The land of Qi and Lu, located in the east near the edge of the sea, is also where Confucianism is most powerful, with Confucian disciples everywhere. The nearby Xiaoshengxianzhuang is now a sacred site for Confucianism.
In the Xiaoshengxianzhuang, within a bamboo grove, Wang Han arrived alone, standing outside the bamboo house within the grove.
“It is a pleasure to have friends coming from afar, but Mr. Wang Han’s arrival seems to be somewhat impolite.” An old man’s voice came from inside the bamboo house.
“I must have been told by Zhang Liang that I was coming. If I had come with Ying Zheng’s token, wouldn’t it have been impolite of you not to greet me since you already knew I was coming?” Wang Han said with a smile, pushing open the bamboo door of the bamboo house.
Inside the bamboo house, an elderly man dressed in a blue scholar's robe looked at Wang Han and said with a smile, "If Mr. Wang Han is here with His Majesty's waist token, I will naturally greet him personally and not dare to be negligent in the slightest. So, Mr. Wang Han, will you be presenting His Majesty's waist token?"
"Then it depends on who is being impolite between us—me, you, or the Confucian scholar," Wang Han said with a smile, sitting opposite the old man in blue. Xunzi was the most senior and accomplished Confucian scholar, a great Confucian master following Confucius and Mencius.
"Haha. Mr. Wang Han is too kind. It is a pleasure to have friends coming from afar. How can I care about such trivial etiquette when I can sit and converse with such a capable person as Mr. Wang Han?" Xunzi said with a smile. If Wang Han were to take out his waist token, it would be considered impolite of him. He was the most senior member of the Confucian school, and could be said to represent the entire Confucian school, which would be disrespectful to the emperor—a serious accusation.
"I'm here for academic exchange," Wang Han said with a smile.
"I've heard that you have a friend with you, sir. I wonder where he is. I've asked Fu Nian to arrange accommodations for him," Xunzi asked with a smile. He had anticipated Wang Han's response.
"She feels her strength is insufficient and has gone to cultivate diligently. I would appreciate it if she could arrange a place for me to stay," Wang Han said with a smile. Guina had volunteered to cultivate in the Divine Might Space. After the events at the Mo Family's Mechanical City, she still felt her strength was too low.
"Tong'er, go tell your senior brother Fu Nian to prepare a place for Mr. Wang Han to live." Xunzi nodded and instructed the boy standing to the side.
"I've heard you love chess, Xunzi. I've also studied chess to some extent. How about we play a game?" Wang Han said with a smile. He waved his hand, manipulating the wind to move the chessboard and pieces from a short distance away between them. He then waved again, taking out red chess pieces and spreading them across the board.
“Since we don’t need to worry about etiquette, I’ll go first,” Wang Han said, picking up a black piece and placing it in the center of the board, crushing a red piece in the process. He continued, “The board represents the world, red represents the people, black represents Qin, and there is a fourth type of chess outside the board. Please.”
Upon hearing this, Xunzi stopped playing the chess pieces. This game was no ordinary game; it was about the world, and he was playing the white pieces, which represented rebellion. He had to be careful.
Xunzi thought about it carefully and placed the white piece in his hand in a corner.
“There’s no need to be so secretive. I’ve already said I’m just here to exchange academic ideas. Only the two of us will know whether we win or lose, so you don’t need to go easy on me,” Wang Han said. He picked up a black flag, placed it on a red piece, crushed the red piece, and said, “Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Red, black, and white pieces can all change color.”
Xunzi glanced at Wang Han again, holding the chess piece in his hand for a long time before finally placing it next to his own white pieces. This game of chess was not only about the struggle for supremacy in the world, but also about the hearts of the people.
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Soon, a day had passed. Xunzi, holding his white pieces, had found the winning position. He only needed to place his piece to defeat Wang Han and destroy most of the black pieces on the board. However, Xunzi hesitated for a long time, unable to make his move. He had only three white pieces left. Remembering Wang Han's words that there was a fourth type of game outside the board, Xunzi hesitated for a long time before finally placing his piece in another spot. With that one move, he would lose the entire game. This meant surrender.
Seeing this, Wang Han smiled and waved his hand. All the white chess pieces were replaced with black ones. The wooden chessboard automatically began to grow, doubling in size. A fourth type of chess piece appeared on the board: green pieces, which surrounded the entire board. However, the pieces were not as densely packed as those on the board.
Wang Han handed the remaining black flag to Xunzi and said, "Next, if you don't have enough pieces, take some from the board, but this time the pieces cannot change color. Please."
'As expected.' Seeing this, Xunzi thought to himself, if he had won against Wang Han, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory, and he wouldn't have many pieces left on the board. It would be too difficult to defeat the green pieces with a limited number of pieces, and given that his opponent was Wang Han, it was impossible for him to win. If he lost, it would mean the end of the world, and the green pieces would represent the menacing foreign tribes.
"I've lost this game." After thinking for a long time, Xunzi put down his black flag, shook his head, and said. This game wasn't just about winning; it was also about preserving more pieces to fight the next opponent.
“We’ll continue tomorrow,” Wang Han said.
“Alright.” Xunzi nodded.
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The next day, the same rules, the same chessboard.
Xunzi confidently placed his last piece. He had saved enough pieces, turning many red and black pieces into white. He looked at Wang Han, but Wang Han did not create a fourth type of piece.
“Mr. Wang Han,” Xunzi called out to Wang Han.
“You lost,” Wang Han said. He tapped the chessboard lightly, and suddenly all the white pieces on the board turned into seven or eight different colors of pieces. Each color crowded together, forming a faction, but no green pieces appeared.
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