Chapter 43 The Last Chip
In Jiaoran's hands, he felt like a tower collapsing in an instant. He thought of the fish that was easily crushed in his hands. At this moment, he realized that he was actually the fish in Jiaoran's hands.
When she touched his lower body, he froze for a moment, and then his mind exploded like fireworks. He thought he would push her away and tell her to get away.
Mu Jin didn't, he was trembling even more violently than her.
Mu Jin's mind was a mess, and his unclear vision made him suddenly understand that everything that happened yesterday was like his death yesterday, and everything that happened today was like his birth today.
Later she fell into a hazy sleep, with her head resting on his shoulder. His scent was still on her hand. Only after she fell asleep did he dare to hold her hands.
Tomorrow is a brand new day, and he and she will have a new beginning.
He had to think of a foolproof plan to take her away with him. This was the underworld, where no living person could survive. If he stayed here for too long, Jiaoran would also wither.
He was still thinking about how to explain the current situation to Jiaoran. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that when he opened his eyes again, the sunlight had already come in, and Xiaoju was standing not far from the bed.
She exchanged glances with him and left tactfully.
When she woke up, no matter how angry she was, he would tell her the truth and then take her to a safe place, just the two of them, without the damn Governor's Mansion and the scheming Chief Secretary.
Mu Jin heard her approaching footsteps.
She came over.
Soon it arrived in front of him.
"Are you...are you okay?"
Would Jiaoran give him a shy smile, turn away, and ignore him? Or would she feign composure and say it was nothing?
None of them.
She pretended nothing had happened and covered up the moment, as if they had not been so close last night, tasting each other's breath.
For a moment, his anger almost burned him out. He heard the creaking of his back teeth, but a smile appeared on his face.
He felt that even if he was stabbed by a knife a hundred or a thousand times, it would not be as painful as it was now.
He was not recognized and never had his place.
He thought Jiaoran loved him, but now it seemed that it was just an unintentional mistake on her part. What she wanted was Gao Shanshou, not him.
For a humble person like him, it is a luxury to carefully ask a woman to love him.
Did he pray for a long life, prosperity, and wealth? Did he aspire to become a peerless master like Chai Che?
All he wanted was Jiaoran, just her.
If she had entrusted her true heart to him, he would not be so crazy and want everyone to die with him.
Jiaoran didn't want the heart he offered her, and she might even think he was ridiculous.
Like them, Jiaoran ignored him with such contempt.
The person sitting in the central hall was not the leader of Huiying Sect, but the actual person in charge of Huiying Sect, Liuxu Sword Zhou Zhi.
The one standing aside was Yi Bingfeng.
The one kneeling in the hall was Zhuxing.
She just lowered her head and didn't dare to say a word.
One side of his face was swollen, which showed how powerful the palm strike was.
It was as if a summer cicada had entered her ears, chirping incessantly, and her eyes were filled with tears. Before Bu Yue left, he said that he could find Mu Jin, and no matter where Mu Jin fled to, he could find him back.
"Tell me what you said from beginning to end. The Ying Inn is guarded inside and outside. Even if he grows wings, he can't fly away." Zhou Zhi leaned forward slightly and approached her.
What else can I say? It's the same old story over and over again.
Suixing suddenly had a stomachache, so she stayed with Mu Jin for him, never leaving her side.
Mu Jin played the piano for a long time, and when he saw her standing beside him, he started talking to her. It was strange that he was too lazy to say a word on weekdays, but he was willing to say a few words when she was guarding.
Mu Jin asked her, "Can you play some music?"
Zhuxing shook his head. "Country people like us, how can we play the piano? All we need is to hold the sword with our ten fingers."
He stood up and said, "I have nothing better to do, but you are so absorbed in listening to this. I guess you are longing for this."
"This... no... no, I can't."
Mu Jin had already pressed her shoulders and asked her to sit down. "Press your fingers here. Yes, put your other hand here."
She learned quickly and could play a short excerpt of "Spring River Moon Night" in a short while.
Mu Jin said, "I wanted to teach Jiaoran too, but she can't sit still. After playing for a while, she starts to feel itchy all over and insists on getting up and moving around. She won't sit down no matter what."
Zhuxing heard the sadness and nostalgia in his words and whispered, "Don't mention Jiaoran again in the future."
"Why?"
"Master's Wife said that Jiaoran stole the 'Gao Shan Shou' and ran away. This is the secret manual lost by Master, and it is a capital crime. If anyone in the sect sees her, they will be exterminated."
Mu Jin's throat tightened. "Did she mean to ask you to kill Jiao Ran?"
“…”
"Why! Isn't she the daughter of the head of Huiying Sect? Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs."
Zhuxing's face turned pale when he saw this. "Jiaoran is not Master and his wife's biological child. She is an orphan just like us."
Mu Jin was stunned and didn't speak for a long time.
Zhuxing wanted to play for a while longer, but seeing him sitting there in a daze, not in high spirits, she said, "I'll be out first. If you need anything urgent, remember to call me. I'll come in right away."
Mu Jin said, "I'm sleepy and need to sleep for a while. You don't have to wake me up to eat."
Zhuxing nodded and said, "Okay, I'll be outside."
The whole process was so simple. When she opened the door again, Mu Jin was nowhere to be found.
On the other hand, Laicai Casino was closed today. Two murders had occurred there and the government ordered it to close. The owner of the casino was bored and had to play privately in his own casino with a few friends.
Bu Yue kicked the door open, but she didn't break it open. Seeing Boss Ji here, she imitated Mu Jin and bowed to him, "Boss Ji, aren't you going to open the door today?"
"What brings you here?" Boss Ji did not put down the mahjong in his hand immediately. This short, dark and thin young man acted arrogantly and was as sharp as a knife. Laicai Casino was small and everyone was afraid of this bully, but he was not. They opened the door to do business, so why should they be afraid of him? Let him make trouble.
A golden leaf swooshed onto the table in front of Boss Ji, sinking deeply into the wood. "What's this for?"
"Boss Ji, a disciple of Huiying Sect has escaped. I know you have connections in this town, and I suspect he can't walk very fast. If he leaves town, he must pass by here. Could you please let me know if he left this place by this route?"
Boss Ji then put down the dominoes in his hand and looked at him, "Just based on this one piece?"
Seeing that there was something to talk about, Bu Yue quickly came over and handed over a bag with a smile, "Of course it's missing, I have everything ready, here you go!"
"You've come at an unfortunate time. The person you're looking for just passed away an hour ago. Mianyuan, isn't a small place, but he's not a big place either. If you chase him now, you probably won't be able to catch up."
Bu Yue was anxious. "If I just wanted to know when he passed by, I could just ask any street vendor. Boss Ji, don't play dumb. I must take this man back today."
Boss Ji soothed him, "Why are you so anxious? He can't leave. Every stranger who enters our town is watched by so many eyes. If he really runs away, I'll still be laughing with you here, right?"
"Please show me the way."
"pawnshop!"
"Thank you very much."
The dominoes behind him started playing again, "I found someone, remember to come back and play a round."
Bu Yue didn't look back, "No, I won't gamble anymore."
Boss Ji chuckled twice. "A gambler says he won't gamble anymore. Isn't that like an alcoholic saying he's quit drinking? Haha ...
"Hand him over!" Bu Yue arrived at the pawnshop and changed his face.
"Your Excellency?"
The waiter behind him whispered in his ear, "The people from the Shanhou Huiying Escort Agency opened an inn up front, but they haven't let anyone stay there lately. It's strange, opening an inn but not letting anyone stay."
"Oh, it's you. The person you're looking for is not here."
"No way, don't play tricks on me."
"If I say I'm not here, I'm not here."
Just as he uttered the words, Bu Yue suddenly attacked, slapping him in the face. The man stretched out his hand like lightning to catch it. There was a loud snap, and Bu Yue was also shocked and stepped back. His martial arts were known for their viciousness and dexterity, and the man used pure Yang power in his palm.
Bu Yue was shocked and left the pawnshop. His knees went weak and he was about to fall to the ground. He had never imagined that this humble pawnshop had such an expert in martial arts. He had no idea when he came to this small town.
"Go back." The man retracted his palm. "Your martial arts skills are not bad, but you are a little impatient. Your internal energy is too mixed and not pure. If you meet an expert, you will inevitably suffer a loss."
"you--"
Bu Yue was stopped by his junior brother, "Senior brother, his martial arts skills are better than ours."
"Then I can't return empty-handed." Bu Yue stepped forward again and heard the other party say, "I told you to go back, don't you have ears?"
The old man wiped a white porcelain vase in front of him and asked, "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"
Bu Yue immediately understood that he meant that he had already returned.
A wise man never suffers a loss in front of him. "Thank you very much, senior. I apologize for being rude."
"Oh, I didn't realize you were such a double-faced person."
Bu Yue smiled and said, "I'll come back to learn a few tricks from you in the future." He emphasized the word "learn".
When I returned to the inn, I saw that Mu Jin had returned. He had gone out for a while and seemed to have just taken a walk before coming back. He had no idea how much trouble his departure had caused to Huiyingmen.
Zhuxing was standing in the corner. When she saw him coming, she turned away and hid behind the crowd. She was so old, but she was still being scolded by her master's wife. She was embarrassed and lost face in front of her fellow junior brothers and sisters.
When Bu Yue saw the fingerprints on her cheek, he felt as if his whole body was being pricked by needles. He could no longer bear it and flew a few steps. As soon as he arrived in front of Mu Jin, his master's wife took action and neutralized his punch with one move.
Bu Yue was not willing to give up. He suddenly raised his hand, and several cold stars shot out from his sleeve, flying towards Mu Jin. The sound of the hidden weapon breaking through the wind stunned everyone.
But then the master's wife drew out the soft sword from her waist, and a silver snake flashed, and several cold stars were all hit by the sword on the pillar beside her.
Zhou Zhi calmly put away his sword and walked to Mu Jin with a smile. "My dear child, I didn't scare you, did I? These kids are all rough and savage and don't know how to talk properly. Don't be afraid. If they dare to bully you, tell me and I'll teach them a lesson."
Bu Yue hated him immensely, loathing him a hundred times more than Jiao Ran. He was about to go and embarrass her, but Yi Bingfeng stopped him. "Alright, go and apply the medicine to Zhuxing. How long do you want her to stand in the hall?"
He then suppressed his anger, pushed his fellow brothers and sisters aside, grabbed Zhuxing's arm, and said, "Let's go."
Mu Jin, who was standing by, glanced at the wound on Zhuxing's face, then looked at the middle-aged woman in front of him, and felt a chill in his heart. The more nice she was to him, the more disgusted he felt.
But she had to follow him upstairs, "Master Mu Jin, what did you do today?"
"Am I your prisoner? Can't I even go out for a walk?"
Zhou Zhi repeatedly said no, "If you want to go out, why didn't you tell me in advance? It's not difficult, but this town is small, and there are all kinds of people, many of them are bad guys. What if they capture you?"
Mu Jin's face turned cold, "Don't talk to me like you're talking to a child."
"Okay, okay, if you don't like it, I won't say that again. So what are you doing out today?"
It seemed like she wouldn't give up until she got to the bottom of it. Mu Jin had already made an excuse, "This."
He took out a set of chess pieces from the pawnshop, which were made of fine white jade.
"Did you go buy chess? There are chess pieces at the inn. If you want to play, I can bring them up and play with you for a while."
"The ones in the inn have been touched by countless dirty hands. I don't need them."
Zhou Zhi lost her composure when she heard him say that. Thinking of cleaning the stables that morning, she put her hands behind her back and said carefully, "If you don't like it, forget it. I'll buy you a new one later."
"No thanks."
Mu Jin closed the door with her backhand. She kept knocking on the door outside.
"What's wrong?" Mu Jin opened the door and let her in.
It seems that she has to keep him under her nose today, for fear that he will run away again.
"...Can I play a game of gambling with you?"
Mu Jin had already set up the chessboard, anticipating her words. "Please."
Enter the game.
They were all already in the game, and only after he had set up the chessboard did he realize that it was only at this moment that he had escaped the status of a chess piece.
He was blinded by love and lost his mind, and ended up being imprisoned again. From the Governor's Mansion to Huiying Gate, he never had the final say in freedom.
He was defeated in one move, and what was destroyed was not only the road he had paved for several years, but also Jiaoran.
"You don't have to treat me like a child. Aside from my ignorant childhood, I've lived a similar life to the rest of you over the past ten years in the Governor's Office, always cautious and treading on thin ice."
Mu Jin said, "A move has already been made."
Zhou Zhi lowered her eyes, trapping the heartache in them and not letting it flow out.
"When you and I play chess, there has to be a winner. If you lose, tell me what else you did today besides bringing back this chess piece."
Mu Jin said, "Okay. If I beat you, you tell me—"
"What do you want to know? I won't hide it from you." Zhou Zhi said.
"Let me think about it again." Mu Jin urged her, "It's your turn now."
"If you want to ask me where Jiaoran is, I don't know. This is the truth. I really don't know her whereabouts."
"You really don't know, otherwise, you would kill her immediately." Mu Jin said.
"But I don't understand. Is your heart carved from stone? How can you have no compassion at all for a child you've raised for over ten years?"
Her heart had died since the day the Qingfeng Sect was wiped out.
"You are the one behind the scenes, the one who plays chess." Mu Jin surrounded her and said, "I should have understood it earlier. I was too stupid."
"It doesn't matter. It's not too late for you to know now."
"Changshi—no, Phoenix Young is only part of your plan. He can never compete with you. Or rather, he has something to ask of you, and wants to cooperate with you to gain something. But I am certain that he doesn't want the Takayama Shou, because the Takayama Shou is actually what you have been seeking your whole life."
Zhou Zhi's hand holding the chess piece froze. She thought that Mu Jin would think of this sooner or later, so she was not surprised.
"You can kill Jiaoran, but I'm sure you won't be able to get the Gao Shan Shou if you kill her."
"There are no absolutes in this world."
He picked up one and placed it in a place she least expected, bringing about his own destruction.
"You made a wrong move."
"No, this is exactly where I want to make my move."
"If you play here, all your previous plans will be ruined." Zhou Zhi reminded him, wanting to give him a chance to regret his move.
"I only make plans if I want to live. If I don't want to live anymore, the chess game will be meaningless to me."
She gripped the chess piece tightly, and cold sweat broke out on her palms.
"Don't say that. You're still young."
She didn't understand him at all. Beneath his cold body, his heart had long stopped beating. When Jiaoran came, he gradually learned to control his emotions.
The governor wanted his warm blood, his hands that could paint the heaven and earth. After stripping off his bones, blood and body, he had nothing left. What did the man in front of him want from him now?
"I'm not saying this to ask you to let Jiaoran go. I'm telling you that Jiaoran is the woman I want to spend my life with. If you really kill her, I will sacrifice myself to her."
She pursed her lips gradually, "Has anyone ever taught you that life is the most precious thing in this world? As long as you keep it, there will be a bright future."
"I've seen the true light at the end of the tunnel. I don't care about anything else."
"Jiao Ran...is she really that good?"
"You must know how good she is. When she smiles..." Mu Jin slowly closed her eyes, as if reminiscing, "it's as if all the stars in the night sky have fallen to the earth."
"Do you want to go to the capital? Wait until I get the "Gao Shan Shou" and then go to the capital, okay? The girls there are said to be extremely beautiful. Jiao Ran is worlds apart from them. You will slowly forget her in the future."
"Forget? How could I forget her?"
"You must forget her. Everyone can, but not her."
Mu Jin slowly raised her hands. "Over the past few years, my hands have been hit countless times by hard objects. My fingers are connected to my heart, and every time I was injured, I would hide and lick my wounds alone. Later, she came, and she was the only one who cared whether my injuries were frostbite or blows."
"Don't say anymore. She will definitely die no matter what."
"I know you won't be easily persuaded."
"In that case, don't waste your breath."
The game was still going on. Mu Jin picked up a chess piece and suddenly dropped it to a certain place, putting the whole game in a desperate situation.
Zhou Zhi was startled at first, then looked at him with praise, "You win."
“So I have leverage.”
"Chips?"
Mu Jin said, "This bargaining chip is enough to get you to let Jiao Ran go."
"You don't have any. You have no more chess pieces to use."
Mu Jin placed his hand in the center of the chessboard, "Yes, I have it."
He still had one left, "You are—my mother."
A chess piece on the edge rolled to the ground, jumped twice, and then there was silence.
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