Autumn Waters Pavilion's First Mahjong God Championship, Damn It

The tail end of winter had yet to pass, and the morning sun shone brightly, casting a radiant glow over the snow-covered peaks of the Qingyuan Mountain Range.

In the boudoir on the second floor, a stunningly beautiful girl—like the finishing touch to a snowy mountain vista—stood by the railing, her jade-like face cool and detached as she gazed into the distance, seemingly admiring the wintry scenery.

But upon closer inspection, one might notice a faint trace of absentmindedness in her serene eyes.

The moment she opened the window, she heard Li Mo slam the table and utter those two sentences.

‘He... has never been in love....’

‘He... doesn’t understand love...’

As Ying Bing reminisced, her thoughts drifted back to her past life.

It seemed that ever since her family had perished, she had severed all earthly attachments. Watching others suffer for the sake of love, she dismissed it as self-inflicted torment.

Heaven and Earth were unfeeling; the Great Dao was merciless.

This was what she had always believed, and her ascension to the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had only proven her right.

Thus, as the master of the Moon Palace, she decreed that all its disciples must purify their hearts, free from distractions, and devote themselves entirely to the pursuit of the Great Dao.

Though the sect rules were strict, disciples still repeatedly broke the taboo.

The word "love"—once touched—seemed to make people foolish......

From then on, she became even more convinced.

Love makes people stupid.

And so, her world became one of solitude, cold and desolate. Back then, she would often admire the snow alone. Though the snow was no match for the chill of her breath, she sometimes still felt... a little cold?

Until her rebirth.

A certain sunny smile, long faded by time, inexplicably barged into her life, letting the brilliance of springtime fall upon the snowy peaks.

And, as if fate had a twisted sense of humor, she even ended up with a system.

And, as if fate wasn’t done toying with her, she somehow lost a few times......

So, one thing led to another, and gradually, she grew accustomed to being led by him, eating food he fed her, and calling him "little rascal."

Occasionally, she would startle at the realization that she wasn’t quite the same as before.

Yet, this change wasn’t something she could bring herself to dislike.

Was this...

What they called being in love?

Ying Bing didn’t know. The words "affection" and "love" had been separated from her by an impenetrable layer of ice in her past life, and even now, they remained hazy, like flowers veiled in mist.

So she changed her dress, descended the stairs, and walked over to Li Mo, who was sitting on the threshold of the courtyard gate, lost in thought. She took a seat beside him.

"What are you eating?"

"Mmm... fried dough sticks. Want some?"

And so, the two of them sat side by side on the threshold, braving the biting wind, sipping soy milk and munching on fried dough sticks as they watched the sun climb over the snowy mountains, painting the sky in brilliant hues before being dotted with wisps of white clouds.

Even Li Mo, the self-proclaimed love guru, had his own share of confusion.

When advising others, he was eloquent, authoritative, and full of wisdom.

But when it came to putting theory into practice, even he was at a loss.

"Want more soy milk?"

"Mhm."

Li Mo went to fetch another bowl. Glancing at the ice block—Ying Bing—hugging her knees on the threshold, he couldn’t help but feel like this was all a little surreal.

"I want it hotter."

"This isn’t hot enough?"

Li Mo wondered why the ice block suddenly had a taste for scalding drinks today.

Wasn’t this already warm enough?

Channeling his true essence, he heated the soy milk further before scooping up a spoonful.

"Try it now."

"Hiss..."

With an impassive expression, Ying Bing parted her crimson lips and gracefully sipped the piping-hot soy milk. Then, she exhaled lightly, a faint puff of steam escaping—just enough to catch a glimpse of a delicate, pink tongue cooling itself.

"I don’t think it’s that hot."

"Yeah, not hot at all..."

Li Mo puzzledly drank the remaining soy milk from his spoon, even smacking his lips twice.

Strange.

No sugar was added, so why was there a faint, lingering sweetness...?

Li Mo scratched his neck—why had it been so itchy lately?

The ice block (Ying Bing) silently averted her gaze from his neck.

"Huh? Weren’t we playing mahjong?"

Qin Yuzhi had just set up the mahjong table and now stood there with a look of utter bewilderment, her expression reminiscent of Uncle Da’s "I don’t even have a car yet."

"You two started eating instead?"

"Want to join us?"

"...Not really hungry."

Qin Yuzhi had slept for thousands of years, yet she inexplicably felt full. Was it stubbornness?

Or sheer desperation to play mahjong?

Oh, right.

Li Mo’s "Love Operation" (a name Qin Yuzhi came up with)—had it already begun...?

At this thought, she grew wary:

"You two aren’t playing love tiles, are you?"

"What’s love tiles?"

Ying Bing tilted her head—she’d never heard of it.

"A newbie?" Qin Yuzhi narrowed her eyes, a hint of mischief flashing.

Then prepare to pay the "tuition fee."

"Seems we’re still missing someone?"

Little Li finally remembered—there was one more person in the Autumn Water Pavilion. That "chugging champion" of a fierce woman had probably passed out drunk again...

So he pushed open his beautiful master’s door, only to find an unidentified figure sprawled inelegantly across the bed, limbs splayed, snoring loudly.

"Master!"

He yanked the blanket off.

"Hmm?"

Shang Wu groggily opened her eyes, laziness laced with murderous intent.

This had better be important, or you might regret it.

"Mahjong, three players short of one."

"Bold of you to challenge me! I’m the Qingyuan Sect’s undisputed Mahjong Queen—I once nearly plucked a phoenix bare to use as the One Bamboo tile!"

Shang Wu instantly perked up, striding out with vigor. It had been ages since she last played.

Once, she’d even proposed an annual Qingyuan Sect Mahjong Tournament to the Sect Leader.

Sadly, it was unanimously vetoed.

And so, the Autumn Water Pavilion’s inaugural Mahjong Championship officially began!

While peace and mahjong reigned here...

...on the mountain path leading to the main peak’s grand hall, Elder Zeng of the Hengyun Sword City and the "Three Heroes of Hengyun" trudged forward, faces heavy with grief and reeking of last night’s alcohol.

Every few steps, they sighed deeply.

Amidst the sighs, they reached the grand hall.

"Old Zeng? What’s the matter...?"

Elder Hanhe happened to be heading to the hall as well. He and Elder Zeng were old acquaintances—years ago, they’d even collaborated on forging a weapon, and they occasionally exchanged smithing techniques.

But Elder Zeng, blessed with superior talent and higher cultivation, had since become a master forger.

"Ah... I’m not here for you this time."

Elder Zeng heaved another weighty sigh.

"Then what’s wrong?"

"It’s about Li Mo. I’ll explain once we see Brother Shangguan."

Li Mo?

Elder Hanhe froze. He’d just passed the Autumn Water Pavilion and seen the kid playing mahjong!

Honestly, the boy couldn’t even bother to announce his return from Rotten Ke Mountain...

The two entered the hall.

Upon seeing Shangguan Wencang, Elder Zeng’s first words were:

"Brother Shangguan, my condolences."

"??"

Shangguan Wencang exhaled a puff of pipe smoke, utterly baffled.

"Your sect’s Li Mo... perished in the Cloud Dream Palace. I saw it with my own eyes."

"How is that possible???"

Elder Hanhe leaned back slightly.

That kid was literally playing mahjong just now!

Yet both men immediately took it seriously—after all, Elder Zeng was at the External Scenery realm, his vision unparalleled.

"Absolutely certain. I even brought back his remains."

Elder Zeng took out that strand of hair and recounted the incident with palpable grief, his story vivid and detailed.

Elder Hanhe's mind buzzed in disbelief.

Then who was that person playing mahjong at the Autumn Water Pavilion?

A sudden chill ran down his spine.

From Elder Zeng's tone, it was clear that the Cloud Dream Underground Palace was an eerie place. Could it be that he had just...

Seen a ghost?!

........

This little hack hasn't had a break in ages T-T