The work of the Go master

The title is "The Gathering of the Witches of the Orient".

If I remember correctly, the term "Oriental Witch" was used to describe Japanese women's volleyball, but the accompanying text was about a Go match.

Nagoya Women's Cup.

This seems to be the competition that Harushima Kashima is going to participate in recently.

I picked it up and looked at it, and found that she was on the front page of the newspaper, wearing a short dress, carrying a small suitcase, getting off the Shinkansen, and showing a disdainful expression to the camera.

The caption reads, "The great Princess Harushima is about to arrive in Nagoya, faithful to her."

I feel like I've seen this sentence structure somewhere before.

Ke Zhiguang sighed with emotion. As expected of her, she always managed to sneak into his daily life in various ways. When she wasn't present, she would use newspapers, straw figures, and small notebooks with red ink to represent him.

"Is the Nagoya Women's Cup a tournament for all female Go players?" Koji asked while munching on a watermelon.

"This is the first year of the event, and it's a very large-scale event. It's fully funded by Mr. Hanno, so it's quite a lot of money. It's expected to be held only once, and the champion will be awarded the trophy by him personally."

"That sounds like a lot of fun. If I ever have money in the future, will I be able to fund a feminist cup or something?"

"Of course, you could even consider using your personal charm to bring the champion and runner-up into the arena together... Ouch! That hurts!"

"Oops, I accidentally stepped on the teacher's foot. I'm so sorry." Bai Meng leaned to one side and smiled kindly.

"In short, it's a very memorable competition. Since the long-time holder of the princess title, Kiko Seinoka, is not participating, there's a high probability that Queen Harushima will be able to lift this trophy." Aobahashi Sora pumped her fist, appearing extremely excited.

and many more.

When did his title for the deer on the island of Harushima rise to the level of "Queen"?

Ke Zhiguang mentally imagined a leather whip in Qingdaolu's hand.

Oh, actually, you don't need to imagine it. If she really wanted to slap someone, she only needed to twist her neck quickly and swing her ponytail at them.

"I heard that some people have questioned the title of princess of Qingdao Deer. What's going on?" Ke Zhiguang asked again.

Cang Yuqiao immediately straightened his expression: "That's just a small group of people slandering Queen Harushima. Their reasons are ridiculous. They say that Queen Harushima's victory was due to the electric fan interfering with the opponent's thinking, and some even say that Kiko Seinoka had long intended to retire and took the opportunity to step down."

That... actually makes a lot of sense. That electric fan that helps her cool down might actually have a hidden effect.

Ke Zhiguang continued flipping through the newspaper, trying to see which other female chess players were still dominating the women's chess world, people he would most likely encounter in the future.

Of course, I had no ulterior motives; I was simply admiring the charm of the female chess player.

Next up are two female chess players who appeared on the same page, squeezed into one photo.

Otto Kuma Sakura and Horie Takami were both dressed in extremely bright outfits, with a mature and sophisticated style. Even their hostile gazes towards each other were the same.

"Are these two sisters?" Although they have different surnames, Ke Zhiguang always had this feeling.

"No, these two girls are quite nice individually, but they're a strange combination when put together. Alto is of Japanese-Soviet descent, and Horie is of American-Japanese descent."

Reminded by this, Ke Zhiguang then noticed that the two people's names were quite witty.

"If these two meet, they'll probably fight each other with AKs and M4s, right?" Ke Zhiguang muttered.

"That's about right. They both live in the women's dormitory and even share a room. It's said that they often have conflicts, but fortunately, they both eventually choose to resolve them through fighting games."

Ok?

Why did the two chess players solve the problem by playing a fighting game instead of chess?

No, I definitely need to meet up with those two professional gamers when I have time and exchange some game tips.

Turning the page further, we find the fourth female Go player – Inoue Hoshino.

Finally, I saw her portrait; I had only heard of her fame before.

Dressed in a shrine maiden's attire, she stood gracefully in the very center of the photo, her smile shrouded in mist, deep and mysterious.

She does look very similar to Inoue Seiya, but she is more mature and wise, and her hair is longer.

"A bad feeling," Ke Zhiguang commented.

It's hard to say where this feeling comes from, but as the owner of the record store said, it's more important to rely on your own feelings than on mystical skills; feelings are the real mysticism.

"Inoue Hoshino, she always wears this shrine maiden outfit to the competition?"

"It's not impossible. The dress code for female chess players has always been quite lenient in the industry. Male chess players are required to wear formal attire, while female chess players only need to dress nicely."

"Is there a clear antagonistic relationship between her and Harushima Kashima?"

"Of course they will be rivals. As young female chess players of similar age and each with a large number of supporters, they are naturally rivals. It's just a pity that the two of them basically have no chance to meet."

Cang Yuqiao then added as if remembering something, "You can take a look at the last section of this newspaper, and you will gain a better understanding of the relationship between Queen Harushima and Inoue Seiya."

Ke Zhiguang turned to the last page of the newspaper, where the headline read "A Joke in the Chess World".

-

One day, Inoue Hoshino and Harushima Shika met and decided to have a contest to see whose fans were more loyal to them.

Inoue Hoshina asked a fan to jump off a building, but the fan cried and shook his head, saying that he still had a wife and children. Inoue Hoshina immediately softened and rescinded the order.

Next up was Harushima Kashima, who also asked her fans to jump off the building, and the fans did so without hesitation.

Inoue Hoshino quickly went up to pull the fan away, but he said, "Let go of me, I have a wife and children!"

-

It's so obvious!

I instantly understood the public's perception of these two female contestants: one was the image of a virtuous wife and loving mother, and the other was the image of a grumpy, irritable woman.

Moreover, this joke format seems to be applicable to the vast majority of groups and organizations.

It is truly a treasure of human civilization.

Having finished reading the newspaper, Ke Zhiguang had gained a general understanding of the women's Go world.

Weirdos are everywhere.

After a day of studying, Ke Zhiguang returned to Peach Blossom Studio to continue studying under the peach tree in the evening. Don't forget, this exquisite peach tree also provides a +20% learning speed bonus, and the effect is even better when used in conjunction with the hourglass.

After nightfall.

In the distant port area, Yabu arrived at that video store again.

"What a pity, Yabu-kun. If you had used Amakusa Maru earlier, you probably would have won this round, right?" The shopkeeper had been waiting at the door for a long time.

Chapter Sixty-Five: The Black Box

Yabu stepped into the music store with a pale face, looking as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

The side effects of Amakusa Pills were still present. Yabu had been in this state for several days in a row, experiencing a mix of dizziness and drowsiness. Whenever he lay down, his mind was filled with a buzzing sound, like static signals.

Within two hours of using the Amakusa Pill, he was in peak competitive condition. His blood flow and heart rate were both at their best. Even occasional itching on his skin was relieved. If he could maintain this condition, he was confident that he would become the next Goshiki within two years.

But once the effects of the drug wore off, his heavily armored state crumbled, revealing his true, frail self.

"When I came here that day, Ke Zhiguang was also here. He saw my pills. Did you call him over?" Yabu asked sharply as soon as he entered the room.

"Ha, I knew you'd say that, but unfortunately he wasn't; he just happened to be passing by."

"Do you really think anyone will patronize your shabby shop?"

"Young friend Rui Ren, your words really hurt my feelings. Don't forget, I have many strange and wonderful props here that can attract many customers... Look, here they are now! Welcome." The shopkeeper patted a lucky cat on the counter and then went to greet the customer.

That lucky cat is his treasure that attracts customers to his door.

An ordinary customer came in, casually rented a videotape, and then left.

The boss shrugged generously at Yabu, giving him a "see for yourself" look.

Yabu was speechless.

Even if Koji Mitsuaki was indeed sent by the boss, it doesn't change the fact that Yabu completely defeated him.

Yabu has now created immense psychological pressure on Koji Mitsuhiro, causing him to automatically fall several points behind when sitting opposite him.

Logically, after suffering a crushing defeat, what he should do now is to go into seclusion and train hard, and then find an opportunity to defeat him in a crucial match and wash away all his losses.

While the third-tier spot is important, there's still the Rising Star Battle coming up. If he can win that title, he'll still be the king of the new era.

Unfortunately, after three failures, his confidence has been devastated. It will take him at least six months to recover. Even if he does recover, he probably won't be able to compete for a high position anymore and will at best be a second-tier player.

That battle at the third level was a battle where two people staked their entire lives on it, and the loser disappeared forever.

"Do you have that medicine, Amakusa-maru?" Yabu asked, sitting back in a chair, his voice low and he was still trusting that the boss was one of his own.

Due to the side effects of the Amakusa Pill, his thinking was somewhat sluggish, and he didn't dwell on these overly suspicious details.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, relying on these mysterious external objects was his only means of dealing with the situation.

If we absolutely have to use scientific methods, then we should hypnotize him and modify his memories, making him believe that he successfully defeated Ke Zhiguang, and then maintain that confidence to continue his training. Perhaps he can still put up a fight in the New Star Wars two months later.

His mind is now completely focused on defeating Ke Zhiguang in the next crucial competition and reclaiming everything he has lost.

"Hey, I remember that Tiancao pills aren't addictive. They're as healthy as water. Could it be that you're missing their bitter taste?" the shopkeeper said with a touch of humor.

"Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if you have any, or something similar will do." Yabu shook his head wearily.

"Such a precious item naturally only exists in the inventory of Yucheng Chess. It's very likely that there's only one left in the world. I don't have any here. However... I do have some slightly cheaper, inferior ones. I wonder if you would be interested?" The shopkeeper mysteriously held up one finger.

"What is it?" Yabu perked up.

"immediately."

The owner lifted the noren curtain behind the door, rummaged around in a secluded little space for a while, and brought up a small, sealed wooden box.

The wooden box, resembling an urn, is unsettling just by looking at it.

The aura emanating from within was even more frightening.

"Take this. It's a free gift for you. I hope you can redeem yourself in the New Star Wars two months from now."

Yabu took the wooden box back into his hand and felt the stinging sensation coming from his palm.

His hands were trembling.

"What would the side effects be?" Yabu asked.

"It's not a serious side effect; in fact, it could be said that it has absolutely no negative impact on you."

"Stop talking nonsense. Amakusa Pills have been giving me headaches for so long, and now you're bringing out something even more dangerous, yet you're telling me it has no side effects at all?" Yabu said disdainfully.