My virtue is above yours.

Jiang Zhen said coldly, "Do you think I'm stupid? These three blockheads have been sleeping in there for two hours, and it's almost midnight and they still haven't come out. Do you think I don't know what's going on in there?"

Chen Jingxuan stood up straight and said, "Senior Sister, calm down. The abbot is watching from upstairs."

Jiang Zhen stretched his neck: "Master isn't here today."

Chen Jingxuan retreated step by step: "And what about the sect leader!"

Jiang Zhen clenched his fist: "Our Master Uncle isn't here either. It's time to settle our score. I'll have a match with you. If I win, you'll have to obey my every command. If I lose, I promise I won't make things difficult for you again. Don't worry, I won't use qi or magic. We'll just have a fistfight, so people won't say I'm using my cultivation to bully others."

Chen Jingxuan retreated to the stairwell: "Can you guarantee you won't use Qi to strengthen your physical body?"

Jiang Zhen said coldly, "No."

Chen Jingxuan stepped off the stairs with one foot: "That's still unfair! We don't encourage violence, let's have a civilized fight."

"Alright, let's play a game then."

"I'm not good at Go. How about we change the rules? I'll set the rules. It's a very simple game that you can learn in no time. Senior sister, do you dare to challenge me?" Chen Jingxuan wasn't sure if this provocation would work.

Jiang Zhen didn't rush to take the bait: "Listen to the rules first."

Chen Jingxuan gave a general introduction to the rules of Gomoku.

After listening, Jiang Zhen tilted his head and said, "That's it? So simple? I'll make you bow down and submit."

The two went to the pavilion in the backyard and set up a chessboard.

At midnight, all the courtyards were asleep, and only the ever-burning lamps of the twelve-story building provided illumination.

The Qingyao Mountain was quiet in the dead of night, with only the sound of chess pieces falling.

Chen Jingxuan played the black pieces, and Jiang Zhen played the white pieces.

The two stared intently at the chessboard, with Jiang Zhen pondering for a long time before placing each piece.

Taking the opportunity, Chen Jingxuan asked, "Senior Sister Jiang, how much do you know about the academy?"

"I know nothing."

"You just don't want to tell me, do you?"

"No, I really don't know anything. My senior brother told me that something bad was going to happen at the academy and that he was giving me the opportunity. I haven't investigated anything else yet."

Chen Jingxuan asked in surprise, "You mean, you're so eager to snatch it from me, yet you know absolutely nothing about it?"

Jiang Zhen glared at her: "Are you trying to humiliate me?"

Chen Jingxuan quickly explained, "I didn't."

"That's what you mean. You humiliated me for knowing nothing yet arguing with you, only to end up kneeling for three days and being ridiculed by everyone. You're truly hateful."

"That's not what I meant!"

Jiang Zhen held the white pieces, pondering his strategy on the chessboard.

Chen Jingxuan reminded her, "Senior Sister Jiang, you've lost."

"You haven't connected five pieces yet." Jiang Zhen placed the chess piece down.

Chen Jingxuan placed his piece, and the original two groups of three pieces were simultaneously connected into four.

Jiang Zhen pursed her lips, her fair face turning slightly pale, her brows furrowed, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye trembled slightly with her skin. She said in a low voice, "One more round."

Chen Jingxuan said cautiously, "Senior Sister Jiang, you said that if we lost, we would call it even."

Jiang Zhen impatiently channeled his energy, sending the chess pieces flying back into the chess box: "We didn't agree on the number of games. The previous game doesn't count; it's best two out of three. This kind of simple game, once I get a little familiar with it, I'll definitely crush you without leaving a trace."

Chen Jingxuan had no choice but to continue. As the president of the university's Go club, he was confident that he could play for a whole day and night against a beginner like Jiang Zhen.

I can't get to the Ministry of Works until early tomorrow morning. There's no one on duty right now. If I break into the government office at night and get caught by the guards, I'll go to jail. If only I were a little more enlightened.

Besides, it's funny to see the other person being so stubborn, so it doesn't hurt to watch it a few more times.

Chen Jingxuan even suspected that Jiang Zhen's strange personality might be related to the path of cultivation. Could it be that there is such a thing as a stubborn Daoist in the world?

In the boundless night, a figure in purple robes flew by. Zhang Shunan's divine sense detected that two disciples were playing chess in the backyard.

"Who has such refined tastes?"

He focused his divine sense and recognized the two as his personal disciple Jiang Zhen and Chen Jingxuan, who had a grudge against Jiang Zhen.

Zhang Shunan wondered, "The two were at odds a few days ago, but now they're playing chess late at night. It must be that Jiang Zhen has heeded my teachings, understood the importance of being kind to others, and curbed his foolish nature, so he's deliberately befriending Chen Jingxuan."

He was very pleased: "My painstaking teaching has not been in vain. Jiang Zhen, you have finally matured."

Zhang Shunan had no intention of leaving and watched the game from a distance.

After seeing the moves on the chessboard, he felt quite puzzled.

In chess, the key is to play in the corners, edges, and belly. But the corners of the chessboard are empty, and the two players are fighting around the center of the board. What kind of chess is this?

Such a mistake is common for beginners. But Jiang Zhen is an exceptionally skilled player; many veteran players, including myself, have been defeated by her. How could she make such a move?

Moreover, their moves were extremely bizarre, completely unconventional, and devoid of any skill; most of their pieces were even connected in a single line.

"I lost. Let's play again." Jiang Zhen put the chess piece away unhappily.

Zhang Shunan couldn't believe his eyes. There were only about twenty pieces on the board, which was in the very early stages of the game. How could he possibly tell who would win or lose?

Could it be that my chess skills are lacking, and I can't see through the mystery of this game?

The two of them had actually anticipated the events after hundreds of moves; they were simply too slow to react.

Zhang Shunan was surprised to find that Chen Jingxuan was a master of chess, capable of defeating Jiang Zhen and considered a top player in the capital.

He didn't leave, but continued to observe the game, determined to figure out something.

The same thing happened in this game. At the beginning, the two sides only played in the center of the board. After a dozen or so moves, Jiang Zhen resigned.

Zhang Shunan was completely baffled. He couldn't understand it. Even when experts were playing against each other, he could still see some of the tricks of the trade, but now, he couldn't understand a thing about this game between the two of them.

Could it be that Jiang Zhen deliberately let the other party win in order to forge a friendship?

Zhang Shunan immediately dismissed the idea. He knew his apprentice best; Jiang Zhen was an unyielding person and would never do such a thing. If she admitted defeat, she would truly have lost.

He understood that Jiang Zhen and Chen Jingxuan's chess skills had become extraordinary. The two did not get bogged down in the battle between each move. Every move they made was a strategic move, focusing only on key pieces. It seemed like only one piece was played, but in reality, dozens of unseen pieces were secretly playing against each other.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful. To be able to glean so much from the chess game of two juniors. There is no end to learning."

The two played two rounds, and Jiang Zhen lost both.

Chen Jingxuan put away the chess pieces and asked, "Senior Sister Jiang, you've kept your word, haven't you?"

Jiang Zhen stormed off, waving his sleeves, and declared, "I, Jiang Zhen, always keep my word. Let's wipe the slate clean of our past grievances."

Chen Jingxuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Zhen said solemnly, "But I will avenge today's humiliation in the future."

After saying that, she grabbed the chessboard and ran away.

Chen Jingxuan was left alone, bewildered in the night.

"What a crazy person, so stubborn. But she's easy to fool. Senior Sister Jiang is indeed quite pretty; it would be better if her personality were a bit more normal."

It was too late at night, so Chen Jingxuan made do with the night at Qingyao Mountain.

The next day, Chen Jingxuan held his regular clinic, and afterwards visited the children at the academy.

He sat in the courtyard telling stories to the children, about how the Monkey King led the Yellow Turban Army to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace, then fled to Liangshan Marsh, and his love story with the Twelve Beauties of Jinling.

Chen Jingxuan did not tell the headmaster about Vice Minister Fan stealing the documents, for fear of causing the other party trouble.

As he was leaving, the headmaster smiled and took out a red peace knot: "This is a small token of the children's appreciation. You have taken great care of the academy these past few days, and this peace knot was made by the children themselves. It is a small gift to wish you peace and good fortune. I hope you won't laugh at it."

Chen Jingxuan accepted the peace knot, which was made of ordinary red string and was quite beautiful: "I appreciate everyone's kindness."

The headmaster escorted him to the door and instructed him, "Master, things can be accomplished by human effort. If the academy's affairs are truly difficult to resolve, you need not force yourself."

These past few days, the academy hasn't received a single penny, and its remaining savings are barely enough for daily expenses. There's also no lead on the contract; the headmaster feels this matter will be fraught with difficulties, and he doesn't want Chen Jingxuan to be put in a difficult position because of it.

Chen Jingxuan grasped his hand and said, "Don't worry, Headmaster, this matter will be resolved soon."

After bidding farewell to Shengyang Academy, Chen Jingxuan arrived at the bustling market and headed straight for Qingluan Pavilion.