Green Mountain
Chapter 191 - 146, Ghost hitting the wall

Chapter 191: 146, Ghost hitting the wall

Mr. Feng laughed unrestrainedly in front of Chen Ji, his mirth exuberant and unashamed.

As the laughter reached its peak, he slapped his hand on Chen Ji’s shoulder and bent over laughing, startling a flock of birds into flight, circling in the night sky.

Chen Ji stood leaning on his blade, its edge a mere inch from Mr. Feng, yet the man seemed oblivious—or perhaps, he never feared what a small official of the Postnatal Realm could do to him.

Chen Ji looked down at Mr. Feng before him, pondering whether to seize the chance and kill him with a single stroke. Yet, after a long assessment, he found... no openings.

That seemingly careless hand on his shoulder must be faster than his blade.

After a while, Mr. Feng straightened up and wiped away the tears of laughter with his thumb, "Young man, you’re quite the character. One moment you’re persuading me to turn from darkness to light, and the next, you switch allegiances with definitive ease."

Chen Ji spoke solemnly, "Since a wise man like Mr. Feng is willing to follow the Liu Family, I presume they must possess some extraordinary qualities I am unaware of."

Mr. Feng looked at him with a half-smile, "All the words have come from you. Now tell me, do you have any conditions for working with me?"

Chen Ji reflected for a moment, "Spare the Princely Heir and the Commandery Princess."

"That’s it?"

"Just that."

Mr. Feng thought for a bit and then spoke, "I’m not in a position to decide on that matter; suggest another condition."

Chen Ji said helplessly, "If Mr. Feng can’t even manage such a small matter, what’s the point of staying with the Liu Family? You might as well join me at Prince Jing Mansion."

Mr. Feng laughed wryly, "You speak as if you could decide for the Prince Mansion. Suppose I ask for thirty thousand taels of silver a year, what then?"

Chen Ji replied, "Agreed."

Mr. Feng looked at Chen Ji speechless. After a moment, he sighed and said, "You really dare agree to anything. You know you’re just buying time, but I can’t help wanting to hear what kind of nonsense you’ll come up with next. But seeing as I don’t need to be the one to go after the Princely Heir and Commandery Princess, what use is it for you to delay me?"

Chen Ji earnestly said, "You misunderstand, master. I truly wish to work with you."

But Mr. Feng ignored his ’nonsense’ and mused, "What exactly are you waiting for by stalling?"

"Waiting for Prince Jing? Unfortunately, all the experts by Prince Jing’s side have been eliminated by the Ritual Supervision over the years; waiting for the Spy Department? The Spy Department is far in Luocheng City and cannot possibly know what’s happened here..."

Mr. Feng looked up at Chen Ji with an even more delighted smile, "Young man, it seems you have no way out."

This time, Chen Ji remained silent.

He felt like he caught onto something in Mr. Feng’s few sentences, something seemed off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what was amiss.

Mr. Feng patted his shoulder, smiling, "I know you must be waiting for something, but it doesn’t matter. You want to buy time, I’ll accompany you to buy some time. I’ve heard you’ve won against Prince Jing and Zhang Zhuo in chess. I’ve never had the chance to play with them, so why don’t you play a game with me?"

"Agreed."

Chen Ji found it odd.

Mr. Feng did not seem like someone to lose himself in success; he could kill him right now, which would be the smart move to make. Yet, he was willing to wait alongside him.

While he was waiting for reinforcements, what was Mr. Feng waiting for?

Mr. Feng beckoned to someone behind him, "Jiang Yan, fetch the chessboard and basket from the saddle!"

Not too far away, two warhorses were tied to a withered tree.

Jiang Yan fed some beans to the horses from the pouch in the saddle, then took out a cloth chessboard from the other side and laid it out flat on the ground.

Chen Ji and Mr. Feng sat cross-legged under the moonlight.

Mr. Feng looked straight at Chen Ji, "We’ll play speed chess, each move must not take longer than ten breaths. If you take longer than ten breaths without making a move, Jiang Yan will bring down his blade by your neck and send your head back to Liu Mansion; if you haven’t waited for the person you want to wait for by the end of the game, you must also die."

With that, he took black and made the first move.

Chen Ji counted his breaths silently and placed a white piece at the last moment. No sooner had his fingers left the cloth than Mr. Feng had already placed the second black piece.

Every time, Chen Ji waited until the very last breath, while Mr. Feng made his moves without hesitation.

After just a few exchanges, Chen Ji furrowed his brow.

Mr. Feng’s thinking was so agile and sharp, unlike any he had seen before. He played defensively using the Moyu angle and as soon as Chen Ji’s white pieces approached, he would open up the game and choose a new battlefield, avoiding the clash.

His thoughts spanned the entire board, not just one corner.

Although Chen Ji’s chess skills weren’t exceptional, the strategy he learned from AlphaGo was being thwarted so quickly for the first time.

If Mr. Feng had thought his moves thoroughly, Chen Ji could understand, but Mr. Feng broke through the game without a second thought!

At that moment, Mr. Feng’s gaze left the cloth and he looked up at Chen Ji teasingly, "That game isn’t originally yours, is it? Why are you playing it so clumsily and dryly?"

Chen Ji was startled—he had been seen through!

While he hesitated, Jiang Yan slowly raised the blade beside him, prompting Chen Ji to hurriedly make a move on the board.

Mr. Feng immediately expressed dissatisfaction, "Terrible move, terrible move. That was my fault for talking and distracting you. I’ll allow you to take back that move."

After picking up the white piece that Chen Ji had just placed, he returned it to Chen Ji’s hand, "You have another ten breaths."

Chen Ji looked deeply at Mr. Feng and took a deep breath, looking at the cloth. Just before the last breath was about to pass, he confidently placed the white piece in the ’Autumn’ position.

Mr. Feng’s eyes brightened, admiringly exclaiming, "Young man, you have great courage! Now your play resembles your own style. Previously, it was as if you were picking up scraps from others, not fitting at all."

Chen Ji ignored him and silently stared at the board, as if blocking out the world around him.

The swaying branches, the rustling dry leaves, the birds under the moon—all fell silent.

The two swiftly interchanged moves on the board, the pace of the game accelerating. On the cloth, Chen Ji’s feeble white dragon, cornered, charged and crashed, narrowly cutting through the encirclements time and again.

While placing his pieces, Mr. Feng said, "This Healing Solitude strategy truly has vigor and spirit; no wonder you have fought your way here. Young man, I am tempted by your talent. If you work for me, I will fulfill a wish for you, how about it? However, I have great use for the Princely Heir and Commandery Princess, so I cannot grant you that request."

Chen Ji, without lifting his head, replied, "Alright."

Mr. Feng smiled, not irritated, and casually placed a piece on the board.

In an instant, Chen Ji’s white dragon was immobilized.

He held a white piece in his hand, hesitating and unsure where to place it, a dead game.

One moment, two moments, three moments...

Ten moments.

Mr. Feng lamented, "The person you’re waiting for, after all, has never come. Although I felt pity for your talent, it’s safer to eliminate someone like you when you are still insignificant."

Jiang Yan stood silently next to Chen Ji, his blade falling like thunder, but Chen Ji, as if prepared, grabbed the handle of the Whale Blade and flicked upward!

However, the strike that was meant to sever Jiang Yan’s wrist missed entirely.

Jiang Yan’s wrist hovered just at the edge of the blade’s path, his strong control allowing him to dodge the attack and striking once more.

This was the crushing superiority of a higher realm!

The Innate Realm!

Chen Ji rolled backward awkwardly, dodging the strike, then got up and ran toward the forest without looking back. He had delayed as long as he could, done all he could, now he could only flee!

Glancing back, he saw Mr. Feng slowly standing up from the ground, seemingly with no intention of pursuing him.

Chen Ji ran several hundred steps, then suddenly sensed something was amiss...

He slowed down and peered into the distance, seeing two tall warhorses tied to a tree, with Jiang Yan standing by the horses feeding them beans, coldly watching him.

Further away, Mr. Feng spoke with a smile, "Where do you think you’re going?"

Chen Ji started retreating slowly.

A ghost hitting the wall? No, this was the small official’s trick.

He scanned the surrounding, not overlooking the slightest clue. But the forest appeared just an ordinary forest, with no hint of anything amiss.

Run!

Chen Ji took off again, running another several hundred steps. This time, he found himself on the other side of the warhorses, with Jiang Yan, back turned, feeding the horses beans.

This was too bizarre.

Mr. Feng declared loudly, "It’s futile. This is Jiang Yan’s Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation. Ordinary people cannot escape."

No sooner had he finished speaking, than a meow sounded behind Chen Ji. He spun around hurriedly and dashed toward the noise!

After running several hundred steps following the sound, he did not end up back where he started but hit an invisible wall.

"Open!"

Chen Ji shouted angrily, swinging his blade. The Whale Blade seemed to tear through a canvas, and the world seemed born anew, even the mountain breeze turned more violent.

Mr. Feng exclaimed softly, "Interesting."

"Master, should we pursue?"

Mr. Feng smiled and responded, "Chase what? He’s gone through the Jing Gate, let’s wait for his return."

"Yes."

Mr. Feng stood with his hands clasped behind him, humming lightly: "The master of the Jing Gate heralds bloodshed, ritual signs sold along with estates. Calamities abound, with offspring bearing the suffering. Disasters strike from without, claiming evil deaths; even livestock suffer harm. Amidst separations and farewells, whoever enters must be on guard. Haha, must be on guard."

In the forest, Chen Ji sprinted madly. He didn’t encounter the person he was waiting for, but his cat did come.

Passing a large tree, Wu Yun leapt down from the foliage, landing lightly on his shoulder.

It extended a paw and touched Chen Ji’s ear; a vast Molten Flow poured forth, igniting one furnace after another within him!

Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four... fifty-six furnaces!

Chen Ji felt the exhaustion from the earlier fight dissipate as if he’d been given a new lease on life!

But after running several hundred steps more, he gradually slowed down again.

Expressionless, Chen Ji plucked Wu Yun from his shoulder and tossed it into the forest, then continued walking forward.

As the forest parted like waves, there stood Mr. Feng, flute in hand, beside a green rock, asking with a smile, "Where did you go for such a long turn before coming back?"

Chen Ji frowned. Was there really no way to escape?!

Mr. Feng approached him, holding his flute with its long, green tassel swaying and nearly sweeping the ground.

He spoke at a leisurely pace, "Everyone dreams of being a youthful hero, but in the end, they all receive lessons. Young man, don’t struggle, I promise to return your intact corpse to the Liu Family... Hmm?"

Before he could finish, the sky brightened immensely.

A streak of white light, from afar, illuminated the mountains.

Chen Ji turned sharply, only to see a meteor, like a white Heavenly Horse breaking through the sky, tracing a heart-stopping parabola as it flew from the distant reaches.

With a thunderous sound, the arrow seemed to shatter something, and the world fractured like broken glass.

On the other side, flames suddenly erupted from within Jiang Yan’s sleeve. Frantically patting his sleeve, he shook out a half-burnt piece of talisman paper.

He looked up at Mr. Feng, "Master!"

Mr. Feng paid him no heed, instead turning his attention to Chen Ji, and with a sudden realization said, "So, you were waiting for the Heavenly Horse."