Chapter 78 The Game with Emperor Yi

Just as dawn broke, something felt off in the Zhaoge Royal Palace.

Civil and military officials stood in the hall as the cold wind of the fifth watch poured through the doors, chilling them to the bone.

Emperor Yi sat upon the dragon throne, his complexion ruddy and his spirits appearing thirty percent better than in previous days.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong stood at the head of the military officers, his brow furrowed ever since he entered the hall.

The decree-proclaiming eunuch unfurled the silk scroll, his shrill voice echoing back and forth throughout the Great Hall.

"—Chen Lie is hereby promoted to General Who Guards the North. He is to depart for Yanmen Pass immediately with his family to take command of thirty thousand border troops. He is further granted golden armor, a precious steed, and a thousand acres of fertile land—"

A promotion of three ranks and command over thirty thousand soldiers.

The court erupted in a chorus of congratulations. Several military officers who were old acquaintances of Chen Lie approached to pat his shoulder, their faces wrinkling with smiles.

Chen Lie stood in the middle of the court ranks, his back ramrod straight.

He was a military man by birth and had spent most of his life on the battlefield; he knew one thing better than anyone—

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Yanmen Pass was a bitter, frigid land in the north, two thousand four hundred li from Zhaoge.

Thirty thousand border troops sounded impressive, but in reality, it was a mess that had been harassed by the Five Barbarian skirmishers for three years.

Once there, he couldn't expect to return for at least three to five years.

Whether there would still be a place for the Chen family in Zhaoge after three to five years was another matter entirely.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Emperor Yi on the dragon throne.

Emperor Yi was also looking at him, his gaze gentle, even carrying a hint of grandfatherly kindness.

Chen Lie felt a chill deep in his heart.

He kowtowed, his forehead striking the golden floor tiles.

"This subject accepts the decree."

His voice was as steady as a hammer striking an anvil.

After the court session was dismissed, Chen Lie stood outside the palace gates for the duration of an incense stick.

Officials passed by him; some congratulated him, some sighed, and some took a detour. He ignored them all.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind him—it was Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong.

Neither spoke. Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong walked past him, only lightly touching his shoulder as they crossed paths.

That touch was very light, yet it carried the weight shared only between old brothers-in-arms.

Chen Lie mounted his horse and headed toward the north of the city. He didn't look back.

—

Chen Manor.

The news arrived while Chen Yuan was sitting at the chessboard reviewing a game.

Bixiao poked her head down from the roof beams and said something while hanging upside down. He didn't hear clearly and asked her to repeat it.

"Your father has been reassigned to Yanmen Pass. The imperial decree was announced during the morning court session."

Chen Yuan held a white piece, his hand pausing in mid-air for three breaths.

He did not place it.

He put the piece back into the box and said flatly, "I see."

Bixiao stared at his face for a moment and didn't say anything more.

It wasn't that she didn't want to speak—she didn't dare.

A flash of coldness flickered in the depths of Chen Yuan's eyes.

In his past life on Jinao Island, someone had insulted the honor of the Intercept Sect right in front of Gu Ziyuan.

No one took it seriously. Gu Ziyuan simply looked up and smiled.

Three days later, that person was trapped in the Zhenlong Chess Game for seven days and seven nights during a martial exercise of the Ten Thousand Immortals Array at Biyou Palace.

By the time he emerged, his cultivation had dropped by two minor Realms.

The look in Gu Ziyuan's eyes when he looked up back then was exactly the same as it was now.

Bixiao shrank her neck, silently flipped back onto the roof beam, and went quiet.

—

Nightfall.

Chen Lie set out a pot of cloudy wine and two coarse bowls in his study and called Chen Yuan over.

Father and son sat opposite each other.

The candle flame flickered twice, tilted by a draft blowing through the room.

Chen Lie didn't beat around the bush.

"Your mother is coming with me too. The decree said 'with family,' leaving no one behind."

Chen Yuan lightly tapped the edge of the table. "What did Mother say?"

Chen Lie's hand holding the bowl paused.

"She cried for half an hour."

His voice dropped, sounding like a rusty blade being drawn from its scabbard.

"She's not afraid of the bitter cold of the north. She's afraid of you being left alone in Zhaoge."

Chen Yuan stood up and walked to the window.

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the window lattice, casting stripes across him.

His features were as handsome as ever, but in his eyes sat a gravity that did not belong to an eighteen-year-old youth.

"Father."

"Mm."

"Do you trust me?"

Chen Lie looked at his back, holding his wine bowl without moving.

All these years, he had felt that this only son of his old age was somewhat strange.

He was truly brilliant; he played chess well, understood his books, and his performance in the Eastern Yi War was even more stunning.

But his constitution was too weak, lacking the strength to even truss a chicken; he didn't seem like the offspring of a military family.

As he stared at the figure by the window now, he suddenly found himself speechless.

It wasn't a silence born of disappointment. It was a sense of weight from an unknown source that exceeded everything he had known for twenty years.

It was like looking at a mountain.

"I do."

Chen Lie tilted his head back, drained the cloudy wine in his bowl, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"You've been ten times smarter than your old man since you were a kid, I'll grant you that."

He set the bowl down on the table with a thud, his voice suddenly deepening.

"But remember this. No matter what you do in Zhaoge, you are not allowed to lose your life."

He stared into Chen Yuan's eyes.

"Your mother has only one son."

Chen Yuan turned around.

He gave a small smile.

That smile made Chen Lie's chest feel tight—it looked exactly like how he used to look as a child after being bullied outside, coming home and smiling while saying he was fine.

He clearly bore the weight of everything, yet he insisted on smiling for you.

Chen Lie stood up and patted his shoulder. His palm was rough, and his grip was heavy.

Then he turned and strode out.

As the footsteps faded, the study fell silent.

The smile on Chen Yuan's face faded away layer by layer.

He raised his right hand.

In his palm, the light of the Great Dao Golden Wheel faintly emerged. The patterns were thirty percent clearer than half a day ago, but the final barrier remained.

"Emperor Yi."

His voice was very low, so low that it couldn't be heard clearly from even three feet away.

"You can impeach me, you can test me with a bestowed marriage, you can even play tricks on the hunting grounds. I will take it all."

"But you should not have touched my family."

The golden light in his palm suddenly flared up, only to be suppressed again by the Wuwei Sutra.

Someone came up behind him.

The footsteps were extremely light, lacking the sharpness of Bixiao and the liveliness of Qiong Xiao.

Yunxiao walked to his side. She said nothing, merely placing her hand on his forearm.

Her palm wasn't very warm, but it was as steady as a ballast stone.

Chen Yuan turned his head to look at her.

Under the moonlight, Yunxiao's face was so calm she hardly seemed like a living person.

There was no anger, no anxiety; in her eyes were only two words—

I'm here.

"Have you thought it through?" she asked.

Chen Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the night outside.

"Three things must be done simultaneously."

"First, I cannot directly oppose the bestowed marriage; I must make Emperor Yi withdraw the decree himself."

"Second, a hidden agent from the Elucidation Sect has already infiltrated Zhaoge. Senior Qingping's warning would not be without cause. This person must be found."

"Third—"

He paused.

"I need to break through to the Daluo Realm."

Yunxiao's brow twitched. "The chasm between Taiyi Peak and the Daluo Realm is not something that can be bridged in a single day—"

"I know."

Chen Yuan interrupted her, his tone carrying something she rarely heard.

It wasn't anger. It was the resolve of someone backed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat.

"But I can't wait any longer. If I wait for Emperor Yi to pick off those around me one by one, or for the Elucidation Sect to sharpen their blades and bring them to me, it will be too late."

The door was pushed open.

Bixiao strode in, her face clearly showing she had given up on pretending after being caught eavesdropping.

"If you're going to break through, then do it. My eldest sister, third sister, and I will be your Protectors."

"If someone like Chi Jingzi shows up again, I'll personally twist his head off and kick it like a soccer ball."

Someone flipped in through the window—Qiong Xiao had been lying on the windowsill at some unknown point.

Her legs were still dangling outside, and her eyes were as bright as two stars.

"Senior Brother Ziyuan, what do you need me to do?"

Chen Yuan looked at the three people before him.

The lotus mark on his chest warmed slightly.

He suddenly remembered the last words of Chess Ancestor Yi Xian—'Chess cannot calculate what you yourself truly want.'

What did he want?

He wanted the people before him to be safe and sound.

"Tomorrow, I will go to see someone first."

Qiong Xiao tilted her head. "Who?"

"Huang Yuerong."

Bixiao's face darkened.

"...You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

Chen Yuan spread his hands, his expression so innocent it was infuriating.

Bixiao turned to leave. "I don't care anymore. See whoever you want."

After three steps, she turned back. "When you go to see her—I'm coming along."

"Wouldn't that be even more awkward—"

"Shut up."

—

In the east of Zhaoge, there was an unnamed inn.

A handsome young man sat by a half-open window on the second floor overlooking the street.

He was fiddling with a Communication Jade Talisman in his hand.

Yin Pobai.

He had been in Zhaoge for two days. His identity documents were flawless, with even the oxidation of the ink matching official documents from three years ago.

The bamboo scroll given to him by Junior Martial Uncle Guangchengzi—the records of correspondence between Chen Yuan and various Eastern Yi tribes—was sewn into the lining of his brocade robe and kept close to his body.

Outside, the night was deep. Over toward the Chen Manor, the lights had just been extinguished.

Yin Pobai put away the jade talisman and picked up a copied register of Zhaoge officials from the desk, his fingertip sliding over the name Chen Lie.

He has already been reassigned.

Faster than expected. This Mortal monarch, Emperor Yi, certainly has efficient methods.

His gaze slid down the register and stopped at another name.

Princess Yin Rong.

Chen Yuan's mother. The biological younger sister of King Wendin.

The corners of Yin Pobai's mouth curled upward.

"Lord Wende, your father is already a discarded piece."

He closed the register, the candlelight casting half-light and half-shadow across his face.

"Next—it's your mother's turn."