Two days ago, the city of Fenggao began a period of fasting in preparation for a memorial ceremony. Liu Bei believed that since this was a sacred ritual, fasting was necessary. To ensure proper respect for the deceased, Liu Bei ordered the entire city to fast, and those capable of offering incense were instructed to begin praying three days in advance. On the third day, they would pay their respects to the soldiers who had fallen on the battlefield.
Zhuge Liang, dressed in white, knelt calmly in his room, offering incense in prayer. He had no complaints about Liu Bei's order and deeply appreciated Liu Bei's benevolence. Since he had come to Fenggao and was temporarily under Liu Bei's rule, following Liu Bei's orders seemed only right. Furthermore, honoring the fallen soldiers was something that should be done.
However, Sima Yi next door had a different perspective. While he had no objections to Liu Bei's honoring of the fallen soldiers, he saw it as a clever way to win over the troops. What really bothered him was the city-wide fast, which had even deprived the restaurants of meat, something he found intolerable.
To Sima Yi, if Liu Bei wanted to win over the hearts of his soldiers, that was his business. Dragging the merchants and travelers in Fenggao into it seemed unnecessary.
"I can't take this!" Sima Yi muttered, slamming his hands on the table. Being skilled in music, he effortlessly drummed out a rousing battlefield rhythm on the table, expressing his frustration. To the untrained ear, it might sound like a soldier mourning a fallen comrade, quite fitting for the occasion. Soon enough, others began to join in, tapping along to the rhythm.
Hearing the rhythmic tapping from next door, Zhuge Liang frowned. As the tune continued, and more people below joined in, disrupting the solemn atmosphere of Fenggao, Zhuge Liang's displeasure grew. This guy was ruining the city's hard-earned sense of reverence.
Both Zhuge Jin and Sima Lang had made sure to remind their younger brothers to behave before they left. Their brothers had agreed to stay put in the inn, which put Zhuge Jin and Sima Lang at ease. But who would have thought that both Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi were far from ordinary?
Zhuge Liang felt irritated. He had already crossed paths with the brothers next door, and just the sight of the one around his age annoyed him. In fact, seeing that awkwardly proportioned guy made Zhuge Liang want to hit him.
Trying to ignore the rhythm, Zhuge Liang finished his prayer, but then he grabbed a chessboard and headed next door, determined to take him down a notch.
After knocking three times on the door, Zhuge Liang stood outside Sima Yi's room, waiting.
Sima Yi, who had been disrupting the solemn atmosphere of Fenggao with his tapping, felt irritated when his groove was interrupted just as he was getting into it.
Calming himself, Sima Yi opened the door and found that the visitor was none other than Zhuge Liang, with whom he had crossed paths a few times. He frowned slightly. Being naturally mature for his age, Sima Yi rarely interacted with peers his own age, and seeing Zhuge Liang made him feel like he was dealing with a child. Noticing the chessboard in Zhuge Liang's hand, Sima Yi smirked inwardly.
Though Sima Yi scoffed internally, he didn't let it show. Instead, he spoke condescendingly, "To what do I owe the pleasure, young friend?"
"I heard you were bored and disturbing the peace, so I came to play a game of chess with you to ease everyone's mind," Zhuge Liang responded coolly. He hadn't yet learned the art of polite restraint, so he made no effort to be cordial to someone who annoyed him. In truth, he was here to humble Sima Yi. Just because you understand a bit of music doesn't mean you can toy with the public. I'm here to put you in your place!
Sima Yi was taken aback. He had been very discreet—how could this boy have figured out his intentions? Despite being exposed, Sima Yi didn't blush but instead felt even more annoyed.
If Sima Yi had encountered Zhou Yu, things would have been different. Zhou Yu would have seen through him after just one beat and mocked him mercilessly. But this was Zhuge Liang, and Sima Yi still had some pride left.
"My surname is Sima, and my given name is Yi, with the courtesy name of Zhongda. May I ask your name, young friend?" Sima Yi asked, unsure of Zhuge Liang's exact age.
"I am Zhuge Liang from the Zhuge clan of Langya, courtesy name Kongming," Zhuge Liang replied calmly, placing the chessboard on the table and taking a seat.
Zhuge Liang wasn't interested in small talk with Sima Yi. He was here to defeat him and didn't want to waste any time. He opened the chessboard, and the two sat down facing each other.
"Since you're younger, why don't you take the black pieces and go first?" Sima Yi suggested graciously after some brief conversation. He was already planning how to deal with Zhuge Liang.
"Very well," Zhuge Liang replied with a smile.
In the opening, Zhuge Liang knew Sima Yi would underestimate him, so he pretended to be a novice who studied chess but lacked his own style. He played along, leading Sima Yi into a false sense of superiority during the middle game.
As Sima Yi began to grow sleepy from boredom, he couldn't help but reevaluate Zhuge Liang. Despite his young age, Zhuge Liang had seen through the hidden meaning in his tune and understood chess. Sima Yi felt a sense of admiration, but that didn't mean he would go easy on this audacious boy.
However, as the game progressed into the mid-game, Sima Yi began to realize something was off. After quickly recalculating, he found that Zhuge Liang had not fallen behind. Frowning, he looked deeply at the boy across from him, who was now playing with a folding fan, wearing a serene expression. It turned out that not only had he not been fully invested in the game, but his opponent had been toying with him all along.
From that point on, the game unfolded in a completely unexpected way. What had initially seemed like an even match turned into a lopsided affair, with Zhuge Liang taking control after the mid-game and cornering Sima Yi's white pieces.
Sima Yi looked up at Zhuge Liang's calm demeanor, and his anger flared. When had he ever been toyed with by someone his own age?
"A remarkable game! Shall we play again?" Sima Yi said with a smile, though this time he viewed Zhuge Liang as an equal.
"Very well. I was worried you might be too bored," Zhuge Liang replied casually.
"This time, I'll take the black pieces and go first," Sima Yi said as he confidently placed his first piece in the center of the board.
Zhuge Liang glanced at Sima Yi. "Such strong momentum, starting with that move. Very well," he commented, but made no effort to dissuade him. Instead, he picked up a piece and placed it in the upper right corner, just as he had done in the previous game.
The two began exchanging moves rapidly, almost without thinking. Within the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the board was filled.
Sima Yi looked up, his eyes flashing with shock. He had still fallen behind!
Desperate, he activated his mental abilities, probing Zhuge Liang. In Sima Yi's mind, skills like music and chess were merely decorative; governing and stabilizing the nation were true talents!
But when Sima Yi activated his mental abilities, Zhuge Liang's mind suddenly cleared. His previously weakened spirit quickly revived, and his immense mental energy swept through the room.