Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 113 How to break the situation
On that day, Lin Yi instructed Yuan Chengzhi and Xia Qingqing to wait for him in Runan.

He left the city with Zhao Min and Wang Yuyan, heading towards the Valley of the Deaf and Mute.

The three men and three horses traveled westward for thirty or forty li, and reached the mountain path at the hour of Si (9-11 AM).

They walked for another hour on the mountain path, which was so steep that the horses could no longer make it up.

The three had no choice but to abandon their horses and travel for another quarter of an hour until they arrived at a flat area where they found dense bamboo groves and extremely pleasant scenery.

Beside the mountain stream was a pavilion, where several people were sitting and resting. Lin Yi looked and saw that they were Duan Yu, Zhu Danchen, and other retainers of the Duan family.

"Yu Yan, look who that is," Lin Yi said with a smile. Seeing Zhao Min's confusion, he introduced Duan Yu's identity.

"The heir of the Prince of Zhennan of Dali?" Zhao Min said, "Now that Duan Zhengchun is the Crown Prince, there is a tradition among the Dali emperors of abdicating to become monks. Perhaps in a few years, this Duan Yu will become the emperor of Dali."

There was no respect in her tone; the Dali Kingdom was a small, isolated country on the border.

Duan Yu and his group also saw Lin Yi and his two companions and immediately came to greet them.

Lin Yi saved Duan Zhengchun at Xiaojing Lake that day, which was a great favor to the Duan family. Zhu Danchen and other retainers all rushed to pay their respects to him.

Only Duan Yu stared longingly at Wang Yuyan, somewhat absent-minded: "Miss Wang, you've come too..."

"Hmm, Young Master Duan..." Wang Yuyan thought that the other party was her own brother, and her feelings were complicated and strange. She had nothing to say.

Duan Yu then looked at Lin Yi and bowed to him and Zhao Min, saying, "Greetings, Sect Leader Lin."

Lin Yi smiled and said, "Since everyone has come for the Zhenlong Chess Game, let's go in."

Everyone agreed. Lin Yi took Zhao Min's hand and walked into the bamboo forest, with Duan Yu following beside Wang Yuyan.

"Miss Wang, why did you come with Sect Leader Lin?"

"He is my brother-in-law."

"Oh, you have a sister? Doesn't she live at Mantuo Manor?"

Duan Yu kept asking questions, and Wang Yuyan knew that he had romantic feelings for her, but since they were actually siblings, she felt very uncomfortable.

Hearing Lin Yi laugh again, she felt extremely embarrassed.

Wang Yuyan quickly moved closer to Zhao Min and took her hand.

Seeing that she was avoiding him, Duan Yu felt annoyed, but he wisely didn't approach her. Zhu Danchen and the others quickly and subtly advised him to restrain himself and not lose the dignity of the Duan family.

Zhao Min said, "This Prince Duan... well, he's different from ordinary people."

Lin Yi laughed and said, "Yu Yan is so charming, even... haha, she can be completely captivated."

Wang Yuyan was extremely embarrassed: "Brother-in-law, if you keep talking nonsense, I won't talk to you anymore!"

Zhao Min sensed there was more to the story and became curious. Wang Yuyan, being present, didn't press the matter, but kept it in mind.

While chatting, the group passed through the bamboo forest and entered a valley.

The valley was filled with pine trees. After walking for a mile through the forest, they came to see three large wooden houses. An old man came to greet them; it was Su Xinghe.

"This old man greets Sect Leader Lin and Young Master Duan."

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, Su Xinghe cut to the chase and set up a chess game to invite everyone to join him.

Everyone looked at Lin Yi, who held the highest status in the martial arts world, so Duan Yu naturally dared not rush ahead of him.

Lin Yi glanced at the chessboard and memorized it.

He smiled and said, "As the saying goes, the accomplished go first. Young Master Duan has profound chess skills and can be called a national master. Of course, you should go first."

Duan Yu laughed and said, "No, no, Sect Leader Lin and I have never played chess together. How do you know I am a 'master'?"

"It's only right to do so, Young Master Duan, there's no need to be so polite." Lin Yi waved his sleeve, and Duan Yu felt a gentle force sweep over him, sending him to the other side of Su Xinghe.

He was about to speak when he was startled by the chessboard... It was the same chessboard he had seen in the Langhuan Jade Cave of Wuliang Mountain. Since this matter concerned his fairy sister, he no longer refused and immediately sat up straight to observe the chessboard.

Lin Yi said, "Let's wander around for a bit and come back later." Su Xinghe cupped his hands in greeting, "Please feel free to come."

Lin Yi then left with Zhao Min and Wang Yuyan.

Zhu Danchen watched his retreating figure and sighed, "I originally thought that Sect Leader Lin wanted the young master to break the deadlock first, and then he would observe the two of them playing chess from the sidelines and slowly think of a strategy... I was really judging a gentleman by my own petty standards. Sect Leader Lin is a true gentleman!"

The other three, Chu Wanli, Fu Sigui, and Gu Ducheng, all sighed and talked about Lin Yi's righteous act at Xiaojing Lake.

……

Lin Yi walked a mile to the edge of a mountain stream, found a large round stone, laid out a paper chessboard on it, and quickly set up the black and white chess pieces.

Wang Yuyan asked in surprise, "Brother-in-law, when did you memorize this? This chess game is so complicated, how could you memorize it at a glance?"

Zhao Min shook her head and said, "For a sect leader to act in this way is despicable!"

Lin Yi rolled her eyes at her: "What do you know? No one has been able to solve this Zhenlong Chess Game for decades. It's all about luck and good fortune. Maybe my method of outsmarting it is the key."

Wang Yuyan asked in surprise, "A chess game that even chess masters can't solve, how could an ordinary person solve it by luck?"

"If luck doesn't work, what about destiny?" Lin Yi smiled. "Set it up, quick, quick, Minmin, you take the black pieces, Yuyan, you take the white pieces, show me how it goes."

They had already agreed beforehand, so the two women readily sat down and started playing chess.

Of course, it's impossible to truly solve the game, but Lin Yi remembers the key point... a self-destructive move, breaking down the defenses before rebuilding.

But one must first make several moves, execute this brilliant move to leave room for maneuver in the game, and then engage in a fierce battle to resolve the situation.

Even if Lin Yi makes a brilliant move, it will be difficult to turn the tide of the game, so we need to rely on Wang Yuyan and Zhao Min.

When the two played chess, Wang Yuyan's skill level was higher than Zhao Min's, but as the one who broke the deadlock, she often had to think for a long time.

After a while, Wang Yuyan said dejectedly, "Brother-in-law, I lost."

Zhao Min also shook her head and said, "This game of chess is extremely complicated..."

Lin Yi frowned, then restored the chessboard to its original state. "Let's play again."

After another game, Lin Yi finally found the key move.

Just as Wang Yuyan was about to make her move, Lin Yi suddenly snatched the white piece and placed it on a certain spot.

"Huh?" Wang Yuyan asked, puzzled.

"Pfft..." Zhao Min burst out laughing, slapping her thigh.

"Hahaha... Lin, do you even know how to play chess? That move of yours blocked your own 'liberties'. It's hilarious! With your amateurish skills, you think you can break someone's intricate chess puzzle?"

Lin Yi sneered as he picked up the dead white piece: "Look again!"

Bai Zi picked it up, and the situation became clear. When Wang Yuyan saw it, her little face was filled with surprise.

Zhao Min, who had been smiling, suddenly stopped smiling...

Lin Yi's suicidal move, though costing him many white stones, immediately opened up the game. Black still held a significant advantage, but White was freed from its constraints and had room to maneuver.

"This, this... it seems like it can really be solved?" Wang Yuyan's face lit up with joy.

Zhao Min fell silent. Lin Yi reached out and pinched her smooth cheek: "Well, Minmin, are you convinced? I told you that to solve this puzzle, you need luck!"

Zhao Min slapped his hand away and retorted stubbornly, "You're just lucky!"

Lin Yi grunted twice without speaking, but at this moment Wang Yuyan and Zhao Min both knew that Lin Yi's ability to take this step was by no means due to luck!

The two women immediately adopted a solemn expression. Zhao Min pondered for a long time before responding with a black move. Wang Yuyan then placed a white piece…

The situation changed. Although it was still an extremely complex and difficult game, both women were intelligent and skilled in chess. After some study, they managed to solve the final endgame.

Lin Yi was satisfied. "Let's go, let's break this deadlock!"

(End of this chapter)