Go: Is the portable old man the nine-time champion?

Chapter 268 The Ending Battle
Inside the Yunyi Chess Academy, several buses were parked on a specially cleared asphalt road. Children dressed in brightly colored sportswear were filing in, their chattering, childlike noise filtered through the glass, leaving only a muffled but cheerful background sound.

Yi Zheng seemed to spot a round-faced little boy in the crowd. A small plastic chess piece pendant hung from the crooked zipper of his collar. He was accidentally pushed by his companions behind him, stumbled, and almost fell, which drew laughter from his friends.

A girl with pigtails was clutching a yellowed leather checkerboard bag tightly in her arms. Her fingernails were almost white from the force she was exerting. Her face was tense and serious, but her eyes were sparkling with curiosity and longing.

Another child sat in the corner of the car, looking at the building with an air of superiority, his eyes filled with an arrogant disdain for everything.

"Are you going to participate in the junior competition?"

Yi Zheng stood by the window, looking down at the group of children boarding the bus in the open space below, and suddenly recalled something from a long time ago.

The National Youth Elite Tournament is a competition open to children under the age of twelve. It brings together children from all over the country, with the main purpose of nurturing young players and expanding Go education for children.

Yi Zheng recalled that he seemed to have participated in that competition when he was a child. It was a round-robin tournament, and he seemed to have won the championship back then. That was a highlight of his childhood.

Fragments of memories are wrapped in amber-colored time. When viewed from a great distance, even the excitement becomes somewhat distorted, leaving only a yellowish "completeness" that has been focused on by a camera lens.

To avoid players being harassed by reporters again during today's matches, the chess academy has kept reporters outside the building and created a special safe passage for two people to enter directly.

After all, there have been instances where chess players were harassed by reporters and couldn't get away, causing them to be late for the game. It's unthinkable that this would happen in a final like this.

"Teacher Yi Zheng, aren't you coming in yet?"

Seeing Yi Zheng constantly peering out the window, a staff member couldn't help but cautiously offer a suggestion.

He had been watching the top chess player gazing out the window, lost in thought, for several minutes. As time drew near, he finally couldn't help but call out to remind him.

Yi Zheng paused, glanced at his watch, and looked away from the group of "childhood silhouettes" trapped in the bus outside the window, turning to the staff member in front of him: "There are still five minutes, no rush."

"Is my senior brother getting impatient waiting inside?"

The staff recalled Yun Linglei's state while sitting inside; he seemed to be completely immersed in the curve of the chair back, like a meditating monk with no distractions.

Yun Linglei has so much competition experience that it's impossible for him to have any major problems with his form.

"No, not at all." The staff member shook his head slightly and replied with certainty, "Teacher Yun... seems quite at ease."

"Hmm." Yi Zheng glanced at the bus disappearing around the corner on the asphalt road downstairs, just like his lost childhood: "If we go in too early, we won't know what to say. Let's wait a little longer."

After a moment of silence, Yi Zheng continued, as if talking to himself, "The Asian Cup...it seems like it's about to start soon, isn't it? Time really flies..."

Time is like a runaway donkey, not only causing the stationmaster's prostate to frequently rebel, but also causing countless heroes and great men throughout history to bow down, with no one able to rein in its rampaging pace.

The staff member nodded silently: "Yes, the first phase will be held in Siam the week after next."

The Asian Cup is also listed as one of the nine major tournaments in China, and many Chinese chess players believe it is the championship they have the best chance of winning.

Because it is not only held every two years, but also has a comprehensive preliminary competition, so everyone really has the opportunity to participate.

In China, getting a chance to participate in events like the Asian Games and the Olympics is harder than winning a title, let alone winning a championship.

The Asian Cup is like a door of hope that is not completely welded shut, yet still glimmering with light.

Therefore, many Chinese chess players put in their best effort at the Asian Cup, because it was arguably their biggest chance to win a national or higher-level championship.

The energy that many people mustered at that moment was a surging force that combined a desperate gamble with the possibility of a life-changing turn.

"I've never been to this place, but I remember when I was little, TV stations often showed dramas about this country. They were all about flight attendants and stewards, which seemed rather abstract." Yi Zheng didn't like watching those kinds of family dramas, but his grandmother seemed to really like them. When he was little, Yi Zheng didn't have control over the TV, so he could only wait for his grandmother to leave and switch to cartoons whenever she wanted.

The scene that impressed Yi Zheng the most was a wealthy family in a TV series who lived in a villa and had servants, yet they couldn't bear to turn on the air conditioning in the summer...

When Mr. Ke heard this, he shook his head. Although he had been to all sorts of countries because of Go activities, he had never been to this one.

However, I once encountered a child from this country when I participated in a competition. After the competition, I reviewed the game with the child, which became a trending topic.

Mr. Ke didn't seem to care much about this. Not to mention that reviewing the game is an essential part if both sides are willing, he was already used to it, whether he won or lost, so he was already numb to it.

"Time is up."

Yi Zheng glanced at his watch and entered the competition venue in the last minute.

Hearing the door open, Yun Linglei, who had been resting with his eyes closed, also opened them.

Yi Zheng walked straight to his own competition table, which contained the black chess set and his nameplate. He pulled out the heavy wooden chair and sat down.

The two players were seated a meter apart on a chessboard, with the chessboard stretching across them like the Chu River and Han Border.

Looking at Yi Zheng, who had walked over and sat down opposite him, Yun Linglei smiled and said, his eyes carefully scanning Yi Zheng's face as if searching for any possible signs of fatigue: "Did you oversleep?"

Yi Zheng shook his head upon hearing this: "No, even if I overslept, it's impossible to sleep until noon."

"What are you saying? Isn't it normal to sleep until noon? As long as you don't set an alarm, it's normal to sleep until night."

Upon hearing Yun Linglei's words, Yi Zheng was at a loss for words. What on earth were you working on in the middle of the night? How could you sleep so long at night?

Thinking of all the rumors he had heard, Yi Zheng could only shake his head: "Senior brother, you should keep it to yourself."

There's an advertising slogan that goes something like this: it's always after overwork that you feel better.

Yun Linglei didn't care at all: "I've always been healthy since I was a child, you know? Every time I play a game of Go, no matter if I win or lose, I always play the full game."

Yun Linglei didn't say anything. Whether it was a title match or a best-of-three series in various major tournaments, no matter what the final result was, the only constant was the process—he almost always had the ability to drag the game into the final battle!

Opinions on this matter are polarized: one side sincerely admires Yun Linglei's unwavering tenacity, as if beyond his chess skills, he possesses an innate instinct to fight to the death; the other side views it coldly, believing that this is precisely because his chess skills are not top-notch, and he will never have that decisive, all-or-nothing aura, only able to find a glimmer of hope in a long, drawn-out battle.

Yun Linglei's intention in bringing this up before the match is quite obvious: he will only advance to the final game if he wins the second game.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zheng simply smiled and said, "Senior brother, this method of attack... is really too tiring!"

“This time…” Yi Zheng’s voice suddenly took on a sharp edge: “I have to help my senior brother break this ‘curse’.”

Break the curse of "always dragging to the final round"? Yi Zheng's subtext is self-evident: he will end the battle in this round! Without leaving any room for retreat!
"When-when-"

Just then, the staff gently rang the ancient bronze bell hanging on one side of the chess room.

This signifies the official start of the second game of the match.

Almost simultaneously, all smiles vanished from their lips. They exchanged a knowing glance, a look filled with understanding, respect, and an unspoken, sharp edge of fighting spirit.

PS: Please give me your monthly votes, brothers!

(End of this chapter)