Double Act
Double Act
He lowered his head, looking at the chess pieces that were placed wrongly on the chessboard. In a moment, he felt hope turn into dust! He pushed the chessboard away, lowering his head even more. In a tone as if he were choking back his tears, he said, "I… admit defeat…"
This sentence left everyone utterly shocked!
From the start of the game, they'd watched Jun Moxie corner Qi Wanjie. Qi Wanjie had always been coping with his attacks, with no ability to counterattack back! Until now, the game was halfway through, both parties had already unleashed their ultimate moves!
With this, there could only be one winner now!
Life and death, victory or success would be determined soon!
But Qi Wanjie surrendered at a moment like this!
Carefully looking at the situation on the chessboard, the black pieces had indeed occupied a significant advantage and dominated all the attacks while the white pieces had been on the defense. Its foundations were significant and had a small chance of obtaining victory, but if he continued to fend, there was still room for him to wait till an opportunity to counterattack. It was not entirely impossible for him to turn things around…
But at a time like this, Qi Wanjie had already calculated all the moves needed till the end of the game?
So he requested to surrender in advance?
Qi Wanjie looked up in a daze, his eyes lifeless. He said, "I am indeed not his match. This match shouldn't have started in the first place because I had already lost right before it started! Playing chess with the intention of gaining benefits… is the taboo of all chess players! How could my game be stable when my mental state is not? Brother Mo is truly highly-skilled; I willingly admit my defeat! I am sincerely convinced to concede!"
Jun Moxie lightly heaved a sigh of relief. This victory in this round was really not easy. The mental strain was greater than a huge battle. However, everything was within his expectations.
From the moment Jun Moxie began to tell the story, Qi Wanjie did not interrupt him. From that moment, the outcome was already decided! But he still continued to struggle and made it to midpoint with his solid foundation and tenacious battle strategies!
Jun Moxie intentionally mentioned the first line of the couplet, but admitted that he was unable to come up with the second line. This was the real emotional devil he had planted in Qi Wanjie's heart!
From the moment Qi Wanjie appeared, Jun Moxie had clearly determined his personality and came up with a suitable method to deal with him!
This person was greedy for fame! And a hypocrite! With a personality like this, he cared greatly about gains and losses!
Qi Wanjie was indeed a talent and stood at the peak with his chess skills, enjoying success as a youth. Naturally, it was inevitable for him to be arrogant and haughty. This was a normal ailment of youths, completely understandable. But it had also created his current personality of viewing himself highly.
In this world, if there was one person who Qi Wanjie genuinely admired, then there was only Chess Saint Hua Wucuo!
Other people, even if it was the Nine Nether First Young Master, would not necessarily move him!
Because Qi Wanjie didn't dabble in Mystic cultivation…
So although Jun Moxie only knew the name of a Chess Saint, he still came up with an exciting story with it, using the reputation of Hua Wucuo's art of chess to suppress this young chess champion of the Misty Illusory Manor!
This was only the first step of the plan. The moment Qi Wanjie's arrogance was successfully oppressed, Jun Moxie let him realize the disparity between him and the Chess Saint. He also made use of the opportunity to mention that he had once played against the Chess Saint, and that his skills were on the same level… naturally, dealing another blow to his confidence!
Afterwards, bringing up that couplet at suitable timing, suddenly opening the game when Qi Wanjie was wholeheartedly focused on how to match the next line of the couplet!
At that time, Qi Wanjie was already sitting opposite the chessboard. It didn't look sudden in the eyes of outsiders; but to Qi Wanjie himself, it was completely unexpected. His mind had already wandered off elsewhere, but he was suddenly called back…
Then, he was tossed into an intense match and had to deal with bizarre moves that he had never seen before…
With a mental state like this, how could he not lose? When the match was at its most intense point, where Qi Wanjie's mental state was like a taut bowstring, on the verge of firing, Jun Moxie suddenly brought up the couplet again.
Although he was muttering to himself, Qi Wanjie was extremely bothered about this… Thus, that casual lament turned into the straw that broke Qi Wanjie completely, crushing him!
From the moment they met, Jun Moxie had been setting traps step by step, slowly making Qi Wanjie walk right into them, until he fell into a state beyond redemption!
Jun Moxie's chess skills were definitely not as good at Qi Wanjie, but Young Master Jun's skills and knowledge of the game had a significant impact. Because in the whole process of officially playing against each other, Qi Wanjie would be skeptical that Jun Moxie was capable of almost winning Chess Saint Hua Wucuo even if Young Master Jun used methods from five thousand years in the future! Coupled with his layers of set-ups, no one would be able to resist it!
Even if Qi Wanjie was lucky enough to resist against this emotional devil, Jun Moxie still had a triumph card…
Young Master Jun's unique psychological manipulation was capable of controlling people with no mental training like Qi Wanjie to do whatever he wanted… With not the tiniest bit of resistance! Although this method left traces and could be easily discovered by Mystic experts present, there was no problem in obtaining victory with it!
The second round, Mo Junye's victory!
After Miao Xiaomiao solemnly announced this outcome, everyone fell into a state of silence. The first and second rounds were what the Zhan Family had the most confidence in winning. But under the prowess of the enemy, they had lost both.
What else should they compete in next?
Some people who wanted to contest in poetry immediately retreated after hearing Jun Moxie unintentionally recited that 'Untitled' and 'It was hard to meet you and then bid farewell'! Which one of them was confident enough to come up with such rapturous quatrains that nibble away at the bones?
If they had stepped out to compete, and Jun Moxie simply said: You just have to come up with one that is similar to the one I just recited, then it'll count as your victory… That'd really be embarrassing. Not only were they asking for humiliation, they'd really be unable to show their faces…
Miao Xiaomiao looked at Jun Moxie happily. Right now, she didn't worry as much as she had before. She only felt that this Free and Natural Physique really matched her tastes. Recalling that line of 'Life is Long in Sadness as Water Keeps Flowing East', and that 'It was hard to meet you and then bid farewell'… and that 'Burial of Flowers' and its unaffected yet deep helpless love…
Miao Xiaomiao's heart was wavering, and to her surprise, she couldn't control herself…
At this moment, no one had noticed that the young chess champion had already snuck away from his seat, as if that young chess champion who shocked the world with his chess ability was no longer worth mentioning anymore…
Seeing that the third match had yet to begin, but it was already in a stage of awkward silence, Zhan Qingfeng and Zhan Yushu exchanged glances, feeling extremely anxious.
Both brothers felt that if the two of them were to compete with him, they'd feel afraid. This fellow was too sick in the head!
As if there was nothing he was not proficient in—what sort of person is this? Talk about you having the Free and Natural Physique that is rarely seen in all of history, why didn't you treasure it and cultivate Mystic skills properly! Putting so much effort on all these useless external learning, aside from being excellent at music and chess, even half a poem of yours is enough to scare everyone off from stepping out to compete with you! Are you even still human, ah?!…
Looking at the people packing up the chess equipment, a light bulb went off in Zhan Yushu's head. He let out a long sigh and said, "The Chess Saint of Mystic Mystic Continent, Hua Wucuo. Legends have it that this person has never miscalculated any of his matches! And everything he does is extremely orderly and full of utmost self-discipline! Amongst those with famous reputations, it is really rare to find one that is like this. Today, upon hearing Brother Mo's recount, I am really full of admiration to this Chess Saint… Hua Wucuo, truly as expected of Hua Wucuo, truly worthy of the Chess Saint ah…"
This fellow began to embark on his own soliloquy with exaggerated emotions like women in her private room.
Jun Moxie didn't bother to respond to it. Because he knew that Zhan Yushu was waiting for him to respond and match his tune. But why would Young Master Jun be willing to give him this opportunity! I just want to watch you go on your mono-drama, watch what you are trying to do…
"Indeed ah, the Chess Saint's reputation is well known in the world, as expected of an expert of his generation ah." Since no one responded, Zhan Yushu was instantly put in a spot. Not knowing what his younger brother was up to and left without a better choice, Zhan Qingfeng could only force himself to stand up and embark on this double act with his younger brother.
"Indeed, I had originally wanted to compete against Brother in literature. I had even thought of the topic. But now, younger brother, I have changed my mind." Zhan Yushu said with a smile, facing Zhan Qingfeng.
No one bothered about him, so these two brothers could only continue with their act. Although both of them were adorning warm and genial smiles, they were feeling extremely awkward internally… as if the two of them were monkeys performing on stage…
"Oh? Yu Shu, what did you change your mind about?" After a while, no one asked, so Zhan Qingfeng could only continue to do it himself. He had already cursed all those followers and all eighteen generations of their ancestors internally. Why are these servants so incompetent at noticing signs?! I'll break all their legs when we return immediately and toss all of them out!
"Yes, since we've just heard Chess Saint Wu Cuo's poems, if we still insist on competing about some poetry, isn't it too cliche? Then I remembered the story Brother Mo had just shared and I thought of a marvellous idea." Zhan Yushu said shamelessly with a wide smile.
"Oh? Could there be such a thing? Hurry up and tell, Yu Shu; what is this marvelous idea you have?" Seeing that no one was supporting their act, Zhan Qingfeng just got into the role. F*ck it, I'll just be thick skinned. Who dares to comment about me!
What these two brothers did not know was that it was not their underlings who did not know how to notice signs and not that they did not wish to speak. But it was Young Master Jun who wanted to see these two brothers act, so he controlled all of them using his psychological manipulation!
Right now, it was not because they did not want to talk, it was difficult for them to even breathe. But everyone couldn't understand. Why is it that I cannot speak?
Right now, even a single line of 'Indeed ah' would instantly gain them the favor of the Zhan Brothers ah… But they just couldn't open their mouths, it's really bewildering ah…