Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 243 - 221 Who Plays the Black and White Pieces

Chapter 243: Chapter 221: Who Plays the Black and White Pieces

Chapter 243 -221: Who Plays the Black and White Pieces

Guan Canghai walked alone on the official road that ran north to south.

From south to north.

Under the moonless, starless night sky, the white snowfield was also shrouded in a layer of dark blue. Trees were sporadically placed along the road, their bare branches crisscrossing and overlapping to form large patches of shadow, with uneven ground extending into the distance.

Guan Canghai walked step by step slowly, each step sinking deeply into the snow, leaving behind a trail of footprints half a foot deep that were gradually filled by the drifting snow brought by the wind.

The north wind blew piercingly cold, as if ice blades were cutting to the bone, but Guan Canghai’s expression was serene and content. He walked with his eyes closed, a faint, relaxed smile on his lips, as if he were strolling in the bright light of spring, as if he were stepping on lush grass.

He had been walking for a day and a night, yet he did not feel tired. He was dressed in a thin garment and carried a fishing rod on his back, the garment made of fine hemp and the fishing rod of common bamboo.

His eyes did not see the dead of winter or the darkness; his heart had no place for winter or the night.

At the horizon’s end, where the sky met the earth, the division was indistinct. The night’s darkness and the snow’s glow seemed to blend together. When the first ray of dawn light bloomed, the snowfield also began to shimmer with a crystal radiance.

Guan Canghai could not see all this, but he still stopped in his tracks, silently facing forward.

Because directly in front of him, about a dozen yards ahead on the road, sat a person. If he wanted to pass, he would have to walk around that person.

The person was a youngster that appeared to be eighteen or nineteen years old, with hair black as ink and features handsome and distinguished. He was wrapped in a thick white fox fur cloak, his complexion and lips void of color.

When the youth saw Guan Canghai stop, he gave a slight smile and said, “I heard you have re-entered Jianghu, so I came here specially to wait for you.”

Guan Canghai’s face displayed a cool smile, and he replied, “So it’s you. Although it feels somewhat different than before, no one but you would stand in the way at this time.”

“Rong Zhi, junior brother.”

“Canghai, senior brother.”

They addressed each other, but their tones were not exceedingly warm or friendly. A calm surface hid a faint chill.

Although Rong Zhi retained a smile, his gaze towards Guan Canghai was deep and distant, never shifting for even a moment; Guan Canghai was also smiling, but he slightly turned his head, using the side of his ear towards Rong Zhi—he was extremely sensitive, usually not even needing to concentrate much to deduce his surroundings from changes in the air currents, but at this moment he intentionally “listened” to Rong Zhi.

Having come from the same master, each knew the other’s abilities were extraordinary, and with a past grievance between them, four years had passed without a meeting. Before discerning any ill will from the other, each put up their guard to the utmost.

Rong Zhi was the first to let down his guard, reaching out to brush lightly in front of himself, sweeping away a thin layer of snow to reveal a wooden chessboard beneath: “I’ve been waiting here for an hour, just to have a game of chess with you, senior brother. I wonder, after four years without a meeting, has your skill in chess improved?”

Guan Canghai smiled and responded, “Junior brother Rong Zhi is thoughtful.” Saying this, he took off the fishing rod from his back and sat down on the other side of the chessboard.

Rong Zhi brought out two cans of black and white chess pieces from behind him, placed them beside the board, Guan Canghai with white, Rong Zhi with black. After placing two black and two white pieces on the four star points respectively, Guan Canghai, holding a white piece, delicately placed a “cloud” on the chessboard.

The two sat opposite each other, on a small square chessboard where black and white pieces intertwined in a chaotic dance, each move concealing a fierce intent to kill, overt and covert. The silent, breathless struggle between life and death seemed as if it were about to spill out in all directions.

As the morning light gradually brightened, the sun, which wasn’t warming in the cold sky, slowly rose until it was directly above their heads. Guan Canghai picked up a white stone, and after looking at the board for a moment, he sighed and conceded, “Junior brother, your skill in the game has improved considerably from before. These four years, you must have spent plotting and scheming against others.”

The game had not reached its end yet, and though he was at a disadvantage, if he deliberately delayed, there was a slim chance that he could turn the tables. But Guan Canghai, by nature, was too lazy and proud to stoop to such measures.

Rong Zhi said with a smile, “Senior brother, you let me win.” Having won a round, his mood instantly relaxed quite a bit.

The game ended, and they began to collect the pieces, each picking up only those of their color, paying no mind to the other’s.

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Guan Canghai picked up a white piece and casually threw it back into the bowl, chuckling coldly, “I did not let you win; you won it back yourself. With that said, as long as it is within my power, I promise to accommodate your request.”

This was the silent understanding between the brothers: if one wanted to ask the other to do something, they would compete in a skill they both shared. The winner could make a request, but it could not exceed the limits of the other person’s ability.

Rong Zhi smiled faintly, forgoing further pleasantries, he cut straight to the point, “I want you to abandon your purpose for this trip.”

Unexpectedly hearing this, Guan Canghai frowned slightly, “Do you know what I intend to do on this trip?”

Rong Zhi smiled lightly as he looked down, “I got a message saying that He Ji went to Jiangling and found you. What he wants you to do, I couldn’t be clearer about – nothing more than to have you kill the Princess. However, that’s precisely what I am requesting as well. I hope, senior brother, that you can stop here and not make things difficult for her.”

Guan Canghai closed his eyes and laughed, “Asking me to stop is easy, just tell me the reason.”

The four years of separation between him and Rong Zhi had turned into more than four years residing in Jiangling. During these years, living on the outskirts in the wilderness, he remained indifferent to worldly matters. Yu Wen, that is, Yu Wenxiong, though he occasionally visited, merely treated him as a distinguished guest, making no demands and never speaking of Rong Zhi’s circumstances.

Therefore, it wasn’t until He Ji’s visit that Guan Canghai got a rough idea of where Rong Zhi had been all these years.

Even after hearing a lot from He Ji, Guan Canghai did not believe that Rong Zhi had any significant involvement with Shan Yin’s Princess. In his memory, Rong Zhi had a heart as hard as ironstone and would only stay in the Princess Mansion if he had something to gain.

He never expected that Rong Zhi would go through the trouble of setting up this game of chess specifically to ask him to spare Chu Yu. Beyond his surprise, he couldn’t help but become a little curious about Chu Yu.

Logically, since the woman had lost her status as a Princess, she should have been worthless, yet could there be something else of value?

Rong Zhi’s voice remained steady and calm as he said, “I owe her a huge debt of gratitude.” He knew his senior brother’s temperament well; Guan Canghai, who usually stayed out of affairs, would become utterly absorbed once he took an interest in something.

Guan Canghai heard his words and immediately scoffed, “You’ve always been heartless and unemotional. Since when did you become someone concerned with owing others favors?” He didn’t believe a word Rong Zhi said.

The corners of Rong Zhi’s lips turned up in a faint, helpless smile: How could he explain to Guan Canghai the reasons which even he himself couldn’t clearly articulate?

All he knew was that upon learning Guan Canghai was poised to kill Chu Yu, his first thought was that he could not let her die, a feeling that he could not erase even now.

Was it because years of protection had turned into habit, and now, he simply couldn’t quit?