Liu Ye'er returned to the front of the carriage, and Han Yuling asked with a puzzled look, "Whose gravestone is that?" Liu Ye'er originally wanted to answer, but suddenly remembering that her identity was merely that of an illiterate country girl, she had no choice but to give up. Stammering, she replied, "I don't know."
Han Yuling looked at Liu Ye'er suspiciously; she felt that this country girl was hiding some unknown secrets. However, she did not probe deeply. After all, Liu Ye'er harbored no ill intentions, and her heart was kind. Relying on years of experience, Han Yuling could perceive Liu Ye'er's simplicity and sincerity. She softly said, "Get in the carriage."
Liu Ye'er obediently boarded the carriage, her heart still filled with unease. Liu Cunxiu handed her some dry rations and said with concern, "Ye'er, eat up." Liu Ye'er ate a little in a hurried manner, but her mind remained unable to settle. The name on that gravestone kept echoing in her mind, refusing to fade away.
In the ancient town, a carriage rolled leisurely by, bringing with it tranquility and prosperity. By the roadside, familiar peddling cries drifted through the air like an alluring song: "Huarong Dao, one copper coin a play, win five taels of silver as a prize." Liu Ye'er, a young and spirited girl, was instantly drawn to the sound. Her eyes flashed with anticipation and determination; she knew this might be her chance to change her destiny.
"Mother, stop the carriage," Liu Ye'er called out to the woman driving. Han Yuling slowly brought the carriage to a halt by the roadside. She turned her head, looking at Liu Ye'er with an inquiring gaze. "Ye'er, what is it?" she asked gently.
A trace of firmness and anticipation flashed in Liu Ye'er's eyes as she said to Han Yuling, "Mother, give me one copper coin, I want to play Huarong Dao." Han Yuling looked at her, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. She knew the temptation of Huarong Dao, but she understood even better that indulgence in games erodes one's ambition.
"Only once," Han Yuling said, looking at Liu Ye'er sternly. This was not out of stinginess, but because she did not want to see Liu Ye'er sink into it and lose things of greater importance. Liu Ye'er understood Han Yuling's concern and nodded firmly, accepting the single copper coin.
She got down from the carriage and walked toward the Huarong Dao stall with anticipation and excitement. Five taels of silver—what a huge reward that was! Moreover, she believed she had the ability to win it. Liu Ye'er had already seen those five taels of silver beckoning to her, and her heart was filled with hope and confidence.
Ten game boards were lined up in a row. Liu Ye'er stepped lightly up to one of the empty boards. Her eyes gleamed with a unique brilliance, as if she were gazing into a world full of wisdom and challenge.
She asked softly, "Boss, do you really give five taels of silver if I win?" The stall owner nodded and replied, "That's right. As long as you win, this silver ingot is yours." Liu Ye'er smiled slightly, took a copper coin from her waist, and gently placed it before the stall owner. "I'll play once."
Her gaze was firm and steady, resembling a tactician in complete control of the overall situation. In her eyes, that copper coin was not merely a wager, but a symbol of victory and her first step toward success.
Liu Ye'er did not have much interest in playing games; she preferred immersing herself in the world of thought and strategy. In her original world, her boyfriend Li Geng was particularly fond of puzzle games, and he was enthusiastic about teaching Liu Ye'er, acting just like a rigorous teacher.
Under Li Geng's guidance, Liu Ye'er had learned many puzzle games, and her mind had grown sharp and flexible. Now, feeling grateful, she decided to start right here, using her wisdom and strategy to embark on her new life.
As time passed, passersby were drawn by this quiet yet passionate game of wits and gathered around.Reply with only the corrected sentence. Among them, Wang Xiaoyan (Wang Xiaoyan) also stepped down from the carriage and stood quietly by Liu Ye'er's side to watch.
The stall owner had not initially taken Liu Ye'er seriously, but as the game progressed, he suddenly discovered that this seemingly ordinary young girl possessed astonishing intelligence. Every step she took was orderly, projecting an air of complete confidence.
Liu Ye'er had already moved Cao Cao forward a great deal on the board, coming not far from the edge—approaching step by step, now just a hair's breadth away from the finish line. A flash of worry appeared in the boss's eyes, and he began to fret over the five taels of silver he was about to lose.
However, Liu Ye'er did not panic because of this. She remained calm and collected, skillfully moving Cao Cao off the game board and loudly proclaiming, "I won!" Then, she snatched up the five taels of silver placed beside the board and prepared to leave.
The boss hurriedly called out to stop her: "Don't leave." Liu Ye'er turned back in confusion and asked, "Is something the matter?" The boss smiled and proposed, "How about we play once more?"
A flash of understanding crossed Liu Ye'er's eyes, and she asked with a smile, "Could it be that you lost the silver and now want to renege on your debt?" The boss quickly denied it: "Of course not. I just want to change the way we play. If you lose, you leave behind five taels of silver; if you win, I'll give you an extra ten taels."
Liu Ye'er smiled faintly, seeing right through the boss's intentions. This boss clearly couldn't bear to part with those five taels of silver and wanted to use this method to try to recoup some of his losses. For Liu Ye'er, this was undoubtedly a challenge, but she did not flinch. As a gaming expert, she had supreme confidence in her skills.
A confident smile blossomed on Liu Ye'er's face. Looking at the stall owner, she boldly declared, "Fine, let's play then. What do you want to play?" The stall owner, a middle-aged man, responded mysteriously, "Come with me." The stall owner arranged for someone to watch the stall, then led Liu Ye'er and Han Yuling inside the house.
Several people walked into the room behind the stall. Inside sat three oil barrels of different sizes: a small one holding three liters, a medium one holding seven liters, and a large one holding ten liters. Pointing at them, the stall owner introduced, "These are three oil barrels—the small one holds three liters, the medium one seven liters, and the large one ten liters. You just need to divide the ten liters of oil in the large barrel into two equal portions of five liters, and you win."
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Liu Ye'er looked at the stall owner with a firm gaze and said, "Alright, it's a deal. Get the silver out first, so that when I win, you won't be without silver to pay up." The stall owner then fetched two five-tael silver ingots and placed them on the table.
Since the oil barrels were quite large, Liu Ye'er asked Han Yuling to help pour the oil. First, they used the ten-liter barrel to fill the seven-liter barrel, and then the seven-liter barrel was used to fill the three-liter barrel. Next, the oil inside the three-liter barrel was poured back into the ten-liter barrel, and the seven-liter barrel was poured into the three-liter barrel. One liter of oil remained in the seven-liter barrel, while the oil from the three-liter barrel was poured back into the ten-liter barrel, leaving the three-liter barrel empty.
At this point, the ten-liter barrel already contained nine liters of oil, and the one liter of oil in the seven-liter barrel was poured into the three-liter barrel. Afterward, the oil in the ten-liter barrel was poured into the seven-liter barrel again, and the oil in the seven-liter barrel was poured into the three-liter barrel. The three-liter barrel became full, and at this moment, exactly five liters of oil remained in the seven-liter barrel.
The final step was to pour the oil from the three-liter barrel into the ten-liter barrel, leaving the ten-liter barrel with five liters of oil as well. Having finished all this, the stall owner was dumbfounded. He had studied this puzzle for a long time to figure out its secrets, yet this young girl right before his eyes had solved it correctly on the very first try.
Liu Ye'er tucked the two silver ingots into her bosom and said indifferently, "I won, let's go." Heartbroken to the extreme, the stall owner hastily shouted, "You can't leave!" Liu Ye'er raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have some new trick up your sleeve?" The stall owner signaled his subordinates with a look and then retrieved an item from the cabinet. Looking closely, Liu Ye'er saw that it was a set of Nine-Linked Rings. Her heart sank slightly; she had heard of these Nine-Linked Rings—they were mechanisms notoriously difficult to solve. Yet, maintaining a calm exterior, she shook her head indifferently: "I don't know this thing."
She did not want to appear too knowledgeable in front of Han Yuling, as that would not match her identity. Seeing this, the stall owner regained some confidence and said, "This is the Nine-Linked Rings. If you can untangle it, I will award you thirty taels of silver; if you cannot untangle it, you leave behind fifteen taels of silver."
Before his voice had even faded, the stall owner heavily slammed thirty taels of silver onto the table. Without wasting words, Liu Ye'er took the Nine-Linked Rings and began figuring them out. Although dismantling the Nine-Linked Rings was quite troublesome, Liu Ye'er knew what she was doing.
Half an hour later, Liu Ye'er successfully unlocked the Nine-Linked Rings. The stall owner was struck dumb with astonishment, while his heart felt as if it were being carved by knives. He looked at the silver on the table with a pained expression, thinking of the wager just made, and could not help feeling a wave of regret.
At this moment, a middle-aged man slowly walked into the room. His build seemed slender, but his eyes were as clear as the stars in the sky. He keenly noticed the untangled Nine-Linked Rings on the table and said to Liu Ye'er standing opposite him, "You were the one who untangled the Nine-Linked Rings, weren't you?"
Liu Ye'er smiled lightly and replied, "Yes." The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment before proposing, "Then let's play one more game, and this time there is an even greater benefit." A trace of confusion flashed in Liu Ye'er's eyes; she had no idea what this middle-aged man was up to.
She lowered her head to ponder for a moment, then looked up and resolutely said, "I am leaving, I don't want to play anymore." However, the middle-aged man did not seem ready to give up. He sincerely requested, "Play one more time. If you lose, I will not make any demands, and you may leave freely. But if you win, I will present you with a special gift."
Inwardly, Liu Ye'er felt suspicious, but since he made such a promise, she decided to play one more round. With Han Yuling acting as her backing, she was not afraid of them plotting anything malicious. Thus, she resolutely agreed, "Fine, let's play one more time."
The middle-aged man ordered someone to carefully set up a Go board. Black and white pieces were clearly demarcated, intertwining with one another, revealing a beauty of order amidst the chaos. Seeing this scene, Liu Ye'er's eyes flashed with mischief and provocation. She understood this middle-aged man's request—he wanted her to revive the black pieces. The middle-aged man said, "Can you bring these black pieces back to life?" Liu Ye'er hurriedly shook her head.
Liu Ye'er knew full well what her Go-playing level was; she was the one who knew best. In her past life, when playing Go with Li Geng, she would take back her moves at every turn, leaving Li Geng alternately laughing and crying. Once, when the situation became entirely irretrievable, she even disregarded her image by covering the board with her hands, stubbornly refusing to let Li Geng drop his piece, which infuriated him to no end. In the end, Liu Ye'er could only appease his wounded heart by taking him to bed.
Knowing that Han Yuling also played Go—and surely at a level much higher than her own—Liu Ye'er said, "Mother, why don't you give it a try?"
Han Yuling did play Go, and her skill was far superior to Liu Ye'er's. However, she was already advanced in years and had long lost the competitiveness of her youth. She looked at the board, pondered for a long time, and finally shook her head. "I can't do it." She had already seen the plight of the black pieces; even if she possessed the ability to revive them, the probability of winning the game was still not high.
Relieved of the pressure of losing the game, Liu Ye'er prepared to launch her final challenge. She concentrated intensely, observing every single detail of the board. Yet, the main dragon of the black pieces was already surrounded and unable to move. The white pieces seemed impregnable, and the prospects of turning the game around appeared hopeless.
Just as Liu Ye'er felt at her wit's end, she recalled Li Geng's Go-playing experiences: when falling behind, one must find a way to disrupt the situation and snatch victory from the chaos; when ahead, one should keep things concise and minimize errors. As for difficult moves, one could set them aside for the moment and turn attention elsewhere.
In *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, Xuzhu broke a deadlocked puzzle by playing a seemingly suicidal move. Liu Ye'er decided to make a desperate gamble and temporarily ignore the black dragon. She took a deep breath and dropped her piece.