Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 82 - The Way of Chess Skills

Chapter 82: Chapter 82 The Way of Chess Skills

The drizzle outside the classroom was gradually intensifying.

Fortunately, the students were well-prepared today, and as soon as noon arrived, the campus burst into bloom with a myriad of umbrellas, their various colors vying for attention like flowers.

Jiang Ning popped open an umbrella and expelled the raindrops at the edges with his Spiritual Power, while Xue Yuantong carefully walked under it.

As they followed the crowd out of the school gate, they arrived at the restaurant they had visited last time.

The Boss Lady remembered Jiang Ning and greeted him warmly.

Without asking Xue Yuantong, Jiang Ning, as usual, ordered a few dishes.

“Jiang Ning, exams are coming up, do you have any questions for me?” Xue Yuantong decided to show some concern.

“No,” replied Jiang Ning.

The knowledge from the first semester of the freshman year wasn’t too difficult; with his capabilities, ranking in the top ten of the grade wouldn’t be a problem.

“Okay then,” Xue Yuantong didn’t say anything else, just thought about formally helping Jiang Ning study after exams and getting seating rearranged.

While waiting for their meal, Ma Shicheng walked in alone.

Upon spotting Jiang Ning, his eyes brightened, and he approached.

“Jiang Ning, I’ve noticed that whenever it rains, you go out to eat!” Ma Shicheng said.

“Yeah, want to join?” invited Jiang Ning.

Ma Shicheng shook his head, “I think I’ll eat alone.”

The truth was he was somewhat tempted, but remembering Jiang Ning’s extravagant dining habits with numerous dishes ordered, he knew his share of the bill might exceed the cost of two usual meals.

Maybe Jiang Ning would offer to treat, but Ma Shicheng disliked taking advantage of others, moreover, Jiang Ning had already treated him to a meal last time.

Jiang Ning glanced behind Ma Shicheng, noting that Guo Kunnan and the others from last time hadn’t come along.

“Weren’t you usually eating with them?” he asked.

Hearing this, Ma Shicheng smiled, “I feel it’s more enjoyable to eat alone.”

Actually, the dining-together idea had been initiated by Ma Shicheng, and initially, it was fun, with a variety of dishes and good conversation.

However, as time went on, problems gradually surfaced; some were picky eaters with dietary restrictions—they wouldn’t eat greens, carrots, or onions. Dining with such diverse preferences meant many dishes could never be ordered.

This wasn’t the worst; eating with the group was still better than alone, but what Ma Shicheng couldn’t stand was when the bill for six people came to, say, 62 yuan, it was difficult to split the cost evenly.

Since Ma Shicheng was often the one to settle the bill, people would cheerfully hand over 10 yuan each, leaving him to cover the extra one or two yuan.

It wasn’t about the amount but the principle.

And since the prices of dishes varied, some classmates, either oblivious or indifferent, would always go for the priciest ones.

After a few such experiences, Ma Shicheng grew reluctant to continue and decided to dine alone.

Since Ma Shicheng declined, Jiang Ning didn’t press the invitation further, his Divine Sense stirring.

At the restaurant entrance, Dong Qingfeng, Wang Yong, and Chen Qian walked in first, followed by Bai Yuxia and a pair of twins.

Ma Shicheng greeted them as they passed.

Chen Siyu and Chen Siqing were staring at Jiang Ning, especially Chen Siqing, who still remembered Jiang Ning turning down her table tennis challenge.

Despite the restaurant’s modest size, they chose a table close to Ma Shicheng’s and ordered several dishes.

Silently observing, Ma Shicheng noted their orders were not cheap either.

Dong Qingfeng and his group chatted and laughed, with words like exams, grades, tricky problems, and class rankings peppering their conversation.

Ma Shicheng, uninterested, took out his phone to play games.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning asked Xue Yuantong, “Chess?”

Jiang Ning’s phone had a Chess app which allowed for online matches.

Xue Yuantong was thrilled and replied with reserved enthusiasm,

“Sure, I’ll play a couple of games with you.”

Inwardly, she was nearly bursting with excitement; after her table tennis defeat, she was finally going to exploit Jiang Ning’s weakness—this time, she intended to leave him utterly defeated!

Xue Yuantong still remembered that when she was a child, there were no other children her age around; bored at home, she could only hold a copy of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” and flip through it over and over.

Back then, there were a few old ladies knitting and making shoe uppers, and old men playing chess by the doorway, drawing a big crowd to watch.

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Xue Yuantong joined them to watch, at first not understanding, but finding it amusing to see the old men puffing their beards and glaring their eyes.

Afterward, she returned home, found some cardboard, drew a chessboard, and carved her own pieces, studying it every day.

Later, her mother came back and taught her the rules of chess, and so Xue Yuantong played against herself every day.

After practicing for a while and playing chess with her mother, her mother was no match, and Xue Yuantong often won in just thirteen moves.

Thus, Xue Yuantong left her home to challenge those old men to chess.

Initially, the elders were thrilled, not expecting such a young peer to join their ranks—a promising future for the art of chess, indeed a cause for celebration!

The old men, eager to teach, competed to play chess with Xue Yuantong, while the old ladies knitted sweaters beside them with smiles, sometimes offering Xue Yuantong snacks.

At first, the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Until seven days later, Xue Yuantong turned one of the old men into a bald general.

That was even when several elders were instructing and supporting one old man together.

The old men were so incensed they flipped the chessboard.

After that, Xue Yuantong never saw the old men set up a chessboard again.

Her mother later said that the old men only brought out the chessboard when Xue Yuantong was in school, honing their skills, and would quickly put it away as soon as Xue Yuantong was about to get out of school.

Xue Yuantong never played chess again after that.

At this moment, Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong started a game of chess.

In the first game, it only took three minutes for Jiang Ning to defeat Xue Yuantong decisively.

The second game lasted five minutes.

In the third game, Xue Yuantong, not wanting to admit defeat, anticipated her revenge, but she was outclassed.

She refused to give up, insisting on finishing the game with Jiang Ning.

Unfortunately, Xue Yuantong still lost the third game.

Jiang Ning felt a bit of strain, recalling the years he had spent in his previous life cultivating, often passing time with chess, developing a high level of skill through the long years.

However, playing chess for a long time doesn’t necessarily make one stronger; otherwise, those village chess-playing grandpas could be unbeatable.

With years of experience, one could become a master, but advancing further hinges greatly on innate talent.

Xue Yuantong had made significant progress over these few games; if they continued, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Jiang Ning put away his phone, “Let’s eat.”

Xue Yuantong hmphed, “We’ll continue tonight.”

“We’ll see,” Jiang Ning said noncommittally.

…

After eating, Jiang Ning left the restaurant with Ma Shicheng.

Dong Qingfeng and the others had arrived later, and amidst their laughter and conversation during the meal, they had only eaten half of it.

After seeing Jiang Ning and the others leave, Dong Qingfeng commented:

“Jiang Ning’s family must be well-off, right? The dishes he ordered were pretty good.”

Chen Qian didn’t necessarily agree:

“Not necessarily, you know what those guys in the back row are like, right? Often they have one good meal, then the next they’re gnawing on steamed buns with Lao Gan Ma chili sauce.”

He still remembered the day he fought with Dan Kaiquan in the group chat and his consequent annoyance at those sitting in the back row.

Although Chen Qian was a bit too sweeping in his judgment, Dong Qingfeng agreed that the group in the back wasn’t great, being the toxic tumors of the class. This time they might even drag down Class 8’s average score in the monthly exam.

Wang Yongguang ate without chiming in. Lin Zida had asked him about Jiang Ning, and he believed Jiang Ning was not simple, so he chose not to agree with the others’ conversation.

It was Chen Siqing who spoke up, “The girl sitting across from Jiang Ning is very pretty, isn’t she?”