I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 569 The Game Between Huang Sanjia

I stayed in Xiangfan for several days.

Zhou Cheng'an didn't go out for a stroll anymore; he stayed at the inn meditating and cultivating, showing no hurry at all.

But he wasn't in a hurry; Wu Lingsu, on the other hand, was getting anxious.

At this rate of procrastination from Xu Fengnian, when will he and Daozun be able to reach Longhu Mountain and slap the faces of those people from the Celestial Master's Mansion?

So Wu Lingsu went to Zhou Chengan and wondered if she could buy a separate carriage, part ways with Xu Fengnian and the others, and ride at full speed straight to Longhu Mountain.

in the room.

Zhou Chengan remained silent for a long time.

This made Wu Lingsu break out in a cold sweat.

After a long silence, Zhou Chengan finally spoke.

"Some things can't be rushed; it's best to let nature take its course."

"Of the three major Taoist lineages in the world, besides Longhu Mountain, there is Wudang Mountain. What's your hurry?"

"Why don't you go by yourself?"

Seeing Zhou Cheng'an's amused smile, Wu Lingsu immediately shook her head vigorously: "Daoist Master is joking. I won't disturb your cultivation. I'll go down first."

Not long after Wu Lingsu left, Qingniao came to deliver a message, saying that His Highness the Crown Prince planned to depart the next day.

Wu Lingsu had just said she was leaving, and now she really is leaving.

It's also quite interesting.

Since he was about to leave, Zhou Cheng'an thought he would go to Yongzi Lane to play a game of chess with Lu Xu.

When they arrived at Yongzi Lane, they found that Lu Xu was not there. After asking around, they learned that he had not been there for several days.

It is clear that Lu Xu was taken to the Jing'an Prince's Mansion.

Lu Xu is a good chess player; playing chess with him is much more interesting than playing chess with that terrible Li Chungang.

However, since he couldn't find it, Zhou Chengan didn't insist and went to the most famous brothel in Xiangfan to listen to music.

In this regard, one can only say that the trip was worthwhile.

The only regret is that I didn't get to see the legendary performance of the white jade lion playing with an embroidered ball – Li Baishi.

Early the next morning.

Zhou Chengan, who rarely gets to ride in a carriage, led a large group of people out of Xiangfan City.

As they approached the reed marshes outside the city, he suddenly spoke to Li Chungang, who was whittling a wooden sword beside him, saying, "Today there will be bloodshed."

Li Chungang was slightly taken aback. He lifted the carriage curtain and shouted to Xu Fengnian, who was riding a horse outside the carriage, "Xu boy, did you hear that? You're going to have a bloody disaster today."

Xu Fengnian smiled upon hearing this and looked at Zhou Chengan inside the car: "Whether I suffer any bloodshed or not is not important. What's important is that I want to know if you have any luck with women today."

Zhou Chengan ignored him and said to Li Chungang, "Someone wants to play a game of chess today. I'm afraid he'll be lonely, so I'll go and play a game with him."

After saying that, he disappeared into the carriage in a flash.

Jiang Ni was startled by the sudden disappearance, and then asked with longing, "Is this the supernatural power of Taoism?"

"Maybe, probably, right!" Li Chungang was also a little stunned, then suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he slapped his thigh and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm pretty good at chess too, you know!"

At this moment, Xu Fengnian, who was outside the carriage, also came to his senses and exclaimed in amazement, "When it comes to technical skills, we have to look to Cheng'an. When he comes back, we must ask him to teach me."

"just you?"

Li Chungang curled his lip: "Even if he teaches you, you still won't be able to learn!"

……

Qingzhou has been known as Yunmeng Water Marsh since ancient times. In this rural area of ​​reed marshes, every household raises cormorants to make a living by fishing.

When Zhou Chengan arrived at the reed marshland he had visited the day before, it was just as he had been the day before: the thatched cottages were still there, and a group of children were playing happily.

But unlike yesterday, there was an elderly man with graying temples today.

The old man beckoned to a young girl with her hair in a bun. The little girl timidly stepped forward. The old man weighed his old, gray money bag in his hand. He was short of money and poured out a dozen or so copper coins, which he handed to the little girl. He then told her to go find her parents and cook a fresh fish for her.

At this moment, Zhou Chengan strolled over: "With so many people, one fish isn't enough. Cook a few more."

As he spoke, he took out a silver ingot and handed it to the little girl.

The other person clearly recognized him, staring at the silver in his hand with big, bright eyes, shaking his head, and said with a smile, "Immortal Brother, my father said that if you come again, you can't accept money."

After saying that, the little girl skipped away happily.

Seeing this, the old man said calmly, "The elderly and the young, with their white hair and drooping locks, are enjoying themselves."

Zhou Chengan pointed to the stone table not far away and replied, "When the chess pieces leave the hand, the world changes easily."

The old man looked at Zhou Cheng'an, smiled slightly, and raised his hand, saying, "Please!"

Zhou Chengan didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the stone table to sit down.

Almost simultaneously, the old man sat down opposite him and then turned to look at the little girl who was going home.

The little girl was standing by the water vat in the yard, talking to a woman. Then she picked out the largest fish and asked her mother to steam them.

The old man said with a smile, "A child's heart is like a Bodhi tree, but an old man becomes a thief."

Zhou Chengan picked up the conversation and laughed, "As long as the old thief is alive, the child will not be at ease. It is said that the pure air is above and the turbid air is below, but in my opinion, it is the turbid air that is above and the pure air that is below now."

The old man remained noncommittal, then asked, "Shall we play chess first, or eat the fish first?"

"Can't we eat and cook at the same time?"

The old man smiled, waved his long sleeves, and the pebbles on the stone table instantly shattered into pieces the size of chess pieces, and nineteen lines appeared on the original stone table.

Seeing this, Zhou Chengan couldn't help but praise him.

“Exquisite!”

The old man smiled as a pebble flew up and landed between the lines on the stone table.

Zhou Chengan smiled slightly, and a pebble flew up and landed on the chessboard.

Pebbles flew around and landed on the stone table.

In an instant, the stone table was covered with a variety of objects.

After a while.

A little girl carrying chopsticks and a woman carrying a food box came along.

The steamed fish in the food box was served with plenty of scallions and ginger, and there was also a special addition of fermented rice wine and ham.

After arranging the steamed fish, the woman bowed to Zhou Cheng'an.

"Your Highness."

Zhou Chengan waved his hand and asked, "So, have you made up your mind?"

Since the other party addressed him as Your Highness, they must be a former member of the Ning Kingdom.

When the Ning Kingdom was destroyed, some of its people were relocated to Xiangfan by the Western Chu. Some of them died in the battle to defend the city, while others survived.

Most of the families living in this reed marshland today are actually former residents of Ningguo. Among them, two families are prominent clans of Ningguo, and one family is even a descendant of the Zhou imperial family.

The woman before us is a woman surnamed Li from Ningguo.

He didn't know before, but now that he knows their situation, Zhou Cheng'an naturally wants to give them a stable life.

Of course, this is on the premise that they still care about Ningguo.

The woman remained silent for a moment, carefully considering her words.

"Many people have already considered themselves to be people of the Yang realm, and few are willing to leave; there are only about ten households."

Zhou Chengan nodded: "Okay, pack your things, someone will come to pick you up in a couple of days."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The woman bowed and withdrew.

Noticing the elderly man opposite him seemed a bit dazed, Zhou Chengan was also somewhat taken aback: "Don't you know who I am?"

"It seems that Master Zhou has other identities besides being the leader of Qingcheng Mountain."

Zhou Cheng'an was a little confused: "If you don't know, then why did you lead me here?"

"I think this place is suitable." "Very good, that's a very strong reason."

Zhou Cheng'an didn't elaborate, and the old man didn't ask any further questions. He picked up the steamed perch on the table and said with a smile, "Master, I won't stand on ceremony."

Zhou Chengan nodded: "Please go ahead."

The old man ate with lightning speed, while Zhou Chengan ate slowly and carefully. The little girl was especially happy to see that the two of them were eating with relish. The smile on her face was like a rainbow after the rain, so pure that it made people tremble.

As the two ate the fish, the pebbles kept bobbing up and down.

Seeing this, the little girl stared wide-eyed and asked curiously, "Fairy brother, why can pebbles fly?"

"Because there's someone behind the pebble," Zhou Chengan said with a smile.

"Is there someone behind you?"

The little girl tilted her head back, frowned and thought for a moment, then said with a look of surprise, "I know! It must be that you used magic, right, fairy brother?"

The old man had finished eating the steamed sea bass on his plate. He handed the wooden plate and chopsticks to the little girl and praised her, saying, "You're so clever."

The little girl smiled happily and asked, "Is the old man a god too?"

Zhou Chengan chuckled and said, "Yes, this old man is a deity too."

Although the old man opposite was not a god, from the perspective of ordinary people, he was no different from a ghost.

During the chaotic period of the Spring and Autumn Period, numerous "astronomical anomalies" occurred in various places: a green dragon emerging from the water, a divine stele breaking through the ground, a hen turning into a rooster—which of these events was not his doing?

Leaving aside his grand strategies in the imperial court and his vast influence across the world, even just considering the game of Go, which is played on a three-foot board, the scholars of the Western Chu Dynasty were fond of philosophical discussions, and the Go style gradually became popular. The nine-dan Go rankings, such as "Entering the Saintly Realm, Understanding the Mysterious Realm, Fighting with Strength and Guarding Against Simplicity," were all created by him.

Today, the chess world is divided into three factions, and the imperial court has appointed chess masters to examine and evaluate chess scores. Six top masters, including Wang Jixin and Song Shutong, have been appointed to the position. More than 400 people have been selected. This old man claims that even if all 400 chess players gathered together to play against him, he could still win easily.

However, Wang Jixin and the others dared not accept the challenge. Whether they joined forces or played alone, they pretended to be deaf and dumb, which shows how extraordinary the old man's chess skills were.

But later, for some unknown reason, this old man declared that he would never play hand games with anyone again in his life.

In a way, he broke his vow today.

His identity, of course, is Huang Longshi, who killed three million people with his sharp tongue, and is known as one of the three great demons in the world, along with the butcher Xu Xiao and the cat Han Diaosi, and who dominated the top three in the Thirteen Jia of Spring and Autumn.

Huang Sanjia!
Upon hearing Zhou Chengan say that Huang Sanjia was a deity, the little girl showed an expression of "I knew it," tilted her head up, and asked Huang Sanjia, "Grandpa, what kind of deity are you?"

Huang Sanjia was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "With my appearance, I am naturally the Earth God."

"So it's the Earth God."

The little girl bowed deeply in reverence, then turned to look at Zhou Cheng'an: "Fairy brother, what kind of fairy are you?"

Zhou Chengan laughed and said, "Me? I am the Thunder God who controls thunder."

"Wow, Thor! Does that mean the big brother can make thunder?!" the little girl exclaimed in amazement.

Zhou Cheng'an remained noncommittal, handed the wooden tray to the little girl, patted her head, and made a shushing gesture, signaling her not to make a fuss.

The little girl nodded vigorously and took the utensils home.

Huang Sanjia looked down at the chessboard and chuckled, "Even the Thunder God in the heavens might not have the chess skills of Master Zhou."

The two have already played over forty pieces each, and are currently evenly matched.

Zhou Chengan said calmly, "After the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods ended, a brand new game of chess began. Don't you feel too lonely playing this game alone?"

Huang Sanjia smiled and replied, "There is a certain pleasure in playing chess alone. When I am fiddling with the chess pieces, I always feel a sense of satisfaction that is hard to describe. I wonder if Master Zhou feels the same way?"

Zhou Cheng'an raised his right hand, pinched a pebble chess piece between his index and middle fingers, and replied, "The pebble is heartless, but people are sentimental. I don't feel satisfied, but I often feel a bit sentimental."

"Oh?"

Huang Longshi asked with curiosity, "I wonder what Master Zhou is lamenting?"

"I am moved by the impermanence of the world, and I am moved by the worth of life."

Zhou Chengan chuckled and said, "Sometimes, when you feel like you have everything under control, have you ever thought that there's another hand manipulating you from the shadows?"

You think you are the chess player, and everyone else in the world is your pawn.

Is it possible that you are actually just a piece on a chessboard?

The player is ultimately just a player!

Huang Sanjia was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Master Zhou's insights are quite insightful. However, in this game of chess, we are both players. I wonder if we can determine a winner?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand, picked up a pebble chess piece, and placed it on the chessboard.

"When two armies clash, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. Whether there will be a winner or loser depends on how well Mr. Huang knows me and how far and deep your calculations can go."

Zhou Chengan smiled, placed another chess piece, and said leisurely, "When Mr. Huang first entered Shangyin Academy, he called himself the Third Grader. His sword was as swift as a dragon and as graceful as a snake. He completed the Pillar Record in one go in the muddy water after a heavy rain by the lake. The opening chapter stated that he wanted to establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, continue the lost learning of the past sages, and create peace for all generations."

Huang Sanjia remained calm, followed by another word, and then gestured for Zhou Chengan to continue.

"Over the years, Mr. Huang has traveled far and wide, teaching children like Lu Xu, who are blind in sight but not in mind, how to take root in the world, and also teaching those like Miss Li, who excel in both music and beauty."

"He also taught that princess how to flatter the country, wrote the 'Women's Precepts' on behalf of a woman, had Prince Zhao Yi of Guangling cook his second son, and misled the ignorant young people of the Imperial Observatory, etc."

"It seems that as long as Mr. Huang is willing, everyone can be a pawn in his hands."

"Next, Mr. Huang, are you planning to teach Wen Hua how to use a sword?"

"However, I advise you to give up this idea, because that wooden swordsman is a good friend of mine."

At this moment, Huang Sanjia's expression was no longer as calm as it had been at the beginning.

He didn't pay attention when Zhou Chengan first spoke.

But as Zhou Chengan mentioned one by one the pieces he had laid out, Huang Sanjia's expression changed.

As a chess player, you can tell where your pieces have been placed by your opponent, but you have no idea where your opponent has placed their pieces.

In this game of chess, he was essentially a blind man and a deaf man.

This made Huang Sanjia, who had been used to manipulating events at will for many years, feel a little uneasy.

Immediately, a sense of restlessness rose within him.

It was a strange kind of excitement.

He hadn't felt this uneasy yet excited feeling in so many years.

Although he didn't know much about this Master Zhou in front of him, he was quite certain that the martial arts world would be in turmoil because of Master Zhou's appearance.

“Master Zhou, you are not mentioned in the book. Where did you come from?” Huang Sanjia asked, frowning.

"You call yourself a book reader, can't you tell where I came from?"

Before meeting you, I thought you were a person outside the book. But after meeting you today, I realize you are also a person in the book. However, I have a strange feeling.

"Is it possible that I am both a character in the book and an outsider to the book?"

As Zhou Chengan spoke, he placed another piece and then stood up.

Seeing this, Huang Longshi said, "Master Zhou, this game of chess is not over yet."

Zhou Chengan shook his head: "The moment I arrived, you had already lost this game."

Huang Sanjia was slightly taken aback, then laughed.

It seems that losing a game makes him happier than winning.

"Yes, I lost this game."

The next moment, some of the chess pieces on the stone table suddenly shattered, leaving only the pieces that Zhou Cheng'an had placed.

At the same time, his figure vanished without a trace.

"The worst thing about a game of chess is the presence of unknown variables."

In Huang Sanjia's view, Zhou Chengan is the biggest variable.

He looked at the reeds in the distance, sighed softly, then looked up at the sky and called out to the children playing there, "Kids, it's going to thunder and rain, hurry home and bring in the laundry."

The children playing looked up at the sky, which was clear and cloudless, showing no sign of rain.

Therefore, a child shouted, "Grandpa, the sun is so bright, it won't rain."

Huang Sanjia smiled faintly and pointed: "Look again, isn't that Yunlai?"

The children looked up again.

Just moments ago, the sky was clear and blue, but in an instant, it was covered with dark clouds, and flashes of lightning appeared in the clouds.

(End of this chapter)