Old Master Murong stroked his beard, his gaze lingering on the chessboard for a long time before finally placing a white piece.
Xiao Ling's black mark followed closely behind.
The two colors of chess pieces fought back and forth on the board for more than a dozen rounds until the white pieces were forced into a corner, at which point the black pieces stopped their attack.
Old Master Murong looked at the chess pieces in his hand, which had been forced into a dead end, and his gray eyebrows twitched. The white pieces, which could have won in three moves, were placed on the bottom after Xiao Ling took over the black pieces, resulting in a complete defeat.
Old Master Murong looked up at Xiao Ling, his gaze revealing his appreciation and admiration for the young man.
"I have lost! I admit defeat wholeheartedly!"
Xiao Ling nodded slightly, put the chess pieces on the board into the chess box, then changed the colors of the pieces, handing the black pieces to Old Master Murong, indicating that they should play another game.
Old Master Murong was eager for someone to play chess with him, and since Xiao Ling had just beaten him, he really wanted to win back. So he made his move without any hesitation.
By the time Shen Yuan finished the pulse diagnosis lesson, it was already dark. She declined Doctor Jiang's offer to stay for dinner and took her leave.
The two came out of the house and saw that Mr. Murong and Xiao Ling were still fighting on the chessboard under the eaves. They walked up behind them without prior arrangement.
Shen Yuan doesn't know how to play chess, but she has seen Chu Yuning play chess.
In her previous life, Chu Yuning often visited the princess's residence to play chess with Xiao Yunyan for amusement.
She knelt beside the chessboard, holding two bowls of boiling tea, serving Xiao Yunyan.
Xiao Yunyan was not good at chess and could never beat Chu Yuning. Every time they played two games, she would throw a tantrum and refuse to play anymore. Every time this happened, Chu Yuning would patiently coax her, and then deliberately let Xiao Yunyan win the next game, just to show her.
Sometimes, even when Xiao Yunyan won the game, she wouldn't be happy. She would complain that it was boring, and casually overturn the chessboard. When she saw the chess pieces raining down on Shen Yuan, she would laugh and jump into Chu Yuning's arms.
"Yulang, listen to that jingling sound you make, it's so lovely!"
The chess pieces used by Xiao Yunyan were made of fine jade. The sound of them hitting people was indeed pleasant, but because they were made of jade, they were heavy and hurt a lot when they hit people.
But Shen Yuan didn't dodge, because she was holding two cups of hot tea in her hands. If she moved even slightly, the scalding tea would spill out and burn blisters on the back of her hands.
Shen Yuan has already experienced this feeling.
Seeing that Shen Yuan dared not dodge, Xiao Yunyan had the maid add another cup of hot tea and place it on Shen Yuan's head. Then she took the chess piece that the maid had picked up and continued to throw it at Shen Yuan.
She smashed it while laughing, "Yulang, this is so much fun! Much more fun than playing chess!"
Xiao Yunyan smiled innocently, like a pure and innocent little girl.
But Shen Yuan remembers that time a chess piece hit her eyeball. She suddenly closed her eyes and her head shook uncontrollably. Then the teacup on her head was spilled, burning off a layer of her scalp. All the hair in the back of her head fell out, revealing a white and reddish scalp.
At these moments, Chu Yuning would tacitly look away, remain silent, and pretend she hadn't seen anything.
Thinking back, Shen Yuan closed her eyes. Fortunately, the things that happened in her previous life hadn't happened yet, and everything could start anew.
In this life, she will no longer be an object to be trampled upon; she will be the one to wield the chess pieces and take control of her own destiny!
Having watched Chu Yuning and Xiao Yunyan play Go for a long time, Shen Yuan roughly understood the basic principle of Go: one color of stones surrounds another color of stones, blocking all their liberties and suffocating them.
Seeing the black pieces gradually being cleared from the chessboard, Shen Yuan knew in her heart that Xiao Ling was going to lose this game.
Just then, Old Master Murong chuckled and placed the last chess piece, completely blocking the black pieces' escape route.
He played five games in total and won two, so it wasn't too embarrassing.
Doctor Jiang: "You've kept that child occupied for so long, they must be hungry. It's time to let them go home and eat!"
Hearing his wife say this, Mr. Murong reluctantly put away the chessboard.
It's rare to meet a worthy opponent in chess today, and it's truly hard to part ways.
But there's plenty of time in the future. Old Master Murong looked at Xiao Ling with a gentle smile on his face: "We've played chess for so long, and I still haven't asked you what your child's name is."
Xiao Ling looked up at Shen Yuan, who stepped forward and answered Mr. Murong's question for Xiao Ling.
Upon hearing Xiao Ling's name, the old Mr. Murong was taken aback. He had been teaching for thirty years and had countless students, but among all his students, only this surname represented the most distinguished status.
But he was certain that he had never met Xiao Ling, nor had he ever heard of the name.
Xiao Ling noticed the subtle change in Mr. Murong's expression and pursed his thin lips slightly.
Mr. Murong had indeed never met him, but he had seen him.
If he hadn't come to Jian'an City, he wouldn't have been qualified to sit and play chess with him.
Seeing that Mr. Murong remained silent, Shen Yuan explained on Xiao Ling's behalf, "Young Master Xiao suffers from aphasia and has not spoken for ten years. This is not a breach of etiquette."
If someone has been unable to speak for only ten years, it proves that they were able to speak before.
Old Master Murong looked at Doctor Jiang, "Madam, could you please take a look at this child's symptoms?"
"For Yuan's sake, alright!" Doctor Jiang nodded to Xiao Ling, signaling him to follow him into the house.
The two stayed inside for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before coming out.
Upon seeing the two emerge, Shen Yuan immediately went to greet them, "Master, is there any way to cure his aphasia?"
"His throat and vocal cords are fine; the aphasia is likely caused by damage to his meridians. It is treatable, but because it has been going on for so long, I cannot guarantee whether it can be cured."
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