Although Liang Yan was extremely eager for the Barrier-Breaking Pill, he couldn't help but hesitate at this moment. One had to know that the value of a single Barrier-Breaking Pill was usually between eighty and ninety spirit stones. Bidding it up to two hundred and sixty was already an absurd price. Not only would he be a sucker, but it would also easily attract the covetous eyes of others.
Liang Yan knew well the principle that one should not flaunt wealth. He was merely an ordinary handyman disciple; being able to produce over a hundred spirit stones was already his limit. If he continued to bid higher, he feared it would attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.
Moreover, the most critical point was that the woman in white had maintained a detached expression from the start, as if she were saying, "Go ahead and bid; if I don't outbid you, consider it my loss." How could this not make Liang Yan grit his teeth in hatred?
After much hesitation, Liang Yan ultimately did not place a bid. The dark-faced man clearly had not expected a Barrier-Breaking Pill to fetch such a price, and he wore a beaming expression. After counting down three times, he announced that the Barrier-Breaking Pill belonged to the woman in white.
The auction of the Barrier-Breaking Pill was like a small interlude, sparking heated discussions among the crowd below and pushing the atmosphere of the auction to a minor climax.
Unfortunately, Liang Yan had no interest left. He glanced at the woman, and although he felt some resentment, he was helpless. He could only leave the venue in low spirits, alone.
The next day, Liang Yan returned to the sect with Lin Fei. Lin Fei was in high spirits, praising Liang Yan incessantly along the way, saying that his formations were truly extraordinary, that the auction had proceeded without a single hitch, and that he would be credited with a great contribution, and so on.
Although Liang Yan managed to cope on the surface, he was extremely disappointed inside. The primary purpose of this trip had not been achieved, and the next opportunity would likely not come for another three years.
After returning to the sect, Liang Yan entered his self-forgetful cultivation mode again: working and reading during the day, and cultivating all night long.
Two more months passed in this manner. During these two months, Liang Yan tried various methods to break through his bottleneck, even resorting to some unorthodox, hearsay methods. However, his own aptitude was like an invisible shackle, making it impossible for him to break through no matter what he did.
This afternoon, after Liang Yan finished his tasks as a formation-path handyman disciple, he did something unprecedented: instead of going to the library to read, he wandered aimlessly through the valley all by himself.
Having failed to break through his cultivation realm countless times, a mental block had unknowingly formed in his heart. He felt that the Great Dao of heaven and earth was truly heartless. No matter how hard one tried, it was ultimately difficult to defy what was fated.
Lost in thought, Liang Yan wandered into a bamboo forest without realizing it. He strolled along without any direction, not knowing where he had arrived.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of stones clashing deep within the bamboo forest. Driven by curiosity, Liang Yan followed the sound deeper into the woods. When he found the source, he discovered two people standing there: one was a youth in green clothes with white hair and a ruddy complexion like a young boy; the other was a tall, thin middle-aged man with a sallow complexion.
On the ground between them were straight, knife-like markings, nineteen lines crossing each other—it was actually a Go board.
The green-clad youth reached out and waved, shaving a small section off a nearby bamboo stalk. He rubbed it in his hands, and after a spark of fire ignited, he threw it onto the board on the ground. The small piece of bamboo was scorched charcoal-black, landing on the board as a black stone.
The tall, thin middle-aged man raised his hand to pick up a pebble from the ground, rubbed it in the same way, and when he threw it onto the board, it had become crystal clear and white—a white stone.
At this moment, the board was already covered in black and white stones; clearly, this battle had reached a white-hot stage. Both men pondered for a long time before placing a single stone.
Liang Yan had nothing better to do, so he watched the match from the side. He had been clever and quick-witted as a child and had learned to play Go from a master at the town's academy. Within two years, he had soundly defeated the teacher who taught him. However, he was young and loved to play, so he never stuck with anything for long, often giving up halfway. Later, he found other amusements and cast his Go studies to the back of his mind.
He watched the board for a long time, only to feel that every move the two made was unfathomable, completely overturning his previous understanding.
In the end, the more they played, the less he understood.
Liang Yan had always been proud; he never considered the possibility that these two men's Go skills were far superior to his own. Instead, he thought they were likely two terrible players, half-baked amateurs playing randomly.
He frowned, and after watching for a while, he finally couldn't help but say from the side, "The white stone move is wrong; it's going to let the black stones slaughter everything!"
As soon as he said this, he felt it was inappropriate. There is a saying, "A true gentleman does not speak while watching a game." Although he didn't consider himself a gentleman, he shouldn't have ruined their fun.
Liang Yan looked up at the two men with trepidation, only to see them still frowning, staring intently at the board as if they hadn't heard him at all.
"Could these two be deaf?" Liang Yan muttered to himself. "But that's fine. Since they didn't hear, I'll just pretend I didn't say anything."
Little did he know, just as he felt relieved, a voice suddenly came from the side: "Hee hee, it's hilarious. Where did this wild country boy come from, pretending to know things he doesn't?"
The voice was crisp and pleasant, but it was a girl's voice.
Liang Yan turned to look and saw a young girl in white standing not far behind him. Her figure was slender, and her skin was whiter than snow. Her face and features, in particular, were as exquisite as if carved from jade, like a peerless treasure.
The girl was clearly looking at him with a smile, but Liang Yan saw obvious mockery and teasing in that smile.
"Why does this voice sound so familiar?"
Liang Yan was puzzled, then suddenly remembered something. "Right! It's her!"
It turned out this girl was none other than the masked woman who had intervened at the auction that day and snatched away Liang Yan's Barrier-Breaking Pill.
The girl seemed to recognize him too and laughed, "So it's you, the poor boy who overestimated himself and tried to compete with me for the Barrier-Breaking Pill that night."
Since they met, the girl had called him a "wild boy" and a "poor boy." Even if Liang Yan were made of clay, he would have flared up. He couldn't help but retort, "I wondered who it was; it's just a village woman. Nowadays, even village women know how to feign refinement and watch Go games?"
"You!" The girl let out a sharp cry, a flush of red rising to her face. However, her eyes darted, and the look of agitation vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by her previous smiling expression. She said, "What? You're not convinced after I said a couple of things about you? Do you even know who these two are, to be showing off your third-rate Go skills here?"
"Oh? Why don't you tell me who these two are?"
"Listen well: these two are the number one senior brother, Lei Hao, and the number three senior brother, Xu Xian, among the inner sect disciples of the Go path!"
"Inner sect disciples!"
Liang Yan was shocked and couldn't help but look at the two men, only to see them still staring intently at the board in the middle, as if they hadn't noticed the two of them at all.
"Don't bother looking. Senior Brother Lei and Senior Brother Xu have entered the 'Heart-Chess' stage of the Go path; they won't notice you."
Having his thoughts exposed by her, Liang Yan couldn't help but blush deeply. However, he was determined to hold his ground: "Even if they are inner sect senior brothers, they might make mistakes occasionally, right? Isn't there a saying in Go: 'The player is lost, but the bystander sees clearly'?"
The woman in white couldn't help but laugh, clutching her stomach.
"The 'bystander' you're talking about is you, this terrible player?"
Liang Yan's face turned livid from her laughter, and he said indignantly, "You don't understand anything! What right do you have to call me a terrible player?"
The woman in white finally stopped laughing and continued, "Fine. Since you say I don't understand anything, why don't you and I have a Go match?"
Liang Yan was stunned; he hadn't expected her to challenge him. However, his dignity was at stake, so he couldn't back down. He immediately puffed out his chest and said, "Let's play then! But let's be clear: what's the wager?"
"If you win, I'll give you that Barrier-Breaking Pill. But if you lose, you must kowtow to me three times respectfully and call me 'Grand-Aunt' three times!"
"No way!" Liang Yan refused without a second thought. This concerned his dignity, and he could not agree to that.
"You!" The woman in white hadn't expected him to refuse so bluntly and was momentarily choked for words. However, her eyes darted again, and she said with a smile, "It's not impossible to change the wager. How about this: I heard from Uncle-Master Lin that you know a little bit about formations. As long as you teach me a few formations, we'll change the wager to you 'respectfully calling me Senior Sister three times'."
"Deal!"
Liang Yan didn't hesitate this time. He had been gritting his teeth; he would settle old scores and new grudges together. This time, he was determined to teach this girl a lesson on the Go board.