Chapter 27 Part2 (1/2)

Update: CHAPTER COMPLETE!

Livejournal refused to let me post it together with the rest of it because they said it was too long so I've had no choice but to separate this chapter. At 10,892 words, it is no wonder my post was rejected for being too long.

Realize that in every book, Tong Hua will add an exciting banquet scene with people from other tribes in attendance? Ruo Xi in BBJX planned one, Yu'er danced for Huo Qu Bing in one, and now this. It'll be very interesting to see how the drama will tackle this chapter cause I think it can either turn out really tacky or very beautiful.

That year, Third Brother was recuperating in bed because of an illness, so he would play by himself during his free time. This was also the time when Yun Ge really learnt how to play weiqi; previously she hated playing it as she felt it involved too much thinking but because she wanted to relieve Third Brother’s boredom, so started really learning how to play it, playing it properly.

A year ago, Third Brother had promised Ah Zhu to spar with her and Ah Zhu had already practiced for many years in order to spar with him. Alas, just when her wish was about to be fulfilled, Third Brother couldn’t get out of bed. Yun Ge thought that their duel would either be cancelled or postponed, but Third Brother was someone who would be true to his word, and Ah Zhu was a weird person too, so they agreed to spar, but only a comparison of moves, not strength. Third Brother would make his move from his pallet, Ah Zhu made her move standing at one side.

At first, Ah Zhu countered his moves speedily, but got progressively slower, sometimes only making her move only after Yun Ge and Third Brother finished a round of weiqi. The move that Ah Zhu came up with after much thought, shortly after she made her move, Third Brother already seemed to have antic.i.p.ated it, he didn’t even look at her before making his next move and Ah Zhu’s face only got whiter as she watched.

As a spectator, Yun Ge felt that her brother was being too heartless and Ah Zhu was very pitiful. Third Brother was playing weiqi with her as he ate the food she made, drinking the You Tan wine Second Brother sent people to bring for him; but Ah Zhu spent close to one day thinking without taking in any food or water. Yet the move she thought of was so easily countered by Third Brother in one stroke, Yun Ge wanted to scream “Third Brother, please at least take into consideration that she is a woman! And at least pretend to think before making your move.” The end result was, after Ah Zhu made her move after spending three whole days thinking, and was so easily countered once again by Third Brother, she admitted defeat. After she admitted defeat, Third Brother asked Ah Zhu, “When do you think you should have conceded defeat? Do you know how much of my time you wasted?” Ah Zhu replied “Ten days ago, when master made his fortieth move.” Third Brother looked at Ah Zhu coldly. “Eleven days ago. When you made your ninth move, you should have conceded defeat, and this was because I let you make the first move. If I made the first move, the stage for defeat would have been set in three moves.”

Ah Zhu stared at Third Brother, dumbfounded.

Third Brother ignored Ah Zhu, commanding Yun Ge to make her move. He then stated “Moves are like chess, if I have set the trap, of course I’ll be able to guess my opponent’s moves. ‘Tempt’ and ‘trap’. Revealing my flaws to ‘tempt’ my opponent into moving according to my will, or setting all other ways to be dead ends, only secretly hiding an exit, ‘forcing’ my opponent to move according to my will. Using both ‘tempt’ and ‘force’ together, no matter what move I want my opponent to make, he will do so accordingly. He would think he saw through my plan, but in reality, he has only entered the trap.”

Yun Ge refused to concede, placing her piece on the chess board. “You make ‘tempting’ sound easy, but you’re actually releasing a sheep to feed the wolf, your sheep might get eaten by the wolf, allowing the wolf to conquer the sheep pen. As for ‘force’, no matter how smart you are, you can’t exactly seal all roads when you first start.” Third Brother looked at Ah Zhu as he made his reply. “If I don’t even have the ability to protect my sheep, then I should die instead of trying to fight! In front of an expert, it is indeed hard to seal all roads into dead ends, but I just need to make my opponent think that they are all dead ends. Furthermore….” Third Brother hit Yun Ge’s forehead with a loud smack, staring impatiently at her. “When I eat, do I have to make myself full in just one mouthful? Can’t I just leave four exits at first? Then when he chooses one of the four, I’ll leave three, then when he chooses one out of three exits, I’ll leave two….”

“……” Yun Ge rubbed her forehead, glaring angrily at her Third Brother.

She still remembered asking her Third Brother gloomily. “Since you’ve already antic.i.p.ated all my moves, why do you still play with me?” Third Brother’s answer made her even more depressed. “Because you’re dumber. Whether I ‘tempt’ or ‘force’, you somehow have this skill to ignore everything, trying to do things according to your own way, giving up all your land, or just rus.h.i.+ng in to your death. The only entertainment I get out of playing with you is to see exactly how stupid one person can be!”

Yun Ge got very indignant, but as Ah Zhu looked at Yun Ge’s pieces, realization seemed to dawn on her face. After that, Ah Zhu complied all of Third Brother’s moves into a set of knife skills. This was how the moves Yun Ge dubbed “18 moves of Chinese Chess” came about.

Yun Ge didn’t have the ability like Third Brother to lure her opponent into her trap within nine moves, so she could only make the first move, taking the initiative to set her trap. Aliya raised her hand to make a ‘please’ gesture, mentioning for Yun Ge to make her move.

Yun Ge really wanted to unsheathe her knife as gracefully as Ah Zhu, but….in order not to reveal her inapt.i.tude; she decided to pretend to be an expert returning to back to the basics!

Yun Ge drew her knife like any other normal person, and made the first move of ’18 moves of Chinese Chess’: Inviting a gentleman to enter the trap. Shortly after Yun Ge made her move, Aliya’s eyes almost bugged out, thankful for the cowardly Yun Ge’s suggestion of a civil fight.

The knife’s shadow filled the whole sky.

Aliya cracked her whip and entered Yun Ge’s trap. Wrong! It should be Yun Ge’s Third Brother’s trap.