Chapter 15: Playing Go
The sunlight of a new day washed over the courtyard, bringing with it the refreshing air of the morning.
Inside the kitchen, Lin Yuan was cooking breakfast. He neatly arranged the wooden counter with several high-quality ingredients: fresh cuts of beast meat, fragrant herbs, and rare medicinal roots. These had all been procured and delivered late last night by Bai Chen, who had since returned to the inner city to continue his duties for Lin Yuan.
Then, Lin Yuan moved with fluid grace, carefully preparing the Supreme Nine-Star Dragon Bone Broth, a recipe he had previously received as a return from the system. Because he lacked actual dragon bones, he was substituting them with the premium ingredients Bai Chen had brought, but the method, the precise heat control, and the spiritual infusion were exactly as the recipe dictated.
As the broth simmered, a rich, intoxicating aroma filled the kitchen. The liquid inside the pot bubbled, shimmering with a faint light that spoke of its incredible nature.
Lin Yuan stirred the broth, a faint, wistful smile on his lips. If Bai Qingyue were still a cultivator, consuming just a single bowl of this rich food would cause her qi to rejuvenate. It contained enough refined spiritual energy to effortlessly push a Qi Condensation cultivator through a minor realm bottleneck without any hidden side effects.
However, because she was currently a mortal with shattered meridians, her body could not absorb the profound spiritual qi. To her, this supreme dish would merely act as the most delicious, comforting meal in the mortal realm, lightly warming her fragile body and chasing away any lingering dampness in her.
"Even if it only makes her smile, it is worth a thousand spirit stones," Lin Yuan murmured to himself.
He carefully poured the broth into a bowl, placed it on a wooden tray alongside some soft, steamed buns, and made his way to the bedroom.
Bai Qingyue was already awake, her back resting against the headboard, her dark hair cascading beautifully over her shoulders. When Lin Yuan entered, the savory aroma of the broth preceded him, causing her beautiful eyes to light up with genuine anticipation.
"Good morning," Lin Yuan greeted warmly, taking his seat on the edge of the mattress.
"Good morning, Husband," she replied, her voice soft and melodic. The excessive blushing and stammering from the previous days had somewhat subsided, replaced by a deep affection that made her look even more breathtaking.
Lin Yuan picked up the spoon and, just as he had done before, began to hand-feed her.
Bai Qingyue accepted the first bite. The moment the rich, perfectly seasoned broth touched her tongue, her eyes widened in sheer delight. It was savory, incredibly warm, and possessed a depth of flavor that she had never experienced, not even at the grandest banquets of the Bai Clan. It was so delicious that she subconsciously leaned forward for the next bite before Lin Yuan had even cooled it.
Seeing her enjoy the food so thoroughly filled Lin Yuan’s chest with an immense sense of accomplishment. He continued to feed her, wiping a small drop of broth from the corner of her lips with his thumb, completely enamored by the peace of the moment.
As she swallowed the final spoonful, a mechanical chime echoed within his mind.
[Ding!]
[Host has invested: Time spent cooking for and feeding Dao Companion.]
[Triggering critical multiplier... calculating...]
[Congratulations to the Host! You have triggered a 5X Return!]
[Congratulations to the Host! You have triggered a recipe Return!]
[Reward: Top-Tier Recipe - Upper Dew Pastry!]
Lin Yuan’s smile widened slightly. Another good recipe. While it wouldn’t fix her meridians, he was rapidly becoming the greatest chef in the history of the Nine Provinces. He accepted the recipe, filing it away for their next dessert.
After setting the empty tray aside, Lin Yuan decided that simply resting in bed all day was not good for her mental state. She needed stimulation, something to occupy her mind.
He walked over to the drawer in the corner of the room—a piece of furniture left behind by the previous owner of the house. Rummaging through it, his hands brushed against a smooth, flat wooden surface and two small woven baskets.
Lin Yuan pulled the items out, blowing the dust off them. It was a traditional Go board, complete with a set of black and white stones.
"Qingyue," Lin Yuan called out, walking back to the bed and setting the wooden grid down between them. "Would you like to play a game of Go with me?"
Bai Qingyue looked at the board, a spark of genuine surprise and delight flashing across her features. "You know how to play Go? I... I actually enjoy playing it very much."
"I enjoy it as well," Lin Yuan chuckled, taking the basket of black stones while offering her the white ones.
In the both the mortal and cultivation world, Go was not merely a game; it was a battlefield of the mind where one tested their tactical acumen and foresight.
The atmosphere in the room instantly shifted, as Lin Yuan confidently placed his first black stone on the star point. With his experience in playing Go where before his transmigration, he expected to gently guide the game, perhaps letting her win a few localized skirmishes while maintaining overall control.
However, he severely underestimated the former genius of the Bai Clan.
The moment Bai Qingyue placed her first white stone, her entire demeanor changed. The soft, pampered wife vanished, replaced by a ruthless, calculating general. Her moves were aggressive, trapping his black stones in brilliant formations that completely caught Lin Yuan off guard.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The stones hit the wooden board in a rapid exchange. Lin Yuan found himself completely on the defensive, sweating slightly as his wife ruthlessly dismantled his territory. The stark contrast between her gentle, delicate appearance and her absolute, bloodthirsty dominance on the Go board was incredibly charming.
Eventually, Lin Yuan stopped looking at the board entirely.
He rested his chin in his hand, his eyes drifting up from the black and white grid to trace the flawless contours of his wife’s face. He admired the intense focus in her eyes, the way her long eyelashes fluttered as she calculated her next move, and the soft, inviting curve of her pink lips.
Bai Qingyue, holding a white jade stone between her slender fingers, paused. She could feel his intense gaze burning into her skin. She looked up, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"Husband, why keep staring?" Bai Qingyue asked, a playful, confident smirk touching her lips. "You like what you see?"
Lin Yuan didn’t flinch. He didn’t look away or pretend he was studying the board. Instead, his eyes softened with absolute adoration.
"Yes, I do," Lin Yuan replied smoothly.
Before she could process his words, Lin Yuan leaned across the wooden board. He gently cupped the side of her face and pressed a warm, lingering kiss directly onto her soft lips.
Bai Qingyue’s eyes widened, her confident smirk instantly melting into a flustered, bright red blush. The ruthless general vanished, and the shy wife returned in full force. Her hand trembled slightly, and she hastily slammed her white stone down onto the board to hide her embarrassment.
"Checkmate," she squeaked out, pointing at the board.
Lin Yuan pulled back, looking down at the grid. She had completely surrounded his main dragon. He had lost spectacularly.
A deep, hearty chuckle escaped Lin Yuan’s chest. "I concede. My wife is a peerless grandmaster, both on the board and in stealing my focus."
As they shared a warm, lighthearted laugh, the system chimed once more, ringing loudly in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Host has invested: Time spent playing and bonding with Dao Companion.] [Triggering critical multiplier... calculating...]
[Congratulations to the Host! You have triggered a 2000X Return!]
[Congratulations to the Host! You have triggered an Attribute Upgrade Return!] [Reward: +500 Points added to Comprehension Ability!]
Boom!
An ethereal wave of pure mental clarity washed over Lin Yuan’s Sea of Consciousness. It was an evolutionary leap of the mind. The 500+ points to his Comprehension Ability felt like wiping a layer of thick grime off a dirty window.
His thoughts became infinitely sharper. His recent insights into the Dao of Rain became even more profound, the complexity of the world simplifying themselves before his mind’s eye. If he were to study a martial art now, what used to take months would take mere hours. It was an absolutely priceless upgrade.
Lin Yuan let out a satisfied breath, suppressing the surge of mental energy so as not to startle his wife. He began gathering the black and white stones, placing them back into their respective baskets.
"You are incredible at Go, Qingyue," Lin Yuan praised genuinely. "What other things do you like doing? What else brings you joy?"
Bai Qingyue helped him gather the stones, a nostalgic, soft expression crossing her face.
"Before all this... I used to love playing the zither," she answered quietly, her fingers brushing the wooden edge of the board. "The elders always wanted me to focus solely on the sword and martial arts, but the zither... the zither was for me. It calmed my heart. Unfortunately, my personal instrument was confiscated by the clan when I was banished."
Lin Yuan was deeply impressed. A peerless beauty, a master of Go, and a musician. She truly lived up to her title.
"The zither," Lin Yuan murmured, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly remembered what Bai Chen recently gathered for him, that Tomorrow, the Azure Cloud City’s Premier Merchant Guild was hosting their grand seasonal auction. It was a massive event where rare artifacts, and priceless treasures from all across the Nine Provinces would be sold to the highest bidders.
Surely, in a grand auction of that scale, a truly worthy, magnificent zither would be put up for sale.