Mist, green grass, the sun, and a black and white chessboard.
Xu Mukun sat on a stone platform, his half-open eyes bloodshot.
This world had long since lost its novelty.
"Charles, what number is this?"
He turned to look around, finding the space unchanged, and a headache began to form.
"Host, this is the fifth time. You have slept for seven hours."
Charles's voice echoed. He had been meticulously calculating the time for Xu Mukun, with absolute precision. Combined with the time spent before, Xu Mukun had now been in this space for seven days.
A bare-chested youth, a fiercely contested Go game, and tireless ghost immortals.
They had been companions for a long time, yet had never seen the night.
"This is a false world."
Xu Mu's expression was indifferent. He reached into the Go bowl, picked up a white stone, his mind in disarray.
He considered himself sharp, he had learned the rules of Go, and Charles had even stated he possessed an amateur level six proficiency.
Amateur level six was equivalent to a provincial player on Blue Star, a very high evaluation for a beginner like Xu Mukun.
But this was not enough.
Xu Mukun stared at the black and white board, lost in deep thought for a long time.
After his prolonged contemplation, his body suddenly trembled, as if something momentous had occurred.
The white stones in Xu Mukun's hand wavered over various points, yet he did not know where to place them.
No, it wasn't that he didn't know, but that he didn't dare.
Xu Mukun's eyes gradually brightened, for he had discovered something marvelous.
This seemingly evenly matched game, which he had been unable to decipher, now appeared riddled with weaknesses in his eyes.
With the white stone in his hand, it seemed that by placing it on any point, he could achieve victory, and Black would have no room to recover.
If there was a result, wouldn't he be able to leave?
Xu Mukun was excited, yet dared not be careless. He knew the opportunity might come only once, and if he made the wrong move, he might truly become a withered skeleton like the two ghost immortals behind him!
"Hoo!" He exhaled, holding his breath and concentrating. After calculating dozens of times, he chose the point most advantageous for White.
"Snap!"
The youth's expression was focused, the stone colliding with the board. A dense formation of white stones surrounded the black ones.
With this move, he could capture eight black stones. Black's counter-attack would gain no advantage, and there would be no hope of recovery.
"The game is over, this must be it," Xu Mukun thought smugly.
But as time slowly passed, Xu Mukun's smile gradually faded.
Because he realized that nothing had changed on the chessboard.
Previously, if he had cornered and killed a group of stones, the space would fluctuate, automatically removing the captured pieces for him.
The captured stones would return to the bowl, and this cycle would repeat.
But now, his white stones had surrounded and captured black ones. The space should have automatically removed eight pieces, but why was there no movement?
"You made a mistake."
Just as Xu Mukun was pondering, Charles's voice, tinged with panic, sounded in his mind.
"Why did you play White? You also played White on the previous move."
"It was Black's turn this round, you made a mistake, Host!"
Charles's voice grew louder, finally erupting in a roar.
Because he saw that the two ghost immortals behind Xu Mukun were now silently raising their axes and scythes!
Were they going to kill Xu Mukun?
"This... this..."
Xu Mukun also realized what was happening. He looked at the sea of white stones before him, then at the approaching ghost immortals, unsure what to say. Fear surged from the depths of his heart.
He remembered that when he had been dreaming, he had also been playing this game, and it was White's turn.
After waking up, due to extreme fatigue and neurasthenia, he had temporarily blurred the lines between dream and reality, thinking it was White's turn when it should have been Black's!
"Damn it!"
Xu Mukun's face was pale, his lips dry. The two ghost immortals had reached him.
The unusual energy fluctuations emanating from them made him feel utterly incapable of resistance.
He surmised that even if Gou Huo summoned his colossal Dharma image, he would likely be defeated. This was a rule set by Fuxi, like the NPCs in the games on Blue Star; they were invincible within the narrative!
"No, they're not killing you!"
Charles exclaimed in surprise. As the two ghost immortals reached Xu Mukun, they silently bypassed him and went to either side of the chessboard.
They propped their chins on their hands and began to scrutinize the game.
After a moment, the ghost immortal on the left, having understood the situation, stomped his foot fiercely:
"I told you Black could win!"
"Liu Quezi, you can't renege on your bet. Back in the village, you owe me two hens!"
The space flickered, like Charles's data snowflakes. The ghost immortal shifted between a farmer and a skeleton, his form flickering, speaking in an unfamiliar rural dialect.
His expression was triumphant and proud, for he had won his bet with Liu Quezi, winning two hens.
On the other side of the stone table, the ghost immortal called Liu Quezi let out a cold snort. Then, he looked at Xu Mukun with a hint of anger.
"They're gambling on whether Black or White will win. I played White twice in a row, automatically losing, which caused the ghost immortal on the right to lose..."
Xu Mukun's expression was tense. He had never imagined that these two ghost immortals had a bet going.
This was an unexpected turn of events. He had caused one of them to lose, what would happen now?
"Since this is Lord Fuxi's choice, I accept. As for those two hens, hmph, Wang Mazi, if you dare, come to my house and get them!"
Unlike Xu Mukun's worry, the ghost immortal on the right, though displeased, did not dare to act recklessly.
"Liu Quezi, why are you like this? Are you going to renege? Lord Fuxi is still here, how dare you!"
The ghost immortal on the left became furious upon hearing this.
He turned his head towards Xu Mukun, seeking his judgment, for in his eyes, Xu Mukun was his Lord Fuxi.
Hearing this, the ghost immortal on the right also turned his head. His body flickered, shifting between a short, stout, earthy farmer, and he spoke with a wronged tone:
"Lord Fuxi, how could you be like this."
"It's not that I'm unwilling to pay for these two hens, but this game of yours was clearly a draw and could have continued. Why did you suddenly concede!"
"This..." Xu Mukun dared not meet the ghost immortal's gaze, nor did he know how to answer.
He couldn't possibly say he had a dream and was disoriented, which would expose his identity as Fuxi and put him in danger.
And concerning the win or loss of black and white stones, these two had bet two hens...
Xu Mukun pondered for a moment and arrived at a reasonable conclusion.
This was a considerable sum of money in any era.
Therefore, they had been engrossed in watching the game, not allowing anyone to disturb them, only realizing what had happened after an eternity.
And now, the two ghost immortals had clearly mistaken him, the one breaking through the challenge by playing Go, for the Human Emperor Fuxi, and were demanding his judgment.
How should he respond?
Xu Mukun looked at their flickering forms, hesitant to speak. He feared they would discover he wasn't Fuxi and then, in their anger over the hens, chop him up.
He certainly did not accept such a death.
"Actually, I did this intentionally," Xu Mukun said, trying to maintain his composure. He looked straight ahead and spoke.
"Why..." The ghost immortal on the right, who had lost the bet, heard Xu Mukun's words and felt incredibly wronged. Tears fell from the void, shattering into eight pieces.
"Of course, it's because Lord Human Emperor wanted me to win!" Wang Mazi said with a smile.
"Of course not," Xu Mukun's expression was solemn as he glanced at the two. He had thought of an excellent solution.
He continued:
"Actually, I want to tell you that victory and defeat are common in warfare."
"A Go game is like life. Perhaps you shouldn't leave the outcome of this game in someone else's hands, even if that person is the Human Emperor."
"Today I can let you win two hens, and tomorrow, if I wish, I can let you lose two. Your victory or defeat is entirely up to me, but what about yourselves?"
Xu Mukun lectured them with feigned seriousness, imitating the teachers he remembered from his past. Inadvertently, he exuded an air of authority.
He was confident that while he wasn't Fuxi, nor did he possess the prestige of a Human Emperor, he had received an education on Blue Star and held a bachelor's degree. Deceiving two ghosts should be more than enough for him.
"The outcome of this black and white game is not important. I merely wished to remind you both that you should control your own destinies."
Xu Mukun spoke eloquently, his tone serious. Then, he naturally lifted his backside, making way and saying:
"If you want to argue over the ownership of the hens, why don't you two play a game yourselves? That would be more meaningful."
As he spoke, Xu Mukun took two steps back, truly distancing himself from their expectations.
"He's out!"
Charles's spirit rejoiced. Xu Mukun had escaped the Go game with this method!
"If it were that guy, he would have imitated the Human Emperor and played until the end of time!" Thinking of such terrifying consequences, Charles shuddered. That would truly be horrifying!
"The two of us playing a game..."
Obsessed with the matter of the hens, the two ghost immortals stared at Xu Mukun's vacated spot. After a moment of愣, they quickly waved their hands and shook their heads, saying in unison:
"We dare not occupy Lord Fuxi's seat!"
Xu Mukun was taken aback. It seemed Fuxi truly held considerable influence in that era.
He smiled and then said:
"It's fine if you don't play here. Then, why don't you two return to the village and play a game against each other to decide the ownership of the hens, how about that?"
"We will obey Lord Fuxi."
The two ghost immortals bowed to Xu Mukun in unison. Then, shoulder to shoulder, carrying their axes and sickles, they limped away into the distance, gradually disappearing into the vast white mist.
At that final moment, their figures stopped flickering and solidified into human form.
"Buzz!"
In the direction where the two ghost immortals disappeared, the white mist gradually dispersed. Then, with a buzzing sound, Xu Mukun saw a glowing door.
"I passed?!"
Xu Mukun's face lit up with joy. He had, through sheer accident, passed the second layer of the assessment.
He had originally thought he would never finish that game of Go in his life!
"So lucky, I passed the Human Emperor's trial just by sleeping."
"Looking at it this way, I'm the true chosen one."
Xu Mukun walked towards the glowing portal, marveling. He had never expected that the game he and Charles had struggled to understand could be solved by his dream.
"Fate works in mysterious ways, and fortune plays tricks on people!"
Xu Mukun extended half his leg into the radiant teleportation screen. Just as his foot was about to land, his body abruptly stopped.
"Hm?"
Xu Mukun's eyes narrowed, his thigh tensed, pulling upwards.
His posture at this moment was identical to that of Gray-White Eyes stepping into the central area on the first level.
What had he realized?