"Dongfang Zhan, don't even think about hitting on Li Xue, or else..." Dongfang Heng didn't finish his sentence, but he knew it would be a severe punishment. He gave Dongfang Zhan a cold, warning look, then strode out to the woman: "Li Xue!"
"Dongfang Heng, what are you doing here?" Shen Lixue watched as Dongfang Heng emerged from the dark corner. His handsome face was somewhat gloomy, and his white robes fluttered, giving him an indescribable air of mystery.
"Buy chestnuts." Dongfang Heng's answer was simple and concise. Seeing Shen Lixue's worried gaze, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Are there chestnuts for sale here?" Shen Lixue looked suspiciously at the deserted, dark corner through Dongfang Heng.
"Of course!" Dongfang Heng flipped his wrist, and a yellow paper bag appeared in front of Shen Lixue, with chestnuts inside steaming slightly.
"Why did you come to buy it yourself?" Shen Lixue's gaze shifted from the chestnuts to Dongfang Heng. He had bodyguards by his side, and he would give orders to them directly for everything. Just now, she was chatting with Lin Yan and Chu Youran, and before she knew it, he had disappeared.
"The guards don't know your taste!" Dongfang Heng peeled a chestnut and stuffed it into Shen Lixue's mouth, cutting her off from what she was about to say.
The chestnut meat was fragrant and tender, its aroma instantly filling the mouth. Shen Lixue nodded in praise, "It tastes great!"
"Eat as much as you like!" Dongfang Heng peeled the chestnut shells, and a barely audible whooshing sound came from behind him as Dongfang Zhan flew away.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The rapid sound of gongs suddenly rang out. Shen Lixue turned her head and saw a middle-aged man standing on a high platform twenty meters away, banging the gong forcefully. As the crowd gradually gathered, he smiled broadly and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Gentlemen, my master enjoys playing chess. He has acquired a chess game that remains unsolved to this day. On the occasion of the Qixi Festival, when talented men and women gather, he will display this chess game. Whoever can solve it will be rewarded with a precious sword!"
The man clapped his hands, and two servants carried in a table with the unbroken chess game on it, projecting it onto the wall behind him.
On a high table close to the wall sat a small, exquisite round knife with a large curve, like the scimitars used by some nomadic tribes. The handle was inlaid with a large ruby, and the scabbard was carved with simple and ancient patterns. It was clear at a glance that it was a fine knife.
Shen Lixue is skilled with silver needles and long whips, and even more adept at short-range defense and attack. She has several sharp daggers, but this is the first time she has seen such an exquisite and uniquely shaped curved sword.
If I break the chess puzzle, will I get the round knife?
Shen Lixue walked slowly towards the high platform, looking at the chessboard. The black and white pieces were intertwined and mutually restraining each other. Adding one piece would be too much, and losing one piece would be too little. Breaking the game would not be easy.
Shen Lixue pondered carefully, and inspiration for breaking the chess game appeared and disappeared in her mind, like lights in the white mist, seemingly nearby, yet far away and unreachable!
Her thoughts and inspiration had reached a bottleneck; she couldn't find a breakthrough or a way out. She was very frustrated, and her eyebrows furrowed unconsciously.
Dongfang Heng glanced at Chen Lixue, then at the round knife, his deep gaze fixed on the chessboard on the stage. His sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and his graceful figure instantly appeared before the chessboard. He picked up a white piece and placed it on the board.
The moment the white piece was placed, a long, slender hand reached out from thin air and pressed a black piece onto the chessboard. Looking up, it met Dongfang Zhan's gentle smile: "Prince An has also come to break the chess game!"
Dongfang Heng's obsidian-like eyes instantly hardened, and a cold light flashed deep within them; he was truly a persistent ghost.
The middle-aged man stared at the white and black pieces on the chessboard, his eyes gleaming with deep shock: "Brilliant! These two moves are truly ingenious, turning a desperate situation into a life-or-death one. So this is what they call breaking the deadlock!"
Then, he became worried again, his gaze sweeping over Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Zhan. There was only one prize, how were they going to be divided?
Shen Lixue stood below the stage, frowning as she looked at Dongfang Zhan. He had come deliberately to cause trouble.
"Dongfang Heng, you hold the white pieces, and I hold the black pieces. If we break the deadlock at the same time, we'll both be winners. But there's only one precious sword, so it's hard to divide it." Two people, one sword. If they split it equally, the sword will be damaged and he won't be able to give it to his beloved.
"What do you want?" With half of the round knife snatched away, Dongfang Heng did not roar in anger; his voice was calm, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"How about we play a game of chess? Whoever wins gets the precious sword!" Dongfang Zhan smiled and gazed at Dongfang Heng, glancing at Shen Lixue out of the corner of his eye. She wanted that round sword, and he could help her win it back.
"Do you keep your word?" Dongfang Heng asked Dongfang Zhan.
"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond!" Dongfang Zhan said, emphasizing each word.
Below the platform, the pedestrians not only didn't leave, but gathered in greater numbers, looking with great interest at the stage where handsome men were playing chess—a rare and precious sight that they absolutely couldn't miss.
With a flick of her jade-like finger, Dongfang Heng sent the white pieces on the table flying up and landing perfectly back in their black and white chess cups. The chessboard in front of her was now empty, waiting for someone to rearrange the pieces.
"Do you want the white pieces or the black pieces?"
Dongfang Zhan smiled slightly: "Black!"
The board has 19 lines in total, with 181 black pieces and 180 white pieces. The player with the black pieces moves first, which gives them the advantage and allows them to take the initiative.
His sharp gaze swept across the chessboard. After a moment's thought, Dongfang Zhan picked up a black stone and placed it down. Dongfang Heng was a master of Go, and he dared not be careless.
Dongfang Heng stared at the black stone, his obsidian-like eyes narrowing slightly. Dongfang Zhan's move seemed ordinary, but it was actually profound and unpredictable. He couldn't be careless. He picked up a white stone between his index and middle fingers and placed it next to the black one.
Dongfang Zhan smiled slightly, remaining calm and composed, and placed another piece on the board.
Dongfang Heng then picked up a white piece and placed it down.
After more than a dozen pieces, Dongfang Zhan realized that Dongfang Heng's Go skills were extremely high, and his advantage of going first was gradually weakening.
His smile deepened. He had been fighting on the border for several years, and his chess skills had not only not declined, but had become even more exquisite. With every move he made, he calculated his opponent's next ten moves. Every move he made was under his control.
Dongfang Heng truly lives up to his title as the God of War of Azure Flame; he also enjoys controlling the overall situation when playing chess.
Holding the cool, black chess piece in his hand, Dongfang Zhan smiled faintly. It seemed that to defeat him, he could no longer take the usual path; he had to be unpredictable.
Dongfang Heng raised his eyes and saw Dongfang Zhan's deep eyes, as vast and boundless as the sea, instantly captivating everything. His brows were furrowed with solemnity and resentment, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. He took the chess piece and placed it down.
White moves long, black moves diagonally, white moves retreat, black moves connect – the variations are exquisite and the shapes become increasingly complex and difficult to deal with.
Shen Lixue's gaze deepened. Although her chess skills were not excellent, she could still understand that the two large black and white dragons on the chessboard were intertwined. The white dragon was like a killing machine, often making unexpected moves and launching killing attacks. The black dragon was cunning and unpredictable, launching a series of powerful sneak attacks. The two were in a life-or-death situation, with their lives hanging in the balance.
Both Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Zhan possess chess skills that are so exquisite that they are beyond the reach of others. However, judging from the current game, Dongfang Heng has the upper hand.
Dongfang Zhan looked at the chessboard and frowned slightly. His hand holding the black pieces paused as Dongfang Heng's moves became increasingly ruthless and merciless. Seeing that the game had reached its final crucial moment, he knew he had to be cautious.
After pondering for a while with furrowed brows, Dongfang Zhan placed a black piece on the chessboard.
Dongfang Heng raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips. He picked up a white piece and placed it next to a black piece. Instantly, the black piece was surrounded by white pieces, trapped in a predicament with no way to recover.
"You lost!" Dongfang Heng's voice was calm, yet it was like a demonic sound that pierced through Dongfang Zhan's eardrums and went straight to his mind.