As Yan Fang was in the throes of seizing a body, Li Yundong and Su Chan had already left the school, bidding farewell to Chris, Feng Na, and the others.

Along the way, the little girl clung to Li Yundong's arm, rubbing her stomach and lamenting, "Yundong, I'm starving! I haven't eaten a thing all day!"

Li Yundong paused, suddenly recalling that the girl hadn't eaten anything since she returned with Ao Wushuang that morning. He had assumed she might eat something at the evening banquet, but that hadn't happened either.

Li Yundong couldn't help but tenderly pat the top of her head and say, "Alright, I'll make you something delicious when we get back! What do you feel like eating?"

The little girl tilted her face up and giggled, "I love anything you make!"

Li Yundong considered this. They had just arrived back at the residential compound and were passing a supermarket nearby. Li Yundong smiled, "Okay, tonight I'll make seafood!"

Hearing this, the little girl's appetite was instantly whetted, and she beamed with delight, "Yes, yes! I want to eat crab!"

Li Yundong waved a generous hand, "Done!"

The two turned and headed into the supermarket. After buying several pounds of crabs in the seafood section, Su Chan walked home, carrying a basket of crabs with sheer joy radiating from her.

Upon entering the apartment, Li Yundong and Su Chan found the little foxes gathered in the living room watching television. Little Fox Lingyue spotted Li Yundong immediately and cried out, "The Sect Master is back!"

The other little foxes began to clamor too, "Sect Master, you took Su Chan out to eat, but left us here with nothing—that's not fair!"

Li Yundong asked in surprise, "You haven't eaten? Where is Ziyuan?"

Su Chan muttered to herself: To think that the grand True Person Ziyuan has devolved into the chief cook for the Fox Zen Sect? If there's no food, why is Yun Dong's first instinct to ask about her? No, I need to learn how to cook too, so that in the future, Yun Dong thinks of me first!

Lingyue explained, "True Person Ziyuan went out. After you left, she disappeared somewhere!"

Li Yundong questioned, "She didn't prepare anything for you before leaving?"

Lingyue complained, "No, she left in such a hurry that we each only managed to eat a bowl of instant noodles!" As she spoke, her gaze finally landed on the basket of crabs Su Chan was holding, and her eyes lit up with delight, "Seafood tonight?"

Su Chan quickly hid the crabs behind her back, "This is food Yundong bought for me!"

Lingyue and the other little foxes instantly looked crestfallen, fixing Li Yundong with aggrieved gazes: "Sect Master, you can't favor one over the others!"

Li Yundong chuckled wryly, "Alright, alright, I'll go cook something right now!" He then turned and smiled at Su Chan, "There, there are too many crabs for you to eat alone, and crab is cold and yin in nature—it's not good for you to eat too much. Share some with your senior and junior sisters, okay?"

Su Chan pouted unhappily. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then you have to teach me how to cook, so that later when you're not around, I won't have to eat instant noodles like them, poor thing!"

Li Yundong smiled, "Yes, yes, I'll teach you!" He said to the little foxes, "You guys keep watching TV; I'm going to cook."

The little foxes immediately cheered, "Long live the Sect Master!"

Li Yundong shook his head with a smile, tied on his apron, and entered the kitchen. The little girl followed him closely, watching his every move with wide eyes, silently memorizing everything.

When she saw Li Yundong cleaning the crabs, and then, with the water in the adjacent pot boiling, preparing to toss the crabs in to boil, the little girl couldn't help but let out a little gasp.

Li Yundong looked back and saw the little girl covering her eyes with both hands, peeking fearfully at the scene of the boiling crabs through a narrow gap between her fingers.

Knowing Su Chan was kind-hearted and soft, Li Yundong smiled and said, "Don't worry, they will achieve transcendence and liberation soon enough." With that, he tossed the crabs in one by one.

Su Chan watched as the crabs initially struggled fiercely inside the pot, but soon their shells turned bright red from the heat. Feeling a pang of pity, she softly recited the Great Compassion Mantra. After chanting for a while, she actually saw one crab stepping over the bodies of its companions, desperately trying to crawl out of the pot. The little girl reacted instantly, moving swiftly forward, reaching out, and flicking her finger to bounce the crab right back into the boiling water.

The poor crab, fighting so hard for escape, spun around once in the rolling water after Su Chan's flick and was cooked through in moments.

Li Yundong glanced sideways at Su Chan, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said, "Benefactor, what ruthless methods you possess!"

Su Chan pulled a face at Li Yundong, put her palms together, and said, "Amitabha, an early death means an early release!"

Li Yundong laughed heartily and affectionately pinched the little girl's nose.

After they had been busy in the kitchen for a while, as the little girl was carrying dishes out, she suddenly bumped into Ao Wushuang emerging from a room. The little girl's face immediately brightened, and she smiled, "Master, dinner is ready, let's eat together!"

Ao Wushuang's brows were tightly furrowed. She managed a strained smile for Su Chan and said, "You all eat. I have something I need to attend to outside."

Saying that, she walked to the balcony herself, without greeting Li Yundong or the Fox Zen Sect foxes, and transformed into a streak of green light, flying away swiftly on her own.

By then, the night was already deep. Ao Wushuang flew through the air unnoticed. She headed eastward towards Dongwu City, and only when she reached the familiar Qili Shantang did she find a secluded spot to land.

Although night had fallen, Qili Shantang was still brilliantly lit. Colorful lanterns adorned the ancient, picturesque buildings, making it look from afar like a vibrant dragon stretching along the moat. The streets were still thronged with tourists, the aroma of snacks drifted on the air, and cries of vendors reached her ears.

Ao Wushuang moved quickly through the ancient street, following a familiar route to her former residence. She stopped short before the door, her outstretched hand hovering in mid-air, as if hesitating over something.

But Ao Wushuang secretly squeezed a paper crane she held in her other hand, gritted her teeth, and pushed the door open to step inside.

As soon as she entered, Ao Wushuang saw a tall, powerfully built man seated with his back to her. In front of this man was an Eight Immortals table, and beside it, two Eight Immortals stools. On one of the stools sat a woman dressed fashionably, possessing a captivating, worldly charm. This woman was holding an oil lamp, observing Ao Wushuang with keen interest.

The man seemed aware of Ao Wushuang's arrival. Without turning his head, he pointed to the empty stool opposite him and spoke in a hoarse, aged voice, "You've come? Sit."

Ao Wushuang took a deep breath and slowly approached the man. She noticed a Go board set before him, with both the black and white stones arranged in front of himself; he was playing against himself. Ao Wushuang did not rush to sit down, instead stating sternly, "What do you want with me?"

The man smiled faintly, placed a black stone down, and said, "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

Ao Wushuang frowned, "I do, I have countless questions for you! But, can you answer them all?"

The man chuckled, "If you don't ask, how will you know if I will speak?"

Only then did Ao Wushuang sit down and say coldly, "Liu Ye, why did you fake your death? What exactly are you planning?"

Liu Ye smiled slightly, pushed the white stones toward Ao Wushuang, and replied evasively, "Don't rush. Play a game with me."

Ao Wushuang stared straight at Liu Ye, sharp as an eagle or falcon, ignoring the pieces, and immediately pushed the stones back: "I'm not good at Go. I won't play."

Liu Ye was not offended. He chuckled, "I forgot." He turned to the alluring woman beside him and said, "Meiniang, go get a set of Chinese Chess."

Meiniang smiled enchantingly, swayed her hips, and gracefully departed. Moments later, she returned with a Chinese Chess set.

Liu Ye slowly gathered the Go board, then spread out the Chinese Chess board. As he placed the pieces opposite Ao Wushuang, he remarked, "I could never understand why you enjoy playing Chinese Chess but dislike Go."

Ao Wushuang replied flatly, "Go requires too much mental exertion. I don't like it."

Liu Ye sighed softly and said, "Go is the art of war; every move conceals military strategy, so every action is a stratagem, every placement a hidden killing blow! A master plans the deployment, gaining control of the whole situation subtly without overt action. By the time those involved in the game realize it, it's already too late to reverse things!"

Ao Wushuang sneered, "Hmph, that's why I dislike Go. I dislike the feeling of being manipulated." Saying that, she looked around at her former dwelling and asked, "Did you buy this place?"

Liu Ye nodded slightly, "I just leased it back. You lived here for so long; if someone else were renting it, even if you didn't say so, you would surely feel quite sad."

Ao Wushuang remained expressionless. Taking the red pieces, her slender jade-like fingers picked up a Cannon and slammed it onto the center of the board with a forceful Cannon Two advances to Five. She said, "Are you trying to play the emotional card? Fine then, I'll ask you: Why did you fake your death? When you came looking for me back then, you had already planned this, hadn't you?"

Liu Ye smiled slightly, pressed his Horse, and moved it forward gently, countering Ao Wushuang's attack with Horse Eight advances to Seven. He replied, "Actually, with your intelligence, when you saw me on Qingcheng Mountain, you should have guessed."

A sharp light suddenly flared in Ao Wushuang's eyes. She quickly advanced a Pawn and said coldly, "It really was you! It was one thing for you to massacre Qingcheng Mountain, but why frame Li Yundong for it? Don't you know what catastrophic consequences this action could bring? Are you involving Li Yundong in this?"

Liu Ye smiled faintly and advanced a Pawn on his opposite flank, saying, "Since when did you start caring so much about Li Yundong?"

Ao Wushuang countered with her own Pawn, stating coldly, "He is the companion chosen by my disciple. Even if I don't show respect for the monk, I must show respect for the Buddha. How could I not care?"

Liu Ye sighed softly and shook his head slightly, "You, you are always too swayed by emotion, cold on the outside but hot inside! That is your fatal weakness!"

Ao Wushuang snorted dismissively and rapidly continued the game with Liu Ye.

The two exchanged moves quickly, and soon the game became a tug-of-war. However, Liu Ye's chess skill was clearly superior. Soon, Liu Ye established a position where his two Rooks threatened the King, forcing it between the left and right flanks. Ao Wushuang was distracted, playing with great difficulty. She frowned slightly and could only play Guard to defend the King.

Liu Ye smiled faintly and said, "You ask me why I framed Li Yundong? Heh, look at the current situation. Li Yundong is like this old King; he always stays confined to his small territory, rarely crossing the boundary... If I didn't use my two Rooks to attack from left and right, would he ever move out on his own?"

Ao Wushuang's brow furrowed deeply. She said coldly, "You can't even play Chinese Chess without plotting against people? Is he also one of your pawns?"

Liu Ye burst out laughing, "Heaven is the canopy, Earth is the chessboard; among all living creatures on this earth, is anyone not a piece on the board?"

Ao Wushuang stated icily, "Then how can you be sure he is definitely this old King? And how can you be sure that you will win?"

This is the second update for yesterday!

Tragedy! I, at twenty-nine years old, have developed wisdom teeth! The pain is excruciating! Half my face is almost swollen shut!

Ordinary people have thirty-six teeth, but the Buddha alone has forty. Am I, am I trying to catch up to the Buddha? M