567 Isll Wait for You on the Mountain (1/2)

Chapter 567: I'll Wait for You on the Mountain

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

Sangsang took the green pear and ate it with her head lowered. The pear was very sweet and mellow, with an odd texture to it. She was delighted as it felt like the pear had melted in her mouth.

Raising her head, she passed the remaining half to Ning Que. ”Try this. It's very sweet.”

The two were used to sharing good food since they were children. Ning Que didn't care about the taboo behind sharing pears, which implied separation. He took the portion of pear Sangsang offered and gulped it down.

Master Qishan didn't expect that the two would share an ordinary pear. He was surprised, but shook the feeling off and said, ”Let's begin.”

Sangsang chose the black chess pieces again.

The chessboard under the front canopy was made from an interesting material. It felt like cold iron and also looked like it. Yet, the chess pieces' made no sound when landing on it.

As Sangsang's hand let go of the chess piece, something odd happened.

A flash of confusion crossed her eyes, and then, her eyes slowly shut.

Her lashes did not move. She had fallen asleep!

...

...

Ning Que's pupils constricted, and his hair stood up.

The cool breeze wafted through his hair, calming his mind before the storm.

He stared into Master Qishan's eyes. His right hand clenched shut slowly, forming an empty hole that was just the right size for a hilt. His hands vibrated at a fast speed, almost invisibly. He was prepared to whip out the podao behind him.

”Do not worry,” Master Qishan said. ”She is just tired, so she is taking a break in her dreams.”

Ning Que observed the state of Sangsang and confirmed her breathing was calm. In fact, it was calmer than usual. Besides that, there was nothing unusual about her. It seemed that she was really sleeping.

”What are you doing?” He asked coldly.

Master Qishan said with a slight smile, ”This is good for her health.”

Sangsang, who had fallen asleep mysteriously, seemed to be really comfortable. Her brows, which were usually scrunched up in pain, were relaxed. She was also not coughing at all. Ning Que placed a hand on her wrist and discovered that the cold aura in her body had become exceptionally calm, and was not rolling around wildly like normal. Seeing this, he relaxed slightly.

However, he could not relax completely.

He stared into Master Qishan's eyes and asked once more, ”What's happening?”

Master Qishan looked at the chessboard before him and said, ”You should have heard of the legend of Lanke Temple. The chessboard you are looking at right now is the chessboard used by those old monks in the legend.”

Ning Que asked, ”This chessboard... who left it behind?”

Master Qishan answered, ”Buddha.”

Ning Que thought about the legend and grew anxious.

”Why does Sangsang have to use this chessboard to play chess? I only just found out that the last game of chess on Wa Mountain was adjudicated by Master Dongming. This is definitely not the chessboard they used.”

Master Qishan said, ”Just treat it as a test for her from Buddha.”

Ning Que said, ”We are here to cure an illness, not pray to Buddha. Why do we have to be tested by Buddha?”

Master Qishan said, ”If her illness can only be cured by Buddha, will you pray or not?”

Ning Que was silent for a long while before asking, ”Is she in any danger?”

Master Qishan answered, ”She is not in any danger.”

Ning Que thought about it for a while, and then, in a slightly hoarse voice, he said, ”But she will be in terrible pain.”

Master Qishan said, ”If she was in pain, you would feel it.”

Ning Que asked, ”So what happens next? Are we still going to play chess?”

Master Qishan looked at the lone black piece on the chessboard. Then, he took out a white piece from the urn beside him and placed it across the black piece. ”This game has already begun.”

...

...

Time slowly passed, and the sun slowly moved towards the west. There was a heavy atmosphere surrounding the cave at Tile Mountain. Nobody knew what was going on with the chessboard and why Sangsang had fallen asleep after placing a single chess piece on it.

Ning Que had almost lost his patience many times. However, he tempered down his uneasiness forcefully when he thought of how much respect and trust Sangsang had shown Master Qishan before she placed the chess piece. He continued waiting silently.

There were still two chess pieces on the board.

Ning Que did not look at the chessboard but at Sangsang's face. He noticed that she did not seem to be in discomfort, and her breathing patterns had not changed. There was nothing different about her body.

He examined her scrupulously and seriously without blinking. He did not miss the movement of even a single strand of her eyelash, even though they were caused by the breeze.