Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

As an observer, Jingyuan saw the metaphor even more clearly.

On the chessboard, pawns never have a way out; once they cross that boundary, there are only three possible outcomes.

To create conditions for stronger pieces to attack, to force out weaknesses in the enemy, and to sacrifice oneself heroically.

Or perhaps they would die fighting the enemy, perishing together with the enemy.

Or perhaps you could kill the enemy general and survive to the end.

The master's nine soldiers crossed the boundary and entered the enemy camp, engaging in close combat with Dan Heng's first soldier.

Dan Heng ignored him and continued in his own way.

Qi Zhimu temporarily stopped paying attention to the soldiers who had crossed the river and continued with the normal tactics of leveling the cannons, jumping the horses, and advancing the chariots.

For the next period of time, both players seemed to ignore the fact that whoever made the first move on the flank would be able to take down the opponent's pawns.

It seemed normal, but both Danheng and Jingyuan discerned almost identical metaphors from the layout of the chessboard.

Qi Zhimu made a poor move, exposing his chariot to the dual attack coordinates of Danheng's cannon and horse.

The gains from sacrificing the car are not enough to compensate for the cost.

At this point, Dan Heng sighed silently.

His gaze swept across the chessboard, his hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, paused for a moment, then he turned his wrist and, ignoring Qi Zhimu's deeply protruding chariot, moved his horse towards Qi's base.

Two moves later, seeing that Qi Zhimu was still going his own way, Dan Heng still fired his cannon and destroyed Qi Zhimu's rook.

As time went on, both sides suffered losses.

But it was clear to everyone that Qi Zhimu was trapped in a desperate struggle.

With Danheng's three sons returning to the border, from a macro perspective, Qi Zhimu has lost the possibility of being killed.

When they will be defeated depends entirely on Danheng's next choice.

The soldiers and pawns on the edge, which are connected, have not been moved to this day.

As Jing Yuan watched the game progress, two words flashed through his mind: "It's almost over."

At this moment, Yanqing returned to the hall and was taken aback when he saw the three people playing and watching the game.

Yanqing knows chess and occasionally plays with Jingyuan, but Jingyuan always manages to "steal" his pieces under the pretext of using surprise attacks...

He naturally understood the etiquette of watching chess, and he moved very quietly, approaching Jingyuan's side and glancing at the chessboard.

It wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't looked, but once I did, worry for Qi Zhimu surfaced on my face.

The disadvantages are too great.

With three pieces—two rooks and one cannon—all clashing on the side, it would be a major headache for anyone.

Normally insignificant pawns are marching towards the general, but once they enter the core area, they transform into living ancestors.

but……

Yanqing was extremely puzzled by Qi Zhimu and Dan Heng's decision not to send any troops.

The situation on the chessboard was not complicated, but this particular area was the only thing he couldn't figure out no matter how hard he tried.

On the other hand, Qi Zhimu only has four offensive pieces left, even including pawns.

As long as Dan Heng doesn't give them a chance, it's basically safe to say that defeat is inevitable.

After a few more moves, Dan Heng only needs to use both rooks to block Qi Zhimu's retreat, and the outcome will be decided.

"Will."

Without hesitation, Dan Heng entered the car and headed straight for Qi Zhimu's vital point, setting up a deadly trap.

It's over... Yanqing looked at Qi Zhimu's face.

Unexpectedly, even though the game was already lost, Qi Zhimu did not concede defeat and rearrange the board. Instead, he picked up the king and moved it to the left.

This is pointless and unnecessary... We're still on the path of the chariot's charge, and Dan Heng can easily take down the enemy general with a chariot like Chang Ping.

Normal people would give up before they even struggled, so why didn't the Grandmaster admit defeat?

Yanqing scratched his head repeatedly.

However, Danheng fell silent.

His hands didn't move, his mouth didn't move, his whole body didn't move, and he didn't even blink.

He lowered his head and stared at the chessboard, remaining silent for a long time.

One minute.

Two minutes.

three minutes……

A full five minutes passed.

The two players were like statues, their eyes fixed on the chessboard, but doing nothing, leaving everyone puzzled.

Just as Yanqing couldn't help but break the silence and ask a question, Danheng suddenly made a move.

He finally picked up pawn 1, which he hadn't moved once from beginning to end.

Eh?

Yanqing was taken aback.

If you don't capture the general, you move the pawn; are you going to capture the soldier instead?

But isn't capturing a pawn like making a move in chess with Grandmaster, a pointless exercise?

Qi Zhimu's gaze fell on the chess piece in Dan Heng's hand, following it closely.

Just when he thought it was going to fall, Danheng put it back in its original position, and the rook captured the king.

"..."

Qi Zhimu slowly closed his eyes and sighed silently.

So it really is like this...

"it's over."

As Yan Qing had predicted, Dan Heng drew the game and eliminated the general, bringing an end to what the latter considered a bizarre game.

"Okay, it's over..."

Qi Zhimu reopened his eyes, stared at Dan Heng's face for a moment, and then looked away.

"In any case, thank you for gracing us with your presence, Brother Danheng."

Yanqing was even more confused.

According to past seniority, it seems inappropriate for the Grandmaster to say such a thing...

Jing Yuan could see the question mark on Yan Qing's head, so he gently patted it, signaling him to shut up.

"And then—"

"This game is over, but Zhimu, wouldn't you like to start a new one?"

Dan Heng interrupted Qi Zhimu before he could finish speaking.

Jing Yuan's expression turned to astonishment. Regardless of his past or present life, Dan Heng had almost never acted in this way.

But the next second, he understood the meaning behind Dan Heng's words and couldn't help but smile.

Qi Zhimu also smiled after a long time and raised his eyes again.

"Of course, the old rules... the winner chooses sides, please—"

"It's my turn to play red." Dan Heng turned the chessboard around and pushed the black piece next to him toward Qi Zhimu.

Seeing that the two had resumed their game of chess, Yanqing quietly took out the jade tablet and explained to Jingyuan the confusion in her heart that she had just been feeling.

[Invincible Swordsman 123: General, what exactly happened with that strange game of chess between Grandmaster and Master Danheng?]

[Real-name registration for internet access: Chess is a metaphor for life, letting go of the past.]

[Invincible Swordsman 123: Huh?]

[Real-name online comment: No need. Simply put, your great-grandmaster wronged Danheng's past life and has only just emerged from the torment of that past.]

[Invincible Swordsman 123: /scratching head.jpg]

Yanqing recalled what Bailu had said not long ago, but only vaguely understood it, so she didn't send any more messages to ask.

Jing Yuan relaxed and was genuinely happy for the two of them.

From the very beginning of that game of chess, the only true protagonists were the pawn and the soldier.

Bingdai Qi Zhimu symbolizes someone who goes down a path to the very end, with no way back.

The character "卒代丹槍" symbolizes Danfeng's trust in Qi Zhimu.

For Qi Zhimu, stopping the troops in front of the pawns without advancing an inch was to repay the betrayal of Danfeng's trust in the past, and to let him do as he pleased.

A pawn capturing a soldier signifies forgiveness. As long as Dan Heng speaks up, even if it means going through fire and water to apologize, Qi Zhimu will not hesitate.

But Danheng is not Danfeng, nor does he want to become Danfeng.

After discerning Qi Zhimu's intention, he set it aside and did not capture Qi Zhimu's piece until the end of the game.

It's not that Dan Heng is unwilling to forgive Qi Zhimu; on the contrary, this is proof that he has let go of the past.

The concept of post-proof originates from the idea of ​​starting a new game of chess.

That game of chess was their past life, ending with regrets.

But new people, whether they choose to say goodbye to the past or embrace what has gone before, must always look forward.

This is Danheng's answer.

He had no right to forgive Qi Zhimu on behalf of Danfeng, so he could only respond to Qi Zhimu's sincere apology by saying goodbye to the past and starting a new game.

Jingyuan felt that his master's thoughts must also include taking the blame for his disciples and subordinates.

Dan Heng's overthrow of the commander symbolizes severing the karmic ties of the past life, and also helps Qi Zhimu break free from the shackles of past grievances.

Everything resets to zero, a fresh start, and there's no going back on a move.

The grandmaster gained understanding from another perspective, although not from Danfeng.

Given his master's personality, he would definitely go through fire and water for Danheng and the train crew whenever they encountered danger.

Jing Yuan turned his head to look at the vast blue sky outside, feeling a lot of emotions.

Instant Blood, Jin Hong, Qi Zhimu, and Yin Yuejun, Dan Feng, are both dead.

Even though they are reborn as humans, their core remains the same as before.

The Grandmaster never shied away from cause and effect; he repaid hatred with hatred and kindness with kindness. He was willing to make amends at any cost to those he had wronged.

Aside from lacking the arrogance of a Dragon Lord, Dan Heng is not much different from Dan Feng.

The difference between them, or rather the similarity, lies in the fact that they both shed the shackles that once bound them.

As a disciple's grand-disciple and a former comrade-in-arms, what better ending could there be than this?

Jing Yuan's increasingly upturned lips were harder to suppress than anything else.