“Old Patriarch.” They gave a salute to their clan’s Old Patriarch while keeping their gaze locked on the young man.

“Go get some rest.” With a wave of his hand, the elderly man signalled that they could rest without feeling any restraints.

“Yes.” The cultivators responded, then took a few steps back and sat down again. Some people cultivated while sitting cross-legged, while others meditated in the same position.

“Young friend,” The old man asked with a smile. “Can you play chess?”

“Only a little.” Feng Jiu answered.

“That’s perfect. Since we have nothing to do, let’s play chess to pass the time.” The elderly man took out a small table with four legs and put it between them along with the chess pieces. He then gave Feng Jiu the white pieces.

Feng Jiu said nothing further as she sat on a chopped log, moved her white chess piece first, and started playing chess with the elderly man. When they first started the game, the elderly man kept the same expression while quickly placing his chess pieces. However, he slowed down noticeably as the pieces on the board began to pile up.

When it was his turn to play, he did something similar to what he is doing now: he thought about his next move for a long time while holding his chess piece, but he didn’t place it even after a long time. Feng Jiu wasn’t in a hurry, so after quietly watching for a while, she realised he was taking his time, so she took the wine from the space and asked, “Old friend, do you want a drink?”

“No, no, I still haven’t figured out the next move yet!” The elderly man spoke without looking up, pondered for some time, and then put the chess piece down. He was about to turn to the young man and say it was his turn when he noticed the white piece had been placed on the board.

He looked at the position where the white piece had been set and asked, “Do you ever take the time to think when you play chess?”

“Generally speaking, no.” Feng Jiu smiled and looked up to take a sip of wine, catching sight of the old man hesitating again about his next move. After he put down his piece, Feng Jiu quickly put hers.

“You lost.” Feng Jiu told the elderly man with a smile as she observed the black chess pieces that had nowhere to go.

The elderly man looked upset and exclaimed, “Play another game!” As he picked up and distributed the black and white chess pieces, he remarked, “I have never met a well-matched opponent in chess, so how could I lose to a kid like you?”

“In fact, you’ve lost half of your chess pieces.” Feng Jiu smiled and pushed the newly distributed pieces towards the elderly man. “How about you play the white ones?”

“No, no. I’ll keep playing the black one. Now it’s your turn.” He made a gesture, cheered himself up, and continued playing.

As a result, Feng Jiu accompanied him through the next two sets, both of which the old man lost, and he still lost half of his chess pieces. Finally, the elderly man sighed and said to Feng Jiu, “I met a master today and had to accept the loss.”

Feng Jiu smiled. “I won by chance.”

When he heard her reply, the old man smiled, put the chessboard away, looked at Feng Jiu, and asked, “I’m still not sure what to call the young friend.”

“Everyone else calls me Young Master Jiu.” She took a sip of wine, and then answered him.

“Young Master Jiu?” After a slight surprise, the elderly man smiled. “Then I’ll call you Young Friend.”

Feng Jiu learned from their conversation that the old man had been stuck at the level of Immortal Venerable for a long time, and seeing that advancing in the family was impossible, he decided to try his luck at the Immortal Ascension Ladder.

“Young Master Jiu?”

Feng Jiu was talking to the old man when she heard a surprised voice. She turned around and saw the team she had met in the mangrove forest.

“It is really you, Young Master Jiu! Hahaha, I did not anticipate meeting you even here.” He Shu smiled and walked over to her. When he saw the elderly man, his face showed surprise.