Peep

Walking along the winding stone path and through the lush purple bamboo forest, melodious zither music drifted over, and Gu Youan gently pushed open the bamboo grove.

Tianji, dressed in a moon-white gauze robe, was playing the zither. He did not look up at Gu Youan. "Since you're here, sit down and have a cup of tea."

"Are you the examiner this time?" She looked around but didn't find anything unusual. A chessboard was placed in front of Tianji.

Tianji waved his hand, and the door behind him slowly closed.

Gu Youan turned around and looked behind her, "We'll be taking the test here!"

Tianji gently placed her hand on the strings of the zither. "Let's play a game of chess. If you beat me, you win this game."

Gu Youan looked at him hesitantly, her feet shifting slightly. Tianji's expression was calm, showing no abnormality, but Gu Youan always felt that there was something strange about this place.

"System, can you detect the breakthrough point in this assessment?"

"Host, perhaps the answer lies in that game of chess!"

Tianji raised his head, his eyes revealing a gentleness. "Xuanji, assassination is not about using knives and guns. As an assassin, you must be proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Tianji beckoned to her, and Gu Youan stepped forward to look at the chessboard on the table.

She chuckled softly, "I had no idea you were so fond of refined things."

Tianji glanced at the hairpin on Gu Youan's head, "Xuanji, you must learn to kill without leaving a trace."

Gu Youan looked at the zither beside her and said, "I would like to hear more details!"

The black pieces on the chessboard surrounded the white pieces. "Tianji wants me to escape from the black pieces' encirclement."

Tianji remained silent, but gestured for Gu Youan to sit down.

The moment Gu Youan made his move, the surrounding space distorted.

She stood on a giant chessboard, the chess pieces becoming as tall as her, and Gu Youan was surrounded by black pieces.

She frowned, and despite her caution, she still fell into the trap.

Suddenly, all the black pieces stood up and flew towards her. Gu Youan looked at everything in shock. "System, Tianji doesn't want to kill me, does he?"

The sounds of stringed instruments were deafening and forceful. Gu Youan covered her ears, the noise tearing at her eardrums and ripping at her body.

She yelled, "Tianji, stop playing!"

The music stopped, followed by a hearty laugh. "Xuanji, this is your test for today. If you can break through my formation, you can get out."

Gu Youan silently watched the black pieces, which surrounded her completely.

Gu Youan took a step forward, and the black piece moved closer. She then retreated and entered the chessboard, using her body as a piece. If she acted rashly, she would be crushed to death by the black piece, crushed to death by a one-meter-tall piece. Such strength was something that probably no one else had ever heard of.

She had never studied Go and naturally didn't understand its rules, but it was precisely because she didn't understand Go that she was able to leave this place.

"System, conjure up a white chess piece."

"Host, you think too highly of me. Such a large white piece must have cost me so much of my life force!"

Gu Youan looked down at the chessboard and fell into deep thought. If she were the white piece, how should she break through? If she were not the white piece, how should she get out of here?

This is not a real chess game, but just a formation. Like other formations, it has its weaknesses. She suddenly looked up and saw that the white pieces were exceptionally eye-catching among the black pieces. Although the black pieces appeared to be arranged neatly, it was actually because the white pieces were too powerful, and the black pieces could only surround the white pieces.

She is both the key player and the game breaker. Only those who are not influenced by the outside world can make accurate judgments. It seems that the white pieces are surrounded, but in fact, there is a hidden strategy.

"Tianji, you're trying to trap me with a game of chess!" She suddenly jumped up, gathering all her inner strength in her fingers, and slammed all her power down on her feet. Stone fragments flew everywhere. She sighed deeply and stumbled to the ground.

My eyes were glazed over, my energy was completely depleted, and I almost couldn't breathe.

A pair of shoes caught her eye, and Gu Youan asked him breathlessly, "Do I pass the test?"

Tianji shook his head slightly, "Xuanji, you haven't experienced the music and incense in this room yet."

"ah!"

Before Gu Youan could react, the music started again, and the bamboo leaves outside the window turned into flying blades and flew towards her. Her desperate eyes revealed a hint of indifference. Gu Youan sighed, "Again? Can't you let me rest for a while?"

She had already exhausted much of her inner strength in order to break through the formation, so how could she possibly withstand the bamboo leaves outside the window?

"Tianji, I'm sorry!" She pulled out the dagger from her body and smashed it hard against the zither.

The bamboo leaves outside the window suddenly stopped falling silent. Tianji, clutching his zither, lamented, "Why did you destroy my zither?"

Gu Youan sighed, "The bamboo leaves outside the window vibrate because of your music. I just want to protect myself."

"You want to kill me, Tianji? I just broke through the chess game, and you want to use the formation to kill me!" Gu Youan said loudly. Regardless of whether Tianji had this thought at the moment, she had to assume it first.

"How could I kill you!"

A wave of despair washed over her. She looked at the person in front of her, tears streaming down her face. "Can you let me rest for a while? I'm so tired. I just broke through the formation. I'll die if so many blades fly at me."

She looked up at him with despair, "I'm going to die!"

Tears streamed down her face. She hadn't had a break since she entered this place, but she was just an ordinary person.

Tianji suddenly froze, and placed his right hand on her head. "Don't cry. I didn't take your actual situation into account."

Suddenly, the bamboo door was violently kicked open, and Jiannan flew over and hugged Gu Youan's head. "Tianji, she's just a little girl. Your training intensity is too high."

Gu Youan looked up at Jiannan, then covered her face and sobbed, "Jiannan, I'm so tired!"

As long as the person in front of me is Jiannan, I will definitely feel sorry for her.

"Tianji, today's assessment is over. I'm taking her away."

Tianji looked into his eyes. "The assessment has already begun. Do you think she can leave peacefully?"

Jiannan's eyes flickered slightly. "Qingyang has not yet recovered. If she is injured, who will heal her? You cannot force her to grow up too fast. Even if you are the chief examiner this time, you cannot stop me."

Jiannan pushed Tianji away, "I'll accompany her through the next assessment. Now please let go. If something really happens to her, I believe you will pay the price."

"Jiannan, you mustn't act rashly. The formation has been activated, and none of us can leave now."

Suddenly, all the chess pieces flew into the air. Jiannan glared angrily at Tianji, "Tianji, you can't even control your formation?"

He took two steps back while holding Gu Youan, and Gu Youan gently tugged at his clothes, saying, "Don't worry, I will definitely get you out of here."

"Tianji, do you intend to harm your fellow disciples?"

Tianji lowered her head. "This is her trial, her tribulation. There's nothing we can do to help her."

Jiannan turned his head away, "As long as I'm by her side, no one can hurt her."

“It’s not that I hurt her. The formation has already begun. If she can withstand it, she can pass the level. In the future, she will have to carry out missions alone. Neither you nor I can help her. You can protect her today, but what about tomorrow?”

Gu Youan tugged at Jian Nan's clothes and shook her head at him, "Put me down. Since this is my challenge, I should be the one to overcome it."

"Tianji, is there no other way? Her pulse is weak, I'm worried she won't make it through."

Tianji sighed, "We went through the same thing back then. If she backs down today, how can she become a qualified assassin? Today we pity her, but her enemies in the future will not be like this."

Gu Youan's eyes flickered slightly. Jian Nan's sudden arrival had bought her time, and her inner strength was recovering.

"Jiannan, thank you." Her fingers gently stroked his arm. This was their secret signal. Gu Youan was afraid that she wouldn't be able to survive Tianji's test, so she informed Jiannan in advance. Now that her internal strength had recovered to seven or eight tenths, she could continue the test.

Jiannan glanced at Gu Youan. Their secret signal was correct. He suddenly let go of her hand, and Gu Youan suddenly lost her balance. She gripped Jiannan's arm tightly.

Tianji took in their actions. "Enough, Jiannan. I know you're not an impulsive person. You must have your reasons for what happened today, but your sudden intrusion into the formation was a violation. Go and receive your punishment today."

Jiannan lowered his head. "You noticed everything!"

Gu Youan frowned as she looked at Jian Nan. As soon as Tian Ji opened his mouth, Jian Nan confessed everything. It turned out that nothing could be hidden from others. Jian Nan had not inherited any of Sheng Jingche's wisdom.

Gu Youan sighed. The two of them stood in front of Tianji like people who had done something wrong. Tianji glanced at them and said, "Jiannan, leave first. Xuanji, continue!"

"But the string is broken, so how can the next part of the assessment proceed?"

"It's just strings; I have more than one instrument!"

Gu Youan's eyes were unfathomable. "You knew I would cut your strings?"

Tianji smiled and said, "There are no secrets here, Xuanji. I discovered Jiannan was in the Purple Bamboo Forest the moment you came in. There are traps everywhere here, you can't hide it from us."

Gu Youan sighed, "As expected of Tianji."

Everyone here shares a similar fate with their codename: Tianji, Tianji, to glimpse the secrets of heaven. "With so many traps set up here, can you really glimpse the secrets of heaven?"

Gu Youan sighed. Tianji was different from the others. The remaining six were all candidates for the Twelve Envoys, but Tianji seemed like an outsider. Gu Youan looked at him, puzzled, "Do you really want to stay here?"

Tianji looked at her and said, "It's not a good thing for a child to pretend to be an adult. Xuanji, if you become an assassin in the future, you must learn to hide your true abilities."

"If... does Tianji not think I can become a qualified assassin?"

Tianji looked at her with a smile, "It's not that I think you can't, but I doubt your motives. Xuanji, what is your motive for entering the Emperor's Ship?"

Gu Youan drew his sword. "My goal is the same as everyone else's. Three years ago, during the drought, all three of my brothers died. I want to know the truth about their deaths back then."

Tianji's eyes revealed no emotion, yet Gu Youan could sense a different kind of aura within them.

"Xuanji, you need to investigate the truth behind the deaths of your three brothers yourself."