Chapter Thirty-Five: Heaven and Earth as the Chessboard, All Living Beings as Pieces

When all was settled, Qingyuan took his leave of Master Yun Jing and departed the courtyard.

“That master skilled in surveying terrain is no longer in Shu, but now resides in Southern Liang.”

After inquiring carefully about the location, Qingyuan’s brows furrowed in thought. “In the old days, the capital of the Tang dynasty was within the borders of Southern Liang, which is why Southern Liang has always claimed the mantle of legitimacy. It’s said the Imperial Observatory was also established in the capital. Since this master is a descendant of the Imperial Observatory, it is unsurprising he now dwells in Southern Liang. However… the time this will consume…”

He pondered deeply, weighing the matter. After careful calculation, he estimated that the journey there and back would take three months.

Coincidentally, Daoist Shuiyuan would also return in two or three months.

Master Yun Jing had said that after Daoist Shuiyuan’s return, there would be important affairs within the temple, and for a year or more, he would reside there, not leaving.

“If I travel to Southern Liang and cannot persuade that master, or if something unforeseen happens and my efforts yield nothing, I could always return and seek Daoist Shuiyuan’s advice at the temple. At most, this might delay me by a month.”

Qingyuan mused quietly, “If even Daoist Shuiyuan does not recognize the place on this map, then I will have to seek out Bai Jiye. But would he know?”

In truth, seeking out Bai Jiye in Yuanjing City was the most straightforward and convenient path. The Bai family of Yuanjing City was close at hand, requiring no delay. Yet Bai Jiye was far too shrewd, and Qingyuan harbored many reservations, so he kept this as a last resort.

He lowered his head, gazing at the letter in his hand.

This was a handwritten letter from Master Yun Jing, requiring only the temple’s official seal from Qiyuan.

“Master Yun Jing… is truly a man with sharp eyes, perceptive and insightful…”

Qingyuan recalled Master Yun Jing’s expression and could not help but marvel. Are all scholars this adept at calculation? At the slightest sign, can they deduce so much?

Of the four maps, each was incomplete. Qingyuan had already cut out the most important one and left the junctions of the four maps on a fifth sheet.

It should have been nearly impossible to discern.

Yet Master Yun Jing had mentioned but a single location, ignoring the others. He had clearly seen through the ruse, though he chose not to point it out.

Leaving the courtyard, Qingyuan went straight to find Qiyuan.

…

Qiyuan was still busy in the back courtyard, but when he saw Qingyuan arrive, he quickly put aside his work.

“I’ve heard that your sect once possessed a technique for surveying terrain. Though it has been lost, there remains another lineage outside who knows it.”

Qingyuan explained the matter in broad strokes, then said, “I must shamelessly borrow your sect’s name to request this master’s aid in interpreting my four maps.”

Qiyuan fell silent for some time.

“Is it the one who shares an old bond with our temple? I’ve heard our abbot mention him once, but by now, that bond has nearly faded…”

Qiyuan hesitated. “Besides, I am but a junior, and a stranger to him. To request his help by letter might be…”

Qingyuan understood his difficulty and added, “I come at Master Yun Jing’s recommendation. Here is his handwritten letter; all it needs is the temple seal. There’s no need for you to write anything.”

“Master Yun Jing?” At this, Qiyuan’s doubts vanished. “If there is a letter from Master Yun Jing, then he and that elder must be old acquaintances. It wouldn’t be presumptuous.”

Qingyuan nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, truly.”

The temple seal was a unique mark of the temple, and to call in a favor was no small matter. Qiyuan had hesitated because of these entanglements, but the connection between Master Yun Jing and Mingyuan Temple was clearly deep.

Learning it was at Master Yun Jing’s behest, Qiyuan’s concerns melted away.

Qingyuan understood these relationships well enough.

In any case, all was going smoothly.

“If I find the place…”

“What kind of land might it be? Fraught with danger? Peril at every turn?”

Qingyuan’s eyes grew contemplative. “Whatever happens, I must put my cultivation first.”

“The greater my strength in the Dao, the better I can protect myself.”

…

In Master Yun Jing’s courtyard.

“He’s a cautious young man,” Master Yun Jing mused after a brief silence, then smiled faintly, tidying up his writing instruments and tea set.

Not long after, Old Master Ge arrived.

He had known Qingyuan would visit, but did not come at once. Only after Qingyuan departed did he make his appearance.

“That young friend of yours is truly remarkable.”

Master Yun Jing, who seemed to expect his visit, had already prepared tea and gestured for him to sit. “The four maps are clearly one. He divided them into four and took some further precautions—evidence of great caution. In all other ways, his bearing and conduct are exceptional. I wonder what his origins might be?”

He chuckled, glancing at Old Master Ge. “Whatever his background, it’s clear enough his nature is not ill.”

Old Master Ge stroked his beard and laughed. “We’ve spent quite some time together—I’m not so dim with age that I cannot tell he bears no malice.”

Master Yun Jing smiled. “He’s leaving.”

Old Master Ge nodded. “As expected. The world is vast. To meet and travel together is fate. Though all feasts must end, there will surely come a day of reunion.”

Master Yun Jing nodded with a smile. “You’re quite philosophical.”

Old Master Ge said, “I’ve faced death many times, but after this last time, with the fall of the Ge clan, all has faded like smoke and clouds. If I cannot let go now, what hope is there?”

Master Yun Jing fell silent, not knowing how to reply for a moment. After a pause, he changed the subject: “Miss Guo has sent word. Her cultivation has come to fruition, but sadly, the Daoist of Chenyan Temple on Mount Zhaozhen passed away some days ago. Once her mourning period for her master is over, she will come at once to take you and Xiaoyu to Mount Zhaozhen.”

“That Daoist has passed away?”

Old Master Ge was taken aback, then sighed. “He was a man of great ability and profound cultivation. The Prime Minister always regarded him as an elder brother. Who would have thought… even he could not escape the fate of heaven?”

Master Yun Jing shook his head. “Only those who attain true immortality can be free and eternal. Only the true deities of the heavens share the lifespan of heaven and earth. That Daoist was indeed accomplished, but still within the realm of the human immortal. Since the time of the Three Kingdoms, he has aided Prime Minister Ge and Jiang Bojian far too much. The weight of those karmic ties sapped his own vitality. It was to be expected… Let us hope that when all is settled in the heavens, he may be granted a divine office.”

“A divine office?”

Old Master Ge had not known of these things before. Only after the Prime Minister’s passing, when he accompanied Miss Guo, did he learn that the worldly stage was filled, both openly and in secret, with practitioners of the Dao and even arrangements by immortals of the celestial realms.

“Heaven and earth are a chessboard, all living beings mere pieces…”

Old Master Ge sighed. “We are all but pieces on the board. Only the immortals above are the players.”

“You are mistaken,” said Master Yun Jing, shaking his head. “Even immortals are bound by principle. Their every action is governed by the way of heaven. All is fate.”

“Fate?” Old Master Ge asked. “What is fate?”

Master Yun Jing replied, “The principle of heaven and earth is the Dao of heaven. That is fate…”

“You are indeed insightful,” said Old Master Ge.

“It is not my own insight,” said Master Yun Jing. “These words are found in the classics, written by one of the two great patriarchs of the Daoist tradition—the Supreme Patriarch—who is also revered as the sage who created writing, the ancestor honored by all scholars.”