Chapter 51

After bidding farewell to the scholar, Qin Manyun’s face was filled with awe.

The more she pondered, the more she felt a sense of fear.

Perhaps, Sun Wukong’s fate was already predetermined, and this "Journey to the West" was a conspiracy from the beginning, or it could be seen as a game of strategy among several powerful beings.

From the start of the story, Sun Wukong’s appearance seemed grand and magnificent, with a rainbow of light shining upon him, as if heaven and earth were celebrating his arrival, making him the undisputed protagonist of the world.

But the truth proved that the so-called protagonist was nothing but a joke; there was no such thing as a protagonist in this world, only those who manipulated from behind the scenes!

Whether it was the scholar or Luo Shiyu, they all referred to the high-ranking person as Li Gongzi.

Clearly, this Li Gongzi was one of the major players in the game!

And the cultivation world might just be a tiny, insignificant corner on the chessboard.

A determined look gradually appeared on Qin Manyun’s face.

It was rare for such a powerful figure to descend into the mortal world. If she couldn’t seize this opportunity, she would deserve to be forever cut off from the path of immortality!

If she offended Li Gongzi, the worst that could happen was death. As cultivators, they fought for that sliver of hope for survival!

"Shiyu, I will prepare to visit Li Gongzi tomorrow!" Qin Manyun said solemnly, bowing to Luo Shiyu. "Please introduce me."

A person like Li Gongzi, if she were to visit him unannounced, would surely be unwelcome. Having someone introduce her would at least earn her some favor.

"Well... okay." Luo Shiyu hesitated for a moment before nodding.

She hadn’t visited Li Gongzi for some time.

At the moment she broke through to the Golden Core stage, she most wanted to tell Li Gongzi, but she had held back out of fear of disturbing him.

The next day, Luo Shiyu led Qin Manyun to the foot of the mountain and then walked up together.

Although there were no restrictions on the mountain, to show respect to Li Gongzi, whether it was Bai Wuchen or Luo Huang and others, they would all consciously climb step by step from the foot of the mountain!

To avoid any possibility of offending the high-ranking person!

Qin Manyun deeply agreed with this.

"Manyun, you must remember, the high-ranking person is living here as an ordinary human. You must remain calm. Li Gongzi dislikes it the most when people act surprised in front of him, especially about cultivation!" On the way, Luo Shiyu kept emphasizing the points to note.

Qin Manyun nodded solemnly, "I understand."

Before long, an ancient and elegant quadrangle courtyard appeared before them.

Qin Manyun’s beautiful eyes instantly narrowed, her delicate body trembling as she froze in place.

She stared intently at the couplet hanging at the entrance, as if she had seen a celestial being standing before her.

A faint and ethereal aura pressed down on her, making her feel suffocated.

"Hey, Manyun, wake up!" Luo Shiyu quickly called out to Qin Manyun, "You can’t act like this. You must act as if nothing is out of the ordinary, as if you are visiting an ordinary human’s home."

Qin Manyun gathered her thoughts and nodded with difficulty.

"Did Li Gongzi write this couplet?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Yes." Luo Shiyu’s eyes carried a hint of reminiscence, "I remember, Li Gongzi said that more and more guests were coming recently, so he wrote this couplet to serve as a facade."

A facade?

Qin Manyun’s scalp tingled. This couplet, placed anywhere, would be a treasure of the sect, yet in Li Gongzi’s eyes, it was just a facade.

Is this the world of the powerful?

No!

Li Gongzi’s intentions must go beyond this. A high-ranking person’s actions must have deeper meaning!

Qin Manyun’s heart stirred, and she fell into deep thought.

Li Gongzi said that more and more guests were coming recently, so he must have already predicted that some people would visit in the future!

Why did he specifically write this couplet as a facade? To intimidate the riffraff!

If a guest were to speak disrespectfully, it would certainly affect Li Gongzi’s mood. Therefore, he wrote this couplet to ensure that visitors would not dare to be disrespectful!

Truly a powerful figure!

Qin Manyun became even more respectful, bowing deeply to the couplet.

At this moment, Li Nianfan was playing chess with Daji.

More accurately, Li Nianfan was teaching her how to play.

It had to be said that Daji’s chess skills were truly terrible. Almost every move required Li Nianfan’s guidance; otherwise, the game would end as soon as it began.

Daji glanced at Li Nianfan, holding a white piece, and said hesitantly, "Um... should I make this move?"

"Ah—"

Li Nianfan shook his head and sighed, "If I place this piece here, the game is over, isn’t it?"

Daji bit her lip, lowering her head in shame.

Li Gongzi must be very disappointed in her. He had been teaching her for several days, but she still quickly lost herself in the game.

She was filled with panic. Would Li Gongzi abandon her because of her poor comprehension?

Li Nianfan put the chess piece back, pondering.

Daji didn’t dare to breathe, like a child who had done something wrong, waiting for judgment.

Her chess skills were far inferior to Daji’s. While playing chess could help improve one’s skills, that was only true when the players were of similar strength. If the gap was too large, it wouldn’t work.

Li Nianfan came up with a solution and smiled, "How about this, I will set up some chess problems for you to practice. I think it will help."

"Okay, Li Gongzi, I will work hard!" Daji nodded eagerly, her eyes red.

As long as he didn’t send her away, she would work even harder. If her comprehension was lacking, she would make up for it with effort; she couldn’t let Li Gongzi down!

Li Nianfan felt a pang of sympathy seeing her cautious demeanor.

He didn’t want to put so much pressure on Daji, but with only the two of them living here, it was too boring to do nothing, so he had to make this little girl suffer a bit.

At that moment, a respectful voice came from outside the door, "Is Li Gongzi at home?"

Li Nianfan was slightly taken aback and then said, "Xiao Bai, go open the door!"

Xiao Bai immediately went happily.

"Creak."

The door opened.

Xiao Bai said very politely, "Welcome, two beautiful ladies."

"Hello, Xiao Bai." Luo Shiyu greeted Xiao Bai with a smile.

Qin Manyun forced herself to control her expression, trying to make her smile as natural as possible.

A spirit!

It was really a spirit!

And it was housed in a human-shaped weapon. If it were covered with human skin, it would be indistinguishable from a real person!

This kind of spirit was undoubtedly one of the most powerful.

Although she had heard about it from Luo Shiyu, seeing it in person still made her unable to control her emotions.

Luo Shiyu led Qin Manyun over and introduced her, "Li Gongzi, Miss Daji, this is my friend, Qin Manyun."

"Manyun has met Li Gongzi, and Miss Daji." Qin Manyun immediately bowed respectfully to Li Nianfan.

Her eyes involuntarily swept over the chessboard, and her heart was suddenly shaken.

She had just discussed the concept of the world as a chessboard with the scholar yesterday, and now she saw Li Gongzi playing chess. Could this be a coincidence?

Obviously not!

Li Gongzi must have predicted everything, including her visit. This was clearly a way to test her!

Looking at the chessboard, the characters "Heaven and Earth" were clearly visible!

Buzz!

Qin Manyun’s mind went blank, a chill running through her.

Indeed, Li Gongzi was using the world as a chessboard!