Early morning.
Yu Yuan awoke from a long-missed deep sleep, stretched lazily, and felt refreshed in his spirit and his body.
In recent days, he had been residing in the Heavenly Emperor Hall, neither stepping out the main gate nor crossing the second, yet he felt no sense of constraint or entrapment, only tranquility and peace.
The Great God Fu Xi was magnanimous and did not press Yu Yuan about his affairs.
Nor did Yu Yuan volunteer much information.
That day, while the two were playing a game of chess, Yu Yuan casually remarked, "Your Majesty, this place is indeed tranquil, a fine location conducive to serene cultivation, superior by far to the Penglai Holy Realm."
The Great God Fu Xi smiled gently, then pointed to the chessboard and said, "Checkmate."
Yu Yuan looked down only to find his side's camp scattered in disarray, utterly defeated, with not a single chance left for his trapped general.
"Lost again."
