are you not ashamed of yourself? Have you no mercy? If you spare me, the Great Ci Dynasty will reward you handsomely!”
But neither Fan Li nor Huang Longshi responded to their pleas.
Fan Li wouldn't budge. And Huang Longshi, having read the detailed information Fan Li had provided about the Brahma Sound Pure Land, felt nothing but dread.
“The Pure Land is a blight upon this world. I will assist Duke Jin in eradicating it.”
