The work of the Go master

She added, "But don't worry, as long as you don't play chess, there won't be any problems. Just be a normal person."

Hmm... this statement is really full of flaws, as if it confirms the nickname of this episode's "murderous Go game".

A member of the second-dan group asked in confusion, "Um... I don't quite understand what you guys are talking about, like not being able to play Go tonight..."

Faced with this inexplicable question, An Yongxin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and put his arm around the other man's shoulder: "Brother, I advise you not to ask too many questions about this. It's hard for me to explain this to you, and you wouldn't understand even if I did. There are a lot of interests involved here. It's better for you if you don't understand. You can only think about this carefully."

"Huh?" This second-tier student was completely bewildered by An Yongxin's "know-it-all" quote.

"Let me put it this way: if you could be like me, getting struck by lightning and shut down in a hotel during a Nova Battle, or encountering a shipwreck during a Dragon Throne Battle, then you would understand what I'm saying!" An Yongxin said loudly.

"I understand!"

Everyone was surprisingly in sync.

A battle for the Dragon Throne seems to have completely united everyone, working together to protect a secret that can only be understood but not spoken.

More proactive chess players have already arrived at the public phone area and are calling their relatives and friends, telling them not to play chess tonight and to do whatever they want.

Harushima Shika's first thought was to message Kuma Sakura and Takami, telling them not to touch the chessboard tonight, but then she thought about it... those two spend all their free time playing video games, playing chess? Even a dog wouldn't play chess.

"Does anyone know Brother Duan's number?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

“Don’t worry about Tomo-san. He told me before that he went on a trip abroad and won’t be back until mid-September,” Narita Shunji said.

This surprised Ke Zhiguang quite a bit, as he always felt that based on his character, he should be the type to continue exploring the deep mountains and forests and further his studies.

If I remember correctly, Xuan Yuzhi also mentioned going on a trip abroad before. Could it be that these two have formed a couple... oops, a group?

“There’s no need to worry about that. As long as you’re outside of Japan, you don’t need to worry about being affected,” Hoshino said.

In other words, even if these two really team up, there's no need to worry about them getting infected; the real concern is whether they'll hurt their backs from playing chess for too long.

As for mid-September... that's a time when we cleverly missed the upcoming Dream Paradise Cup.

this......

My deepest condolences.

Half the people in the chess academy were mobilized, and the public telephone area became as bustling as a stock exchange.

This scene was also quite exciting, giving the feeling that everyone was uniting to fight against some grand conspiracy, which was strangely thrilling.

The rain outside had subsided considerably, and people took the opportunity to leave work and began their nightlife in small groups.

After confirming that most of the players had left, Koji Mitsuko and Harushima Kaoru left work together and returned to their respective homes.

As long as you don't play chess, you don't need to worry about walking at night.

In short, we've done everything we can, and worrying won't help. We might as well just rest tonight.

Unfortunately, the two members of the Cold War group have already left, and the mahjong table can no longer be set up.

"We're home, we're home." As soon as Ke Zhiguang opened the door, the Border Collie puppy he had just gotten wagged its tail and came over. Ke Zhiguang happily rubbed its head a couple of times.

The biggest hassle of owning a pet dog is the need to clean its poop and walk it every day. In short, it takes a lot of time and energy to spend with it. Cozy House solves all of this.

But young people don't have that much time at home, so if they want to relieve loneliness, they just get a cat. Cats are so convenient!

In short, one sentence—

"Quick, transform!" Ke Zhiguang said, pointing at the Border Collie, which indeed didn't react.

cut.

Logically, Shika Harushima should have been criticizing herself at this point, but this time she didn't react much and instead seemed distracted, lost in thought.

"Alright, what should we do tonight? How about we call Xiong Yingyingmei over again and start playing mahjong?" Ke Zhiguang asked tentatively.

This was just a joke, used to test how Harujima Kashima was feeling.

"No way! I've been playing mahjong for two nights straight, I'm practically exhausted," Harushima Shika sighed and shook her head.

The main reason is probably that she lost the most, especially on the second night, after being wildly attacked by Ke Zhiguang.

"Hey, back when we were at the Go academy, when you sensed something was about to appear, did you feel... a sense of familiarity?" Harushima Shika asked, clutching the hem of her shirt with a complicated expression.

"Familiarity?" Ke Zhiguang was taken aback.

As for the sense of familiarity, it's not entirely absent. As a protagonist destined to frequently encounter crises, encountering danger often gives one a feeling of "sure enough, it's happening again"... I guess that could be considered a kind of familiarity?

But is this what Harushima Kashima meant by the sense of familiarity?

"A little bit, but not much," Ke Zhiguang replied prudently.

"Never mind, it's nothing. Just think of it as me overthinking..." Shinobu Harushima shook her head, dismissing the strange thought.

"However, what would happen if we played chess tonight? Based on your past experience?" Harushima Shika asked.

"This...this touches on a blind spot in my knowledge. I've never encountered this situation before."

Although Xingjia explicitly forbade playing chess tonight, it is well known that the more something is forbidden, the more it can stimulate the restless desires of certain reckless individuals. Just like when playing horror games, players can't help but want to trigger a few death scenes to satisfy their curiosity.

Although Ke Zhiguang was also quite tempted to do this, to play a game of Go and see what would happen tonight, he figured that with his current skill level, he should be able to withstand even the most outrageous things.

However, if that's the case, then we can only use Harushima Kashima as our opponent for now, and it wouldn't be good to drag her into the risk zone as well.

Ke Zhiguang went to the balcony and looked at Tokyo tonight, feeling a mix of emotions.

Since the beginning of the great Go era, tonight is definitely the night with the fewest Go players in Tokyo. The group still playing Go is mainly composed of veteran players in various Go halls. They shouldn't cause any trouble. As long as you're bad enough, you don't have to worry about getting involved in strange incidents.

The group most likely to get into trouble are the young men and women who are still burning the midnight oil to prepare for the next professional ranking tournament. They have the strongest desire to play chess, enough skill, and the most rebellious spirit. Even if they are told to behave tonight, they may still be unable to resist playing a few games to satisfy their chess addiction.

Moreover, they don't have rank certificates, nor the protection of the phrase "invulnerable to demons and monsters".

As for other groups, there's no need to worry about Mr. Hanno. At the top of the Go world, no one is better informed than him. The other 9-dan players probably cherish themselves even more, so there's no need to worry about their survival skills.

Just when Ke Zhiguang thought everyone would be safe tonight and wasn't planning to worry—

Suddenly, he thought of a person of considerable influence who might be playing chess tonight.

Heart of stone.

Koji Hikaru subconsciously looked westward, towards the Setagaya Ward where Yugenji Temple was located.

If he is really playing chess right now, should I be worried about Shi Xin or about the "crisis"?

At the same time, a kilometer away, in Setagaya Ward, at Yugenji Temple.

In a moonlit attic, a game of chess is being played in quietude.

Shi Xin is currently playing a game.

Although it's a rainy night, Yugenji Temple is still bathed in moonlight, as if protected by divine power.

The person sitting opposite him on the chessboard is the holder of the Moon Sky, Kitaro Hikaze.

In this game, I'm giving you a two-piece handicap.

After staring at the current game for a long time, Hikazeya closed his eyes and sighed: "What a pity. Once the game is over, the memory of this game will be lost. Every time, I can't help but sigh, so Go... can be played in this way. We were all wrong."

After expressing his feelings, he made his next move.

But just as the piece was about to land on the board, Shi Xin suddenly stretched out his palm and blocked the spot where the piece was about to be placed.

And so, the chess piece slowly fell into his hand, rather than onto the chessboard.

"What happened?" Nikko asked.

Shi Xin turned her head to the side towards the Japanese-style sliding door behind her, which led to the corridor outside.

His gaze was fixed on that spot, like a sharp beam of Buddha's light slowly tearing open a crack to reveal the scene outside the door.

"There's an eerie aura about it."

Chapter Nine: When It Gets Dark, Please Close Your Eyes

"There's a demonic aura?" Rifeng Valley was taken aback, feeling a sense of unease.

He also turned his gaze toward the door, sensing the demonic aura that Shi Xin had mentioned.

Because he had been focused on the game, he hadn't had time to perceive the outside world. Now that he's relaxed, he's maximizing his perception.

indeed......

Indeed, one could sense something chilling, something decaying and withering, standing outside the door.

If Shi Xin hadn't intervened to intercept the opponent's move just now, and had allowed it to land on the board, this door would have been opened, and calamity would have poured into the room.

The moonlight inside the room seemed to dim a bit, like a tide that had been frightened away. A clear boundary was drawn about a meter outside the door, like the dividing line between yin and yang.

"What exactly happened?" Nikko asked, puzzled.

“Things that have crossed the boundary between life and death and come to the mortal world,” Shi Xin said calmly.

“Life and death…” Hikaze Tani subconsciously repeated this somewhat meaningful word.

"Let's end today's match here. It's a pity we can't continue until the end, but in the end, I think you have a better chance of winning by half a point." Shi Xin spoke calmly, his voice like an ancient bell giving people a natural sense of reassurance.

Although Kitaro Hikaze is also a holder of the three major titles, it is generally acknowledged that his strength is inferior to that of Kunikyo Yagami and Tatsumi Koshikawa.

Both of them were only given a one-stone handicap when playing against Ishishin, but Hikazeya was still given a two-stone handicap.

However, even with a two-stone handicap, his winning percentage reaches 70%, which is enough to demonstrate his overwhelming strength compared to other ordinary players.

After saying that, Shi Xin turned his palm over, raised his fingertips like lotus flowers, and placed the black chess piece he had been holding on the chessboard. That was exactly the spot that Rifeng Valley wanted to place.

"I will place this chess piece on your behalf," Shi Xin said.

The moment the sound of the chess pieces rang out, something like a gate opened.

The door remained closed, but Sunwind Valley understood that it was practically open... at least that's how it appeared to Stone Heart.

"Please return tonight, Benefactor of Sunwind Valley. The road is safe." Shi Xin bowed respectfully.

"Then you..."

"I'm going to stay and meet them," Shi Xin said.

"Take care then."

After bowing, Nikkoya got up and left, arriving at the door.

He took a deep breath and, in one swift motion, pulled the door open—

The corridor outside was quiet, no different from any other day.