Chapter Thirty-Two: Teaching Chess

  Zhang Nai Chun scratched his head with a smile and carefully asked Bai Yun Nu: "Bai Shao Ye wants to teach the two sisters how to play chess, they are all busy, who can accompany me to practice the nine linked rings?"

  White clouds warm stretched out his hand and pointed at Wen Lu Ming.

  Wen Lu Meng suddenly opened his eyes wide, he was a bit confused and didn't know what kind of trick Bai Yun Nang Hulu was playing.

  "Wen Xian-di?" Zhang Nai-chun raised his tone, very suspicious of Wen Lu-ming, "How does a scholar like him know about the tricks in this boudoir?"

  A white cloud warmed up with a smile, shaking his finger: "This person can't be judged by appearance, the sea can't be measured in liters, Mr. Zhang shouldn't underestimate Wen Xian Di! Although you think you've got the ladies' manor under control, in Luo County, how many young misses have fallen for your charming and elegant appearance? But this nine-linked ring trick, you're really not as good as Wen Xian Di."

  Zhang Nai Chun automatically filtered out the sarcastic tone in Bai Yun's warm words and only took in the four characters "潇洒倜傥" (free and easy), he was overjoyed. He quickly grabbed Wen Lu Ming and begged: "Since Miss Bai has recommended Brother Wen, you must be exceptionally good, Brother Wen, I'll make you my master, just teach me how to play the nine linked rings, and I'll definitely heavily reward you!"

  Zhang Nai Chun's words made Wen Lu Ming furrow his brow, the son of a merchant family was full of coppery smell in his mouth.

  Bai Zhenxuan saw Wen Lu Ming frowning and not speaking, with a solemn face, thinking that he just didn't know how to play the nine-linked ring, so he blamed Bai Yunnuan: "Ah Nuan, Wen Xian Di is a dignified man, why would he play this kind of trick, you shouldn't tease people like this."

  "Does brother also underestimate Wen Xian's younger brother?"

  Bai Yun Nuan smiled cleverly and charmingly.

  Bai Zhenxuan's face turned red with embarrassment: "Ah Nuan, Wen Xian is a few years older than you, you should call him brother."

  Bai Yun said with a warm and cold smile: "Isn't Father telling Ah Nuan to learn from Brother and treat Wen Xian well? Then Ah Nuan will call him Wen Xian along with Brother, isn't that good?"

  Bai Zhenxuan wanted to speak but hesitated, feeling both helpless and annoyed towards his sister.

  The siblings were at odds with each other, and Wen Luoming smiled warmly: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, friends don't bother with trivialities. Let's just call him Wen Xiangdi! To me, it sounds very intimate."

  "But, this nine linked rings, Wen Xiongdi you..."; Bai Zhenxuan was worried.

  Wen Luoming smiled and said: "This nine-linked ring technique, I'm still quite familiar with it."

  Zhang Nai Chun immediately burst into joy, he went forward and hugged Wen Lu Ming, jumping and laughing: "I knew it, how could the person recommended by Miss Bai be wrong?"

  Wen Luoming was entangled by Zhang Naichun and had no way out, so he cast a resentful glance at Baiyun who was warming up nearby.

  The white clouds smiled warmly, and the words became more intense. Zhāng Chóng said with a spring tone: "Does Young Master Zhang not know? This nine-linked ring, I, Xīn Yuè, and Yǔ Mò can only play out nine kinds of tricks, but Wēn Xián Dì knows ten! If the reward you offer is not enough, Wēn Xián Dì won't easily teach you!"

  Wen Luoming's face turned dark, while Bai Yun smiled warmly and pulled Bai Zhenxuan to go find Xin Yan and Yu Mo.

  Zhang Nai Chun looked at Bai Yun Nu's receding back and shook his head, saying: "I have never seen such a strange and eccentric woman!"

  The warm deer sounds full of black lines. This chapter's young master looks like a decent person on the surface, but is actually a useless pretty boy, can't he see that Bai Yunnuo is playing him?

  It seems that being willful and arbitrary is the consistent style of the young lady of the Bai family, and it's not just targeted at him. In these days in the Bai household, Bai Yunnuo's cold ridicule and disdainful gaze have made him feel quite hurt, thinking that she looked down on him because he was a humble guest with no power or influence, intentionally making things difficult for him. But unexpectedly, she has the same attitude towards Zhang Jiajun, the young master of the wealthy and aristocratic Zhang family, which makes him feel balanced in his heart, but also somewhat confused.

  He really can't understand Bai Yun's warmth. This woman is a good book that is hard to read and understand.

  Zhang Nai Chun had been watching Bai Zhen Xuan and Bai Yun Nu, and only returned her gaze after Yu Mo re-laid the chessboard on the grass. Turning back, she saw Wen Lu Ming also staring in the direction of the Bai siblings, his face an inscrutable expression. She stretched out a hand to wave in front of him, "Hey, Young Master Wen!"

  Wen Luoming returned to his senses, and Zhang Nai Chun tried to please him by saying: "The nine linked rings and ten varieties of flower patterns I can teach you without reservation, and as for the reward, this young master will certainly not shortchange you."

  Wen Lu Ming felt helpless, since it was a nine-linked ring, where did the tenth variety come from?

  Zhang Nai Chun didn't care about these things and insisted on learning ten fancy moves from Wen Lu Ming, who could only teach him the common nine fancy moves first.

  Xin Yue and Yu Mo had already spread out the blanket, set up the chessboard, and were quietly waiting on the side.

  Bai Zhenxuan had no choice but to sit down with Bai Yunnuan across from each other, first demonstrating a game for the two sisters.

  Xin Yan and Yu Mo were sitting on either side of him, their faces full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to learn. But Bai Zhenxuan was teaching with a distracted mind, his hand holding a black chess piece, hesitating as he said: "Ah Nuan, since it's the Nine Linked Rings, where did you come up with ten different moves? Aren't you deliberately making things difficult for Wen Xian?"

  Bai Yun's eyes warmed as she gazed at the chessboard in front of her, a confident smile spreading across her face. "What makes you think I'm having trouble with Wen Lu Ming?" she asked lightly. "It's clearly the young master of the Zhang family who's struggling."

  Bai Zhenxuan was stunned, clenching the black chess piece in his palm, "In that case, it's even more unacceptable. Young Master Zhang helped the White family at Lingyun Temple after all. If not for him, I would be the one going to Kyoto with Prime Minister Xiang, not Officer Qin."

  Bai Yun warmed up and looked up at her brother with a serious face, smiling in her heart: Brother, you won't do it, you'd rather get into trouble than bow down to the powerful. If you're willing to follow Master Xiang to Kyoto, then your past life wouldn't have ended up as a dead horse wrapped in a leather blanket.

  "In short, your brother thinks you're being a bit too much today by teasing people like this."

  Bai Yun just smiled and looked at her brother, lightly and calmly, without arguing with him.

  If it weren't for Zhang Nai Chun, Xin Yue wouldn't have died, Han Ge Er wouldn't have died, and she herself wouldn't have suffered a life of illness and injustice. She had only teased Zhang Nai Chun a little, how could that possibly make up for the sins Zhang Nai Chun committed against her and her son in their past lives? It can't be made up for! No matter what, it can't be made up for!

  Xin Yu suddenly interrupted: "

  Actually, Miss is not teasing Master Zhang, and the Nine Linked Rings indeed have ten flower patterns.

  Everyone curiously cast their eyes on Xin Yu, and Xin Yu smiled: "The tenth pattern is called Sunset over Western Hills, both I and Yu Mo will..."

  Yu Moji glanced at the young master and then at the young lady, nodded slightly, but didn't dare to smile complacently. Instead, he said respectfully: "The sunset over the western mountain is indeed the tenth variation of the nine-linked rings that my sister and I came up with together."

  "So you're saying that the Nine Linked Rings shouldn't be called the Nine Linked Rings, but should be renamed to Ten Linked Rings instead?" Bai Zhenxuan couldn't help but feel excited, "I'll go tell Wen Xian right away."

  "Brother is unreliable, he promised to teach Xin Yu and Yu Mo how to play chess, but kept delaying and going back on his word."

  Bai Zhenxuan thought for a moment and adjusted his sitting posture. As he dropped the black chess piece onto the board, he said: "Once I've taught you two sisters how to play chess, you'll have to teach Wen Xian's 'Sunset over Western Mountains' style to him as payment for learning from me."

  Xin Yue and Yu Mo saw Bai Yun's warm face turn serious, and no one dared to make a sound.

  Bai Yun warned: "Without my consent, whoever dares to teach 'Sunset in the West Mountain' to Wen Lu Ming will have their skin peeled off!"

  Saying that, he stood up and patted his hands, saying: "You three masters can focus on your chess skills, I'll go find my parents."

  "Miss, are you going with him?"

  Heart Suan wanted to get up.

  White clouds waved goodbye, "I'll take a walk myself, you focus on playing chess, learn it well and then we can play a few rounds together."

  Having said that, he went straight away across the grass to find his father and mother.

  Bai Yunnuo walked along the grassland, searching and walking, not knowing where her father and mother were hiding to spend their two-person world, and she herself gradually walked further and further away. The hustle and bustle of human voices were all left behind, and from a short distance came the sound of water flowing from high to low. Bai Yunnuo was curious for a moment and followed the sound as she went.

  Beyond a low hill, I saw a white waterfall falling from the opposite cliff, flying flowers and jade, falling into the pool water at the foot of the cliff, rising in waves of snow.

  On both sides of the waterfall are towering ancient trees.

  Only the branches and leaves of the ancient tree are seen, curved and half-submerged in the waterfall, allowing the white flowers to wash over it, as if a group of nymphs with flowing hair and bare bodies were bathing and playing in the sacred water.

  A white cloud climbed up a steep ladder and stood on an empty flat ground.

  Beholding the majestic scenery before my eyes, I temporarily forgot all the grudges of past lives and the sorrows of this life, only to open my arms wide, tilt my head back, close my eyes, and breathe freely.

  With a clear mind and a carefree spirit, she was suddenly tapped on the shoulder by someone, and Bai Yun was startled.