Versatile Sword Cultivator

Chapter 123 – Chess prodigy

Lin Jichen returned to Fengqu City.

At ten in the morning, the three stores were set to open, and he had to wait for the deliveries from the Dan Sect and the Qi Sect.

What was strange, however, was that Fengqu City seemed to be under martial law, with guards everywhere and elite troops patrolling the streets.

The atmosphere in the city was tense, and aside from players, even the NPC citizens were scarce.

This was something that had never happened before.

Lin Jichen was puzzled, sensing that something significant was about to happen in Fengqu City.

But he had no idea what it could be.

He focused his attention on his stores.

Just before dawn, a few NPC disciples from the Sword Sect arrived with the goods.

Ten thousand bottles of Ordinary Grade elixirs, ten thousand pieces of Ordinary Grade equipment, and a thousand pieces of Spirit Grade equipment.

The Sword Sect disciples informed him that this was just the first batch, and subsequent batches would be delivered every seven days.

Seeing the goods, Lin Jichen felt a sense of relief.

Although it wasn't a huge amount, it was enough to significantly stock his three stores.

Combined with the "donations" from the Blood Fiend Guild and the preparations made by the alchemy and crafting masters he had hired, he now had eighteen thousand bottles of elixirs and fifteen thousand pieces of equipment.

All of it was stored in the three shops.

Seeing that it was still early and the sun had just risen, Lin Jichen logged out of the game temporarily.

After washing up, Ren Lan also came out.

"Wow, you're up early today. Not bad, you didn't even need me to wake you. Let me brush my teeth and wash my face, then we'll start our workout."

In no time, the two of them were out for a run.

Today, Ren Lan didn't push Lin Jichen too hard. After a few simple kilometers, she let him go home.

She wanted to run a bit more herself.

Lin Jichen was more than happy to oblige and immediately headed home, stopping by the market to buy some groceries for the day.

Carrying his groceries, he returned to his apartment complex, planning to make a simple breakfast.

His complex had many retired elderly residents who were also early risers.

A few old men were gathered in a pavilion, shouting and attracting Lin Jichen's attention.

They seemed to be playing chess.

Wait!

Something seemed off...

Lin Jichen looked closely and saw a small, familiar figure among them.

It was his little landlord, Niu Naitang, also known as Tang Tang.

Curious, Lin Jichen walked over and indeed found Tang Tang there.

What surprised him the most was that Tang Tang was standing on the chess table, playing against an old man.

"Checkmate! Grandpa Wang, you lost again. Your chess skills are really terrible."

Tang Tang shook her head and sighed, looking unsatisfied.

The old man opposite her was so ashamed that he got up and left in a huff.

"Grandpa Wang, where are you going? We agreed on best two out of three. We've only played one game. If you don't want to play chess, we can play Go instead."

Tang Tang called out, but the old man didn't look back and left angrily.

Tang Tang then looked up at the other old men and asked, "Who wants to play chess with Tang Tang?"

Instantly, the old men scattered like birds and beasts.

Not only did they leave quickly, but they also gloated and chatted among themselves.

"Old Wang just moved into this complex and didn't know better. He lost 0-10 yesterday afternoon and got thrashed again today. It's hilarious."

"Haha, indeed. This little girl is incredibly good at chess. I don't know how her brain works."

"She wants to play chess with us? No way. I lost to her all last year without winning once. I even had a heart attack."

"I'm worse off. My blood pressure was fine until I played chess with this kid. Now it's always high."

...

Clearly, they were all scared of losing.

Seeing everyone leave, Tang Tang put her hands on her hips and pouted, "No one wants to play with Tang Tang, hmph~"

At this moment, Lin Jichen walked over, amused, "Tang Tang, what are you doing here?"

Tang Tang's eyes lit up when she saw Lin Jichen and immediately jumped into his arms.

"Brother Lin, good morning~"

Lin Jichen smiled, holding her with one hand and carrying the groceries with the other, "Good morning, Tang Tang. You haven't told me yet, what are you doing here?"

"Because it's vacation, Tang Tang doesn't have to go to school. I was bored this morning, so I came down to play," Tang Tang replied.

"Where's your auntie?"

"She said a music company invited her for an interview today, so she left early."

"So what are you doing? Playing chess?" Lin Jichen looked at the chessboard.

The chessboard was quite exaggerated, with the black pieces almost wiped out and the red pieces still abundant.

It was clear that the game was one-sided.

"Yes, I like playing chess."

"You scared all these old men away?"

"Yes, their chess skills are too poor. They don't dare to play with Tang Tang."

Tang Tang said, looking quite dejected, "No one in this complex wants to play chess with Tang Tang anymore. A new grandpa came yesterday, but after one game today, he doesn't want to play anymore."

Lin Jichen couldn't help but laugh, not expecting this little girl to be a chess prodigy.

"Brother, do you want to play chess with Tang Tang?"

Lin Jichen quickly shook his head. His poor chess skills were not worth mentioning. If so many old men couldn't beat Tang Tang, he wouldn't stand a chance.

"Brother won't play chess. Brother hasn't had breakfast yet. Have you eaten?"

"Yes, Auntie made instant noodles for me. We shared a bowl," Tang Tang nodded.

Lin Jichen laughed, "Eating instant noodles all the time isn't good. Are you still hungry? Brother can make some more."

Tang Tang thought for a moment and happily nodded.

Lin Jichen put her down and led her back to his place.

Just as he finished making noodles, Ren Lan returned. Seeing Tang Tang, she was initially pleased but then deliberately put on a stern face.

Tang Tang was not to be outdone, and the two of them, one big and one small, started staring each other down.

Lin Jichen had already prepared three bowls of beef noodles, and the three of them immediately dug in.

After breakfast, Tang Tang leaned on the balcony, looking around.

"What are you looking at, Tang Tang?"

"I'm seeing if those grandpas are still playing chess."

Tang Tang looked down eagerly but found no one there. She returned, dejected.

"Brother Lin, I'm going home now. Thank you for making breakfast for Tang Tang."

"Alright, if your auntie doesn't come back by noon, come to Brother's place for lunch."

"Okay~" Tang Tang agreed happily. Lin Jichen walked her upstairs and only left after seeing her enter her apartment.

Back at his place, Lin Jichen first checked the surveillance footage of the house he had bought the day before. Finding nothing unusual, he returned to the game.

There were only one or two hours left until the opening time.

Fengqu City was bustling with players. Usually, players were busy grinding for cultivation and leveling up.

The city was most crowded at night because... Autumn Moon Pavilion only opened at night...

But today, in broad daylight, a large number of players had gathered in Fengqu City, not to level up but to wait for the three stores to open in the city center.