"You're quite something," I said, capturing her chariot with my advisor. "In chess, it's crucial not to overextend a single piece."
"Hey, hey, how can your advisor take my chariot?" Sima Xingkong protested, retrieving her chariot and pushing my advisor back to its original position in the palace.
"What makes your chariot so formidable?" I seized the opportunity to retort.
"Naturally, this is Long Yue. Can any of you defeat her?" Sima Xingkong challenged provocatively.
This put me in a difficult position. I couldn't possibly have Daji and Diana play as twin advisors; their range of movement would be severely restricted.
At this moment, I suddenly realized the perilous nature of this demon chess match. Her seemingly illogical moves, using the "overextension" favored by beginners, allowed her most potent piece to deeply penetrate my ranks, threatening my king!
"Well, I don't care," I feigned composure and captured her chariot again. "Didn't we just agree to follow standard Xiangqi rules?"
"Then what's the fun in that?" Sima Xingkong scoffed. Seeing my resolve, she sighed, "Alright, alright. As you wish."
With that, she launched her cannon from the other side, capturing my unmoving knight. It was a suicidal move. I captured her cannon with my chariot. She leaped her knight, I moved my cannon, using my chariot in the rear for cover, directly attacking her knight's position. She moved her chariot, I advanced my other knight. She used her chariot to capture my cannon. I used my chariot to capture her chariot, simultaneously threatening her knight.
She lost both her chariots, while I still had both of mine. Even without computer assistance, even against a world champion like Wang Tian'er, the game was unplayable.
Zheng Bingbing, witnessing this, remained silent.
After a dozen moves, I cornered Sima Xingkong, capturing her from the air and pinning her under my knight.
"Lost, lost!" Sima Xingkong threw down her pieces and stood up. "Hmph, no fun. I'm not playing anymore. Let's sleep!"
Diana and I exchanged glances. Even if she didn't understand chess, she must have grasped the general situation from our conversation. Essentially, there was no real contest. I even wondered if Sima Xingkong truly knew how to play chess, or if her ability to perceive Qi was the only reason the Shan Hai Demon Clan appointed her as the chess master.
Yaoyao had analyzed this with me. While a good understanding of Qi could aid in chess, actual chess skill was paramount. A master could foresee three, five, or even ten moves ahead. Even with a move like Sima Xingkong's, driving her chariot into enemy territory, one would need to consider all possible outcomes based on the actual board state, not just play recklessly.
"What a joke. She's not even as good as me," Bingbing muttered softly from the side.
I chuckled and made a stopping gesture to the surveillance camera on the ceiling.
There would be no more games. Bingbing cut off the connection. The Bluetooth headset was connected to my phone, allowing me to use it normally. Fortunately, no calls had come through during that time.
Diana and I went to the bedroom. Sima Xingkong was already in our bed, her knees up on the mattress, her lower legs in leather boots dangling outside. Her legs were so long that even with the high bed, the heels of her boots were resting on the carpet. Her beautiful legs rivaled Diana's.
Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, and considering the danger posed by someone who could perceive Qi, I spoke first. "Miss Sima, perhaps you could sleep here tonight."
"And you two? Will you join me?" Sima Xingkong asked with a smile.
"No, we'll head back to our base," I replied.
"Alright," Sima Xingkong said without ceremony. "I'll fly back to Jinling tomorrow morning. Until we meet again."
"Until we meet in Zhongnan Mountain," I stated, setting the rendezvous for half a month later.
I hoped she wouldn't back out. It was rare to find such a weak chess opponent. Dealing with her wouldn't require Yaoyao's manipulation; I could handle it myself. Yaoyao could focus on fighting on the front lines. Her kind of magic would likely be more potent across the vast, distant mountain ranges, creating a spectacular scene.
However, I still didn't know the exact location of the chess master, and I hadn't found any corresponding spot on the map...