Chapter 1724: Chapter 992: The Second Game
Sure, here is the translation:
In this second game, Yang Xiao was indeed serious, and Jiushan Cangxuan was serious too. He carefully plotted the layout, intentionally revealing some flaws to Yang Xiao, but it was like performing for a blind man; Yang Xiao didn’t see those flaws at all, completely immersed in his own world.
After some back and forth, Jiushan Cangxuan could see that Yang Xiao was humble at first. He didn’t just know a little superficial knowledge, he merely knew the basic rules of chess, in other words, a complete novice.
But he felt something was amiss, as this was far different from the intelligence he had received, which indicated that Yang Xiao was a close friend of another young Director in the Patrol Defense Office, and they often honed their chess skills together.
That person was also a promising young man with limitless potential in martial arts. If Yang Xiao’s skill level was like this, there was no way the two could play together, unless the other person was even less skilled.
Jiushan Cangxuan found it hard to believe that a small Rongcheng Patrol Division could have two prodigies appearing at the same time; it was too unlikely.
But he couldn’t figure out the purpose if Yang Xiao was faking it, considering he was treated well, with no reason to humiliate him or the Jiu Mountain Family like this.
Night gradually deepened, the night breeze brought a chill, and the wind chimes under the eaves clinked with a spiritual sound, complementing the barren landscape under the chilly moonlight, with a certain Zen charm.
The second game ended, Yang Xiao used a very professional gesture to place a piece, admitting defeat.
"Senior Jiu Shan, you’ve won again. Your chess skill and strength are equally formidable. This junior humbly concedes." Yang Xiao sighed inwardly, knowing he had deliberately played poorly in this game, especially in the last few moves, forcing himself to make blunders.
Yet even so, he managed to swap out the opponent’s rook and knight. Yang Xiao was certain that if he took it seriously, he had at least a fifty percent chance of winning this game.
But alas, life isn’t always fair. He didn’t lose because of his chess skills, he lost because of his identity.
He was someone from the Patrol Defense Office, furthermore, a special envoy entrusted with important tasks by the Patrol General Bureau. Personal gains or losses were insignificant compared to the assignments given by his organization, and Yang Xiao was exactly this kind of person.
After some casual chat, the exhausted Jiushan Cangxuan allowed Yang Xiao to leave. Before leaving, Yang Xiao didn’t forget to glare fiercely at the big black dog beside Jiushan Cangxuan. He always had a feeling that the dog looked down on him. Whenever he placed a piece, the dog shook its head, as if it could play chess too. Despite losing twice to the Jiusan Family Master Jiushan Cangxuan today, he could boast about this forever back home.
This achievement was something his good friend Qu Muzhi could never reach.
Yang Xiao knew he had a talent for chess, and today’s test proved it. Chess and martial arts paths were interconnected.
After leaving the compound, the samurai waiting outside bowed and led the way, taking Yang Xiao back to his quarters to rest. Tonight, he returned relatively late, as the two games consumed too much time.
He could not understand why, towards the end, Jiushan Cangxuan became more silent and hesitant, often staring at the chessboard for long periods without making a move. Considering the other’s status, he couldn’t keep urging him.
Perhaps due to old age, in face of an opponent like him, a sense of mutual appreciation emerged, as he often felt when playing against Qu Muzhi.
But honestly, Jiushan Cangxuan was stronger in chess than good friend Qu Muzhi, especially at the beginning of the first game, where he took out his rook, knight, and cannon in dozens of moves, almost leading to a total collapse. Fortunately, he excelled in playing against the wind, barely holding on, eventually turning defense into offense, sounding the horn for a counterattack. Regrettably, he narrowly lost in the end.
On the way back, Yang Xiao kept replaying the two games in his mind. Today, there was a small regret, before leaving Senior Jiushan Cangxuan only advised him to rest well, without commenting or praising his chess skills, which left him slightly disappointed.
After Yang Xiao’s silhouette completely disappeared, Jiushan Cangxuan’s once calm face turned exceptionally unpleasant, hands behind his back as a frightening aura spread out. Jiushan Cangxuan turned his gaze towards that big black dog beside him, and a bizarre scene unfolded; that big black dog retreated to the ground, suddenly stood up steadily, body twisting, growing taller, eventually transforming into a middle-aged man wearing a black leather coat.
Under Jiushan Cangxuan’s gaze, the middle-aged man was so pressured he couldn’t lift his head, looking distressed, fear lurking in his eyes.
"Is this your intelligence?!" Jiushan Cangxuan’s tone was unusually severe, "Do you know how disgraceful today’s incident was for us?!"
"I’m very sorry, it’s entirely my fault!" The middle-aged man straightened, bowed in fear, "But I also don’t know why, according to our intelligence, this envoy Yang Xiao’s chess skill should be quite impressive."
"We have confirmed intelligence, Yang Xiao’s predecessor Nalan Shuo was a chess master, almost unbeatable within Jiangbei Province, and Yang Xiao was his top student. During a drunken moment, envoy Yang Xiao openly claimed in front of others that his chess skill was nearly unmatched, only slightly weaker than Nalan Shuo within Rongcheng."
"Can you stand by your words?" Jiushan Cangxuan’s face was unpleasant.
"Family Head, if this turns out false, I am willing to penalize myself to death!" The middle-aged man in the black leather coat straightened and bowed.
Jiushan Cangxuan had confidence in his subordinate’s ability to handle matters, otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought him here for such an important task.
But if the intelligence was correct, why would Yang Xiao pretend to be ignorant? Jiushan Cangxuan couldn’t figure out this point. This person was highly talented and wouldn’t do something pointless and offensive without reason.
"Family Head, I... I noticed something, not sure whether to say." The middle-aged man hesitated before speaking.
"Speak!"
"I feel... I feel that Yang Xiao seemed to have discovered me, what I mean is... he... he appeared to see through my illusion technique." The middle-aged man spoke with uncertainty, as it was too unbelievable.
Indeed, upon hearing this, Jiushan Cangxuan immediately frowned, "Continue!"
"During his match with you, he glanced at me more than once, made some expressions I couldn’t understand at first, initially just observing, later scrutinizing, and... and inexplicable sneers, more than once!"
"Right, just before leaving, he gave me a fierce glare, making me very fearful!" The middle-aged man reported truthfully.
"How could he see through you? I haven’t sensed him using any abilities, even if he did, he wouldn’t have the reasoning to see through your illusion technique." At this moment, Jiushan Cangxuan was also caught in thought, understanding his subordinate’s skill level clearly. This person, a deputy in the Dark Department, had a half-step Nether Realm level. Although his strength wasn’t very high, his illusion technique was his forte, difficult for ordinary Netherworld Envoys to see through, let alone someone like Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao indeed had high potential, but he was still only mid-stage Ghost Level, not yet fully grown. The notion that he could see through this Dark Department deputy’s illusion, Jiushan Cangxuan found unbelievable.
But disbelief didn’t change the facts; everything was laid out before him. It finally dawned on Jiushan Cangxuan why Yang Xiao behaved so oddly; he had seen through everything from the start.
The opponent was a special envoy from the Patrol General Bureau, yet his subordinate disguised as a dog to test him, a blatant discourtesy. The opponent refrained from confrontation due to his identity, silently protesting by playing poorly, offering Jiushan Cangxuan some face.
"Worthy of being Yuezhiyuan’s chosen person, truly broad-minded. This incident was indeed very uncouth of me, Jiushan Cangxuan!" Jiushan Cangxuan showed shame on his face, decided there wouldn’t be a next time.
