Hei Baizi harrumphed and said, “Nope.”

Jiang Luofu was surprised. “I didn’t even say what it was I needed.”

Hei Baizi said, “You never visited me that often these past few years. I was wondering why you were becoming friendly all of a sudden. I knew it wasn’t anything good.”

Jiang Luofu replied with a smile, “Don’t be so stingy, fifth senior. I’m not asking for myself, but rather, I wanted to ask for a sacrificial piece from you.”

“Sacrificial piece?” Zu An was stunned. What is that?

Hei Baizi frowned. He was clearly a bit hesitant.

Jiang Luofu added, “Ah Zu will definitely be in danger when he enters the dungeon this time. If something happens, no one will be able to play chess with you anymore. Furthermore, you’ll never be able to get your revenge after losing to him.”

Hei Baizi harrumphed. “Am I that kind of sore loser? Hmph, you’re using every way you can to get something from me for him. It’s almost as if you’re lovers.”

Jiang Luofu frowned. “What kind of nonsense are you saying? He’s my little brother.”

“Don’t all guys and girls play those sibling games? Do you think I don’t know?” Hei Baizi muttered. He tossed out two chess pieces from his sleeves to Zu An. “In a moment of danger, place the white piece in front of you and the black piece on someone else. That way, the damage you would take will be transferred to someone else. It’s a sacrificial piece, so it’ll be consumed after a single use. That’s why you have to save it for a crucial moment.”

Zu An was shocked. “There’s actually something so miraculous in this world?”

Hei Baizi stroked his beard. He couldn't hide the pride on his face. “This is the result of my lifetime of devotion; it contains the chess school’s principles. I’ve only managed to refine three sets in all these years. These things are too special, so it would be quite bad if they ended up in the hands of others. That’s why normally speaking, I wouldn’t give this to anyone else. However, Sir Zu is of noble and lofty character, so I don’t need to worry about that.”

Zu An received the chess pieces with a serious expression. “Thank you, fifth senior!”

“There’s no need for thanks; just play a few more rounds with me once you come out.” Hei Baizi chuckled. “Right, I almost forgot to remind you that you absolutely can’t get the order wrong with the black and white pieces. Otherwise, you’ll end up becoming someone else’s sacrifice.”

Zu An replied, “I reckon I’m not that stupid.”

“You’re right,” Hei Baizi said with a smile. He then tried to chat with Zu An about things related to chess.

However, Jiang Luofu took a step forward and pulled Zu An back. “Fifth senior, I still need to bring him to other places. The two of you can chat some more when there’s some leisure time.”

Hei Baizi couldn't help but curse as he watched her leave. “Women only abandon you once they get what they want after all; they’re all swindlers… Xie Xiu, stay away from women in the future. I get annoyed whenever I see them.”

Xie Xiu had a weird look on his face. Aren’t you basically asking me for my life if you tell me not to associate with women anymore? However, he didn’t dare voice such thoughts and instead continuously expressed his acknowledgment.

…

Elsewhere, Zu An asked Jiang Luofu, “Big sis, who are we going to meet next?”

“You’ll know once we get there,” Jiang Luofu said with a mysterious smile.

Zu An began to think to himself. She had brought him there to get the sacrificial piece for him. That meant this trip was going to be much more dangerous than he had imagined!

Soon afterward, they arrived by a pond. Unlike the usual clear colors one would expect to see, this one was pitch black.

Zu An was astonished. “Big sis, be careful not to be poisoned.”

“It’s fine; this is just ink.” Jiang Luofu smiled. Then, she walked toward the pavilion by the lakeside.

“Ink?” Only now did Zu An notice that there were two large, white geese swimming on the surface. If there really was poison, then they would have died a long time ago. Just how much ink was needed to dye an entire pond black, though?

Hm? Wait, if it’s ink, then why are these two geese’s feathers so white? He looked carefully and saw that there was blue light swirling across the surface of the two large white geese’s bodies. This was definitely the power of a formation.

Once they passed a covered walkway, the area ahead of him suddenly became spacious and well-lit. A young lady who seemed to have a graceful and subdued temperament sat in a gazebo. She was copying a stone tablet. Together with the inverted image of the pitch-black water, her presence formed a noble and elegant scene.

The young lady was focused on her drawing. The wind blew away the hair around her temples, revealing a beautiful and familiar face.

“Lady Xie!” Zu An exclaimed. He had only met Xie Daoyun once ever since she came to the capital with her younger brother. Meanwhile, he had met Xie Xiu several times already.

Xie Daoyun’s body clearly trembled when she heard his voice. Then, a drop of ink dropped from her brush, ruining the calligraphy she was copying.

Zu An felt rather apologetic. “Sorry, I ended up ruining your work.”

Xie Daoyun lowered her brush and slowly shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who hasn’t reached that pure state of meditation the teacher spoke of yet.”

Zu An sighed in amazement. They hadn’t met each other for a while; now there seemed to be a bit of a gentle and refined aura around her, as if she were a hermit who stood aloof from worldly matters.

“Is that so?” Jiang Luofu chuckled. “Your mind was quite calm when I was standing next to you just now, yet as soon as Ah Zu spoke, your mind was no longer so?”

Xie Daoyun’s graceful and aloof appearance was instantly shattered. She even blushed slightly. She couldn't help but exclaim in annoyance, “Ms. Jiang!”

“Alright, alright, let’s talk about important matters.” Jiang Luofu smiled and asked, “Did you prepare what I asked you for last time?”

Xie Daoyun voiced her acknowledgment. She took out an apricot yellow talisman from the case next to her. On it was a complicated rune drawn in cinnabar. She handed it to Zu An. “Big brother Zu, I heard you were going to enter the secret dungeon, and that it was going to be dangerous. Unfortunately, I cannot help you by your side, so I prepared a talisman for you. I hope it can help you during a moment of trouble.”

Jiang Luofu smiled and explained, “This is great senior’s Last Breath Talisman. When you place it in front of you, it can negate twenty percent of damage and leave you with one last breath of life. That’s why it’s called the Last Breath Talisman. This is great senior’s treasure, something even I might not be able to obtain if I asked. It’s only because Daoyun is his precious disciple that she managed to get one from that miserly fella.”

At the same time, she transmitted to Zu An through ki, “Brat, you better be grateful. Even though that scale little Yu’er gave you last time is incredible, it actually has a limit to the damage it can negate. Once that limit is passed, not even little Yu’er’s talisman can preserve your life. However, this Last Breath Talisman is something great senior poured his heart into. It condenses all of his understanding of runes. It uses the damage caused by the attack as its energy source, and then converts that into the power that protects you. That’s why no matter how high the other party’s cultivation is, it can reduce twenty percent of damage. This means that even if it were the emperor who attacked you, it would still reduce twenty percent of the damage.

“As for whether you can keep your life or not after reducing the damage by twenty percent, that depends on your luck. That’s why it’s called the Last Breath Talisman.

“Furthermore, it will reflect twenty percent of the damage back at the aggressor. It really is an incredible item.”

Zu An was finally shaken up when he heard her explanation. This really was an extraordinary item! He immediately bowed toward Xie Daoyun. “Miss Xie, the dungeon will indeed be full of dangers this time, so I won’t pretentiously refuse. However, this talisman is incredibly precious, and it should’ve been really hard for you to get it to me. I really have no way of paying back such a huge debt…”

Jiang Luofu playfully interrupted him. “And what? You’ll repay it with your body?”

“Ms. Jiang, what are you saying?!” Xie Daoyun protested.

Zu An replied with an upright expression, “Why would I say something like that? I’ve deeply engraved this favor in my heart. I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.”

Xie Daoyun quickly said, “There is no need for that! It’s just a shame that my skills are not great enough and I cannot draw a rune like this myself. In the future… I will draw some more for you.”

Zu An was overjoyed. “Then I really have to thank Miss Xie.”

Jiang Luofu rolled her eyes when she saw how well the two were getting along. This fella was starting his nobleman act again. He wasn’t like that earlier with me at all, hmph.

When they left Xie Daoyun’s place, Jiang Luofu brought him to the rear mountain. She pointed at the small path ahead and said, “You’ll reach the secret dungeon if you take this path to the end. The crown prince’s faction and King Qi’s faction are all there, so I won’t join the liveliness. You have to be careful and remember the things I told you.”

“Thank you, big sis!” Zu An wanted to say something along the lines of ‘once I come back’, but he was scared of setting up some bad flags. As such, he shortened his goodbyes and headed down the path.

…

There were people from all different sides at the entrance right now. Since the princess hadn’t seen anyone at Zu An’s home and the situation was getting more and more pressing, she could only come to the academy. Unfortunately, she still didn’t see him at the entrance. She immediately felt incredible disappointment.

Gu Xing remarked with a big smile, “Wasn’t I just saying that guy was too scared to come? He’s probably hiding somewhere and will come out once the dungeon is closed, pretending he just missed the timing or something.”