Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1158: Who’s the Game Piece?

Who was manipulating things from behind the scenes?

Silver light flowed through the night, enveloping the immortal palace. But it didn’t obscure the immortal music and twittering chatting and laughter coming from the Hundred Flowers Palace. It drifted into the ears of Li Mengtu, who was waiting outside of Young Aurora Hall in his role as Zhong Chi.

Inside the main hall, Xu Qing also heard it. Xu Qing looked up at the person standing outside. Li Mengtu is acting strangely today….

Xu Qing’s eyes glittered. Normally speaking, his study partner would leave at night, unless otherwise ordered to stay. It was rare to see him around at this hour. With such thoughts on his mind, Xu Qing waved his hand to produce a Go board.

“Zhong Chi,” he said.

His study partner hurried into the hall, saying, “Your humble servant is here, Young Lord.”

“Play Go with me.” Xu Qing looked down at the Go board.

“Sure thing.” Nodding, Li Mengtu hurried over.

Xu Qing took a game piece and put it on the board. Game pieces descended. The sound of the wind grew stronger.

***

The wind that night was cold as it screamed through the Scourgebolt Palace. Sir Vilespirit was hurrying through it in the guise of the middle-aged corrections officer whose identity he had taken.

Someone must have figured out who I really am. That’s why everything happening in the Scourgebolt Palace today has me so on edge. And that’s why it took until today to get all the details about the other three true monarchs.

As he walked along, his mind was filled with thoughts of the current situation. I’m getting the feeling that if I don’t act tonight, I’ll never get the chance. This whole thing is very strange….

His narrowed eyes glittered with a strange light. Someone is using me as bait. They’re trying to force me to take action tonight. But there’s no doubt that the information I just got is time-sensitive. If I don’t act quickly enough, it won’t count as a betrayal of the immortal palace. And the waves won’t be suitable for my needs.

So no matter how I look at it, tonight is my last chance to do anything. And when you add in those rumors that have been spreading lately….

Sir Vilespirit looked thoughtful. Is the person using me as bait the person who spread the rumors? Or is it the subject of the rumors? If Fourth True Monarch is the fisherman, then his goal is obviously to lure out whoever spread the rumors.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that Fourth True Monarch himself is the source of the rumors. Maybe he’s just trying to sow confusion, and trick everyone into thinking there’s some other mastermind working in opposition to him. That could theoretically lead the rest of us into making some big mistakes.

His eyes glittered as he pondered this possibility. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Given that they’ve targeted me in their plot, I suppose I’ll have to—.

His expression flickered as his train of thought was interrupted. He stopped in place. Expression somber, he clasped hands and bowed.

“Master.”

A person walked out of the night. It was a dignified old man wearing the daoist robes of the Scourgebolt Palace. As his eyes fell on Sir Vilespirit, he frowned slightly. “What are you doing scurrying around so late at night?”

Sir Vilespirit tensed inwardly. This person was his host’s Master, and he was also an honor guard in the Scourebolt Palace. He had a lot of power and authority, and normally treated his apprentice coldly. At the same time, the host’s memories were telling him that the man was nothing short of awe-inspiring. In fact, he had already second-guessed his choice of identity a few times because of it. He knew he had to be extremely careful.

“Master,” Sir Vilespirit said, “my thunderlight has recently developed an excess of yang energy. I’m planning to take a trip to the lightning pond and extract some gloomthunder serum to stabilize it.”[1]

The old man’s eyes glittered like electricity as he looked his apprentice up and down. As his gaze pierced into the depths of his apprentice, he confirmed that there was indeed an excess of yang energy present. He nodded slightly.

“There have been some rumors going around the immortal palace lately,” the old man said. “However, the Immortal Lord, the palace lords, and the elders haven’t put much stock into them. As a result, I haven’t been looking too deeply into the matter. That said, if you hear anything actionable, bring it to me immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” said Sir Vilespirit.

With that, the old man turned and vanished into the night.

Sir Vilespirit waited a moment, then hurried on his way.

After he was gone, the old honor guard appeared again. He looked at the disappearing form of the corrections officer, and seemed to be lost in thought.

***

That gaze caused Sir Vilespirit to feel as if great weight was bearing down on him from behind. Thankfully, it didn’t last for long. When it was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried away a bit faster.

His true destination was actually a long-distance teleportation portal located next to the lightning pond. He currently had everything he needed to activate the portal. As long as he got into the portal and left, then he could send the information to the buyer. That action would be the betrayal he required.

That was his dao. He needed to betray the palace, regardless if that was not how things played out historically. After all, this was just a reflection of history, so what did it matter? His canon treasure, the broken sword within him, would get the nourishment it needed for a major transformation.

Of course, I have to make it out alive first!

He was wrapped up in such thoughts as he neared the lightning pond.

As he did, fluctuations began to roll out that could only be sensed by someone with space-time canon. And they were getting increasingly intense, making them like torches on a bright night.

***

Xu Qing sensed the fluctuations but didn’t react visibly. He placed a game piece onto the board. He had no idea what Fourth True Monarch was up to this night, but Li Mengtu’s unusual behavior had got him thinking. Besides, he had been waiting for days now to see what would happen because of the rumors he had spread. Now, the space-time fluctuations he had been waiting for had finally appeared….

“Zhong Chi,” he suddenly said, “I can tell something’s on your mind. You’re not focusing on the game. What’s going on?”

Li Mengtu hesitated briefly, but seeing that Young Lord Aurora was looking at him, he smiled wryly.

“I guess I can’t keep anything hidden from you, Young Lord. Ai…. Yesterday I confessed my love to Little Hui over at the Spiritguiding Palace. She didn’t exactly reject me, but she did say she needed to think about it. So… I guess I just can’t stop thinking about that whole situation.”

Xu Qing smiled and waved his hand dismissively. “Since you have something like that on your mind, there’s no need to keep this game going. Please go find Fourth True Monarch and invite him to come play with me. A game with Elder Brother Fourth right now would be much more meaningful.”

Something seemed odd to Li Mengtu, but he didn’t put too much thought into it. After all, his memories were telling him that Young Lord Aurora and Fourth True Monarch had a good relationship and were known to play Go together regularly. It was only because of the imminent inauguration of Immortal Lord Aurora that the immortal palace was so busy. Considering there was only one true monarch left behind, he and the young lord hadn’t had many opportunities to play Go like they had before.

Maybe this is an opportunity…. Wouldn’t it be ironic if I could get the young lord to help deal with Fourth True Monarch?

As that thought occurred to him, he made sure to look suddenly hesitant.

Xu Qing frowned slightly. “What’s wrong?”

“Young Lord, I doubt the true monarch has free time today…” Li Mengtu said.

Xu Qing looked up at him.

Mind racing, Li Mengtu continued, “Young Lord, I heard that the true monarch is doing something very important tonight.”

Xu Qing’s jaw nearly dropped. “Oh? Who told you that? And what important thing is he up to?”

“That’s just what people are saying. You heard about those recent rumors, right? Well, word has spread from True Monarch Hall that Fourth True Monarch went out to arrest someone tonight.” Li Mengtu was picking his words very carefully.

Xu Qing’s smile faded away, and his eyes glinted aggressively. “Rumors are nothing but fabrications. How could anyone believe such hearsay? And the people who benefit the most are the people who start them! That’s especially true of these rumors about Elder Brother Fourth.

“Considering he has such a high position in the immortal palace, it’s no wonder there are people who don’t like him. They just want to hurt him! I thought people would just have a good laugh and then move on. I never imagined the rumors were still circulating!

“Tomorrow I want you to send out orders from me forbidding anyone from spreading rumors. And that counts even more for you! I don’t want you running your mouth!”

Li Mengtu sighed inwardly. Given his observations and insight, he was convinced that Young Lord Aurora was being very serious. And now it was obvious that it would probably be impossible to get the young lord to help deal with Fourth True Monarch.

“Yes, sir,” he said, nodding fervently.

Xu Qing’s expression softened a bit. “That said, Zhong Chi, it seems like you’re really on top of the latest news. I suppose you’re good at digging up information?”

Li Mengtu only hesitated for a moment. “I can get information very quickly if it’s for you, Young Lord!”

Xu Qing smiled. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. You know, you’ve been at my side for years now, and I feel like I really know you. You’ve had it rough recently. Look how pale your complexion has been getting! Why don’t you go and rest up. Tomorrow I can help you out with Little Hui.”

Li Mengtu plastered a grateful look onto his face, bowed deeply, then left, all the while sighing inwardly.

Xu Qing watched Li Mengtu leave, then shifted his gaze in the direction of the lightning pond. That was where the space-time fluctuations were coming from. To Xu Qing’s eyes, those fluctuations looked like a sea of fire.

It looks like this is the response from Fourth True Monarch that I’ve been waiting for. Someone is changing history over there. So, should I go over there, or should I stay here…? If I stay, and Fourth True Monarch gets history back on track, then I’ll have lost one of my rocks.

Xu Qing looked down at the game board. The pieces were already in endgame formation. He put another piece onto the board.

Outside, the night wind grew louder. A game was underway, and someone… was playing a piece.

***

Sir Vilespirit raced along through the wind. Faster and faster he moved, passing the lightning pond and moving right toward the teleportation portal. He was almost there.

But just when he was about to enter the portal, everything shook violently as an invisible sealing enveloped the area. Something very cold came with it. In the blink of an eye, it became raw killing intent that locked down on the heart and mind.

Then a calm voice spoke. “I’ve been waiting for you a while now, Sir Vilespirit.”

Out of nowhere appeared a host of chains that represented law and order. In the middle of them was Sir Star Ring in the guise of Fourth True Monarch. With every step he took, terrifying pressure mounted. The countless chains vibrated and clanked. The sounds were like words of order that caused space-time to thrum, and brought everything out of a state of chaos.

“Sir Star Ring!” growled Sir Vilespirit. “So what if your canon and Fourth True Monarch’s canon are the same?”

Even as the words left his mouth, a fierce sword energy erupted from within him, causing a broken iron sword to appear behind him. In an instant, a devastating killing intent surged.

***

In the Scourgebolt Palace, the honor guard who was the Master of Sir Vilespirit’s host… suddenly looked in the direction of the teleportation portal, his eyes glittering.

Mouth curving into a cold smile, he murmured, “You were on a fishing expedition, Sir Star Ring. But did you know that, all the while, I was fishing for you?”

1. I think because of the author’s health and the slower release rate, he has been making more mistakes than usual lately. Or maybe mistakes isn’t the right word. Inconsistencies. He very frequently will introduce things (names of characters, skills, items), only to bring them up later with a different name. I am striving to maintain continuity as I edit so that everything flows well and makes sense. This paragraph is one such instance. Some of the terms here are called something else later. This was a particularly egregious instance, so my translation of this paragraph wouldn’t match the Chinese if you checked it, but it does match the story as a whole. Hopefully that makes sense. In some cases going forward, I’ll include footnotes to explain such edits, but in most cases I’ll just make the edits without explanations, otherwise there would be way too many footnotes clogging up the chapters. ☜

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