CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 216: CHEATING

The carriage stopped at the side gate, and the guard led Jiang Youzhi in through twists and turns, quickly arriving at a courtyard.

The guard then announced and brought Jiang Youzhi into a hall.

There were two people sitting in the hall, one was Prince Kang, the other was an old man with graying hair.

To call him an old man might be an exaggeration; he was probably just over fifty.

Jiang Youzhi first paid his respects to Prince Kang, who pointed to the old man and said, "This is Mr. Lu."

Jiang Youzhi then paid his respects to Mr. Lu as well.

Mr. Lu’s gaze was extremely sharp. He looked at him and said, "Are you the one who’s very good at chess?"

Jiang Youzhi cupped his hands, "I dare not claim so."

The old man chuckled, "Whether you’re good or not isn’t for you to say; we’ll only know after a match."

"Come, come, the board is set up, just waiting for you."

The old man stood up, took off his shoes, and stepped onto the platform.

On the platform was a low table, and on the table were a chessboard and baskets.

Jiang Youzhi also sat down at the edge of the platform, and Mr. Lu waved his hand, "For this first game, I’ll give you the first move."

Jiang Youzhi then made his move.

Both were making moves quickly at first, but as more pieces filled the board, their pace slowed.

Prince Kang watched intently from the side, not blinking.

Mr. Lu’s expression grew more serious, and suddenly he said, "No, no, I made a wrong move just now, I’ll take it back."

He picked up the piece and placed it again without consulting anyone.

Prince Kang chuckled from the side, "Mr. Lu, how can you retract a move, a true man never regrets his actions."

Mr. Lu shot him a look, "Do you not know that true gentlemen don’t comment while observing a game?"

Prince Kang was momentarily speechless and looked at Jiang Youzhi.

Jiang Youzhi said nothing, contemplated for a while, and placed his piece anew.

Not long after, Mr. Lu remarked again, "Oh dear, no, I misplaced a piece because of poor eyesight."

As he was about to pick up the piece again, Jiang Youzhi reached over to stop him, "Some things can only happen once."

Mr. Lu stared at Jiang Youzhi, while Jiang Youzhi calmly returned the gaze.

After a while of mutual staring, Mr. Lu admitted defeat.

He let go of the piece, "Fine, fine, young people these days have no respect for their elders."

Prince Kang chimed in from the side, "The main issue is that some seniors don’t behave with dignity."

Mr. Lu then disrupted the chessboard with his hand, "I won’t play anymore, my eyesight is too poor today to see clearly."

Prince Kang shook his head, "A loss is a loss."

"I never expected Mr. Lu to have a day when he’d lose."

Mr. Lu glared at Prince Kang, then after a while sighed, "I didn’t lose in chess skill, I lost in brain power."

He looked at Jiang Youzhi, "Most people can plan three to five moves ahead, experts see ten or more; he must calculate dozens of moves ahead."

"Every move I made was within his expectations; he already had countermeasures prepared for each one, how could I possibly win?"

Prince Kang exclaimed, "To calculate so many moves ahead, what kind of mind is this?"

Mr. Lu continued, "Young man, your teacher must be remarkable; may I know which master taught you chess?"

Jiang Youzhi lowered his head, "My late teacher has passed, it’s improper for me to mention his esteemed name."

Mr. Lu didn’t press further and switched to other topics of conversation.

Soon, Jiang Youzhi chatted casually for a few moments before taking his leave.

After Jiang Youzhi left, Mr. Lu said to Prince Kang, "This young man is no ordinary person, have you, Your Highness, learned of his background?"