"Playing chess?"
Song Qiao mulled it over, feeling that this kind of activity would be much easier for him at his current state than combat.
Moreover, he had some experience with chess.
After all, he had witnessed Guo Can's chess skills before, and knew that such things tested computational and strategic abilities.
If one set aside the actual chess skill level, in terms of these abilities, he believed he was no less than Guo Can.
Rounding up, it wasn't as if he had no chance of winning, so he nodded in agreement.
"Let's go for something challenging, Five-in-a-Row!"
"Whatever," Guo Can didn't care what kind of game it was.
As long as it was chess, be it Go, Xiangqi, or the Japanese Shogi.
She had absolute confidence!
It was different for Song Qiao; he didn't know many types of games.
Having only watched Guo Can play Go, he found it too troublesome.
So he could only choose what he considered to be simpler.
The three of them, walking together, arrived at a park.
Finding a vacant stone table, Guo Can rummaged in the trunk of her car for a while.
Finally, from various chess sets, she picked out a pair of Five-in-a-Row pieces that were already covered in dust.
Unfolding them on the stone table, Song Qiao, understanding the importance of seizing the initiative, quickly grabbed a piece and casually slapped it onto the board!
Looking at the white stone Song Qiao had placed, Guo Can frowned, feeling a little uncomfortable inside.
But she still said nothing, picked up a black stone, and made her move.
Song Qiao wasn't ignorant of the principle of Black moving first; he was doing it deliberately.
He knew very well that he was facing a top-tier national master.
His theoretical knowledge was far inferior to hers, so he pretended to misunderstand the rules and made a random move.
Even if it couldn't affect Guo Can's state of mind, it might at least make her lower her guard and underestimate him.
Although the impact on Guo Can might be very small.
But as long as it could increase his chance of winning by a sliver, he had to do it!
After all, this was a real life-or-death game, and he couldn't afford the slightest carelessness!
"Ah, no, no, I made a mistake just now."
Song Qiao, having only placed one stone, suddenly retracted his move, quickly picking up his white stone from the board and putting it back.
Guo Can breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Song Qiao had remembered the rules.
So she picked up her own box of stones and prepared to swap black and white with him.
But she saw that Song Qiao had no intention of swapping.
Instead, he took the white stone he had just retrieved and placed it in a different spot.
And with an apologetic look, he said to Guo Can.
"Sorry, I just remembered that the first move can't be in the center. Do you like to hold the game box while playing with people?"
"Tian Yuan!" Guo Can slammed the game box onto the table, her face dark, and said fiercely.
"Yes, yes, as expected of a master!"
Song Qiao chuckled and gestured towards Guo Can.
With a *snap*!
Guo Can casually picked up a black stone and slapped it onto the board.
She said nothing, clearly quite disgusted by Song Qiao.
It was the first time she had seen someone retract a move at the start of the game, and it was hard not to be angry.
Song Qiao didn't care about this. While showcasing his meager chess skills, he also employed his proficient "mouth-fu."
Gradually, through Guo Can's subsequent moves, Song Qiao could tell her mind had become unsettled!
But even so, a national master was still a national master.
Every move Guo Can made was fraught with killing intent!
She seemed to be casually building connections between five stones, but in reality, she was orchestrating the entire game.
It made it impossible to know how many steps she had calculated.
As the stones were placed on the board, Song Qiao felt an unprecedented pressure.
Sweat poured from his forehead, his mind felt groggy, and he was utterly exhausted.
He had to admit that his assessment had been too superficial to think Five-in-a-Row was simple.
This damn game was easy to learn but hard to master!
With every move, he had to hesitate for a long time before he could decipher Guo Can's perilous strategy.
Every move was dangerous, forcing him to be cautious!
"Halftime break!"
Looking at the densely packed board, Song Qiao felt his eyes swim.
He quickly raised a hand to call a halt, needing more time to sort out the connections between the pieces on the board.
Guo Can, however, had already reached her limit.
She glanced down at her watch and found that the game had already lasted a full three hours!
This was basically the same amount of time she spent playing against national Go masters of 7 dan and above.
She had never heard of Five-in-a-Row lasting this long!
This was because in this game of Five-in-a-Row they were playing, pieces couldn't be captured!
And Song Qiao still wanted a halftime break? How could she agree to that!
"No! Make your move quickly, or don't blame me if I go back on my word!"
She genuinely wanted to shamelessly renege now.
Playing chess with Song Qiao was simply torture!
Song Qiao casually tossed the stone in his hand back into the box.
With the demeanor of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, he said.
"I don't care, I'm tired now and need to rest."
"Otherwise, just kill me. Anyway, I'm injured, and I won't survive if I keep pushing myself."
"You!"
*Crack!*
Guo Can exerted force with her five fingers, and a black stone in her hand instantly turned to dust.
Her face darkened as if it could drip water, and she stared coldly at Song Qiao, saying.
"10 minutes! Just 10 minutes!"
"Don't think I won't dare to kill you!"
Song Qiao grinned and nodded quickly.
He didn't go to rest but leaned over the board, carefully observing the entire game.
He hoped to find a breakthrough during this time.
He wouldn't have realized how dangerous it was if he hadn't stopped to look. Even a few inconspicuous positions on the board contained hidden killing intent!
It was only a nascent form now and didn't pose an immediate threat.
But if Guo Can placed just one more stone, those quiet black pieces would all come alive.
It would then be uncontrollable, and perhaps irretrievable!
"So close, so close..." Song Qiao muttered with lingering fear.
He looked up and saw Guo Can's murderous expression.
He quickly clutched his chest and, gritting his teeth, explained.
"It's good I had time to rest, otherwise... otherwise my injuries wouldn't have held out."
Then, Song Qiao, with a mischievous look, casually dropped a stone on the board.
Seeing that her meticulously planned game had been seen through by Song Qiao's stalling tactics, Guo Can wished she could just flip the board and leave!
She couldn't stand to dawdle with Song Qiao for another three hours.
Even one minute felt like torture!
Therefore, in the subsequent game, her offense became noticeably more hurried.
Wanting to end the match quickly, she naturally had less attention to spare for defense.
And Song Qiao was merely playing the part of a weakling to lure the enemy, not that his chess skills were poor.
Furthermore, drawing on the chess scores he had studied earlier, Song Qiao gradually calmed down.
He carefully dismantled the traps and meticulously planned his moves.
Although the response was still strenuous, he finally found an opportunity!
With a *snap*!
He suddenly lifted a white stone and slammed it heavily onto the board, laughing triumphantly.
"123, exactly 5! I win!"
Looking at the five white stones lined up in a diagonal, with no fancy moves, Guo Can took a deep breath, the muscles in her entire face twitching uncontrollably.
She wanted to kill him now!
"Miss Guo, please keep your promise."
Madam Shen, seeing this, quickly stepped forward and reminded her gently.
Guo Can tightened her grip slightly, crushing another black stone in her hand to dust.
She flicked the powder away and said with a cold snort.
"You don't need to remind me, I won't go back on my word."
"It's just a small victory, you don't need to be too discouraged."
Song Qiao stepped forward, patted Guo Can's shoulder, and said with a satisfied nod.
"Remember to practice well when you get back. With your talent, you'll reach my level sooner or later."
"That would be my misfortune," Guo Qiao couldn't stand his condescending tone.
She no longer wanted to bring up the match, so after retorting, she began to talk about other things.
"The person who was behind me earlier, call him over."
Song Qiao spread his hands and asked, "What's in it for me?"
"Whatever you ask."
"Then I want..." Song Qiao glanced at Guo Can with a wicked smile, but before he could finish, he was met with a ruthless refusal.
"Don't even think about it!"
Song Qiao licked his lips and felt utterly bored.
"You're no fun at all, not even a little bit teasing!"
Sensing his injury, Song Qiao didn't dare to provoke her further.
If she got angry and struck him dead, Gao Meng would cry too late.
"Ah, alright, alright, considering you've kept your word to some extent."
"When he reaches Modu, I'll notify you, how about that?"
Guo Qiao nodded and left in a huff.
Just as the car started, she seemed to remember something, pushed open the car door, and rushed back.
Song Qiao was startled and quickly got into a defensive stance, anticipating her sudden change of mind.
However, he saw Guo Qiao walk straight to the chessboard and rub all the densely packed stones into a mess.
Only then did she leave with a sense of relief.
Confirming that Guo Qiao had truly left, Song Qiao finally breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Leaning on the stone table, he slowly sat down and said weakly.
"Finally saved. I almost had to fight that crazy woman to the death."
"By the way, why did you suddenly come here?"
Song Qiao didn't ask Madam Shen why she had saved him.
Because the answer was obvious: she needed him to defeat Zhang Longsheng!
That one reason was enough.
Song Qiao was just puzzled as to how Madam Shen had received advance notice and knew Guo Qiao was coming to kill him.
Madam Shen's answer was also very clear.
"Someone said she owes you a lot, and guessed... or perhaps it wasn't a guess."
Just by guessing, she couldn't have figured out that Guo Qiao happened to owe him a favor.
Nor could she have guessed the time of Guo Qiao's appearance so accurately.
Recalling that woman's sudden appearance outside his bedroom last night and their conversation in the living room, Madam Shen suddenly felt that woman was terrifying!
But Song Qiao was full of questions, "Who was that person?"
"Xia Yuqing!"