Chapter 131: Epilogue

Fang Mu smiled and slowly said, "Let us play another kind of chess. It is a game you may have never seen before. Is this accepted within the rules?"

Ghost One fell into silence. A chess game it had never seen before?

It considered itself well-versed in all forms of chess throughout history, and there was none that had escaped its knowledge.

Hearing Fang Mu bring this up so abruptly, Ghost One suddenly felt a sense of unease.

Uncertainly, Ghost One said, "Let us try it then. Only by trying can the rules recognize it. Sir, please explain the rules of this game."

Fang Mu nodded and said slowly, "This game is called Chinese Chess. It consists of thirty-two pieces. The black and red sides each have one General or Governor, two Chariots, two Horses, two Cannons, two Elephants, two Advisors, and five Soldiers..."

As Fang Mu calmly laid out the rules, a chessboard and a full set of pieces materialized before him.

Ghost One was stunned. It had not expected that this would actually be recognized by the rules.

Fang Mu smiled and recited a mnemonic rhyme: "The horse moves in an 'L' shape like the character for 'sun', the elephant moves diagonally two points like the character for 'field'; the chariot moves in straight lines, the cannon leaps over a piece; the advisor stays on the diagonal to guard the general's flank, the little soldier marches forward and never turns back; the chariot goes straight and the horse treads obliquely, the elephant flies across the field and the cannon strikes across a gap, once the soldier crosses the river, its power is formidable."

These were the rules of Chinese chess. In his colorful past life, if such a universally known game could not be recognized, what else possibly could be?

The three onlookers were dumbstruck, utterly overwhelmed by the surreal scene unfolding before them.

Iron Calculation Immortal nudged Zhang Liu and said in disbelief, "Did I see that right? First, he invented a character, and now he has invented a game. Wasn't Brother Fang just a brawler? Since when did he know so much?"

"How would I know?" Zhang Liu had not recovered his wits yet either. To be honest, even by his standards, Fang Mu was practically a genius among geniuses.

No wonder... no wonder Department Head Wu had taken him on as a disciple.

"Alas, what a pity," Iron Calculation Immortal sighed. "The team I worked so hard to put together is gone. Otherwise, I could have just ridden his coattails to clear this."

His subordinates had already perished before entering the palace, and he would likely have to rebuild his team from scratch once they returned.

If those people were still here, they probably could have survived the crisis by riding on Fang Mu's coattails.

Recovering from his daze, Ghost One returned to his usual composure and said, "Shall we begin?"

Hearing this, Fang Mu frowned and asked, "Do you know how to play?"

Ghost One answered with certainty, "It is a very creative game. I have roughly grasped it. Sir is the red side, so it is only fitting that Sir moves first."

Fang Mu did not move. Looking at the calm and collected Ghost One, he was considering a problem—a very realistic problem.

The problem was... he was actually terrible at chess.

What does it mean to be terrible at chess? It refers to someone who lacks skill yet is utterly obsessed with the game.

To put it simply, a common phrase described Fang Mu quite well: unskilled yet overly enthusiastic.

This was precisely why Fang Mu felt uneasy; given his skill level, whether he would win or lose was truly hard to say.

Although in his past life he often sought people out to play whenever he had free time, he was genuinely abysmal at it.

Seeing that Fang Mu remained motionless, Ghost One asked again, "Sir, are there any other rules?"

Fang Mu shook his head and replied, "No, I was just thinking of changing the method."

"It has already been set," Ghost One said. "Once established, it cannot be changed."

"Cannot be changed... changed..."

Hearing Ghost One's words, Fang Mu seemed to remember something, and his eyes lit up.

At this sight, Ghost One suddenly felt as though it had said the wrong thing. Could it really be changed?

As a rule-based anomaly, Ghost One currently lacked all confidence.

Reaching out, Fang Mu swept all the pieces aside, then selected a few specific ones and arranged them into a specific position.

Bewildered, Ghost One asked, "Sir... what is this?"

"An endgame puzzle," Fang Mu breathed a sigh of relief. "Come, let us begin."

If Ghost One had a face, its expression would surely be: "T﹏T"

Pointing at the board, Fang Mu said, "Go ahead, your move."

It was a good thing Ghost One's words had reminded him. Chinese chess from his past life also featured endgame puzzles, which were exceptionally thrilling.

If Fang Mu had to play a normal game, things might have been precarious, but solving an endgame puzzle was entirely within his ability.

This endgame was known as the Gathering of the Seven Stars, one of the four legendary folk chess endgames from his past life.

It consisted of seven pieces each for the red and black sides, and usually concluded with a combined total of seven pieces remaining on the board, hence names such as "Seven Stars," "Seven-Star Chess," "Jianghu Seven Stars," and "Grand Seven Stars."

Back then, Fang Mu had once been tricked by old men using endgame puzzles, so he had deliberately memorized this specific puzzle to pull off counter-kills. Now, it finally came in handy.

The surrounding area remained utterly silent without a sound, a clear sign that the rules had accepted it.

After a moment of thought, Ghost One no longer hesitated and pushed one of its pieces forward.

Fang Mu casually advanced another piece.

The two of them moved back and forth, piece by piece, while the three onlookers crowded around.

The reason was simple: Ghost One was actually panicking.

When playing against the masked woman earlier, even though it ended in a draw, Ghost One had remained completely calm.

But things were different now. Holding a chess piece, Ghost One hesitated over every single move.

Zhang Liu muttered thoughtfully, "I don't understand a thing."

Iron Calculation Immortal nearly collapsed backward and retorted, "Brother, if you don't understand, why are you putting on such a profound look!"

The masked woman beside them shook her head and said, "It looks simple, but every step is fraught with peril."

The group crowded around the chessboard, offering sage commentary as if they were all grandmasters. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were experts.

Ghost One's movements grew increasingly sluggish, hesitating for a long time before every single step.

Fang Mu did not rush it; on the contrary, he appeared quite leisurely.

Time ticked by second by second. Accompanied by a sharp "snap," Fang Mu's voice rang out...

"Check!"

The piece landed firmly on the board.

Ghost One froze on the spot, looking as though its soul had been ripped away.

The chessboard turned into a wisp of blue smoke and vanished into thin air.

Fang Mu smiled and said, "I win. We have cleared all four trials of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It is time for you to die."

Ghost One snapped out of its stupor and, looking down, realized its form had grown increasingly translucent.

The surroundings became blurry, as though they could vanish at any moment.

"Such is time! Such is fate! Such is destiny!" Standing amidst the fading scene, Ghost One suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Sir, I concede defeat."

Fang Mu shook his head and asked, "Are you not afraid of death?"

Ghost One smiled. "Of course not. To die pursuing what one loves most brings no regrets."

Fang Mu mused, "You are certainly unique."

Ghost One sighed, "Such is the will of heaven. Were circumstances different, Ghost One would have loved to become an attendant by Sir's side, awaiting your commands at all times and listening to your teachings."

As it spoke, Ghost One's voice carried a hint of desolation.

Fang Mu's mouth twitched. An attendant by his side...

Those words sounded rather awkward, making his mind wander if he wasn't careful.

Ghost One's figure grew more and more translucent. Just as it was about to vanish, invisible ripples appeared in the air, and Fang Mu, without hesitation, slowly reached out his hand.

The notification chime arrived right on schedule, echoing within the depths of Fang Mu's mind...