The work of the Go master

The two seemed oblivious to the chill, choosing not to close the French windows leading to the courtyard and let the cold air stream in.

Gen-okichi nodded briefly to the Inoue couple to show his respect as a junior to his seniors, and then continued to bow his head and close his eyes.

"Another contestant, a 7th dan bamboo swordsman, has also arrived."

In the first match this morning, Zhudao Duan faced Xuan Yuzhi, with the score being 2:3. The next round will be Ke Zhiguang versus Zhudao Duan.

Theoretically speaking, two more matches would be needed to determine the winner of this year's tournament.

To put it bluntly, the bamboo sword forging team lost two rounds in a row, ensuring that both he and Xuan Yu only had 3 points, and then gave Ke Zhiguang 6 points.

It's highly likely that Ke Zhiguang will win the bamboo knife forging, but the probability of Xuan Yu winning the bamboo knife forging is not so high, especially considering his devastating condition yesterday and the fact that he didn't sleep all night.

If both factors are combined, and the entire series of events can be completed in two rounds, that would be a theoretical event.

"Ke Zhiguang probably didn't sleep well last night either. With the championship so close, and the fear of losing it by accident, you can imagine the tension and pressure he felt. He probably didn't sleep a wink all night either," Li Zi said.

Harujima Kashima, as if she saw through everything, retorted: "No, this person slept soundly last night and is probably on his way to get up now."

"To be honest, I'm already close."

"Oh, really? So you're already awake—hey! Why are you in here again?!" Harushima Shika turned her head and found that Koji Hikaru had once again slipped into the kotatsu without anyone noticing.

For a fleeting moment, my toe twitched.

"Ugh!" Harushima choked as if electrocuted.

"Well, after thinking about it, it's better to watch the game from here."

I slept really well last night and woke up early.

After waking up, go outside to the courtyard and see if the pink convertible is still there.

It's gone, as expected. I wonder what Nishi Chiaki did last night.

So she went to Shiro's place to check on her, but when she saw the kotatsu, she couldn't help but crawl inside to feel the warmth.

There's no way around it, men are all like eels.

"The wind has stopped, the rain has stopped, and I feel like I'm back to my old self. I'm Ke Zhiguang, the commentator for this match. Please feel free to give me your feedback." Ke Zhiguang greeted the camera.

There are two minutes left before the start of the match.

With a casual glance up, Xuan Yuzhi's attention inexplicably swept across the clock on the right.

His eyes widened in shock, his drowsiness vanished.

On the clock, there was that unnatural red mark, that color seemed familiar... to Nishi Chiaki's slightly ostentatious ring.

And so the same thing happened again.

The timer that could be used to cheat and give him a two-second advantage was right next to him.

He moistened his dry throat, and cold sweat began to pour down his back.

—What should we do? Should we just go with the flow and continue using it?

—Using this, it shouldn't be discovered, right?

No, they probably wouldn't notice. During a game, players don't care about such things. They might realize after the game that the countdown in the previous game seemed a bit too fast, but even so, most of them wouldn't care. Most people wouldn't make excuses for losing a game.

—And what about the Inoue couple?

Xuan Yuzhi glanced cautiously toward the referee's table and found that they didn't react either.

He was the only one at the scene who knew that there was something wrong with the clock.

Ultimately, he himself will be the beneficiary.

His surroundings began to narrow, the light began to dim, and in the darkness, only he, the chessboard, and the clock next to him were lit.

However, once you use such cheating tools, it will be a stain on your life and may even become a handle for some people to use against you.

But now he is forced into a corner where the score is at a dead end. If he loses this battle, his own fortune will be damaged, and his family's business operations will also be greatly affected.

The suffocating sense of oppression felt like a hand gripping his neck.

“Xuan Yu, you don’t look well,” Inoue Masakado suddenly spoke, his voice as steady as a rock.

"No, I'm fine." Xuan Yuzhi shook his head, stopping the cold sweat that was pouring down his face.

He seemed somewhat out of sorts, and many people probably noticed his excessive nervousness.

In the commentary booth, Harushima Shika clicked his tongue as he watched this scene and remarked, "He... is he that nervous?"

Ke Zhiguang held his chin up, looking as if he had just realized something.

It turns out the problem lay with him.

It seems that Nishi Chiaki's sudden visit to this place last night was probably for the sake of Gen Ok-ji.

"After thinking about it, I'll go watch the game live." Ke Zhiguang got up from the kotatsu and ran away.

Although it is not allowed to enter the room directly to watch the game, you can lie on the wooden platform in the courtyard and peek inside.

Ke Zhiguang, like an undercover agent, lay on the platform and stealthily peered inside.

The competition has already begun, and there is nothing unusual in the room, nor any trace of ghostly items.

With the Inoue couple here, there shouldn't be any demons or monsters to bother us.

After eliminating all possible factors, the only thing left that could have been tampered with... should be the timer, right?

If that's the case, then it's quite unfortunate.

He destroyed the lost weapon, and the [Silver Watch] that dropped was able to help him tell the time perfectly and accurately. Rather than calling it a spiritual object, it's more accurate to call it a skill.

Accurate time announcement, commence operation—

The rapid attacks on the chessboard unfolded like a storm!

Xuan Yuzhi couldn't care less about anything else anymore.

Only by immersing himself fully in the game can he relieve his anxiety and unease, and break free from this dark, labyrinthine tunnel.

Moreover, he has a two-second advantage, doesn't he?

Since that's the case, there's nothing to be afraid of. No matter what the final result is, let's win this game first!

Driven by his master's resolute fighting spirit, the Black Knight drew his sword.

The powerful strike that severed the sea broke through the Asura's defenses.

A tuft of hair fell down from the bangs in front of her forehead.

"In this round, Gentsu Tomokazu wins by two and a half points." Inoue Marie wrote a graceful "victory" character and handed it over.

"Thank you." After accepting the winning piece, Xuan Yuzhi left the room with his shoulders slumped, looking mysteriously heavy-hearted, as if he had lost the game.

In contrast, the bamboo swordsmith was much calmer and had already started reviewing the game on the chessboard.

"I see. After a sleepless night of hard work, my condition really can improve." He pondered as he reviewed the chess game.

Ke Zhiguang, who was watching from afar, couldn't see the game clearly, but just by watching the symbolic spirits of the two players fighting, he knew that Xuan Yuzhi's mental state had returned.

The two "Heart-Piercing Blades" that were stuck in the back of the Black Knight also disappeared.

The accurate timekeeping result was that... the clock was perfectly fine, it was a fair and square ten seconds for both sides, and neither of the clock operators engaged in any biased behavior.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

Chapter Forty-Nine: The End of a Famous General

After Xuan Yuzhi left, Ke Zhiguang immediately went into the room and sat down in front of the chessboard.

Looking at the clock, I noticed a red mark. Most people wouldn't pay attention to this, and even if they did, they certainly wouldn't think it was related to cheating.

This... it can't be a lipstick mark left by Nishi Chiaki, right?

Given his public persona, it's quite possible that he might pull a lipstick out of his pocket.

You pervert, get lost! Take this clock away!

Ahem, just kidding.

In short, although this clock is related to Nishi Chiaki, there is no problem.

There's a strange sense of contradiction in it, like opening a mysterious treasure chest but not triggering any traps; instead, it gives you the treasure in a perfectly normal way.

"Sixth Dan, Kojiro, are we ready to begin?" Marie Inoue asked.

"Well, it's alright."

If you find something wrong halfway through, just stop reporting.

After the break, I regulated my breathing and faced the bamboo sword forging in front of me.

This game is very likely to determine the champion.

"Seven sections of bamboo sword, is that enough?"

“Absolutely no problem.” Bamboo Swordsmith raised his voice.

"The Grand Tournament Round Robin, 12th round, begin," Inoue Masakado announced.

The momentum that both sides had been building up exploded in one go, and the guessing game began.

Ke Zhiguang, Zhibai, Zhudao Tuan, Zhihei.

.....

.....

Not long ago.

In a small commercial street not far from the courtyard, Nishi Chiaki leaned over the counter of a convenience store, smoking a Peace brand cigarette while watching a chess tournament channel on TV.

He hadn't actually gone far; he had been waiting in the vicinity.

"Xuan Yu really did win, but this situation should be more advantageous for Ke Zhiguang," Nishi Chiaki muttered to himself.

He then used the phone on the counter to call Tatsumi Koshikawa.

"Well, was the intellectual victory impressive enough?" said Tatsumi Koshikawa.

"As expected, that clock was just an ordinary clock, wasn't it?" Nishi Chiaki sighed helplessly.