Chapter 9

The blueprint was missing, and Zhao Chen searched the wooden house thoroughly but couldn't find it. In the end, he sat on the chair, glaring at the gloomy rain outside, sulking.

There was a spy sent by Li Er in the team, which Zhao Chen had known for a long time. This guy was sneaky, hiding in the shadows like a venomous snake, monitoring everyone in the team, including himself.

The loss of blueprints happened from time to time. A few hours after they were lost, they would reappear on his desk, always crumpled and wrinkled, which made Zhao Chen furious.

He really couldn't understand if the guy sent by Li Er had a mental problem. Knowing that these blueprints were incomprehensible, he still kept stealing them, as if he were addicted to it.

Forget it, on a rainy day, even scolding a child is a way to pass the time. Since you're addicted, this young master will have to show some kindness and help you kick this stealing habit.

He drew a new blueprint on the table, got some chemicals from the time-space supermarket, and applied them to the blueprint. After arranging everything, he patted his hands and walked out of the door.

In the morning, seeing the continuous rain, Zhao Chen found He San and instructed him to make a set of chess pieces. It was too idle on a rainy day, and instead of sleeping in the house, he decided to teach Old Qin how to play chess.

He San was indeed a sensible guy. The chess set was already made according to the blueprint Zhao Chen drew, each piece polished smooth, a total of thirty-two pieces, colored red and black.

The wooden chessboard had lines painted on it with paint, and the entire set was finely crafted, showing a lot of effort!

Zhao Chen was very satisfied, praised He San a few times, and then carried the chessboard to find Old Qin.

Old Qin was lying on a reclining chair, glancing at Zhao Chen as he placed the red and black pieces on the chessboard. After confirming that this was not a game of backgammon but a new type of game, Old Qin's interest was immediately piqued.

Zhao Chen explained the rules of chess to Old Qin, taking the black pieces first. There was no choice, as Old Qin insisted on the red general, thinking it was beneath his dignity to have Zhao Chen as the general.

As they played, Zhao Chen taught Old Qin about the different moves, such as the "head cannon," "linked horses," "horse cannon," and "drawer move." It was amazing how these old people could become even more resilient with age! After a few rounds, Old Qin actually mastered the game and played it well.

Great! Seeing this, Zhao Chen rearranged the pieces, preparing to start a new game to challenge Old Qin, the veteran of a hundred battles.

"Would you like me to let you have two chariots?" After arranging the pieces, Zhao Chen removed two chariots, looking down on Old Qin, and asked.

"Boy, are you looking down on me?" Old Qin glared at Zhao Chen fiercely, as if he were back on the battlefield with thousands of troops. He suddenly moved a cannon, slamming it down: "Head cannon!"

"Move the horse!" Zhao Chen scratched his chin, put the two chariots back, and moved a horse, feeling elated inside.

Look at that, even in his old age, he can't stand being provoked. Just a little provocation, and he can't take it. Not eating him down to the last piece would be a waste of He San's effort in making this chess set!

However, reality proved how naive Zhao Chen's thoughts were. When facing a crafty old fox like Old Qin, you can't judge him by normal standards.

"Central horse, eat the general!" Old Qin moved the red horse boldly, landing it on Zhao Chen's general, declaring the victory of the game with a domineering air.

"That's not fair!" Zhao Chen's facial muscles twitched violently, trying to suppress his anger. He pointed at the horse Old Qin had just moved, trembling, and said, "That's a straight-legged horse, how can it step on the general?"

"Warfare is about deception!" Old Qin calmly took a sip of tea from his thermos, looking profound and said, "Boy, this horse of mine is a thousand-mile steed, traveling a thousand miles a day, coming and going like the wind. What can a straight line do to it?"

Zhao Chen was speechless, unable to find a good response. Old Qin was shameless, and he could justify his cheating with a straight face. Zhao Chen couldn't help but admire him.

"Boy, are you not convinced?" Old Qin raised his eyelids, his tone filled with a strong threat, speaking coldly.

"There are no rules without a square!" Zhao Chen clutched his head in pain, unable to understand why a simple game of chess had to be so intense. Why couldn't they just play nicely?

"Boy, you just want to eat all my pieces, right? Why put on a moral high ground?" Old Qin lifted his foot, intending to kick Zhao Chen, but Zhao Chen seemed to have anticipated it and dodged quickly.

Seeing his inner thoughts exposed, Zhao Chen didn't dare to mention the "no rules without a square" nonsense anymore. He obediently returned to his seat, silently rearranged the pieces, and looked up at Old Qin with a smile, indicating it was his turn to move.

The rain continued for five days, and during these five days, Old Qin's room would always echo with the arguments of the old and young, interspersed with the sound of chess pieces falling.

Liu Cheng was originally a scout for the Left Wuwei. Later, recommended by a superior, he joined the newly formed Hundred Riders, becoming a spy. This was a significant promotion for him.

Though his public identity was still that of an ordinary soldier, he was actually a low-ranking officer, a ninth-rank official.

The Hundred Riders were essentially the emperor's henchmen, doing things that couldn't be seen by others, such as monitoring a certain minister or secretly eliminating someone who posed a threat to the emperor. The goal was to eliminate any potential danger to the emperor as early as possible.

Liu Cheng's mission this time was significant, as it was personally ordered by the emperor, so he was particularly cautious.

Monitoring Zhao Chen, observing who he interacted with, his daily words and actions, and any unusual behavior, were not problems for Liu Cheng, as he was a former scout and skilled at such tasks.

However, what troubled Liu Cheng were the strange blueprints, which he couldn't understand at all. This troubled him for a long time until he finally decided to steal the blueprints and copy them.

Regardless of whether he understood them or not, as long as he copied them, he could hand them over to the emperor, and the rest would be none of his concern.

Copying these blueprints was a difficult task for Liu Cheng, but a dull person could always come up with strange ideas. He used a piece of silk, placing it on the blueprint and copying it onto the silk, then transferring it to another piece of paper.

Liu Cheng had just completed a blueprint, thinking he could finally rest. The rain meant no one could go out, so there wouldn't be any new blueprints.

However, when he quietly approached Zhao Chen's wooden house, he saw a new blueprint on the table. Liu Cheng suddenly felt a deep sense of frustration and wanted to cry out loud.

Damn it, does this guy ever let anyone live? Even on a rainy day, he can't rest!

However, no matter how much he complained, he still had to do his job. Liu Cheng, feeling frustrated, rolled up the new blueprint, listened to the arguments in the wooden house, and then returned to his tent.

He laid out the blueprint on the table, placed the silk over it, and just as he was about to start copying, something strange happened. He heard a "puff" from the blueprint, and a pale blue flame suddenly shot up.

The flame rose so quickly that Liu Cheng had no time to react. He watched in shock as the blueprint and the silk on it burned to ashes in an instant, leaving no chance for him to save it!

"You're going too far!"

Zhao Chen had forgotten how many times he had said this to Old Qin. Every time he was about to defeat Old Qin, Old Qin's pieces would always move in strange ways to directly eat his general.

A one-in-a-million thousand-mile horse!

A soldier who could take on a hundred!

A cannon that could turn corners!

Old Qin always gave his pieces impressive titles, being unreasonable to the extreme. Zhao Chen was so angry he was breathing heavily, but he couldn't argue with Old Qin.

"Boy, it seems you're not convinced!" Old Qin, with the face of a rightful victor, glared at the furious Zhao Chen, shook his empty thermos, and said kindly, "Go make me a cup of tea, and when you come back, we'll play another round!"

"Convinced! How could this boy not be convinced!" Zhao Chen stood up, took the cup from Old Qin, rolled his eyes, and left the wooden house.

Outside the wooden house stood a man in his thirties, with a small mustache, looking dispirited.

Seeing Zhao Chen come out, his dull eyes suddenly brightened, as if he wanted to say something. However, Zhao Chen just nodded, not giving him a chance to speak, and hurriedly went to the kitchen.

The gold mine meant a lot to Li Er, and as his henchman, Liu Cheng should have been well aware of this. Destroying the blueprints, if Li Er found out, his head would be in danger!

After lingering in the kitchen for a while, estimating that the guy had left, Zhao Chen returned to Old Qin's wooden house with the tea.

"Boy, did you play a trick?" As soon as he entered, Old Qin looked at Zhao Chen with a strange expression, as if he had just met him, and then asked with a sneer.

"The blueprint?" Zhao Chen laughed mischievously, handed the cup to Old Qin, sat opposite him, and said, "Did that guy come to you for help?"

Old Qin laughed lightly, looking pleased.

The appearance of the Hundred Riders made the entire court fear them like venomous snakes. Especially during the emperor's reign, everyone tried to avoid the Hundred Riders.

Recently, the execution ground in the West Market was always crowded with people, with blood flowing continuously, and the Hundred Riders were behind it!

However, what Old Qin didn't expect was that the Hundred Riders, feared by the entire court, were now being tormented by Zhao Chen, crawling at his feet, begging for help.

"Boy, aren't you afraid of these people?" Old Qin looked at Zhao Chen with a strange expression, asking with interest, "Or do you not know their identities?"

"Why be afraid of them!" Zhao Chen, arranging the chess pieces, said without looking up, "This boy has nothing to lose, just a life. But the emperor seems to be unwilling to let me die. It's your turn to move..."

No desire, no fear! Old Qin laughed, then focused on the chess game, letting the Hundred Riders worry for a while.

At this moment, the two in the wooden house looked like an old and a young fox, both cunning and sly!

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