Chapter 848: The Emperor's Chess

Everyone was stunned. Seeing the words "Too Weak" formed by the black stones on the board, it felt surreal. Was this person really playing Go?

Sima Qianjun was an expert who had reached the level of artistic conception. To be defeated so thoroughly, and then to see that Zhong Shan's stones had formed those two words, was a crushing blow.

It wasn't just about defeating Sima Qianjun in Go; it was about utterly humiliating him, reducing his confidence to rubble.

In just one hour, Sima Qianjun's clothes were drenched in sweat. The game had been intense and harrowing.

"What... what do you mean by this?" Sima Qianjun stammered angrily, finally coming to his senses.

"You lost," Zhong Shan replied calmly.

The Emperor's Chess, unique to the Great Zheng Holy Court, was something Zhong Shan had honed with Nangong Sheng, a master strategist. Nangong Sheng, who had once set up a "Heavenly Tribulation" array in a game against Ye Qingcheng, was no ordinary opponent. His role as the chief of the Yitian Supervisor was to play Go with Zhong Shan, helping to refine Zhong Shan's already formidable skills. Zhong Shan's strategic prowess made his chess unparalleled, and frequent matches with Nangong Sheng had further sharpened his abilities.

Sima Qianjun? Just by observing the endgame left by Sima Qianjun and his previous opponents, Zhong Shan had deciphered his strategy.

Artistic conception? Zhong Shan had reached that level long ago, even as a mortal. Now, it was second nature to him.

"Excellent game! You're incredible. I want to keep you!" the Ninth Princess exclaimed excitedly.

Keep me? Even with Zhong Shan's composed demeanor, he nearly fell off his chair.

Steadying himself, Zhong Shan broke into a slight cold sweat.

The seductive glance from the fox-like eyes of the Ninth Princess seemed to captivate all the surrounding chess players, leaving them mesmerized.

Ignoring the Ninth Princess, Zhong Shan focused on his foldable plaque.

The 'zero' slowly changed to 'one.'

Having lost to Zhong Shan and being humiliated by the words "Too Weak," Sima Qianjun was already furious. Now, seeing the Ninth Princess wanting to keep Zhong Shan made him even angrier.

"You bastard! I want a rematch!" Sima Qianjun roared.

His shout drew everyone's attention.

"Sima Qianjun, you are a defeated general. Do you really want to be humiliated again? Pathetic!" The Ninth Princess, in a great mood, mercilessly mocked him.

Sima Qianjun glared at the Ninth Princess, then turned to Zhong Shan. "Will you play or not?"

Zhong Shan remained composed and said calmly, "I believe the rule here is that the defeated must wait for others to challenge the winner before they can request another match."

"Hmph! Who wants to challenge him? Anyone?" Sima Qianjun asked, glaring at the surrounding chess players.

"No!" "No one!"

Fearing Sima Qianjun's wrath, everyone shook their heads.

"Fine, no one else is challenging. It's just the two of us. Let's continue!" Sima Qianjun demanded.

Sima Qianjun attributed his previous defeat to underestimating Zhong Shan. He believed he had been too careless and was determined not to make the same mistake again.

Zhong Shan smiled faintly and said, "Very well."

Sima Qianjun was irritated by Zhong Shan's calm demeanor, but there was no use complaining. He needed to defeat Zhong Shan in chess to regain his honor.

With a wave of his sleeve, the black and white stones returned to their bowls.

"You went first last time, so it's my turn now!" Sima Qianjun declared.

"Not so fast. There are rules in chess. You forfeited your turn to go first last game. That doesn't mean I have to let you go first now," Zhong Shan replied firmly.

"Yes, Sima Qianjun, just because you were foolish doesn't mean others will be," the Ninth Princess taunted.

Sima Qianjun's face alternated between pale and flushed as he glanced at the Ninth Princess.

"Let's draw lots," Zhong Shan suggested calmly.

Sima Qianjun seemed destined for bad luck today; Zhong Shan won the draw again.

"Again with the center point?"

"Is he playing the same old game?"

"That can't be right. Repeating the same moves? Isn't that just revealing his strategy?"

"But did you understand his strategy the first time?"

The crowd watched in amazement, discussing among themselves, their eyes fixed on the board.

"Snap, snap, snap!"

Zhong Shan indeed repeated his previous strategy, though with slight variations in the order of his moves. Even so, the overall layout remained almost identical, and once again, he pushed Sima Qianjun back step by step.

The sweat on Sima Qianjun's brow returned. His face flushed red as he felt as though he was being subjected to a thousand cuts, a feeling of intense frustration and helplessness.

Every move felt like walking towards his execution, while every move Zhong Shan made felt like an executioner's strike.

Each glimmer of hope Sima Qianjun saw was quickly turned into a deadly trap by Zhong Shan.

Without reaching the level of artistic conception, one could never truly appreciate the subtle effects of 'intention' in Go.

"You lost," Zhong Shan declared, placing the final stone.

Sima Qianjun's face was beet red with frustration. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Zhong Shan.

On the board, two more words formed from Zhong Shan's black stones.

The same!

'The same' as 'too weak'?

Everyone was astonished. It was clear now that this chess match was more than just a game.

"Kid, do you know who I am? How dare you humiliate me repeatedly? Are you looking for death?" Sima Qianjun stood up in anger.

"Sometimes, you bring disgrace upon yourself," Zhong Shan replied bluntly.

"You!" Sima Qianjun almost spat blood in his rage.

"Sima Qianjun, you can't win, so you want to use your status? Is that all the Sima family is good for?" the Ninth Princess mocked.

Glaring at the Ninth Princess, Sima Qianjun took a deep breath and said, "Again!"

"You're not my opponent. Stop embarrassing yourself," Zhong Shan said, shaking his head.

"No, one more game!" Sima Qianjun roared.

The surrounding chess players didn't dare to provoke the Sima family.

"Don't regret it," Zhong Shan replied with a composed smile.

The third game began. This time, Sima Qianjun was lucky enough to go first.

But going first made no difference. Zhong Shan's skill level was far beyond Sima Qianjun's. Another game would yield the same result.

"Snap, snap, snap!"

The game proceeded, and once again, Sima Qianjun found himself overwhelmed by Zhong Shan's superior strategy. His attempts to gain the upper hand were thwarted at every turn.

Finally, Zhong Shan placed the last stone. "You lost again," he said calmly.

Sima Qianjun's face turned ashen. The words formed by Zhong Shan's stones this time read:

Too predictable!

The crowd watched in awe, realizing that Zhong Shan's mastery of the game was far beyond anything they had witnessed before.

Despite being a brilliant prodigy of the Sima family, Sima Qianjun managed to suppress his rage, refocus, and improve his game. However, no amount of improvement could help him escape Zhong Shan's grasp.

As night fell, Sima Qianjun pondered every move carefully, slowing down with each step. By midnight, he was holding a white stone, staring at the board, unable to make a move.

He remained frozen like that until the first rays of the morning sun illuminated the board. At that moment, Sima Qianjun finally saw the entirety of the game laid before him.

The white stone he had been holding fell onto the board with a clatter. In that moment, he saw the two words Zhong Shan had formed overnight.

"Idiot."

Those two words had been meticulously arranged the previous night. Sima Qianjun realized he had been staring at the board, contemplating his moves all night, like an idiot.

When the white stone fell, the onlookers knew Sima Qianjun had lost. They, too, noticed the words on the board.

"Idiot?"

The chess players were dumbfounded. Who was this person capable of such a feat?

"You bastard! No one has ever dared to humiliate me, Sima Qianjun, or look down on the Sima family. You are courting death!" Sima Qianjun could no longer contain his fury.

After a day and night of mental torment, Sima Qianjun seemed almost deranged, consumed by rage.

Humiliation. The person before him was deliberately humiliating him. Sima Qianjun finally understood.

Seeking death? No one had ever dared to toy with him.

"Sima Qianjun, what are you doing? Can't handle losing?" The Ninth Princess, having watched the entire ordeal, was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Ignoring the Ninth Princess, Sima Qianjun yelled, "Men, come here!"

His shout echoed through the bustling market below.

"Isn't that the young master's voice?" someone in a nearby building paused their actions.

In an instant, nearly a hundred figures flew out from the market, all strong warriors from the Sima family converging on the square.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" One by one, powerful figures landed, exuding an overwhelming aura.

"What are you doing? Sima Qianjun, are you really such a sore loser? As long as I'm here, no one is allowed to touch him!" the Ninth Princess yelled angrily.

"In Qingqiu, there's no one my Sima family can't deal with. Ninth Princess, step aside. Everyone else, take him down. I want him to know what it feels like to be tormented," Sima Qianjun ordered coldly.

"Who dares to move? I'll have the Holy King exterminate your entire clan!" The Ninth Princess's eyes flashed coldly.

Her words were indeed domineering, causing the Sima family subordinates to hesitate.

Zhong Shan remained calm, smiling faintly. "Torment me? In Qingqiu, not even the head of the Sima family would dare say that to me."

Zhong Shan's words left everyone stunned, including the Ninth Princess, who looked at him with a puzzled expression. The local aristocracy of Qingqiu, though not fully informed, knew enough to recognize that this man in black was clearly an outsider.

"Hahaha! Do you think you're someone special? Seize him! I guarantee your safety," Sima Qianjun shouted, half-crazed.

"Yes!" the subordinates responded, ready to act.

As the hundred subordinates prepared to charge, Zhong Shan laughed.

"I said, do you think you can torment me?"

With Zhong Shan's mocking laughter, powerful figures began descending from the sky. High-ranking and influential figures of Qingqiu arrived one after another. From the west, tens of thousands of soldiers suddenly landed in the square.

Amidst the clamor of weapons, nearly ten grand elders of the Taichu Holy Court descended from the sky, surrounding Zhong Shan.

The advancing subordinates of Sima Qianjun stopped in their tracks, quickly retracting their weapons in fear and stepping back in terror.

Sima Qianjun was dumbfounded, the Ninth Princess was dumbfounded, and the chess players were collectively dumbfounded. What was going on?