Few in Heaven's Pier know where Wang Dayan came from, which is reasonable. He was born into chaos and has spen…
Few in Heaven's Pier know where Wang Dayan came from, which is reasonable. He was born into chaos and has spent much of his life on the run. A man whose family is torn apart has no roots to speak of. Now that he is fortunate to find a quiet corner of peace, why ask about his past?
But everyone has a past. Wang Dayan came from Luoyang. He has known Ye Buxiu since they were young, studied at the same academy, and learned Chinese chess from the same teacher. From the moment he first touched a chess piece, Wang Dayan was hooked. On the board, strategy ruled, emotion was banished, and he could pretend he was a king, sharp, unshakable, and in control. But it was only ever pretense because he could never beat Ye Buxiu, which drove him mad.
Back then, Chinese chess was all the rage in Luoyang. Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty worshipped force and had little patience for contemplative games like Go. But chess was different, full of the thrill of battle, echoing the clash of armies he knew so well. In his spare moments, he often played a few rounds for amusement. So, when the palace set out to recruit an Imperial Chess Attendant, they looked for the most brilliant minds in the country. Wang Dayan applied and, as expected, was eliminated. But what stung wasn't the defeat itself. The victor lacked sportsmanship, sneering at him afterward. And the worst part? Ye Buxiu was there, watching it all unfold.
Then Ye Buxiu applied, too! He walked up, and took Wang's previous seat, choosing the opponent that had just humiliated him. Without breaking a sweat, Ye Buxiu won, returning every insult the man had thrown, word for word, tone for tone. Was Ye Buxiu... actually avenging him?
"Well... maybe he's not all bad," Wang Dayan thought, grudgingly.
Then Ye Buxiu stood, walked to him, and clapped him on the shoulder with a look of "admiration" and sympathy that made Wang want to slap him. "Sometimes," Ye said, "I sincerely admire your 'persistence'."
"Ye—Bu—xiu!" Wang Dayan ground out his name like chewing on gravel. He took it all back: Ye Buxiu really was that unbearable.