act19mini

Yes. After seeing my love, what more have I to pine for?

I was but a stack of joss papers before her cenotaph, soaked in his tears and longing.

Her desires, my destiny, were bound together in this meeting with him.

With him gone, there is no reason for me to stay here.

I beg the two of you, fulfill my final request. Place my love's grave by her cenotaph, then burn 'me' as an offering.

We may not have been able to grow old together in this life, but I hope that in the next... we will meet again...

'Madam Bai' falls silent, then bows deeply. And in an instant—

There is only a stack of joss papers, fluttering in the wind.

Joss paper... So this particular Bai Jin was a geist?

*sigh*...

A hundred and twenty years ago, for reasons unknown, a horde of geists fell upon the town one night, wantonly lashing out at anyone and everyone. Truly a calamity.

My granddad was saved by the young man named Lan Ke.

He helped many townspeople escape with their lives that night... but he himself had to be saved from the flood of geists by Bai Jin.

As for her... She died that night.

Mr. Lan and Madam Bai were kind people...

I heard those geists are born from thoughts. Once those obsessions are gone, they go back to being regular objects.

The secret passed down my family for three generations has finally borne fruit, so why do my tears refuse to stop...

I'm heading down the mountain, youngster. I need to make sure Sister Bai's request gets done, and also tell my granddad about what happened.

How about you?

There's someone I'm meeting on the mountain. I need to get going.

This mountain's so lively nowadays. No idea what kind of bigshot asked you to climb up the back side to meet up.

Well, I'll be off then.

If, by any chance, we meet again, you're welcome at mine for a cup of tea.

Old Luo carefully packs up the things on the ground, putting them in his basket before tottering down the mountain.

Was it you who broke the stalemate?

May I inquire as to who is speaking?

A half-life who deals with menial tasks, a hard-working geist is all.

You are Da—Chongyue's record-keeping man, the one by his side.

I presume you are one of the Sui proxies, then.

Forgive me for inviting you in such a matter. Let us ascend. There is a guest at the peak awaiting you.

So I was 'invited'...?

Indeed. At first, it was for other matters... but who could have expected you to chance upon that game and break the deadlock with a flick of your wrist?

(Loudly) You were right again! You happy, you weiqi failure?!

It was pure happenstance. Did someone really predict that would happen?

When the second brother left this board here, he proclaimed that only a man with true intelligence could resolve it.

Now that I think about it, him arranging this board here... The closest to 'human' of us siblings is the eldest brother, and calling one of his disciples over... Hardly an odd move.

Let us climb.

Remember to take the board with you. The game is over, so it's yours now.

Very well...

I do not know what to call you.

Just the one character, Liang, 'Liang' of the roof beam.

Mr. Liang, you said that only the Grandmaster's students could break this deadlock just now, but the game already had a player before I came here.

You mean that Lan Ke?

He really did make a promise at the time, which kept Lan Ke playing.

It was a game where the more obsessed you were with the <i>jie</i>, the less able you were to resolve it. He knew full well that a weiqi player would be mesmerized by them, yet still allowed him to join...

It could be said that the one who arranged this game simply wished to play, or perhaps...

The one who uses weiqi as a means to meet, has a heart as stubborn as this eternal deadlock?

Ah, a fine way of looking at it. Yes, very fine indeed.

(Barely-controlled vibrating)

Please, go ahead and tell it to his face next time.

We have arrived.

This is the one who wished to meet you.

I suppose it is fate that determined we should meet again.

It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Yun.