Chapter 168: Chess Strength Comes from Imagination
Gan City.
When Lin Ye arrived at the station, members of the Gan City Appraisal Institute were already waiting at the station.
These ordinary staff members naturally didn't know how famous Lin Ye was in the extraordinary circle, but as long as the person who came was a consultant, they had to receive him well.
"Just go straight to your destination."
On the way here, Lin Ye already understood what had happened.
He asked Zhong Shan to look for news about He Zhiming. The last time Zhong Shan stayed in Gan City for a few days, he didn't get anything. But just one day ago, Zhong Shan got news from Gan City that they had found news related to He Zhiming.
After receiving the notification, Zhong Shan rushed to Gan City immediately, and went to the village where the clue was found with Tu Yang, the team leader of the Gan City Identification Institute, but he mysteriously disappeared.
The staff of the appraisal institute in Gan City had already reported the news to their superiors, who were also preparing to arrange people to handle the matter. When they learned that Lin Ye had gone to Gan City, they handed the matter over to Lin Ye.
The car quickly drove into the town, passed through the streets of the town, and finally entered a village.
"Advisor Lin, our team leader and team leader Zhong were located here before they disappeared. However, we searched the entire village and could not find the whereabouts of the two team leaders."
Lin Ye got out of the car, and there were already two people waiting at the entrance of the village. They were employees of the Gan City Appraisal Institute, and they came to the village to search for Zhong Shan's whereabouts.
“No hurry.”
Lin Ye looked at an old man sitting under the old camphor tree at the entrance of the village.
The old man was thin and hunched over. He sat in front of a stone table with a chessboard painted on it, closing his eyes and greedily basking in the sun.
"I asked the old man, and he said he saw the team leader and others enter the village." Seeing Lin Ye's eyes fall on the old man, the staff nearby reported the situation in a low voice.
Lin Ye nodded to show that he understood, but still walked towards the old man and sat down opposite the stone table.
"Old man, next game?"
There was a chess game carved on the stone table. When the old man heard the voice, he opened his cloudy eyes and smiled, revealing his few remaining teeth: "Okay."
There was a drawer under the stone table, and the old man took out the chess pieces from it.
Lin Ye chose the red side, and the black side went first.
The old man played chess slowly but steadily, while Lin Ye played very quickly. The old man would follow immediately after he finished his move. This resulted in Lin Ye showing signs of defeat in the second half of the game.
Although several staff members of the appraisal institute did not understand why Consultant Lin played chess with the old man at the village entrance as soon as he got off the car, they also knew that they should watch the game without saying a word. They just watched silently. When they saw that Lin Ye was about to lose, they showed anxiety on their faces.
Lin Ye picked up the only remaining horse and made a move.
When the old man saw where Lin Ye placed his piece, his eyes raised, while the staff watching nearby were surprised. Could it be that Consultant Lin had seen it wrong? Why did the horse move in the wrong direction?
Isn't the horse moving in the day?
"My horse has grown up and is much stronger than other horses. One step of his horse can equal two steps of other horses."
Lin Ye explained with a smile, and the staff watching on the side were speechless for a moment. Isn't this just a blatant cheating?
However, what surprised them was that the old man on the opposite side actually accepted it silently, and then made his move. The two men fought again. Three minutes later, Lin Ye was left with only one soldier.
[Bang, General!]
Lin Ye directly took his soldiers across the river and placed them on top of the red side's general.
The old man looked up at Lin Ye, and Lin Ye smiled and said, "The cannon that seemed to be eaten by you just now was actually done on purpose by me. I chose to sacrifice my cannon. In this way, I am no longer an ordinary soldier, but an artilleryman."
puff!
After listening to Lin Ye's explanation, several staff members almost vomited blood. They were clearly eaten without paying attention, so how did it become a sacrifice?
If this is possible, why not just use the enemy's soldiers to assassinate the generals, and then say that you have incited them to rebellion and turned them into spies.
"Chess, chess. The stronger your imagination, the stronger your chess skills. Thanks for letting me do that."
The old man quietly put away the chess pieces, but Lin Ye held the old man's hand and said with a smile: "Old man, I won a game of chess with you, so I want to ask you about someone."
"Like them, ask the people who come into the village. There were indeed two outsiders who came into the village yesterday..."
"No, I was asking you about another person."
"who?"
"He Zhiming."
The old man's hand shook, and the chess piece in his hand fell to the ground, rolled several times on the ground, and rolled under the camphor tree.
The old man looked at Lin Ye and asked, "How do you know him?"
"I was entrusted by someone."
"Hey, ever since those two people entered the village yesterday, I knew that some things would never be resolved. Would you like to hear a story from me?"
"I'm all ears."
"This story starts from the time of the rebels."
…
Late Qing Dynasty!
There was a family of officials named Tang in southern Jiangxi City. Their family had been scholars for generations and had produced several high-ranking officials. Although none of their recent generations had become officials, they were still one of the leading landlords in southern Jiangxi thanks to the influence of their ancestors.
The master of the Tang family has a daughter who is eighteen years old. She is deeply loved by the master of the Tang family and is like a jewel in the palm of his hand.
Most families arrange marriages and matchmaking for their daughters when they are sixteen, but Mr. Tang loves his daughter so much that he lets her make the decision on the matter of marriage.
How could an ordinary man catch the eye of Miss Tang, a daughter of a wealthy family?
A maid told her that the temple outside the city was very effective in seeking marriage, so Miss Tang took her maid to the temple to burn incense, hoping to find her ideal man.
Maybe it’s because of sincerity, or maybe it’s because of the large amount of money donated.
On the way back from burning incense in the temple, they encountered a wild boar blocking the road. At the critical moment, a man appeared and shot the wild boar to death with three arrows.
Miss Tang saw through the curtain of the carriage that the man was handsome and also her savior, and her heart blossomed with love for him.
Later, Miss Tang learned from the maid that the man's name was He Zhiming. Although he was born in a peasant family, his grandfather was a scholar and he had learned to read and write with his grandfather since he was a child.
The most important thing is that the He family is now the tenant of the Tang family.
Miss Tang used the excuse of saving her life to go find He Zhiming whenever she had time. After several visits, she fell in love with him. He Zhiming was not a fool and he quickly understood Miss Tang's feelings.
The man has feelings, and the woman has intentions.
The man and the woman are a perfect match.
After the two expressed their feelings to each other, He Zhiming was worried that the master of the Tang family would not agree. Miss Tang told him not to worry, saying that her father had already said that he could choose his husband.
When Miss Tang returned home, she also tested her father's tone.
Upon learning that his daughter already had a lover who was also his lifesaver, the Tang family master was overjoyed and said directly: "The fifteenth of next month is Daddy's birthday. It would be a double blessing to have your lover come to propose marriage."
Miss Tang conveyed her father's words to He Zhiming, and He Zhiming agreed.
So Miss Tang stayed in her boudoir for a month, fantasizing about the sweet scene when her lover would come to propose marriage on the fifteenth day.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The Tang family's house was decorated with red lanterns and filled with relatives and friends.
At the birthday banquet, the master of the Tang family drank a few more glasses of wine, and under the influence of alcohol, he also said that someone would come to propose marriage today. The guests flattered him, saying that this was a great event with double happiness coming together.
Anyone who can become the son-in-law of the Tang family must be both talented and handsome.
Many female relatives of the Tang family, especially those of the same generation as Miss Tang, teased and joked with her, saying that they wanted to see what kind of man could be favored by our eldest Miss Tang.
This made the eldest daughter of the Tang family feel very shy.
It was already noon, but Miss Tang seemed a little absent-minded, and her lover had not shown up yet. Could it be that he had encountered some accident?
Just as the eldest daughter of the Tang family was waiting in agony, the housekeeper finally came to report that someone had come to the door to propose marriage.
When the eldest daughter of the Tang family heard the report from the maid, she walked towards the front yard without caring about her modesty. However, when she arrived at the front yard, she found that it was silent and her father was sitting in the main seat with a grim face.
In the hall, a beggar stood there shivering, holding a jade pendant in his hand.
When Miss Tang saw the jade pendant, her body trembled. This jade pendant was the token of love she gave to her lover. How could it appear on this beggar?
In addition to the jade pendant, the beggar also had a document in his hand. The eldest daughter of the Tang family took the document and fainted after reading it.
"Your daughter and I are in love, and I am here with this token to ask for your hand in marriage. I hope Master Tang will allow it."
…
"That day, Mr. Tang's birthday party ended in a bad mood. Mr. Tang fell ill out of anger, and Miss Tang locked herself in her boudoir and never stepped out of the door."
"On the fifteenth day of the following month, the eldest daughter of the Tang family hanged herself in her boudoir wearing her wedding dress."
The story seemed to end here, but Lin Ye knew it was not that simple.
"Why did He Zhiming do this?"
"Fate plays tricks on us, and the world plays tricks on us." The old man sighed, "At that time, there were some people who had studied abroad in various places, especially those who had read foreign languages. They were dissatisfied with many things at that time. He Zhiming was one of those who had studied abroad. He called on people to cut off their whips, saying that the emperor was gone, and if they cut their braids, they would not have to be slaves."
"But the common people would never understand. When they see the landlords still have braids, they dare not cut them off so easily. However, the Tang family's master is a staunch supporter of keeping braids."
"He Zhiming is thinking of using this method to humiliate the Tang family and ruin their reputation, so that the people will no longer listen to the Tang family."
"And then?"
"Later, the emperor was restored to the throne, and the government began to issue a wanted notice. He Zhiming changed his name, and a few years later, he joined the revolution. He became lame on the battlefield, and returned to the village to adopt a pair of children. The children died of illness a few years after they became adults."
"So what did He Zhiming change his name to?"
"He Nianjin."
As the old man said this, the originally quiet camphor tree suddenly rustled, and a strong wind howled at the entrance of the entire village.
The staff of the appraisal institute changed their minds instantly. One of them looked at the electronic instrument on his watch and said anxiously, "Advisor Lin, we found an excessive concentration of Yin energy. There are ghosts attacking us."
Lin Ye felt it without the staff's reminder.
At the entrance of the village, the female ghost in wedding dress was standing there.
Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and she exuded a sharp aura as she stared at the old man.
"He Nianjin, He Nianjin, you really know how to come up with good names."
Lin Ye was not surprised by the words of the female ghost Tang Jin. The first time he saw the old woman, he knew that she was a ghost. And there was probably no one else except the person involved who could know He Zhiming's affairs so clearly.
When the old man saw Tang Jin appear, he was not afraid or panicked, but instead showed an expression of guilt on his face.
"In my life, the person I feel most guilty about is you. I was young and frivolous, and I thought that all feudal existence should be overthrown. After that day, I was arrested by the government, so I had to leave southern Jiangxi and hide. Later, I joined the revolutionary army, and only returned home after the revolution was successful. I wanted to apologize to you, but I got the news that you had already hanged yourself."
"Apologize? You've made my Tang family a laughing stock and caused my father to become seriously ill. How can you let this go with just an apology?"
"My father did good deeds when he was alive. He built bridges and roads. Many families have benefited from his kindness. I have never done evil in my life. Whenever I meet homeless beggars, I always give them money. What have I done wrong?"
Faced with Tang Jin's questioning, the old man smiled bitterly.
It’s not human’s fault.
It’s a pity that he understood this truth too late and ended up regretting it for the rest of his life.
"Today, I will take your soul, and then I will destroy your entire family!"
Tang Jin was filled with murderous intent. Several staff members of the appraisal institute looked at Lin Ye. This ghost seemed to be very powerful.
Lin Ye took a deep breath. If it was only about the grudge between He Zhiming and Tang Jin, he could ignore it, but if it involved a living person, then it would be within his responsibility.
“Ahem…”
Lin Ye coughed and prepared to speak, but the ghost girl Tang Jin didn't even look at her. Instead, the old man looked at him and said, "Little brother, it was very interesting to play chess with me just now. The two people you are looking for are in the back of the village. You don't need to interfere with the things here."
Lin Ye squinted his eyes and looked at the old man for a while, then finally walked towards the village.
Just as the old man said, this was a feud between him and Tang Jin, and there was no need for him to intervene.
On a haystack in the field behind the village, Lin Ye found Zhong Shan and another middle-aged man sleeping on the ground. It was obvious that the man was Tu Yang, the team leader of Gannan.
"Strange, I searched here before, but I didn't see the team leader."
"It's not surprising. There was a trick here before, so it's normal that you can't see it."
Ghosts have the ability to conceal themselves. The old man had apparently blocked the eyes of the search staff, preventing them from seeing Zhong Shan and Tu Yang.
Several staff members stepped forward and shook Zhong Shan and the other man. Zhong Shan opened his eyes dazedly, looking confused at first, but when he saw Lin Ye's figure, his body perked up and he immediately regained consciousness.
"Advisor Lin, you are here. I found out about He Zhiming. He Zhiming changed his name to He Nianjin and joined the revolutionary army. After the revolution was successful, he returned to southern Jiangxi and adopted a pair of Tang orphans."
"The Orphan of Tang family?" Lin Ye was stunned.
"Yes, there was a revolution going on at that time. There was also a revolution in southern Jiangxi. The revolutionaries robbed several wealthy families in southern Jiangxi at that time. Among them was a family with the surname Tang. It is said that the whole family was killed, leaving only the children hiding in the cellar."
Lin Ye looked towards the village entrance and remained silent for a long time.
