Vũ Bắc Nguyệt was the young lady of the largest Thương Hải Group in Nam Đô. She was not only beautiful but also kind-hearted. Every winter, she would travel to the border region of Nam Đô, adjacent to Nam Giang, to do charity work in a small, poor mountain village called Phù Mộng Village.
Phù Mộng Village was a remote mountain area, home to refugees and the poor. The lives of its residents were very difficult, lacking both material and spiritual necessities. Vũ Bắc Nguyệt regularly sent people to provide food and support. Every year in winter, she would personally come to distribute food, quilts, and warm clothes to children and the elderly.
The villagers, bringing their children, came out to the charity distribution point and received warm clothes, food, and even money. Everyone had a warm smile on their faces. They were overjoyed because this year they wouldn't have to endure the bone-chilling cold when it snowed, and they had enough food to survive this icy winter.
All the villagers in Phù Mộng Village received warm clothes and delicious food. However, there was one place where miserable people received neither food nor warm clothes. Instead, they were constantly subjected to physical and mental torture: the human chess arena called Vọng Bắc, hidden high up in the mountains of Phù Mộng Village.
The Vọng Bắc human chess arena was repurposed from an ancient, abandoned structure. It was built in an arc, following the natural contours of the mountain, so its uneven terrain was carved into steps, which served as seating for spectators to watch the matches.
Inside the arena, there were other functional areas, especially dungeons for holding slaves. This was because centuries ago, it had been a slave arena, thus it contained numerous cells for detaining people, along with ancient and extremely cruel torture instruments.
Because the Vọng Bắc arena was located in a remote, dangerous, and isolated area, it was never developed and remained abandoned. Later, a criminal gang occupied it, transforming it into a human chess arena – an utterly inhumane form of entertainment, yet the wealthy were willing to spend money to gamble and amuse themselves.
It was called an inhumane form of entertainment because each chess piece position was occupied by a slave. While two people sat and played chess, the slaves would move themselves across the large chessboard drawn in the center of the arena. However, once a piece was captured, it meant the slave occupying that position would truly die. Those who came for amusement and gambling were all cold-blooded, cruel individuals with no pity whatsoever for the poor, miserable slaves.
The individuals referred to as slaves in the Vọng Bắc arena were children and adolescents aged 6 to 20. They had all been kidnapped by human traffickers and sold to this arena.
Today, another chess match was taking place at the Vọng Bắc arena, with many participants. The slaves living in the arena were all young people with harsh fates, constantly beaten, never eating enough, never dressed warmly enough, and always facing death, which could come at any moment.
A young man, trembling, sat in a dark corner of a cell. A burly-faced man entered and loudly ordered, “Today’s your turn to fight, A Sở. You’ll be the rook on the red side, you brat.”
A Sở wore a set of tattered, filthy clothes, so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable. His hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in old and new wounds, overlapping, making him look utterly pathetic.
Hearing his name called, A Sở was terrified. He spoke weakly, “I just went to the arena yesterday, please spare me.”
The man, A Duo, as soon as he heard this, grabbed a long leather whip and lashed it hard across A Suo's body, then glared and roared, "Are you giving *me* orders, you brat? It's true that each of you goes into battle once a week, but lately, most of the slaves under my command have died, and I haven't found replacements, so the rest of you have to work even harder, understand? I don't have extra money to feed you so you can rest. Get out there, quickly, and don't waste any more of my time!"
Having said that, A Duo dragged A Suo out to the arena, pushing him into the position of a rook on the red side. The other slaves, looking equally miserable, were no better off than A Suo; they were already standing all over the chessboard.
A Duo cheerfully announced, "Esteemed guests, today's chess match is between Old Master Sun and Old Master Xia. You may place your bets on who will be the victor."
Those with a gambling addiction eagerly rushed to place their bets. Meanwhile, Old Master Sun and Old Master Xia sat tapping their feet, looking completely at ease, even though this chess match could cost many others their lives.