Xi Yu casually picked up a few stones, then drew a chessboard by hand on the stone table, and proceeded to teach Fuying how to play Go.
The equipment could not have been any more crude, yet when those smooth stones were held by Xi Yu’s slender fingers, they possessed a unique and striking elegance.
Fuying’s attention was not on the game at all; instead, Xi Yu’s appearance while playing occupied his entire mind. He stared blankly at Xi Yu’s face, looking almost infatuated.
It was not until Xi Yu gently tapped him on the forehead with his finger that Fuying let out a soft cry of pain and finally snapped back to reality.
“You must focus when playing Go,” Xi Yu admonished Fuying.
Fuying felt somewhat embarrassed, yet still couldn’t resist stealing glances at Xi Yu. “I am too foolish, and I’m afraid I’ve wasted your efforts in vain. If Fifth Brother were here to learn, he would surely satisfy Brother Xi Yu.”
Xi Yu’s hand holding a Go stone paused for a fraction of a second, before revealing an enigmatic smile. “Is that so?”
Fuying hurried to nod. In his mind, he had likely never truly comprehended the cruel things Ye Weifeng had subjected him to. “Yes, Fifth Brother is the smartest among us.”
At this, Xi Yu couldn’t help letting out a cold chuckle. “Yet I have no desire to teach him. I will only teach you.”
Fuying’s face flushed red once more. He didn’t understand many of the things Xi Yu said, but he was undeniably overjoyed by Xi Yu’s intimate and special treatment toward him.
“Thank you, Brother Xi Yu. I will study diligently.”
Watching his obedient appearance, Xi Yu nodded in satisfaction, though a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind: the original body had taught Ye Weifeng all eighteen martial arts and various skills without holding anything back, yet had never once received a single word of thanks from him.
It was as if everything the original body did for Ye Weifeng was taken for granted, as if it were nothing more than his duty.
Any clear-eyed observer could see that such a one-way emotional investment was utterly unbalanced, yet the original body had foolishly and willingly relished it.
Ye Weifeng likely regarded him long ago as an obedient hound, and now that this loyal hound was no longer needed, he had simply kicked him aside.
Xi Yu’s smile suddenly faded. Fuying failed to notice this change and continued to study the complex chessboard with intense concentration, frowning deeply yet refusing to be discouraged.
The tight tension in Xi Yu’s chest finally relaxed slightly. “Alright, Fuying, let’s stop here for today. You should go back and rest.”
He was still somewhat reluctant to stop, but Xi Yu spotted the secret signal Ji Qingzhou had sent him. This indicated that Ji Qingzhou was nearby and had matters to discuss with him, forcing Xi Yu to send Fuying away first.
Fortunately, Fuying trusted him implicitly and never disobeyed Xi Yu’s words, always doing whatever Xi Yu asked. As he left, however, Fuying secretly hid one of the Go stones that Xi Yu had repeatedly caressed into his palm, taking it away with him.
“General!” Ji Qingzhou saluted him with cupped hands.
Xi Yu led him to a secluded spot before finally asking, “How are matters proceeding?”
Ji Qingzhou replied, “Just as the General anticipated, all military tallies have been reclaimed by Ye Weifeng through various pretexts, and our men have recently been demoted under all sorts of trumped-up charges.”
Xi Yu felt no surprise. Ever since his authority was stripped and he was cast into the Cold Palace, he had been mentally prepared for this, though he hadn’t expected Ye Weifeng to move so swiftly, managing to unearth all his vital lifelines within such a short span.
Who could have known that the hawk personally raised by the original body could already soar so high on its own?
“Yet, General, everyone’s hearts remain steadfastly with you. They secretly passed word to me that as long as the General has need of them, no matter what, they will follow the General and obey his every command.”
Though phrased with subtle ambiguity, Xi Yu understood its meaning clearly. Even though Ye Weifeng sat as the Son of Heaven, those subordinates and generals were bound to Xi Yu by the shared bloodshed of the battlefield, and naturally remained willing to entrust him with their lives.
“General, why endure this humiliation? Just a single word from you, and the brothers are ready to lay down their lives.” Watching Xi Yu grow increasingly emaciated, Ji Qingzhou felt a growing knot of frustration in his chest, making him deeply distressed.
Yet Xi Yu waved a hand, halting his next words. “It is not yet time.” Then, Xi Yu reached out and traced characters onto Ji Qingzhou’s palm, a tingling sensation causing Ji Qingzhou to stiffen completely.
It was the single character for “wait.” Xi Yu’s intention was for them to wait.
Ye Weifeng was currently at the zenith of his power, firmly grasping both military and political authority in his hands. Challenging him head-on was by no means an easy task; it required slow, calculated deliberation.
Xi Yu never fought battles he wasn’t certain of winning; once he struck, it had to hit the target decisively.
Ji Qingzhou cupped his fists to show he understood, then turned to leave, but seemingly recalling something else, he handed an item over to Xi Yu.
“The General has always suffered from insomnia and restless dreams. In this freezing place, it must be even harder to sleep. This is a calming sachet I specifically had someone custom-blend for the General, hoping it might be of some use.”
With that, Ji Qingzhou handed over the sachet he had clutched in his palm for so long. The person delivering the gift turned out more nervous than the one receiving it, his palms slick with sweat and the sachet nearly crushed out of shape, though the contents indeed emitted a pleasant fragrance.
“Qingzhou has put much thought into this.” Xi Yu flashed a smile, dimples shallowly emerging like a spring breeze brushing across a pear tree, forming a truly picturesque sight.
Ji Qingzhou’s stiff body finally relaxed. “Ah, General, there is one more matter: Ye Weifeng has summoned his cousin from their hometown to the capital.”
Xi Yu’s hand, brushing against his sleeve, paused. Cousin Xue Ling?
Speaking of this cousin, she was a distant relative on Xi Yu’s maternal side, but having been left an orphan and destitute from a young age, she had been fostered at the Xi estate for a period, growing up alongside both Xi Yu and Ye Weifeng.
Yet Ye Weifeng had loathed Xue Ling since childhood. Whenever Xi Yu showed her any close attention or care, Ye Weifeng would either throw a massive temper tantrum at Xi Yu or resort to mischievous tricks to torment Yue Xue Ling, until Yue Xue Ling finally couldn’t bear it anymore and begged leave of the Xi family to hide away at her maternal uncle’s home in the countryside.
Ye Weifeng had brought her back to the capital? Xi Yu suddenly found himself unable to fathom what Ye Weifeng was aiming to achieve.
The moment Ji Qingzhou departed, Xi Yu stepped into a patch of overgrown grass and addressed someone hiding within who had accidentally exposed the edge of a robe. “Yuansi, what brings you here?”
Shangguan Yuansi had no idea when he had been discovered or where he had slipped up, and being caught red-handed by Xi Yu on the spot felt rather awkward.
Fortunately, Xi Yu did not expose his spying outright, simply pretending he had business with him, thus providing him with a graceful exit and maneuvering room.
“Just passing by. Merely passing by.” Shangguan Yuansi loathed Xi Yu’s detached, calm demeanor the most, as if nothing in the world could ruffle him.
Clearly, he had fallen to such a destitute state of playing Go with stones, yet he still effortlessly compelled others to lower themselves by three paces in his presence.
Shangguan Yuansi felt somewhat annoyed. He had stayed far away and heard nothing clearly, yet getting caught by Xi Yu firmly cemented the fact that he was keeping watch over him.
He was even more irritated by this considerate attitude that avoided calling him out, which only served to make Xi Yu look magnanimous while making himself look pathetic.
“Since you are passing by by such a coincidence, why not accompany me to a game of Go? Xi happens to have nothing to occupy his time,” Xi Yu invited him.
Shangguan Yuansi was somewhat surprised, initially inclined to refuse offhandedly—how could a dignified imperial bodyguard like himself have time to play Go with a deposed idler?
Yet deep down, he knew he couldn’t refuse, because from the very moment he began learning Go, he had secretly yearned for a match against Xi Yu.
Watching Xi Yu hold a Go stone, a thought involuntarily welled up in Shangguan Yuansi’s mind: Thankfully, thankfully he didn’t die.
Only thus did he finally have the chance to play against him.
“I will accompany you to the end. Please.” Shangguan Yuansi replied.
“It is rather crude here, however. Yuansi, do not mind it; these are the only pieces available.”
Xi Yu held up a stone for Shangguan Yuansi to see, looking rather amused.
“No matter.” Shangguan Yuansi promptly rolled up his sleeves and squared off against him.
Yet the moment the first stone was played, Shangguan Yuansi felt the opponent’s formidable skill. Within a few moves, Xi Yu had driven him into a corner, sealing off his escape routes and placing him on the defensive.
Clearly, he had spent countless hours practicing; clearly, he had asked his father to hire the finest teachers in the entire capital for him—yet in the end, he didn’t even have the strength to exchange three moves with him.
“Why does Yuansi not play his stone?” Xi Yu smiled calmly, his tone carrying a teasing, knowing edge.
Shangguan Yuansi felt thoroughly exasperated. “Your Excellency’s black pieces have surrounded my pieces so impenetrably, where else is this subject’s white piece to be played?”
His argument was entirely unreasonable, yet Xi Yu showed no anger. Instead, he lightly pointed a finger at a specific spot on the board, then guided the piece in Shangguan Yuansi’s hand down onto that exact location. “Play here.”
In an instant, the white side, which moments ago seemed destined to lose, found a breakthrough. The situation reversed in a heartbeat, trapping the black pieces in a dead end with no way out.
Yet what was there to celebrate? Though victory was imminent, winning this way felt thoroughly unsatisfying. Ultimately, it was simply his own inferiority in skill, leaving him completely manipulated in the palm of Xi Yu’s hand.
Shangguan Yuansi let out a silent sigh, picking up the white stone he had just been guided to place. “I have lost. Lord Xi’s Go skills are superb, and this subject concedes complete defeat.”
Xi Yu found it immensely entertaining, like teasing a clawing, baring cat. “You admit defeat? I thought the word ‘defeat’ did not exist in Commander Shangguan’s dictionary.”
“A loss is a loss; this subject still has that much sportsmanship. It’s simply that I am temporarily outmatched by Lord Xi. Once I refine my skills for a period longer, there’s no telling—you might be the one begging me for mercy, My Lord.”
Shangguan Yuansi lifted his eyes to stare directly at Xi Yu, resembling a wolf revealing its true nature.
Xi Yu merely chuckled. “Is that so? Then Xi shall wait and see.”
Shangguan Yuansi rose, cupped his fists in a farewell salute, and as he turned to leave, seemingly struck by a thought, he tossed the stones in Xi Yu’s hand down onto the ground.
“Why keep clutching these stones? I’ll have a new chessboard and set of pieces delivered to you another day,” Shangguan Yuansi promised Xi Yu.
“With skills as fine as yours, you shouldn’t be buried here, Xi Yu.”
Xi Yu knew he wasn’t just talking about Go, but…
The moment Shangguan Yuansi left, Xi Yu bent down and picked up the stones one by one.
A fish out of water—how could it know the joy of a fish!