Sword Arrives

However, Song Jixin had little interest in playing chess, often half-hearted in his efforts. In contrast, the less talented young man in blue, who was both a student at the village school and served as a personal attendant, benefited greatly from his daily interactions with Mr. Qi. Even by merely observing Mr. Qi sitting quietly and studying chess strategies, he gained much. Therefore, the young man in blue, who initially could only occasionally win when playing as Black, had now reached a point where he stood an even chance against Song Jixin when playing as Black. His improvement in chess skills and strategies was evident. Mr. Qi remained silent and spectated this shift in their abilities without comment.

Just as Song Jixin was about to pick up a piece, Mr. Qi suddenly said, "Today, you will play a game with fixed pieces, the one who play as White will move first."

Both youth were puzzled and unaware of what "game with fixed pieces" meant.

Mr. Qi explained the rules calmly and clearly, which were quite simple—placing one black piece and one white piece each on the four corners of the chessboard.

The middle-aged man's movements as he picked up and placed the pieces were skilled and fluid, a delight to behold.

Upon hearing this "bad news," the rule-abiding young man in blue, who usually adhered strictly to the rules, stared in disbelief at the chessboard before cautiously saying, "Sir, many established patterns seem to be unusable now."

Song Jixin furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before his eyes lit up and he said with a relaxed expression, "The layout of the board has shrunk."

Then, as if seeking recognition for his insight, Song Jixin looked up and asked with a smile, "Right, Mr. Qi?"

The middle-aged scholar nodded and said, "Indeed."

Song Jixin winked at his peer opposite and asked with a smile, "Shall I let you two moves first? Otherwise, you're definitely going to lose."

The young man opposite immediately blushed and stammered, for he knew perfectly well that the increasing number of his victories was not solely due to his improving chess skills. In fact, the real reason was that Song Jixin had been increasingly absent-minded and even somewhat bored with playing chess over the past two years. In many critical moves, Song Jixin deliberately threw the game or took risky moves in the middle game despite having an advantageous opening.

For Song Jixin, a talented chess player, whether it was fun and interesting was his top priority when it came to playing chess.

For the young man in blue, from the moment he first placed a piece on the chessboard, he had been obsessed with winning.

Mr. Qi looked at his disciple and said, "You can take white and go first."

From then on, the young man in blue moved his pieces slowly, cautiously, and strategically, one step at a time. Song Jixin, however, continued to place his pieces swiftly, making bold moves.

The two had vastly different personalities.

Within just over eighty moves, the young man in blue was defeated comprehensively, hanging his head in silence and tightly pursing his lips.

Song Jixin leaned his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand, while his other hand, with two fingers pinching a chess piece, gently tapped against the stone table as he gazed intently at the chessboard.

According to Mr. Qi's rules, during a game of chess, one simply surrenders by quietly placing their pieces back without uttering the words, "I lose."

No matter how reluctant the young man in blue felt, he slowly returned his pieces.

Mr. Qi instructed his disciple, "Go practice calligraphy. You don't need to tidy up the chessboard. Write three hundred 'yong' characters."

The young man in blue quickly stood up, bowing respectfully and taking his leave.

Only after the young man's figure disappeared did Song Jixin softly ask, "Is Mr. Qi also leaving this place?"

The erudite scholar, with frosted temples, nodded and said, "I will be leaving within ten days."

Song Jixin smiled, "That's perfect. I can see you off."

The scholar hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "There's no need for a farewell. Song Jixin, remember not to be too flashy when you leave this small town. I have nothing else with me but three books for beginners: 'Primary Education', 'Rituals and Music', and 'A Collection of Fine Essays'. You may take them all and review them often, remembering that the meaning of a book will become clear after reading it hundreds of times. If you can read tens of thousands of books, your writing will flow as if guided by a spirit. The true essence of this... you will understand naturally in the future. As for the three other books, 'Sublime Arithmetic' for mathematics, 'Peach and Plum' for chess strategies, and 'Mountain and Sea Strategies' for essays, you may read them in your leisure time to entertain and nourish your mind."

Song Jixin looked astonishment and somewhat embarrassed. Gathering his courage, he said, "Sir, you sound like you're entrusting me with a dying wish. It's quite a shock for me."

Mr. Qi wore a smile on his face and spoke softly, "It's not as exaggerated as you put it. Life is full of unexpected encounters; we'll meet again someday."

When this scholar smiled, it was as if one were basking in the warmth of spring breeze.

He suddenly said, "Go and visit Zhao Yao. Consider it an early farewell."

Song Jixin stood up and smiled, "Alright then. I'll leave the chessboard to you, sir."

The young man ran off cheerfully.

The middle-aged scholar bent down to pick up the chess pieces, seemingly in a disorganized manner, here and there, but in fact, he picked them up in reverse order, starting from the black piece where Song Jixin had last moved, followed by the whites, not missing a single one.

At some unknown point, the maid, Zhigui, had returned from the bamboo grove but stood outside the wooden gate, refraining from stepping into the courtyard.

Without turning his head, he spoke in a deep voice, "Let yourself go."

The girl who had grown up in Mud Bottle Alley now wore a confused expression, looking fragile, timid, and pitiful.

The gentle and courteous scholar faintly revealed a hint of anger and slowly turned his head to look.

His eyes were cold.

The girl still appeared dazed.

Innocent and naive.

The middle-aged scholar stood up, tall and handsome, looking at the girl and sneered, "Evil spawn, rebellious offspring!"

Her innocent expression gradually disappeared, her eyes becoming colder, and a sarcastic smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

She seemed to be saying, "What can you do to me?"

She stared straight at the scholar like this.

Inside and outside the small courtyard, it was as if a pair of python and water dragon were confronting each other.

Between them, they regarded each other as enemies.

In the distance, Song Jixin shouted loudly, "Zhigui, let's go home."

The girl immediately tiptoed and replied obediently, "Oh, alright, master."

She pushed open the wooden gate and ran past the scholar, and after a few steps, she didn't forget to turn around and offer a respectful gesture to his back, her voice melodious and charming, "Sir, Zhigui is leaving first."

After a long time, the scholar sighed.

The spring breeze was gentle, and the bamboo leaves swayed, sounding like the turning of pages in a book.

 ————

The young Taoist, wearing a lotus hat, was packing up his stall while sighing. When familiar townspeople inquired about the reason, he only shook his head and didn't respond.

The last newlywed woman who had once come here to have her marriage fortune told passed by and, seeing the young Taoist's unusual behavior, shyly stopped in her tracks. Her voice was soft and sticky as she asked her question, while her expressive, watery eyes lingered on the young Taoist's handsome face.

The young Taoist discreetly glanced at the woman, his gaze slightly downward, and noticed a large purse. Swallowing his saliva, he muttered some mystical fortune-telling words, "Today, I drew a divination for myself, and it was a bad omen, a great disaster."