Thoughts (1)

The group did not stay in Jiuzhou Port for long.

Compared to Qingchuan Port and Ci Tong Port, Jiuzhou Port may have a grand name, but it is not large in scale.

It has only half the area of Qingchuan Port.

After Zhang Rongfang joined the Kong Family's caravan, he replenished his food and drink at the port, and then the Tianye Escort Agency, which had been arranged in advance, sent experts to escort him on his journey.

Everyone on the road was riding in White Ox Cart, traveling on smooth and stable Official Road, with fresh fruit and pre-cooked dishes available for meals at any time.

It was definitely much more comfortable than Zhang Rongfang's previous trips.

I only had this kind of enjoyment back then when I was with Princess Yongxiang.

On the mountain road from Jiuzhou Port to Wushan Prefecture.

In the long procession of white oxen, Zhang Rongfang sat in the middle of an oxcart, playing a game of black and white chess with Kong Yuhui.

Smack

"Hahaha! You lost again!" Kong Yuhui laughed heartily, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Zhang Rongfang frowned, stroking his chin as he carefully examined the chessboard in front of him, unsure of how he had lost.

Logically speaking, with his mind now flashing like lightning and his reactions so sharp, he should be able to play chess with divine assistance.

He was clearly killing like crazy in every nook and cranny. Yet, in the end, he lost everything.

"Brother Zhang Jing, are you wondering why you lost?" Kong Yuhui asked with a smile.

"Exactly, I captured quite a few of your pieces earlier." Zhang Rongfang nodded. "To be honest, I'm not very good at black and white chess, I only know the basic rules. But ultimately, having more pieces means I can win, that's the bottom line, isn't it?"

"That's true, but the big picture isn't that simple." Kong Yuhui shook his head. "Many times, your victory might actually be part of the opponent's strategy. Your victory may seem like progress, but in the grand scheme of things, it might actually be a step backward."

He stroked his beard.

"As the saying goes, 'a single hair can move the whole body,' meaning that any action taken in one place can affect the outcome of other places."

"Yeah, the rules for black and white pieces are terrible." Zhang Rongfang shook his head. "In reality, it's not like everyone is equal in strength. There are many people who can do the work of dozens or even hundreds of others."

"That's true. The premise of black and white pieces is that everyone is an equal piece. Each piece can only have the ability to function as one piece. But reality is different." Kong Yuhui nodded in agreement.

"Brother Zhang, since you are a pharmacist, do you know of any medicine that can make you smarter?"

Kong Siyan, who was watching the game from the sidelines, asked with a smile.

"Of course I have some, do you want some?" Zhang Rongfang replied with a smile.

"Really?" Kong Siyan had only been joking, but upon hearing this, her eyes widened.

"Taking this will make you more perceptive, but it will shorten your lifespan. Are you willing to accept that?" Zhang Rongfang said with a smile. There was indeed such a medicine, but the side effects were severe.

"This..." Kong Siyan thought for a moment, about to answer.

Bang.

Suddenly, a muffled thud came from ahead. It sounded like something had crashed to the ground.

The oxcart slowly came to a stop.

The entire convoy came to a stop.

Kong Yuhui, however, remained completely calm and composed.

"See, what was bound to happen has finally happened. Brother Zhang, don't worry, no matter what happens, we have already made arrangements. Just wait and see."

"Hmm." Zhang Rongfang naturally not worried. He could roughly judge the strength of the people around him with just a glance.

Instead, it was the chessboard on the table that made him think and wonder why he had lost.

Kong Yuhui's chess skills were clearly extremely high, so much so that he lost without even realizing it.

He had been winning all the way, but in the end he lost. "Siyan, you rest here for a bit, I'll go out and take care of something," Kong Yuhui said casually to his daughter.

"Okay, Daddy, please hurry, otherwise it will get late and I don't want to spend the night in the wild." Kong Siyan smiled sweetly.

"Okay." Kong Yuhui got out of the car confidently.

They walked towards the front of the convoy.

At the very front of the convoy, a huge log lay across the road, blocking the way.

Kong Sijie, who is also Kong Yuhui's other son, was whispering something to the head of the caravan Escort Agency.

"So? Are they from the Tan Family?" Kong Yuhui's smile vanished, and he asked calmly.

"Yes, ever since the Three Great Families of Wu Mountain declined a few years ago, the Tan Family has increasingly encroached on the surrounding lands and won over a large number of former small and medium-sized Lineage. Now they have completely replaced the Huang Family's position. Now they even want to extend their reach to our Kong Family. It's utterly absurd!"

Kong Sijie Fire Great Way.

"Father, there should be an ambush ahead. Should we force our way through, or take a detour?"

"An ambush? This isn't an ambush, it's just stalling for time! They don't want us to go back now," Kong Yuhui said calmly. "The Huang Family, the Shangguan, Yue Family of yesteryear are all things of the past. My Kong Family has waited for decades, and now we finally have this opportunity to take control of the prefectural Prefectural City. Who can stop me? Who dares to stop me?"

He looked up at the road ahead.

On both sides of the gray Official Road, the deep forests constantly exhaled cold air, like two monsters that could devour people at any moment.

"Besides, we were officially transferred here, through official documents from the Great Ling, so they wouldn't dare to act openly. They can only resort to underhanded tactics. Don't be afraid, charge in! We have enough people to handle anything!"

He brought three of his Lineage's Super Grade elders with him this time. In other places, this might not be much, but in a remote province like Wushan Prefecture, three Super Grade are enough to suppress everything.

"Yes!" The escort leader immediately understood that in fact, his so-called escort agency was also the property of the Kong family.

Therefore, Kong Yuhui has the final say in everything within the team.

The group immediately continued forward, moving the logs aside without paying any attention.

The three Super Grade experts, each accompanied by a rank-level expert, quietly disappeared into the forest. Before long, a faint, pungent smell of blood began to waft out.

Inside the train carriage.

Zhang Rongfang stared silently at the chessboard in front of him.

On the other side was Kong Siyan, who was smiling like a little fox.

Yes, he lost again.

"Hmm, why can't I eat ten of yours with one of my own? I don't think that's reasonable," Zhang Rongfang said in a deep voice.

"But that's just how the black and white pieces are," Kong Siyan replied with a smile.

"But one of my stones is probably more powerful than all of yours," Zhang Rongfang.

"I think the rules should be changed."

"My opinion doesn't count," Kong Siyan shook her head. She had just played another quick game of chess with Zhang Rongfang, and the result was the same.

Zhang Rongfang suffered a crushing defeat.

"Brother Zhang, why are you so fixated on every win or loss? In some situations, you could have sacrificed a piece to gain more benefits. Why not sacrifice the small for the big?" This was what Kong Siyan didn't understand.

"Why sacrifice them?" Zhang Rongfang retorted. "If we sacrifice them, wouldn't that be too cruel to those pieces?"

"Uh..." Kong Siyan was speechless.

"That's how people are. The big picture is important, but for me, a few pieces in a small corner are more important. Without them, the big picture is meaningless to me."

Zhang Rongfang answered decisively.

These words startled Kong Siyan, who was momentarily speechless.

The atmosphere here is different from the An Ning inside the carriage.

Ahead of the convoy, high in the mountains and forests.

First Squad people dressed entirely in black and masked were watching the convoy from afar.

"Kong Yuhui seems very confident, coming over openly from the road. He's really not afraid of us using dirty tricks." The leader carried a long Red Bronze Long Saber; he was tall with long, slender arms.

"Shall we make a move?" the black-clad henchman asked in a low voice.

"Of course, he thinks he can rest easy just by following the three Super Grade swords: Long Beard Saber, Peerless Wind and Snow, and Shadow Arrow? Too bad." The Red Blade Leader sneered a few times.

"Unfortunately, he didn't know that at least two of the three top- Super Grade experts wouldn't make a move lightly!"

"Super Grade, there are only a handful of Super Grade in the entire Wu Mountain. If the Kong Family hadn't run into such a formidable opponent, they would actually be quite strong," the deputy sighed.

"Let's go, let's kill Kong Yuhui first. He has Senior Long Beard Saber by his side. As long as Long Beard Saber cooperates, although Kong Yuhui is the strongest, he is the easiest to take down."

The Red Blade Leader said in a deep voice.

"Yes."

A group of people behind him responded in unison.

There were thirty Black-Clad Man, all of them skilled Martial Practitioner had risked their lives for their lives. When they heard that a fight was about to begin, their eyes lit up with excitement.

***Inside the train carriage.

Zhang Rongfang listened attentively as Kong Siyan explained the steps and thought process behind the chess game she had just played.

Suddenly he heard the sounds of fighting outside, the clash of fists and weapons.

"Is everything alright outside?" he asked.

"It's alright." Kong Siyan smiled. "Father has three uncles protecting him, so there's absolutely no chance of anything going wrong."

"Really? If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know," Zhang Rongfang replied in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problem." Kong Siyan said nonchalantly. This time, the Kong Family returned to Wushan Prefecture, aiming to exert their overwhelming power and pressure on this place from a high position.

Upon hearing the reply, Zhang Rongfang listened to the commotion outside and found that Kong Yuhui was still talking quietly to someone. Although it was hard to hear clearly from a distance, he seemed quite relaxed.

He immediately felt relieved.

Since they kindly invited him to join them and showed their willingness to protect him, he should reciprocate by helping the convoy and ensuring its safety.

Finding that everything was alright, Zhang Rongfang continued playing chess.

The sounds of fighting outside the window continued for quite some time without stopping.

Kong Siyan gradually lost her initial sense of security, and a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.

"Don't worry, your father is fine," Zhang Rongfang casually, trying to reassure him. He could hear noises outside.

"By the way, you haven't told me yet what the situation is like in Wushan Prefecture?" he asked.

"In Wushan Prefecture, the Tan Family Mu Chi Family are the main leaders, and the other forces are weaker than these two families."

"Inside the city, inside the city," Kong Siyan was clearly worried, and her speech became distracted.

"Since you're worried, why don't we go out and take a look together?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"No, Father said we shouldn't go down. This oxcart is specially made to protect against flying arrows and hidden weapons. If we go down, there won't be any way to defend against them." Kong Siyan shook her head.

"So careful?" Zhang Rongfang blinked.

"Yes, my dad has a very powerful rival. He's not afraid of anyone else, but he's afraid of that rival. That person is extremely strong. This trouble stems from him."

"Don't worry, we're quite strong too, and they can't possibly go all out on the journey," Kong Siyan reassured her.

"Actually, speaking of trouble, I didn't want to be with you at first because I was afraid of dragging you down," Zhang Rongfang said. "I also have quite a few enemies, and they are all very strong."

"Don't worry, my father is very powerful!" Kong Siyan said with a smile. She didn't think Zhang Jing could cause any big trouble.

"Besides, if my dad can't handle things, there are even more powerful people hiding behind him who will step in! Any of your enemies who dare to come will be taught a lesson. Don't worry! I'll absolutely guarantee you'll be safe!"

"Thank you very much." Zhang Rongfang smiled. Although this girl was a bit silly and straightforward, she was undoubtedly a good person at heart.

"No need, Brother Zhang. Although you look fierce, I'll know you're a good person once I get to know you. I believe you won't do anything bad, and anyone who opposes you must have something wrong with them!" Kong Siyan said earnestly.

"You're right." Zhang Rongfang nodded with deep feeling. "That's just how the world is. Even if you don't provoke others, there will always be people who can't stand you and want to mess with you."

Finally, the sounds of fighting outside gradually subsided and stopped.