Lu Zigang walked out of the stifling hall, and as the evening breeze hit his face, much of his wine-induced haze cleared. After determining his direction, he followed his uncle’s walkie-talkie instructions and headed toward the northeast corner of the residence.

The weather tonight was poor, with heavy dark clouds obscuring the moon, leaving the sky pitch black. Under the illumination of wind lanterns hanging in the corridors, the residence showed mottled tree shadows, appearing somewhat eerie and terrifying. Lu Zigang didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits—in his view, humans were more frightening existences than evil spirits in this world.

This mountain wilderness was quiet, without the roar of cars or the brilliance of neon lights, carrying only a natural atmosphere that involuntarily calmed his mood. Lu Zigang walked through the corridor and came to sit in a pavilion. This was the location assigned to him, apparently an excellent position for viewing the back garden, though unfortunately with the dark moon and high winds tonight, aside from the wind lantern inside the pavilion illuminating the stone table and chairs, nothing could be seen in the darkness outside.

Lu Zigang sat on the stone chair, feeling quite irritated while gripping the willow-leaf saber in his hand, so he simply placed it on the stone table. Perhaps this blade had killed many living beings before and was stained with too much bloody qi—once Lu Zigang released it, he felt much more comfortable. Remembering how holding the Kunwu Mo blade had lifted his spirits, he unconsciously took the Mo blade from his pocket.

The cool blade entering his hand sent a shock through his entire body. Perhaps there was an inherent difference between blades for carving jade and blades for killing—the Mo blade itself carried a pure and refined aura. Lu Zigang recalled the circumstances of obtaining the Mo blade from the Mute House and couldn’t help but find it somewhat absurd that because his name was the same as that historical jade-carving master, the shop owner had given him such a precious Mo blade in exchange for that half of a wordless stele. In his view, this Mo blade was naturally far more valuable than that half wordless stele.

Lu Zigang habitually held the Mo blade in his hand, stroking it, his fingertips sliding over every inch of texture on the blade body, then subtly slipped it back into his pants pocket. Looking up toward the outside of the pavilion, he said with a smile: “Are you here to take the blade? The blade is on the table—feel free to take it.” According to Six Principles Chess rules, stationary pieces would be captured by moving pieces, so Lu Zigang judged from this that he was already eliminated. What was his uncle doing, getting his pieces captured so quickly? Even if he was determined to lose to Elder Yu, he shouldn’t make it so obvious.

A tall figure slowly emerged from the darkness. The person had long white hair cascading down his back, reflecting silver-white light under the wind lantern’s illumination, as if his entire body radiated a silver halo. That silver-white long hair rippled like flowing water as he moved, creating a captivating shimmer. Only now did Lu Zigang notice this person wore white robes with a black hooded cloak, trimmed with red-gold cloud patterns. This fabric and design seemed familiar to him, though he couldn’t remember where exactly he had seen it.

Lu Zigang watched as the other person stepped into the pavilion with empty hands, not carrying a single blade, and couldn’t help but pause: “Have you already been killed?”

This was a somewhat strange thing to say, but according to their Six Principles Chess rules, having one’s blade taken meant death, so Lu Zigang didn’t feel there was anything offensive about this statement. However, he clearly saw Hu Hai’s form halt momentarily, standing rigidly before the stone table.

“Heh, it’s just a game after all. Young Master Hu needn’t mind it.” Because Hu Hai stood before him with his face hidden in shadows beyond the wind lantern’s reach, Lu Zigang couldn’t see his expression and tried to console him. At the dinner table, he had heard An Nuo address him as Young Master Hu, so he simply used this form of address. Lu Zigang finally understood the awkwardness his friends felt—interacting with someone sharing a famous person’s name was truly speechless. He could never bring himself to call out the name of Qin’s Second Emperor to such a white-haired, red-eyed youth.

“A game?” Hu Hai chuckled softly, the emotions contained in his laugh so complex that Lu Zigang couldn’t understand them at all.

Hu Hai sat down on another stone chair. Under the wind lantern’s light, his complexion appeared extraordinarily pale, giving off a strangely beautiful aura. He curved his nearly bloodless thin lips into a shallow smile and asked: “Do you know the origins of this residence?”

“I don’t.” Lu Zigang didn’t know why this Young Master Hu regarded him differently—clearly so cold and distant at the dinner table, keeping people at arm’s length—but he was indeed very curious about this residence’s story. Since this Young Master Hu was apparently Elder Yu’s relative, he surely knew something.

Hu Hai reached out to flick the willow-leaf saber on the table, the blade producing a crisp ringing sound. He lowered his phoenix eyes, the long silver eyelashes beneath his lids concealing the deeply hidden emotions in his red pupils, and spoke indifferently: “Long, long ago, there were two brothers who loved playing Six Principles Chess. The younger brother often lost to his elder brother, but though frequently defeated, he continued fighting defeat after defeat.”

Lu Zigang looked at Hu Hai’s fingertips, pale to near transparency, somewhat entranced. He could imagine two young men playing against each other, with the one who often lost always feeling unconvinced and pestering the other to continue.

Hu Hai closed his eyes slightly. Under the hazy light, his pale features carried a sickly beauty, the corners of his lips showing a trace of bitterness as he said softly: “These two brothers were both somewhat too obsessed with Six Principles Chess. Therefore, when one of the elder brother’s good friends suggested building a villa using a Six Principles Chess board as the layout, both brothers agreed. Ultimately, this residence was designed by the elder brother’s friend’s master, but it went through many twists and turns. By the time this residence was completed, the elder brother had already passed away.”

Lu Zigang said nothing because he didn’t know what to say. He was never eloquent with words, and at this moment, seeing this Hu Hai narrating what seemed to be other people’s affairs, yet speaking with such sincere emotion that it seemed like he was recounting his own personal experiences.

“The younger brother had built this residence, but no longer had anyone to play against…”

Seeing this Young Master Hu actually show a melancholy expression and remain silent for a long time, Lu Zigang could only clear his throat lightly and say: “So that’s how this residence came to be built. Truly moving…” This statement was somewhat insincere—every ancient artifact had some story, and compared to others, this residence’s history was rather ordinary, not at all dramatic or stirring.

Hu Hai slowly opened his eyes, revealing those bewitching red pupils. His entire demeanor changed instantly, his thin lips showing a sinister smile: “The younger brother lingered in this residence, so his subordinates, catering to his preferences, suggested using this residence to play human Six Principles Chess. The rules were the same as what we’re playing today, except during one game against his own uncle, his subordinates got into a dispute. Those who had their blades taken were unwilling to accept it, and in this match, lives were accidentally lost.”

With his words, a cold wind blew through the pavilion, bone-chilling cold invading and causing Lu Zigang to shiver deeply despite himself.

“Because that Six Principles Chess game was stained with blood from the deaths, it became unstoppable, killing seven people at once. In the end, the younger brother lost that game to his own uncle, and afterward, the younger brother suddenly discovered that his uncle, who had been nearly fifty years old, had somehow become almost ten years younger.”

“What?!” Lu Zigang exclaimed in shock. How was this possible?

“Perhaps the person who built this residence had deliberate designs—the residence’s feng shui arrangements formed a natural formation. Perhaps there was something strange about the Six Principles Chess board made using secret methods. In any case, as long as one achieved victory in a Six Principles Chess match, and the opponent’s side lost several people, the victor would become several years younger.” Hu Hai’s red pupils flickered with chilling light as he slowly said: “In other words, this is Six Principles Chess played with lives.”

Lu Zigang was speechless. He didn’t believe a single word of what this Young Master Hu said, yet where exactly did this panic surging in his heart come from?

While confused, a piercing scream tore through the dark night sky, brutally ripping apart the false tranquility disguised beneath this night curtain. Hu Hai met Lu Zigang’s panicked eyes, his red pupils narrowing slightly: “The chess game has already begun…”

The piercing scream stopped abruptly, as if someone had suddenly pressed pause on an old tape player.

The darkness returned to deathly silence, but Lu Zigang could no longer sit still. He rose and rushed out of the pavilion, running toward the direction from which the scream had come. As he ran, he pulled out his phone—though still without signal, the phone screen could provide illumination in the night, lighting up the path beneath his feet.

Lu Zigang saw the arched bridge not far away but didn’t see any human figures.

Then he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Because he saw a stream of deep red blood gradually flowing down from the bridge’s slope, like a winding snake slithering forward.

A chill crawled up his spine from his ankles. Lu Zigang felt all the blood in his body instantly drain away. At his feet lay a broken pair of gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses trampled to powder, the frames lying twisted on the ground, reflecting harsh light under his phone screen’s illumination.

“Those are Yan Ao’s glasses.” Hu Hai’s voice came from behind Lu Zigang.

Lu Zigang saw his wrist being grasped by this Young Master Hu, who directed his phone’s light toward the arched bridge.

Though he had mentally prepared himself, when Lu Zigang saw that tragic scene, his hand trembled and his phone fell to the ground with a “crack,” plunging the surroundings back into darkness. Though only for an instant, Lu Zigang had seen everything clearly. He had never hated his 20/20 vision so much.

Yan Ao was dead.

No one could survive after their head and body were separated. So Lu Zigang felt there wasn’t even a need to go forward and confirm. His excellent vision could even judge from the gap in the other’s neck that Yan Ao had died from a sharp blade’s cut. There were no traces of a blade around, meaning the killer had also taken the blade from Yan Ao’s hand.

Lu Zigang’s head was buzzing chaotically. Could it be that what Hu Hai had said from the beginning wasn’t lies? Was it all true?

“Don’t believe it? Well then, let’s continue watching.” Hu Hai’s cold voice came from beside Lu Zigang’s ear. The latter only felt something pressed at a certain point on his body, and his entire form felt as if thrown into an ice cellar, unable to move and frozen in place, letting himself be dragged by the other into nearby woods.

Wind howled past him as Lu Zigang was pulled by Hu Hai at an incomprehensible speed through the entire courtyard, arriving outside a pavilion in the southwest corner.

This pavilion was identical to the one he had been in before—presumably the residence used symmetrical designs throughout. At this moment, under the wind lantern in the pavilion sat a young man with his head lowered, playing with an ox-tail saber in his hands. Whether it was Lin Mo or Lin Yan was unclear—the Lin brothers looked very similar, and Lu Zigang couldn’t distinguish between them. However, seeing this person so interested in the patterns on the ox-tail saber’s handle, it should be Lin Yan, who studied history. He had heard his brother Lin Mo studied computer science and probably wouldn’t be so fascinated.

“Actually, Six Principles Chess isn’t simply one xiao piece and five san pieces. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, military organization was based on groups of five with one squad leader, totaling six people per unit. Six Principles Chess actually included two sai pieces, with the remainder being du, zhi, lu, and xiao. Your side’s sai piece was just killed, so next should be this du piece.” Hu Hai explained blandly in Lu Zigang’s ear, as if truly commenting on an ordinary chess match.

Lu Zigang’s back was soaked with cold sweat. Yan Ao and Lin Yan both belonged to his uncle’s side. Yan Ao was already dead, and according to this Young Master Hu’s explanation, the next to be killed would be Lin Yan? By now he had no time to consider why this Six Principles Chess would devour human lives—one person was already dead, and he couldn’t let things continue deteriorating. Lu Zigang opened his mouth, wanting to warn the person in the pavilion, but discovered he couldn’t make any sound at all.

“The chess game has already begun—no one can stop it.” Hu Hai seemed to know what Lu Zigang wanted to say and said indifferently: “Since you’re already here, why not watch a good show?”

Lu Zigang followed his gaze and noticed a figure approaching the pavilion step by step, holding a ring-pommel sword in hand. The blade’s slender, straight form reflected the wind lantern’s light, emanating a disturbing chill.

Lin Yan only glanced up briefly before lowering his head again, his gaze reluctant to leave the ox-tail saber in his hands as he said happily: “Brother, this ox-tail saber really is authentic! Oh, let me see the blade you’re holding too. Didn’t I tell you to pick that Han dynasty ring-pommel sword? I’ve always wanted to touch that legendary ring-pommel sword! Elder Yu’s collection really can’t be underestimated!”