cold clothes

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My afternoon nap was ruined, and I went to the chess room listlessly, where I was having a Go lesson today.

Previously, Go lessons were taught one-on-one between the teaching matrons and the young courtesans. After Leng Yi arrived, she couldn't find any other teaching matrons who knew Go, which made her feel very awkward. It was Yun Qiu who came to her rescue and taught her a few games.

Today, Leng Yi was facing Liu Xia, not Yun Qiu, the courtesan Leng Yi knew the least about. She only knew that Liu Xia had a beautiful singing voice and was also good at the arts, though slightly inferior to the other three. Therefore, Liu Xia usually supervised them with the matron when Qing Chun wasn't attending her calligraphy and painting lessons. When she had free time, she would also visit Zhuoyu Pavilion. She especially favored Wei Feng, treating her like a personal disciple and teaching her singing techniques.

As Leng Yi sat down and looked up, she saw Liu Xia's lively eyes, like a rainbow after a summer rain, flowing with incredible colors. Among the four courtesans, Liu Xia was arguably the least alluring. Yun Qiu was like a fox spirit reincarnated, Qing Chun was both pure and seductive, and Nuan Dong had a melancholic and pitiful quality. Liu Xia, however, possessed a pure and serene beauty, like a lark in the human world.

Of course, I'm referring to the first impression her appearance gives. These four sisters are masters at using their pretty faces to deceive people.

"I heard from Yunqiu that you are very talented at chess, and you even beat her in a game." Liuxia looked at her with a smile.

"No, it was just luck," Leng Yi said modestly. In her previous life, she had some knowledge of Go, chess, and Japanese shogi, not to mention Go. Modern education was much richer than that of ancient times. Although the rules of Go in the Great Qi Dynasty were somewhat different from those of modern times, it was still easy to learn. The main reason she was able to beat Yun Qiu was that her Go skills were only so-so.

Xia Hua, who was standing nearby, heard their conversation and her expression turned sour.

The class consisted entirely of Go, with Leng Yi playing white and moving first. Playing Go is a very quiet activity; soon the only sound in the Go room could be the clatter of pieces being placed.

As Leng Yi gradually entered a better state, her mood became as clear and refreshing as if sinking into water. Her vision also extended beyond the chessboard. Suddenly, the chessboard was no longer filled with black and white pieces, but with Hu Mama, Yun Qiu, Qing Chun, Xia Hua, Nong Yue, Wei Feng, Wu Xue, and others.

Fine threads sprouted from their bodies, intertwining and weaving into a dense net. Revenge… they all sought revenge against the Wang family, a powerful and influential noble family at the height of their power. Could they succeed? Was it truly a futile effort? Unless… they had an even greater force behind them.

As Leng Yi made her move, her thoughts were completely absorbed in her own world, until she heard the opponent say, "I lost."

"Huh?" Leng Yi looked up in confusion, then looked at the chessboard again. It was clearly only in the middle stage and there was still room for more moves.

"Oh, Ningbi is really good at chess. My chess skills are not good enough, so I'll just concede defeat." Liu Xia said cheerfully, openly and frankly not thinking that losing was anything shameful.

Leng Yi could only say "thank you" in acknowledgment.

Everyone else looked surprised, even the usually aloof Wu Xue was astonished. The art of Go was quite profound; they had studied it for a long time without success, never expecting Leng Yi to possess such talent.

"Ningbi is amazing," Nongyue praised first.

Once someone started, others followed suit, praising Leng Yi and gathering around her to watch her game of chess with Liu Xia. For a moment, Leng Yi was surrounded by admirers.

Summer blossoms stood in stark contrast to cold clothes. Summer blossoms, who had previously been the one in control, were now in a completely different position… Summer blossoms felt a surge of inexplicable emotion welling up inside her, an emotion she couldn't suppress.

The sound of chess pieces scattering startled everyone. After overturning the chessboard, Xia Hua ran away as if fleeing.