Qi Xia led the six people behind him to the far left end, then reached out and twisted the doorknob.
The door looked light and flimsy, easily pushed open with a nudge.
Everyone cautiously peered inside. Beyond the door was another corridor, not very long, and they now stood at one end, looking toward the other side.
The left wall of the corridor was bare, a tall expanse of white, while the right wall had another row of doors.
These doors were painted red, spaced about three to four meters apart, totaling five in all.
Chen Junnan peeked inside and nodded. “So this is our ‘preparation zone’?”
Uncertain of the situation, the group stepped into the corridor. Once everyone was inside, the black door behind them slammed shut with a loud *clang*.
Qi Xia took a few steps forward, stopping in the middle of the corridor. He noticed an old electronic screen on the left wall, displaying a crude pixelated image of a swaying balance scale.
He reached out and touched the screen. The texture felt similar to the device used earlier for “selecting generals”—it seemed capable of writing.
Directly above the screen, embedded in the wall, was a square black metal plate, roughly the size of a standard tablet. On it were five characters:
**”Phoenix Book-Carrier Platform.”**
Qi Xia touched it. The surface was cold, its purpose unclear.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ‘Cangjie’s Chess.'”
A hoarse, static-filled voice crackled through the air. The group looked up—the walls here were high, with no ceiling visible.
Far above, a loudspeaker hung in the darkness, the source of the voice.
“For the next two hours, you will be playing a game in my arena,” Earth Dragon said, gripping a walkie-talkie. “First, the victory conditions—within two hours, the first side to collect twenty-eight ‘characters’ wins. If neither side achieves this by the time limit, the number of ‘characters’ each side has formed will be weighed on the balance scale, and the side with more ‘characters’ will be declared the winner.”
“Collect twenty-eight characters…?” Neither Chu Tianqiu nor Qi Xia immediately grasped the meaning.
“Legends say ‘Cangjie created characters,'” Earth Dragon continued. “But in reality, Cangjie organized and restructured the commonly used characters of his time into his own system. It’s said he once wrote down ‘twenty-eight characters.’ Now, you must follow in his footsteps.”
As the words faded, the black metal plate labeled “Phoenix Book-Carrier Platform” in front of Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu shifted slightly, then slowly opened like a safe, revealing its contents.
Qi Xia reached in and pulled out a jingling cluster of metal objects.
The others gathered around, examining the items—they resembled keychains or necklaces, each with a unique pendant shaped like a character.
Qi Xia separated them—seven chains in total, each with a distinct “pendant” resembling a word.
Upon closer inspection, the characters were:
**”Soldier,” “Cannon,” “Chariot,” “Horse,” “Minister,” “Advisor,” “Commander.”**
“Huh…?” Chen Junnan and Han Yimo gasped in unison.
“Isn’t this just the pieces from Chinese chess?” Chen Junnan grabbed one of the chains, noticing something unusual.
Some characters were whole, while others were split into parts.
For example, “Horse,” “Chariot,” and “Advisor” were each carved from a single piece of dark-gray metal.
But “Cannon,” “Minister,” and “Commander” were divided by their radicals—still on the same chain, but separated.
For instance, “Cannon” had “Fire” and “Wrap,” while “Minister” had “Wood” and “Eye.”
The most peculiar was “Soldier,” split vertically into “Mound” and “Eight.” Without careful inspection, one would never guess it formed the character “Soldier.”
Earth Dragon’s voice crackled through the speakers again:
“Both sides should now have your ‘initial characters.’ The commander may freely distribute them. Once the game officially begins, every participant must carry a ‘character.’ Those without one must remain in the ‘preparation zone’ until they receive one, at which point they may enter the ‘battlefield zone.'”
“Freely distribute…” Qi Xia muttered, examining the characters in his hand once more.
“From this point onward, these ‘characters’ are your bargaining chips,” Earth Dragon said. “You may seize ‘characters’ from anyone, engage in ‘wagers’ freely within the ‘battlefield zone,’ or use any means necessary to take the opponent’s ‘characters’ for yourselves. We’ve prepared various ‘wagers’ and ‘referees’ for you.”
Before anyone could fully process the rules, something shifted above them.
Looking up, they saw Azure Dragon and Earth Dragon leaping onto an unseen black platform, blending into the darkness.
“Hey!” Chen Junnan shouted upward. “Dragon Lady, do we score a point just by getting a ‘character’?”
“Of course not,” Earth Dragon’s voice replied. “Only the ‘commander’ can score. In other words, no matter how many ‘characters’ you collect or what kind they are, they must first be delivered to the ‘commander.'”
Qi Xia raised his head. “Can we exchange ‘characters’ mid-game?”
“No. Only when a ‘character’ is lost can any spares be reassigned to an unarmed participant.”
Qi Xia gave a slight nod.
Earth Dragon continued: “The commander must place all collected ‘radicals’ or complete characters onto the black ‘Phoenix Book-Carrier Platform’ behind you—either by combining them or placing them whole—to earn a point. Note, however, that the ‘preparation zone’ cannot store ‘characters’ once the game begins. The ‘commander’ must distribute all ‘characters’ beyond their own to their subordinates.”
Seeing the group still silent, Earth Dragon added, “Since this is the first run of ‘Cangjie’s Chess,’ both commanders may attempt a trial. Take one of your ‘soldiers’ and place it on the metal.”
Qi Xia furrowed his brow, sensing something crucial in those words.
He snapped back to attention, picked up the “Soldier” character, and brought it close to the black metal. Immediately, a magnetic force pulled “Mound” and “Eight” onto the surface.
The screen beneath the metal flickered, displaying a message:
**”Character prototype ‘Soldier’ received. Please write a homophone.”**
“Homophone…?” Qi Xia frowned.
“As you’ve just discovered,” Earth Dragon explained, “to prevent commanders from exploiting obscure ‘rare characters’ by trial and error, every character written must be one you recognize and can pronounce.”
“Rare characters…” Qi Xia nodded. “I see…”
Qi Xia led the six people behind him to the far left end, then reached out and twisted the doorknob.
The door seemed lightweight and swung open with a gentle push.
Everyone cautiously peered inside. Beyond the door was another corridor, not particularly long, and they found themselves standing at one end, looking toward the other.
The left side of the corridor was a bare, tall white wall, while the right side had another row of doors.
These doors were painted red, spaced about three to four meters apart, with five in total.
Chen Junnan peeked inside and nodded. “So this is our ‘preparation zone’?”
Unsure of the situation, everyone stepped into the corridor. Once they were all inside, the black door behind them slammed shut with a loud clang.
Qi Xia took a few steps forward, reaching the center of the corridor, where he noticed an old electronic screen on the left wall. On it, a pixelated image of a swaying scale was displayed.
He reached out and touched the screen. It felt similar to the device used during the “appointment” earlier, likely capable of recognizing written input.
Just above the electronic screen, embedded in the wall, was a square black metal plate, about the size of an ordinary tablet. On it were five characters:
“Phoenix Book-Bearing Platform.”
Qi Xia reached out and touched it. The surface felt cold, but its purpose remained unclear.
“Everyone, welcome to ‘Cangjie’s Game.'”
A hoarse, staticky voice echoed through the space. Everyone looked up. The walls here were high, with no visible ceiling.
Hanging far above was a speaker, likely the source of the voice.
“Next, you will all participate in a two-hour game in my arena,” Dilong’s voice came through, likely via walkie-talkie. “First, the victory condition: if either side manages to collect twenty-eight ‘characters’ within two hours, they win. If neither side achieves this within the time limit, the ‘characters’ each side has assembled will be placed on the scale, and the side with more characters wins.”
“Collect twenty-eight characters…?” Neither Chu Tianqiu nor Qi Xia immediately understood what this meant.
“Legends say that ‘Cangjie created characters,'” Dilong continued. “But in reality, Cangjie organized and restructured the commonly used characters of his time, forming his own system. It is said that Cangjie once wrote ‘twenty-eight characters.’ Now, you must emulate Cangjie.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the black metal plate inscribed with “Phoenix Book-Bearing Platform” in front of Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia shifted. It slowly opened, revealing its contents like a safe being unlocked.
Qi Xia reached in and pulled out a clattering string of metal objects.
Those around him gathered closer to examine the string. It resembled a keychain or a necklace, with small pendants attached.
Qi Xia separated them. There were seven chains in total, each with a unique pendant shaped like a character.
Upon closer inspection, the characters were: “Soldier” (兵), “Cannon” (炮), “Chariot” (车), “Horse” (马), “Minister” (相), “Guard” (士), and “Marshal” (帅).
“Ah…?” Chen Junnan and Han Yimo gasped in surprise at the same time.
“Aren’t these the pieces from Chinese chess?” Chen Junnan casually picked up one of the chains and noticed something unusual.
Some characters were carved as a single piece of dark gray metal hanging from the chain, while others were split into two parts.
For example, “Horse” (马), “Chariot” (车), and “Guard” (士) were each made from a single solid piece.
But “Cannon” (炮), “Minister” (相), and “Marshal” (帅) were divided into left and right radicals, though still attached to the same chain.
For instance, “Cannon” (炮) had “fire” (火) and “wrap” (包), while “Minister” (相) had “wood” (木) and “eye” (目).
The most peculiar was “Soldier” (兵), which was split vertically into “mound” (丘) and “eight” (八) hanging together. At a glance, it was hard to recognize it as “Soldier” (兵).
Dilong’s broadcast sounded again: “Both sides should now have your ‘initial characters.’ The marshal may freely distribute them. Once the game officially begins, every person must carry a ‘character.’ Those without a ‘character’ must remain in the ‘preparation zone’ until they receive one, at which point they may enter the ‘battlefield zone.'”
“Freely distribute…” Qi Xia muttered, picking up the characters again to examine them.
“In the time that follows, these ‘characters’ will be your chips,” Dilong explained. “You may seize ‘characters’ from anyone, or freely engage in ‘gambles’ within the ‘battlefield zone.’ We have prepared numerous ‘gambles’ and ‘referees’ for you. In short… you may use any method or means to take the opponent’s ‘characters’ and put them in your own pocket.”
Before anyone could fully grasp the rules, they sensed something unusual above them.
Looking up, they saw Qinglong leaping into the air with Dilong, landing on a patch of darkness.
There seemed to be an invisible black platform there, blending into the surrounding darkness.
“Hey!” Chen Junnan shouted upward. “Dragon Lady, does obtaining a ‘character’ count as scoring a point?”
“Of course not,” Dilong’s voice echoed through the broadcast. “Only the ‘marshal’ can score points for each side. In other words, no matter how many ‘characters’ you obtain or what kind they are, you must deliver them to the ‘marshal’ as soon as possible.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia looked up and asked, “Can we exchange ‘characters’ during the game?”
“No. Only when a ‘character’ is lost can extra ‘characters’ be assigned to someone who is empty-handed.”
Qi Xia nodded slightly in understanding.
Dilong added, “The marshal must place all obtained ‘radicals’ or individual characters on the black metal plate behind you, inscribed with ‘Phoenix Book-Bearing Platform.’ They can be combined or placed as a whole to score a point. However, note that the ‘preparation zone’ cannot store ‘characters’ once the game begins. The ‘marshal’ must distribute all ‘characters’ except their own to their subordinates.”
Seeing that everyone remained silent, Dilong continued, “Since this is the first time running ‘Cangjie’s Game,’ both ‘marshals’ may try it once. Pick up your ‘soldier’ character and place it on the metal plate.”
Qi Xia frowned, feeling he had caught something crucial from these instructions.
He snapped back to attention, picked up the “Soldier” (兵) character, and brought it close to the black metal plate. Instantly, he felt a magnetic force as “mound” (丘) and “eight” (八) were吸 attached to the metal.
The display screen below the metal plate flickered and lit up with a message:
“Received character prototype ‘Soldier’ (兵). Please write a homophonic character.”
“Homophonic character…?” Qi Xia frowned.
“As you may have noticed,” Dilong explained, “to prevent the ‘marshal’ from combining obscure ‘rare characters’ to exploit the game, every character written must be one you recognize and can pronounce.”
“Rare characters…” Qi Xia nodded. “I see…”
Without this rule, the marshal could endlessly experiment with existing characters on the screen, combining strange ones like “骉” (a crowd of horses) or “䀠” (to look around). Such characters wouldn’t test knowledge—they’d just be products of luck.
Qi Xia reached out and wrote the homophonic character for “Soldier” (兵)—”Ice” (冰).
After another flicker, the screen displayed:
“Creation successful.”
Qi Xia then wrote the homophone for “Soldier”—**”Ice.”**
After another flicker, the screen displayed:
**”Creation successful.”**
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