658 Leaving the Mountain (1/2)
As ten thousand men from his army were eliminated, and the morale suffered a huge blow, Kun Xie was worried that he would be ambushed by the Xuan nation and suffer a tremendous defeat, thus, had no choice but to withdraw his troops and head back.
The original extermination war between the nations instantly became one that had a strong start but a weak ending, resulting in a loss on both sides.
The Xuan king, Zhang, used this opportunity to immediately organize into a state of combat readiness and train his warriors. He also subdued other forces within the nation and entered a long-term stalemate period with Kun nation.
In an instant, five years flashed past.
Li Rubi rode his high horse and went deep into the mountains, accompanied by more than ten armored guards at his side.
At this moment, he looked like he was more than twenty years old—his skin was like a jade disc, and he was very handsome. The suit of armor that he wore further enhanced his heroic spirit by a few notches.
”Master, it's here… The Tuan mountains is rumoured to have deities residing there, and woodcutters had previously seen a red-crowned crane dancing in the air!”
A warrior walked up to look and immediately reported back.
”Erm, some of you dismount from your horse and follow me into the mountains!”
Li Rubi looked towards the sky and was in deep thought.
These five years, he took pains to endure inside the crevice between the two nations. A new force suddenly arose, and today, a large group under his command called ”Mountains,” which also had thousands of warriors and was considered to be the third powerhouse.
However, if he wanted to conquer the heavens and the skies, this still wasn't enough. Hence, he needed to be extremely courteous to the worthy people, and upon hearing that there were high-level people living in seclusion in the Tuan mountains, he specially came to pay a visit.
A row of people dismounted from their horses and started climbing. After a hilltop, they saw strangely-shaped pines and weird rocks with billowing mountain mist. It truly was a scene of idyllic beauty.
Li Rubi was incarnated from a flood dragon and naturally had some magical intuition. He briefly inspected the aura and instantly knew the location of the person he wanted to find. ”Follow me!”
They walked through a barrier of mist and immediately saw three pine trees that were erected to form the shape of a word. There were even a few small thatch houses beneath it.
A small chair was placed under the pine trees at this moment, and a person sat cross-legged. In the front lay a purple cauldron with a large pile of burning firewood, causing the cauldron to produce a ”chi chi” sound.
”A distinguished guest has come from a faraway place. I haven't personally greeted you, it's really impolite of me!”
That person was clothed in black and white, which Li Rubi recognized as the Taoist robe style of the Kun Wu mountains. He also wore a crown and instantly waved his hand, igniting the cauldron. An exotic fragrance entered their nose. ”Luckily we still have a few Reinstated Pills that can be used to receive guests. Please!”
Li Rubi naturally sat down in front of the Taoist without restraint and stared at this person.
This Taoist seemed to be around twenty to thirty years old, yet his eyes seemed to have suffered from a great deal of vicissitudes in life. His body carried a pungent medicinal aroma, and his cultivation was so deep that it couldn't be estimated. His heart inadvertently went cold. ”Is Sir Taoist the previous Xuan Nation Imperior Advisor… Peng?”
”That's right…”
Peng openly confessed. ”I've caused disturbances in your territory for a number of years and still wish that you do not blame me, Magnate! Please eat, this Reinstated Pill can be drank together with the Jade Liquid for better results!”
As he spoke, he also pushed a jade cup over with starch water inside.
”Master?!”
A soldier instantly walked up and wanted to verify the medicine himself. As a master, how could he consume such an dubious liquid?
”There's no need to worry so much. I believe in the Taoist!”
Li Rubi waved his hand casually, picked up the cup, and he drank from it. He immediately felt awakened and picked up a Reinstated Pill.
This Reinstated Pill was roughly the size of his thumb. Its entire body was crimson and emitted a wave of fragrant vegetation like a Lingzhi. After entering his mouth, it could even jump slightly as if it had a life of its own.
Swallowing it in one mouthful, Li Rubi suddenly felt that there was a surge of heat that was rising in his underbelly and coursing through his entire body, spreading to every organ. He inadvertently praised, ”Sir Taoist truly is a deity!!”
”This small matter isn't worth mentioning! I've observed your body and saw that it had some innate deficiencies. Using this Reinstated Pill to repair your genetics and add a little nourishment could prolong your lifespan by two periods…”
”Haha… Are there any taboos behind the concept of life and death?” Li Rubi was, instead, very easygoing. ”It's already sufficient if a real man can set up his own business by the age of forty.”
”Mmm…”
Peng nodded and didn't say anything else.
Unbeknownst to all, his heart at the moment was already like the terrifying waves of a stormy flood.
”This person walks with a majestic gait and has a mountain root bred by purple spirits. It really is valuable… Furthermore, why is there an aura that I dread on his body… Could it be that in the conflicts of the human race, he's the future tripartite balance of the three forces!? Even… ”
Furthermore, thinking about this person's actions during these past few years, instantly made an unfathomable feeling develop inside Peng.
”What is this item?”
After consuming the Jade Liquid Reinstated Pill, Li Rubi had instead stared at the vertical and horizontal boxes with black and white stones inside on the table and asked with interest.
”This is 'Tai Chi chess,' one white and one black, it is an item that was created from the Yin-Yang technique which I previously understood, and it was passed down by the ancient Gods. Usually, I'll play chess with my left and right hand, and I'm content with it,” Peng said with a smile.
”Oh, can I request for Sir Taoist to explain it in detail…” Li Rubi eyes lit, and he asked about the rules of this ”Tai Chi chess.”
Peng explained everything and said that it was very similar to Fang Yuan's previous world's ”Weiqi.” However, the position of the pieces are inside the boxes, and there aren't as many positions as the previous world's chessboard.
”Alright, since there's no entertainment deep in the mountains, how about we compete against each other in a round of chess?” Li Rubi rubbed his fingers and asked with some anticipation.
”That's what I desire!” Peng's heart jumped slightly. ”How can your honor talk about a chess duel without any stakes?”
”Oh? You want to place a bet?”
Li Rubi took out a few pieces of pumpkin seeds and asked, ”How about these?”
”Haha… Your honor, you trick me. The king is confident and has many mountains and rivers, how can it likened with mere gold and silver?” Peng laughed out loud. ”How about we bet with these Tuan mountains?”
”The Tuan mountains are under my control…” Li Rubi nodded and said, ”Okay! If I lose, I'll present the entire mountain to you!”
”Alright!”
Peng smiled and pushed out the chess box. ”The guest goes first!”
…