The work of the Go master

"Ah! It's all spilled!" Shiro quickly grabbed some tissues to wipe it up.

"Oops, I accidentally used a little too much force when we clinked glasses," Xingjia said.

"Hehe, I know you did it on purpose without you saying it."

The atmosphere was just as relaxed and carefree as ever, like a holiday.

Looking around, there were 13 people sitting at this circle of tables.

The five members of their own team, the five members of Yamaoka's team, the two members of the Cold War team, and even Ms. Reiko had joined in, as if they had already won the championship and it was now a wrap party.

I never imagined that I would have the power to mobilize my entire family here.

"Isn't it too early for us to celebrate like this? We haven't even won the championship yet..." Xingcai muttered.

Xingjia replied, "It's alright. The next competition will be held the day after tomorrow, and I'll be the first one to go. Everyone, please enjoy yourselves to the fullest today. Even if you have a hangover, you'll have at least two days to recover."

"No, no, no, a hangover is a bit too much, and besides, we're minors after all..."

"Don't worry, this is international waters," Ke Zhiguang reminded him.

"Oh...I see. It seems everything is going according to your plan, senior. Now that you're in this lawless land, you can be even more unscrupulous, right?" Xingcai narrowed her eyes, filled with regret.

"To be honest, the alcohol we're drinking is just fruit wine with extremely low alcohol content; compared to vodka, it's practically like children's milk..."

"Stop!" Upon hearing the word "vodka," both Xingcai and Qingdaolu were taken aback.

I'm really embarrassed to admit that before boarding the ship, Ke Zhiguang secretly gave Qingdaolu half a bottle of vodka, which successfully gave her a "cool spring buff".

In fact, Xingjia also soaked in the spring, but she didn't use any external aids. She calmly finished soaking in the spring and even leisurely cracked an egg. All three female buffs on her team were fully applied.

Later, Ke Zhiguang also tricked him into soaking in this cool spring.

Although this cool spring is called the Empress Pool, implying that women can soak in it,... maybe it will also have an effect on men?

So Brother Duanzi was tricked into going in and getting laid.

As for why Koji Mitsuko himself doesn't do it... well, that's obviously because he's afraid of some strange side effects. For details, please refer to "Ranma ½".

In short, let fellow Daoist sort out the Bo Lei first, and then I will decide whether or not to proceed.

As a result, Brother Duan was fine after soaking in it; there were no positive or negative effects.

Ugh, I feel a strange sense of disappointment.

Feeling the harmonious atmosphere at the table, the members of the Yamaoka group froze.

Yamaoka, Yasunaga, Narita, and Sasahara exchanged glances and nodded to each other, acknowledging the awkwardness between them.

Sure enough, the conversation at the table all centered around Ke Zhiguang, and the group of men felt a bit awkward joining in.

This guy is obviously showing off on purpose!

“Toku-san, working in a team like this must be tough for you…” Narita said with a smile as he turned to Taketsukata Toku.

They discovered that Bamboo Knife Forging was staring intently at a small rice ball on the plate in front of him, as if he were thinking about something.

"Dusan, what are you thinking about? You haven't said anything for a while," Narita asked.

Staring at the rice ball for a long time, Taketsuto suddenly realized and said, "I understand! An excellent Go player should only eat rice balls. Look at the black seaweed, the white rice, and the yellow tray. Is there anything more suitable for a Go player? From now on, I will only eat this!"

"This guy is an idiot!" The four members of the Yamaoka Group's faces darkened.

If he continues down this path, he might end up marrying Go (the game of Go).

In short, the Go 9x9 grid family adds 1 more: rice ball.

At that moment, Reiko suddenly said, "What an interesting combination."

Upon hearing this, Yamaoka smiled wryly and said, "Yes, Ke Zhiguang's team is quite an anomaly in the industry..."

The next instant, Reiko suddenly pulled out her notebook, her expression one of excitement as if she had discovered a new couple pairing, and began furiously scribbling: "Yamaoka x Narita, Yamaoka x Sasahara, Yamaoka x Yasunaga Shin..."

"So the interesting combination you were talking about is our team!" Yamaoka exclaimed.

"Quick! Tell this woman to stop! Otherwise, our team's reputation as the gay group will be ruined!"

"Isn't this guy from the 'Ke Zhiguang CP Group'? What does this have to do with us!"

The atmosphere at the dining table was harmonious and friendly, and the aroma of the banquet filled every corner of the ship.

Today's result is undoubtedly something everyone is happy to see. As a younger generation of teams, they have defeated the glory of the old era and launched an attack on the Dragon Throne, one of the highest points in the world of chess. Whether it is ordinary chess fans, peers, or even the investors who are keen to sponsor chess events, everyone is happy to see this happen.

Even without watching TV, everyone knows that the news of Ke Zhiguang's team defeating the 9-dan group has been broadcast repeatedly on various TV stations, and all the major editorial departments will be working through the night to produce the new episode.

This is exactly the kind of scene that is referred to as the grand feast of the chess world.

Halfway through their drinks, Ke Zhiguang, emboldened by the alcohol, raised his glass and faced the crowd: "Although I know this kind of plot is cliché, let's say something more uplifting."

"So interested? *burp*"

Although it was just ordinary fruit juice, Harushima Deer still blushed and burped.

"After all, I just defeated my teacher. Whether it's the joy of drinking or the joy of chess, I'm on a roll." Ke Zhiguang grinned unruly.

He was also given some additional missions, which seemed somewhat heavy, but as he had told the god of quantum mechanics before, this time he had teammates.

As long as you shout it out with your teammates, everything will be alright, and the burden will be transformed into motivation!

"Alright, come on, cheers!" Harushima Kashima took the lead and raised his glass, bringing the atmosphere of the banquet to its peak. Reporters at the next table couldn't help but look over to capture some material.

"My next opponent is that Shizuru Fuchigami. With my current strength, beating her will be as easy as beating a cub!" she shouted, hiccuping.

"Like your mother beating you?" Ke Zhiguang asked, digging a hole for a question.

"Yes! Just like when my mom beats me!" Harushima Deer jumped into the pit instantly.

Hmm... I'm quite drunk. I even made a peace sign, as if being punished by my mother was a glorious thing.

Xingcai nodded and said, "I will also do my best. My chess is only for defeating my father. Although I am not very competitive against other players, I have great confidence in my father."

Ultimately, we have to thank Shi Quan. Without him, Xing Cai wouldn't have been able to say those words with such confidence.

To be honest, her current chess skills are still very problematic. Her performance is inconsistent and her potential is not high enough. However, she has full confidence only when her opponent is her father.

"As for Xuan Yuzhi, there's nothing to say. He didn't perform well last time, and now I just hope he can show his true strength." Zhu Daoduan downed his drink in one gulp.

"I can only do my best in front of Mr. Nishi Chiaki, but please don't think this is a declaration of weakness." Hoshigami smiled slyly, holding the wine glass with both hands and taking a small sip.

In the end, only Ke Zhiguang was left.

"Tatsumi Koshikawa must be destroyed!" Koshikawa declared with an air of righteous indignation.

The banquet ended with a triumphant declaration, the clock struck midnight, and the tourists fell asleep one by one.

One by one, the lights went out, and the Ryugu became a sleeping sea monster, crawling forward with the ocean currents.

Somewhere on the ship, beautiful piano music drifted out.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Pianist on the Sea

As the night grew quiet, a piano began to play in front of the floor-to-ceiling window at the stern of the ship. The sea breeze seeped through the gauze curtains, and an invisible force carried the notes to the front and back of the cruise ship.

The person who is engrossed in playing the piano is Tatsumi Koshikawa.

Ten slender fingers danced across the piano keys, a bright red rose tucked into the bodice of her purple dress, and the moonlight reflecting off the evening tide made it seem as if a vampire was playing an elegant solo in her castle attic.

Although Kiyonuma Yuzawa had called himself a vampire a long time ago, compared to the scene before him, he could only be considered a familiar at the gate of the vampire castle, or simply a gatekeeper.

"It really is Dracula, a vampire of the emperor level," Nishi Chiaki whispered from the side, somewhere between admiration and embarrassment.

In this attic room that faces the sea, all five members of the Dragon Throne Group are present.

The other four people sat on the sofa at the other end of the room, listening to the artistic performance as if they were watching a stage play.

After Koji Mitsuaki defeated Saito, Koshikawa Tatsumi remained in this state of self-absorption and euphoria.

Nishi Chiaki could understand that most people were optimistic about the 9-dan group advancing, but only Koshikawa Ryuki was convinced from the beginning that Koshikawa Hikaru could stand in front of him. His team's training and preparation work was also based on this premise, and he didn't even glance at the 9-dan group's game records.

Being right against the predictions of the vast majority of people is of course incredibly rewarding, and one can't help but let loose, especially for someone like the boss who has an extremely strong desire to perform.

Then a group of his teammates were invited into this dark room to enjoy the solo performance under the moonlight.

"The boss is so talented that it makes people jealous. He plays the piano quite well." Yuan Shang Jingliu sighed helplessly. As a dual-cultivation person, her other cultivation is the piano.

"When exactly did he learn to play the piano?" Xuan Yuzhi asked in surprise.

"It might just be a fleeting moment. For our boss, the right emotional state is probably more important than technical learning. If he suddenly becomes fascinated with physics and aerospace one day, he might just come up with a Nobel Prize-worthy invention in the next second," Nishi Chiaki joked. In fact, he knew that the other man could play the piano and perform some magic tricks, but he didn't know if he could do anything more.

Xuan Yu asked, "What's the name of the piece he's playing now?"

Shizuru Fuchigami shook his head: "I don't know, I've never heard of it. It might have been improvised on the spot, but it's not very difficult to play. A level four is enough."

“I agree, Boss definitely has the ability,” Nishi Chiaki said.

Their voices were drowned out by the beautiful notes, as melancholy as the blue sea, as longing as the bright moonlight, and as detached as a dream.

"Maybe he's missing some woman," Nishi Chiaki teased as always.

That's certainly possible. Everyone knows that the boss once survived a near-drowning incident; maybe he was dragged back by a mermaid.

And now, they are almost at the sea area where the accident happened. He is playing the piano solo now, perhaps to send a signal to the mermaid.

However, thinking about it this way, Nishi Chiaki was still a little scared, feeling that the ship probably wouldn't last long.

But it doesn't matter. The ship sank, but that doesn't mean the people are in danger. These chess players are very resilient.

As the final notes faded, the moonlight disappeared, and only then did the group realize that there was actually no moon tonight; it was all just their imagination while they were immersed in the music.

Tonight, like any other night, is a low, howling, overcast sky, with the sound of a monster breathing before it awakens coming from the sea.

As his fingers left the piano keys, Tatsumi Koshikawa politely rose, bowed to the audience, and four sparse rounds of applause followed.

"I'm so glad you all came this far with me. I hope you'll remember tonight's moonlight, as this will be the only night in a while that you'll be able to see it." Tatsumi Koshikawa raised a glass of strong red wine and took a deep sip.

Yuan Shang Jing Liu also politely picked up the wine glass on the table and drank it.

"Hmm? This taste... is it strawberry wine?" Shizuru Fuchigami asked in surprise.

“Yes, what else did you think this was?” Nishi Chiaki asked with a smile.

“I thought it was red wine,” Shizuru Fuchigami replied matter-of-factly.

In her view, the boss was the quintessential villain, always wearing a purple suit and always carrying a glass of strong red wine. Since the boss drank this stuff every day and always kept it with ice, it must be red wine, right?

There's a strange sense of contrast in being suddenly told that it's just strawberry wine.