Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 579 - 290: The Little Enchantress_2

Chapter 579: Chapter 290: The Little Enchantress_2

"It’s unattainable."

Tian Duanjiang revealed a smile, lightly waving his sleeve.

In a flash, the tabletop shimmered with interlacing light and shadow, and an exquisite chessboard materialized out of thin air, as if it drew its solid form from the void.

There were already pieces on the board—a game in progress.

Qu Hongling was playing with the white pieces.

Tian Duanjiang was playing with the black pieces.

From the look of the board, the white pieces had a significant advantage. As long as the white side played conservatively and strategically, they could practically win this game of chess.

The previously modest Li Nanshuang, upon seeing the game, complained, "This I could handle. If I’d known, I would have played."

Tian Duanjiang’s eyes narrowed into a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, gazing at the charming and spirited girl before him, and said leisurely,

"Mr. Qu, out of consideration for you being a girl, I let you play with the white pieces. Whether you can win or not depends on your ability."

Qu Hongling’s smile was as beautiful as blooming flowers: "Then I must thank Tian for his generosity."

Jiang Shouzhong watched the girl sitting at the chessboard, her bearing vibrant, and his heart rippled with an inexplicable sense of estrangement. A difficult-to-name feeling lingered in his chest.

The formerly weepy, delicate girl now seemed like a completely different person, exuding an air of coolness and natural authority. In her brows and eyes, there lay a touch of defiance.

Was this exceptional woman really the lively Hong’er from before?

Snap!

Qu Hongling placed a piece on the board.

Tian Duanjiang’s face held a faint smile, and almost without pause, his hand traced an arc in the air, as supple as a dragon or snake, as a black piece was firmly placed on the board.

Qu Hongling paused to think, then placed another piece.

And Tian Duanjiang followed suit, laying down his piece with equal swiftness.

As the game deepened, the white pieces, which initially had a great position, began to progressively lose ground, cornered by the black pieces that were reversing the situation and seemed about to be defeated.

Qu Hongling’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her moves became hesitant and unsure.

Even Li Nanshuang, who was known for her poor skills at chess, realized that the situation on the board was extremely unfavorable for Qu Hongling.

She opened her mouth, wanting to give a reminder but afraid of disturbing her, instead slowly gripped the handle of her blade.

She thought to herself that if the old man did not let them go, she might as well break the restrictions she was under and fight for it.

"Mr. Qu, do you wish to continue?"

As Tian Duanjiang placed a piece that clinched his victory, the situation completely turned upside down.

Qu Hongling seemed to have no chance of turning the tables anymore.

The old man’s smile was full as he stroked his beard: "It seems, young friends, you’re going to keep this old man company here for a while."

"Not necessarily."

However, the originally anxious and helpless Qu Hongling now slowly relaxed her brows.

The young girl’s lips curved slightly upward, her pretty face radiant once more, her voice melodious, like an oriole singing amidst willows: "The Soul-Confusing Array has three major arrays: the Six Harmonies Intricate Array, the Eight Trigrams Separating and Combining Array, and the Seven Luminaries Reversal Array.

The array we are currently in contains the Six Harmonies Reverse Flow, making what is up to be down, left to be right, back to be front, reversing as well the energies of the five elements.

That is to say, the grand array we are currently in is... the Seven Luminaries Reversal Array..."

The young girl’s fingers formed a gesture, as delicate as a blooming orchid, while her left hand, like a gentle breeze, lightly patted the chessboard.

The chessboard suddenly underwent a change.

The layout on it miraculously inverted.

Tian Duanjiang’s expression changed dramatically, staring at the chessboard in disbelief.

The girl declared, "Heaven and earth unite in harmony, revealing the truth amidst the inverted. With confusing signs and disordered hierarchy, only with calmness can one control the chaos, and in the midst of turmoil, glimpse a line of survival.

A single piece placed in the ’Kun’ position can leverage the momentum of ’Qian’ and lead the entire game..."

While she spoke, Qu Hongling held a piece between two long fingers and firmly placed it on an empty spot.

With one piece, she dictated the fate of the game!

In that instant, the chessboard shone with intense white light, and the black pieces on it, like dissipating smoke, vanished into nothingness.

A grand victory!

Li Nanshuang watched, utterly astounded.

Only now did she understand, clapping her hands and saying,

"So from the start, this game was inverted. It appeared as though the little crying girl had the advantage, but in reality, she was at a disadvantage. It was just that the little crying girl deliberately showed weakness to confuse the opponent."

Qu Hongling looked at the discomfited Tian Duanjiang and said sweetly, "Tian, thank you for letting me win. Actually... your level of chess is not very high at all."

Qu Hongling wasn’t deliberately belittling her opponent.

Tian Duanjiang was merely using formations to confuse his opponent, and once the formations were seen through, his true level naturally became apparent.

Gazing at the chessboard for a moment, Tian Duanjiang let out a long sigh and said, "This old man thought he was clever, but my cleverness has led to my own undoing. Sect Master Qu is indeed formidable. I am willing to admit defeat; you may go."

Having said this, he smashed the chessboard with his palm.

The surrounding space seemed to tremble for a moment, and one could faintly sense a restriction slowly fading away.

"However, I still need to warn you," he said.

Tian Duanjiang suddenly said, "The reason why I stopped you was not because you trespassed into the Myriad Phenomena God Sect’s territory, but because someone informed me to block your way here."

"Is it someone from the court?" Jiang Shouzhong asked.

He remembered that although the Myriad Phenomena God Sect was a Jianghu sect, it had completely aligned itself with the court.

It could even be said to be a lapdog of the court.

Tian Duanjiang shook his head. "This old man cannot reveal too much. In any case, you should hurry on your way. To be honest, I could have used force to detain you, but since I’ve lost, I must keep my word.

You have the time it takes an incense stick to burn; if you still linger here after that, this old man will no longer show any mercy."

Jiang Shouzhong bowed with folded hands: "Thank you, Peak Master Tian."

The time it takes an incense stick to burn is enough to leave this area.

But is this old man really willing to let them go?

Jiang Shouzhong glanced at Qu Hongling and gave her a meaningful look.

The young girl returned a reassuring smile and, with a vivacious gesture, saluted the elder: "Thank you, Peak Master Tian. Since you are willing to let us go, could you deactivate the Soul-Confusing Magic Array?"

Tian Duanjiang furrowed his brows: "Haven’t I already deactivated it?"

Qu Hongling’s eyes narrowed with a playful curve, and her cheeks bloomed with a small dimple: "Water begets fire, fire conceals water... Peak Master Tian has only undone the inner array, not the outer array."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shouzhong and Li Nanshuang’s expressions changed.

Li Nanshuang cursed: "You crafty old man, we thought you were kind enough to let us go, but you were deceiving us!"

Seeing that he was exposed, Tian Duanjiang gave up pretense and sneered:

"It seems that Sect Master Qu is quite knowledgeable about formations, but this outer array is the Sect’s main array; I have no authority to deactivate it, and you must solve it yourself."

Li Nanshuang, with a face full of anger: "Isn’t this shameless?"

Tian Duanjiang coldly said: "This old man is not breaking his word. I simply agreed to let you leave and will not lay a hand on you. Whether you can escape the Soul-Confusing Array within the time of an incense stick burning depends on your own skills."

Qu Hongling’s eyes twinkled with slyness: "In that case, I can only offend you, sir."

As the girl’s voice fell, the table that held the chessboard just moments ago was lifted by an invisible force and began to float.

Several slender blades then pierced through the corners of the table.

The table surface cracked into fine lines, forming a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern.

With the rotation of the Bagua pattern, the ground around the tavern responded, and pillars of purple light emerged from the earth like fountains, soaring around the tavern and trapping Tian Duanjiang inside.

In an instant, a small Sword Array had been formed.

Tian Duanjiang was taken aback and then burst into angry laughter: "Humph, you think these petty tricks can trap me?"

With that said, the elder waved his sleeve towards the Sword Array.

To his surprise, no matter how he attacked, he failed to shake the Sword Array in the slightest.

The old man was shocked: "What have you done?"

Qu Hongling, with her hands behind her back, stood on tiptoes, her smile playful and proud: "Peak Master Tian, I have merely used your formation temporarily to hold you back."

It turned out Qu Hongling had seen through the Soul-Confusing Array long ago.

The key point of the formation was under the table of the chessboard.

Only during the chess match had she secretly placed the Phoenix Slaying Sword at the key point of the formation.

Her furrowed brows during the game, which seemed to indicate deep contemplation of the chess moves, were actually a ruse to buy time and silently take control of the formation.

She knew that the other party would not detain them without reason and certainly would not let them leave without a cause.

So she had set the trap in advance.

She used the enemy’s formation to temporarily delay them.

By now, Tian Duanjiang had realized that he had neglected to be cautious and was played by a young girl, feeling both shocked and angry: "You cunning little demoness, how dare you use deception!"

Being a cultivator at the Saintly Ascension Realm and getting outsmarted by a young girl from the Heaven Desolation Boundary was a slap in the face. He regretted underestimating the trio from the beginning.

Qu Hongling ignored him and, summoning her long sword, said to Jiang Shouzhong: "Brother Jiang, we need to leave quickly. I can only control the formation to hold him off for a short time."

Jiang Shouzhong and Li Nanshuang did not hesitate any longer and jumped onto their long swords.

Their swords, dragging streaks of light, sped towards the distance and quickly vanished from Tian Duanjiang’s sight.