School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

"Fine!" Elder Li sneered, saying, "I'll hold back a step, is that okay?"

"Hehe." Xiao Han chuckled and then said, "That's more like it. But next, I'm going to capture your horse."

As he spoke, Xiao Han picked up the pawn in his hand, jumped over the opponent's soldier, and directly captured the other side's horse.

"You!" Elder Li's face darkened immediately. He hadn't expected that as soon as his chariot moved, the opponent would seize the opportunity to capture his horse. He was dumbfounded, staring in disbelief. But the horse had already been taken by Xiao Han, and all he could do was sigh and say, "Alright, it's just a horse. I don't need it. I'll capture, too!"

Saying this, Elder Li immediately displayed his cannon. Xiao Han's horse that had crossed the river was captured by Elder Li.

The battle between the two erupted fiercely, quickly pushing the fight to a climax.

After a fierce battle, both of Elder Li's chariots, two cannons, and a horse were sacrificed. He was left with only one horse guarding his general on his own turf. Meanwhile, both of Xiao Han's chariots and cannons had crossed the Chu River and Han Border, ready to strike Elder Li a final blow.

Elder Li was also prepared to defend; taking the opponent's general was the most challenging part. After all, the opponent wasn't a fool, and one careless move could result in a deadly trap in the game. Moreover, Elder Li was inherently a defensive player. To snatch his general from his board was not an easy task.

Xiao Han thought carefully for a moment. He quickly came up with a plan, pushed his cannon forward, and moved directly into the opponent's knight's range. Elder Li was just about to capture Xiao Han's cannon. However, he soon realized that Xiao Han had set up a double cannon. If he captured Xiao Han's cannon, the one hidden behind would immediately swallow his knight.

Though he destroyed the opponent's one cannon, his last Crossing River piece would be utterly useless, meaning he would lose the game.

Old Master Li could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger, concentrating all his energy on defense.

Xiao Han's lips curled into a sinister smile, and he coldly said, "Elder Li, are you turning to defense so soon?"

"Boy, don't think you can defeat me," Elder Li sneered back. "Don't forget, I am a master of defense. You shouldn't dream of breaking through my defenses."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Hehe..." Xiao Han chuckled and said, "That's not certain, General!"

Xiao Han moved his chariot forward, directly capturing the opponent's bishop that was right in the middle. Behind Xiao Han's chariot was a dark, menacing cannon. If Elder Li destroyed Xiao Han's chariot with another bishop, Xiao Han's cannon could charge forward and annihilate Elder Li's general.

Seeing this, Elder Li hurriedly moved a 'Guard' piece up. He barely managed to block Xiao Han's attack.

Unfortunately, Xiao Han's offensive moves followed one after the other. One by one, Elder Li's pieces were annihilated by Xiao Han. Soon, his positions were completely destroyed. The situation became extremely awkward. All of Elder Li's pieces were swallowed, leaving him with just a 'bare pole commander.'

"Haha, Old Man Li, you have your day, don't you?"

"Bare pole commander, haha, what a joke!"

The surrounding elders watching burst into laughter, leaning back and forth.

"Enough, I'm done!" Elder Li threw his chess piece down and said, "This is so embarrassing, turning me into a bare pole commander, something that hasn't happened for many years. You little jerk, torturing me like this, definitely no good. It angers me to death."

"Hehe, Elder, you're taking it easy on me," Xiao Han chuckled.

"Get out of here!" Elder Li snorted coldly, but he quickly laughed and said, "Xiao Han, I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a few years, your chess skills have improved so much. Didn't you secretly practice at home for a while?"

Xiao Han was stunned, his body shaking slightly. He also deeply felt the change in his body. Although he used to be very good at chess, he couldn't possibly have beaten Elder Li so quickly in such a short time? It was too incredible. Logically, if one hadn't played chess for a long time, their skills wouldn't regress but couldn't possibly improve either.

Yet, his chess skills had obviously improved significantly.

After a long thought, Xiao Han couldn't figure it out. However, this might be related to the recent changes in himself. Up to this point, Xiao Han still hadn't understood why such a series of changes had happened to him. Could all this be just a dream? If it was just a dream, he would be devastated.

"Xiao Han, you have passed our community's preliminaries, and next week, we will go to the Municipal Committee for the competition," a community staff member informed Xiao Han.

"Yes!" Xiao Han nodded.

Afterward, Xiao Han left the community activity center. A bunch of old men watched Xiao Han, and soon, within Fuxing Community, a rumor emerged that Old Man Li had been reduced to a bare pole commander by Xiao Han. It quickly became a topic of laughter.

Just as he came out of the activity center, Xiao Han saw a charming voice looking around from a distance.

"Yang Lu?" Xiao Han exclaimed in surprise.

"Xiao Han!" Yang Lu was overjoyed; she quickly ran towards Xiao Han, like a bird ready to take flight.

Yang Lu was dressed beautifully, wearing a knitted shirt that reached her knees, paired with black leather pants, and a white knitted hat on her head, pure and lovely. Though her clothes were inexpensive, they did not detract from her charm. This made a few young men riding by on their bikes salivate.

"How did you know I live here?" Xiao Han asked, puzzled.

"I asked Li Dapang," Yang Lu giggled. "But I didn't know which building you live in, so I just asked my way here."

"What do you need from me?" Xiao Han asked curiously, looking at Yang Lu.

"The fast-food restaurant on the pedestrian street has confirmed its transfer," Yang Lu said seriously. "I talked with him—the transfer fee is 200,000, and the monthly rent is 8,000. The contract still has a year and a half to go. What do you think?"

"The transfer fee is too expensive," Xiao Han frowned and said, "Can we press it down a bit?"

"That's a prime location," Yang Lu replied. "The transfer fee isn't expensive at all. And the rent is already very cheap. He's eager to sell, which is why he's offering it at the original price, otherwise..."

Xiao Han thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's go talk to him now."

"Alright," Yang Lu nodded.

They immediately took a taxi to the pedestrian street.

The first shop at the corner of the street was the fast-food restaurant, bustling with people and many diners. If not for the owner being in urgent need of dealing with something, he probably wouldn't be transferring such a booming business. If he put up a transfer sign, it likely would immediately attract many competitors.

However, the owner wanted to leave quietly, not wishing to create a stir throughout the city.

Yang Lu led Xiao Han into the restaurant.

The owner was handling the spatula, dressed in a cheap suit, not looking at all like the owner.

"Old Li," Yang Lu called out.

"Yo, Yang Lu," the owner greeted her with a chuckle and said, "So? Did you make up your mind?"

"I brought my boss over to talk to you," Yang Lu said with a sweet smile.

The owner liked Yang Lu's sweet smile, which is why he gave her such a low price.

Both parties exchanged smiles, and at that moment, Xiao Han was assessing the restaurant. He found the place truly excellent, not only was it well-located, but the space was also decent. Over a hundred square meters, and the rent was just over 8,000—a real bargain. Initially, when the owner took it over, he signed a three-year contract.

It was the second year now, with another year and a half to go—absolutely the best choice. However, Xiao Han did not reveal his thoughts, quietly concealing his inner opinion.

The owner put down his spatula and handed it over to an assistant.

He took off his jacket and pulled out a pack of Zhonghua Cigarettes, offering one to Xiao Han.

"Old Li, this guy doesn't smoke," Yang Lu laughed. "His name is Xiao Han."

"Pleased to meet you," Boss Li chuckled.

Xiao Han smiled slightly and said, "I might as well call you Uncle Li. I'm not used to calling you Boss Li."

"Sure, sure," Boss Li nodded.

"Uncle Li, I really admire you, a successful business," Xiao Han said enviously. "I've heard from Yang Lu. Impressive."

"Haha…" Boss Li laughed heartily, enjoying the flattery—everyone likes to hear good things. Boss Li was successful in business and had a happy family. This time he decided to emigrate entirely, so he straightforwardly decided to liquidate all his domestic assets and buy abroad. Boss Li said, "You flatter me, look at you, so young. By the time you're my age, you might be even more successful than me."

"Uncle Li, let's get straight to the point," Xiao Han said. "I want to take over this shop."

"I already discussed it with Yang Lu," Old Li began. "The transfer fee is 200,000, and the rent is 8,000."

"About the transfer fee…" Xiao Han said awkwardly, "Can it be less?"

"This…" Old Li showed a look of difficulty.

Yang Lu quickly interjected, "Old Li, Xiao Han is just starting his business, and his startup capital is limited. You're a major boss and not lacking money, so you could reduce it a little."

"Alright, since Yang Lu asked, I'll give you some face," Old Li softened immediately. "Take it for 180,000 then. But I can't reduce the rent."

"Deal," Xiao Han said, making the decision on the spot to avoid any further complications. Xiao Han immediately called Li Dapang to bring the money, while Yang Lu went to a print shop to print the transfer contract—she knew her way around these matters.

Li Dapang rode his motorcycle, braving the harsh cold to get there.

As it was past the banking hours, he could only hurry over with his card, which had over two million. When he reached the spot, he jogged all the way, his nose and face turning red from the cold. He arrived panting and asked, "Xiao Han, what's the rush this late?"