After Yu Liancheng and Yu Youwei had breakfast in the inn, they planned to go around Xiangfan City to enjoy the scenery of the city, and then go to Xiangguo Lane to visit Li Shuangjia.
Finally, he left Xiangfan City and continued to Jixia Academy.
"I don't know why, yesterday was much clearer than today, but I always feel that today is warmer, without that gloomy feeling." Yu Youwei hugged the white cat and wore a slim and fitting gorgeous dress.
Yu Liancheng smiled slightly: "Maybe it's because I have saved all the ghosts in this city."
"You know how to talk nonsense." Yu Youwei gave Yu Liancheng a cute look.
Pedestrians hurried on the street, whispering to each other. Some people said they dreamed of ghosts walking through the night last night, others said they saw the Buddha appearing last night, and some were entrusted with dreams by their ancestors...
Yu Liancheng first took Yu Youwei around the famous White Snake Causeway nearby.
Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, there was a land god who couldn't stand the white snake making trouble in the lake, so he slashed it with his sword. After the White Snake died, its huge body turned into a white snake, which is where the name White Snake Causeway comes from. If you look down from a high place, you will be surprised to find that the dam is indeed winding like a white snake.
It’s interesting to say that the stories and legends related to immortals since ancient times are all related to sword immortals. I have almost never heard of any legends related to sword immortals.
The same is true in the world of martial arts. Since ancient times, swords have been respected.
The old swordsman Li Chungang and the new swordsman Deng Tai'a each took the lead, but among the swordsmen, only Gu Jiantang was the main one, and he was not even a martial artist.
It seems that those who use knives are all reckless and strong men, and it is difficult to talk to others when they go out.
Along the way, as usual, we encountered poets and literati who were reciting poems or singing songs, showing off wantonly.
Unfortunately, both of them turned a blind eye. Yu Liancheng glanced at Yu Youwei and said with a smile: "Logically speaking, your father is Jixia Bachelor of Shangyin Academy. You should also like the children of the noble clan, right?"
Yu Youwei said softly: "How many of those literati and poets who claim to be romantic are truly educated people? And the romantic figures who always talk about being proud of the princes will be very embarrassed if they are given an official position. He ran to be a dog for others. As for those sour scholars who want to fight against Bei Mang and dominate the world, they have never even killed a chicken. How can you like such a person? "
"Listening to what you say, you are really a useless scholar." Yu Liancheng chuckled.
Yu Youwei stroked the white cat and said: "There are many people in the world who have real talents and practical knowledge, and can manage the world and benefit the people. It's a pity that there are very few of them."
Yu Liancheng chuckled and said, "You are going to see two of them today."
Yu Youwei's heart moved: "Are these the two people you came to Xiangfan to find?"
Yu Liancheng nodded.
"Then I'll wait and see."
The two of them wandered around the city and soon came to an alley.
The alley was crowded with people, including elegant young men in green shirts. When I got closer, I saw they were playing chess, squatting, sitting and standing.
Yu Youwei then remembered the inn's waiter's introduction to Xiangfan City. There were two famous alleys in Xiangfan. One of them is Xiangguo Lane, the real gold-selling cave.
The other alley is the Yong'an Alley in front of us. The people sitting against the wall in the alley are all wild chess players. They bet different amounts based on their own chess skills, luring the skilled people and chess enthusiasts to take the bait. The bets are usually a few or a dozen copper coins. Small gambling is enjoyable and extremely elegant.
Of course, every line of work has its own rules, and the same goes for gambling.
It is not difficult to win chess, but you must also pay attention to propriety. If the opponent loses and loses his armor and looks ugly, not to mention asking for money, it is not impossible to knock down the chess stand.
After watching for a while, Yu Liancheng pulled Yu Youwei and came to a chess player who was placing bets.
This is a young man who looks like a down-and-out student. His clothes are patched, his shoes and socks are white, and there are ten chess pieces placed on the empty chessboard.
After a brief understanding before, Yu Youwei understood that if you lose these ten chess pieces, you will have to pay ten bets. In ordinary chess games, only two or three stones are placed, and there are almost no five stones. This shows that this wild chess player is quite confident.
It would be fine if he only had superb chess skills. What is even more strange is that this wild chess player is blind.
The blind chess player could hear the guest, and even guessed the guest's doubts, and smiled slightly: "There is a sound when the chess pieces fall, and I will know where the chess pieces will fall by hearing the sound."
Yu Liancheng sat down cross-legged and dropped a black stone at random: "Your Excellency is a blind chess player, and you dare to come here to play chess. I think you are very accomplished in chess."
"Just a casual meal."
The blind chess player smiled slightly and followed up with a piece.
Yu Liancheng casually put down another black chip and said: "Tsk, I don't think you are a rich man. You dare to bet ten with one, and you don't even have the pants to match. Tell me how much gambling money you have, and don't lie."
The blind chess player took out a dozen coins from his pocket, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a worn-out chess book, which he counted as his entire wealth.
"We are really poor."
Yu Liancheng shook his head, followed by another sunspot.
"Although I'm a little poorer, fortunately it's all clean money."
The blind chess player frowned slightly. The opponent's first and second moves were mediocre, and this move was even more unorganized. Could it be that he didn't understand chess skills and deliberately made trouble.
However, he just pondered for a moment and then went his own way.
"It's nice and clean."
Yu Liancheng snapped his fingers. The blind chess player frowned, and suddenly he felt that the surroundings suddenly became quiet, and he could hear the needle drop.
"Don't worry, I just blocked the sound from the outside world and this place a few feet away." Yu Liancheng glanced at him and smiled, still very casual.
The blind chess player was not as panicked as he imagined, but just wondered: "I wonder what the guest means?"
Yuliancheng said: "Three thousand two hundred and thirteen taels."
"What?"
Yu Liancheng smiled and said: "I bet three thousand two hundred and thirteen taels."
I only have a dozen copper coins on me, so I can't afford to gamble. "The blind chess player shook his head and dropped a piece.
"If you win, you will give me three thousand taels. If you lose, you will sell me your thousands of books and talents." Yuliancheng said.
"The price is low, may I ask Gao's name." The blind chess player pondered for a moment, did not refuse, and dropped another white piece.
"The price is indeed low, but this is all the money I have, Murong Tonghuang."
"Murong Tonghuang?!" The blind chess player twisted the white piece in his hand and raised his eyebrows: "Which one should go to Beiliang or Huishan?"
"Huishan is just a corner of the world after all. Only Beiliang can bring out your talents."
"Okay, I promise you." The blind chess player dropped a white piece.
"With your talent and knowledge, sir, you can't even buy one hundred thousand taels of gold. Unfortunately, I only have three thousand taels of silver." A sunspot fell from Yulian City.
"What's even more pity is that Mr. can't get these three thousand taels of silver."
As he spoke, the chess piece fell, and Yu Liancheng's temperament gradually changed. His eyes were filled with the light of profound wisdom, as if he could see through the mysteries of everything in the world.
…
"Mr. Murong, are you kidding me? I think I will definitely win." The blind chess player dropped a white piece and smiled slightly: "More than three thousand taels of silver, I can win so easily. I have to thank Mr. Murong. But the human heart is not enough. , I only need the two hundred taels of silver, and the rest will be used to treat the young master and the girl next to him to drink."
The fish baby Wei next to her was holding the white cat, and her beautiful eyes were looking at the chessboard. It is clear that the middle game has not yet been reached, and the blind chess player's chess placement is very organized, but the black chess is very scattered, as if it is played casually.
Although she had played several games with Yu Liancheng, she believed that her chess ability was only one draw away from that of her opponent. In the current situation, it would be difficult for her to make a comeback.
In particular, this blind chess player is not a mediocre player. He has made several amazing moves before.
"You are very generous." Yu Liancheng blinked, dropped a chess piece, and already understood the entire chess game: "But you are the loser, so you don't need to talk so much, the winner can take it all."
With his current ability, it couldn't be easier to deduce the changes in a chess game.
If the guy in front of you is Huang Longshi, there is still a head. But this blind scholar is still far behind.
The blind chess player's expression became solemn, and he no longer made quick moves. He thought for a moment before picking up the moves again.
For the next time, both of them remained silent, concentrating on the chess game in front of them, with the sound of chess pieces falling on the chessboard.
As time went by, the blind chess player's moves became slower and slower, his face was full of thought, and his brows furrowed deeper.
The originally upright figure also had a slight tendency to lean downward.
It seemed that every time a chess piece in Yu Liancheng fell, there was a force of gravity pressing on him, as if there was a huge force on his back.
Yu Youwei was horrified when she saw that the idle chess piece that Yu Liancheng had previously played suddenly came out, making the entire chess game murderous and fierce, swallowing up thousands of miles of anger like a tiger.
The blind chess player's chess piece is like a small boat in the storm, swaying. Fortunately, he was very good at chess, otherwise the ship would have capsized and everyone would have died in an instant.
After the middle game of chess, Yu Liancheng clicked his fingers on the chessboard and said calmly: "Instead of lingering, it is better to abandon the piece and admit defeat, so as to save some dignity."
The blind chess player shook his head and said: "Counsels plan things. People plan things, and God makes things happen. No one can decide who will win or lose until the last moment."
"Since you don't want to be decent, then I'm the only one who can help you be decent."
boom! boom! boom……
In an instant, there was only the sound of chess again.
After another long while, the blind chess player sighed and surrendered: "I lost. From now on, Lu Xu will be the counselor of the Prince of Beiliang."
"Wrong." Yuliancheng said.
"wrong?"
"You belong to me, Emperor Murong Tong." Yu Liancheng said: "How long do you plan to leave? There is no war in Beiliang now, so it doesn't matter if it is later."
The blind chess player pondered for a long time: "Just three days from now. After all, I have been in Xiangfan for a long time, and there are some people and things that need to be dealt with."
"Okay, someone will take you to Beiliang then." Yuliancheng stood up and was about to leave. He stood still and took out two hundred-tael silver notes and a handful of broken silver from his arms. : "You treat me to three thousand taels for drinking, and I'll treat you to two hundred taels for tea."
"Thank you so much, sir." The blind chess player smiled slightly and accepted it calmly.
…
After bidding farewell to the blind chess player, Yu Liancheng smiled and asked, "What do you think of this person?"
"Watching chess is like watching a person. This person has deep thoughts, is good at planning, and has a tough character... However, after all, it is just a game of chess. Do you know the true nature of this person? If this guy has evil intentions, he will be no more harmful than before. He is a powerful general." Yu Youwei carefully selected her words, but it was not difficult to see that she was full of praise for this blind chess player.
"Don't worry, I have my own plans." Yu Liancheng chuckled.
At the same time, messages quickly flashed through my mind.
Lu Xu's grandfather, Lu You, was a great scholar of the previous generation, and his father, Brother Lu, could be described as one of the three outstanding figures.
Because he wrote a few words of justice on behalf of the scholars while compiling the history of the Western Chu State, he was framed and nearly executed by everyone in his family. He had no choice but to stab himself in the eyes and cut off his official career before he reluctantly died. For ten years, he made a living by gambling and chess, and at night he would go to the end of Xiangguo Lane to hook up with a woman playing the piano.
This man is kind and gentle by nature, and would risk his life just for a singing girl. He is a person worthy of investing a certain amount of effort. When the war breaks out in Beiliang in the future, he may be of great use.
By the way, his enemy became the Sheriff of Haichang County.
If Yulian City wants to take the life of the governor, it is like searching for something.
But for such sworn enemies, only by taking action himself can he vent the pleasure of revenge.
Yu Liancheng asked again: "What do you think of this person's chess skills?"
"He can be called a national player." After commenting, Yu Xuanji looked at Yu Liancheng again. It turns out that this guy's chess skills are so good that he didn't lose unjustly. It is simply overestimating one's ability to want to take revenge even though one has failed oneself.
"The second person we are going to meet is the man who taught him how to play chess. The old man's chess skills are even more impressive, but his character is not that good and he prefers to use people to play chess. If we can't reach an agreement with him this time, , I will inevitably knock over his chessboard and kick him in the face, but it doesn’t feel right to beat an old man.”
