Fourth Senior Brother’s little heart was about to stop beating.
But when he saw Jiang Lai jumping into that courtyard in a bizarre manner, he breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself.
"Indeed, when has Junior Sister ever had a problem."
After Jiang Lai jumped into the courtyard, she looked up at the sky, and the orange grove seemed to be a huge cloud turned over in the sky.
A plaque hung in front of the courtyard gate, with four characters written on it.
Beyond Expectations.
Fourth Senior Brother followed closely, jumping down from above, flipping in the air and crashing into the door. With a "creak," the simple door swung open, revealing a spacious courtyard with a tall Bodhi tree quietly standing at the front.
Beneath the Bodhi tree was a cool bed woven with vines. The vine at the foot of the bed entwined with the roots of the Bodhi tree, looking especially rustic and solemn.
"Whose courtyard is this? Is there anyone here?"
Beside the cool bed was a set of tea utensils, simple celadon tea bowls accompanied by a teapot.
At this moment, the door in front slowly opened, revealing an old man inside, seated before a chessboard. Opposite the old man sat Mu Wu.
The two seemed to be engrossed in a match, deeply involved.
Jiang Lai’s gaze moved from Mu Wu to the figures behind the old man, because there stood her foolish senior brothers.
Three of them, First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, all present.
"This Bodhi tree... this chessboard..."
Fourth Senior Brother muttered to himself.
"The legend tells that the ancestor of the Beast Taming Sect, who was the head of the Three Sects, left a remaining chess puzzle before his ascension, stating that whoever could unravel it would inherit all his knowledge, including his Bodhi Space. The legend says the space contains the ancestor’s retreat courtyard and a vast grove of his favorite fruit trees before ascension..."
Fourth Senior Brother stared wide-eyed at the white-haired old man seated at the chessboard, too shocked to speak.
"This, this, this... this is the Hongmeng Ancestor of the Beast Taming Sect who ascended long ago!"
He couldn’t believe his eyes; never did he imagine he would one day enter the ancestor’s space and witness the remnants the ancestor left before his ascension.
Beside him, Jiang Lai nodded.
"It seems so."
This part of the story the original protagonist didn’t know, because she never entered this courtyard; she only roamed the grove below for a long time before hastily returning as time was running out.
But later it was rumored that the male lead, Ye Yunzhou, received the direct teachings of Hongmeng Ancestor through the trial in the Secret Realm, instantly elevating his cultivation, becoming the most powerful presence within the Three Sects.
It seems the one who ultimately unraveled the chess puzzle was the male lead, Ye Yunzhou.
But now Mu Wu is sitting in front of the chessboard, with Ye Yunzhou standing behind her, contemplating.
Jiang Lai knew Mu Wu was buying him time.
"Mu Wu won’t break the chess puzzle, will she?"
"You wish."
After saying this, Jiang Lai stepped forward, and the senior brothers opposite her all urgently shook their heads at her.
Standing at the center, Wu Lie had his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. First Senior Brother beside him was trying to say something, but he seemed trapped within an invisible barrier, opening his mouth silently.
Fourth Senior Brother looked at First Senior Brother’s mouth shape.
"Ignore us, hurry and leave."
Then he looked at Jiang Lai.
"What do we do now? They seem to be trapped."
At this moment, Mu Wu placed the final piece, then stood and shook her head with a smile.
"The ancestor’s chessboard is indeed mysterious and profound; despite exhausting all my skills, I can only see the tip of the iceberg."
The ancestor’s shadow opposite laughed.
"For someone so young to possess such composure is remarkable; this match doesn’t count as a loss for you, return now."
Mu Wu stood, glanced at Ye Yunzhou, and saw him staring at the chessboard without expression, with a heavy look in his eyes.
Thinking he might need more time, Mu Wu directly turned to Jiang Lai.
"The one who breaks the chessboard puzzle shall receive the ancestor’s direct teachings. Would you like to try?"
At this point, First Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother shook their heads like rattles.
Seeing this, Mu Wu continued,
"You’ve been watching for so long; I thought you’d figured something out. If you won’t try, then onto the next..."
"I’ll give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Mu Wu’s lips slightly curled up.
"You think you are capable?"
"Yeah, might as well try; why shouldn’t I be allowed a chance? Are you trying to hog the ancestor’s inheritance to yourselves? Don’t even think about it!"
Saying this, Jiang Lai strode forward confidently and sat opposite the ancestor.
As soon as she sat down, she realized something was off; the cushion beneath her seemed like a magnet, firmly fixing her in place, leaving her with only her eyes and hands able to move.
Mu Wu stepped aside, looking at Ye Yunzhou.
"Even if she can’t manage it, she should hold for a while. We should wait and see, to be safe."
Time was limited; the nearby hourglass was inverted mid-air and slow-set back down.
The ancestor across from Jiang Lai stroked his beard and looked at her.
"What fun is there in merely breaking the puzzle; why not review a match with the true body."
With these words, the chess pieces on the table began spinning quickly, the black and white pieces flew to either side, and on the once smooth chessboard, the ancestor looked at Jiang Lai.
"You make the first move."
All eyes were on Jiang Lai, watching as she placed the first black piece.
The white piece followed shortly after.
In the silent courtyard, the "click" of pieces landing on the board was clearly audible; for a moment, everyone’s breathing and heartbeat seemed to pulse with the movement of the black and white pieces.
"She hasn’t even understood the ancestor’s puzzle; it looks like she’ll lose in moments."
Now, the ancestor’s pieces were pressing hard; not to mention forming a puzzle, she could hardly manage any strategy.
But luckily, even if unsuccessful, it should buy Ye Yunzhou a little more time to think.
"Are you ready? She has already lost."
The previous opponents at least managed moves from thousands of years ago, even if not breaking the puzzle, still held for quite a while.
Jiang Lai, on the other hand, didn’t follow any predetermined moves; the end would be quicker.
The black piece was now on a dead end, with virtually no chance of survival; everyone had braced themselves to see Jiang Lai being lifted and thrown behind the ancestor. Just then, the black piece fell slowly.
"How is this possible!"
One piece, in an instant, shifted the entire chessboard’s situation from initial step-by-step retreat into line-breaking chaos, flipping suddenly into a ray of hope, like a miracle during a long drought meeting rain.
Fourth Senior Brother’s eyes nearly bulged out; were it not for the ancestor’s shadow, he might have slammed the table, cheering with applause.
No one anticipated that Jiang Lai could possess such skill in chess!
For indeed, this Hongmeng Ancestor before her was the world’s greatest chess master, undefeated for centuries, with no one able to stand a chance against him.