Chapter 145: Betting on Chess
Bang!
The dragon-headed cane hit the ground, causing the earth to crack, like a heavy hammer hitting everyone's heart.
Caught off guard, everyone in the hall groaned in unison. Those with lower realms only felt their internal energy stagnate and their blood rushing up. Several people were even injured internally and blood flowed from their mouths and noses.
The skeleton grandmother came to the door of the inn and first showed her power to intimidate everyone, making them dare not speak out and lower their heads.
Only Zhao Wumian, Xiao Yi and a few people upstairs remained calm.
The old lady with dried bones glanced at those people, snorted coldly, leaned over to press acupoints on Hou Yang to protect his meridians, and then fed him a pill of medicine.
Hou Yang swallowed it and used his internal energy to refine it. His complexion improved slightly. He became angry and flushed. He stared at Zhao Wumian and shouted, "Mother-in-law, kill him for me!"
"As you command, Master."
The skeleton-like old woman looked emaciated, and was wearing a reddish-brown robe with a huge bat embroidered on the hem. Upon hearing the words, she nodded and grinned grimly, and blood-colored energy suddenly burst out from her body!
The Dharma image appeared, and the surging red mist turned into a [blood bat].
She transformed into a shadow and used the [Soul-Chasing Staff] to point at Zhao Wumian's Danzhong acupoint!
Xiao Yi screamed: "Be careful!"
Zhao Wumian was prepared that the Wutai sect would definitely intervene, but if anything, he could take on this move.
as predicted.
In a flash, before Zhao Wumian could make a move, a loud sword chant suddenly came from behind.
A dark sword light came out from the backyard, like thunder and lightning across the sky, and blocked Zhao Wumian directly.
The two powerful forces collided, and the released energy shattered all the tables and chairs in the hall like a blade, shaking the earth and the sky!
The skeleton grandmother's walking stick cracked, her face changed drastically, and she took several steps back. With each step, she stepped hard, and spider webs appeared on the ground. The hand holding the walking stick began to tremble.
Her face was gloomy and she narrowed her eyes as she stared at the flying sword.
The sword has a jet-black blade and an ancient shape, with the words "Frost Soul" engraved on the hilt.
The sharp sword energy made it impossible for anyone to open their eyes.
Granny Withered Bones: "【Frost Soul Sword】, Wutai Sect's sword-wielding elder, Zeng Yiming. You are actually here..."
"There must be a limit to bullying the weak!" A cold voice came from the backyard: "A man in his seventies or eighties is killing a young man. The Hou family is really getting worse with each generation!"
"Humph!"
A flash of anger flashed across Granny Ku Gu's face, but she quickly returned to normal: "The eight major sects don't have enough disciples, the four families don't have enough, and even the people from the East China Sea have to protect it... It seems that this artifact is more difficult to obtain than expected. If this kid can really bring out the artifact, then by then, it's not certain who will kill him, hehe..."
The skeleton-like old woman sneered meaningfully, turned around and helped Hou Yang up.
Hou Yang was furious and gnashed his teeth, but he knew the name of the "Sword-wielding Elder" and did not dare to provoke him lightly.
He is one of the top three fighters in the entire Wutai Sect. He is the chief swordsman of the Wutai Sect and practices the sect's unique skill, the "Flying Rainbow Sword Technique". His sword light can turn into a rainbow and can take down anyone's head within miles!
The skill is unfathomable!
Even if the head of the Hou family came, it would be difficult to win, let alone the withered bone grandmother.
Hou Yang looked at Zhao Wumian hatefully, suppressed his anger, and turned away.
The lobby fell silent.
"Someone come! Change the table!"
At the fat boss's command, the waiters, who were already prepared, immediately brought out brand new tables and chairs from the back, and some waiters brought new food and wine, which were exactly the same as before the table was broken and the food was ruined!
Some people cleaned the room quickly, while others served the dishes quickly. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the new food in amazement.
The inn lobby became lively again.
Xiao Yi wiped his sweat and said with a wry smile: "You dared to take action even though you knew there was a magic image following you. You are so bold!"
Zhao Wumian followed his character setting and said indifferently, "I don't have the hobby of swallowing my anger. Especially after I noticed a faint sword energy in the backyard, I guessed it might be the elder of Wutai Sect. What's there to be afraid of... After all, Wutai Sect is one of the eight major sects and a part of the righteous martial arts world. Can they watch me bleed on the spot? It won't sound good if it gets out."
"No wonder……"
Xiao Yi suddenly realized: "Brother Hua, how many skills do you have hidden? The move you just used was much more powerful than before."
Zhao Wumian smiled and said, "Don't you have a guess? It's from the sword manual. Let's go upstairs. We've been sleeping in the open air for several days and we're exhausted. Now that there's an expert here to help, we can have a good rest."
Xiao Yi was also very tired and nodded.
The two followed the waiter upstairs and checked into rooms 3 and 4, which were adjacent to each other in area C.
Although it is called an upper room, the furnishings in the room are simple and the furniture is old; it is not that great.
I can only say that it is better than nothing...
Zhao Wumian relaxed, took off his outer robe, yawned and fell on the bed, his little head popping out from under his clothes in a daze.
At this time, the red-maned lion was only the size of a kitten. It crawled out from under his clothes, stretched, and then curled up into a ball under his shoulder, looking very satisfied.
The Red Mane Lion's race is the Elephant Lion, and its magical power is to control a special innate flame called "Burning Flame". This flame is different from the Green Heron's Flame of Resurrection and the Winged Horse's Golden Flame. It is more like illusory "fireworks". It focuses on defense and can turn its body into "smoke", reducing its own weight, increasing its speed, and reducing damage, which is the same as the magical power of the dragon beast Suanni.
It's just weakened a little.
Live to have output.
This exotic beast has a strong ability to protect its life and extraordinary strength. It can kill elephants when it is young and can change its size at will. It is both a pet and a mount and has always been very popular.
Unfortunately, the number is too small.
After Zhao Wumian obtained the relevant information from Meng Yunzhou's mind, he couldn't stop thinking about it, and now he finally "tricked" it out.
All the way.
The red-maned lion became more and more dependent on him.
Zhao Wumian stretched out his arms, as if hugging a small stove, and fell into a deep sleep.
The man and the lion slept soundly. In the blink of an eye, it was night. Zhao Wumian felt full and ordered a few side dishes to be brought to the room by the waiter.
The waiter was still the same waiter. After delivering the dishes with the tray, he added, "The dishes are ready. Please forgive me for being so nosy, but is your surname Hua?"
Zhao Wumian paused while holding the chopsticks: "Did someone I was traveling with say that?"
The waiter shook his head and smiled, "There are very few sects in the northwest, and they are intertwined. Each sect has some spies. Not long ago, a big incident happened in Wanshou Villa. The whole family was killed by the White Lotus Sect's Maha Zun. The death was tragic, and 300 strange beasts were scattered. The news has spread everywhere. The people in the thieves' sect are mixed, and some leaked the information. In addition, the White Lotus Sect issued a reward in the ghost market, and your names have been put on the wanted order, so..."
"understood."
Zhao Wumian nodded. He and Xiao Yi didn't want to hide it, otherwise they wouldn't have just changed their clothes without even disguising themselves.
If the White Lotus Sect really caught a participant and searched his soul, they would naturally be exposed. But it didn't matter, because they were still somewhat protected in the Wutai Sect's territory. At least before October 20th, the Wutai Sect would not allow the various sects to kill each other until they achieved their goal.
Zhao Wumian glanced at him and asked, "Are you a disciple of Wutai Sect?"
The waiter said, "I am Kang Jie, the true disciple of the art department. I am honored to meet Young Master Hua. My uncle has ordered me to invite you to the Bi Bo Pavilion in the backyard for a while."
Zhao Wumian was surprised: "What does Elder Zeng want me to do?"
Kang Jie smiled and said, "Master Uncle's actions are always mysterious and hard to understand. I don't know either."
Zhao Wumian thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go over after dinner."
Kangjie nodded and left.
Zhao Wumian ate while feeding the red-maned lion pork belly, thinking about what Zeng Yiming might say, and walked out of the room and came to the Bi Bo Pavilion in the backyard.
There was a bright moon in the sky. Looking closely in the moonlight, Zeng Yiming was sitting on a stone chair in the pavilion. In front of him was a stone table with a chess board on it.
He was wearing a narrow-sleeved sword robe, had a straight, square face, and looked majestic with a sword-like aura.
Zhao Wumian thought to himself, this guy is obviously a swordsman!
Zeng Yiming extended his hand to the person sitting opposite him and said, "The Guan family of Donghai has produced another outstanding person. This is cause for celebration. Please take a seat."
Zhao Wumian took a deep breath and established contact with the Taibai Star in his Qiankun bag, ready to break out at any time. He walked over and sat opposite him. When he looked down, he saw a chess set.
Zeng Yiming looked at the chessboard and asked, "Do you know how to play?" Zhao Wumian said, "A little bit."
Zeng Yiming: "Try to solve it?"
Zhao Wumian: "...Senior, I heard that the elites of the seven sects all have an invitation letter in their hands. Without an invitation letter, you cannot go to Yuxu Peak. I thought it was the Wutai Sect that was limiting the number of people, but your actions today, and your current behavior... Can we enter without an invitation letter?"
Zeng Yiming said without even raising his head, "We must act according to the situation and the times. Two months ago, the news had not been leaked, so everything was fine. Two months later, everyone knows what they should know and what they shouldn't know. What's the point of forcibly stopping it? The Wutai Sect cannot be an enemy of the whole world."
Zhao Wumian said: "With this method of communication, leakage is inevitable. Has your sect not thought of any other way?"
Zeng Yiming raised his lips slightly and smiled, "You should have guessed some of the obstacles. Do you think there is any other way to get the outstanding disciples of various sects to gather at Yuxu Peak and work together to accomplish this? Each of these people represents the future of the sect. If anything happens to them, Wutai Sect will be killed! The teachers in their sects will not trust them to come on their own. Instead of being sneaky, it is better to be open and aboveboard. Inviting only seven sects is an attitude, and the rest depends on God's will."
Lu Guangda is already the most talented person in the Wutai Sect. He has been meditating for years but has yet to achieve anything. The possibility of success for the elites of the other seven sects is equally slim, not to mention those who cannot even enter the eight major sects.
Outstanding people like Sima Quehun are rare!
Unless it is a hidden sect with higher qualification requirements, there is still some hope.
This should also be the reason why the Wutai sect allowed the news to spread...
Zhao Wumian frowned and said, "There is a secret realm in the ruins of the Tianji Palace on Yuxu Peak? What exactly is the secret realm? What is it about? Could it be that your sect really wants outsiders to help bring out the artifact as that old woman said, and then..."
"hehe."
Zeng Yiming laughed: "If Wutai really wanted to do this, he would never let the news spread out, and would let it rot in the sect for the next generation to come!"
Uh...that's true.
However, it just sounds nice.
In the past, the Tianji Palace had been dominating Kunlun for half a century. The Palace Master Sima Quehun was extremely talented and had extraordinary martial arts skills, which allowed him to seize the Yuxu Fairyland in a place of tigers and wolves and monopolize the possible artifacts in the secret realm. The Wutai Sect was just the heir to the ruins. Without the formation protection, the Tianji Palace could only rely on the Wutai Sect alone. How easy was it to keep the secret?
Those three sects were most likely waiting for Wutai to crack the case, and then seize it by trickery - the three sects could destroy Tianji Palace, and they could destroy Wutai Sect even more!
What's more, not all the elite members of the Wutai Sect are on Yuxu Peak. The real gate of the Wutai Sect is in Mount Wutai. Yuxu Peak is at most the legacy of Sima Quehun. Currently, only two-thirds of the masters are stationed there in order to cultivate the peaches.
If the three factions really want to wipe out the entire sect, they don't even need to cooperate from inside or outside to inflict heavy losses on the Wutai faction!
They can't hold on for long, let alone the "latecomers" who may appear at any time.
Zhao Wumian smiled secretly in his heart, but did not reveal his past, waiting for what would happen next.
"As for your first three questions..."
Zeng Yiming nodded towards the chessboard: "If you want to know, you have defeated me. I have some connections with the housekeeper, otherwise I would not have asked you to come here. I can answer your questions, provided that it is worth my making an exception.
You have practiced the "Wind Rising and Clouds Rising Art" very well, and there is also a kind of vertical and horizontal energy that roams through your limbs and bones. There must be another opportunity... At your age and realm, you should be one of the most talented people in the housekeeper's two hundred years. Maybe there is a chance..."
"..."
Zhao Wumian took a deep breath: "Okay, what are the rules?"
Zeng Yiming said: "This is a set-up game. If you beat me with red, I will naturally reveal everything."
Zhao Wumian: "What if I lose?"
Zeng Yiming smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't bully the weak. You won't pay any price if you lose, but I won't say a word either."
"……Understood."
Zhao Wumian pondered for a moment, nodded, and looked at the chessboard seriously.
He had learned about chess arrangements, and knew that chess arrangements like this were usually used by chess stall owners to cheat people.
Chess has a long history and is said to have existed during the Warring States Period.
The so-called Jianghu arrangement is an endgame that chess masters deliberately set up to stimulate divergent thinking.
Normally it is difficult to get out.
These chess games all have one thing in common, which is a very attractive illusion: the red side goes first, and with just a few moves, it can immediately kill the general or win with more pieces.
However, this illusion is a trap for street vendors and the basis on which they make money.
The changes in chess are subtle, profound and complex, and a move that seems to lead to victory often leads to defeat.
Those who dare to set up stalls are all experts!
Just like Zeng Yiming in front of us.
Zhao Wumian looked at the chessboard, his brain constantly calculating. The situation of the red side in this game was very unfavorable. There were only two cannons left, and the family's elephants were gone. There was only one veteran general left. The only advantage was that the cannon was in the middle and the veteran was on the right, locking the gate with an iron bolt.
But the border gun has no gun mount, so the general will not die.
On the contrary, the black side not only has the cannon in the middle, but also has all the soldiers and elephants, as well as a pawn that has crossed the river. It is already close to the ninth palace and is only two steps away from being able to capture the gong.
A pawn crossing the river becomes a car!
It is very difficult for the Black side to win in this situation, but it is very easy to maintain a draw. As long as the Red side brings in the cannon and the elephant, it will be powerless to recover.
The issue is.
What Zeng Yiming wants is "victory", a draw certainly doesn't count!
If it were an ordinary person, he would most likely use the central cannon to kill the opponent's central cannon first, making it impossible for the opponent to replace the elephant, and then try to win the game. But if you really do this, not only will you not be able to draw the game, you will definitely lose!
"interesting……"
Zhao Wumian had calculated all the changes on the chessboard in a flash, and had a solution, which he secretly thought was indeed ingenious.
He deliberately delayed for a while before picking up the old general and making a move to move four steps forward.
This move may seem like an idle move, but it not only frees up the cannon at the bottom and restricts the pawns, it also makes the opponent afraid to raise the cannon in the middle.
As soon as he lifted it, the red side's bottom cannon sat in the middle, and the middle cannon was used as a gun mount, and the opponent's middle cannon would be killed.
If you don't want to die, you have to retreat back to the elephant position. At this time, the red side will push the cannon in the middle, and the black side's middle line will be unable to move!
Zeng Yiming raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at him.
He actually thought of the correct solution so quickly. This kid is really extraordinary. And his martial arts skills...
Zeng Yiming picked up the elephant calmly.
After this move, he only had the side elephant and the pawn to move, so he casually sent a side elephant away.
Zhao Wumian only took the first step to break the deadlock. As long as there is a wrong step later, he will still win!
【The back cannon is level seven. 】
……
【Cannon seven moves forward two.】
……
Only the black elephant and pawn can move. Zhao Wumian first uses a five-step attack, uses the king to assist, and uses the cannon to kill the opponent's pawn.
Black has fewer and fewer pieces that can move.
Zeng Yiming's expression became more and more interesting.
By the last move, cannon three is level with seven, aiming at the opponent's bottom elephant. When it is the black side's turn to move, only the side elephant is left to move. The flying elephant just happens to become the gun mount for the red cannon!
Then, bombard the bottom elephant!
Stifling killing!
"Concession."
Zhao Wumian made a beaming expression: "Can you tell me now?"
really……
Zeng Yiming looked at him deeply and said simply, "Okay, now I will answer your three questions. Is there a secret realm? Yes! What secret realm? The sealed formation left by Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu, can only be entered by people with a bone age of less than 25 years old. The last question is, what is it about..."
Zeng Yiming pointed at the chessboard and said solemnly: "The magic weapon that once created the border between Chu and Han..."
(End of this chapter)
