Music, chess, and understanding
The chess pieces fell onto the board with a crisp sound, breaking the tranquility of the waterside pavilion.
Yi Xing, playing black, makes the first move, placing his piece at the star point with a composed demeanor. Zhou Yu, playing white, responds with a similar move, creating a seemingly peaceful and expansive opening, like the interconnected waterways of Jiangnan.
For the first few dozen moves, both sides responded with standard tactics, the game proceeding smoothly, as if it were a casual game between close friends. But gradually, the hidden cunning beneath the calm surface began to emerge. Zhou Yu's playing style was indeed as Ming Shiyin had described: elegant and composed, yet concealing strategic brilliance. He did not rush to attack, but instead continuously built up his external influence, seemingly loose, yet each piece was placed in a crucial position, subtly forming an encirclement, like rivers converging, their waters gradually rising, silently infiltrating his opponent's territory.
Yi Xing focused intently, his moves becoming increasingly slow. He could feel the pressure hidden within the seemingly gentle moves, like spring water nourishing the earth, silent yet capable of loosening the banks. He had to be fully alert, responding with precise calculations. The black pieces stood like solitary peaks, searching for gaps in the gradually surging "waters," tenaciously fighting for survival.
"The game of chess is like a person; beneath its gentle exterior lies a spirit as vast as the ocean."
After placing his piece, Yi Xing spoke softly. This was both a comment on Zhou Yu's playing style and a kind of probing.
Zhou Yu paused slightly, holding the piece, and glanced at Yi Xing, his eyes filled with even greater admiration. "Young master is like this withered lotus in autumn, its bare stem still standing, its spirit naturally formed." He smiled slightly, and placed the white piece, not only defusing a potential attack by the black pieces, but also tightening the encirclement even further.
As the game progressed to the middle stage, White's influence on the outside was vast, while Black's territory was somewhat cramped, putting Yi Xing at a significant disadvantage. He frowned slightly, and the long period of focused thought had caused fine beads of sweat to appear on his forehead, making his face even paler.
Zhou Yu noticed his fatigue but did not urge him. Instead, he turned his gaze to the seven-stringed zither beside him and said gently to Yang Yuhuan, "I have long admired Miss Yang's exceptional pipa playing. Would you be so kind as to lend your presence and add to the enjoyment of this game of chess?"
Yang Yuhuan nodded, her slender fingers lightly plucking the strings, and melodious music flowed from her fingertips. She did not play a stirring or sorrowful tune, but rather a clear and ethereal piece called "The Flowing Stream in the Secluded Valley." The music, like a mountain spring, washed away the tension brought on by the chess game and quietly soothed the overly exhausted mind of the chess player.
Amidst the heavenly music, Yi Xing took a deep breath and refocused his attention on the chessboard. He no longer clung to directly confronting White's massive external influence, but instead turned his gaze to several seemingly insignificant corners of the board.
As Zhou Yu listened to the music and observed Yi Xing's moves, a genuine surprise flashed in his eyes. Yi Xing seemed completely unaffected by the pressure from his external forces. With a few moves, he seemed to have created tiny holes in an impenetrable wall, not yet overturning the overall situation, but already causing the seemingly perfect "water flow" to become stagnant. This calmness and keenness in finding a turning point in adversity far exceeded Zhou Yu's expectations.
"Desperate situations are not the end of the road; when the mind is calm, all sounds can be used as weapons."
Yi Xing placed a crucial piece, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps responding to Zhou Yu's strategy. This move completely broke through the connection between the two isolated groups of black stones on the left and right, turning the previously precarious situation into a glimmer of hope.
Zhou Yu clapped his hands and sighed softly, "Excellent! This young master is like a lone star in the dark night; though his light is faint, it can still guide the way." He did not rush to attack, but instead followed the flow of the game, retreating slightly to consolidate his position. His gaze towards Yi Xing was no longer just one of admiration, but also held a hint of seriousness, as if he had met his match.
The melodious strains of the zither drifted on the air, while the chess pieces clattered. Within the waterside pavilion, wisdom clashed silently; atop the high tower, gazes were fixed with concern; amidst the shadows of the trees, a calm and restrained aura prevailed.
The game ended with the outcome decided by endgame moves. In the end, Zhou Yu, playing white, won by a narrow margin.
"You flatter me." Zhou Yu put down the last white piece, his tone sincere. "Your chess skills, sir, have reached a state of perfection. I am superior in experience and strategy, but in terms of resilience in the middle game and quick thinking in finding openings, I am far inferior to you."
Yi Xing shook his head slightly. Although he had lost, there was no sign of discouragement in his eyes. Instead, he felt a sense of exhilaration: "The Grand Commandant's chess style is magnificent, and I have benefited greatly from it." He paused, a faint blush rising on his pale face from his previous focus. "However, I'm afraid the Grand Commandant's invitation today was not just for a game of chess?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu's smile deepened slightly. His gaze swept over the graceful figure on the distant pavilion and the barely noticeable shadow of a tree outside the waterside pavilion before finally settling on Yi Xing's clear eyes.
“The game is over,” he said, his voice softening, with a hint of seriousness that was barely perceptible. “Perhaps it’s time to get down to business. For example… that piece of fabric that carried the scent of ‘Soul-Separating Grass,’ and… where it might have really come from.”
Upon hearing this, not only did Yi Xing's expression harden, but Gongsun Li on the distant pavilion and Pei Qinhu in the shadows were also shocked.
Zhou Yu, as expected, knew the inside story! And why did he choose to reveal it at this moment?
"Beyond the chessboard, the sound of the zither still lingers; beneath the surface, undercurrents surge."
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