Dozens of matte chess pieces roll on the wooden chessboard with a crisp sound. They did not quiet down for a long time, and according to the will of fate, they fell silently in their places, no longer moving.

Li Qingshan and Monk Huang Yang stared at a black chess piece on the chessboard at the same time. This piece is not limited to straight lines, celestial elements, and square grids, but is skewed in some random but strange place.

The horizontal and vertical lines on the chessboard are like the streets that crisscross the world. The chess pieces are like travelers and carriages, staying at the crossroads like old friends or enemies to chat and discuss together, not meeting again after two cups of tea, peaceful or quarreling as usual.

There was only one carriage in the middle of the wide avenue, which did not advance or retreat, did not greet its companions, and did not collide to break through everything. It just silently prevents.

It was this neighborhood that immediately turned the crisscrossing streets into a different situation – people traveling south or west could not continue their trip; Enemies who want to draw their swords against them cannot meet in person; Where lovers who are affectionately attached to each other can't hug; where friends become strangers; And where the controversy becomes confusing.

"Are these variants on the board?"

Looking at the black chess pieces and the silent carriage on the streets, Li Qingshan's expression was as calm as ever. But his face soon turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if he was suffering from a serious illness at the moment.

A dead silence descended on the top of Wanyan Tower, and no one knew how long it lasted. However, in the end, it was broken by Li Junshan's hoarse and tired voice, in which there was no sadness or joy to see.

"This variable... I'm dying.

Hearing this, Monk Huang Yang watched the black chess pieces slowly cross, with a pitying expression on his face, a little surprised.

At this moment, Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows, and a trace of strangeness flashed in his eyes. "No, there are more variables," he added.

...

It's getting dark, summer hasn't receded yet, and the cicadas are still chirping outside the window. There was silence on the second floor of the college's old library. The delicate female professor by the east window had left, and the mortally wounded and dying young man under the west window was still sitting there, leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed and his face was pale, as if the next moment he would fall into some kind of permanent darkness and sweet dream.

The first few spaces are a row of bookshelves against the wall. The intricate decoration on the side of the bookshelf lit up slightly, and then slipped away silently. After a while, a fat young man in a college summer robe squeezed in.

When the fat young man was about to squat down with difficulty and take out Wu Shanyang's "Dumb Sword Theory" from the bottom of the bookshelf, he suddenly frowned, and his fair and immature face revealed a trace of suspicion, and then turned around.

Seeing the motionless young man who seemed to be asleep by the wall, he exclaimed, his furrowed brows gradually stretched, and his thick lips smacked: "When did that guy who was more desperate than Ning Que come to the academy?"

As a staunch believer in karma, Ning Que firmly believed that he would not die at this age. However, he was too badly wounded today, and the invisible spear pierced his chest beyond his comprehension. So, in the sixteen years since he came to this world, Ning Que has no choice but to see death as a possibility.

When he awoke, he struggled to open his eyes and looked around with all his last strength, wondering if he had ever been to hell and if there really was a hell in this world.

Then he saw a big, chubby face very close to him, small eyes like dots, showing sparks of curiosity and suspicion as they stared at him steadfastly.

This face looked plump and fair, which reminded Ning Que of the full moon in his hometown, which he hadn't seen for a long time. Therefore, although his mind was not clear due to his serious injuries, the sensations did not frighten him, but felt unusually familiar.

He leaned against the wall, looked at the big fat face with his head tilted to the side, let out a weak laugh, and said, "Hell Yaksha should look dark, so I don't think I'm dead yet." So, who are you?

Instead of being frightened by that fat face, Ning Que suddenly opened his eyes, startling Chen Pipi. Chen Pipi's eyes widened in shock, and then he stared at his pale face and said, "I'm more interested in who you are."

Ning Que trembled, raised his right hand to cover his chest, it seemed to be normal but it was in great pain. He frowned and looked to the side, making sure he was still on the second floor of the old library. It's late at night. Ning Que noticed that the professor had left, and he was confused and disappointed because she was ignoring him.

Considering that there were basically no students from the academy who would stay on the second floor except for himself, let alone late at night, thinking of the handwriting that was obviously written at night, Ning Que looked at the young men wearing Xia Shu's robe in surprise, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Chen Pipi?"

Chen Pipi's eyes widened. Well, of course, with such "big" eyes, his eyes went from the size of a green bean to the size of a pea, and then to a soybean. He stared at Ning Que and asked in disbelief, "You are Ning Que?"

"Yes, it's me, the smartest young man in the world," Ning Que replied with a tight stare at Chen Pipi's round face. A strong fire of determination suddenly appeared in his eyes, and Ning Que said in a hoarse voice: "If you don't want to see me die, then do everything you can to save me!"

Chen Pipi didn't ask meaningless questions like "why should I save you?" Because after communicating with each other through letters for a while, they already know each other's personalities and become good friends, although they have not yet spoken face-to-face. Moreover, they were so close that they could call each other idiots, make fun of each other, and of course help each other, so how could Chen Pipi not reach out to help Ning Que die?

Chen Pipi put two fingers on Ning Zhiheng's wrist and felt his pulse. He was silent for a while, then suddenly frowned, stared at Ning Zhiheng's eyes, and asked, "You were so seriously injured, why didn't you die?"

"Just because I'm not dead doesn't mean I won't die. I'm dying, how much nonsense are you going to say, idiot?

"You're an idiot. You are seriously injured, why don't you go to the capital Chang'an for treatment? There is no point in coming to the academy, please don't tell me that you made a special trip for me to cure you.

"Why not? Didn't you say you're a genius?

"So what? Is there a connection between genius and medical skills?

"The first problem you gave me was a prescription."

"Prescriptions can't save you, even the most ingenious ones. Your injuries are too severe, you should be dead.

Ning Que's consciousness became extremely weak, and his eyes could not focus. Looking at the guy in front of him, Ning Que said: "I've been lying here all day, and there is no one in the academy to help me, even the female professor who looks gentle and amiable, turns a blind eye to me, but you can't ignore me."

Chen Pipi looked down at the bowl of water and the two steamed buns, and said, "Senior sister's temperament is quiet and peaceful. She lived alone in a thatched hut on the hill and was always silent. I don't think she's ignoring you......"

"You don't need to defend her. I know that the Academy is a place where indifference must be rejected and we help each other.

Raising his head tiredly and looking at Chen Pipi through the dim starlight, Ning Que was silent for a while, and then said with a sarcastic smile: "Anyway, my life ...... In your hands.

After saying this, he closed his eyes, released his shoulders, and immediately fell into a coma again.

...

...

Chen Pipi opened his mouth wide and looked at the unconscious guy in the corner, his fat face full of disbelief.

"What the hell is this? How can you fall into a coma without saying any last words? You forced me to save you! It's so shameless! No one will do this but you!

He struggled to crouch down, muttering angrily, and finally sat down on the floor altogether. He slowly stretched out his right hand and quickly struck Ning Que's chest a few times with five fleshy fingers.

He had already checked Ning Que's pulse before, and he knew that Ning Que was seriously injured. It was the Qi Sea Snow Mountain in his chest that was destroyed, and for ordinary people, even ordinary cultivators, this level of damage could kill them. However, just as Ning Que hoped, Chen Pipi was indeed a rare genius cultivated by both Xishan and the Academy, a genius who could save his life, although it didn't look like a genius.

As a genius, the most important quality is self-confidence. Well, as for the pride that comes from self-confidence, that's a different story.

Chen Pipi is confident in everything. He firmly believed that since Ning Que was not dead, as long as he helped Ning Que, he would definitely not die. "Isn't the fatal injury of the Qi Sea Snow Mountain terrifying? Of course not. As long as I use the Natural Flow Demon Finger with the pure vitality that the Unbounded Spirit can easily obtain, I can cure you in a few seconds.