Chapter 451: The Blind Chess Player

After Yu Liancheng and Yu Youwei finished breakfast at the inn, they planned to wander around Xiangfan City to admire the scenery, then head to Xiangguo Lane to visit that Li Shuangjia.

Afterwards, they would leave Xiangfan City and continue their journey toward Jixia Academy.

"I don't know why, but even though yesterday was clearly much clearer than today, I always feel that today is warmer, without that kind of gloomy feeling." Yu Youwei held her white cat, dressed in a gorgeous, perfectly fitted gown.

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "Perhaps it is because I have already sent all the ghosts and monsters in this city to the afterlife."

"You're just spouting nonsense." Yu Youwei gave Yu Liancheng a coquettish, white-eyed glare.

Pedestrians on the street hurried by, whispering to one another. Some said they dreamed of a procession of ten thousand ghosts last night, others said they saw the Buddha manifest, and some were visited in dreams by their ancestors...

Yu Liancheng first took Yu Youwei for a stroll around the nearby, quite famous Baishedi.

Legend has it that several hundred years ago, a Land Immortal could not stand the white snake stirring up trouble in the lake, so he struck it down with a single sword. After the white snake died, its massive body became a white embankment, which is the origin of the name Baishedi. If one looks down from a high vantage point, one will be startled to find that the embankment indeed winds like a white snake.

It is interesting to note that since ancient times, stories and legends involving immortals have all been related to Sword Immortals; one has almost never heard of any legends related to Blade Immortals.

The pugilistic world is the same; since ancient times, the sword has been held in highest esteem.

The Old Sword God Li Chungang and the New Sword God Deng Taie each lead the trend, while among blade users, only Gu Jiantang holds up the pillar, and he is not even a person of the pugilistic world.

It is as if those who use blades are all reckless, burly men, and one feels embarrassed to even mention it to others when out and about.

Along this journey, they encountered the usual poets and scholars singing or reciting, wantonly showing off.

Unfortunately, both of them turned a blind eye. Yu Liancheng glanced at Yu Youwei and smiled: "Logically speaking, your father is a Jixia Scholar of Shangyin Academy, so you should also like the sons of scholarly families, right?"

Yu Youwei said softly: "Of those self-proclaimed romantic poets and scholars, how many are truly learned men? And as for those romantic figures who claim to laugh at princes and nobles, I fear that if given an official post, they would scramble to be someone's dog. As for those sour scholars who want to resist the Northern Barbarians and unify the world, they haven't even killed a chicken. How could one possibly like such people?"

"Listening to you say that, it really is true that 'of all things, the scholar is the most useless'," Yu Liancheng chuckled.

Yu Youwei stroked the white cat and said: "The world is not lacking in people with true talent and learning who can govern the world and save the people. It is just a pity that they are few and far between."

Yu Liancheng chuckled and said: "Today you are going to meet two of them."

Yu Youwei's heart stirred: "Are they the two you came to Xiangfan to find?"

Yu Liancheng nodded.

"Then I shall wait and see."

The two then wandered around the city, and before long, they arrived outside an alley.

This alley was packed with people, including many romantic young scholars in green robes; walking closer to take a look, they were gambling on chess, with people squatting, sitting, and standing.

Yu Youwei then recalled the inn waiter's introduction to Xiangfan City; there were two well-known alleys in Xiangfan. One was Xiangguo Lane, a true den of debauchery.

The other alley was this Yonganlane before them. Those sitting against the walls in the alley were all wild chess players, placing bets of different amounts based on the strength of their own chess skills, luring in itchy-handed passersby and chess fanatics. The bets were often a few or a dozen copper coins—a small gamble for amusement, and extremely refined.

Of course, every trade and every path has its own rules, and chess gambling is the same.

It is not difficult to want to win at chess, but one must also pay attention to propriety; if one makes the opponent lose so badly that they are left in a sorry state with an ugly expression, never mind asking for money, it would not be impossible for them to flip the entire chessboard over.

After watching for a little while, Yu Liancheng pulled Yu Youwei and came before a betting chess player.

This was a young man who looked like a down-and-out scholar, his clothes patched and repatched, his shoes and socks turned white, with ten chess pieces placed on an empty Chessboard.

After the brief understanding earlier, Yu Youwei understood that these ten chess pieces meant that if he lost, he would have to pay out ten times the stake. Ordinary chess gambling only involved placing two or three pieces; five was almost unheard of, which showed that this wild chess player was quite confident.

If it were just that his chess skills were superb, that would be one thing, but what was even stranger was that this wild chess player was actually blind.

The blind chess player heard that a guest had arrived and even guessed the guest's confusion, smiling slightly: "Setting Seeds has a sound; I know where the piece has landed by listening to the sound."

Yu Liancheng sat cross-legged and casually placed a black piece: "Since you are a blind chess player and dare to set up a game here, I imagine your attainments in chess are not ordinary."

"Just making a living, that's all."

The blind chess player smiled slightly and followed up by placing a piece.

Yu Liancheng casually placed another black piece and said: "Tsk, you don't look like a rich man, yet you dare to bet ten to one; be careful you don't lose your pants. Tell me, how much capital do you have? Don't lie."

The blind chess player fished a dozen copper coins from his bosom, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a tattered chess manual, which counted as his entire net worth.

"You really are poor enough."

Yu Liancheng shook his head and followed up by placing another black piece.

"Although I am a bit poor, fortunately, it is all clean money."

The blind chess player frowned slightly; the opponent's first and second moves were both mediocre, and this move was completely without logic. Could it be that he didn't understand chess and was deliberately here to cause trouble?

However, after only a brief moment of contemplation, he went his own way and placed his piece.

"A good 'clean money'."

Yu Liancheng snapped his fingers. The blind chess player frowned; he suddenly felt the surroundings go quiet, to the point where one could hear a pin drop.

"Don't worry, I have merely used Qi to isolate the sound of this few-foot radius from the outside world." Yu Liancheng looked at him and smiled as he placed a piece, still very casually.

And the blind chess player did not show the panic one might imagine, only asking in confusion: "I wonder what the guest means?"

Yu Liancheng said: "Three thousand two hundred and thirteen taels."

"What?"

Yu Liancheng smiled: "I am betting three thousand two hundred and thirteen taels."

"I only have a dozen copper coins on me; I cannot afford to bet." The blind chess player shook his head and placed a piece.

"If you win, three thousand taels will be handed over to you. If you lose, you will sell all the thousands of pounds of books and ten thousand pounds of talent in your belly to me," Yu Liancheng said.

"The price is too low. May I ask your honorable name?" The blind chess player pondered for a moment, did not refuse, and placed another white piece.

"The price is indeed low, but this is all the money I have on me. Murong Tonghuang."

"Murong Tonghuang?!" The blind chess player twisted the white piece in his hand, his brows raised: "Going to Beiliang or Huishan?"

"Huishan is, after all, only a corner of the pugilistic world; only Beiliang can bring your talents into full play, sir."

"Fine, I agree." The blind chess player placed a white piece.

"With your learning, sir, even one hundred thousand taels of gold could not buy it; it is a pity I only have three thousand taels of silver on me." Yu Liancheng placed a black piece.

"What is even more a pity is that you will not be able to get these three thousand taels, sir."

As he spoke, the piece landed, and Yu Liancheng's temperament gradually changed; a pair of eyes carried a profound light of Zhihui, as if they could see through all the mysteries in the world.

"Is Young Master Murong joking? I see that I have clearly already won." The blind chess player placed a white piece and smiled slightly: "Winning over three thousand taels of silver so easily, I must thank Young Master Murong. However, human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; I only need those two hundred taels of silver, and please use the rest for you and this young lady beside you to drink."

Yu Youwei beside him held her white cat, her beautiful eyes also looking toward the Chessboard. It was clearly not yet the middle game, yet the blind chess player's method of arranging the pieces was orderly, while the black pieces, by contrast, were very scattered, as if placed at random.

Although she had played a few games with Yu Liancheng, she believed her own chess skill was on par with his, separated by only a hair's breadth. In the current situation, if she were to turn the tables, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Especially since this blind chess player was no mediocre hand; he had previously played several stunning moves.

"You are quite generous." Yu Liancheng blinked and placed a piece, having already grasped the entire chess game in his mind: "However, as a loser, you don't need to talk so much nonsense; only the winner takes all."

With his current abilities, wanting to deduce the variations of a chess game was truly simple.

If the person in front of him were that fellow Huang Longshi, there would still be something to look forward to. But this blind scholar was still far too lacking.

The blind chess player's expression grew solemn; he no longer placed pieces with lightning speed, only placing them after a moment of deliberation.

In the time that followed, both remained silent, focusing on the chess game before them, the sound of pieces landing on the Chessboard ringing out.

As time passed, the speed at which the blind chess player placed his pieces grew slower and slower, his face full of contemplation, his brows furrowing deeper.

His originally straight posture also showed a slight tendency to lean forward.

It was as if every piece Yu Liancheng placed exerted a heavy force upon him, as if he were bearing a weight of a thousand jun on his back.

Yu Youwei watched, her heart pounding; the idle pieces Yu Liancheng had previously placed suddenly struck out, causing the entire game to brim with fierce murderous intent, like a tiger swallowing ten thousand miles.

The blind chess player's pieces were like a lone boat in a storm, swaying precariously. It was fortunate that his chess skill was not low, otherwise, the boat would have capsized and the man perished in an instant.

Past the middle game, Yu Liancheng tapped his fingers on the Chessboard and said calmly: "Rather than lingering on in a desperate struggle, it is better to abandon the pieces and concede, at least to preserve some dignity."

The blind chess player shook his head and said: "A strategist plans affairs. Man proposes, God disposes; until the very last moment, who wins and who loses, who can say for sure?"

"Since you do not want dignity, then I can only help you achieve it."

Bang! Bang! Bang...

In an instant, only the sound of chess pieces remained.

After another long while, the blind chess player sighed and tossed his piece to concede: "I have lost. From this day forward, Lu Xu shall be a strategist for the Beiliang Prince Mansion."

"Wrong," said Yu Liancheng.

"Wrong?"

"You are my, Murong Tonghuang's, man." Yu Liancheng said: "How long do you intend to stay before setting off? There are currently no wars in Beiliang, so it is fine even if it is a little later."

The blind chess player pondered for a long while: "Let it be three days from now. After all, I have stayed in Xiangfan for a long time, and there are still some people and matters to attend to."

"Good, someone will come to take you to Beiliang then." Yu Liancheng rose to his full height and was about to leave when he stood still, fished out two hundred-tael silver notes and a handful of loose silver from his robes: "You treated me to three thousand taels of wine, I will treat you to two hundred taels of tea."

"Then I thank you, Young Master." The blind chess player smiled slightly and accepted it calmly.

After bidding farewell to this blind chess player, Yu Liancheng asked with a smile: "What do you think of this person?"

"To observe chess is to observe the man. This person hides ravines in his chest, is skilled in layout, and has a resilient nature... However, after all, we only played one game. Do you know this person's background and temperament? If such a fellow harbors evil intentions, the harm would be no less than that of a general holding power." Yu Youwei weighed her words, but it was not hard to see that she was full of praise for this blind chess player.

"Rest assured, I have my own plans," Yu Liancheng laughed.

At the same time, pieces of information flashed rapidly through his mind.

Lu Xu, grandson of Luyou, a great Confucian of the previous generation, son of Luxiong; truly three heroes in one family.

Because he wrote the history of Western Chu and spoke a few words of justice for scholars, he was framed by others and nearly had his entire family executed. He had no choice but to stab his own eyes and cut off his own official career to barely save his life. For ten years, he lived by gambling on chess and playing the zither for women in the brothels at the end of Xiangguo Lane.

This person is kind and gentle by nature; he would risk his life even for a singing girl. He is a person worth investing effort in; when war breaks out in Beiliang in the future, he might be put to great use.

By the way, his enemy has become the Governor of HaichangCounty.

If Yu Liancheng wanted to take the Governor's life, it would be as easy as reaching into his pocket.

But for such a mortal enemy, only by doing it himself can one vent the pleasure of revenge.

Yu Liancheng asked with a chuckle again: "What do you think of this person's chess technique?"

"He can be called a national master." After this comment, Yu Xuanji glanced at Yu Liancheng again. So this fellow's chess skill was so remarkable; she did not lose unjustly. She had even thought of taking revenge; it was simply overestimating her own strength.

"The second person we are going to meet is the one who taught him how to play chess. That old man's chess skill is even more extraordinary, but his character is not great; he prefers to use people as chess pieces. Meeting him this time, if we cannot reach an agreement, it will be inevitable to flip his Chessboard and kick him in the face, though beating up an old man always feels not quite right."