The work of the Go master

The atmosphere remained heavy.

The somber atmosphere was mainly emanating from behind Ke Zhiguang, and was shared by the other four people.

Xingcai sighed and said to the four people behind Ke Zhiguang, "If you don't want to watch the game, you can wait for us at the karaoke bar next door. Everyone's off tomorrow anyway."

"No, no, no, how could I not want to watch the game? We all love Go so much, don't you think, Miss Harushima?" Bai Meng waved her hand with a smile.

“Yes, of course. As soon as you mention playing chess, I’m wide awake.” Harushima Shika nodded matter-of-factly.

Bai Meng and Qingdao Lu exchanged a knowing glance, then nodded, temporarily forming a united front.

—Xingcai, you can forget about being alone!

Well, that's roughly the atmosphere.

When Xingcai suggested playing chess, Ke Zhiguang was about to decline. After all, it was a rare opportunity to go out and have fun, and suddenly going to a chess hall would be a bit of a mood killer.

Since Go became his job, he gradually came to understand this principle.

Just as he was about to politely decline, Qingdao and Baimeng suddenly stepped forward and declared righteously, "Take us with you!"

Well... since they were so insistent, it was difficult for Ke Zhiguang to refuse.

So, our group packed up and rushed into the chess hall.

"I'm ready, and we can start anytime." Xingcai sat down, her aura gradually settling down.

"Hmm, speaking of which, you seem to have been practicing chess quite diligently lately?"

"I used a little effort, but I wasn't too diligent," Xingcai said.

"I'd be happy if you put in the effort, but what I want to ask is... don't you really have any other ideas?"

"Senior, what kind of thoughts do you hope I will have?"

“For example… you’re eager to defeat someone else, so you need intense training.” Ke Zhiguang looked directly into the other person’s eyes.

Successfully saw a ripple in Xingcai's eyes, so it seems he was right.

"This is something you'll have to decide for yourself, senior. With your current skill level, you should be able to know everything about the other person just by playing a game, right?" Xingcai smiled gently, a little devilish and a little provocative.

"More or less, knowing half of what's on my mind shouldn't be a problem."

Literally, it refers to a skill.

"Let's begin then. This time... this time I will go all out. I'm coming here with the mindset of winning by half a point."

"I only won by half a point," Ke Zhiguang understood the point he was emphasizing in those words.

Although Xingcai understood the gap between herself and Ke Zhiguang, she was still somewhat unhappy about being given a two-stone handicap. Therefore, she tended to play aggressively, and then overdid it, resulting in her instant defeat.

The declaration of winning by only half a point means that she will put aside her dissatisfaction and play steadily.

"You also need to be careful. Don't be fooled by the fact that I seemed to have been slacking off for a while after the famous battle. My form hasn't dropped at all."

The semi-perfect status effect granted by the Emperor's Pool is still active and will continue until the end of the Dragon Throne battle, which is simply ideal.

"I know, and your strength must have improved quite a bit through the training in the Battle of Famous Generals, right?"

"Exactly."

After the pre-match dialogue, the pieces were placed, and the game officially began.

Seeing that the two had entered a stable and even game, the other four on the sidelines were somewhat confused.

"Did those two really start raining on each other?" Harushima Shika muttered under her breath.

"I don't know either," Bai Meng shook her head in surprise.

Actually, both of them came over with a mindset similar to catching someone cheating, but it seems that nothing happened. It seems that Ke Zhiguang and Xingcai really sat down for the reason of helping each other with their chess skills.

"In the month leading up to the tournament, the two of them played many games of this kind of handicap game, but Xingcai didn't win a single one," Shuicheng said.

Qingdaolu and Baimeng turned around in unison: "What? You've already downloaded so many rounds?"

Their first reaction was that their homes had been robbed during this period, as one of them was at her hometown and the other was preparing for an exam.

"Yeah, and Xiao Guang even took the time to play a few games with me where I had nine points..."

"What? You too?" Qingdao Lu and Bai Meng gradually synchronized, their eyes showing a shared hostility towards Shuicheng.

Shao Gong covered his aching brow, increasingly feeling the difficulty of being the only normal person in the team.

On the chessboard, Ke Zhiguang calmly made his moves.

Indeed, as Xingcai said, compared to before, her chess moves have slowed down now, like a blunt hammer.

The queen bee also remained hidden, waiting for the right opportunity to spread her wings.

Since that's the case, we can't just sit here and wait to die.

After taking a deep breath, Ke Zhiguang moved his piece towards the second rank.

The decisive moment, release.

Xingcai also sensed the impending battle, and her heart immediately began to race.

Through the synesthetic effect of chess, a continuous stream of emotions is transmitted.

A lot of negative emotions.

Such as fear, such as anxiety, unlike the rebelliousness and determination when they first played against each other.

In a sense, it can be said to have weakened considerably.

Of course, this only refers to her mental weakness; in terms of chess skills, she has made great progress.

The last piece was delayed in being placed, so Xingcai simply tossed it back into the chess box.

"No, I still can't defeat you, senior. I guess I have no choice but to accept my fate." Xingcai lay back on the tatami mat, spread-eagled, her tone seemingly unchanged from usual.

"Let's review the game. You were actually very close to victory in this round." Ke Zhiguang was about to remove the pieces from the chessboard.

"No need for a debriefing. It's already generous of us all to get together and play a game of chess at the chess club today. Let's discuss how to proceed from here." Xingcai waved her hand and gave a relieved smile.

It's not the relief after success, but the utter despair after failure, tinged with a little disappointment.

But her disappointment vanished in an instant, and she returned to her usual self.

"Let's get going, consider it a consolation to this loser." Xingcai pushed open the door, took the lead and walked out into the corridor.

The people inside the room looked at each other in confusion for a while.

"Is she... has something on her mind lately?" Harujima asked.

"Should we all go out and comfort her?" Bai Meng suggested.

Ke Zhiguang thought for a moment and shook his head: "Let's leave it at that for today. It's a rare day off. We can talk about it tomorrow if there's anything else."

Although for me, rest days are not that rare.

And so, after this brief interlude-like game ended, the group quickly went into a private room at a nearby karaoke bar to begin the main event of their gathering.

Today is the first day that the entrance exam scores have been released. Countless people are happy, and countless others are sad. The happy ones come out to celebrate, while the sad ones come out to relieve their boredom, and they stay up late into the night.

The party didn't end until midnight. The group parted ways at the crossroads, just like any other student group.

Back at Peach Blossom Studio, Ke Zhiguang stood in front of the chessboard and covered the curtain with his hand.

One forceful effort revealed it.

Sure enough, the goods were shipped.

In addition to the chess scores generated by Xingcai (which comes with 80 points), two small cards were also released.

The more unusual something is, the more likely it is that certain events have been triggered, and the higher the probability of the shipment will be.

Card 1: [Recommended Task: Recruit Members]

[Target: Inoue Seiyome]

Let's reconcile our families on the chessboard!

Something strange has appeared.

Koji Mitsuaki did consider marrying Inoue Hoshino, but he didn't make her his first choice. After all, female Go players are still a bit inferior to male Go players, let alone his own father.

But Ke Zhiguang didn't rule her out of the options either. After all... who wouldn't want to secretly peek at the loving father and filial daughter scenario on the chessboard?

Since the god of quantum mechanics has recommended her in the form of a mission, it means that Inoue Seiya is the best choice for a teammate.

Wait a minute, if we really manage to recruit her, wouldn't that mean the top two female fighters would both be on our team?

In Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) terms, it's like... a royal flush! It's a guaranteed win, you throw them all out at once, even a stone heart will be instantly killed!

But I always felt it was weird to have two girls in my team, and the Black and White Jokes editorial team could write a lot of works based on that.

Card Two: [New Treasure Map]

Finally, the treasure map reappeared.

It gives the feeling that the main story is finally beginning, and the gears of fate are finally starting to turn.

Compared to the previous edition of the new treasure map, this edition has an extra "new" added on top, which is utterly baffling.

It still has that same mischievous vibe.

This treasure map is also the last item Xingcai carries, while the previous quest card is an event trigger item.

Thus, the mystery surrounding Xingcai's props finally came to an end.

As expected, the treasure map pointed to Inoue Shrine, just as Ke Zhiguang had predicted. It seemed that a long trip was inevitable.

After confirming his teammates and schedule, Ke Zhiguang felt much more motivated.

There are still two weeks until the date he set for preparations, which gives him ample time to work on Tong Xingjia's mindset and to find his last teammate.

But Ke Zhiguang had a feeling that this last teammate was not just an ordinary candidate selected from the existing teammate list, but someone even more peculiar.

Hmm? This thought suddenly popped into my head. Was it a result of psychological suggestion?

It's possible that person has already decided to join his team.

......

......

Just a few hours ago, when night had just fallen and the cold rain had not yet stopped.