Green Mountain
Chapter 112 - 85, Healing Solitude_2

Chapter 112: 85, Healing Solitude_2

Every subtext was saying: "I can come and go freely from the Medical Hall, yet you fail to notice."

Chen Ji turned to go to the main house, pulled open the second drawer, and sure enough, there was a Go set inside!

He carried the Go set to the main hall of the Medical Hall, spread the board on the counter, and held a few pieces in his hand, "Guess who goes first."

The middle-aged man thought for a moment, "Even numbers."

Chen Ji opened his hand to reveal three black stones: "Wrong guess, I take black and go first."

The middle-aged man said generously, "Alright, you go first, I’ll give you a two-piece handicap."

Chen Ji glanced up at him, "Fine."

The middle-aged man was very skilled at Go, so skilled that his moves were broad and forceful, like Mount Tai bearing down, unavoidable. In just sixty-five moves, he had severed Chen Ji’s black stones, leaving them isolated like rocks in the sea, with no support.

The middle-aged man looked at Chen Ji with a smile, "Your Go skills still need more polish. The essence of Go lies in give and take. To give up the small for the big is to see the larger game. If you don’t wish to concede anything, then everything is lost."

However, at this moment Chen Ji wasn’t listening to what he said, but rather placed another stone in the isolated area. He seemed stubborn and unwilling to concede, yet also like a crazed loner in despair.

The middle-aged man paused.

He followed with a stone.

Chen Ji placed another stone.

The middle-aged man followed with another stone.

And as they took turn after turn, on the seventy-second move, Chen Ji amazingly carved a bloody path out of isolation, connecting a lone piece to another lonely group.

The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up, praising, "Dragon Swallowing? What kind of move is that?"

Chen Ji looked up at him, "Healing Solitude."

The so-called Healing Solitude meant to use the opponent’s weaknesses in their formation while isolated, allowing one’s own single, isolated stone to carve out a path to life. Often, a single isolated stone can turn the tide and disrupt the opponent’s larger strategy.

Chen Ji had once won first prize in the Luocheng City Go competition, by relying on the unorthodox Healing Solitude technique. Chen Ji didn’t have much of an overarching view; he was just stubborn.

He mimicked the middle-aged man’s tone from earlier, slowly stating, "In this vast world, how can there not be a place to fit in? It’s only the space that is narrow, never the heart."

The middle-aged man laughed, "Are you teaching me a lesson now?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "No, I am talking about Go."

In fact, he was upset. After coming to this world, he did not know his past identity and was always led by others. Now, after finally managing to send Gui and Wu Hongbiao away and finally catching a breath, someone else came knocking.

However, just then, Old Yao led She Dengke into the hall from outside. She Dengke, carrying a medicine box, said cheerfully, "Chen Ji, you have no idea, that old man was clearly out of breath, but after Master applied two needles, he immediately revived... Eh?"

The middle-aged man turned to look at the entrance and said with a smile, "Doctor Yao, long time no see. Your young apprentice is quite good at Go, better than you."

Old Yao glanced at Chen Ji, "That’s unusual... How come you’re here alone?"

"I came to have you take my pulse; I’ve been feeling somewhat unwell lately."

Old Yao glanced at him, "Going out to gather grains, and now you’ve turned yourself into this exhausted wreck?"

Chen Ji was startled, wait?

Gathering grains?

Gathering what grains?

The middle-aged man sat down across the counter, visibly fatigued, managing a weak smile, "As soon as we arrived in Jiangnan to collect taxes, some people brought the corpse of their daughter-in-law to the government office, claiming she was driven to death by our tax collection. The local scholars now regard us as enemies, creating resistance at every hint of movement. Tax collection is no easy task."

As Old Yao walked behind the counter, he said calmly, "Taking people’s money is like killing their parents; what they truly fear is not the tax collection, but that you might want to remeasure their fields."

The more Chen Ji listened, the more the situation felt wrong. He had clearly mistaken the person.

Who was this? Dusty and ragged, could he be a tax official? Or perhaps...

The middle-aged man stretched out his wrist onto the counter, "But solving the food and fodder issue isn’t too difficult, just needs a bit more effort and speaking skills. What’s really troubling us is the glutinous rice required at the front lines."

Old Yao placed three fingers on the pulse of the middle-aged man, "Can’t find glutinous rice?"

The middle-aged man explained, "This year, too many city walls were damaged by the Jing Dynasty, requiring a large amount of glutinous rice mortar for rebuilding. With the summer flood, many families are struggling to have enough to eat, how can they spare glutinous rice for the wall repairs?"

After speaking, the middle-aged man sighed, "Actually, there was enough glutinous rice, but unfortunately, the batch from early autumn was intercepted by the Imperial Capital, sent to Your Majesty to refurbish Renshou Palace and the tombs."

Chen Ji was puzzled, as this middle-aged man seemed to have a very good relationship with his master, confiding everything so openly. And Old Yao, who usually avoids reckless talk, didn’t stop him from continuing.

He knew that in these times, glutinous rice was one of the strategic materials, because all city wall repair adhesives were made on-site, mixing glutinous rice with mature lime and limestone. The amylopectin in glutinous rice mortar has an excellent adhesive effect, and once the glutinous rice mortar calcifies after three years, the repaired structures can last thousands of years without collapsing.

But in this era, when many people couldn’t even eat their fill, glutinous rice was life-saving food. Using it to repair walls would starve the people.

At this moment, the middle-aged man coughed a few times, and Old Yao instructed Chen Ji, "Pour a cup of tea!"

Chen Ji went into the kitchen, brought a cup of warm tea, and, with his head bowed and eyes downcast, said, "Please have some tea."

The middle-aged man looked up with a smile, "Why so formal all of a sudden, weren’t you reprimanding me just now?"

Chen Ji awkwardly said, "Just now, I was indeed talking about Go, I didn’t mean to reprimand you."

The middle-aged man raised his hand and pointed at him from across the air, laughing, "It’s normal for young people to be a bit brash, you don’t need to be so humble."

Chen Ji quickly said, "No, not brash at all."

Old Yao wondered, "What happened just now, what sort of wild talk came out of this lad’s mouth?"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily, "Who wasn’t like that in their youth, I, too, often came to you for treatment. When I followed His Majesty against the Second Prince, His Majesty knew we couldn’t win but still insisted I go first, resulting in me getting beat up pretty badly."

Chen Ji inhaled sharply.

He could finally confirm, this was Prince Jing!

But, he couldn’t possibly link this unassuming middle-aged man before him with the imposing and vast Prince Jing Mansion.

No airs, no temper, just like an ordinary neighbor, utterly different from what he had imagined.

At this time, Prince Jing looked towards Old Yao, "How is my health?"

Old Yao said indifferently, "I’ll prescribe a few medications for you, just rest for some time. But recently don’t go out anymore, if you don’t rest, I’m afraid serious problems will arise."

Prince Jing shook his head, "There are some things that can’t be delayed. Next spring, the Jing Dynasty cavalry will head south again, if the walls aren’t repaired before then, the loss of Chongli Pass will lead to many deaths, and even the Imperial Capital will be in peril."

Old Yao spoke sparingly, "I just casually advised, it’s still your decision whether to listen. However, I suggest you stay in Luocheng City, it would be a good opportunity to discipline the Princely Heir and Commandery Princess, to prevent them from getting too wild and possibly causing trouble. While you’ve been gone, the Princely Heir and Commandery Princess have been climbing over the wall to play every night, disturbing my old man’s rest."

Chen Ji: Huh?

No, Old Deng, how can you malign people behind their backs.

He turned his head to look at Prince Jing, only to find Prince Jing’s complexion turned worse...

Prince Jing slowly asked, "What kind of trouble have they been causing recently..."

Before he could finish, a noise came from the backyard, as if someone was climbing over the wall.

Soon after, the Princely Heir’s voice was heard, "Strange, clearly our father hasn’t returned, yet the ceremonial guard has. Not sure why they have made such a blunder, forcing me to climb the wall again for no reason. Chen Ji, come play Pai Gow with me, watch how I’ll sweep everyone clean today... Burp!"

The Princely Heir walked into the Medical Hall, and upon seeing Prince Jing, actually burped in fright!

Prince Jing played with the white Go stone in his hand, his tone calm yet commanding, "Climbing walls? Pai Gow?"

The Princely Heir knelt on the ground with a thud, "Father, it’s all the little monk’s fault for leading me, it has nothing to do with me!"

...

Sorry, I was delayed by a live streaming event on Yuewen tonight and only just finished writing.