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Chapter 603: A Game of Go
Chapter 603: A Game of Go
Chapter 603: A Game of Go
"In that case, I won't try to stop you. As the saying goes, all unions must conclude with separation someday," Han Li sighed.
Jin Tong extended another curtsey toward Han Li, then turned to depart, but Han Li called out to stop her before tossing an intricate green jade bracelet at her.
Jin Tong reflexively caught the bracelet, and Han Li explained, "There's a map of the primordial land inside, as well as some spirit treasures and Immortal Origin Stones, which should be enough to last you a while. Aside from that, there are also a few Transient Guild masks in there. If you need anything, feel free to reach out to me."
When it came to Jin Tong, his feelings were very mixed. To him, she was like an intimate comrade, but also like a daughter that he had raised from birth.
A complex look flashed through Jin Tong's eyes at the sight of the bracelet, but she didn't refuse it, and she silently put it on her left wrist.
"I'll go with you, Jin Tong," Xiao Bai suddenly said before springing over to her side, much to Jin Tong's surprise.
"You said that you were making me your lackey, so you can't just leave me behind!" Xiao Bai said as it rubbed its head against the back of Jin Tong's hand.
"Take Xiao Bai with you. If you run into any other Gold Devouring Immortals more powerful than yourself, you'll at least be able to hide in Xiao Bai's stomach for some time," Han Li said.
"Alright, I'll take you with me, but you better hurry up and get stronger! If you dare to get in my way, then I'll leave you behind without a second thought!" Jin Tong threatened as she patted Xiao Bai on the head.
Xiao Bai immediately nodded in response with an ecstatic expression.
"By the way, I once read in a scripture that a Gold Devouring Immortal of unknown power seemed to have appeared some time ago in the Golden Origin Immortal Region. I don't know if it's still there, but you can go to try your luck there if you can't find any other leads," Han Li said.
"I see. Thank you, Uncle. Take care," Jin Tong replied with a nod, then took one final glance at Han Li before speeding away with Xiao Bai as a streak of golden light, instantly vanishing into the distance.
Han Li looked on in the direction that Jin Tong had departed in for some time before withdrawing his gaze, following which he instructed in a calm manner, "Let's continue."
Shortly thereafter, a streak of green light rose up from the ground before speeding away into the distance.
Moments later, a burst of spatial fluctuations emerged nearby, and Jin Tong and Xiao Bai re-emerged onto the scene.
"Uncle, I would love to stay with you for longer, but what I'm going to be facing from here onward is far more perilous than what you can imagine... We only just barely survived this ordeal by the skin of our teeth, I really don't want to be a burden to you anymore," Jin Tong murmured to herself in a forlorn voice.
"Surely there was no need to do this," Xiao Bai said in a timid voice. "Even though I've only been with Master for a short time, my instincts as a primordial true spirit tell me that he's a good person, and he definitely doesn't mind having you around as a burden."
"So you're saying I really am a burden to him?" Jin Tong asked as she turned to Xiao Bai with a hostile expression.
"N-no, what I meant to say is that you're so wise and powerful, you could easily explore this world on your own!" Xiao Bai hurriedly amended.
"Even though I've managed to recover some of my memories, some things are still quite unclear to me. However, I get a vague sense that I don't just seem to be an ordinary spirit insect. Xiao Bai, you've decided to follow me, so I'll be sure to treat you well. As long as you help me find what's rightfully mine, you can eat anything you want from here onward," Jin Tong said.
"Rest assured, I'll follow your every command and eat anything that you tell me to!" Xiao Bai declared with a serious expression.
"You've become just as much of an ass-kisser as Mo Guang!" Jin Tong scoffed in a disdainful voice, then flew away into the distance. "Let's go. According to this map, the Golden Origin Immortal Region is very far away."
"Wait for me!" Xiao Bai hurriedly called out as it set off in pursuit.
......
In the northern region of the Black Mountain Immortal Region.
There was a peaceful valley that was filled with lush, green bamboo trees, and a clear stream was flowing through the center of the valley. The bamboo forest on either bank of the creek was filled with mist, and the clear and pleasant call of an oriole could occasionally be heard.
Deep in the forest, wild deer with white pelts that carried cherry blossom patterns could be seen traversing through the undergrowth.
The midsection of the stream was situated in the steepest and most precarious part of the valley, with jagged rocks on either bank. From there, the stream flowed down a long and winding curve, then pooled into a deep, green pond.
To the left of the pond was a huge stone platform, atop which sat an azure-robed middle-aged man with his legs crossed, strumming a dark purple guqin.
The man had a set of handsome facial features and a head of long hair that spilled down his back. His slim and fair fingers were gently strumming over the strings of the guqin, producing wonderful music to complement the sound of the flowing stream.
Seated across from the azure-robed man was an elderly man with a head of black hair and another elderly man with a head of white hair, playing a game of go.
The black-haired elderly man's clothes were pristine and completely devoid of creases, while his black hair was also immaculately groomed, giving him a very clean and sharp appearance, much like a drawn sword.
In contrast, the white-haired elderly man seated across from him was far less meticulous in maintaining her appearance. He was wearing a white robe with some embroidered flame designs littered haphazardly over it, and his hair was completely wild and disheveled as he sat in a bleary-eyed fashion.
The black-haired elderly man had the white stones, and he played each move swiftly and forcefully, ensuring that there was an audible clack with each stone that he placed down. In contrast, the white-haired elderly man was far slower to make his moves, and he also placed his stones down much more softly and quietly.
The black-haired elderly man seemed to be accustomed to this, and he didn't urge his opponent to play faster, merely closing his eyes after making each move to calculate how the position could unfold.
A brown-robed elderly man was watching the game, and he chugged down a mouthful of wine, then complained, "As usual, you're unbearably slow, you old fart! If I didn't know any better, I'd suspect you to be an old turtle that attained a human form through cultivation!"
"If you don't have anything nice to say, then keep your mouth shut! Fellow Daoist Duan hasn't even said anything, why are you chirping, you old drunkard? Go drink your horse piss!" the white-haired elderly man scoffed, but it was clear that he wasn't actually enraged.
"How long did that game between you and Lu Guanzi from the Sunny Valley drag on for? 30 years! In the end, you stalled for so long that he couldn't bear it anymore and resigned..."
Before he had a chance to finish, the white-haired elderly man loudly interjected, "That's because Lu Guanzi heard that an extremely beautiful female True Immortal had come from the Rainbow Phoenix Valley, and he couldn't resist the urge to go and take a look. Otherwise, that game would've gone on for at least 20 more years!"
"Extremely beautiful my arse! I went to go see her as well, and at the very most, she's only above average. Only someone with terrible taste like Lu Guanzi would be into someone like that," the brown-robed elderly man scoffed with a shake of his head.
The white-haired elderly man massaged his own chin as he stared intently at the go board. It seemed that he had found himself in a difficult position, and he was ignoring the brown-robed elderly man to focus on the game.
"Talking to the three of you is no fun at all. I wonder what Fellow Daoist Li is up to. He hasn't been around for a while," the brown-robed elderly man mused as he turned to take a glance at the entrance of the valley.
The azure-robed man stopped strumming his guqin upon hearing this, then turned to the brown-robed elderly man as he said, "I heard that Fellow Daoist Li has been refining a batch of Five Stone Pills of late. I sent a message to him some days ago, but I've received no response, so I presume he's still in seclusion."
As soon as his voice trailed off, an azure-robed young man emerged from deep within the bamboo forest, then began to approach the stone platform where the four men were gathered.
The man was none other than Han Li, who was wearing a disguise adopted using his Reincarnation Palace mask, and it had already been over 400 years since he parted ways with Jin Tong and Xiao Bai in the primordial land.
At this point, Han Li had been living in this Floating Cloud Valley for close to 200 years.
The brown-robed man immediately rose to his feet at the sight of Han Li and yelled, "You're finally here, Fellow Daoist Li! Come and have a drink with me!"
The two elderly men seated at the go table also returned their stone to their respective holders, then rose to their feet as well. As for the guqin-strumming young man, he remained seated, but he had also turned to Han Li with a friendly smile.
A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he rose up into the air, then descended onto the giant stone platform.
"Fellow Daoist Hot Flame, Fellow Daoist Jingyang, Fellow Daoist Duan, Fellow Daoist Ziqi, my apologies for my tardiness," Han Li said with a smile as he cupped his fist in a salute toward the four men present.
"Don't worry about it. You're a pill refinement master, so your priority should be pill refinement. Only useless old men like us who have nothing to do can waste our time pursuing such trivial hobbies," the white-robed elderly man chuckled.
His name was Immortal Lord Hot Flame, and he was the grand elder of a medium-sized sect in the Black Mountain Immortal Region. He was a very lazy man who didn't want to have to attend to any official sect duties, so he had dumped all of his responsibilities onto a junior martial brother of his and came to the Floating Cloud Valley to live a life of leisure.
Despite his disheveled appearance, he actually possessed the highest cultivation base of the four men at the late-Golden Immortal Stage.