Yuanchu carefully examined the figure of light and shadow before him, but it was clearly in vain. Because a blinding glare shrouded the person's face, Yuanchu could not make out their facial expression.
"Who are you?" Yuanchu asked tentatively, though he clearly could not control his racing heart.
"There is no need to be nervous," the figure of light and shadow emitted a voice devoid of human emotion. "Please, take a seat."
For a moment, Yuanchu did not know what to do. He kept glancing back and forth between the figure of light and shadow and the stool, while the figure seemed quite patient, waiting for Yuanchu to make his choice.
*Forget it, what’s done is done, just take things as they come.* Yuanchu steeled his heart, walked over to the stool closest to him, and casually placed the stone box onto the chessboard. Whether it was his imagination or not, the moment Yuanchu finished putting down the stone box and looked at the figure of light and shadow, he seemed to sense that the figure was smiling.
The figure nodded and sat down on the stool on the other side. However, before he even sat down, the stone box on that stool flew up unhindered onto the chessboard.
Yuanchu's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the scene before him. Was this a dream or not? Had the laws of physics simply ceased to exist?
Immediately afterward, the stone box beside Yuanchu also flew uncontrollably toward the figure of light and shadow, coming to a halt right in front of him.
Yuanchu knew the stone box was empty, because he had noticed that very fact when he placed it on the chessboard. Presumably, the box belonging to that person should be empty as well.
"Choose your piece," the emotionless voice entered Yuanchu's ears once again.
"What... neither of your boxes has any pieces in them, how am I supposed to choose?"
The figure of light and shadow seemed to ponder for a moment. Shortly after, with a gentle wave of a hand at his side, the surrounding light vanished instantly, transforming into a sea of stars. Then, countless stars surged toward the figure, ultimately landing inside the two stone boxes.
Yuanchu watched this unbelievable scene before his eyes. Under his gaze, the two stone boxes emitted a dazzling white light before fading into dimness.
Silence gradually crept across this space. Neither of them spoke. After a long while, Yuanchu tentatively asked:
"Then... I'll take the one on your left, shall I?"
The figure nodded, and the stone box on his left rapidly flew back to Yuanchu's side as if receiving some kind of command.
Yuanchu looked closely and saw that the stars inside the stone box had transformed into familiar game pieces—countless white pieces.
When Yuanchu looked back at the chessboard, a black piece had already been placed on it at some point.
"What kind of game are we playing?" Yuanchu took out a white piece and placed it right next to the black piece.
The figure of light and shadow did not answer. A black piece flew out from the box beside him and landed on the chessboard.
Was it Gomoku or Go? Yuanchu couldn't make up his mind for a moment, or perhaps, it was neither of them?
The figure said not a word, keeping his eyes fixed on the white piece on the board as if confirming something.
"Who are you?" the figure asked.
"......" Yuanchu did not answer the question. He could not yet gauge this figure's attitude, but through the divine power the figure had displayed, Yuanchu was already starting to believe that things defying common sense truly existed in this world.
Holding a white piece that he had yet to play, Yuanchu fell into deep thought. What should he do? Lie? But what if this being could read human hearts?
By this point, Yuanchu had long since shaken off his initial panic, because he knew there was no way he could defeat the figure of light and shadow before him anyway. Having determined that his life and death were out of his hands, he actually felt calmer than ever before.
Seeing that Yuanchu did not answer his question, the figure offered a guess of his own instead:
"Are you... called Yuanchu...?"
A flash of surprise crossed Yuanchu's eyes, but it vanished almost as quickly. Instead, he asked the figure in return:
"Yes, and you?"
The figure nodded, seemingly quite satisfied with his answer.
"Play." The figure pointed to his hand suspended in mid-air, signaling that it was his turn to make a move.
Seeing that the figure ignored his question, Yuanchu gave a slight arch of his brows, then placed the white piece in his hand down.
Yet the moment the white piece touched the board, the space surrounding Yuanchu and the figure suddenly shattered like glass, and the surrounding stars—as if embedded in the glass—began to plummet downward right along with it.
Yuanchu looked down and saw that the depths below were pitch black and bottomless like a black hole; had he not been seated on a stool, he likely would have plunged downward together with this glass-like space.
Before Yuanchu could even ponder why he had managed to walk here completely unscathed, a tremendous shattering noise rushed into his ears like a tidal wave, causing him excruciating pain.
At the very last moment before losing consciousness, he saw the figure of light and shadow staring intently at the chessboard in deep thought.
*If I'd known it would be like this, I might as well have just let the pain knock me out right from the start,* Yuanchu cursed inwardly before passing out completely.
………
It seemed as though numerous voices were echoing inside Yuanchu's mind. He could not make out what they were specifically saying, but after an unknown passage of time, a familiar voice reached his ears:
"Xinnian, you've come to visit him again, but Yuanchu hasn't woken up yet."
"Elder, is Yuanchu... is he never going to wake up..." The young girl's voice carried a trembling, tearful sob.
Yuanchu slowly opened his eyes to see Elder Gu with his back turned to him, conversing with Han Xinnian.
"Elder!" The girl's initial look of despair vanished instantly, her two bright eyes sparkling with radiance. She pointed a finger at Yuanchu and said, filled with delight: "He's awake."
Elder Gu turned around to look at Yuanchu. The young man before him wore an exhausted expression, as if he had just been through an ordeal that consumed a tremendous amount of physical energy.
Elder Gu smiled and gestured for Yuanchu not to move around, reaching out to touch Yuanchu's forehead.
"No fever. He should be able to get out of bed and move around after another day or so of rest."
Han Xinnian let out a long breath of relief. Seizing the opportunity, Elder Gu teased, looking at Yuanchu's face:
"During the time you were unconscious, Xinnian came to visit you every single day."
Han Xinnian's face flushed slightly, and she chided him reproachfully:
"Didn't we agree not to let him know about that."
This drew a hearty laugh from Elder Gu, who completely ignored Yuanchu rolling his eyes from the side of the bed.
"Oh, I almost forgot about you... Little Chu, how are you feeling now?"
"......" Yuanchu indicated that he did not wish to speak by turning his face toward the side away from Elder Gu.
Elder Gu gave a cough to ease the awkwardness:
"It looks like Yuanchu is recovering quite well. Judging by this lively spirit of his, he'll probably be out of bed in no time."
*Someone just said that since I don't have a fever, I can get up and move around in about a day, and now that my head can move, I'll be completely healed in a minute, is that it?*
In his heart, Yuanchu began drawing circles to curse Elder Gu, resolving that no matter what the old man said next, he would not reply.
Seemingly remembering something, Elder Gu asked Xinnian to go find her grandfather to get some more medicinal herbs.
Han Xinnian nodded. "Then I'll be going. Get well soon, Yuanchu."
Yuanchu turned his head back and let out a soft "Mn," keeping his gaze on her until she left the room before pulling his eyes back and closing them.
"Then I'll be going. Get well soon, Yuanchu," Elder Gu mocked, mimicking Han Xinnian's words in a sarcastic tone once she was completely out of sight.
"......" Yuanchu silently turned his head back to the other side.
"Ahem, I wouldn't have thought a rascal like you would be one to value women over friends. Why aren't you talking to me?" Elder Gu sat down beside Yuanchu and used his hand to forcefully twist Yuanchu's head back from the other side.
"......"
Yuanchu made it clear he didn't want to answer that question. Ordinarily, the majestic Elder Gu was like a mischievous child in front of him—vicious, simply too vicious. Someone ought to expose this malicious personality of his to the public, just so everyone could get a good look at what they called their "savior"!
Watching Elder Gu, Yuanchu's gaze gradually turned serious, his expression growing solemn as he prepared to open his mouth.
Withdrawing the curses he'd been spinning in his heart, Yuanchu spoke in a faint voice:
"Spare me the act. Who doesn't know what kind of person you are? You don't need to put on such a serious front with me."
His light words drifted into Elder Gu's ears, acting as if with some kind of time magic that froze Elder Gu's opened mouth right in mid-air.
Every single line of dialogue prepared in Elder Gu's mind was completely wiped clean by Yuanchu's sudden interruption. Elder Gu froze in a daze, staring blankly at Yuanchu, and only after several attempts to speak that resulted in swallowing his words did he finally blurt out:
"So you can talk?"
Silence was Cambridge tonight, or rather, Cambridge right now.
Unable to hold back any longer, Yuanchu jerked himself upright and sprang straight out of bed, grabbing Elder Gu tightly by the collar with both hands. With his eyes wide as saucers, he demanded:
"I'm still alive, damn it, I'm not dead! Didn't you hear me say 'Mn' just a moment ago? Besides, I'm this weak—could you at least let me get some proper rest instead of making me talk?"
For once, Yuanchu let out a curse. As for Elder Gu, seeing Yuanchu looking so full of life, he wore a look of immense satisfaction:
"See? I told you you'd be out of bed shortly."
Yuanchu was so angry he laughed at Elder Gu's remark:
"Well then, thank you so much, Doctor Gu."