The work of the Go master

He continued, "Did you put those game records on the announcement to help him settle some regrets?"

Song Ning didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "After watching his games, what do you know about him?"

"He... is a very kind and gentle person, very resilient. Perhaps he lacks a bit of imagination, or perhaps he lacks a bit of strength, but you can see his dedication to winning and losing."

“I see…that’s quite an accurate description.” Matsunaga Teiko lowered her eyebrows. “But I would add one more word: clumsy. So clumsy that she challenged Harujima Isshin again and again, trying to make cherry blossoms bloom under the peach blossoms.”

"Did he sow all the seeds for these cherry blossom trees?"

“Yes, logically speaking, these seeds should rot away quickly, but he sowed them more than ten years ago, and they are still here more than ten years later, as if they are protected by magic, as if they will really bloom one day.” Matsunade said, looking around as if she were already in a rain of cherry blossoms.

"Was his biggest regret in life that he couldn't beat Harushima Isshin?"

"No, it's that I couldn't play the last game of life with him before I died... So, Mr. Demon Slayer, would you be willing to take Harujima Isshin's place and play this half-life of chess with him?" Matsunaga Teiko smoothed out the wrinkles on her hind legs, sat on a stone bench under the peach tree, and stretched out her graceful fingers as if holding a chess piece.

“Of course, that’s exactly why I came here.” Ke Zhiguang sat down opposite her and also made a gesture as if he were playing a game of chess.

Invisible chess pieces fell along the lines of the halo, and the peach blossoms seemed to come alive.

Small eye, star point, small eye, and another small eye; the four corners are staggered on the spectral board, like the fusion of medieval Go and Japanese Go on the same board.

The terms "worry-free angle," "large flying guard angle," "small point," and "five-six flying attack" are fused together, representing two different fields of terminology.

Time seemed to rewind and rewind, and Ke Zhiguang suddenly saw the past. Long ago, two men were playing a game here, one unrestrained and the other law-abiding, exchanging smiles that seemed to belong to a life-or-death friendship.

Behind Matsunatei, there seemed to be another pair of gentle and kind hands guiding her in placing her pieces.

The night suddenly became cheerful, like in Hayao Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro". Wherever the wind blew, vibrant life bloomed, and the background music seemed to change to Joe Hisaishi's melody.

An incredible thing finally happened: the peach tree sprouted, grew, and glowed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and flourished along with the surrounding grass. Joyful notes flowed through the restaurant, on the steps, and on the desks.

The Peach Blossom Studio was quiet; everyone was asleep. No one noticed the strange, glowing spectacle outside the window, nor did anyone hear the wondrous sounds.

As the chess pieces were placed, peach blossoms fluttered into the intricate game, shattering into clusters of brilliant and captivating pink on the chessboard.

When a peach blossom touches a cherry blossom seed, the cherry blossom begins to grow with a throbbing sensation.

Finally, cherry blossoms, which should never have bloomed, appeared under the peach trees, and the entire chessboard was enveloped in a pink tide.

The last chess piece fell, severing the last cherry blossom and peach petal, and the person behind Matsunaga turned and left with a smile.

"That concludes the discussion." Ke Zhiguang closed the folding fan in his hand.

"Yes, it's all over." Matsunaga Tingko sighed as the light and shadow gradually faded away.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Interrupting the Casting of Murphy's Law!

At one o'clock in the morning, Ke Zhiguang swaggered out of the main gate of Taohuazhai, yawning incessantly.

A cheap, secondhand Toyota was parked on a nearby street. Kiyotaki Ayumi was idly flipping through old magazines, waiting for Koji Hikaru to return.

After seeing Ke Zhiguang come out, he asked happily, "Is everything done for tonight?"

"All done." Ke Zhiguang sat in the back seat, feeling the soreness all over his body.

I had been lying on the peach tree for too long, and my whole body was aching.

After he left through the main gate at 9:30 pm, he immediately changed his clothes, climbed over the wall into the courtyard when no one was paying attention, and then stayed in the peach tree to AFK. But who knew that Miss Song Ning would not show up for a long time.

It took a long time, until after midnight, to finally summon Miss Song Ning.

He could have easily arranged a fight with Miss Song Ning at any time and place, but after thinking it over, he felt it was necessary to emphasize the sense of ceremony and atmosphere. So he devised a scenario where they would meet under a peach tree and immediately engage in combat.

It seems that the desired effect has been achieved; I'm often amazed by my own good looks.

When Koji received the Shinsengumi haori from Sho Nishiki, Koji immediately realized that the man was incredibly perceptive, having instantly grasped the client's underlying needs.

The only downside is... this thing isn't a spiritual object and doesn't provide any special effects; it's really just a regular, high-quality cosplay outfit.

Ke Zhiguang also perceived the dialectic between peach blossoms and cherry blossoms from the very beginning. Peach blossoms are the representative of medieval Go, while cherry blossoms are the representative of Japanese Go. They respectively represent the playing styles of Harujima Isshin and Sugimoto Teikyu. The former crushes the latter, which naturally corresponds to the cherry blossoms that cannot bloom under the peach tree.

In the final game against Sugiki Teikyu, he imitated the style of medieval Go, striving to perfectly embody the character of Harujima Isshin and live up to the name of Momoka.

As he descended, he even felt a slight resonance between the folding fan in his hand and the peach tree, perhaps because the peach tree affirmed his actions and abilities.

The remaining mystery-solving steps will be explained in the mission review card. As a chess player, instead of studying the puzzle here, I should study how to have a most poetic and picturesque game with my opponent in the right setting and at the right time.

In short, in Ke Zhiguang's mind, the long Peach Blossom Studio Scroll had finally come to an end.

Finally, we can return to a normal life rhythm.

"Hey, why do I always feel like you play chess with some weird things every night?" Kiyotaki Ayumu wasn't joking; he was seriously discussing this.

Although he wanted to refute this point, Ke Zhiguang couldn't find any words to refute it.

It seems he really does have the ability to encounter all sorts of strange and monstrous things every night.

Fortunately, the people I encountered this time were relatively kind, and we were able to have a peaceful and romantic time together. If I had run into a tough opponent, it would probably have turned into a dark game, with each of us exchanging blows.

"Tell me, what are you playing chess with this time? Just tell me, I'll believe you." Qinglong patted his chest.

"A hotheaded Japanese Go player."

"Oh? Is it someone like Shusaku or Dosaku?" Kiyotaki Ayumu's eyes immediately lit up, completely disregarding common sense.

"No, judging from the era, he was probably born in the post-war period, very young, but his playing style is modeled after Niko... Besides, this person is already dead, I am playing chess with his spirit," Koji Hikaru said bluntly.

"Tch, it's not like he's some ancient Japanese Go master like Dosaku or Shusaku. At least someone like Jowa would have been fine. Honestly." Kiyotaki Ayumu shook his head and immediately lost interest.

As expected, Jowa was recognized as the weakest of the three ancient Japanese Go masters, and he was persecuted daily.

“To be honest, I’ve encountered mystical things myself, and I was even demoted because of it,” said Kiyotaki Ayumi.

Ke Zhiguang remembered that Manager Lin Ying had also mentioned this matter, saying that Qinglong Bu investigated some things that he shouldn't have investigated, which is why he was demoted.

this.....

I thought he was targeted because he exposed some politicians' corruption and bribery. So, the darkness you exposed refers to this kind of darkness?

"Specifically?" Ke Zhiguang asked curiously.

Although, according to Murphy's Law, once this question is asked, the likelihood of encountering it again is quite high, there's always a reckless impulse pounding in his chest.

"You're not referring to something similar regarding your contract, are you?"

"How is that possible?"

“It’s no trouble telling you. With your skill level, I feel you could handle it even if you encountered it,” Qinglong said. “That happened five years ago. There was a player who wasn’t very strong, but suddenly his skill level improved by leaps and bounds for a period of time. But strangely, during this period, many murders occurred among the people around him, and in the end, this player disappeared as if by magic.”

“Mr. Kiyotaki, shouldn’t this kind of thing be reported by paranormal reporters? You’re practically stealing our jobs.”

"The logic is sound, but since it's a matter centered on the players, I still got involved a bit. As a result, before I could do much research, my professional career was already half over."

Kiyotaki Ayumu continued, "In the end, this matter was suppressed by many forces and became nothing more than an insignificant urban legend..."

"Stop, Murphy's Law ends here. For the time being... at least five months, I don't want to run into any more of these weird things." Ke Zhiguang rubbed his temples, looking like he had a headache.

"Alright, five months is the cutoff time. I think it's the Rising Star title battle. It's said that every newcomer who wins the title will have a great year ahead of them."

It might be a so-called "luck boost" or "buff".

"But unfortunately, this title can only be won once. Unlike other titles, you can't defend your title and challenge for it. The last new star winner was, I think, Bamboo Sword Forger. He's really on fire this year."

this.....

Suddenly, he got lectured by the monk.

Of course, I think I also stepped on it a little bit.

"Next year will be a very special year, as the Dragon Throne Tournament and the Imperial Castle Tournament will be held in the same year."

"Aren't these title battles an annual event?"

"Only minor titles are held annually. For major titles, Moon Goddess is held once every year and a half, Dragon Throne is held once every two years, and Imperial City Chess is held whenever the higher-ups decide."

As Ke Zhiguang mentally calculated the timeline, he suddenly remembered that during his speech at the school gymnasium, he seemed to have made a boastful statement about winning the Yucheng Chess title within a year and a half.

It might actually happen!

Ke Zhiguang turned his gaze to the window. They were now on the elevated highway, and Tokyo was once again dazzling and beautiful.

Today felt exceptionally long. He fought Saito in the morning and then hammered the Four Heavenly Kings in the evening. Just now, he finished the final stages of the battle, but looking back now, he realized that time had passed very quickly.

This road is indeed very far, but it's also very close...

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Time to rub our hands together and open the box again.

The new day is Saturday.

Ke Zhiguang woke up earlier than expected.

Although he played chess all day yesterday, his fatigue resistance has increased significantly recently, probably because he has added a lot of miscellaneous attributes, so he doesn't feel tired much now.

The first thing I do when I wake up is, of course, rub my hands together excitedly and open the box with anticipation. After the mission is over, there will always be a leisurely morning to fill in this scene.

Not only are there mission rewards, but also loot dropped by Saito and the Four Heavenly Kings. If nothing unexpected happens, the chessboard's backdrop has already been stretched into a small tent.

However, it does not.

The curtain on the chessboard was still flat; my first thought was that it had completely burst open.

Lifting the curtain revealed a large number of rolls.

TV rolls, vacuum cleaner rolls, rice cooker rolls, microwave rolls, toaster rolls, and even summer essentials like air conditioner rolls... and a whole bunch of others.

this.....

Does that mean after defeating these four Heavenly Kings, you'll have everything you need?

It's like receiving a free new home as a gift, which is a godsend for housewives.

If you add up the prices of all these items, the total value would be close to 50 yuan.

Ke Zhiguang paid special attention to the description of each scroll. In addition to informing the target of the scroll's drop, he also emphasized the additional reward for fighting the Four Heavenly Kings at the same time.

Let's just consider it as accidentally completing a hidden mission.

He had been thinking of searching for chess halls and fishing spots to collect all the necessary household items, but he never expected that these items were already included in the mission.

Unfortunately, none of the items that Saito had dropped were found.

As expected, the person whose status was marked with a period did not drop any items.

As for why Saito was displayed as a period, Koji Hikaru didn't bother to care; he just considered it a little mystery inherent to Saito. As for the mission, he received another small card.