Book 2: Chapter 90: Life and Death Puzzles
Book 2: Chapter 90: Life and Death Puzzles
After giving instructions for the minutiae of the Gu Residence, Gu Hai left with Long Wanqing.
Gu Hai brought along Gu Qin, Shangguan Hen, the evil men, and some Gu Residence managers on the flying ship and headed for the Peony Sect.
Long Wanqing already tidied up and changed her clothes. Now, she looked much cleaner and neater. However, anxiety still filled her eyes. Her three servants stood respectfully at the side.
“Hall Master, we will be getting off at the Peony Sect. Shangguan Hen and my men need to use your flying ship to go to other places to deliver food supplies,” Gu Hai explained.
“It’s fine. As long as you are there, you can use the flying ship however you like,” Long Wanqing said straightforwardly.
Gu Hai nodded.
Right now, the five nations had all submitted to the Gu Residence. Many things remained to be done, so not everyone could go. Initially, Gu Qin should have stayed behind to oversee the situation. However, he pleaded with Gu Hai repeatedly, so Gu Hai allowed him to follow along. After all, although the Gu Residence was only a residence, Gu Hai valued talents. The Gu Residence managers knew their roles well, so not much oversight was needed. Everything just needed to proceed as usual.
“Hall Master, please describe in detail the situation in the Peony Sect when you were there. Can you do that?” Gu Hai looked at Long Wanqing.
“When we headed for the Peony Sect, we discovered that the interior of the sect seemed bleak. There were only ten or so flustered disciples inside, so we captured a few to question them. We found out that something strange happened at Peony Peak. A gigantic peony flowered there, so the Peony Sect Master led a group of Peony Sect disciples and entered it. They never came out. Dragon roars came from the peony. We all thought that they came from the dragon vein. After thinking for a while, Li Haoran sent in people to scout the situation. Upon seeing a lack of danger, we went in. After that, we saw Old Mister Guan Qi!” Long Wanqing smiled bitterly.
“Old Mister Guan Qi?” Gu Hai felt startled.
“It should be a puppet that he left behind. Old Mister Guan Qi set up a life puzzle and a death puzzle. If one does not enter the life puzzle of the two puzzles, then one will enter the death puzzle. The life puzzle involves facing Old Mister Guan Qi’s puppet in Go. As for the death puzzle, I do not know.” Regret flashed in Long Wanqing’s eyes.
“Life and death puzzles?” Gu Hai echoed, feeling bewildered.
“At first, we entered the region for the life puzzle and faced Old Mister Guan Qi in Go. However, the moment we lost one Go stone, an unknown Go ritual array shredded the player, so no one dared to try again. At that time, we thought of leaving. However, from the moment we entered the gigantic peony, we could no longer go out. We had to play the life puzzle or the death puzzle. We only just stepped back when a force pushed us into the deep abyss of the death puzzle. In the blink of an eye, everyone turned into Go stones. I was about to turn into a Go stone as well. The venerable saved me at the last moment. He used his full power and grabbed me with the Dragon Fixing Hoop. Then, he pushed me out of the deep abyss. I was the only one who escaped,” Long Wanqing said, feeling upset.
“The Dragon Fixing Hoop?” Gu Hai said.
Long Wanqing immediately took out a golden hoop. This was the enchanted treasure Song Pingsheng used previously. After he died, Venerable Liu Nian obtained it.
“Venerable Liu Nian said that Old Mister Guan Qi forged this Dragon Fixing Hoop. Perhaps that was why I could escape!” Long Wanqing said bitterly.
“Did you see them turn into Go stones?” Gu Hai asked.
“Yes. They all turned into Go stones; some became white Go stones while others became black Go stones. I did see it. Do you think that they are still alive?” Long Wanqing said, feeling horrified.
“Don’t worry too much. Back then, my three thousand subordinates turned into stone statues, right? Aren’t they fine now?” Gu Hai consoled.
Long Wanqing bit her lips as she nodded.
“Since that is the case, why did you wait a few months before coming to my residence?” Gu Hai asked, feeling bewildered.
It had already been a few months since he left the Dragon Pinning Sect.
“I…I got pursued afterwards. However, I managed to escape!” Long Wanqing said bitterly.
“Pursued by someone?” Gu Hai said in surprise. There are still people who dare to try and kill Long Wanqing?
“Yes. It was a blind old man. Oh, right, there was also a one-eyed man!” Long Wanqing recalled.
“Blind? One-eyed?” Gu Hai raised his eyebrows.
Gu Qin immediately got some people to search for something. They quickly found two paintings, which they handed to Gu Hai.
“Right! Right! That’s them!” Long Wanqing exclaimed, wide-eyed.
“Li Wei and Wei Yang?” Gu Hai raised his eyebrows again.
“Li Wei? The previous Great Feng Mafia Family’s Don? Didn’t he become a vegetable?” Long Wanqing’s expression changed.
“Indeed. This Wei Yang is the master of Li Wei and Meng Tai. He should be the one who woke up Li Wei. They pursued you?” Gu Hai frowned slightly.
“It seemed like they wanted to question me about the situation in the gigantic peony!” Long Wanqing recalled.
“Wei Yang? Ha! He is indeed cautious. Despite knowing that the dragon vein is there, he did not dare to enter carelessly?” Gu Hai frowned.
“That means that Wei Yang had been keeping an eye on it for a long time already. However, he only saw people entering the peony flower and not exiting, so he was worried. When they saw the hall master come out, they wanted to know the situation inside?” Gu Qin said after some thought.
“Perhaps!” Long Wanqing nodded.
The flying ship flew rapidly and soon arrived at the Peony Sect.
Buzz!
The flying ship stopped at a summit.
There, Gu Hai, Gu Qin, ten evil men, Long Wanqing, and her three servants jumped off.
Whoosh!
Shangguan Hen piloted the flying ship and quickly left.
“That gigantic peony bloomed? A few months ago, it was only a bud!” Long Wanqing exclaimed.
The group saw a mountain peak in the distance that seemed to have been chopped at the waist. The flat top had a gigantic peony flower ten kilometers in diameter. Fog hung above the flower.
The stamen of the flower was filled with even denser white fog. However, the group could vaguely make out two large Go boards—one black and one white.
There seemed to be a blurry, white-haired old man seated before the white Go board.
However, the place around the black Go board was like a black hole. They could not make out anything else.
There were golden words at the periphery of the peony. “Life puzzle or death puzzle, follow your destiny!”
“Life puzzle? Death puzzle?” Gu Hai frowned slightly.
A large golden character for life appeared opposite the white-haired old man on the white Go board. Even through the fog, it looked dazzling.
Likewise, a large golden character for death appeared at the black Go board.
Many cultivators had long since filled the peaks surrounding the Peony Sect.
However, no one dared to approach. Countless cultivators had conflicted expressions as they looked at the gigantic flower.
“Roar!”
A dragon roar came from under the peony.
“The sound of the dragon vein?” Gu Qin’s eyes lit up.
Long Wanqing looked worriedly at the distant peony flower. However, Gu Hai frowned slightly because countless cultivators immediately looked over when they arrived.
“That is…the demon Gu Hai!” Someone recognized Gu Hai from afar.
“That is the Elite Hall Master, Long Wanqing? The only person who managed to escape the peony flower?” another person exclaimed.
“Gu Hai? Gu Hai is here? Can he solve the Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Go Puzzle?”
“Gu Hai solved it before in the Dragon Pinning Sect. Can he solve it?”
Some changes occurred in the expressions of these many cultivators.
Gu Hai turned his head to scan the surroundings. He sensed enmity. Many of these cultivators seemed restless.
“Hah! You evil creature! You are seeking death!” A loud shout suddenly rang out from the death puzzle’s Go board in the peony flower.
“That is Meng Tai’s voice?” Gu Hai raised his eyebrows.
“Meng Tai entered?” Long Wanqing exclaimed.
“Meng Tai, return Yue Yao to me!” Another voice came from the death puzzle’s Go board.
“That is Li Wei?” Gu Hai said with a frown.
“Li Wei and Wei Yang entered?” Gu Qin appeared curious.
“Hah! Meng Tai, you will not have a good end. Wei Yang, when did I ever offend you? Hah!” Another roar rang out.
“That is the flood dragon Fu Xue?” Gu Hai stared at the distant death puzzle’s Go board.
From these shouts, Gu Hai sensed that the situation had complicated even further.
“Why do I not hear the venerable’s voice?” Long Wanqing said worriedly.
“Hall Master, there’s no need to worry. Although I do not know what’s happening in there, at the very least, this proves that entering the death puzzle’s region does not necessarily lead to death. Given Venerable Liu Nian’s capability, he should have no problem protecting himself.” Gu Hai consoled Long Wanqing.
“That’s right. The venerable will be fine!” The anxiety in Long Wanqing’s eyes eased a little, but she still felt incredibly worried.
“Adoptive Father, something’s not right. The gazes of the surrounding cultivators on us are turning increasingly hostile. Some of them seem to be heading for us?” Gu Qin said worriedly with his eyebrows raised.
Gu Hai looked around. Indeed, as the discussions among those cultivators increased, some drew their weapons and started walking over while keeping their guard up against their surroundings.
A quick look found at least fifty thousand cultivators gathered here.
“They know that I am good at Go, so they want to capture me to help pave their way?” Gu Hai revealed a cold smile.
“Yes!” Gu Qin nodded.
“Gu Hai, shall we enter?” Long Wanqing looked pleadingly at Gu Hai.
“That’s fine too. Let’s go, then. I want to experience the high-difficulty Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Go Puzzle!” Determination flashed in Gu Hai’s eyes.
“Thank you!” Long Wanqing said sincerely.
“Hall Master, there’s no need for that!” Gu Hai smiled.
“However, what if we run into danger? Should Gu Qin remain outside in case anything happens?” Long Wanqing suggested worriedly.
“There’s no need. Hall Master, it will be safer if I follow my adoptive father. Do you see the expressions of the surrounding people? They will capture me to use as a hostage against my adoptive father,” Gu Qin said with a smile.
“Alright!” Long Wanqing nodded.
The group of sixteen started walking towards the peony flower on the main peak.
Along the way, they passed various cultivators, who showed mixed emotions of wanting to step forward and worry.
Finally, thirty cultivators could no longer endure when the group reached the midpoint. They suddenly leaped forward and blocked Gu Hai’s group.
“Mister Gu, you are entering the peony flower world?”
“How about we accompany Mister Gu?”
“We can protect Mister Gu!”
Although these thirty cultivators spoke politely when they walked over, they showed cold expressions as they held their weapons.