Chapter Fifty-Seven Chess

  Outside the courtyard, through the vermilion-painted pavilion pillars and green balustrades, one can see that in the courtyard there is a square stone table and six short stone stools. On the stone table at this moment is placed a chessboard, with two people sitting on either side.

  On the left is an old man in a green robe, with long white eyebrows and beard, holding a wine gourd, with a kind face. On the right is also an old man, wearing luxurious clothes, slightly loose, with several pieces of jade pendants on his waist, showing extraordinary elegance and nobility.

  Chu Hao took one glance and understood everything at once.

  As they saw him approaching, the two who were watching chess finally came to their senses. Chu Hao didn't say a word, and the black-robed figure enveloped his body in an aura of coldness and mystery. The old man with a white beard stood up and smiled, saying: "Sword Elder, I am Qing Shan, the elder of Tao Ran's residence, also known as Qing Shan Old Man. This is Wu Cang, the imperial craftsman who invited you."

  Wu Lang was slightly arrogant, stood up and nodded slightly towards Chu Hao, which was considered a greeting.

  Chu Hao felt uncomfortable in his heart, but he didn't say anything. He smiled and said, "I didn't expect the elder of Tao Ran's residence to come and accompany me, I am truly honored."

  Because he had made up his mind that Chu Hao was a fourth-level or even Mahayana cultivator, the old man in green clothes spoke with courtesy and did not address him as "fellow Taoist" but rather as "senior". He smiled and said: "I was just discussing with Mr. Wu Cang earlier about what form Sword Senior would take to come to Yuzhu Mountain, I didn't expect it to be from the direction of Shenglong City. Senior is really interesting."

  Chu Hao naturally knew that the old man in green was probing him, and didn't hide it, heh-heh saying: "Today's weather is entering autumn, the scenery isn't bad, of course we must savor it properly. The scenery along the way, every time I look at it, has a different feeling."

  The old man in the green shirt chuckled and said, "Sword Old indeed is a superior person." Then he fell silent.

  Chu Hao stared at the old man in green, saying lightly: "That day at Tao Ran's residence, it was you who was in the back hall, wasn't it? What brings you to Yuzhu Mountain this time? Are you also here to watch the sunrise like me?"

  The old man in the green shirt shook his head and said, "Sword Old Senior is joking. As a middleman, Tao Ranju's residence invited Sword Old Senior to meet with Wu Cang Daoist friend at Bi Zhuang. As a junior, I naturally have to follow along and take a look. Moreover, Wu Cang Daoist friend is also an old friend of mine, and Bi Zhuang is also a new friend of Tao Ranju's residence. So when you two meet, I am overjoyed." After finishing speaking, he turned serious and said, "However, please be assured, Sword Old Senior, that when you begin your conversation, I will be on the distant mountain and absolutely will not try to eavesdrop."

  "Hopefully so."

  The old man in the green shirt thought that Chu Hao Xiu was better than himself, and when he heard this sentence, he didn't feel uncomfortable. He nodded to Wu Lang, then pinched the air with his fingers, and rose into the air, flying away from Youxia Court.

  The foundation-building period is not as good as the Golden Elixir period, and it must rely on external forces, such as flying swords and talismans to fly. Like Chu Hao's previous life, flying and other things are all about finding those sects' foundation-building period cultivators coming for spiritual symbols.

  This kind of thing was not uncommon in his past life. As the eldest senior brother of Chu Hao's Lianqi Gate, he had deceived countless people.

  Watching the old man in green clothes fly away, Chu Hao slowly lowered his head and said to Wu Lang: "Wu Lang, I don't know why you asked me to meet with Tao Ran, what is it about?"

  Wu Lang was not a cultivator, and Chu Hao had noticed this since entering the Youxia Court. Wu Lang might have heard something from Qing Shan Old Man, but his expression didn't reveal anything. At this moment, he was facing a "Foundation Establishment" cultivator without any tension or restraint.

  This attitude, however, made Chu Hao somewhat unsure of Wu Rang's character. Generally speaking, to be able to remain so calm and composed, one would either have to be much stronger than the opponent, or have a more powerful backing force, or lastly, have an exceptionally strong temperament.

  Compared with the first two, Chu Hao would rather believe it was the last reason.

  Wu Lang's skin looked good, if not for his frail body and old appearance, he would have looked like a middle-aged man. Upon hearing Chu Hao's question, Wu Lang's face remained calm, then pointed to the chessboard on the stone table and said lightly: "Sword Old Senior, before we talk about things, shall we finish this game of chess first?"

  "Judging a person by their chess, Mr. Wu Lang is indeed a man of temperament." Chu Hao responded with a sentence and then sat down on his own. Wu Lang didn't explain the purpose of his visit, so he naturally wouldn't ask again either. Looking at the stone table, the Xiangqi wooden pieces were deep yellow in color, majestic and dignified, made from top-quality ink jade and sheep fat jade.

  He's indeed wealthy and arrogant. Chu Hao shook his head, watching the unfinished game between the two of them earlier. In his past life, Chu Hao was not unfamiliar with chess, and at this moment, he took a glance and knew the general situation of the match.

  The old man in the green shirt was actually White, but under the current circumstances, a big dragon like a sharp sword stabbed into the white flag, which was trapped. However, Chu Hao hesitated for a moment and saw that there were five isolated black pieces on the upper left side. As long as he attacked these five isolated pieces, he didn't need to kill the dragon, just gain an advantage in the attack, and this battle would expand his lead and shrink the chessboard, making victory closer. But Chu Hao didn't know Wu Cang's depth, so he couldn't make a move. On the other hand, Wu Cang was very impolite, made a please gesture, and then pondered for a moment before putting down a piece on the board.

  Chu Hao took a look and this was exactly what he needed to push himself to his limits!

  He didn't expect that this Wu Lang was even more shameless than himself. As a guest, he was invited by Laozi, but he didn't give any face at all. Although his chess skills were mediocre and in the door he only bullied his younger brothers and sisters, he was also provoked by Wu Lang's anger.

  This Wu Lang is thinking of using chess to boost his momentum and raise the stakes in the negotiations.

  "Mr. Wu's chess skills are superb, with deep thought and a killer instinct." Chu Hao said indifferently, then made his move.

  Wu Lang's face was expressionless, and he didn't respond. Instead, he sank into thought, staring at the chessboard for a long time before finally lifting his head, putting down the piece, and saying: "Sword Old Master wants to kill my great dragon."

  "Where, where, I'm least good at killing dragons." Chu Hao said, his hands didn't hesitate for a moment, the method was sharp and tight, every move aimed at Wu Cang's back of the head, Wu Cang's isolated chess piece became heavier and heavier, being taken advantage of by Chu Hao from all sides. After more than 50 moves, Chu Hao already knew Wu Cang's strength, his chess style was stable, his sense of chess was keen, in terms of chess skills, he indeed wasn't someone Chu Hao could handle.

  Two men fell into a trap, one after another, testing each other's strengths and weaknesses. Chu Hao was careless for a moment, indulged in his quick wit, and made a slightly inferior move.

  "It's not easy to kill a big dragon, Mr. Jian Lao should be careful!"

  Wu Lang suddenly burst out laughing, this was the first time Chu Hao saw him smile, but he couldn't help feeling a thrill of excitement. On the chessboard, Wu Lang's circle had broken through, and with one hand, he made a swift and deadly move that pierced Chu Hao's heart. With this move, not only did Black escape from the great dragon's clutches, but Chu Hao's white dragon was left looking incomplete, its offense and defense reversed!

  Chu Hao's accumulated advantage vanished instantly, and he had to work hard to save the big dragon. This was all caused by his carelessness earlier. If he had made a different move, the situation would not be like this now. At least, his own piece would not have been in danger.

  Since it's impossible to kill the big dragon, I'll spare its life for now and focus on stabilizing my own position first. After some thought, Chu Hao started making moves again, prioritizing saving his big dragon for the time being. However, Wu Cang's technique of chasing the big dragon was extremely clever, not just focusing on killing it, but also taking advantage of weaknesses in other areas to thicken his position. Dozens of moves later, Chu Hao's big dragon still hadn't been fully saved, and instead, Wu Cang had gained a significant advantage, putting him at a disadvantage. Chu Hao furrowed his brow, unable to make a move for a long time. After much deliberation, while he may not be as skilled as Wu Cang in terms of chess artistry, the current situation would undoubtedly lead to defeat if it continued to unfold steadily. He had to find another way out! That meant taking a risk - since continuing like this would also result in loss, why not take a chance and go all-in? A top-notch player should be willing to make a bold move in adversity!

  Of course, the outcome of adventure may be failure, but even if defeated, one cannot give up, and must fight to the end. At this time, no one can rely on anyone else, even if heaven is kind to you, you still have to seize the opportunity yourself. Chu Hao knew that if he lost this game, he would absolutely lose momentum to Wu Lang, who didn't even have a natural talent for it, so he couldn't afford to lose. Whether it was to convince Wu Lang or to demonstrate the deterrent power of Bi Zhuang.

  Chu Hao abandoned the not-yet-alive big dragon and instead focused on playing a move in the top right corner, simultaneously attacking and running with the dragon. This actually put more pressure on White, but it had the advantage of disrupting the board and increasing the pressure on Wu Guang.

  "Mr. Jianlao is indeed a cunning chess player, beyond everyone's expectations!" A flash of anger crossed Wu Lang's calm face. This old man was too much, he had actually moved another piece before the dragon was alive, this was clearly contempt for others, and he must be severely punished, winning wasn't enough, only killing his dragon would be satisfying.

  Wu Lang moved with the intention to kill, voluntarily giving up the fight for the ransom, allowing Chu Hao to gain an advantage. The next move, Fei Zhen, not only blocked White Dragon's path but also destroyed its eye shape. Originally, the precarious middle-aged White Dragon was in a more critical situation after escaping the previous move. If there was even a slight mistake, the dragon would immediately die from anger, and the game would end.

  Time flies unconsciously, this game of chess started at 9 am and has not ended until now, the two sides have been fighting for nearly two hours.