"Hehe. It seems that your Vermilion Fire still has moments where accidents happen, doesn't it. Just like when you're cooking… It appears you haven't cooked for yourself in quite a long time, have you."
"Is doing this now considered making an exception for me?"
As Rover spoke, he had already popped a soup dumpling into his mouth.
After all, among the pastries before him, he was most interested in these soup dumplings.
It was soft upon entering the mouth. Although there were slightly burnt spots, it didn't affect the texture.
Moreover, there was a rich, milky aroma. Tasting it now… he felt he might understand why this was Jinhsi's favorite food.
It was most likely because of this sweet and rich milky scent.
"Indeed, due to the burden of the Vermilion Fire, Changli's culinary skills have always struggled to improve."
"If it doesn't suit your taste, simply leave it be."
Changli did not answer Rover's question directly, which was very much in line with her character.
One was full of schemes, and the other liked to play games of roundabout words.
"How could that be. I think the taste is actually quite good."
Rover shook his head with a smile. Although the flavor couldn't be considered a masterpiece, it certainly wasn't bad by any means.
Plus, since it was handmade by Changli, that naturally added quite a few points.
Thinking back to his past life, it hadn't been easy to encounter a character like Changli who moved his heart so much…
If he remembered correctly, the character who moved him this much before Changli… seemed to be Jinhsi.
And now, meeting her in reality, that stunning figure was naturally far more perfect and flawless than the character in the game.
"Hehe. You really are… a person Changli cannot see through."
"I wonder if you would have the interest to play a game of Go with Changli?"
Changli smiled gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke, and then waited for Rover's response.
Proactively handing over the power of choice like this was indeed very rare for Changli.
From this, one could also see the special status Rover held in her heart.
"Play chess? Interesting… Then I'll play a game with you."
Rover was stunned for a moment. Originally, due to his amnesia, his chess skills were obviously not as exquisite as they were in the past.
But the current him possessed memories from his past life… Knowing he had been paralyzed for so many years, he had plenty of time to study various chess games on the internet.
And that unfinished game of Changli's, if he remembered correctly… seemed to be the "Longevity Tribulation," which corresponded to the meaning of Vermilion Fire answering to Longevity.
Sure enough, right after Rover agreed, Changli began to set up the board.
When it was set, it was exactly as he had imagined, without any deviation. This meant that to some extent… he was playing against her while holding the answer key.
Changli also adjusted her sleeves and took her seat, her gaze sweeping over the chessboard before looking at Rover with a smile, noting that his eyes had been fixed on the board.
She immediately asked with some curiosity:
"You have stared at this game for three quarters of an hour. Is it that you cannot calculate the killing move, or you cannot see through the variables?"
Rover was stunned upon hearing this, then let out a soft chuckle.
"Killing moves are easy to solve, variables are hard to predict… Look at these black stones like the tide, and the white stones like stars—the tide can swallow the stars, yet starlight can also erode the night."
As he said this, Rover tapped the chessboard lightly with his fingertip.
"But if you flip the chessboard, the tide and the stars—which of them are not pieces for the player?"
In truth, while they spoke of chess, it was clear that Changli wanted to know if this person was the one she had been bitterly waiting for.
Upon hearing Rover's words, her golden pupils trembled slightly, highlighting the unrest in her heart at this moment.
"Flip the chessboard… Flip the chessboard? You certainly dare to think… This seems different from the rumors about you."
"Furthermore… in this chessboard of the world, those who hold the pieces consider themselves extraordinary, using the common people as pawns. But have they ever asked if the pawns are willing to be pawns?"
By saying this, Changli had already indicated she had no heart for playing chess right now.
Because her chessboard was originally this world, and what she wanted to win was never the board before her eyes… but a peaceful and prosperous era for the world.
Rover didn't rush to reply. Instead, he casually picked up a black stone and let it slide from his palm.
"In my memories of the past, I once saw an old farmer. He didn't know the name of his city lord, yet he remembered that during last year's autumn harvest, the government office left him an extra thirty percent of grain seeds."
"Tell me, does this count as a pawn having its own thoughts?"
After listening to Rover's words, Changli fell into a brief silence.
Rover smiled faintly and spoke again, telling another story.
"I also remember a time when a child used a rusty copper coin to buy candy. He said it was a lucky coin his father brought back from the battlefield."
"But I felt that true luck is… when one day, children no longer need to treat copper coins as protective talismans."
At this moment, Changli's heart trembled violently. She looked at Rover with a complex expression, seemingly wanting to see if the two stories he told were actually true.
However, these two stories were indeed fabricated by Rover himself, but the meaning within them was real.
The old farmer represented the foundation of a country, while the child represented the future…
The old farmer could still remember the good of the state even without knowing who the city lord was.
And the child would no longer need to treat any object as a protective talisman, pinning their spiritual hopes upon it.
If that could truly be achieved… then the world would surely be at peace.
"Look at the lights of Jinzhou City; they will still shine tonight. And the sun will rise as usual tomorrow."
Rover spoke again. As he reached this point, he turned his back to Changli… letting the night wind blow his clothes until they flapped loudly.
Whether he found this amusing or wanted to leave a deep impression on Changli's heart was unknown.
In any case, at this moment, he slowly turned around with an emotional gaze… his burning eyes locking with Changli's.
"The chess game can be reset, history can be rewritten—as long as someone remembers… peace should not be a gift for the few, but a right for everyone."
These words caused a most brilliant light to appear before Changli's eyes.
It was also at this moment that Changli became certain her master was not wrong… and the person she had been waiting for was the one right before her eyes.
Only this man in front of her could achieve the sentence he had spoken… Peace should not be a gift for the few, but a right for everyone.