Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 50: Worthy of the Title of Madman

Ji Yuan used Qinggong to leap and run wildly. After having left the sight of Wei Wuwei and the others, he took a detour and returned to Ning’an County.

The sound of the strong wind whistling by his ears along the way was very pleasant. Ji Yuan untied the hair tie on his head and let his long hair flutter in the wind.

This era was different from the land of China in his previous life. The forests and grasslands were almost completely free of pollution. There were wild night birds and warblers in the farmland, different scenery in the mountains and on the plains, and the landscape had a different appearance at night and during the day.

There was a small river in the forest outside the city. Ji Yuan jumped and rolled as if he were flying, using his strength against the treetops by the river to make a graceful diving arc, like a leaping fish, directly into the river with a small splash.

After a while, Ji Yuan emerged from the water with a “crash!” sound. When he swam to the other side of the shore, his legs underwater suddenly kicked out hard, and he slapped his right pam on the water surface.

“Bang!”

In a splash of water, Ji Yuan pulled himself out of the water and jumped onto the opposite bank.

“Hahahaha, I feel good!”

His body started running again, jumping high in a sprint, spinning in the air several times, and spreading countless water droplets. As he fell to the ground, he continued to move forward, playing with martial arts like a child.

It wasn’t until he ran another two miles that he began using his small water control technique to drain away the remaining water droplets that clung to his body and clothes. In this way, it was like taking a bath, washing away the sweat and tension from the fight just now. It also washed away the fatigue, like a layer of greasiness had been peeled from his mind. It was both physically and mentally refreshing.

When he returned to Ning’an County, it was already dead of night.

Ning’an County had always had good security, and had never imposed a curfew. However, Ning’an County was a small place. Apart from the occasional temple fair, there were basically no entertainment activities at night, so it was naturally very quiet.

After Ji Yuan entered the city, no one was disturbed, and he lightly fluttered back to Ju’an Pavilion. He glanced at the Sword Intent Inscription hanging on the wall behind the desk in the corner of the main room. He gave up the idea of ​​studying it now, changed into his sleeping clothes, and fell asleep.

The sun still shone brightly the next day. After getting dressed and taking a shower, Ji Yuan sat down at the desk in his room like a student in awe, and once more carefully studied the Sword Intent Inscription.

The four treasures of the study on his desk¹ were all gifts from Yin Zhaoxian. They were not valuable items, but they felt good when used. They had obviously been carefully selected.

The Sword Intent Inscription’s calligraphy was still mysterious in his eyes. Ji Yuan had long seen through it, but no clues to the tomb had been found.

‘Should it be immersed in water and burnt? ’

Ji Yuan took the Sword Intent Inscription off of the wall and put it on the table. He touched the paper. It was just ordinary rice paper, and it couldn’t withstand that kind of experimentation.

‘Is there something on its dowel handles?’

With a light stroke of his fingers up and down, the two thin wooden sticks on the scroll came off by themselves, Ji Yuan picked it up and looked at it carefully, but there was nothing recorded.

“Could it be inside?”

Ji Yuan used some strength in his fingers, aiming at the top of one of the wooden shafts, and flicked it hard.

“Crack…”

The wooden stick split vertically into two halves. He looked at it, touched it, smelled it. There was nothing unusual. It seemed he would have to look for it in the content of the copybook itself.s

To be honest, with Ji Yuan’s eyesight, it was impossible to clearly read the text in ordinary paper books. This Sword Intent Inscription was special because of the profound sword intent, so it could be understood clearly.

“I have loved weapons since I was a child, especially the sword. I got a wooden sword at the age of six… I got an iron sword at the age of twelve… I was full of energy at the age of twenty. Although I don’t have a new sword, my body was sharp and unparalleled, and with my poor, three-foot blade I illuminated the entire prefecture. After ten years of growth, where is the end of the martial arts path? Are there immortals in this word? Even if my swordsmanship fades into history, I will not give up. I refuse…”

Ji Yuan read the hundreds of words in the Sword Intent Inscription, and sighed slightly. Before, he had wondered whether the martial artist who wrote the Sword Intent Inscription was still alive, but now it was clear that he had already been dead for decades.

“Hey, it’s a pity… But your words are clear!”

With a sigh, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but turn to the sword, and danced the dragon form lightly in front of the Sword Intent Inscription. But this unintentionally soothing action suddenly made his heart jump.

As soon as the sword stance began, he no longer danced as he wished like he had before, but instead swung the sword in accordance to the order of the lines of the text.

Although it lacked the ease and natural movement, there is a lot more killing intent. However, according to the trajectory of the Hero Zuo’s life and the development of his swordsmanship, there was actually a strange feeling.

As a blind man, Ji Yuan relied on his memory to out together the trajectory of sword intent and the names of times and places in his mind.

‘Damn, is this a map? ’

Ji Yuan, who had been thinking for a long time, finally confirmed this, and was left dumbfounded.

It must have been so difficult to make. It’s no wonder that you, Hero Zuo, have been dead for so many years, and yet still have no one to inherit your mantle. Did you think that only a genius like you was qualified to inherit your swordsmanship?

Okay, you’re very strong!

Ji Yuan realized it hadn’t been for his “unparalleled talent,” the Sword Intent Inscription would have been left undeciphered until it had rotted away. Perhaps the peerless swordsmanship would have to wait for someone with great luck to accidentally discover it before it could once more see the light of day. Well, that luck was probably about the same as the probability of getting the secrets by jumping off a cliff.

“You really deserve the title Mad Disciple Zuo!”

With this understanding, Ji Yuan was completely relieved. At the same time, he was also very much looking forward to Mad Disciple Zuo’s peerless swordsmanship. A message with sword intent allowed him to understand the mystery of the Wandering Dragon form, so the sword technique itself must be even more superb!

“Knock knock knock…”

“Mr. Ji, it’s Yin Zhaoxian visiting. Is Mr. Ji home?”

Master Yin’s familiar voice sounded outside the courtyard. When Ji Yuan looked out the door, he suddenly realized that it was already noon.

Outside, Yin Zhaoxian was carrying two things: one was a food box, and the other was a cloth bag. He knew very well that Ji Yuan’s timing for meals was very precise, so he deliberately rushed a little bit before lunch and asked his wife to cook some of her signature dishes. He paired them with a whole jar of Shaoxing yellow wine, and went to Ju’an Pavilion.

Nowadays, when Yin Zhaoxian came here, it was no longer with the reverence that he used to have, but rather with the comfort and enjoyment of discussing and learning with friends.

It didn’t take long for the courtyard door to be opened by Ji Yuan himself.

“Master Yin, how are you?”

“Haha, I have a free day today, so I came to visit Mr. Ji. Am I disturbing you?”

Ji Yuan also smiled. He had already smelled the aroma of the food box, and it was still steaming. He thought that it must taste good, so he stretched out his hand inward.

“Master Yin, please come in!”

The two sat down at the stone table in the courtyard. Yin Zhaoxian put the cloth bag on the table as a gift, and opened it to reveal a wooden chess board and two boxes of chess pieces.

“I’ve always seen Mr. Ji study the chess classics, but I’ve never seen you play chess. I’m afraid there might not have been anyone to play against? I specially found this sandalwood chessboard so I can talk through a few games with Mr. Ji!”

‘Hey, hey… I have only ever discussed formations on paper. It’s not that I can’t find anyone to play with, but that I really don’t know how to play chess…”

Ji Yuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed he would be embarrassed today.

. . .

On the other side of town, Wei Wuwei still brought people back to Ning’an County.

After all, they were injured and had captured so many murderers. In order to reduce the number of variables, Wei Wuwei tied them up and escorted them to the nearest Ning’an County. Meanwhile, he asked the driver to ride to the capital city of Desheng Prefecture on horseback, to let the officials there join the Wei family and bring enough manpower to escort the felons.

The current head of the Wei family was staying in the inn, sleeping soundly wrapped in the white tiger skin he had bought from the Ning’an County government for a thousand taels.

1. Reminder that this refers to a brush, ink, paper, and ink stone for Chinese calligraphy. ↩︎