Man on the ark, forced to become king

After downing three large jars of wine, Ling was clearly drunk, and Lin Lu wasn't much better off. She felt dizzy and saw that the people in front of her had split into several groups, swaying and making her feel irritable.

Upon hearing this order, he immediately clenched his fist as well.

"make!"

The young man who called himself the second brother froze on his face with a smile and instinctively backed away, only to be blocked by the closed door of the private room behind him.

The next second, two fists came flying through the air and struck his eye sockets with perfect accuracy.

Chapter 164 You Set the Plans, I'll Unfold the Chessboard

Bang!

Two powerful punches landed squarely on the man's eye sockets, sending him flying backward. He crashed through the door and plummeted down the stairs, knocking over a row of tables and chairs below.

However, the people coming and going downstairs seemed like a mirage, and the Second Brother still managed to walk through them. Only the tables and chairs were overturned, and everyone ignored them.

"What a disappointment! I finally had a good drink, and then I ran into you."

With a casual toss, the wine jar, still partially empty, landed steadily on the table.

Let's stop here for today.

Her pale red eyeshadow trembled slightly, reflecting the blue and purple light in her eyes, which were now filled with a swirling light. There was no trace of drunkenness in them.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, time and space shifted, the scene of the restaurant faded without a trace, and the distant mountains and rivers were scattered. In the blink of an eye, the world had changed.

Layer upon layer of clouds, a clear blue sky, inside a dilapidated pavilion, a wine gourd carved with dragon patterns has somehow reappeared hanging from a waist, and a weathered dragon-patterned lamp staff has materialized in mid-air, falling to the ground and overflowing with glittering light.

"Third Sister, these eighteen peaks are still as beautiful as ever."

After being punched twice, the second brother's eyes were blackened, but he didn't seem to care, nor was he surprised by the sudden change in space.

He sat down at the stone table covered with messy papers, appearing gentle and refined.

"Otherwise what? I'm used to being idle, what changes could I possibly make? It's you who's bored again, coming here to have some fun?"

He ordered someone to sit down opposite him, and with a flick of his sleeve, several more stone benches appeared in the pavilion.

"Sit down, everyone. Let me get rid of this guy, and then we can continue our conversation."

"Wouldn't it be unnecessary to be so blunt?"

The second brother shook his head with a wry smile, as if he had remembered something. He took out a scroll from the sleeve of his long robe and gestured towards the sullen Xi.

"Xi, I've recently painted another great picture. Want to take a look?"

"Is this a chick eating rice, or a bald rooster? I'm not falling for your tricks!"

Xi pouted, disdainfully moved her stone bench further away, and turned her head away.

"Don't look at me like that. I have nothing to say to you. Don't bring up your dirty business with me."

Xi was like this, and Nian also looked very disgusted. As soon as he saw his second brother looking over, he hurriedly moved a stone bench to Xi's side.

The two sisters were surprisingly in agreement on the matter of disliking their second brother.

“We came to visit your sister, what are you doing here? With you here, who knows what kind of mess you’re going to make of Shangshu City. What bad luck.”

"Do you really think I'm that annoying?"

"..."

Nian and Xi glanced at him without saying a word, but their expressions were quite clear.

Lin Lu found this scene quite amusing.

Although they claim to be gods, these fragments of the Year Beasts have ultimately been tainted with a lot of humanity. When they interact, their arguments and bickering are no different from those of ordinary people.

"Isn't that obvious?"

Ling spoke out Nian and Xi's thoughts, and sneered, "You learned Nian's forging, Xi's painting, and my carefree ways, but you've become a complete jack of all trades and master of none. You can't even speak appropriately, and you're clueless about romance. You still expect them not to dislike you?"

"Which young master's body did you borrow this time? Don't ruin it and cause trouble. I won't take responsibility for you."

"You've misjudged me this time. This body was supposed to die of illness, but I gave his family a life of wealth and honor in exchange for this human form. It wasn't something I forcibly took."

The second brother answered with a smile, which immediately surprised him.

"You would be so kind?"

"Life is like a game of chess; who can truly understand it? The joys and sorrows, the ups and downs of ordinary people, even I find them fascinating. Manipulating them is like placing pieces on a chessboard; there's no inherent good or bad in it."

"Mortal, mortal, do you really think you're a god? If you're so capable, go to Yumen and act tough with your big brother. Why are you bullying ordinary humans to show off your abilities?"

"No thanks. I'm afraid he'll capture me and lecture me while beating me. It's not worth losing a clone for nothing, not worth it at all."

When the eldest brother, who lives far away in Yumen, was mentioned, the second brother waved his hand repeatedly.

Different road non-phase plan.

Today, he and his elder brother have nothing more to say to each other. They have gone down different paths, and they have already said everything that needed to be said.

"Forget it, arguing with you about this is pointless. Tell me, what brings you here to ruin my drinking party?"

Ling did not intend to waste any more words on this issue.

These siblings each have different ideas, and none of them can convince the others, so it's best not to say anything more. There's no point in arguing any further.

"To be honest, I came here today specifically for this Mr. Lin."

The second brother's gaze shifted and landed on Lin Lu, who was standing by the pavilion gazing at the scenery below the mountain. A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Grand Tutor will be arriving in Shangshu soon. Playing chess with him these past few years has become somewhat tedious. I wonder if Mr. Lin would be willing to play a game of chess with me?"

"I?"

The topic suddenly shifted to herself, and Lin Lu turned around, shaking her head subtly.

"I can't play chess, let alone compete with others. I would probably embarrass myself."

"It's alright, it's alright. The chessboard is nothing more than a small microcosm of the world. This game is not about winning or losing, right or wrong. It all depends on one's mind. The Grand Tutor has a very high opinion of Mr. Lin. I just happened to be passing through Shangshu and came here to see Mr. Lin's demeanor."

"So you've seen it now? Please leave."

Lin Lu didn't have any particular feelings about this suddenly appearing second brother. If she had to say, her first impression of him was not very good, so she was too lazy to play with him.

He is different from Ling. When Ling sits there, he gives people a sense of ease and freedom, like an old friend who has not seen each other for many years, and it is very comfortable to be around him.

This second brother... reminded Lin Lu of someone—Judge Baizhi.

He is deep in thought, calculating, and considers himself extremely intelligent, believing he can calculate everything under the sun and has everything under his control.

Little did they know that in some people's eyes, they were the epitome of stupidity and wickedness, and utterly annoying.

"..."

The second brother was taken aback, his smile faded, and his gaze became deep and unfathomable.

"Does Mr. Lin mean he's unwilling to give me this face?"

"Give you face? Why should I give you face?"

Lin Lu looked at him with a strange expression.

Who are you? Who do you think you are?

You want me to give you face? You have no face whatsoever!

If the Year Beast were to revive and personally stand here, it would hardly be qualified to engage in equal dialogue. But it is merely a fragment; where does it get such courage?

I really don’t know what to say.

If it weren't for the fact that the three sisters dared to speak like that, I would have kicked them long ago. Did they really think that I, Lin, was easy to talk to?

They must have never seen a fist the size of a sandbag, or been beaten by a golden tree.

"Hehe, Mr. Lin certainly thinks too highly of himself."

Upon hearing this, the second brother's face darkened completely.

His palm landed on the table, and an invisible force emanated from his palm, crushing all the messy poems and papers on the table to shreds, revealing a clean tabletop.

"...You came here on purpose to cause trouble, didn't you?"

His eyes twitched, and he gestured with the dragon-patterned lantern in his hand, looking his second brother up and down, as if he was thinking about where to start.

"Third sister, don't make a fuss. You still don't understand the ways of the world. People's hearts are unpredictable. It's best to write less poetry in the future."

"..."

In an instant, the weather changed dramatically. The clear blue sky changed color because of Ling's change of mind, and dark clouds suddenly filled the sky.

She was really angry.

"Sister, please calm down, please calm down."

"Yes, yes, don't get angry because of this jerk, calm down, calm down."

The eldest sister, who was usually easygoing and carefree, was really angered. Nian and Xi quickly grabbed one of her arms and gently comforted her.

They still remember that these eighteen peaks are not too far from Shangshu City, still within the mortal realm. To get angry and cause turmoil might even attract the attention of the Celestial Master's Mansion at the Suitai Terrace. It's really not worth it.

"Mr. Lin, in my opinion, you absolutely must play this game today."