Chapter 120: The Beginning of Cultivation

Chu Dong had just finished his check-up when Tan Xue called him over for a lecture. He found the content of her speech so uninteresting that he nearly fell asleep while squatting.

Li Youlan’s display of disdain had greatly annoyed Tan Xue, but since Chu Dong was being so uncooperative, she could only grit her teeth and pull him up from the floor. "If you don't put in a good performance, I’ll never let you get a taste of me again."

A jolt ran through Chu Dong, and he was immediately alert. This was serious! Getting his ear pulled was one thing, but this concerned his future happiness, and he couldn't afford to be careless.

"What do you want me to learn? Even if you made me repeat nine years of compulsory education right now, I’d do it." Chu Dong was all in; he was suddenly brimming with enthusiasm.

"What board games do you know?" Li Youlan asked first. She was at her wit's end; her father was pressuring her too intensely, and she couldn't find a suitable candidate on such short notice. If she couldn't find one herself, she would have to submit to his arrangements. She knew nothing about the background of that club manager, and as for wanting her to submit? No way. She certainly didn't consider herself a well-behaved girl like Tan Xue.

"Chess, Chinese Chess, Go, Military Chess..." Chu Dong counted them off on his fingers.

"Enough, that will suffice." Li Youlan finally showed a hint of a smile. Even though this guy looked like a creep, he actually knew quite a few things. "Let’s start with these. I want to see what your level is and what needs to be strengthened. It would be even better if you could graduate quickly; there are still so many things to do."

"Do you really have to? Considering I am wise, martial, and peerlessly witty, this should be a piece of cake. Let’s move on to the next item. Let me tell you, when it comes to playing, everyone who plays against me starts questioning their own intelligence and feels like they’ve been insulted..." Chu Dong really didn't want to play; making him sit for half a day was pure torture.

"Cut the crap. You’ve bragged enough; who knows if it’s true?" Li Youlan remained unmoved, and Tan Xue, while batting her eyelashes at him, urged him to be obedient.

"I quit. You’re asking for a favor and acting so arrogant? I’m going on strike." Chu Dong closed his eyes and started acting out.

"Brother Dong, do you think I’ve been too good to you?" Tan Xue gritted her teeth. Seeing that Chu Dong wouldn't open his eyes, she immediately switched to a sorrowful expression. "Brother Dong, I know this is putting you in a difficult position, but I can't bear to watch Lanlan jump into a fire pit. It looks like I’ll have to marry that jerk myself to set her free."

"Don't do that." Chu Dong was instantly "sobered." "How could that happen? Oh, she wants to avoid marriage, so she uses my woman as a filler? That makes no sense."

"I'm doing it voluntarily. Lanlan is my best friend, after all. I don't want you to be troubled, but I can't watch my friend be unhappy, so I have to sacrifice myself." Tan Xue looked as if she were about to shed tears.

"Xue'er, listen, don't be like that. It’s no big deal. It’s just some pampered rich kid. I’ll go over there and settle it, that’s all. Don't worry, I definitely won’t let you be the one to fill the hole. Don't cry, please." Aside from his mother, Chu Dong’s only fear was a woman’s tears.

"It’s not about just 'settling' that jerk. You have to face him in a competition, and you have to win over Lanlan’s father and grandfather. You have to make the elders happy and earn their approval," Tan Xue corrected him quietly.

"Piece of cake. Don't worry," Chu Dong promised, patting his chest.

"Then let’s start learning. What are you waiting for?"

Tan Xue pulled Chu Dong to the computer, opened an online board game platform, and pointed to a seat she had prepared. "Sit down, register an account, and use this ID to play. Choose between Chess, Chinese Chess, Go, or Military Chess. If you can maintain a 90% win rate over fifty games in one of them, you pass and move to the next. Pass them all, and this training is considered successfully completed. This is the first step of the devilish training plan Lanlan and I designed for you. Good luck, Brother Dong. I believe in you." Tan Xue cupped Chu Dong’s face and leaned in close, smiling. Just as she was about to kiss him, she paused, squinted, and began scrubbing his face vigorously with her sleeve.

"Ouch, that hurts! What are you doing?" Chu Dong covered his face; the spot she had scrubbed was almost raw and burning.

"I wanted to give you some encouragement. I saw a black spot, so I tried to help you clean it off. Who knew you’d react like that?" Tan Xue pouted, clearly dissatisfied with Chu Dong’s performance.

Chu Dong was puzzled; he had washed his face that morning. He took the small mirror Tan Xue handed him and looked closely at the spot she had scrubbed. He nearly cried. "Xue'er, is something wrong with your eyes? That’s a bruise! If you managed to scrub that off, I’d have to go get plastic surgery!"

"Really?" Tan Xue looked closer. "Oh, I guess it is." She gave his face a few random rubs with her cool, small hands as a form of comfort. "Let’s start. I have to go to the company. Lanlan will watch you, so don't slack off. I’ll check on you when I get back."

Tan Xue left, leaving Chu Dong and Li Youlan alone at home. Although unwilling, Chu Dong obediently registered an ID with a very creative name: "Abuse Without Expecting a Reward." Once set up, he began his online conquest.

Li Youlan looked at the arrogant name he had chosen, merely curled her lip, and said nothing.

Chu Dong started with Chinese Chess. When he first logged in, he had no rank. In Lianzhong Games, Chinese Chess ranks were divided into several tiers. You start with no rank, and after twenty games, you are assigned a rank based on points, ranging from First to Ninth Grade. Above that are three levels of Masters, and the highest is Grandmaster.

Something that made Li Youlan’s jaw drop happened. No sooner had the super-arrogant-named Chu Dong logged on than he was challenged by another newbie ID. It was clear they had just registered. Chu Dong played aggressively, advancing his cannons, jumping his horses, and pushing pawns, but then he lost all sense of strategy, just crashing forward blindly. The games were set for ten minutes, and in under three, he had been wiped out of everything except his general and had no choice but to resign.

Perhaps because he was slaughtered so miserably, Chu Dong’s competitive spirit ignited. He immediately started another game, using the same old strategy. The only difference from the previous game was that this one ended even faster.

"Yeah, I didn't think there were real masters in such a small corner of the internet." Chu Dong was the type who refused to give up. If he had won, he might have lost interest, but losing made him eager. He extinguished the cigarette he had been casually smoking and began to stare at the screen with full concentration for the next game.

His opponent seemed to have become addicted as well; the moment Chu Dong started, they immediately agreed to the match.

Li Youlan had initially thought that since Chu Dong was so confident, he must have had some foundation. Later, she realized he didn't even know that a horse couldn't jump if its path was blocked. Once, when he tried to move his horse and couldn't, he insisted on trying anyway, wasting half a minute before turning to her and saying, "The internet speed is too slow; it doesn't respond for half a day when I make a move."

On the verge of despair, Li Youlan couldn't believe that not only was Chu Dong a creep, but he was also full of hot air, insisting he was invincible despite being clearly incompetent. Watching him set record after record for being slaughtered, Li Youlan finally couldn't hold back. "Can I ask, have you ever played Chinese Chess before?"

"Of course." Chu Dong was still staring intensely at the screen, currently protecting his general with a single elephant. "When I was in the United States, I never lost to my classmates."

"The United States? You taught them how to play?" Li Youlan asked tentatively.

"That's right. Those idiots; it was incredibly difficult to teach them. They could never figure out how each piece moved." Chu Dong’s last elephant was finally taken out. A bit deflated, he grabbed the cigarette pack from the table and pulled one out.

"I finally get it." Li Youlan rolled her eyes, nearly fainting. He didn't even know what a blocked horse leg was, yet he dared to teach foreigners. Not only was he misleading others, but he had also managed to build up such strong self-confidence—that was quite an achievement. Only someone with his level of narcissism could find pleasure in being abused like this, and it was truly impressive how he managed to amuse himself amidst the ignorance of foreigners.

"I must be really unlucky. This person must be a master-level player. Why on earth are they targeting me? I just don't get it." Chu Dong had been killed four times in a row, the shortest game lasting only a minute and a half. This time, he got smart, changed seats, clicked "ready," and prepared to start again.

Soon, someone sat across from him. After just two moves, Chu Dong was depressed to find that the opponent was the same player as before.

After another miserable defeat, Chu Dong stood up and gave a sheepish smile to Li Youlan, who was dozing on the sofa behind him. "It’s mostly because I haven't had breakfast yet, and it's noon now. Aren't you hungry?"

Li Youlan was too lazy to even look at him; she waved her hand, signaling him not to bother her.

Chu Dong felt a bit embarrassed. He had thought he was pretty good at chess, but why was he performing so poorly today? Could it be that the locals were improving too fast, and he had been surpassed after not playing for a few years?

He stepped out of the house, looked at the silver-gray Audi parked in the designated spot on the lawn, and decided against driving. He hailed a taxi and headed toward the New Mart in the Development Zone.

He grabbed a quick bite to satisfy his empty stomach and then ran to a bookstore.

To his surprise, the bookstore was well-stocked. There were "The Bible of Chess," "Brilliant Matches from Chess Cups," "Classic Individual Chess Matches," and many more—a dazzling array of titles.

Chu Dong now had a preliminary understanding of his own skill level. After flipping through them, he felt all of these books would be useful. He even grabbed beginner books like "The Final Kick: Essential Chess Attacking Techniques." The cashier, who had initially ignored him, thinking he was just another person there to browse for free, was overjoyed when he bought so much. The service was enthusiastic, and they even gave him a large bag to carry his haul.

Carrying his spoils, Chu Dong took a taxi back to the villa.

Li Youlan had abandoned her enthusiasm for training Chu Dong; she had stayed up too late talking with Tan Xue last night and had gone back to sleep. Chu Dong sat in the empty hall and began to study the secret manuals he had bought.