"Where's your boss?" I asked comfortably, lying on the sofa. From Mengmeng's expression, I knew everything was peaceful and safe on her end.
"She's taking a bath. We were playing chess, and she lost, hahaha, she's mad." Mengmeng switched the camera to show the chessboard on the table.
I noticed they were still in the same villa, having just reconnected the electricity. I wasn't sure if they figured it out themselves or contacted Cheng Xiaojuan.
"Nothing happened, right?" I asked, just to be sure.
"No, we've just been playing chess."
"Why the sudden interest in chess?" I asked.
"I heard there's going to be a competition? I'm not too sure," Mengmeng said.
A competition? Could the chess gambling from the underworld have spread to the mortal realm? Impossible. Speaking of gambling, the mortal realm had far more varied methods; why bother with time-consuming chess?
The sound of a sliding door came from the screen. The camera shifted, and Yao Yao appeared. Her bathrobe was still in the bathroom. Mengmeng, understanding my thoughts, kept the camera focused on Yao Yao. Yao Yao, however, seemed a bit distracted, wiping her hair with a towel and deep in thought. She walked over to the table and sat on the sofa opposite Mengmeng, tying the towel around her head and then focusing on arranging the pieces on the chessboard.
"Hey, hey, Mengmeng," I reminded her, "stop filming me, look at the chessboard below."
"Huh?" Yao Yao snapped back to attention and looked at the camera. "You're here."
"Yeah, what are you guys researching?" I asked. "What chess competition?"
"I've only heard that Shabiya is going to hold a Demon Race Chess Competition soon."
"...What does that mean?" I asked, confused. The Demon Race playing chess would surely be inferior to humans, unless they were ancient demons like Diana or Daji, who had lived for thousands of years and spent hundreds of years studying chess.
"It's not the kind of competition you're thinking of," Yao Yao shook her head, looking out the window thoughtfully. "This kind of competition hasn't been held for a very long time. You should ask Daji. She's lived through so many dynasties, she should know better than I do."
"Oh... I'll go ask her then."
After hanging up, I went to the armrest and used my Qi sensing technique to check. The hotel door panels were wooden, which never interfered with the Qi sensing vision. I clearly saw Daji sitting on a chair, seemingly reading?
But then, I realized it wasn't. My phone buzzed. It was Daji, who had just added me on WeChat when she went shopping tonight.
"Why are you looking for me?"
I knocked directly on the door. "Immortal Venerable, I have something to consult you about."
Daji's aura drifted over, and she opened the door for me. She must have taken another bath; she looked just as wet as when I'd first seen her. I had to admit, her figure (whether it was her original body or one she'd taken over) was impeccably maintained, fitting the standards of a modern beauty. I generally don't like women over 1.7 meters tall, but despite Daji being that height, her proportions were incredibly natural and graceful. She didn't look "stout" due to her larger frame, nor was she so skinny that she felt insubstantial.
"Hm?" Daji smiled. "What are you waiting for? Come in and sit."
With that, she walked to the table and sat back in her original spot. I closed the door behind me and followed her. To my surprise, she was also studying chess, but not with physical pieces. She was sketching a chessboard on the hotel's notepad and simulating moves.
"I heard Shabiya is holding a Demon Race Chess Competition? What kind of competition is that? Mu Jige said it hasn't been held for a long time," I asked directly.
Daji turned to look at me. "Take off your shoes and sit on the bed."
"Huh?" I froze. She was inviting me to the bed so directly? While I had fantasized about it, I hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
I feigned hesitation, walked to the bedside, took off my slippers and outer jacket, and knelt on the bed.