Mr. Sullivan took advantage of this, but just as he was about to win, he made another unexpected move to turn things around, always keeping the situation in a state where he wanted to win but couldn’t, appearing to have many flaws but none that could be exploited. It’s like a young woman teasing your desires but never letting you get close—truly unbearable.

　　As a result, he was unwilling to let go and lose, focusing on attacking others, yet unable to make further progress, dragging out the entire game, so to speak, being dragged down by a mess.

　　As for the Changsha side, their original intention was to embarrass him, and with one win and seven losses, he lost all face. However, upon reflecting afterward, he would realize the problem lay with himself and wouldn’t suspect any kind of scheme.

　　Everyone admired him greatly. That night, they drank and celebrated, having a great time, but after everyone left, his son asked him again, “Dad, how did you do it?”

　　Old Sullivan laughed heartily and said, “It was the Tian Ji horse race strategy.”

　　It turned out that at the time, everyone was in separate rooms, so people weren’t clear on who was who. That one game of minister chess was actually played by the other seven people together, while the other seven games were played by Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan’s chess skills were inferior to that person’s, so if it had really been one against eight, he would have certainly lost. But by using this method, the combined strength of seven people was definitely greater than one, tying up most of that person’s attention, while Mr. Sullivan launched fierce attacks without worrying about losing a game or two, and also took advantage of that person’s divided focus, so in the end, he won all seven games.

　　No one noticed anything throughout the whole event, and there were no flaws. Mr. Sullivan set up the game, broke the game, and played chess, finally brushing off everyone’s questions. Every step was almost flawless, showing the depth of his intelligence and the cunning of his strategy.

　　Volume Two: On Terrain

　　001 About the First Journey

　　Looking back now, I’ve traveled to quite a few places—from Shandong, to Hainan, then to Shaanxi, and then to the Northeast, and now I’ve arrived in the great Northwest of China. Along the way, I was always on the move, rarely having the chance to truly slow down and appreciate the local customs and scenery. But what comforts me is that I took a lot of photos and made many doodles along the way. Looking at them now, I can still recall the feelings I had at the time.

　　The trip from Hangzhou to the Guazimiao in Shandong was entirely planned by me. For this, I lost over ten thousand yuan. At the time, I thought of it as tuition; my anticipation of going into an ancient tomb made me lose my usual shrewdness. It wasn’t until I got the shopping bill that I realized I had actually been set up by my Uncle Harris.

　　Supplies Prepared:

　　Shopping List (copy from Uncle Harris’s notebook):

　　　Name　　　　 Quantity

　　──────────────

　　　Luoyang shovel heads　　 5

　　──────────────　　　　　

　　 Climbing rope 200 meters

　　──────────────

　　Large Lind machete 2

　　(thickened)

　　──────────────

　　 Small axes 3

(under 2.5 jin each)

　　──────────────

　　 Mountaineering backpacks 5

　　──────────────

　　 Smokeless stoves 9 cans

　　(solid fuel)

　　──────────────

　　Outdoor jackets XXXL×1, XL×2, M×2

　　 Threaded steel pipes 50cm each, 20 pieces

　　(needs processing, with attached blueprints)

　　──────────────

　　 Tiger-head pipe shotguns 4

　　(needs to be shortened)

　　1. Long-distance bus: Departure station Hangzhou North Bus Station

　　 Jinan 14:30 Regular 1026, Upper berth 295 yuan, Xuzhou, Tengzhou, Qufu, Tai’an, Jinan, Hangzhou North Station, 5 tickets

　　 Luggage consignment: ask Master Li to help with security check. Fee: 1500

　　2. Upon arrival in Jinan, call 13045354354 Xintailai Car Rental Company (north side gate of the long-distance bus terminal). Fee: 6000.

　　 Medium-sized minibus, just the number of seats my license allows me to drive. Damn, that old fox Uncle Harris even saved the money for a driver.

　　 That night: Jinan Litian Grand Hotel, reserved two standard rooms, one with an extra bed. 300 + 350 = 650. Estimated 6 hours to Guazimiao.

　　 Memo: Need to prepare a national highway map of the area around Jinan.

　　002 Guazimiao

　　There are two explanations for why Guazimiao is called Guazimiao.

　　The first is a local legend: In ancient times, a great general returned victorious, seizing many treasures. When he reached this place, an epidemic killed many of his horses, and he couldn’t take the treasures with him. So the general opened a kiln to melt gold, cast the treasures into gold pieces shaped like melon seeds, and threw them into the local river, ordering that no one was to retrieve them. If even one gold melon seed was seen in the market, the entire village would be wiped out.

　　Because this general was highly accomplished and held great authority, no one dared to fish out the gold melon seeds after they were thrown into the river. Over time, the gold melon seeds were gradually buried by river sand. When dynasties changed, people who had heard the legend came to search for the gold melon seeds. To deter these greedy people, the local villagers built a statue of the general near the river, which indeed scared off the troublemakers. Later, to commemorate this event, they built a temple on the general’s statue, calling it Guazimiao.

　　The temple itself has long since disappeared, but the name Guazimiao has been passed down.