At the same time that Brother Biao was taking care of his hair, the western suburbs shipyard.

The old man finished telling Tang Shan the story passed down by word of mouth in his family, but he gave Tang Shan an unexpected and desperate ending: the two preserved 700-year-old chess game fragments were destroyed by his own hands.

Tang Shan listened to it and was stunned for a long time. He originally believed in the authenticity of the old man's story, but this unexpected ending pushed the story back into nothingness. Tang Shan couldn't help but despair.

Tang Shan smiled bitterly at the old man: "If you ruin those two endgames, you are actually ruining a piece of history." ”

After speaking, he let out a long sigh: "I'd better send you to the hospital quickly, you bleed too much." ”

The old man lay still, shook his hand, signaled that he didn't have to go to the hospital, and then said with a wry smile:

"When I was convinced of this story, I guessed that there must be other people in this world who also believed in this story. Now it seems that my guess was not wrong. ”

Tang Shan interface: "Meaning, you are afraid that one day someone else will come to snatch the endgame, so you will simply destroy them in advance?" ”

The old man nodded: "That's right, this is the best way to protect yourself from interference." ”

Tang Shan groaned: "But have you ever thought that if the endgame is ruined, you won't be able to prove the truth of this story to the world." To others, it doesn't even count as a story, it can only be regarded as nonsense, just like the local chronicle editorial office did to your father's letter. ”

The old man smiled: "Silly boy, before that, I didn't plan to prove the truth of the story to others. I didn't even intend to tell anyone about this secret history. ”

Tang Shan was stunned for a moment: "What is the truth of this?" ”

The old man smiled again: "You are sometimes extremely smart, and sometimes you are too simple. Don't you understand? Because I had too much selfishness at that time. ”

This time, Tang Shan understood: "You memorize the chess game and the way to move in your mind, and after destroying the broken pages, there is no second person in the world who knows how to open the legendary 'Jinding Palace'." ”

The old man smiled: "Think about it, there is a fantasy palace in this world, but you are the only one who has the secret method of opening the door, how enjoyable is this?" ”

Tang Shan sneered: "In other words, what you are really afraid of is not that others get the scraps of the chess game, but that others get involved in this hidden history, to be precise, you are afraid that others will find the 'Jinding Palace' before you." ”

The old man nodded, and then sighed: "In fact, for more than 700 years, my family has kept the two chess games secret, and it can be regarded as deliberately hiding this history, but unfortunately, the descendants of the family have not had much talent for chess, or it may be that the more they come later, the more they doubt the authenticity of this story, so they don't want to spend time studying the endgame, so no one has passed this game of chess for seven hundred years." More than 700 years later, I not only believed in the story, but finally got through the game, and although it took decades, I still think that it was providence, and that God had placed the burden of solving the mystery of history on my shoulders. ”

Tang Shan sighed: "So you think that this secret history can only belong to you alone?" ”

The old man nodded again and acknowledged, "That's exactly what I thought when I destroyed the broken pages. ”

Tang Shan: "However, according to what you said, there were a total of 40 games in "Jade Silk Golden Ding" back then, and you only went through the first game, and you are still far from solving the mystery." Moreover, in the other dozens of rounds, it is a question of whether there is still a problem in the world. ”

Old man: "Chess is a thing that sometimes knows everything. I started with the basics and studied for 30 years before I got through the first game, but less than half a year after that, I got through the last game of 'Riding Alone' that my family had saved. The specific footwork is written in the second half of the paper I gave you on the first day. ”

Tang Shan: "So your confidence is inflated, and you think that if you encounter other chess games, you can get through in a short period of time?" ”

The old man said with certainty, "That's right." At that time, I also thought that even if there were no other dozens of games in the world, as long as I could successfully enter the Jinding Palace, I would be able to act at the opportunity, at least I would not make low-level mistakes in the endgame. ”

Tang Shan smiled: "In the years that followed, you have been looking for the whereabouts of the 'Golden Ding Palace'?" ”

The old man sighed: "I am willing to live on the streets and make a living by selling counterfeit medicines because I have a belief and a goal in my heart. ”

Tang Shan asked, "What is the result?" ”

The old man smiled miserably: "There is no result." There were no clues at all for years. Only then did I realize that only the two endgames of 'entering and exiting' the door were far from enough, and it was likely that in other chess games, there were hints about the whereabouts of the 'Golden Ding Palace'. ”

Tang Shan asked: "So you regret it?" ”

The old man sighed: "It's not just regret, it's just painful." Back then, my ancestors had already made a mistake by dismantling the entire "Jade Silk Golden Tripod" and scattering it among the people; Now that I have destroyed even the last two fragments, if this history is drowned out, I will become a sinner of my family and even my nation because of my own selfish thoughts. ”

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope rose in Tang Shan's heart, and he said slowly with a deep groan:

"I guess, when you wrote down the two endgame moves, did you still leave a copy of the endgame from memory?"

Old man: "As time went by, I still believed in the truth of that story, but I had serious doubts about my own abilities, until later, I knew that it was impossible to solve this mystery in my life, so I became more and more afraid. I'm afraid that after my death, the matter will be drowned in obscurity. So, a few years ago, while my memory was still clear, I reproduced the two endgames and wrote down the specific moves in detail to pass them on to those who were destined to be talented. In the end, I chose you. ”

Tang Shan was overjoyed: "You gave me the specific way to move." What about the two endgames? Where is it hidden? ”

Old man: "It's on me." ”

Tang Shan was dissatisfied: "Don't be kidding, it's really on you, when they pressed you to the bridge the day before yesterday, they had already searched for it; What's more, they came to copy it again yesterday and went home. ”

The old man smiled: "It's really on me." It's in a place that no one else would ever think of. You can't find it just by searching. ”

Tang Shan was a little angry: ", right? With your ragged clothes, you can't even hide an embroidery needle, how can you hide two chess games? ”

The old man still laughed: "Silly boy, why do you only think of hiding things in your pockets?" Taking a breath, he stretched out his hand and ordered Tang Shan, "Help me sit up." ”

Tang Shan was a little confused, and while helping the old man up from the ground, he thought, I want to see how you hide two pieces of paper on your body so that the unscrupulous street hooligans can't find it.

The old man sat against the wall and began to untie his coat, taking it off and throwing it to Tang Shan.

Tang Shan caught the clothes, and he didn't care about the sourness and bloodstains, so he couldn't wait to check everywhere, looking for every seam, even every yarn hole, and there was no trace of paper.

The old man took off his underwear and underwear again, and Tang Shan made it in the same way, and searched carefully, but there was still no trace. At this time, the old man sat face to face with Tang Shan with his bare and skinny upper body. Tang Shan was stunned for a long time before he sighed and slowly expressed his dissatisfaction in his heart:

"You're just fooling me."

The old man grinned again: "If you can find it like this, others will find it a few days ago." ”

Tang Shan spread his hands: "Then how should I find it?" ”

The old man did not answer, and turned away slowly. Tang Shan looked at the old man's back, and realized that he had been thinking wrong from the beginning, he had been looking for paper in his clothes, and the so-called chess game, in the form of its existence, was not one or several pieces of paper. No wonder no one else can find it, and he can't find it.

Two endgames, one up and one down, tattooed on the old man's back. It is clearly displayed on his severely wrinkled old skin.

Tang Shan was dumbfounded, forgetting to speak, and even forgetting to breathe.

This time, it was the turn of the old man to be dissatisfied: "Stinky boy, what are you doing stupidly?" Find a pen and paper and write it down. I wasn't stabbed to death yesterday, and now I'm naked, I'm going to freeze to death. ”

Tang Shan was startled, and immediately rummaged around in the broken house, and finally found a piece of brown paper that was not too big or small, but there was no pen, and in desperation, he had to find a piece of charcoal that had not been burned out in the place where he had just cooked outside. Then, according to the chess game on the old man's back, he carefully traced it.

It's been a long time. The old man put on his clothes again with difficulty, turned around and took the paper in Tang Shan's hand, and after confirming that the chess game was correct, he solemnly returned it to Tang Shan, and suddenly ordered coldly:

"Now, you can go."

Tang Shan was taken aback again: "I'm leaving, what should you do?" ”

The old man was still cold: "You go yours." Leave me alone. ”

Tang Shan shook his head and said, "No, I can't leave you here alone, I have to take you to the hospital." ”

The old man sighed, and his tone was no longer cold: "Silly boy, don't be stubborn. I told you when you first came that I was terminally ill and didn't live long; I was stabbed again yesterday, and if you hadn't arrived in time, I would be a corpse by now. There is no point in going to the hospital at all now. ”

Tang Shan still sat still. The old man continued: "Have you ever thought that once you send me to the hospital, it is a trivial matter that you can't afford to spend money and can't cure the disease, and people will find out about the chess game with the tattoo on my back? Then, the main messenger behind the two gangs yesterday will definitely not give up, and when the time comes, they will not be looking for me, but you. ”

Tang Shan still didn't move.

The old man smiled bitterly: "You go quickly, let me fend for myself, and leave me with the last bit of dignity." ”

Tang Shan saw that the old man said so resolutely, and knew that no matter what he did, it would be useless. Besides, I really have a weak heart, and I can't do anything at all. I had to slowly stand up and retreat to the door. Just as he was about to step out of the door, he suddenly remembered something and asked:

"You can't do it yourself if you tattoo a chess game on your back, it must be through another person. Well, there is at least one other person in the world who has seen these two endgames. Could the two groups of people who came yesterday get the message from this person? ”

The old man denied: "Impossible. The tattoo artist back then was a young man, and he didn't know how to play chess at all, so it was impossible to remember the chess game after seeing it a few times. In addition, yesterday the two gangs clearly claimed to be looking for the fragments, that is, they did not know that the chess game was tattooed on my back. ”

Tang Shan was silent and continued to retreat.

The old man watched him retreat, and suddenly became cold again:

"After leaving, remember four things: first, you don't know me and have never seen me; Second, cherish your life, don't spend too much time on chess games and stories like me, and solve puzzles by talent and providence; Third, if you encounter unsolvable trouble in the rivers and lakes of Fenglin Town, you can take the chess game you just wrote down and go to South Street Scarhead, and he may be able to protect you temporarily; Fourth, if I'm not mistaken, the Jinding Palace exists somewhere in this town. ”

Tang Shan was just about to speak. The old man turned around and lay down, with a gesture of rejecting people thousands of miles away. Tang Shan knew that it would be useless to ask anything more, so he slowly turned around and left.

After taking a few steps, the old man's last words came from behind Tang Shan:

"No matter what happens, don't look back."

After a long time, Tangshan was already two miles away from the shipyard in the western suburbs, and from the old man's residence, a sky-high fire broke out. In a few moments, the entire shipyard was drowned in a sea of fire.

Tang Shan remembered the old man's admonition and did not look back.