CH 92

Chapter 92: A Trickster

Ren Yaoqi was holding a black tile in her hand, and she was pondering with her head tilting to the side.

Xiao Jingxi was very patient and didn’t rush. When it was Ren Yaoqi’s turn to play, he seemed quietly drank his tea.

The little goat that Xiao Jinglin had previously chased to one side had somehow come back and used its head to rest lightly against the edge of the stone table. The two chess players merely gave it a sidelong look and then let it go.

Xiao Jingxi’s style of chess was generally stable, but he was always making good moves at key moments. Ren Yaoqi’s style of chess was somewhat similar to his, but she had developed it through practice, while Xiao Jingxi was gifted.

Now, although it seemed like they were evenly matched, Ren Yaoqi was afraid that if Xiao Jingxi went off the rails again, she would lose.

“One game to determine the winner?” Ren Yaoqi asked after the black piece in her hand had fallen.

Xiao Jingxi was extremely quick in his moves, and his white piece landed on the board before Ren Yaogui’s black piece had even been put down.

“What does Fifth Miss Ren think?” Xiao Jingxi asked gently with a smile on his face.

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment and nodded, “It is better to play quickly, if I am go out for too long, my mother will worry.”

“One game then,” Xiao Jingxi said very amenable.

Ren Yaoqi glanced at him, and the black piece in her hand suddenly turned and went down to another place.

Xiao Jingxi raised his eyebrows and gave Ren Yaoqi a look, and the white piece in his hand fell.

Ren Yaoqi seemed like a different person and began to attack cities and loot pools regardless of the consequences, only attacking but not defending.

Generally speaking, a person’s chess style is generally fixed, which is why ithere is a saying that one can generally tell a person’s temperament by his or her chess style. In order to see the future three moves in every move made, one needs to know the opponent’s general style to make an accurate judgment.

But this time Ren Yaoqi’s game was so different from her character that it had the awe-inspiring power of a great general in a desperate army clash at the front line. Xiao Jingxi couldn’t help being extremely surprised.

He had never met such an opponent in chess, and Ren Yaoqi’s performance was beyond his expectation. She seemed to be striking in the east and the west, without any rules. But in fact, she was secretly forming a net. Xiao Jingxi stared at the chessboard and unconsciously have a little more interest in his eyes, and his strokes become sharper.

However, because of Ren Yaoqi’s unorthodox play, Xiao Jingxi was not as quick as before.

On the contrary, Ren Yaoqi’s tempo suddenly increased, and every time she played, it was as if she didn’t think twice.

If she had met another opponent, it would have disrupted her opponent’s pace long ago. But Xiao Jingxi remained unhurried, and Ren Yaoqi’s sudden outburst of strength only gave Xiao Jingxi the urge to fight her in a bloodthirsty match.

Time passed in this way, during which Pingguo quietly came back once and quietly retreated when she saw Ren Yaoqi playing chess with Xiao Jingxi.

The two of them were locked in a difficult battle. Suddenly Xiao Jingxi paused, frowned, and stared at the chess game in front of him, contemplating.

Ren Yaoqi didn’t move as she lowered her head to drink her tea.

A few moments later, Xiao Jingxi dropped the white piece in his hand and gazed at Ren Yaoqi with a smile on his face, “Miss Ren is definitely something, is she actually the drunkard who has no intention to drink ?”

>> the drunkard who has no intention to drink

Ren Yaoqi sighed lightly, he had indeed discovered her.

But she had set up this game so well that even if Xiao Jingxi had found out now, it would already be too late.

A moment later, Ren Yaoqi picked up a chess piece in her hand. She smiled and asked, “Is there any need to continue?”

Xiao Jingxi stared at Ren Yaoqi with a smile in his eyes, “You have never wanted to win and yet making such an aggressive stance.”

He looked down at the chessboard and nodded, “The layout of this ‘ko fight‘ tactic is really subtle, I have never seen such a position before. I can’t think of a way to resolve it for a moment, so it is a draw.”

>> Ko fight

Seeing Xiao Jingxi admit that it was a draw, Ren Yaoqi breathed a sigh of relief.

It was a game of chess. She was no match for Xiao Jingxi, so she could only play tricks.

“I have also just seen it once in a tattered chess book, but today I am trying to use it,” Ren Yaoqi laughed.

“But before we already determined that one game would determine the winner, so what should we do now?” Xiao Jingxi’s demeanor was so excellent that he was not angry at being schemed by Ren Yaoqi, and still asking with a smile.

Ren Yaoqi did not want to tell Xiao Jingxi whether he win or lose; Zhu Ruomei was not one of her people and she could not decide whether he would stay or go. The Han Family matter was a thorn in her side, and she didn’t want to say anything until the truth came out, because no one would believe her if she did.

Ren Yaoqi was about to speak when Xiao Jinglin returned, carrying an unpainted wooden tray with a lotus petals patterned longquan celadon bowl. When she got closer, Ren Yaoqi smelled a strong medicinal fragrance.

>> a longquan celadon bowl with lotus petals patern

Xiao Jinglin rested the tray directly onto the chessboard that had not yet been put away, “It’s time to drink the medicine.”

Xiao Jingxi looked at the bowl of medicine and said helplessly, “Why are you the one who sent it?”

“Because you won’t drink it if others send it to you.”  Xiao Jinglin directly picked up the medicine bowl and handed it to Xiao Jingxi’s lips, speaking truthfully.

Xiao Jingxi tilted his head to avoid it, and Xiao Jinglin frowned, “Why are you still as difficult to serve as when you were a child, you’re still squirming to take a medicine! One gulp and it will go down!”

Xiao Jingxi huffed, looked at Ren Yaoqi who was holding back a smile and turning her head away.

Xiao Jinglin didn’t care, it’s not a question of whether to drink medicine or not, but a question of whether to be rude or not.

Knowing Xiao Jinglin’s stubborn nature, Xiao Jingxi took the bowl of medicine and slowly drank it all.

Xiao Jinglin took the empty bowl and put it back on the tray, before she turned around as if she remembered something. She took a small paper packet from somewhere and put it on the table. “Pine nut candies.” After saying that, she didn’t even look at Xiao Jingxi’s face and went straight away.

Xiao Jingxi looked at the packet of candies in front of him and was speechless for a while.

When he looked up and saw the curvature of Ren Yaoqi’s mouth, Xiao Jingxi could not help but shake his head and laugh.

Then he untied the packet of candy graciously and handed it to Ren Yaoqi, “Don’t be offended, Jinglin was sent to Jiajing Pass when she was very young and has not returned for many years.”

In Xiao Jinglin’s eyes, Xiao Jingxi was still the same as he had been many years ago, while she, the younger sister, had become the older sister instead. The siblings had not come together for many years, and it was because Xiao Jinglin wanted to get on good terms with Xiao Jingxi that she had come to Bailong Temple from Yunyang City.

It just that she had been in the army for many years and rarely came into contact with women apart from a few close attendants around her, so she lacked the delicacy of the average woman.

Ren Yaoqi did not say anything as she pinched a small piece of pine nut candy and put it into her mouth, chewing it slowly.

Xiao Jingxi put the pine nut candy in front of Ren Yaoqi and did not eat it himself.

It was just that after being interrupted by Xiao Jinglin, Ren Yaoqi suddenly felt that Xiao Jingxi was a friendly person.

Of course, Xiao Jingxi had always acted approachable, gentle, and tolerant. However, Ren Yaoqi still felt that Xiao Jingxi was somewhat like a flower in a mirror and a moon in water. He was so beautiful that one could not help but admire him, but he always seemed ethereal and far from reality.

A breeze blew and a faint fragrance of medicine wafted over. No wonder the last time she met him, he had a medicinal scent on him too.

But Xiao Jingxi had a charm that could make others ignore the fact that he was not in good health during the process of getting in touch with him, and only be overwhelmed by his demeanor.

Ren Yaoqi was also close to forgetting that Xiao Jingxi was sick. It was because the aura of the one in control was too strong in him.

At this time, there was another noise coming towards the backyard.

Ren Yaoqi raised her eyes and saw a tall man coming this way, one step at a time.

Ren Yaoqi blinked and saw clearly, but she couldn’t help but stare. It was Zhu Ruomei…

The man was unable to walk normally because he had broken the tibia in one of his feet. His hands were rested on a tripod connected to copper basins, which were used in place of crutches.

He was probably in a hurry to get out. His hair was only tied on sloppily with a rope that he pulled from who-knows-where, his face was sweaty, but he was ‘walking’ extremely fast.

Xiao Jingxi also followed Ren Yaoqi’s gaze. After a glance, he turned back and said with a faint smile, “You don’t want your leg anymore?” It sounded like a joking remark, but it was one that no one dared to answer.

Behind Zhu Ruomei were two of Xiao Jingxi’s servants, who seemed to be trying to pull him back, but he always avoided them by some unknown means. He was clearly injured, but his body was very agile and did not look clumsy at all.

Zhu Ruomei soon ‘jumped over’ and Ren Yaoqi found that his head, face, and neck were covered in sweat, and even his lapel was wet, so he must have been suffering badly.

“What are you doing out here if you’re not taking care of your injuries?” Ren Yaoqi immediately frowned and gently scolded.

Although Zhu Ruomei was in a cold sweat from the pain, he still showed his teeth and smiled, even though it looked a bit grim, “Just a broken bone, it’s nothing serious. I’ve made Miss worry.”

Ren Yaoqi throw a sidelong look at Xiao Jingxi who was pretending to be ignorant and just looking down to pick up the chess pieces, so she said with a soft sigh, “You should get well first, and I will send someone to report to your family that you are safe.”

“Many thanks, Fifth Miss.” Zhu Ruomei said, “I’ve caused Miss trouble.”

Zhu Ruomei apologized sincerely. He had just heard the boy called Tongxi say that the Fifth Miss of the Ren Family had come over and he knew that Miss Ren must have come because of his business, so he hurried over, fearing that he would make things difficult for her in front of the Second Young Master Xiao.

Ren Yaoqi shook her head, “I didn’t do anything, but it was the Yuan Family that spent a lot of effort to find you.”

The two of them exchanged pleasantries for a while. When Ren Yaoqi saw that Zhu Ruomei’s face was a little white, she said to him in a gentle voice, “I will go back later, you should go back and rest.”

Zhu Ruomei nodded in agreement, but he did not leave. He hesitated for a moment and said, “Fifth Miss, it was Second Young Master Xiao who saved me this time. He wants me to stay by his side for ten years and work for him. I…”

So Xiao Jingxi had already spoken to Zhu Ruomei? Zhu Ruomei didn’t seem to be reluctant either.

Ren Yaoqi looked at Xiao Jingxi and smiled at Zhu Ruomei, “I have said before that you and my Ren Family no longer owe each other anything. Since you are appreciated by the Second Young Master Xiao, you can work for him when you are well.”