Lost... When Qu Chuchen spit out these two big words.
In the distance, those "referees" who had not yet gathered around, as well as the disciples of Painter Mo Lin scattered around, and even the servants, felt at first that they had heard wrongly.
In other words, because I have heard similar words too many times in the past few days, but they are always said by those who come to challenge.
I'm not used to the sudden change of people.
"Senior Brother Qu...you..." The young painter in charge of the reception lost his voice and wanted to say something, but Qu Chuchen raised his hand to interrupt.
Then, this young man of the Molin generation walked to his desk, pointed his finger, and the half-painted scroll suddenly burned and burned into smoke.
Qu Chuchen sighed and looked at Ji Pingan, who was wearing a bamboo hat and looking calm from beginning to end:
"It's cleverness but not workmanship, Mr. He's tricks, Mr. Qu has learned a lesson."
The word "Mr." is an honorific title.
It means that, at least in front of this picture, Qu Chuchen is willing to surrender and be sincerely convinced.
Really won... Hearing this, a group of scholars led by the white-bearded old man were in a trance.
With their cultivation, this would not be the case, but firstly, they have not completely escaped from the impact of the scroll's connotation, and secondly...
The Shendu Grand Prize has been held for many times, and in the history of Mo Lin's martial arts performances, both sides have won and lost each other.
But only on the "painting" road, Mo Lin maintained a record of complete victory.
No exceptions.
But today... they witnessed history. With honor.
Faces turned red with excitement. Other scholars and even painters who were dissatisfied swarmed in and surrounded the scrawled blue dragon picture. There was a commotion in the quiet garden.
"Concession."
Ji Ping'an got the answer he wanted, turned around and left, preparing to rush to the next scene.
Qu Chuchen opened his mouth, wanting to stop the other party and have a long conversation to discuss the true meaning of painting.
But seeing that Ji Ping'an was in a hurry and his origin was mysterious, he hesitated a little.
"I don't have much time, I'm in a hurry." Ji Ping'an seemed to understand his thoughts and spoke in advance to stop him.
He took a few steps toward the door, then suddenly stopped and asked, "How to get to the back door?"
…
…
"Master Gao, it's just ahead."
The carriages rumbled along the streets along the Baidi River, and Mo Lin's carriage arrived outside the Green Apricot Garden.
The stocky coachman held the reins with one hand and said into the carriage at the same time.
Gao Mingjing said "yes", opened the curtain, and stepped onto the ground with Zhong Tongjun one after another, and walked towards the crowd.
"The people from Merlin are here."
"Hey, it's the one who plays the piano."
The scholars who were originally talking noisily looked at him and were surprised.
Most of the adults did not recognize Gao Mingjing, but they were deeply impressed by the spacious and unique robe of the "Mo Lin" painter.
As for Zhong Tongjun, she was admired in Baidi for many days, not to mention she was a graceful woman and had countless fans.
Regardless of her position, she has become famous in a few days, and she is a bit like the dream girl of the public.
"I've met Master Gao." A disciple of Mo Lin who was guarding the door hurriedly stepped forward and saluted.
Gao Mingjing said "yes", looked at the closed courtyard door, frowned slightly: "Is there someone fighting?"
The disciple nodded and said, "If Master Gao wants to come in, I will inform you."
Gao Mingjing raised his hand to stop him, his expression indifferent:
"Rules are rules. How can they be changed because of people? Just wait a little longer."
The disciple looked admiringly, then hesitated and looked at Zhong Tongjun:
"Senior sister, Fang Fu heard rumors from some scholars that over at Baidi..."
Zhong Tongjun tapped his chin slightly, his expression gloomy.
Disciple Mo Lin's heart sank, thinking about the discussion he just heard, he couldn't help but ask:
"I wonder how Mr. He is dressed? But he is wearing a bamboo hat and a green shirt. He is about this tall..."
He described it.
Zhong Tongjun was stunned for a moment, and this talented musician’s beautiful eyes were filled with surprise:
"How does junior brother know so clearly?"
Disciple Mo Lin hesitated and said:
"The man who just came in for a fight and claimed to be competing with Senior Brother Qu... also looked like this."
At this time, not only Zhong Tongjun, but also Gao Mingjing was stunned.
The two looked at each other and saw the surprise and absurdity in each other's eyes.
"Presumably...it's just a coincidence." Gao Mingjing pondered for a moment and said:
"This is a very ordinary dress. As for age and figure, the scholars here are all similar."
He said it, but the crazy idea in his heart was like a weed, growing uncontrollably.
At this time, the courtyard door, which had been closed for a long time, was opened with a creak.
In the sound of the heavy wooden door folding, the hustle and bustle of discussion faded away, and the eyes were cast one after another.
The scholars who were sitting on the ground meditating or squatting on the wall were shocked and gathered around, ready to appreciate it.
Gods are full of elegant people who put aside their desire to win or lose. Being able to appreciate the handiwork of Mo Lin so freely is a feast for those who love calligraphy and painting.
"Come out, come out."
"Everyone, be sure to feast your eyes on this."
"I don't know what technique the painter will use again."
In the discussion, the readers looked forward to it like hens being fed.
However, the expected scene of a boy running out holding a picture scroll did not appear. Inside the door, a group of scholars, headed by an old man with white beard and hair, walked out together.
Holding scroll in hand.
He looked high-spirited and excited, with an unconcealable smile on his face.
"this……"
The scholars looked at each other, wondering what had happened. Some scholars frowned, vaguely aware that something was wrong.
"Brother Li, Brother Han...why do these old masters come out to post it in person?" Earlier, the fat white scholar who drove to report the news was surprised.
Beside him, the other two classmates also looked puzzled. There is a circle of scholars, so they naturally know the reputation and status of old masters.
Gao Mingjing looked up, feeling uneasy in his heart.
The next moment, in full view of everyone, in a suddenly quiet atmosphere. The white-bearded old man was so angry that his Dantian was filled with anger. He held the scroll in both hands and shouted:
"Mr. Shen Duhe wins this battle!"
Shendu... won?
In the art of painting that Mo Lin is most proud of, and the most impeccable, someone in God has succeeded in challenging it? Qu Chuchen...lost?
The scholars at the door and even the arty people who heard about it couldn't believe their ears.
It wasn't until the other old masters spoke in unison that the whole place exploded with a roar.
"We won...we defeated Mo Lin on the Painting Road..."
"It's been so many years, if I remember correctly, this is the first time we've performed martial arts!"
"Brother Li... I seem to hear that Qu Chuchen lost." The scholar holding a folding fan murmured.
The classmate next to him blushed and clenched his fists excitedly: "I heard it too!"
He exhaled deeply, then laughed up to the sky. The scene was in chaos, with people swarming up to see what the winning picture looked like.
Some ran wildly into the distance to tell their friends the shocking news. If the song "Time" can boost morale, then after this scene, the situation has been reversed.
The fat white scholar keenly caught the word "Mr. He" and opened his mouth wide, thinking, could what I guessed be true?
At the same time, more and more people noticed this and asked questions. Several old masters were confused and didn't understand why people outside reacted so violently to this surname.
After learning that not long ago, a young gentleman in Baidi dressed similarly and calling himself "He" came on stage and defeated Zhong Tongjun with a song "Time", the old masters also doubted that life was alive.
"Master Gao..." Outside the crowd, the female musician in a simple and elegant dress couldn't help but look at Gao Mingjing.
However, he saw that the usually calm great painter had a confused look on his face, his breathing was slightly rapid, and he walked into the door.
When a group of people stepped into the courtyard, they saw Qu Chuchen sitting beside the case, staring at the newly spread drawing paper in a daze.
Seeing his fellow disciples arriving, Fang Fu came back to his senses and looked ashamed:
"Master Gao... I... Hey, why are you here, Mr. Tong? Shouldn't you be guarding Baidi?"
Zhong Tongjun didn't say a word, just stared at him with a sad look, which made Qu Chuchen's heart feel hairy.
Gao Mingjing took a deep breath and asked, "What's going on?"
Qu Chuchen immediately told the story and finally said with admiration:
"That young master's painting is really wonderful. It's just an ordinary painting, but the implication made me lose my mind for a moment. His painting skills are exquisite but not exquisite. He only uses the simplest and slender lines to outline the immersive feeling. It's really yes……"
Gao Mingjing was silent. For some reason, when he heard the other party's description, Ji Ping'an's face came to mind.
However...the painting styles of the two are completely different.
Ji Ping'an's painting style is rough and wild, with thick paint and heavy paint.
This "He" master has simple lines and lifelike... Moreover, Gao Mingjing had personally seen Ji Ping'an's paintings and judged his level.
Although these two people also use "artistic conception" to challenge each other, their skills are not of the same order of magnitude.
But what Gao Mingjing doesn't know is that with the same skill, painting some ordinary landscapes, flowers and plants will have completely different effects than painting scenes that are deep in his memory.
As with any painter, the best work is a level above the rest.
"Where is that person?" Gao Mingjing interrupted.
Qu Chuchen said regretfully: "I have already left through the back door."
He immediately frowned and asked in confusion: "Master Gao...what happened outside?"
At this moment, he couldn't feel anything strange. Gao Mingjing hesitated to speak, but suddenly remembered something, his face changed, and he said:
"Oops, go to the Chess Academy!"
After saying that, he fluttered his sleeves and walked away, leaving Qu Chuchen and other painters messy in the wind.
…
…
Shendu Chess Academy.
When Ji Ping'an wore a bamboo hat and walked here, he saw only a few people gathering sparsely in the spacious square paved with bluestone roads under the sun.
Compared to the bustling crowds of people three days ago, it was actually a bit desolate.
After the big players lost, several more national players took the stage in the past two days, but this time, the "chess king" didn't even use the "Eagle Fighting" tactic to win.
For a time, the Kyoto chess player's spirit dropped to the bottom and he felt powerless.
At this moment, Ke Qiao was the only one sitting alone in the empty arena, and the chair opposite was somewhat empty.
The wooden boards erected one after another in the square were also empty. Sitting next to him was a dejected and listless chess speaker.
Even a few government officials with complex security were sitting on the steps. They saw a figure walking slowly through the crowd without even bothering to lift their buttocks.
It wasn't until a government official noticed that Ji Ping'an was walking straight towards the ring that he poked his colleague with his elbow:
"Hey, someone got into a fight."
The colleague looked up and didn't pay much attention: "What does it have to do with us."
They were responsible for maintaining law and order, but looking at the few people in the square... they suddenly felt that their work was meaningless.
However, after all, it was an errand arranged by the government. Although his mentality was numb, the "referee" who was standing nearby and the boy responsible for transmitting the chess records still managed to gather his energy and move slowly.
…
In the arena.
The "chess king" Ke Qiao, who was slightly fat, had a round chin, and squinted small eyes, looked up at the young man sitting opposite and was stunned for a moment.
For some reason, even though his appearance was unfamiliar, it gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
It seemed like I had seen it somewhere.
"Is this enough?" Ji Ping'an asked.
Hearing this, Ke Qiao smiled habitually and said, "You are ready, I can do it at any time."
...This is more refreshing than the previous two games... Ji Ping'an was quite satisfied and said:
"Then let's get started."
Ke Qiao raised his hand and said, "Please."
It means, ask him to take the black lead first. According to Zhou's Go rules, black will have a certain advantage if he goes first.
Ji Ping'an shook his head and grabbed a handful of chess pieces: "Guess first."
Ke Qiao smiled, thinking that the arrogance of Shendu people was really deep in his bones. He picked up a few chess pieces and guessed first, but Ji Ping'an was still the black one.
Ke Qiao smiled and shook his head, thinking that it was still the same.
Ji Ping'an was very satisfied, even though Grand Master Zhou had to comment on fights between cats and dogs in the village, and he was never very personable.
But after all, the big one is bullying the small ones, so you can't take advantage of this little fat guy.
Thinking that if there were no accidents, there would be some chaos around here later. Ji Ping'an seized the time and randomly picked up a sunspot with his thumb, middle finger, and index finger, and pressed it somewhere on the chessboard with a "click" sound.
Ke Qiao frowned slightly, picked up a white piece in the most elegant manner, and put it on it with a click.
"despair."
"despair."
"despair."
The chess pieces fell one after another, and it was not earth-shattering.
In something like Go, unless you deliberately play some strange positions, you won't be able to tell anything at the beginning.
It's like two armies facing each other. At first, everything was steady, mediocre and boring. As for tactics such as cavalry breaking into formations and secretly attacking Chen Cang, they are always just supplementary and not the right way.
This chess game started without any disturbance, even boring.
The referee next to him held a book in his hand, drew the positions on the chessboard with a pen, tore off a page and handed it to the boys below.
The latter made many copies of it and sent one copy to a long table placed near the steps of the Chess Courtyard.
This is for the chess players in the chess academy, who can barely count as judges in the referee's seat.
But for things like Go, you can just count the wins and losses and look back at them. There is no room for wrangling. To put it simply: it is useless.
The other copies were given to a famous chess lecturer in the square.
After the huge "chess pieces" were placed on the erected wooden boards, the sparse people gathered in twos and threes.
Then I was disappointed to find that there was nothing special about the two sides at the beginning, and both sides looked like they were just being contentious.
One of the chess speakers yawned and said:
"The beginning is very stable, well, the exciting part can only come out after dozens of moves."
As he was speaking, he suddenly raised his eyes and was shocked to see a huge crowd of people approaching on the street in the distance.
At first, there were not many, but some scholars arrived in the car. Seeing the iconic bamboo hat on the stage from a distance, they were shocked and arranged the carriages and horses to occupy the best positions.
Then, some well-informed Jianghu people and common people who were relatively close came running quickly.
This group of people was not so polite. They rushed over in a noisy manner and rushed directly to the front of the ring. While fighting for position, they exclaimed again and again:
"It seems like he really is Mr. He!"
"Doo hat, green shirt, this figure... shouldn't be bad. It's Mr. He for sure."
"Scare, people dressed like this are very common, right? You have eagle eyes from such a distance? Do you mean you can see clearly?" someone retorted.
"Nonsense, who else dares to come on stage at this time and look like this?" the reckless man shot back.
"Wait a minute, why did you come so fast? Hey, Brother Wang, weren't you in Qingxing Garden to see paintings? Why are you here too? I heard that someone in Baidi had won, so I wanted to come to the Chess Academy to see if there was anyone there too. Change." A young man was surprised.
The scholar who knew him well was equally surprised:
"I was in Qingxingyuan. I learned that someone had defeated Qu Chuchen, so I came over here."
"Miss Zhao, you're here too. Come this way, there's a good seat." A rich man greeted the carriage.
Order the servants to put down the tables and chairs to show off your style.
The young lady from the wealthy family led the maid in a graceful manner and said with a smile:
"I heard from the maid that there is a Mr. He who defeated Zhong Tongjun and Qu Chuchen alone. I wonder if he will come to the chess academy, but I don't think that will be the case."
"This is going to be a big deal."
The crowds were surging and talking, surrounding each chess stall. The chess tutors looked stunned and had no idea what was going on. They subconsciously became energetic.
"Stop these people!"
The government officials squatting in the shade to rest were startled. They picked up their sabers and stepped forward to block the crowd.
I feel confused and don't know why.
"Dean, why are there so many people here?" The chess players at the long table were shocked and confused by this sudden scene.
I can’t help but wonder: Could it be that the person doing the beating is some kind of big shot?
But everyone is a famous chess player, but they don't know that this person exists.
The thin dean of the chess academy stood up and ordered his servant to go and inquire. After a while, the servant came back dripping with sweat and said:
"Dean, this group of people all came from Baidi and Qingxingyuan. It is said that there is a man named 'He' who defeated Mo Lin's two arenas one after another."
Is this happening? Dazhou chess players instinctively questioned, but the flow of people in front of them would not be faked, and the pedestrians, carriages and horses still arriving on the streets far away would not be faked.
Is it true... The thin dean was temporarily absent-minded:
"You're talking about Mr. He, could it be..."
The servant said "yes", wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeves, and pointed at the figure on the ring:
"Here, that's the one."
…
The clouds moved in the sky, and the sunlight poured down, illuminating the chessboard a little brightly.
In the arena.
In order not to interfere with the chess players' thinking, formations were also arranged around the arena, which could significantly reduce the sound outside, so the two sides playing chess did not notice the changes under the stage at first.
Just focus on the square inches of the chessboard.
"despair."
"Chess King" Ke Qiao landed a piece and was quite satisfied. In the layout stage, it was not obvious yet. But he could tell that this opponent was not bad.
Perhaps, he is the direct disciple of a great player?
Just as he was thinking about it, the practitioner's idea came into effect. He turned to look at the audience, and then became obviously sluggish.
…
ps: typos should be corrected first and then corrected
Thanks to Li Shipu for the 1,700 rewards and everyone’s monthly votes for encouragement
(End of chapter)
