"I..." Qing Xi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up, saying, "Young Lord, your chess skills are truly extraordinary, and I am deeply impressed. I have yet to fully comprehend the game from yesterday, so today I wished to play a few more matches with you."
"Just chess? No wager?"
"I'm sorry, Young Lord Gu, I truly do not gamble on chess."
"Then I'm sorry too. I only play chess with stakes. Without a wager, I don't play."
"You!"
Qinglian, standing nearby, chimed in, "Hey, what's with you? Why must you always bet? Wasn't winning so thoroughly against us yesterday enough?"
"A little gamble adds to the fun."
Qinglian glared at him, then pulled at Qing Xi's sleeve, urging, "Senior Sister, let's go. This guy is a gambling addict."
Qing Xi did not gamble on chess, but she was desperate to understand how this fellow before her had so miraculously laced the entire board with traps yesterday.
"Hey, Old Gu! Just play a couple of games with Young Lady Qingxi! Why must you insist on betting? Honestly!" Qing Xi was Li Dapang's goddess. He knew that under normal circumstances, he had no chance to interact with her alone. Now that such a perfect opportunity was right before him, Li Dapang felt he absolutely had to show his face in front of his goddess. Even if she didn't remember him, at least she'd recognize him next time they met. And even if he just talked about it later, it would be something to boast about.
"He's right," Liu Laotou'er also advised. "Little Brother Qingfeng, you're just idling here anyway. Look, Young Lady Qingxi has come all this way... Why not just play a couple of games with her?"
A woman's face carried great weight. Moreover, Qing Xi was a renowned, heaven-proud daughter of her generation. Yesterday, before she had even spoken, many had eagerly offered up their hard-earned resources. Today, as soon as she opened her mouth, even the honest and upright Liu Laotou'er spoke up for her.
However, Liu Laotou'er's address of "Little Brother Qingfeng" gave Qing Xi quite a shock.
Surname Gu? Little Brother Qingfeng? Could it be...?
At this thought, Qing Xi's beautiful face showed sudden astonishment. Staring at Gu Qingfeng, she said in amazement, "Are you Young Lord Chiyan, Gu Qingfeng?"
"What? Young Lord Chiyan? Who? Him?" Beside her, Qinglian, though a bit slow to react, was also startled upon realizing. She exclaimed, "Young Lord Chiyan? You're Young Lord Chiyan?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, smiling playfully. "What do you think?"
"This... Young Lady Qingxi, it's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!" Li Dapang quickly stepped forward to explain. "It's just the same name! Old Gu is not that Young Lord Chiyan! He just happens to share the same name, that's all. He has no relation to that Young Lord Chiyan."
"Yes, Young Ladies, please don't misunderstand. The real Young Lord Chiyan is currently with our Yao Yue Palace's Heir Apparent, Young Lady Handong."
"Heavens! So it's just the same name. You really scared me." Qinglian patted her chest, comforting herself, then glared at Gu Qingfeng. "Why on earth would you share a name with that fraud?"
Gu Qingfeng asked, "Little sister, what do you mean by that? How is Young Lord Chiyan a fraud? He hasn't tricked you out of anything, has he?"
"He hasn't tricked me, but... he's impersonating the Monarch's successor! He's a big fraud!"
"Well, you're not wrong there." Indeed, she wasn't wrong. At the very least, Gu Qingfeng couldn't refute it, because he wasn't the successor of the Chixiao Monarch—he was the Chixiao Monarch himself. Strictly speaking, he was indeed impersonating.
"You really share the same name as that Young Lord Chiyan?" Qing Xi still seemed somewhat doubtful.
"What else? If I said I am Young Lord Chiyan, would you believe me?"
Believe? Qing Xi didn't know whether she should or shouldn't. She had never seen Young Lord Chiyan, not even once. However, she thought that since these two Yao Yue Palace disciples said he wasn't, then he probably wasn't. After all, that Young Lord Chiyan was Handong's Dao companion, and Handong was Yao Yue Palace's Heir Apparent. The Yao Yue Palace disciples should all recognize the real Young Lord Chiyan.
"Alright, Old Gu, stop joking with Young Lady Qingxi. The real Young Lord Chiyan and Young Lady Handong returned to our Yao Yue Palace several days ago."
"Is that so? I didn't know that."
"Of course you didn't! You're not a disciple of our Yao Yue Palace, how could you know?" Li Dapang explained, "A while back, Young Lord Chiyan kicked our Yao Yue Palace's direct disciple, Young Lady Bilan, until she bled from all seven orifices. Did you think our Yao Yue Palace elders would just let that slide? The very next day, Young Lady Handong took Young Lord Chiyan back to Yao Yue Palace to deal with the matter."
Gu Qingfeng thought carefully and said, "I really didn't know about that."
Li Dapang said to Qing Xi, "Young Lady Qingxi, please don't be upset. Old Gu and I are old acquaintances. I know him best—he loves to joke around. Please don't take it to heart."
Clearly, Li Dapang was a clever man. He understood that only by getting close to Gu Qingfeng could he better approach his goddess.
Qing Xi nodded. She didn't mind. Since the other party wasn't Young Lord Chiyan, she stopped suspecting anything and steered the conversation back to Black-White Chess.
However, she was once again refused by Gu Qingfeng. "Miss, it's not that I don't want to play chess with you. Look at you—so beautiful, with such a great reputation. Many people regard you as a goddess. If I play chess with you, should I win or not? Take yesterday, for example. I won one game, and during the day, many people called me a despicable, shameless scoundrel. Quite a few even clamored to kill me. How dare I play chess with you again? If we play another game, I might not wake up tomorrow with my life intact."
Hearing this, Qing Xi was also helpless. She hadn't considered this problem. After a moment's thought, she said, "I apologize. It was inconsiderate of me and has caused you trouble. I'm sorry." As she spoke, she flicked her wrist, and a talisman appeared in her palm. She offered it to him, saying, "This is my communication talisman. If you encounter any trouble in Wuse Mountain, ignite this talisman, and I will come as soon as possible."
"Oh my," Gu Qingfeng looked at the talisman and nodded. "That's quite nice."
"I disturbed your rest earlier. I'll take my leave now. Rest assured, I will definitely find a way to repay the Spirit Treasure resources I owe you after the Flower Festival." With that, she nodded apologetically once more, then left with Qinglian.
Qing Xi's departure seemed to take Li Dapang's soul with her. He complained bitterly, his face crestfallen. "Old Gu, Old Gu... It's fine if you don't give me face, but how could you not give Young Lady Qingxi any face either? This was such a perfect chance to get to know the goddess thanks to you, but you... Ah! You're really not being fair!"
On the way back, one thing made Qing Xi feel more and more uneasy the more she thought about it.
Sharing the same name as Young Lord Chiyan? Both called Gu Qingfeng? And both at the Golden Core cultivation level? How could it be such a coincidence?
Then, she recalled the words of Yao Yue Palace's Li Dapang and Liu Laotou'er. She shook her head, thinking she might be overthinking it. Perhaps it really was just a coincidence. After all, there were far too many people in the world with the same name.
Several days passed in a flash. Once Wuse Mountain had adjusted all its formations, the Wuse Flowers began to bloom. The Wuse Flower Festival had officially begun.