Chapter Five: The Game of Go

  Behind Master Hui Ze, there is a square door with a horizontal wooden plaque in the center, inscribed with "The Room of Emptiness and Whiteness". On both sides are couplets made of Chinese olive wood, which read: "Tea smoke suddenly rises, crane dreams not yet awakened, within this, one can gain some delightful interest; Pine wind gently comes, mountain spring clearly heard, where else can one find a speck of dust?" The calligraphy is unusually ancient and simple. Inscribed by: Disciple Bai Yingmian.

  Bai Yun's heart warmed with surprise, "Isn't this the name of our ancestors?"

  His ancestor, Bai Hongming, was an official who served as the Right Vice Minister of War. He loved collecting ancient books and got to know a book collector named Mr. Wan. Mr. Wan valued his young talent and married his only daughter, Wan Hua, to him, and gave the Wan Hua Lou, which contained all his life's collection of 10,000 volumes, as her dowry.

  In his later years, Bai Guang built the Wanjuan Building, fearing fire, water can overcome fire, so according to the principle of "gold can produce water, more water and gold sink; strong gold gets water, and only then can its edge be blunted" in the five elements, he named the new library "Qiangjin Pavilion".

  The emperor wrote in his own handwriting on the wall: The strong wind and rain of Jin Ge, hide all the books in the world.

  The Bai family was once prosperous and limitless. This Lingyun Temple was built with donations from Bai Yunyu in the spring when he was in high spirits.

  By the time of White Cloud's great-grandfather, grandfather and father, three generations later, the White family's influence had gradually weakened.

  In her previous life, her father had brought his family to Lingyun Temple to worship Buddha and pray for blessings, commemorating their ancestors. However, it was with his second wife and the children she bore that he came. Bai Yunnuan was always left behind to watch the house on New Year's Day. It wasn't that her father didn't let her come, but rather that as a widow's daughter, she had long been raised with a introverted personality.

  "Master Huize, you've gone to the trouble of coming out to greet me yourself." Bai Yushu bowed his hands in a salute towards Huize, a smile spreading across his face.

  "This Lingyun Temple was originally built with donations from Mr. Bai Hongmian, and when Old Master Bai came to the temple on New Year's Day with his family to burn incense, it was like returning home."

  Master Huize has a dignified appearance, with an upright and majestic aura. He wears a simple colored kasaya, fluttering like an immortal. The several disciples behind him are also bright and self-cleansed Buddhist gentlemen.

  Exchanged a few pleasantries with Bai Yushu, "All's well that ends well, happy new year", and then walked in hand in hand.

  Bai Yun warmed up with her parents and elder brother in Lingyun Temple, burning incense and worshiping Buddha, bustling for half a day. The memories of the past twelve years also gradually resurfaced.

  In previous years, after the Bai family finished worshiping at Lingyun Temple, they would return to Luozhou County on the same day. At most, they would stay in the temple for lunch and have some vegetarian food. This year, however, Bai Yushu asked his family to stay overnight at Lingyun Temple, but it was unclear what he had in mind.

  Bai Yun didn't care about her father's reason for staying in the temple, she just went to rest with her mother in the temple's wing room.

  The wing room where the Bai family stayed was on the east side of Lingyun Temple, and it was not in the same place as the monks' dormitory on the west side, so as not to disturb the monks' practice.

  Bai Jiang was frightened on the way here and had been kneeling in the temple for half a day, so she was very tired. Bai Yunnuan let Zhen Niang serve her to take a nap, while he played chess with Bai Zhenxuan in the wing room.

  White clouds warm will rain ink brush sent away corridor below blow wind, house in just left heart inkstone wait tea water.

  Xin Yue kept adding hot tea to Bai Yun's teacup at all times, with a nervous look on her face.

  Bai Yun knew she was worried about her sister and pretended not to look at her.

  Bai Zhenxuan was killed in a few games, and Bai Yunnu won one or two pieces from her brother every game. Bai Zhenxuan smiled: "Ah Nuan is really amazing, before playing chess it was either regretting the move or being unreasonable, today she can actually win her brother's chess, and win with great skill, it seems that growing up for a year is different, brain suddenly brightened."

  "What's so special about playing chess? Heart Abacus is even better than me!" Bai Yunnuo said, and then regretted it. In her past life, she was bedridden, lonely and idle, with nothing to do but play chess, read books, and chat to pass the time. Her chess skills naturally improved, and along with "accompanying the prince to study" Heart Abacus's chess skills and knowledge also made great progress. But how is Heart Abacus's chess skills and knowledge in this life?

  Bai Zhenxuan's curious and surprised gaze turned to Xinxin, "Oh? Does Xinxin also play chess? How did this young master not know about it?"

  Xin Yan's face turned red in an instant, her head shaking like a rattle drum, she said urgently: "Miss, why are you teasing Xin Yan? Xin Yan has never learned to play chess. Xin Yan is just a rough servant girl, as long as she can serve Miss without making mistakes, it's already a great luck. Music, chess, calligraphy and painting are the hobbies of young masters like you, Xin Yan doesn't know how to do them."

  By the time she finished speaking, her face had turned red all the way to the base of her neck.

  Bai Yun smiled warmly and shook her head. Xin Yue was still the same honest and simple Xin Yue.

  "What's the big deal? Let this young Japanese master teach you!" Bai Zhenxuan laughed heartily.

  "Xīn yuè kě bù gǎn." Xīn yuè yuè shì jú cuò, Bái Zhèn Xuān yuè fā yǒu le dòu qù tā de yì si, tā ná qǐ xīn yuè tiān de rè chá yī kǒu mō diào, dào: "zhè bài shī chá wǒ xiān hē le."

  Translation:

  "Xin Yue dare not." Xin Yue was even more flustered, and Bai Zhen Xuan became even more amused by her. He picked up the hot tea that Xin Yue had poured and took a sip, saying: "I'll drink this master-disciple tea first."

  Xiang Xin's face turned red with anger, and his neck thickened. Bai Yun and Bai Zhenxuan burst out laughing at the same time.

  Right then, from outside the window came a heavy coughing sound. Xin Yue's heart skipped a beat as she immediately knelt down in front of Bai Yun, "Miss, please forgive Yu Mo! She knows she was wrong, she shouldn't have taken Miss's hairpin. It's all my fault, I didn't teach my sister well. Please punish me instead, don't make Yu Mo stand in the corridor and catch a cold. If she gets sick, there will be one less person to serve you."

  Xin Yan looked at Bai Yunnuan with a pleading expression, but Bai Yunnuan's eyes turned cold.

  If it weren't for Xin Zuan's words, she had just been reborn and really didn't know about Yu Mo's unclean hands and feet.

  "If she was wrong, then she should be punished, but you didn't do anything wrong, so how can you take the punishment for her?"

  Bai Yun's warm words were met with a cold and severe attitude, her heart was moved to tears.

  Outside the window, the sound of raindrops hitting the ground became more urgent.

  Xin Yan's eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at Bai Yunnuan. Bai Yunnuan's heart was filled with gloom: "Xin Yan, foolish girl, you have fraternal feelings for her, but does she appreciate the bond of siblings? If I don't properly discipline Yu Mo today, tomorrow you'll suffer at her hands. Must I stand by and watch you die by her hand again in this lifetime?"

  Who can understand the depression in Baiyun's heart? Yuemo is also her own sister. Sisters are connected at heart, Yuemo may not be sensible, but as an elder sister, she cannot bear to see her younger sister suffer.

  The two masters and servants were at a stalemate, and Bai Zhuanxuan mediated: "Anuann, the Buddhist holy land emphasizes compassion, let's deal with Yuemo's matter when we return to the White House, okay?"

  "Brother said so, can't Ah Nuan even give brother a little face?" Bai Yunnuo glanced at the kneeling Xin Yue and said softly, "On such a cold day, why are you still kneeling on the ground? I'm afraid that by the time Rain Ink recovers from his illness, you'll be the one who's caught a chill first. If you catch a chill, then there won't be anyone left by my side who truly cares about me."

  Xin Yan quickly warmed up the white cloud and knocked his head, thanking "Thank you, young master and miss", then got up and ran out in a hurry.

  Xin Yue ran under the corridor and saw Yu Mo curled up against a pillar, coughing. She quickly took off her own cotton jacket and wrapped it around her sister's body.

  Yu Mo was shivering all over, when suddenly his shoulder felt warm. He turned around to see Xin Yan, and tears of grievance rolled down instantly. He muttered: "Sister..."

  "It's all right, it's all right, the young lady won't punish you anymore. Remember, don't do it again in the future." Xīn Yuān repeatedly reminded him.

  Yu Mo nodded, but in her heart, her resentment towards Bai Yun grew. It was just a hairpin, wasn't it? It had been pressed under the young lady's jewelry box for a whole year without being taken out to wear. She had picked it up casually and made use of it, but did she have to be treated like this? On this snowy day, making her stand in the corridor and face the cold north wind was simply trying to take her life.

  Inside the house, Bai Zhenxuan looked at his sister inquisitively, "An Nuan, you have a biased attitude towards those two maidservants!"

  Baiyun tidied up the chessboard with a disapproving expression, putting away the black and white pieces one by one into the chess box. In her heart, she thought, "Brother doesn't know what kind of experiences I had in my past life. If in this life I still have to tolerate and forgive wicked people who forget kindness and righteousness, then I'm too worthless."

  Bai Zhuanxuan saw his sister not making a sound, and while helping to put away the chess pieces, he continued: "In the past, the two sisters sold themselves to bury their father. It was you, An Nuan, who personally brought them back to the Bai family. There's a saying that goes 'rescue people to the end', did you rescue them just to torment them?"

  Bai Yun warmly lifted her head and smiled at Bai Zhenxuan, "Brother, you're wrong. I only torment Yu Mo, but to Xin Tian, I will still treat her kindly."

  "Why?"

  "Because of Rain's unorthodox methods," said Bai Yunnuo bluntly, "doesn't your attitude towards the two sisters differ greatly as well, brother?"

  Bai Zhenxuan didn't expect Bai Yunnuan to suddenly turn back and ask: "What's going on?"

  "Where is he? You want to teach Xin Yu how to play chess, why don't I see you teaching Yu Mo how to play chess?"

  Bai Zhenxuan's face suddenly flushed with anger, "Can't I teach both of you?"

  Bai Yun warmed up with a "pfft" laugh, "In that case, Ah Nuan will thank Mr. Bai on behalf of Yu Mo."

  At this time, a voice came from outside the house, "Young master, the old master wants you to go to the inner hall."