Chapter 1325: Chapter 498: The Divine Monarch’s Chess Game
Today’s East Market Street is especially lively. Last night, Zhou Xuan completed the entire reconstruction of Mingjiang Prefecture, and in the Prefecture City, all the dead from the Xianhuo disaster were resurrected.
The people in the Prefecture City have returned, and naturally, so has the once flourishing business and the bustling scenes of passers-by.
With a basket of sugar, the Sugar Boss went door-to-door, exchanging sugar for old sandals and old washbasins. There were also street artists making dough figurines, the vendors selling hot glutinous rice balls, and various craftsmen, crowding today’s East Market Street to the brim like it was a big fair.
And the chess booth with an unfinished game by the street was also set up just today.
Zhou Xuan wandered leisurely while shoveling food into his mouth from a bowl, and the vendors along the road, upon seeing him, naturally greeted him and offered their food to "treat" Zhou Xuan.
"Mr., just eating stewed fish isn’t nutritious. Try this—it’s a newly braised pork knuckle."
The Braised Boss unceremoniously placed a large piece of braised pork knuckle into Zhou Xuan’s bowl. The knuckle was so freshly braised that it shimmered, and as Zhou Xuan took a few steps, the meat wobbled along.
"Brother Er Lu, isn’t this a bit too much?"
"What’s too much? You need to nourish yourself."
"Mr., let me also nourish you." Aunt Li, who sells roasted goose eggs, "crack" added two fragrant roasted goose eggs into Zhou Xuan’s bowl. As soon as Zhou Xuan’s chopsticks gently prodded the egg white, the yolk oozed out, making one shiver with its fragrance.
"This isn’t right, if I eat like this, I’ll gain weight in less than two weeks."
With his big bowl full of various treats piled into a little mountain, Zhou Xuan finally reached the chess booth.
"Oh, Brother Xuan, such a feast you’re having!" Zhao Wuya raised a hand, greeting him as he grabbed a drumstick from the bowl and started munching enthusiastically.
"It’s not a meal, it’s just the generous offerings from those enthusiastic vendors."
Zhou Xuan picked up some braised pork with his chopsticks, squatted casually on the curb, and watched the circle of onlookers around the chess booth.
Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun were facing off against the booth owner in a game of chess, playing so intensely red, especially Yun Ziliang, whose face was blazing red from apparently having lost many games already.
"Knight’s move, check!"
Yun Ziliang shouted, pressing his piece firmly onto the board.
"Well, I’m sorry then."
The booth owner knocked his big pipe against the leg of his chair and said with a smile, "Sinking chariot, cannon attack, this time I’ve checkmated your old general tightly."
After explaining his strategy, he sank the chariot to the bottom and, spreading his hands, said, "Old man, pay up."
"Lost again, why can’t I win? This chess is supposed to be simple." Li Changxun lamented beside him.
Yun Ziliang pulled out a large bill from his pocket, slapped it on the board, and said, "Again, again, I still don’t believe it."
"Again?" the booth owner looked around at the entertained crowd, pretending to ask.
The onlookers, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, urged him on, "Again, again, our Mr. Yun has a big family, you can’t win them all."
"Having a big family is nice. No matter how big the family is, this chessboard can be wiped clean. The only worry is this old gentleman losing until it hurts."
"Am I afraid of losing?"
Yun Ziliang replied defiantly, poking his own forehead, "A home with thousands of houses, yet only needs three feet wide to sleep. Thousands of silk garments, yet can’t wear them all when you go. Wealth is worldly, what’s there to fear about losing? Set up the board!"
His display of grandeur elicited cheers from the onlookers, and the booth owner continued setting up the board without a word.
Nearby, Zhou Xuan squatted and continued eating, joking with Zhao Wuya, "Lao Yun is decent at Go, but his chess skills truly leave something to be desired."
"Brother Xuan, how did you know my grand master isn’t that great at chess? Did you notice?"
"Do I need to notice? Anyone who’s gone through a chess manual would know you can’t solve this endgame, isn’t it Horse Leaps the Creek?"
Zhou Xuan said.
"Wow, Brother Xuan, you’re quite the all-rounder! You know chess too?"
"Not really." Zhou Xuan admitted honestly, "My chess skills are merely at the level of playing against old men in the park, but I’m familiar with some of the famous endgame patterns."
This particular "Horse Leaps the Creek" endgame has two versions: "with elephant" and "without elephant".
The booth owner’s setup is a modified "with elephant" version where Black is guaranteed to win.
And Yun Ziliang was playing Red, he couldn’t have won.
"If you can tell it’s Horse Leaps the Creek, your chess skills aren’t bad," Zhao Wuya sighed.
Zhou Xuan then asked, "Ya Zi, supposedly you’re skilled at chess, and Master Wu Ya residing in you even more so, his chess skills surpassing those of Buddha Country’s master ’Mo Ya Monk’, why didn’t you offer a few pointers?"
"Pointers? Let me show you an example."
Zhao Wuya squeezed over to Yun Ziliang’s side and said, "Grand Master, stop playing, this is Horse Leaps the Creek, modified by the booth owner, Black is sure to win!"
"Jump your grandma’s creek! In this world, there’s no unwinnable game. It depends on people, and so does chess."
"What depends and what doesn’t, there needs to be some reason!"
"Get lost, don’t interrupt your grand master when he’s making money."
Yun Ziliang waved Zhao Wuya away.
Zhao Wuya helplessly said to Zhou Xuan, "Brother Xuan, did you see? That’s what it means to be skill-deficient yet highly keen. My grand master is a perfect example."
"Your Dragon Seeking clan sure has a penchant for gambling."
Zhou Xuan said while eating, munching a fresh chili with a crunch, continuing to watch Yun Ziliang lose money.
But then, this game, the booth owner playing Black, didn’t win. After over ten moves, Yun Ziliang actually checkmated the booth owner.
