Chapter 71 The lingering power of the Golden Bucket, intercepting the initial sharpness

The night was as dark as ink as four figures swept over the rooftops in the north of Chaoge City, silent and soundless.

The back door of the Chen Residence was left slightly ajar, as if someone had intentionally left it that way.

Yunxiao was the first to land. The hunyuan golden bucket had already been tucked into her sleeve, and not a trace of her earlier sharpness remained on her face.

She stepped aside from the doorway, her gaze sweeping over Chen Yuan without a word.

Chen Yuan stepped over the threshold.

Just as his foot touched the stone path, his knees buckled.

Bixiao was quick-witted and agile, catching his arm in one swift motion.

Her palm touched the skin beneath his sleeve; it was ice-cold and trembling slightly.

"And you still say it's nothing?" Bixiao lowered her voice, her tone carrying an irrepressible anger.

"I have consumed forty percent of my magic power; I need to regulate my breathing."

Chen Yuan's voice was steady, but he did not pull his hand away.

Qiong Xiao leaned in from the other side and reached out to feel his forehead. It was cold.

"Come, let's go inside first."

The three of them supported Chen Yuan as they entered the bamboo building in the backyard.

Yunxiao pushed open the door ahead of them; the candles inside were already lit.

The bedding on the bamboo couch remained exactly as it had been seven days ago—the traces of her kneeling there for seven full days were still visible.

Chen Yuan sat down by the couch, crossing his legs and resting his palms on his knees.

The Shangqing Immortal Arts began to circulate on its own, and the Taiyi Peak magic power flowed slowly through his Meridians.

Bit by bit, he smoothed out the chaotic Qi that had resulted from his earlier confrontation with Chi Jingzi.

Bixiao stood by the door with her arms crossed, staring at him for a long while before she finally couldn't help herself.

"Speak up."

"About what?"

"Don't play dumb. Half a day ago, you were just a Mortal, and yet you've woken up at the Taiyi Peak? What exactly did you experience inside that wretched Magic Treasure?"

Qiong Xiao pulled up a small stool and sat by the couch, resting her chin in her hands and looking at him with bright eyes.

Chen Yuan kept his eyes closed and remained silent for a few breaths.

"I met someone."

"Who?"

"Yi Xian."

As those two words fell, the room went silent.

Bixiao's arms uncrossed. Qiong Xiao's mouth hung slightly open, unable to close for a long time.

Yunxiao stood by the window with her back to the three of them. Her shoulders stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"The Chess Ancestor?" Bixiao's voice was a bit dry.

"The one from the Chaos?"

"Yes."

"What did he teach you?"

Chen Yuan opened his eyes and glanced at Bixiao.

That look made Bixiao freeze.

It wasn't the gentle yet distant gaze Chen Yuan usually gave people.

Nor was it the cold indifference Gu Ziyuan had when calculating everything in his past life.

Instead, it was something heavy and warm.

She couldn't quite describe it, but it was just different.

"He taught me how to play chess," Chen Yuan said.

"And he helped me remember some things along the way."

"What things?" Qiong Xiao pressed.

"For example, the time you secretly hid my chess pieces."

Qiong Xiao's face turned red, and she jumped up. "That was how many years ago? You still remember that!"

"I just remembered it." The corners of Chen Yuan's mouth curled slightly.

Bixiao saw that slight curve.

She had known Gu Ziyuan for so many years, from Jinao Island until now.

This man's smiles were always calculated and purposeful, used to soothe people's hearts or deceive opponents.

This time, it wasn't.

Yunxiao turned around.

"Your memories... have they all returned?"

"Most of them." Chen Yuan looked at her.

"Jinao Island, Biyou Palace, the Zhenlong Chess Game, the Long-eared Dingguang Immortal. And that sentence from Revered Master."

Yunxiao's eyelashes fluttered.

"The Dao precedes the chess, and the chess follows the person."

Chen Yuan nodded.

Silence fell over the room once more. The candlelight flickered several times in the draft.

Bixiao took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing her surging emotions.

She wasn't like Qiong Xiao; she couldn't bring herself to get teary-eyed. But her fingertips were clenched white inside her sleeves.

She had waited seven days.

For seven whole days, she had searched the surrounding three hundred miles but found no trace of Chi Jingzi.

Every time she returned to the Chen Residence and saw Yunxiao kneeling by the couch, unmoving, she felt a tightness in her chest that made it hard to breathe.

He was back.

He was back alive. He had even become stronger. And he remembered them.

That was enough.

"After Chi Jingzi returns to Kunlun, Yuanshi Tianzun will not let this matter rest."

Bixiao brought the conversation back to business, her voice regaining its usual crispness.

"He won't," Chen Yuan said.

"Then why didn't you let me pursue him just now?"

"What did you plan to do if you caught him? Kill him?"

Bixiao frowned.

"Killing Chi Jingzi would be the Jie Sect officially declaring war on the Chan Sect." Chen Yuan's tone was very flat.

"The timing isn't right. Revered Master hasn't made a clear stance yet; we cannot make this decision for Biyou Palace."

Bixiao opened her mouth but didn't argue.

"And," Chen Yuan said.

"Chi Jingzi is more useful alive than dead back there."

"What do you mean?" Qiong Xiao asked.

"He witnessed a Mortal Breakthrough to the Taiyi Peak within half a day with his own eyes."

"The imitation taiji diagram he personally activated was torn apart from the inside."

"His Grand Unity Golden Immortal Divine Thought was repelled by a Dao charm he couldn't even name."

Chen Yuan looked up, his gaze sweeping over the three of them one by one.

"He will bring this information back to Kunlun Mountain exactly as it happened and present it to Yuanshi Tianzun. What will Yuanshi Tianzun think?"

Yunxiao picked up the thread. "He will think there is someone behind you."

"Exactly. He will guess it's Revered Master, or some hidden Senior from Biyou Palace. He will be wary. Wary means hesitation, and hesitation gives us time."

Chen Yuan closed his eyes as his magic power circulation became increasingly stable.

"I need time. Taiyi Peak is not enough. Chi Jingzi could come today, and tomorrow it might be Nanji Xianweng or Guangchengzi."

"Or any other of the current Twelve Golden Immortals. The gap between a Grand Unity and a Taiyi is not something the Chessboard Domain can bridge."

Bixiao said solemnly, "Then what do you plan to do?"

"Cultivate. Breakthrough to Grand Unity."

"Grand Unity isn't that easy—"

"It's not easy," Chen Yuan interrupted her.

"But the Chess Ancestor gave me a gift. The Great Dao Golden Wheel has moved from a prototype to a solidifying stage, and the Bottleneck of the Shangqing Immortal Arts has loosened. Give me time, and I can break through."

He paused.

"There's one more thing."

The three of them looked at him.

"Emperor Yi has developed a murderous intent toward me."

As these words fell, a murderous intent surged in Bixiao's eyes.

"I know," Yunxiao's voice was very soft.

"I sensed it seven days ago."

"Emperor Yi is the Human King, protected by the Human Race's Luck. Moving against him is equivalent to moving against the Great Shang's national fortune; we cannot open that door," Chen Yuan said.

"But his murderous intent will not fade; it will only grow heavier."

"Chi Jingzi's visit actually helped us—Emperor Yi will discover that the ant he thought he could crush at any time is no longer an ant."

"You want him to know?"

"No. Let him guess. Things that can't be seen through are the most terrifying."

The sound of night watch drums came from outside. The third watch.

Chen Yuan's breathing gradually became long and slow, and his magic power stabilized.

"You all go rest as well." He did not open his eyes.

"Tomorrow I still have to enter the palace to see Zi Shou; we cannot show even the slightest anomaly."

Qiong Xiao stood up and walked to the door, then turned back to look at him once more.

"Senior Brother Ziyuan."

"Hmm?"

"You never used to say thank you before."

Chen Yuan was silent for a breath.

"The me from before wasn't worthy of saying it."

Qiong Xiao was stunned for a moment, her nose stinging as she turned and hurried away.

Bixiao followed her out, pausing as she passed by Yunxiao to whisper something, and Yunxiao nodded slightly.

The door closed.

Only two people remained in the room.

Yunxiao stood where she was, looking at the youth in white sitting cross-legged on the couch.

The candlelight reflected on his face, making him look like a completely different person from the one who had lain on this couch seven days ago, devoid of Life Qi.

"Senior Sister Yunxiao."

"I'm here."

"Seven days. It's been hard on you."

Yunxiao did not answer. She walked to the side of the couch and tucked in the corner of the quilt, her hand inadvertently brushing against his fingers.

Warm. The temperature of a living person.

"If you make me wait for another seven days," her voice was as faint as a wisp of smoke.

"I'll use the hunyuan golden bucket to take you in and see where else you can run."

The corner of Chen Yuan's mouth twitched.

He didn't dare respond.

Yunxiao turned and left the room, her steps as light as if she were walking on clouds.

The moment the door closed, the rims of her eyes turned red.

After taking three steps, she returned to normal.

Thousands of miles away, in the direction of Kunlun Mountain, a golden light was frantically streaking toward the Yuxu Palace.

Chi Jingzi was in a wretched state, his Magic Treasures all destroyed, and his right hand was still trembling slightly.

In his mind, the final words spoken by that youth in white echoed repeatedly—

"It's still a long way to Kunlun Mountain. Take care."

ps: I was supposed to post three updates for May Day, but I was too busy. Starting today, there will be three to four updates every day.