Chapter 20: The Chess Game

                        

Escape was inevitable.

Yan Dan had no desire to transform from a wild monster into a domesticated one. But first, she needed to remove the restriction on her wrist—otherwise, escaping one trap would only mean falling into another.

By the oil lamp's glow, she slowly rolled up her sleeve and reached for the band at her wrist. This time, it didn't repel her touch. She could actually feel it. After a moment's thought, she understood: with no magic coursing through her, she was essentially mortal now, and the restriction had nothing to bind. Which meant she might be able to remove it herself.

She tugged at it several times, but it held fast. Removing it would require cutting off her hand entirely. Though ancient tales spoke of warriors severing stung limbs without hesitation, she preferred to remain a monster with all her parts intact. She struck the band against the table's edge twice, then examined it under the lamplight. Not even a scratch. The thing was remarkably solid.

Crouching down, she began grinding the restriction against the stone floor. After some time, white flakes appeared on the ground. When she checked again, the previously curved surface had flattened slightly. She fiddled with it a while longer and concluded that grinding was indeed the best approach. If the ancients could grind an iron rod into a needle, surely she could grind through one magical restraint?

She pushed open the door, intending to find a whetstone in the kitchen, only to discover Tang Zhou standing outside with folded arms, watching her. She jumped back with a startled yelp.

"Brother, what can I do for you?"

Tang Zhou leaned against the doorframe with a slight smile. "I came to ask if you needed anything for the guest room, but when I reached your door, I heard something being smashed." His gaze dropped to her wrist. "Seems it can't be broken that way?"

Yan Dan clutched his sleeve timidly and shook it twice. "Please let me go. I promise I'll never do anything bad again—I'll be kind from now on. On Buddha's birthday, I'll burn incense and donate money. I'll even set up a longevity tablet for you and burn three sticks of incense morning and evening."

"Choose one: keep the restriction or be refined into an elixir."

Yan Dan stared at him, her lip jutting out. "Tang Zhou, you ungrateful villain. I saved your life twice."

Tang Zhou straightened. "If I remove your restriction, won't you just run away?"

Wasn't that obvious? If she didn't escape, what would she do—wait around to be caught again?

"Since you've already called me ungrateful, how could I possibly let you go?"

"Tang Zhou, I was wrong—I was truly wrong! I didn't say anything just now. Even if you heard something, forget it immediately. You've been away from home so long, you must miss it, right? I want to go home too. My Dan Shu is waiting for me to tell him ghost stories, Zi Yan is still hoping to see me, and without me to encourage him, Zi Lin's cultivation will stagnate..."

Tang Zhou's mouth twitched. "Sounds like all the monsters in your family are male." He slowly extracted his sleeve from her grip. "I don't think you'll find being mortal uncomfortable. You can stay this way from now on."

Yan Dan felt the blood drain from her face. She stood frozen for a moment, then rubbed her eyes, muttering to herself, "Now that I think about it, I've been mortal for days already. Will I start aging?" The thought deepened her internal injuries.

Tang Zhou walked a few steps away, then glanced back in surprise at the silence behind him. Yan Dan stood there, head bowed, utterly still. Suddenly, a crystalline drop fell from her eye, spreading a faint, pale stain on the ground. He sighed and walked back to her. After a moment's hesitation, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go to bed early. It's late."

Yan Dan turned to look at him, then turned away without a word.

Tang Zhou slowly reached out and gently wiped the corner of her eye. "You've had a tiring day. Get some rest."

Yan Dan walked to the door and shut him out firmly. Then, looking back at the white shavings scattered across the floor, she muttered, "It all blew into my eyes. It hurts..."

The truth was this:

While Yan Dan had been crouched on the ground grinding the restriction, the shavings had gotten into her eyes, but she hadn't cared. She'd immediately run out to find a whetstone and encountered Tang Zhou at the door. She'd jumped back, stepping on the shavings to hide them from his view, which sent more flying into her eyes.

When she rubbed them, they grew slightly moist, and the pain and itching vanished.

As for how a willow had suddenly grown into a sycamore—well, heaven had finally taken pity on her miserable state. Yan Dan examined herself in the mirror for a long while and reached a conclusion: "I seem to have aged a bit, probably less than half a year... But Tang Zhou appears frightened when I cry. No need to find a whetstone after all—I'll just find an onion..."

(Author's note:

Cook: Master, that Miss Yan is strange. She came here in the middle of the night looking for something...

Tang Zhou: She must be hungry.

Cook: She searched for ages and took two onions.

Tang Zhou: ...)

The next morning, Yan Dan appeared before everyone with reddened eyes and unsteady steps. She truly hadn't known onions could be so potent. At first, she'd peeled two slices and felt nothing—thought it wasn't working. Then her eyes began to ache. She couldn't help rubbing them, which only made things worse.

Yan Dan sipped her porridge with her head down when a plate of steamed buns suddenly appeared before her. Tang Zhou said softly, "Don't just drink porridge. Try something else."

She glanced up at him and continued sipping glumly.

"Don't you like it? I'll have the cook make you something else," he said quietly.

Yan Dan finally understood what Bai Ling had meant when she'd pointed at Yuan Dan's nose and declared it a common problem among men: fickle, spineless, and servile. But she truly had no appetite now, and her mouth still carried the pungent taste of onions. She shook her head, silently finished her white porridge, and said softly, "Uncle Tang, Aunt Tang, enjoy your meal."

Mrs. Tang looked at her son and frowned. "Did you bully her? The child looks like she's been crying all night."

Tang Zhou pushed back his chair and followed her out, gently catching her wrist. "I lost my head last night and said things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

Yan Dan couldn't help but let out an "ah," looking at him with a complicated expression. "Actually, you've said worse things than that before, and done worse things..." So if last night's words could make her cry all night, she would have died of anger long ago.

Tang Zhou looked embarrassed. "Really?"

Yan Dan turned and walked away dejectedly.

Tang Zhou stood there mulling it over, and happened to see Xiao Cui approaching. "I have something to ask you."

Xiao Cui stopped and smiled. "Master, just ask. I'll tell you everything I can."

"What would you think if you met someone for the first time and he injured your companion? Seriously injured? Made them vomit blood? Nearly killed them?"

With each question, Tang Zhou nodded. She immediately said indignantly, "Send that man to the authorities! Start by beating him with fifty sticks and breaking his legs. Better yet, break every bone in his body!"

"Then this person captured you, locked you in a dark place, and gave you no food for two days..."

"Starved in the dark for two days?! Does this person have any humanity left?" Xiao Cui bristled with righteous fury. "Young Master, don't go on. This villain, worse than pigs and dogs, will surely be struck by lightning!"

Tang Zhou said slowly, "Alright. Go about your work."

On the third day, Yan Dan finally recovered from the onion's toxicity. Upon seeing Tang Zhou, she asked, "Don't you need to return to your master's sect? Why not go today?"

Once Tang Zhou reached his master's place, he probably wouldn't have time to watch over her. Even wearing down a bit of the restriction first would be worthwhile.

Unexpectedly, Tang Zhou, who usually argued with her, said nothing. He immediately packed some changes of clothes and had a carriage prepared. In less than half an hour, they arrived at the foot of Lingjue Mountain.

Yan Dan surveyed the steep, narrow mountain path before her. Neither carriage nor donkey could manage it. Walking appeared to be the only option.

Tang Zhou pointed in another direction. "Go that way."

It was a gravel path buried in weeds, likely carved by previous climbers.

"Brother, even if you want to punish me, did you have to pick this moment? What if I run out of energy halfway up? Wouldn't that be troublesome for you?" Yan Dan pouted slightly.

"This is the easiest route up the mountain. The other one is only half-paved—we'd have to crawl the rest of the way." Tang Zhou stepped onto the gravel path, using his sword to push aside the grass before him, and took the lead.

Seeing him tap the ground with his sword, Yan Dan remembered how herbalists used walking sticks to scout ahead, scaring off snakes and insects. "Are there snakes here?"

"Mountains always have birds, beasts, insects, and snakes. What's strange about that?"

Yan Dan nodded. "Then at least you'll have game and snake meat to eat."

Tang Zhou said nothing.

The sun hadn't reached its zenith when they started from the mountain's foot, yet it was already setting by the time they reached the Taoist temple.

Yan Dan gazed at the white walls and black tiles before her, their stark contrast against the surrounding greenery. A gentle evening breeze stirred, the evening bells chimed softly, and a sea of clouds swirled around the cliffside—truly an ethereal atmosphere.

Just as she was about to step across the threshold, a sudden cackling erupted. A large, colorful rooster struggled to fly overhead. Before she could retreat, a figure pounced, pinning the rooster to the ground like a hungry tiger. Gripping its neck, the figure rose, sword thrust skyward. With a flash of the blade, the rooster's head landed at Yan Dan's feet, eyes wide and glaring.

The woman holding the rooster's neck in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other had honey-colored skin and large, round eyes as black as lacquer. She raised the knife toward Tang Zhou and said proudly, "Brother, what do you think of my Sand-Stepping Style?"

Yan Dan immediately praised, "A heroine!"

Tang Zhou glanced at her sideways.

Feeling grateful, the other woman handed the knife to her other hand, then grabbed Yan Dan's hand and shook it vigorously several times. "You have good taste! How about I teach you this move?"

Yan Dan said regretfully, "I've never practiced martial arts."

"No problem! I'll teach you from the beginning, starting with the basics. I guarantee you'll learn it!"

Tang Zhou said coldly, "Junior Sister, she's just a weakling. If we start from the basics, I'm afraid we'll have to tear her apart completely."

Yan Dan looked at him dejectedly. He'd returned to normal so quickly. If she'd known, she wouldn't have come here. What a mistake.

"My name is Qin Qi. What's yours?" The honey-skinned woman shook her hand again.

"Yan Dan. I'm..." She turned to look at Tang Zhou, who immediately understood. "She's my distant cousin."

Of course, a cousin. How boring... Yan Dan pouted slightly and mumbled a vague response.

Tang Zhou asked, "Is Master inside?"

Qin Qi immediately flashed a look of disdain. "He's playing chess with Master Liu."

Yan Dan wondered at that expression. There was a mortal saying: "Once a teacher, always a father." Had she remembered it wrong, or had she simply lost track of changing mortal customs?

Tang Zhou said matter-of-factly, "He must have lost badly again."

Wasn't that disrespectful to one's master?

Qin Qi curled her lips in disdain. "This time, the old man's got something up his sleeve. He picked the spot right under the waterfall—look, right there on the rock below. He also said if the chess pieces get washed away, there's no replay. Is that even playing chess? It's more like cheating. Hypocritical."

Yan Dan interrupted, "Where is the waterfall?"

Qin Qi said flatly, "I'll take you there."

Under the magnificent sunset, fine mist tinged the air with a faint reddish hue, and the wind blew it wetly against her face. A jade belt crashed down from the rocks like a silver dragon descending, cascading into the icy, clear waters of a cold pond. Lotus flowers filled the pond's edge, their leaves still slightly curled and vibrant. Amidst the misty water, two men played chess on a rock. The older man looked quite aged, with thinning gray hair and a sharp, youthful gaze.

Seated at the stone table, Yan Dan muttered, "Your master looks a lot like our clan leader..." Both had a shiny, bald head—a strikingly familiar quality.

Qin Qi asked curiously, "How so?"

Yan Dan opened her mouth, but Tang Zhou interrupted with a cough. Yan Dan silently closed her mouth and turned to watch the two men playing chess amidst the mist.

Liu Weiyang's hair and clothes, soaked through, clung to his body. With slender, powerful fingers, he grasped a chess piece and pressed it against the smooth stone. His seemingly effortless touch sank the piece into the stone a full half-inch deep. The waterfall crashed down, roaring and pounding upon them both. Liu Weiyang's face paled slightly, but his eyes remained calm as always, his moves swift and steady.

Suddenly, a long whistle startled Yan Dan, nearly making her drop the teapot she held. Then a blur flashed before her eyes, and a figure appeared. Like a gust of wind, it snatched the teapot from her hand and gulped down two large mouthfuls.

Tang Zhou stood. "Master."

Yan Dan glanced at him, finally relieved. It seemed she hadn't lost touch with mortal customs after all. At least before one's master, a teacher remained a father for life.

Qin Qi immediately grabbed a robe and draped it over the master. "Master, did you win this time?"

Without a word, the Taoist priest slammed his palm on the stone table, making it bounce. The teacup shattered on the ground with a clatter.

Yan Dan tensed, especially as that sharp gaze swept over her—an indescribable fear washed through her. She remembered what Tang Zhou had said: his master had a wife and children before becoming a monk, but when he returned from a long journey, he found that monsters had devoured them, leaving only bones. She was a monster, a flower spirit, and she had no desire to become a bone spirit...

Fortunately, that gaze quickly moved away, and the Taoist priest left without looking back.

Yan Dan exhaled in relief and slowly raised her head, only to see Liu Weiyang walking out of the mist, his robes half-open, water droplets sliding from his forehead down across his nose. Yan Dan looked for just two seconds before Tang Zhou suddenly turned her away. He looked at her and said slowly, "You forgot again. Young women shouldn't stare at men like that."

Yan Dan whispered, "I suddenly find the saw-mouthed gourd not so unpleasant after all..."

Liu Weiyang raised an eyebrow, giving her that faint, unnerving look. "Saw-mouthed gourd?"

Yan Dan froze. She hadn't expected this seemingly wooden Mr. Liu to have such sharp ears and eyes. She turned and said with certainty, "You must have heard wrong."

Liu Weiyang didn't argue, donning his outer robe and walking away.

Qin Qi patted her forehead. "It's almost dinner time. I'll go get the food." With that, she hurried off as well.

Yan Dan watched the two figures disappear before turning to Tang Zhou. "Will your master discover that I'm a demon?"

Tang Zhou sighed. "You don't have much demonic energy, so Master won't find out."

"What if he still does?"

"If it comes to that—" He reached out and touched her head. "—you won't be in trouble."

Yan Dan frowned. "You patted my head again!"

Tang Zhou looked at his hand thoughtfully. "Because it feels very smooth..."

Yan Dan glared at him for a long moment, then endured it. A fish on the chopping board under the knife—what else could she not tolerate? Even if this mortal, not even a fraction of her age, patted her head a few times as if she were a kitten or puppy, it was no great matter.

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