Chapter 30: The Way of the Chessboard, The Two Demons of Lu Luo

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As the carriage traveled farther and farther away, a pair of piercing eyes continued to watch from behind. Luo Qianfan had never imagined that someone else was secretly keeping them under close surveillance—and that the mishaps of the past two days had all been his doing.

Gui Fang looked at Dongfang Yuyue with a deeply troubled expression, none of his usual spirit remaining. “Master, do we really have to keep catching those things?”

Though he said this aloud, his thoughts were quite different.

Please, Master, stop already. If this happens a few more times, I’m going to lose my life.

Gui Fang had once been a respectable guard. Who could have imagined that one day he would be reduced to keeping company with insects and ants? Heaven alone knew what inhuman treatment he had endured over the past two days. He had spent every waking moment battling poisonous creatures—capturing this one, seizing that one—and the slightest lapse in attention could cost him his life.

“Catch them. Expand the search. If you can’t bring them back, I’ll feed you to them instead!”

Dongfang Yuyue had no attention to spare for him. His gaze remained fixed on the clingy nuisance beside Luo Qianfan, and he wished he could personally go over and drag the man away. Venomous snakes and ferocious beasts were already a kindness compared with what he truly wanted to do.

What?

Gui Fang’s heart bled. He had never doubted Dongfang Yuyue’s methods. His master was absolutely capable of carrying out such a threat.

Inside the carriage, Luo Qianfan sat calmly in a green robe. A chessboard rested before her, and the corners of her lips tilted faintly upward. She held black pieces in one hand and white pieces in the other, waging a fierce battle across the board.

“Hmm… It’s always like this!”

On the board, the white pieces retreated and advanced by turns, luring the black pieces step by step into a carefully prepared trap. Strangely, the black pieces always managed to break through at the most critical moment, never forgetting to strike back at the white pieces.

Thus, upon that tiny board, the scene resembled a battlefield where thousands of soldiers and horses clashed. The atmosphere was cold and severe, enough to make anyone shudder.

There was no need to doubt it: if she wished, she could reduce anyone to ashes with the snap of her fingers.

Clearly, this was a game that could never be finished.

Perhaps life was like this chessboard—forever unpredictable, forever riddled with weaknesses, and forever capable of turning suddenly toward a new path. It was a wager, with an entire lifetime as the price.

“Luo Yi, come in and play a game with me.”

Luo Yi lifted the carriage curtain and bent down to enter. A faint smile appeared on his flawless face as he said indulgently, “Young Master, you’re teasing me again. How could I ever match you at chess? Even Luo Mo can’t last more than three moves against you. I naturally stand even less of a chance.”

“Still, Young Master, your mastery of chess is truly remarkable. There is probably no one in this world who can compare with you!”

As he spoke, Luo Yi cleared away the previous game and began a new one.

Sure enough, before Luo Yi could even make sense of Luo Qianfan’s movements, his general had already been trapped and captured. The outcome was certain.

“Alas, I’ve lost again.”

“Are you sure?”

Luo Qianfan’s eyes shone brightly. With nimble fingers, she casually picked up one of the pieces beside Luo Yi.

Suddenly, the tide turned.

“H-How could this be? I won!”

Luo Qianfan sent the piece surging through the encirclement with thunderous force, achieving victory through an unexpected move. In the end, she emerged triumphant. It had been an extraordinarily dangerous game.

Luo Yi was stunned by the sudden reversal. He knew Luo Qianfan’s skill at chess was exceptional, but he had never imagined it could reach such a transcendent, consummate level.

“It seems Luo Mo’s defeat at your hands was worthwhile after all,” Luo Yi exclaimed.

To receive instruction personally from the Young Master—what did victory or defeat matter?

Luo Qianfan lifted a cup of tea and took a slow sip. “In truth, there is no one who is inherently better or worse, nor is there any absolute winner or loser. What matters is one’s state of mind. People are often caught within a game without realizing it.”

She paused. A faint ripple passed through her indifferent eyes, inviting anyone who saw it to search for the truth hidden within.

Yet her expression remained too calm for anyone to discern her joy or anger.

A game?

Had her former self not been trapped within one as well? She had prided herself on being clever, yet had still fallen into a snare someone else had laid for her. In retrospect, it was truly ironic.

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Looking at Luo Qianfan, Luo Yi felt a tumult of emotions. He knew she must have thought of that matter again.

She hated that man. Back then, he had deceived everything out of the Valley of Medicine and Nether, only to turn around and betray them. So many of the valley’s brothers had lost their lives because of her.

…

A shrill voice rang out. “Well, well, who do we have here? If it isn’t our Northern Overlord, finally back again!”

A woman dressed in peacock-blue robes leapt down from a teahouse. She folded her arms, a mocking smile curling her lips as she glared viciously at Luo Qianfan’s carriage.

When it became clear that the other party had no intention of acknowledging her, she immediately lost her temper.

“What’s wrong, Luo Qianfan? Don’t tell me that after going away for a while, you’ve become a coward. Why don’t you beg me properly and apologize to this young lady? I might even consider letting you off.”

You left without a word back then. Now that I’ve finally waited for your return, do you still think you can hide from me?

Cai’er, who had been following behind, nearly jumped for joy when she saw who had arrived.

Hmph. Let’s see how you deal with this! Your archenemy isn’t afraid of you.

The newcomer wore a peacock-blue dress, with a silver-threaded belt wrapped around her waist. A collection of sharp weapons hung from it, creating a distinctly menacing sight.

She was Lu Xuanxuan, daughter of the Chancellor. Her father was Lu, the Chancellor of the capital, while her elder sister, Lu Fengwu, was the current Phoenix Noble Consort, the emperor’s favorite in the inner palace. Her status was nearly equal to that of the empress, and she had borne the emperor’s third son, Dongfang Liu. As a result, the Chancellor’s household enjoyed unending imperial favor.

There was hardly anyone in the entire city who did not know of Lu Xuanxuan. She was famous for her love of flaunting herself.

In the best possible terms, one might call her uninhibited and carefree. In less flattering terms, she was ill-mannered and reckless. Even the emperor had personally reprimanded her several times, yet she continued to do as she pleased and showed no respect to anyone. In time, people simply stopped trying to control her.

When Luo Qianfan had still lived in the capital, the two of them had been known as the Southern Lu and the Northern Luo—the two great tyrants, and the two people in the Fengyue Kingdom whom no one dared provoke.

The common folk had even written them into popular tales, claiming that they would rather offend Heaven and Earth than encounter either Lu or Luo.

Wherever the two of them appeared, peace was sure to vanish.

Later, after Luo Qianfan had been driven from the main household, Lu Xuanxuan had quieted down for a time.

Now that Luo Qianfan had returned, Lu Xuanxuan had somehow received word and come straight to her door. They truly were a pair of natural-born enemies.

Hearing the commotion outside, Luo Qianfan’s brows drew together.

“Couldn’t you wait even a moment?” she murmured.

Before coming back, Luo Qianfan had already done her homework. She had gathered information on everyone in the capital, whether they were connected to her or not. Now, listening to the women outside, she swiftly organized all the details in her mind.

So that was how it was.

No wonder she was so brazen. She had royal connections.

Beneath the emperor’s gaze, stopping a carriage in the middle of the street—this was exactly the sort of thing only Lu Xuanxuan would dare to do.

In any case, they would have to meet eventually. It would be better to settle everything at once and save herself the trouble of dealing with them one by one as they leaped about.

Luo Qianfan’s impression of Lu Xuanxuan was not especially poor. In her memories, Lu Xuanxuan had always targeted her, but she was generally forthright. She simply loved making jokes and was an incorrigible troublemaker.

Luo Yi swept aside the carriage curtain and leapt down. His movements were crisp and decisive. Others might not have noticed anything unusual, but Lu Xuanxuan practiced martial arts and could tell at a glance that his skill was formidable. Her heart immediately filled with delight.

Luo Qianfan, I’ve waited for you for so many years. I hope you won’t disappoint me.

After Luo Yi descended, the curtain was lifted once more.

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Before everyone’s eyes, a slender figure stepped down.

Luo Qianfan wore green robes. Her head tilted slightly, her arms folded, and a smile rested upon her brows. Like an elf, she struck at the hearts of all who saw her, lifting a radiant smile as brilliant as the morning sun.

She was bold and unrestrained, as though nothing beneath Heaven and Earth could ever hold her back.

“How beautiful!”

“She’s a goddess descended from the heavens!”

“Wow, which family’s daughter is she? I’m going to propose marriage!”

“You? A butcher? A toad dreaming of eating swan meat! That goddess is far beyond your reach!”

The crowd offered every kind of comment. Everyone was captivated by Luo Qianfan’s breathtaking beauty and extraordinary bearing. One person after another craned their necks, trying to see her more clearly.

Even Lu Xuanxuan was left staring in a daze.

“You—you’ve become so beautiful! But they said you were…” Lu Xuanxuan gazed into those eyes dark as black jade, as though she had returned to the days of their childhood.

Hadn’t everyone said that after being driven from her family, Luo Qianfan would become foolish, clumsy, wicked, and vicious?

Thankfully, she hadn’t changed. She was still the same as before.

Lu Xuanxuan did not know what Luo Qianfan had endured over the past several years, but she had a feeling that life away from home could not have been easy.

What she had never expected was that Luo Qianfan would not only return, but return with overwhelming force. Lu Xuanxuan believed that the capital would become far more lively from this day onward.

It took Lu Xuanxuan a long while to calm her excitement. When she raised her eyes again, her emotions had returned to normal, though her words remained as sharp as ever.

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”

She suddenly grew anxious and hurried over to Luo Qianfan, patting her on the shoulder.

Seeing her so flustered, with a trace of fear in her eyes, even Luo Qianfan began to wonder whether this archenemy of hers truly disliked her—or perhaps even liked her.

In truth, Lu Xuanxuan was not a bad person. She had simply been spoiled by her family from childhood and could not bear to see anyone surpass her.

When they were young, Luo Qianfan had been extremely arrogant, holding no one in her regard. The two girls had clashed from the moment they met, and so everyone had nicknamed them the Southern Lu and the Northern Luo—two untouchable forces whom no one dared provoke lightly.

“It’s been a long time, Lu Xuanxuan. I never thought you would be the first person to welcome me back!”

Luo Qianfan’s brows and eyes curved into a smile. She stood straight, proud and carefree.

She was announcing to everyone that Luo Qianfan had returned—making a powerful comeback with two identities behind her.

This time, she would not disappoint any of them.

Hearing her words, Lu Xuanxuan finally relaxed. A barely perceptible delight stirred in her heart, though her mouth remained merciless.

“You’re imagining things. I just happened to be nearby. When I heard you had returned, I came to take a look while I was passing through. Who said I was here to welcome you? How conceited!”

She folded her arms, looking thoroughly disdainful, and turned her head away with an air of haughty indifference.

This woman was just as detestable as ever—arrogant, conceited, and utterly insufferable.

When Lu Xuanxuan had previously heard Luo Yuhuan and the others say that Luo Qianfan was going to be brought back, she had secretly rejoiced for a while. Now it seemed that joy had been entirely unnecessary. Luo Qianfan was still exactly as she had been in childhood: arrogant, overbearing, and incapable of restraining herself.

Luo Qianfan did not argue with her. She merely blinked. “In any case, I’m very happy to see you.”

Lu Xuanxuan smiled.