Chapter 395: Shoot Two Cannons, Lose Two Horses

Chapter 395: Shoot Two Cannons, Lose Two Horses

“Young man, the girl specially invited you; you should go with her,” Grandpa Li persuaded Lin Nuo, but Lin Nuo still declined.

He didn’t want to go see the sea with anyone, let alone with Su Kexin.

Unlike last time with Mu Yiting, that was an order from his superior—he had no choice. But Su Kexin wasn’t his superior; why should he go with her?

He might as well enjoy a game of chess.

“Let’s play chess.”

Lin Nuo returned the pieces to their places, setting up for the match.

There were seats all around the stone table, and Su Kexin chose one side and sat down.

“What do you want?” Lin Nuo asked.

“I want to watch my senior martial brother play chess~ I heard that your skills are extraordinary, so I came to see~” Su Kexin squinted and smiled.

“Who told you that?”

“Why, the immortals in the valley said so! They said you’re unmatched; they can’t win against you!”

Mentioning chess made Lin Nuo think of the Old Immortal who sat at the peak of Zifeng Valley—he was a novice yet loved to play, always losing but still wanted to challenge him.

He probably wouldn’t casually spread such embarrassing news; it must have been one of his disciples.

What a rebellious disciple.

But the chess Su Kexin was talking about was different from the one they were playing; hers was Go, while theirs was Chinese chess.

There are no horses in Go, but in Chinese chess, there are.

Lin Nuo said, “Can you understand?”

“I’ve learned a bit of Chinese chess; I know some moves. Senior brother, you play your own game; I won’t disturb you!”

If you disturb our game, I, Lin, won’t hesitate to kick you out.

Having someone hovering over when playing chess is a big taboo; just like in games, if someone butts in with nonsensical commands, you’re sure to curse their entire family.

Since Su Kexin wanted to settle there, Lin Nuo couldn’t chase her away; was he supposed to leave instead?

No way.

“Whatever you want,” Lin Nuo said and continued his game with Grandpa Li. This time, he opened with the “Double Cannon Attacks Double Horses.”

Grandpa Li was dumbfounded and said, “Young man, killing horses is one thing, but is it really necessary to do it this dramatically…?”

“This is my strategy.”

“Well, okay then…”

Grandpa Li had no choice. Although he lost his two horses right at the start, he still had an advantage. But Lin Nuo was truly the kind to take down eight enemies while suffering a thousand losses himself; he played an approach that genuinely left him at a disadvantage.

However, Lin Nuo still took the match seriously. Leveraging his geeky skills, he and Grandpa Li went back and forth and ultimately won.

Grandpa Li scratched his head and chuckled, “Who would’ve thought I’d lose? I started without horses and ended up feeling restrained. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly.”

This time was different; last time Lin Nuo just played around, but this time he put thought into it, and the results naturally varied. Even though he sacrificed two cannons for the opponent’s two horses, he still won with superb board control.

This is the “Shoot Two Cannons, Lose Two Horses” tactic.

As for Su Kexin, she quietly sat by, her eyes sparkling. It seemed that every move Lin Nuo made shone with brilliance; his strategy was flawless, and no one could defeat it.

After finishing this game, Uncle Li perceptively vacated his seat and said, “Ah, sorry, young man, I have to go play cards with Old Zhao and the others now. I can’t stay any longer.”

Lin Nuo thought how fortunate this old man was; after a game of chess, he could still go play cards, or even fish.

What a desirable life of leisure.

With Grandpa Li gone, just as Lin Nuo was about to get up, Su Kexin moved to sit directly opposite him.

“What are you doing?” Lin Nuo asked.

“Senior brother, I want to play a game with you.”

“Go away, do you know how to play?”

“I do! I just watched you, senior brother, I’ve gained some insights and have a new strategy. Let’s play one game, just one!”

The sky cleared up, the rain stopped, and suddenly she felt confident.

Typical protagonist, always so mysteriously confident—this wasn’t blind confidence, but the kind that could turn decay into wonder.

However, when it came to chess, Lin Nuo was overly confident; even if Su Kexin was a protagonist, it wouldn’t make her all-powerful; can a super Mary Sue really excel in everything?

He had to take down her arrogance; if they couldn’t win in battle, could they lose in a game?

To gain even more satisfaction from beating the protagonist, Lin Nuo decided not to compete with Su Kexin under fair conditions.

He said, “How about this? You go first, and for an extra advantage, I’ll let you take two steps before I go.”

“Okay, that way I won’t lose so terribly!”

“Good, you go ahead.”

“Alright, I’ll go first. I’ll use your tactic, senior brother, to take out the horses!”

And with that, Su Kexin, jumped her double cannons over to take out Lin Nuo’s horses.

Lin Nuo was taken aback; his horses were gone, not just one but two!

What the heck, Su Kexin, is that how you play chess? Blowing up both my horses right from the start?

As the self-proclaimed horse-hunting master of the chessboard, for Lin Nuo, losing both horses at the beginning felt like a loss in some sense.

And even worse, she used his own opening tactic against him.

…

Su Kexin ultimately lost the game; after all, she was truly terrible, and compared to Lin Nuo’s profound skills, she didn’t stand a chance.

But Lin Nuo felt unhappy; losing both horses right off the bat wasn’t something he enjoyed.

After they finished the game, Lin Nuo promptly packed up the chessboard and pieces; he wouldn’t play any more games with her—even winning didn’t give him any sense of accomplishment.

“Senior brother is so amazing~ Even letting me go an extra move, I still got trounced! Every step you take has hidden depth; it’s worth reflecting on~”

“So, that’s the reason you jot down every move I make?”

Lin Nuo noticed that Su Kexin had taken out a pen and was meticulously recording the order of his moves, as if keeping a chess notation, even more serious than those learning chess.

Additionally, she didn’t get angry about losing pieces; in fact, she was even happier and praised Lin Nuo’s skills. The more pieces she lost, the more delighted she became.

Lin Nuo had intended to wipe her out completely, but instead, she only grew happier.

This wasn’t what he had envisioned.

Typically, when he made some clever move and took out the opponent’s pieces, they would likely be shocked, maybe even yell, “No way!” That kind of surprise, filled with a hint of frustration, was what he wanted to see. Just as a god above looking down upon ants, seething in helpless fury would amuse him.

But Su Kexin spent the entire time praising him; in her eyes, she couldn’t possibly win against Lin Nuo. To her, losing pieces was an honor, and the more she lost, the more delighted she was, appreciating the genius of each of his moves.

“This is my first game of chess with senior brother; I must record it to savor later~”

“You lost so badly, and that’s worthy of savoring?”

“Hehe, losing to my senior brother is only natural, but I did take out two of your horses, so it’s not a waste at all!”

“…”

What the heck, you specifically want to record taking out my two horses for later reflection? Have you any shame?

At this moment, Lin Nuo noticed a group of villagers heading toward the temple.