Seat of Divine Foresight.
"Yue—"
Jing Yuan's gaze turned odd, watching Yanqing bend over, producing a rainbow.
He scanned the boy's waist—no trace of the tracking jade.
Every Cloud Knight carried a tracking jade to record their movements.
Had Yanqing's jade been lost, or left somewhere?
He couldn't fathom what could've caused such a reaction.
Plop.
A book fell from Yanqing's arms.
Jing Yuan picked it up, glanced at it, and froze.
A doujin of the Reignbow Arbiter and Yaoshi…?
This was—
Novel.
While the Luofu had a high degree of creative freedom and no specific laws banning such works, the traditionalists here likely lacked the guts to create something like this. Where did Yanqing get it?
The Skyfaring Commission wouldn't import such sensitive material either.
Closing the book, Jing Yuan glanced at Leon, thoughtful.
Did he bring it?
Someone from the Elation faction, or…
Deep in thought, Jing Yuan's face remained impenetrable, a lazy smile curling on his idle features.
"Sorry you had to see this, Mr. Leon. Our future Sword Champion's quite embarrassed—somehow ended up vomiting like this."
When he returned, Yanqing seemed fine, just with an odd complexion.
But after a few words, the boy's face turned green, and his straight spine bent.
"It's not his fault… urgh…"
Leon's words were cut off, his eye twitching.
Yanqing, still vomiting, collapsed.
"Blame me for not stabilizing the malfunctioning starskiff engine. It spun a few extra loops in the air, leaving little brother Yanqing like this."
Even with his less-than-stellar piloting skills, it shouldn't have ended in a crash.
Damn that Aha.
Jing Yuan's eye twitched too.
With a malfunctioning engine, how could anyone stabilize it? In that situation, there was no choice but to eject.
Yanqing had been on battlefields and ridden starskiffs piloted by the Skysplitter's combat pilots.
Surely Leon's piloting wasn't wilder than a professional's?
"This kid—I'm starting to wonder if someone spun him like a top for thousands of rounds."
Jing Yuan helplessly summoned Cloud Knights to take Yanqing for a check-up.
Leon sank into thought.
"Thousands of rounds, no, but being spun like a top by his grandmaster… doesn't seem too far off?"
Grandmaster?!
A stone stirred a thousand ripples!
Jing Yuan's lazy gaze sharpened instantly, a rare glint of intensity locking onto Leon.
"No need to tense up, General. How about a game of chess? I happen to know a thing or two about the Luofu's chessboard." Leon smiled warmly.
"Heh, splendid." Jing Yuan returned a smile.
The Luofu's chessboard… a double entendre?
Without further ado, he set up the board.
The chessboard was ready, and Jing Yuan gestured politely.
"Guests first, Mr. Leon, please—"
Leon's fingers hovered over the pieces, as if pondering his opening move.
Seconds later, he lightly placed a piece on the Advisor.
Jing Yuan's eyes narrowed instantly.
But Leon didn't proceed as expected, switching instead to the Elephant, moving it in front of the Chariot.
An odd opening move—outside, it'd be seen as reckless.
Yet Jing Yuan's eyes shifted, and he plainly chose to move a border Soldier.
It was clear neither followed conventional strategies.
Leon then jumped his Knight.
Jing Yuan, unfazed, continued moving Soldiers.
Leon didn't touch any Soldiers, jumping his Knight four steps to the center of the opponent's two Soldiers.
One more step, and it could leap before the Elephant, threatening the General.
But Jing Yuan remained unmoved, stubbornly moving Soldiers.
Crucially, he had chances to take Leon's Soldier but didn't, aimlessly shifting side to side on the border.
To an outsider, the board would be baffling.
What? The Knight's threatening the General, and you're not defending? Waiting to lose?
Yet Jing Yuan didn't.
Even more confusing, Leon didn't move the Knight again, instead advancing two Cannons to threaten Jing Yuan's Elephant.
Why not go for the central checkmate?
Finally, Jing Yuan stopped moving Soldiers, placing his Advisor in front of his General.
The first piece was knocked out—
Leon's Cannon took Jing Yuan's Elephant, but since Jing Yuan had moved the Advisor first, he avoided being checkmated by the Cannon.
"Interesting."
Jing Yuan propped his chin on his hand, staring at the Cannon, lost in thought.
What he was thinking, perhaps only Leon could guess.
After a while, Jing Yuan began moving his Cannon.
He placed it at the outermost corner of the Advisor, then moved it one step down, aiming straight for Leon's Knight in the center of the two Soldiers.
Leon ignored the Knight, as if he didn't see Jing Yuan's intent.
The Knight was taken.
"Nice move, General, but your Cannon can't get past the rack…"
"No way around it. Different moments, different scenarios—different pieces shine."
Jing Yuan chuckled.
"A Cannon that works with a rack is already the most useful right now."
"Isn't there still the Knight?"
"Hahaha, a Knight can't break through a tightly guarded barrier, can it?"
Leon: "Fair point."
Jing Yuan: "Soldiers are called the strongest pieces, but a lone Soldier can't decide the game. Advisors and Elephants were never meant for offense."
"General Jing Yuan needn't be pessimistic. You can move the Chariot," Leon said with a casual smile.
Jing Yuan: "Not so easily. I have to consider the dire straits of a Chariot without wheels or a Knight without reins…"
"Sigh, that's just the General lacking boldness, no ambition."
"Haha, well said." Jing Yuan gave a wry smile.
The Luofu's current predicament didn't allow for bold decisions.
Leon: "There's something I'm not sure if I should say."
"Please, go ahead, sir."
"It's said—removing half the opponent's offensive pieces on the board is a great victory. But in the mortal world, how many hearts and livers must be carved out to break the stalemate?"
At this, Leon lifted his Chariot, piercing Jing Yuan's Cannon.
"The game is far from over, but I believe the General already has a judgment on who'll win or lose."
"Hard to say. We'll see."
Perhaps because his Cannon was taken, Jing Yuan finally picked up his never-moved Chariot.
No one could've predicted that their game lasted over half a system hour without concluding.
Yanqing, waking from his dizziness and recovering somewhat, hurriedly returned to the Seat of Divine Foresight.
Seeing the two playing chess, his head sprouted several question marks.
He approached quietly, scanning the board.
He often played chess with the General in his spare time, so he was quite familiar with the game.
But the current situation made him frown.
Ignoring both Generals, neither Leon nor Jing Yuan had many pieces left.
Leon had one Soldier, one Chariot, and one Elephant.
Jing Yuan had only one Soldier and one Chariot.
Yanqing fell into thought.
The General sat on the left-center, alone, pinned by the enemy Soldier on the right-center.
Whoever attacked first would be taken by the other.
One Soldier and one Chariot were in enemy territory, one on each side, trapping Leon's General at the right Advisor position.
Leon's Elephant held the central jump point, with the enemy Soldier behind it, unable to retreat, and the Chariot on the General's left outer line.
Seven pieces total.
If Leon moved his Chariot to the left Advisor position, it could threaten Jing Yuan's General in the left-center.
But if he did, Jing Yuan could move the Soldier behind the Elephant to block the Chariot's advance.
If Leon dared use the Chariot to take the Soldier, Jing Yuan's Chariot, on the same battle line, would take it in turn.
Thus, if Leon didn't want his Chariot out, he'd have to retreat.
Then, Jing Yuan could mirror the move, retreating his Soldier to its original spot.
As for Leon using the Chariot to cross the double boundary and aim for the enemy General, it was futile.
With just one Soldier and one Chariot, he couldn't form a checkmate.
It seemed… unsolvable?