Xiao Tao's immature "Hello, Grandfather" echoed in the solemn living room, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Lu Tianxiong - the Old Buddha of the Lu family - still sat motionless. The string of rosary beads in his hand slowly stopped.
He did not look at his grandson. His sharp, eagle-like eyes... were examining An Luowei.
It was not the scrutinizing gaze of an elder looking at his daughter-in-law.
It was... deeper than that. As if he was seeing through her soul.
Weiwei felt an invisible pressure, even more terrifying than the Board of Directors. She instinctively pulled Xiao Tao closer to her, shielding her.
Lu Beichen took a step forward, blocking in front of the mother and daughter. "Grandfather." His voice turned cold. "They are your people."
A warning. Even towards Old Master Lu, he would not let anyone bully his wife and children.
Only then did Lu Tianxiong move his eyes away. He looked at his grandson.
"Good." He said, his voice hoarse, but full of authority. "Finally know how to bring your wife home."
He pointed to the rosewood chessboard in the middle of the room. "Sit down here. Play a game of chess with me."
Not an invitation. But a command. Aimed at... An Luowei.
"Grandpa!" Lu Beichen frowned. "She doesn't know..."
"I didn't tell you." Old Master Lu interrupted, his eyes still fixed on Weiwei.
Weiwei was stunned. Playing chess? She didn't know how to play Go! This was clearly a "show of strength"!
She looked at Lu Beichen, her eyes pleading for help. But he was also helpless.
She looked down at Xiaotao again. The boy was looking up at her, his big round eyes filled with trust.
Weiwei took a deep breath. The pride of the Flower God rose.
She couldn't back down.
"Okay." She said, her voice steady. "I'll talk to you."
She gently removed Xiao Tao's hand. "Xiao Tao, come sit with Dad. Mom will play chess with Grandpa."
Xiao Tao obediently nodded.
Wei Wei walked over and sat down opposite Lu Tian Xiong. The chessboard was black and white, clearly demarcated.
Lu Bei Shen stood beside her, his heart hanging in the air. His grandfather's chessboard wasn't just a chessboard. It was... a formation.
"Granddaughter, I'll go first." Old Master Lu said.
Wei Wei shakily held a white chess piece. She knew absolutely nothing about the rules. She just... placed a random move.
Old Master Lu smiled, a deep and unfathomable smile. He placed a black piece.
They began to play.
Wei Wei moved the chess piece instinctively. Her moves were naive, without any strategy.
Old Master Lu moved his chess pieces leisurely, but each move was like a siege, slowly tightening.
In no time, all of Wei Wei's white pieces were surrounded by the black pieces, forced into a corner, with no way to escape.
Lost. Lost miserably.
Lu Beichen frowned even tighter. Grandfather... what exactly did he want to do?
"Granddaughter." Old Master Lu suddenly spoke. "What do you think of this chess game?"
"Grandfather... I lost." Wei Wei was honest.
"Lost?" The old master laughed. "Take a closer look."
Wei Wei looked back at the chess board. Surrounded in a corner, but... even though surrounded on all sides, the white pieces still gathered together, not in chaos. They formed a shape... like a flower trying to bloom.
A flower... surrounded by ice and snow (the black pieces).
Lu Tianxiong pointed at the black pieces. "This is 'imprisonment'."
Then he pointed at the white pieces. "And this... is the 'freedom' in despair."
Imprisonment... Freedom...
These words... are exactly the same as what she said in the Tinh Nguyet presentation!
He... knows?
"Granddaughter." Old Master Luc's eyes suddenly became sharp. "Thirty thousand years ago, there was also a chess game like this. A young Emperor... because of a second of hesitation, lost his most beautiful flower."
"Tell me, is that Emperor... blameworthy?"
BOOM!
Wei Wei's mind exploded.
He... he knows! He knows everything!
The Luc family... is not an ordinary family!
She suddenly raised her head, looking at Luc Thien Hung, her eyes filled with panic.
Luc Bac Than was also stunned. "Grandfather! You..."
Luc Thien Hung did not pay attention to his grandson. He only looked at Wei Wei.
"I ask you, Flower God." His voice echoed, carrying the pressure of a Supreme God. "Have you... forgiven him?"
Her identity... was completely exposed.
Wei Wei trembled. She looked at Lu Bei Shen, who was also looking at her, his eyes filled with worry.
She took a deep breath, looking back at the Old Master.
She picked up the last white chess piece.
She did not put it inside the encirclement.
She put it... outside.
A suicidal move. But... it broke the game.
"Sir." She said, her voice calmed down.
"The Emperor... is not wrong."
"The one who was wrong... was the stupid fairy, who did not trust the person he loved enough."
She stood up, bowing deeply.
"Wei Wei... has returned."
Lu Tian Xiong looked at her. After a long while...
He burst out laughing.
"Good! Very good!"
The terrifying pressure disappeared. He returned to being a kind old man.
"As expected of a Northern God Realm person that my family has waited for thirty thousand years! What a spirit!"
He stood up, walked over, and instead of holding Wei Wei's hand, he... picked up Xiao Tao.
"My eldest grandson! Come here and let me hug you!" He laughed loudly. "Good boy! Very good boy!"
The game... was over.
She... had passed the test.