The work of the Go master

"See you later, Mr. Ke. I will help you until you board the dragon boat." Shi Quan waved his arm and walked into the depths of the rain.

Ke Zhiguang also waved symbolically behind him.

I inexplicably made a friend out of nowhere.

So, next up is the movie.

Ke Zhiguang then looked up at the dark, rainy night.

As always, when you don't know how to transition between scenes, always switch the camera to the sky.

......

......

In the port area, steel behemoths lie sprawled along the harbor, like an impenetrable fortress.

Inside the luxurious cabin, at a pool table, Nishi Chiaki was adjusting his shot.

After adjustments, the club thrusts out, and the shot goes in.

"Bingo! It's your turn, Miss Yue." Nishi Chiaki respectfully handed over the cue stick.

“I’m not interested in this kind of sport, so let’s skip it, Mr. Dosaku.” Fuchigami Shizuru sipped his black tea indifferently, looking at a thick literary book.

She also addressed the other person by title, but in a completely different tone.

Sitting on the sofa, Genyu Tomokazu said impatiently, "A group of us chess players, gathered together, just to play this kind of boring game? And what about Koshikawa Tatsumi? Did he gather us together just to do this kind of thing?"

west Qianzhang said easily, "Relax, Xuan Yu Jun, don't always be so tense, you need to learn to relax sometimes."

“But we’ve been doing this for over a week now. While we’re resting, other teams are preparing day and night,” Xuan Yuzhi said.

"Finding the right direction and method for your efforts is far more important than the amount of effort you put in. That's why geniuses can accomplish in a short time what ordinary people would take a lifetime to do," said Nishi Chiaki calmly.

That one sentence shut down Xuan Yuzhi's next complaint. Complaining at a time like this would be tantamount to admitting that he wasn't a genius.

Seeing that the other party still seemed somewhat aggrieved, Nishi Chiaki continued to explain: "Don't worry, our boss has already made all the plans. We will start formal training two months before the start of the competition, which is the ideal time to ensure our competitive state on the field."

"Two months? Is this the timeframe he figured out through trial and error?"

"Yeah, the conclusion I came up with is three months, but he's the boss, so he's the one who calls the shots." Nishi Chiaki shrugged.

"So, what is the boss doing? I haven't seen him all day," asked Shizuru Fuchigami.

She was the only one in the team who had a proper employee contract, so she addressed Tatsumi Koshikawa as "boss."

Nishi Chiaki replied, "He's probably taking a walk along the coastline right now."

"Taking a walk? It's still raining." Shizuru Fuchigami asked.

Nishi Chiaki smiled and said, "I went out because of the rain. In his words, rain and snow are the best companions for a walk, and you should never use an umbrella to keep them away... Of course, heavy rain is probably not an option, but heavy snow is still a good time to walk."

"Really? That's quite elegant. My rating of the boss has gone up again. But I don't like walking in the rain, whether it's a light drizzle or not." Shizuru Fuchigami adjusted his glasses.

As the team's second-in-command, Nishi Chiaki has become quite familiar with Koshikawa Tatsumi and is very knowledgeable about his habits.

Although Nishi Chiaki's description of his fondness for rain and snow is humorous at this moment, as someone who witnessed Koshikawa Tatsumi's behavior at the time, he was actually not so humorous.

It was February, and it was snowing heavily in Tokyo.

"This is the last snowfall in Tokyo this year. Come for a walk with me, Akira."

He said at the time that it would be the last heavy snowfall, and it turned out that it really was the last one.

Nishi Chiaki did indeed follow them out, and like him, he didn't use an umbrella.

That walk was very long. By the time Nishi Chiaki reached the end, he was already tired. He asked how far they were going to walk, and Koshikawa Tatsumi replied, "...until the snow stops."

In the end, Nishi Chiaki had no choice but to return first, watching the other person's figure walk along the coastline into the distance of the snowy night.

Just as he was wondering what time the other person would return, Koshikawa Tatsumi didn't come back all night.

That snow lasted for the entire night.

It's an artistic, crazy act, and a touch of melancholy about going alone into the distance.

For a moment, Nishi Chiaki wondered if the other person would also never return from this voyage.

Just as Nishi Chiaki was lost in thought, Inoue Masakado suddenly got up from the sofa next to him.

"I have some personal matters to attend to and cannot accompany you all," Inoue Masakado said, giving a slight nod to everyone.

Although he didn't quite fit in with the energetic young people around him, as a member of the team, he always sat in this lounge, interacting with his surroundings by closing his eyes and watching the news channel.

His wife, Marie, was also there, smiling as she served everyone tea and snacks, and sometimes even joined in the conversation.

And sometimes, it would be great if they could help me play mahjong.

"Keiko," Inoue Masakado called softly.

"Understood." Marie nodded, then smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes and went out with her husband.

Xuan Yu asked, puzzled, "What exactly is this?"

Shizuru Fuchigami pointed out the window: "It's probably related to them."

Looking in the direction she pointed, a taxi was parked at the entrance of the port.

Ke Zhiguang stepped out of the car, and another girl got out of the back seat.

"Ke Zhiguang?" Xuan Yu became alert, not expecting the other party to actually come to their door.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here? Is this an outpost before the main war begins? Provocatively coming to provoke us?" Nishi Chiaki showed an excitement completely different from Gen Yuzhi's.

"And he even brought a girl with him. It's possible that this was a deliberate provocation he prepared. How should we rate him?" Shizuru Fuchigami closed his book and stood up.

Marie Inoue turned around and smiled, saying, "I'm sorry, everyone, but tonight's main guest is not Koji Mitsuaki, but my second daughter, Hoshino."

"Then what is her purpose in coming to see Mr. Jiangmen?" Nishi Chiaki asked.

Marie continued to shake her head: "No, she came to see me, and of course, she might also say something to her father."

Nishi Chiaki didn't understand, only knowing that it was the other party's family matter.

"Let's not go out and join the fun, although I'd really like to chat with Ke Zhiguang for a bit." Nishi Chiaki sat down obediently and looked out the window.

Outside the cabin, Xingcai gazed at her father from afar, raindrops drifting between them.

“Father, I… have come to break the curse.” She said calmly, as always.

Although the voice was very soft, the other party miraculously heard it and their expression changed.

His expression was complex, containing elements of anger as well as a long-lost sense of emotion.

In contrast, the mother's expression was much easier to understand; she was extremely gratified.

Ke Zhiguang carefully studied the current situation.

Considering that the spring where Xingcai previously soaked was of the ice element, the current situation is becoming increasingly Arthas's.

Chapter 64 The gathering of five people

"Senior, you've come this far with me. I can walk the rest of the way on my own." Xingcai spoke calmly, though a turbulent undercurrent lurked beneath the tranquil surface of the lake.

An icy aura emanated from her, as if raindrops hitting her would instantly freeze.

【The Blessing of the Sacred Spring: The Baptism of the Empress's Pool】

Its power is self-evident; it's absolutely awesome.

"Then I won't go up." Ke Zhiguang nodded.

Actually, I really want to go up there and see what it looks like inside.

But since Xingcai had said something so dashing and elegant, it would seem out of place if I didn't chime in.

When they reached the bottom of the steps of the boat, Ke Zhiguang stopped, while Xingcai continued forward.

In the rainy night at the port, on a cruise ship exuding an aura of fortress-like solemnity, a resolute young girl ascends the steps leading to the battlefield, and at the highest point stands Inoue Masakado, a symbol of patriarchal authority.

Like a close-up of a movie poster for "One Man Against an Empire".

But after taking only a few steps, Xingcai turned back and said, "Could you please take a few steps back, senior?"

"What's wrong?"

Xingcai glanced at her lower body, signaling to Ke Zhiguang with a slightly disdainful expression.

"Alright, alright, take a step back." Ke Zhiguang raised his hands and stepped back.

Her skirt was a little too long, and the slope of the steps was quite steep, which meant... cough cough, cough cough.

Pshaw, your little scheme has been exposed.

Before coming here, at Xingcai's request, I took her to a nearby clothing store and got her a decent outfit.

Chess players should wear normal clothing during matches; this is the most basic requirement of professional ethics.

Xingcai was dressed in a black business suit, exuding a chilling aura.

The black stockings and high heels further accentuated her sharpness and imposing presence.

Thinking back to the first time I saw her in a similar outfit at New Star Wars, the way it didn't fit was so unsettling that I wanted to cover my mouth and chuckle.

But at this moment, she already had enough presence to carry off the outfit.

"Good luck," Ke Zhiguang said.

"Yes, good luck will always be with me." Xingcai nodded.

Inside the cabin, Nishi Chiaki whistled: "Office lady? Is this Ke Zhiguang's latest hobby? I heard he still has the identity of a student, I thought he would be more interested in student uniforms."

"It's really tacky, but considering that the woman looks surprisingly elegant in it, let's not deduct points from his score for now," said Shizuru Fuchigami.

Xuan Yuzhi didn't care about that; his attention was only on Ke Zhiguang.

In the rainy night, Xingcai had reached a position close to the top floor, where her father stood unmoving in front of her.

“Father, good evening. It’s been a long time. Although I know you’ve been watching me all along.” Xingcai’s gaze met his.

"You passed the test of the Empress's Pool?" Inoue Masakado said, looking down at him.

“Yes, I don’t understand what happened today either. Even though my thoughts are so calm and clear now, I still don’t understand. All I know is that I now have the power to bite off the curse.” Xingcai shook her head slightly, her hands always politely folded in front of her.

"Did you suddenly put on this outfit to prove to me that you've grown up and can stand on your own in society?" Inoue Masakado said, noting that he and the other person were quite similar in that they spoke without much intonation, which might be hereditary.