Chapter 102: The Red Maple Twin Swords & Li Zhou's Little Chess Sage

Chapter 102 – The Red Maple Twin Swords & Li Zhou’s Little Chess Sage

Those who live by the mountain rely on the mountain; those who live by the water rely on the water.

The Su family, guardians of Nanhu Lake, naturally sought to maximize its resources. Every autumn, they hosted the grand All-Fish Banquet, inviting cultivators from all directions—including reclusive hermits—to partake. Through a century of tradition, this event had become a local custom. Privately, cultivators referred to it as the “Spirit Fish Grand Assembly.”

Such a prosperous legacy inevitably attracted envy. Not long ago, demonic cultivators had even infiltrated their storages. Fortunately, with Su Laoye’s protection, Nanhu Lake remained firmly under the Su family’s control.

Xiao Chen departed early, arriving at the northern shore of Nanhu Lake before noon. The lake stretched 130 li east to west, widening to 60 li at its northernmost point. It was early October, the tail end of the rainy season, and the lake’s surface shimmered like jade, vast and boundless.

Breezes rippled the water; distant mountains loomed like ink-washed paintings. The horizon merged sky and lake into one azure expanse, while reeds swayed gently and fragrant orchids lined the shores. A paradise on earth.

At the lakeside pavilion, hundreds of large round tables draped in red cloth had already been set, nearly filled with guests who’d come to feast. Dozens of Su clan attendants, dressed in matching robes, guided arriving hermit cultivators to seats at the perimeter.

As Xiao Chen approached, a Su disciple hurried forward with a smile: “Esteemed colleague, please follow me.”

Xiao Chen waved him off and produced his invitation scroll.

The disciple froze upon seeing it, clearly surprised that someone younger than himself could be a distinguished guest. He quickly bowed: “My apologies for not recognizing you sooner. Please wait here while I inform the clan head.”

Moments later, Clan Head Su Huaitao arrived personally, greeting Xiao Chen warmly: “I’ve long heard tales of your remarkable grace, Master Xiao.”

“Today’s meeting confirms your reputation as a paragon of talent.”

“Flattery, flattery. It’s you, Clan Head Su, who embodies wisdom and majesty.”

Exchanging pleasantries, they ascended to the banquet’s center stage—a raised terrace offering the finest view of the lake. From here, the entire scene unfolded before them.

Twenty-eight small square tables occupied the platform, each adorned with spirit fruits and jars of immortal wine, reserved for honored guests. When Su Huaitao escorted Xiao Chen onto the stage, hundreds of hermit cultivators turned their gazes. Even the other dignitaries present studied the newcomer with curiosity.

Though Xiao Chen was a rising star within Lihuo Sect, he’d rarely ventured outside its walls. To the outside world, he remained an unknown.

An elder at mid-Stage Foundation Building leaned over, feigning forgetfulness: “Huaitao, my memory fails me in my old age. This young man… I don’t recognize him. Which clan does he hail from?”

The crowd fell silent, ears straining.

Su Huaitao smiled: “Elder Cheng, this is Xiao Chen, Lihuo Sect’s newest Foundation Building cultivator. He now oversees the sect’s Chu Mo Hall.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. A young Foundation Builder outside the Five Great Clans was rare enough—but to hold a managerial post? He might soon become a power-wielding elder. Though many didn’t know Chu Mo Hall’s purpose, its name hinted at a martial, enforcement role. Future dealings were inevitable.

Su Huaitao gestured to an elderly man beside him: “Master Xiao, this is Elder Cheng of Red Maple Cheng Clan—twin swordsman of his elder brother to his right.”

Hiss—who?

Xiao Chen vaguely recalled a “Red Maple County” on a map, but the “Red Maple Twin Swords” title was new to him. Still, he bowed politely: “An honor to meet Elder Cheng. Your reputation precedes you.”

Su Huaitao then seated Xiao Chen, excusing himself: “Duty calls below. Forgive my poor hospitality.” He turned to a young woman nearby: “Wanning, stay here and attend to your Uncle Xiao.”

Dressed in a golden-embroidered juyi robe over a crimson hemp gown, Su Wanning wore three jade pendants and a gold ornament at her waist. She nodded demurely: “Yes, Father.” With practiced elegance, she adjusted her skirts and sat primly to Xiao Chen’s left.

He could only describe her demeanor in two words: unfamiliar.

Did she get body-snatched?

As Su Huaitao departed, Su Wanning slumped with relief: “Uncle Xiao, you’re finally here! I’ve been trailing them all morning—it’s exhausting!”

Ah, misunderstanding cleared!

Xiao Chen leaned closer: “Tell me about these Red Maple Twin Swords. Fill me in.”

Fifty years ago, the Cheng Clan Head achieved a breakthrough and advanced to Foundation Building. Since then, their family has had two Foundation Builders.

“Both masters of their ancestral sword techniques, hence the ‘Twin Swords’ title. Elder Cheng here reached late-Stage Foundation Building sixty years ago. The current clan head advanced to mid-Stage twenty years back.”

“They’re even hunting for Foundation Building Pills to cultivate a third generation. Maybe they’ll become the ‘Red Maple Triple Swords’ soon.”

Xiao Chen nodded: “Understood.” He smirked: “Not bad. You even know history from fifty years ago.”

“Of course! I know everyone here. Not just the Chengs.”

She gestured subtly to the eight Foundation Builders present. Besides the Cheng father and son—twin swords of Red Maple Clan—five others were clan heads of prominent families. Only one man, in a scholar’s robe and triangular mustache, was a hermit cultivator.

“A self-made man,” Su Wanning whispered. “He stumbled upon a chess cultivation legacy decades ago. Now he calls himself the Black and White Sage.”

Reaching late-Stage Foundation Building, he wielded a supreme magical artifact—the Jade Balance Chessboard—and was revered as Li Zhou’s Little Chess Sage.

Chess cultivation was one of the esoteric paths, like alchemy or talisman arts. Though niche, such paths often produced cultivators stronger than their peers.

Xiao Chen frowned: “Why ‘Little’ Chess Sage? Is there a ‘Big’ one?”

Su Wanning shook her head: “No. He’s Li Zhou’s greatest chess cultivator. But once, a Golden Core Zhenren challenged him to three matches… and won all.”

“A loss means you can’t stay ‘Sage.’ Hence, ‘Little.’”

Xiao Chen winced in sympathy.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end