Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 100: The Spirit of the Zuo Family

It wasn’t until long after Ji Yuan left that the people left around the Yan family’s shops failed to maintain their previous solemnity. Regardless of whether they were descendants of the Zuo family or simply other members of the Yan family, they all excitedly whispered to one another.

“We saw an immortal!”

“Immortals really do exist! Sword Immortal Zuo—no, Hero Zuo Li was not an evil spirit nor a fool!”

“Yu Niang, what will you choose?”

“Let the immortal give us some guidance, then perhaps there might be another Zuo Li!”

“No wonder the swordsmanship practiced by the descendants of the Zuo family has never been successful. It turns out that our ancestors were instructed by immortals. No wonder they were invincible!”

“Uncle Boran, which one do you want to choose!”

“Youtian, ​​Youxin, what do you think?”

Everyone started talking at once, extremely excited.

The old craftsman in the hall coughed heavily a few times, and under the strength of his Qi, all the noisy discussions were suppressed.

“This matter is for the Zuo family to decide. All outsiders, please go about your own business and disperse!”

The old craftsman was obviously highly regarded. As soon as he spoke, everyone began speaking in whispers once more and dispersed. However, due to so many years of family rules and tacit understanding, there was no need for him to further instruct them to keep silent about the events today. No one would disclose what had happened in the Yan family shop.

“Uncle Yan, we…”

Zuo Boran had just opened his mouth, but before he could finish his words, the old man raised a hand to stop him. The old man drank the rest of his tea in one gulp before speaking.

“I told you guys to decide this matter yourselves. I won’t interfere!”

Saying this, the old man walked back to the chair where Ji Yuan had been sitting, and picked up the empty teacup.

“Uh… Grandpa Yan, we can clear the table!”

The old man glared at the thirty-year-old man who had spoken.

“I’m taking this to use as an offering; it has been drunk by an immortal! Are you an idiot?”

Without caring what the others thought, the old man carefully lifted the teacup and walked towards the ancestral hall, leaving the group of Zuo family members looking at each other, bewildered.

The sounds of hammers striking outside the hall gradually resumed one after another. The Zuo family gathered together. However, Zuo Yuniang’s in-laws did not join them.

They were faced with two choices that would completely change the fate of the Zuo family. No matter which option they chose, everyone knew that they had to make this decision very carefully. Time seemed to fly by, and they continued to discuss without conclusion until nightfall.

All the members of the Zuo family sat together in the hall of Zuo Boran’s house. On an eight-immortals¹ table several lamps were lit. The elders sat at the head of the table, and the two children sat quietly on a large reclining chair with their grandmother, feeling sleepy.

“Come along, gather round, the noodles are ready. No one has eaten anything all day. Even the two children have only eaten snacks. Let’s eat something!”

Zuo Yuniang and two sisters-in-law emerged into the hall with three wooden trays. On the trays were bowls of steaming noodles. Taro and green vegetables stewed in oil had been put into the pot along with the noodles. This was evidence of the eldest sister-in-law’s culinary skill.

“Big brother, second brother, come lend a hand!”

“Sure!”

“Okay!”

As bowls of noodles were placed on the table, and the two children immediately woke up despite their previous drowsiness and excitedly jumped out of their grandmother’s arms to either side.

“Noodles!”

“Great! Mom’s oil-cooked noodles, hahaha!”

The two children squeezed in next to their father. Seeing that their grandfather had no objections, they sat on the bench to either side of him. With Zuo Youtian;s help, they picked up the large flower-painted bowl and chopsticks and began eating happily. The three-year-old one couldn’t hold the chopsticks steadily, so he shoveled the noodles into his mouth with force, splashing soup everywhere. However, today, their parents did not scold them.

These two children did not realize how important this choice was. Their mood felt just like the time when everyone had gotten together to discuss their aunt’s wedding right before she had gotten married last year.

“Everyone, let’s eat before the noodles get cold!”

Zuo Yuniang noticed that no one aside from his children had touched their chopsticks, so he reminded them once again.

“Hey… If you can’t stomach it, just eat a few bites!”

This time Zuo Boran spoke, and the rest of the family began eating, some without any appetite.

In fact, after the entire day spent discussing, they had finally come to a decision. However, the main conflict was between the father and the son.

Zuo Boran and his wife advocated for the first option, to have the immortal leave behind a decree to protect the family’s peace and their future generations. However, the wo brothers Youtian and Youxin preferred the second option; with the immortal passing on the swordsmanship, a second or even third invincible Zou Li might emerge in the future, which would naturally bring glory to the family.

Zuo Yuniang, on the other hand, said nothing. Although she and her two sisters-in-law had married into the Zuo family and were considered family members, they had no particular opinion either way, and didn’t dare speak up on their own.

When the noodles were almost finished, Zuo Boran spoke once more, as if he had regained the strength to continue arguing.

“Heaven protect us and protect our hearts.² I have said this many times today, but I still want to remind you that even if we truly do dominate the world, and seek justice for our Zuo family, what about in the future? You will have the glory your great grandfather’s possessed in the latter half of his lifetime, but then will the decline of the Zuo family repeat itself once more? And this time, I am afraid that the Yan family will not be able to save us. Perhaps, we might even drag the Yan family down with us!”

Zuo Youtian frowned and denied his father’s thoughts.

“Father, we learn from our mistakes.³ Our Zuo family has experienced so much, how could we possibly repeat the same mistakes? Youxin, Yuniang, and I still have time to grow our talents, and our two children were lucky enough to see an immortal. Back then, there was only one Zuo Li, but now we all have this chance! The Yan family has helped us for so long, we could have the opportunity to repay them in the future!”

Zuo Youxin spoke immediately after him.

“Yes, Dad, you always told us how about how glorious our Zuo family was back then. My brother and I never had the chance to see it. However, we have been able to feel anger at this injustice since we were much younger. You, too, must resent this fate. We have been bullied for so long that we were even forced to lose our surname. Must we forever keep the surname Yan, and never Zuo? How would our ancestors look at us if they knew?”

Zuo Youxin’s last sentence was quite damaging to Zuo Boran. Zuo Yuniang, who was standing by,⁴ couldn’t help but kick her second brother under the table.

The debate once again reached a stalemate.

The next day, at dawn, someone from the Yan family’s shops rose early and looked towards Zuo Boran’s house. They found that light was still coming through the windows of the living room.

“Uncle Boran and the others haven’t slept all night…”

“I couldn’t fall asleep either. I don’t know what I would have chosen.”

The people outside were in a dilemma, and the Zuo family members inside the house also felt a little restless. The immortal had only said that he would return the next day, but he did not specify morning or evening.

Aside from the two children, the adults stayed up all night. However, no one felt sluggish. As the sky brightened, everyone seemed a bit excited.

It was a cloudy day, and around lunchtime, the faint sound of thunder began to rumble across the sky.

Ji Yuan returned to the Yan family’s shop again in the afternoon. As expected, the family members were only high alert. They had even laid out a table full of sumptuous food and wine next to the ancestral hall. If the immortal wished it to be so, the meal could be served immediately.

They were still in the same hall as yesterday, but this time there were almost no onlookers. It was most likely because the Elder Yan⁵ had given the order, so in the end there were only members of the Zuo family left in the hall, as well as the two outsiders Ji Yuan and Elder Yan.

In the hall, the members of the Zuo family stood in a row, Ji Yuan and Elder Yan sat at the front. Not only were there teacups on the table beside the armchair, but also brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone had been prepared.

Ji Yuan gazed at the members Zuo family of varying ages. They all had clearly bloodshot eyes, but everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

“Then, have all of the descendants of the Zuo family come to a decision?”

Zuo Boran stepped forward and bowed towards Ji Yuan.

“To answer your question, sir, a decision has not yet been reached!”

“Boran, all of you-!”

At his words, Elder Yan to the side suddenly became angry. Zuo Boran immediately spoke.

“Don’t be angry, Uncle Yan. We will make a decision soon…”

Having spoken, Zuo Boran turned to Ji Yuan and respectfully asked him.

“Mr. Ji, might I ask you a question to help us make our decision?”

“Ask.”

Ji Yuan’s face was calm. It would be fine if they wished to consider it for a few more days. After all, this was indeed a big deal for the Zuo family.

“I want to ask, when Grandfather was learning martial arts, which was more important: the guidance of his teacher, or his own talent?”

Ji Yuan showed no expression at his words, and answered in a calm voice.

“Zuo Li possessed a natural talent in martial arts. Naturally, his own talent accounted for the majority of his achievements!”

Hearing this answer, Zuo Boran glanced at his two sons, and then bowed to Ji Yuan and spoke.

“So long as we Zuo family members remember that our surname is ‘Zuo,’ someday we will be able to regain our former glory! Sir, we will choose the first option!”

Ji Yuan smiled and looked at the Zuo family. The two young men who were originally a somewhat reluctant no longer hesitated when they heard their father’s words. Even Zuo Yuniang had the same expression.

“Good… Your spirit⁶ is back!”

Ji Yuan’s praise appeared incomprehensible, but it also seemed to have a deep meaning.⁷

As he stood up, Ji Yuan took a brush from the table, dipped it in ink, and then wrote the edict on the rice paper. He cast the spell with all his might, his long hair fluttering slightly in the air.

May you have peace, stability, and health; may no evil harm you; stay determined and strive onward; your hard work will not be in vain! A gift⁸ for the descendants of Zuo!⁹

These sixteen characters on the rice paper and his signature were completed in one stroke of the brush. When the ink on the brush had run out in the middle of writing, a drop of ink flew out of the inkstone to replenish the source on the brush, exciting the crowd.

As soon as the decree was completed, a beam of light visible to everyone flashed across the paper. Ji Yuan felt dizzy and nearly fell down. He let out a light breath and turned around to look at the crown of people who were craning their necks.

“This decree is a gift given to the descendants of the Zuo family. Even if someone else takes it away, they will not be able to use it. If the Zuo family’s bloodline ends, the decree will be destroyed!”

Boom… Boom…

There was a faint sound of thunder in the sky. Dark clouds were gathering, and it seemed that it was about to rain.

However, Ji Yuan, who was in a good mood, had not finished with his gifts for today.

“Hahaha… Zuo family, watch carefully!”

Ji Yuan put down the brush, stepped outside, moving like a wisp of green smoke, and arrived outside the hall. With a wave of his hand, and the Green Vine sword flew out and landed in his palm.

“Don’t blink!”

With a smile, Ji Yuan’s posture transformed into that of a flying dragon,¹⁰ moving with his sword in the center of the courtyard.

His figure was like an illusion, a dream; his movements were as if he were in a trance, yet at the same time clear-headed. The Green Vine Sword extended like an emerald ribbon from Ji Yuan’s hand, with the sword’s light flowing like water.

Shaa… Shaa… Shaa…

It began to drizzle, but the raindrops wove and wound themselves like dragons around Ji Yuan, following the flashes of light from the sword.

With one form of the Soaring Dragon technique, “The Soaring Dragon Brings Rain,” a twisting dragon made of water appeared, soaring diagonally into the sky…

In the hall, the Zuo family members and Elder Yan just stood there stiffly, staring at the immortal dancing with a sword in the rain, not even daring to blink. Their excitement and shock were so great that they could hardly control themselves!

T/n: OH MY GOSH GUYSSS HAPPY CHAPTER 100!!!! This is such a huge milestone for me, I am unbelievably excited!!! Thank you to everyone who has left comments, likes, Kofis, reviews on NovelUpdates… This series has ramped up in popularity and I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you and how happy I am to see more people enjoying this awesome story. So many hugs to all of you, and here’s to more chapters to come! Cheers! ~Mango.

1. I mentioned this table before, but I don’t remember which chapter. Basically, it’s a large square dining table made to seat 8 people (2 on each side)
2. 佑天佑心
3. The exact idiom is 吃一堑长一智 “fall into the moat and you’ll be wiser next time”
4. Both in the sense of standing beside him and in the sense of not taking sides
5. 老爷子 (lǎoyézi): polite term for an elderly male, I used “Elder,” may also be translated as “Grandfather,” “Old Man,” “Old Master,” etc.
6. Same as in chapter title, the word used here is 锐气 (ruìqì) meaning sharp spirit/inner drive
7. T/n: you can always build new glory and accomplishments with your own hands, but you cannot ensure peace. JY gave the Zuo family the push they needed to stop being mired in their past glory and gain the resolve to fight for the future with their own abilities, ensuring (through JY’s offer/edict) that they would remain safe, hence the revitalization of their spirit
8. The raws had the character 缘 (yuán) before 赠予 (zèngyǔ) – to give a gift/grant a favor. Yuan is Ji Yuan’s first name, so it could be translated as “This is my gift…” BUT is also means karma/destiny/fate… so this whole line could be “this is the destiny/fate gifted to the Zuo family” Double meanings are COOL 😀
9. Oooh cool line structure time: this line is arranged in four phrases of four characters (宁泰安康，百邪不侵，明志而奋，苦心不负) with the last line having seven characters (缘赠予左氏后人). Definitely hinting towards poetry, or at the very least extremely flowery/official language — which make sense since Ji Yuan is writing a powerful decree
10. Not literally, he’s just following the sword technique