Chessboard in a Heap of Garbage
"Qian Ning has come to pay her respects to Senior Li!"
Mu Qianning's voice came through.
In the Small Courtyard, Li Fan also smiled and said:
Come in.
Outside, Mu Qianning, Huo Ling'er, and the others pushed open the door and entered.
The moment I stepped into the Small Courtyard.
Jiang Li was suddenly jolted, as if he had seen something incredible.
"This aura, this supreme way of chess... merges with all things, resonates with heaven and earth..."
He trembled, utterly trembled.
If he had experienced the perfect way of chess in that Small Mountain Village...
So, the atmosphere here, that Dao Rhyme and Daoist principles that involve the ultimate Dao of chess... clearly made him feel that everything here transcended "perfection"!
So vast it's beyond our comprehension.
So ethereal as to be untouchable.
So profound it's beyond comprehension!
He felt like a drop of water appearing before a vast ocean.
The only thing we can do is worship!
"Greetings, Senior Li."
Huo Ling'er and Mu Qianning stepped forward and bowed gracefully to Ji Shiying.
Li Fan smiled and said:
"No need for formalities. It's been a long time since I've seen you. By the way, who are they?"
His gaze fell upon Jiang Li and Wu Dade.
Feeling Li Fan's gaze, Wu Dade immediately became nervous and looked at Jiang Li.
However, Jiang Li only glanced at Li Fan at that moment.
Then, he suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud and said:
"Jiang Li, a junior, pays his respects to you, sir!"
"To have witnessed your unparalleled chess skills today... Jiang Li, my life is now complete!"
He was completely awestruck, his words filled with admiration!
The moment he saw Li Fan, he understood.
All the nuances of chess, all the principles of the game...
It turns out it all came from this "Senior Li" in front of us!
He understood deeply that his opponent's chess skills had reached an extraordinary level. He appeared young, but he was undoubtedly a chess master who looked down upon the rise and fall of all worlds and observed the birth and death of heaven and earth!
Such a senior deserves the utmost respect!
Upon seeing this, he was also taken aback.
What's going on here?
Could it be that they came to become apprentices?
He looked at Huo Ling'er and Mu Qianning.
"Reporting to Senior, these two... are from the Diming Realm!"
Huo Ling'er spoke, saying:
"Just today, a reborn individual arrived in the Diming Realm, possessing unparalleled chess skills, and is challenging chess players from all realms!"
"He was extremely arrogant, pressuring us, saying that if no one in the Heavenly Realm could defeat him, they would all become his vassals..."
Upon hearing this, Li Fan was instantly startled.
What? A reborn person?
Li Fan had only ever seen the concept of rebirth in novels!
Moreover, those who are reborn... are usually protagonists!
Could it be that I've actually encountered the protagonist of this world???
Li Fan was immediately filled with envy.
Damn it, look at others, reborn twice, enjoying extreme glory, while I... am simply miserable, miserable beyond measure!
"And these two are named Jiang Li and Wu Dade. Jiang Li was originally the Holy Son of the Chess Immortal Sect..."
Huo Ling'er then recounted how Jiang Li played the game, how he was brutally beaten, and how he ultimately betrayed the Chess Immortal Sect.
However, she didn't mention anything about cultivation, because she understood that Senior Li had long been weary of the cultivation world, having lived in seclusion there!
Li Fan was also somewhat surprised after hearing this.
That reborn person is actually this ruthless?
Jiang Li only gave the celestial players a few moves of freedom, yet he was brutally beaten and even nearly killed?!
Even if he's the main character, isn't this just too much?
"Now, all the chess masters we could invite, such as Xiao Yan and the Little Chess Saint, have already been defeated..."
Huo Ling'er sighed and said:
"Therefore, I had no choice but to come and pay my respects to you, senior!"
After they finished speaking, they all looked at Li Fan nervously.
Li Fan immediately understood.
It must have been last time, when Lu Rang was outside, that I gave Lu Rang some pointers on how to play chess, which is why Mu Qianning and the others knew that I was good at chess.
They've come to ask for my help!
But this time, it might involve cultivators.
After all, the other party is a reborn individual.
Li Fan has always been unwilling to get involved in matters concerning cultivators.
Because he knew that in the eyes of cultivators, mortals were nothing but ants, easily killed!
If I'm not careful and get targeted by some cultivator, wouldn't that be a disaster?
It's so much more comfortable to stay in a mountain village and live my own simple life!
But we still need to help Huo Ling'er and the others.
After thinking for a moment, he looked at Jiang Li was kneeling on the ground.
"Since you know chess, why don't you get up and play a game with me?"
Li Fan spoke.
-- "Hand talk" is an elegant term for playing chess.
He wanted to see Jiang Li's chess skills, and if possible, give him a little pointers and teach him one or two checkmate techniques so he could go back and defeat Chen Xuanbei...
To avoid incurring the wrath of the cultivators by showing up himself!
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li, who was kneeling on the ground, was instantly stunned.
He stared at Li Fan in disbelief, completely stunned.
I... have the chance to... play hand-to-hand combat with such a being?
What an incredible fortuitous opportunity!
He simply couldn't imagine it!
"Young Master, why aren't you getting up?"
Huo Ling'er also spoke up with delight.
Senior Li was clearly going to instruct Jiang Li to take action on his behalf!
After all, although Chen Xuanbei was a reborn individual, compared to Senior Li, he was nothing more than an ant. How could he possibly require Senior Li to personally take action?
Jiang Li then hurriedly stood up, bowed deeply to Li Fan, and said:
"How dare I, a junior, make a fool of myself in front of you, sir..."
"Don't be shy, come on."
Li Fan said, "Ziling, go find my chessboard and get the Go pieces..."
Because he has no rivals, Li Fan can only play chess against himself when he feels like it.
When playing against himself, he doesn't need a chessboard at all; the intricate details of the chessboard are all in his hands and in his mind.
So the chessboard gathered dust, and Li Fan wasn't even sure where he'd put it.
Ziling got up to look for it, and after searching for a long time, she finally came back carrying a dusty, gray chessboard.
"Master, we found it... we found it in the pile of firewood!"
Ziling spoke with some complicated feelings:
"However, this chessboard has been chopped several times by Junior Brother Lu Rang with Wood-cutting Knife, and now it has two cracks..."
Upon hearing this, Li Fan immediately smiled; he had indeed forgotten about that.
I had previously thought there was too much clutter, so I left this chessboard in the woodpile, intending to use it as fuel for the fire.
Fortunately, Lu Rang hadn't shattered it yet, otherwise the chessboard would be nowhere to be found.
"It doesn't matter, as long as you can see clearly."
He spoke.
Ziling then placed the chessboard on the stone table and arranged the two boxes of chess pieces on either side.
It was a dusty gray chessboard, clearly marked with black and white lines!
It has endured countless years, and has been stored in the firewood pile for a long time, yet it shows no signs of fading.
This chessboard is quite peculiar; its vertical and horizontal edges have no design boundaries!
At this moment, two distinct knife marks were visible on the edge of the dusty chessboard, indicating a slight crack!
"Please sit down--"
Li Fan spoke calmly.
Jiang Li a deep breath, bowed deeply to Li Fan, and then stood opposite Li Fan.
The moment I sat down, my gaze fell on the dusty, gray chessboard.
Jiang Li froze once again!
He stared at the chessboard in front of him, an expression of disbelief in his eyes.
It was as if I had seen a ghost!