NOVPUBThe chess stalls that used to line the alley from one end to the other, were empty now.
A small paper-made stool, wooden chessboard with intersecting lines, and the black and white chess pieces, were all hastily left in the winter air.
Almost everyone had gathered around a chess stall deep in the alley.
Zhao Douan and his group passed by the century-old cold plum tree and reached the outer periphery of the crowd, which was three layers deep inside and out.
No command was necessary.
Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan, and the female warriors from the Western Regions forcibly cleared a path through sheer brute force.
"Who is it?"
"Don't push!"
Inevitably, a flurry of curses followed.
But the chess players, dressed in thick cotton robes and craning their necks to see, immediately silenced upon catching a glimpse of Zhao Douan and Princess Wen Zhu hand in hand, swallowing their curses back down.
Though they did not recognize them, the mere presence of these two suggested they were nobles of high station.
Who would dare to provoke them?
As Zhao Douan drew closer, the faint sounds of chess pieces snapping down and hitting the board became clearer through the gaps in the crowd.
When he parted the foremost spectators, he finally saw the scene amidst the crowd.
Surprisingly, it was two chess players in a match, the chessboard densely covered in black and white pieces, the game more than halfway through.
One was a gaunt middle-aged man.
The other astonishingly, was a young monk!
He looked to be in his teens, his youthful features yet to fade, clad in red monk's robes, sporting the typical pronounced features of a Western Regions person, yet his demeanor resembled that of a Yu Country person.
Next to the young monk was a large bamboo crate, and he sat straight-backed on a small stool, legs together.
His expression was focused.
"Snap."
Dan Che picked up a black piece and placed it down on the board somewhere before calmly stating,
"You've lost."
The gaunt middle-aged chess player's complexion turned pale, sweat beading on his forehead.
Whoosh—
The crowd around erupted into another round of uproar with someone shouting,
"He's slain the dragon! The great dragon has fallen!"
Shock was evident on everyone's faces.
Dan Che?
Zhao Douan's pupils suddenly narrowed, visions of the Western Regions Mission members' detailed profiles floating in his mind.
He recognized this young monk, never before seen in person but known as the chief disciple of the "Holy Monk," the leader of the Western Regions Mission.
Why was this sensitive monk from the Western Regions here?
Is this the spectacle you wanted to show me?
Zhao Douan turned to look at the profile of Princess Wen Zhu.
Yet the Princess had already started questioning a nearby chess watcher about the situation; the man, seeing a woman of exquisite demeanor, his face flushed with excitement, hurriedly explained what had happened.
Apparently, at the break of day, the young monk had arrived at the Yellow Court Alley alone, with just a bamboo crate on his back.
He had occupied a small stall, set up a chess board, and carefully erected a "Challenge" wooden sign on the ground. Whoever won against him would earn ten silver taels.
Soon, this foreign-looking young monk had attracted attention and curious chess players came forward to challenge him.
The result was that all that came were soundly defeated, and by the fifth game, after the young monk Dan Che had defeated a fairly renowned player from a Capital City chess house in the middle of the game, he caused a sensation in the Yellow Court Alley.
People began inviting master players from the chess houses to come and face him pledging to "kill this foreign monk's arrogance!" and "teach him what it means to be truly outclassed!"
However, as the identity of the challengers grew higher, their defeats only became more devastating.
Defeat!
Crushing defeat!
Even more disastrous defeat!
The young monk seemed effortless, regardless of the adversary, always managing to collapse his opponent by mid-game.
He hadn't boasted loudly, but for a foreign young man to consecutively defeat Capital City chess players was humiliation enough in itself.
Thus, not long before, the head of the Capital City Chess Academy finally intervened personally, the middle-aged man now before them.
Only the highly anticipated latter was still struggling halfway through the game.
"Madam, what is this?" Zhao Douan leaned closer, asking in a low, grave voice.
Princess Wen Zhu calmly said,
"I only found out on my way back to the Capital that Dan Che was here. He has studied chess for many years at the Red Top Temple in the Western Regions and had mentioned that he wanted to come to the Capital of Yu Country one day to seek guidance from the revered chess masters.
However, I heard from the people at the Magic Door that they think this young man's chess skills are already sufficient to dominate the Capital City."
Dominate the Capital City?
Zhao Douan quickly understood the hidden implication of her words.
The arrival of the Western Regions Mission in the city and their challenge to debate scriptures at the Divine Dragon Temple were meant to enhance the reputation of Zu Ting. It seemed this unremarkable little monk aimed to elevate the name of Western Regions Buddhism through chess.
The ultimate goal was to highlight their presence, aiming to use the Divine Dragon Temple as a stepping stone to penetrate the influence of Western Regions Buddhism into the Great Yu Dynasty.
And should this young man truly sweep through all the Yu Country chess players, without a doubt, this would serve as the best morale boost before the "Buddhist Debating Scripture."
"Director..."
At this moment, the expressions of several players at the chess academy drastically changed. Someone glanced up at the sky and suddenly exclaimed loudly,
"It's nearly noon, seal the chess!"
The others quickly caught on, echoing, "Seal the chess!"
Zhao Douan raised his eyebrows, knowing that these people wanted to pause the match using lunchtime as an excuse, to buy time for the director of the chess academy.
The longest game ever in the Great Yu Dynasty had lasted three and a half months, precisely because they repeatedly "sealed the chess." Whenever the disadvantaged side saw the tide turning against them, they paused it to go home and collectively strategize a way to break through.
Dan Che, the little monk, blinked his eyes, flipped open the bamboo basket beside him, and took out a lunchbox, handing it over, saying,
"I have food here."
The shouts of the people stumbled.
Dan Che, unhurried, took out several lunchboxes, water flasks, urine pots, and even bedding, candles, and writing materials from the basket, saying with a smile,
"I know you have the habit of using prolonged deliberation to delay time and wear down your opponent, so I have brought enough supplies to stay overnight here."
The crowd fell silent.
Dan Che calmly took out a brush, moistened it with his tongue, and passed it over, saying,
"If you still wish to seal the chess, you must follow the rules and 'seal the move'. The paper and brush are here."
"Sealing the move" meant that anyone wishing to rest during the game must record their next move on paper.
He really was well-prepared, blocking all avenues.
The crowd fell silent.
A gaunt middle-aged man seemed as if he had been slapped across the face by these words. He resignedly abandoned the game, stood up, and shook his head bitterly,
"I lost."
All was silent in Yellow Court Alley.
Dan Che brought his hands together, stood up, and nodded slightly, earnestly saying,
"You're quite good, but not as good as me."
The gaunt middle-aged man was at a loss for words, not knowing whether this was a compliment or a taunt. He could only turn silently and walk away from the crowd.
Dan Che looked around the crowd with a smile, "Who else dares to challenge me?"
Suddenly, his gaze paused, resting on Princess Wen Zhu's face who had appeared without notice, who slightly shook her head. Dan Che understood and didn't call out the princess's name.
Then, he glanced curiously at Zhao Douan, wondering who he was.
A brief silence fell over the crowd, the players slightly dazed. Who else could take the stage?
Suddenly, from the back of the crowd, a calm and confident voice rang out,
"I will test the skills of this monk from the Western Regions."
The crowd swiftly turned their heads to look back.
Zhao Douan looked too, seeing a young man dressed in robes similar to those worn by scholars calmly walking through a narrow path cleared by the crowd on both sides.
"Imperial Chess Envoy! Chen Jiuyan!"
"Grandmaster Chen is here!"
—
