Saving the foolish general, she accidentally becomes his favorite.

Li Furong realized that Ye Li was no fool and had to treat her with caution, so she started making her moves slower and slower.

But Ye Li didn't stop at all, and continued to place a piece on each chessboard after completing a round. However, by the middle of the game, her little follower was already exhausted.

Ye Li moved effortlessly across the chessboard, while her two lackeys had already been defeated.

After losing the game of chess, the woman in yellow and the woman in pink felt embarrassed and quickly made an excuse to leave.

Only Li Furong remained, and seeing that only she and Ye Li were left at the table, Li Furong dared not let her guard down any longer. She held the chess pieces in deep thought, not making a move for a long time...

Seeing their disciple, whom even Master Wu praised highly, locked in a fierce battle, the whispers among the crowd began again:

"I never expected that Li Furong would actually meet her match this time? It seems that this general's wife is quite capable."

"But wasn't she said to be mute? Could it be that her pipa playing is as good as her chess skills?"

"Perhaps it's precisely because he's mute that he tries to make up for it in other ways..."

The whispered words reached Li Furong's ears, and her heart became even more unsettled!

I would never lose to a mute person!

After pondering for a long time, Li Furong finally made her move, thinking she had laid a good foundation. However, the moment she finished, Ye Li made another move, pressing her relentlessly and cutting off her escape route.

Li Furong looked up at Ye Li, taking a serious look at this mute for the first time. She found that she couldn't see through her. The woman opposite her was quiet and composed, seemingly a calm lake, but only when they truly played against each other did they realize that the turbulent emotions hidden in her heart were like a tsunami, destroying all her pride with overwhelming force.

Looking at the chessboard, Li Furong felt utterly powerless...

She thought of her master—Master Wu, one of the top chess players in the Tian Shu Kingdom, whose chess skills were superb. Although her master liked her very much, whenever they played chess together in private, he would always give her some advice:

“Fu’er, although you are talented, you are too proud. In the art of chess, you must know that you must play against different people and learn from both winning and losing. Now, the people around you are afraid of your power and flatter you, so that you have never experienced defeat... But this is far from enough.”

The master took a sip of his wine and looked at her earnestly:

"If one day you encounter someone who defeats you, you must be tolerant... Only by playing against a true master can you make further progress."

Li Furong couldn't believe it, nor did she want to believe it, that this unknown mute was the expert her master had mentioned who could defeat her.

She had a strong sense of self-respect and never easily bowed her head. Li Furong composed herself, made a desperate attempt, and suddenly increased the speed of her chess game!

With sheer willpower, she charged forward, refusing to believe she would lose to this mute!

At this moment, Li Furong unleashed all her strength, going all out to kill her without leaving a single survivor.

Seeing that her opponent was attacking rapidly, Ye Li knew that Li Furong had lost her composure. The faster she played, the less time she had to think.

Ye Li remained calm and composed, steadily placing her own piece in response to her opponent's move.

Curious onlookers gathered around, and those who knew chess could see that Li Furong was already at her wit's end.

Li Furong naturally knew that she had already lost the initiative from the very beginning of this game, when she started with such pride.

She bit her lip, glared fiercely at Ye Li, and felt a deep sense of resentment in her heart!

But the words his master had said kept echoing in his ears:

"Fu'er, I hope that one day you will meet a true master, and you will be willing to accept defeat in a bet!"

My master's words still echo in my ears...

Although Li Furong disliked the little mute, she still listened to what her master said. With trembling hands, she put the chess piece back on the table and stood up.

As if he had made a great decision, he finally bowed deeply to Ye Li.

She knelt on the ground, her face flushed, and finally remembered her master's words, saying to the one who had defeated her:

"I underestimated my opponent this time... I lost."

Ye Li initially thought this was an arrogant and domineering nobleman, but she never expected that after losing the game, he would not throw a tantrum, take the opportunity to lose his temper, or do anything else.

Although she said she had lost with resentment, her body language betrayed her by bowing respectfully and lowering her noble head deeply.

Regardless of her own character, Ye Li thought that her chess teacher was indeed a person of high moral character. When teaching his apprentice, he did not think about making the child only care about winning or losing. He also taught her how to face failure with equanimity and how to learn from those who were better than her.

Seeing her sincerity, Ye Li was speechless, but she was unwilling to accept this generous gift. She went over and helped Li Furong up.

Unexpectedly, Li Furong glared at her fiercely and then shouted loudly, "Don't be arrogant! Yes, I lost, I admit it! But don't be arrogant for too long. My senior brother is much stronger than me. I'll go find him right now, you just wait!"

Li Furong possessed an arrogant air, as if she would seek help from others if she couldn't defeat the enemy herself. Her eyes quickly searched the main hall, and suddenly she spotted a figure, so she hurriedly ran over.

Seeing that she couldn't beat the other person, everyone thought about forming a group, and they even found a way to save the day in the main hall. They couldn't help but laugh.

A moment.

Li Furong grabbed a young man's sleeve and pulled him over, muttering, "Senior brother, you can't abandon me, hurry up!"

When Li Furong brought the man to Ye Li, Ye Li finally saw who he was and was momentarily stunned.

Huh?

Li Furong looked at the man and said urgently, "Senior brother! It's her! I lost just now because I underestimated her. You should quickly play another round with her and win it back!"

The man bowed to Ye Li and said respectfully, "Xiao Ziming, disciple of the Marquis of Wu, greets the General's wife."

Ye Li hadn't expected that the martial arts master's disciples were actually Zi Mo and Li Furong, so Zi Mo was actually Li Furong's senior brother.

"Junior Sister is being inconsiderate and has caused trouble for the General's wife. Xiao Ziming apologizes on her behalf."

Ye Li waved her hand.

Li Furong looked at Zi Mo's respectful attitude with displeasure and said, "Senior brother, you should play a game of chess with her and beat her. That way, Master won't say that I've disgraced our sect."

Zi Mo then looked at her with doting eyes and said helplessly:

"The general's wife is a highly skilled chess player; her chess skills surpass mine."

"What?! Impossible?! She couldn't possibly be better than you!"

"It's true, we've already competed before," Zi Mo explained patiently.

"You guys actually played chess? When?! Really?" Li Furong still couldn't believe it.

Zi Mo didn't want to talk much, so he said directly, "The general's wife has solved the chess endgame left by the chess master."

These words struck the hall like a thunderbolt!

Everyone present was instantly shocked upon hearing this!

They actually broke the chess record left by the chess master!

Scholars and writers throughout the world love to discuss refined pursuits such as playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and flowers, but if we were to say who has the most renowned chess skills in the entire land, it would undoubtedly be the Chess Saint.

The Chess Saint was not only highly skilled in chess, but also indifferent to fame and fortune. Many imperial nobles wanted to keep him to serve their dynasties, but he declined them all, devoting himself only to the art of chess. Since he started playing chess, he had never been defeated for many years. The invincible Chess Saint left behind a game record, declaring that if anyone could solve it, he would return to the world. After that, he lived in seclusion.

Unexpectedly, this ordinary little mute actually deciphered the chess manual left behind by the chess master!

In an instant, everyone looked at her with newfound respect!

If a woman's beauty is considered the lowest form of service, then being skilled in cooking is seen as a means to please her husband's family, but being proficient in chess is something else entirely!

Although Li Furong found it hard to believe, she believed that her senior brother Zi Mo would not lie, and that she had indeed lost to the little mute...

At this moment, Li Furong's face changed colors rapidly. Finally, she bit her lip and bowed openly to Ye Li once again.

But the form of address changed: "Furong was young and ignorant, young and impetuous, and did not know that a master was here. Please forgive her for what happened today, General's wife. Furong... Furong... Furong... I am completely convinced..."

Ye Li saw that she hesitated for a long time, but finally said to her, "I am convinced."

Suddenly I realized that this noblewoman wasn't so bad after all.

Zi Mo looked at Li Furong and smiled, "Master once said that one day you will meet a master who can defeat you, and you should be humble then. If Master saw your performance today, he would definitely praise you for being able to accept defeat..."

Li Furong glared at him, stomped on Zi Mo's foot, and muttered, "Xiao Zi Mo, if you had known she was so capable, why didn't you tell me sooner..."

Zi Mo was stepped on in front of everyone, but he still smiled as he looked at Li Furong:

Why don't you consider that maybe I believe in your abilities?

Li Furong rolled her eyes at him, her lips pouting in anger:

You heartless wolf! You just want to see me make a fool of myself...

Ye Li watched the interaction between the two with amusement.

Fellow disciples?

interesting.

very interesting.