CHAPTER 486: 0296 ZHU PINGNIANG’S TEST (TWO IN ONE)

At this moment, a strange unspoken understanding has developed between Xu Chang’an and Zhu Pingniang.

In this world, there are some things that, even though you know and I know, must be pretended not to know.

Smart people are just so troublesome.

For instance, the feelings Zhu Pingniang has towards Li Zhibai... in fact, Xu Chang’an already knows a bit.

But this matter can’t be openly discussed, so Zhu Pingniang continually uses various ways to subtly tell him the importance of Li Zhibai to her.

From the outcome, everything she does is quite effective. Regarding Li Zhibai, she seems to have said nothing, yet it feels like she’s said everything.

——

In the pavilion, an elder and a youth sit confronting each other and playing Go.

Zhu Pingniang grabbed several white pieces from the Go box, and after reaching a certain height, let them fall. As the pieces fell back into the box, they collided with other pieces, making a crisp sound.

At this moment, Xu Chang’an is pondering deeply on how to make his move.

Clearly, even if Zhu Pingniang intended to let him win, their Go skills are not on the same level.

Zhu Pingniang, feeling a bit bored from waiting, asked, "Xiaochang’an, when the girls taught you how to play Go, what was the orthodox rule you learned when starting out?"

Xu Chang’an, contemplating his strategy, replied, "White goes first."

Indeed, it is not some abstract meaning of playing Go, or character and moral quality. White goes first was the first rule the senior sisters told him when he was learning Go at Muyu Peak.

This is somewhat different from the Go of his past life, where black went first. But Xu Chang’an was unaware that if you trace back in time a bit, in his hometown of ancient times, white went first too. The rule that black goes first is a modern one.

The game of Go itself is vast and boundless, and the rule for white to go first can find its own rationale, but in this world, these things are no longer important.

He pondered deeply, picked up a black piece, and placed it on the board.

"Snap."

"Snap."

No time for a breather, Zhu Pingniang casually dropped a white piece, and the pressure returned to his side.

"Xiaochang’an, that statement of yours, isn’t correct." Zhu Pingniang leaned her body forward.

"Huh? Not correct?" Xu Chang’an continued to stare at the board.

"It’s not that white goes first, but the one holding white goes first." Zhu Pingniang tilted her head: "This is a rule I personally passed down. On Muyu Peak, every rule follows Knowing White first."

Xu Chang’an: "..."

Don’t think he can’t hear the difference between "holding" and "knowing," even if you slip past with it, it’s still audible.

"Well, your teacher at Muyu Peak is indeed unbridled, and the token I gave her has the highest authority. It’s her own choice not to go out, wasting my good intentions." Zhu Pingniang pouted, then chuckled and said, "I always make the first move in a game, never yielding to others, precisely because of the rule of Knowing White first."

She would never let the opportunity to hold white slip to anyone else.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chang’an wanted to sigh, but he felt it would be rude, so he held it back, feeling quite helpless inside.

The initial impression this senior gave him was of a charming bad woman, but after getting along for a while, he realized she actually liked teasing people on the surface, but was a very reliable senior.

But now Xu Chang’an understands that these two sides were both her disguise.

Having gained recognition from Li Zhibai, he now truly understands Ms. Zhu.

She has cast aside all disguises, and now truly feels somewhat like a "girl," rather than a "senior."

Senior Zhu... is she a child?

Just because she likes her teacher without results, she insists on tightly holding onto "holding white"... what is this?

Self-deception?

"What are you thinking about?" Zhu Pingniang sensed something, smiled warmly at him.

"Nothing," Xu Chang’an coughed.

"You know something, your teacher really is an amazing person, she always acts a step ahead, if I don’t watch closely, who knows where she would have run off to." Zhu Pingniang tutted.

If she hadn’t dragged Li Zhibai to the Chaoyun Sect back in the day, Li Zhibai would still be hiding in some remote Daoist temple in a mountain valley.

"Even with me bothering her, your teacher is still so amazing." Zhu Pingniang played with the white piece in her hand and said to Xu Chang’an: "If I weren’t around, wouldn’t she have directly ascended?"

"Chang’an, actually, no one who has ascended has ever returned, all those so-called immortal reincarnations can’t withstand scrutiny. In that case, what do you say is the difference for us between ascending to immortality and falling to death?"

"Ms. Zhu, discussing these things with me doesn’t seem quite suitable." Xu Chang’an finally let out the sigh he had been holding.

"What’s unsuitable, others may fear an unstable Dao heart, but your Spirit Platform is tougher than Ah Bai’s Alchemy Furnace, what’s there to fear." Zhu Pingniang clicked her tongue, then continued, "If you don’t want to talk, then don’t... Anyway, I must keep an eye on her, that’s the fact."

Holding white first, knowing white and guarding black, that girl always leads ahead of everyone.

Therefore, even if Li Zhibai were to marry someone as a wife, she would still be the "main wife" leading ahead of everyone, that is "Holding white first."

Sadly, out of nowhere, Miss Yun appeared, taking everything before things could unfold, mixing all the causes so it’s no longer discernible, thus "Holding white first" lost its meaning, leaving only Knowing White and Guarding Black.

In a sense, Zhu Pingniang’s remark about Yun Qian’s early move was the most correct thing.

——

Zhu Pingniang didn’t spell everything out, but she indeed treated him as her own, revealing a lot.