The work of the Go master

Wait a minute—Ke Zhiguang suddenly became agile.

The items that drop are often closely related to the person who drops them. Maybe if Bai Mengyinyu takes this washing machine now, and then I beat her up, I can get a washing machine voucher.

Win-win!

Although Ke Zhiguang wasn't interested in washing machines, he thought this method might work, and he might be able to use it to get other things he was interested in for free in the future.

After a brief moment of surprise, Bai Mengyinyu calmed down and suddenly realized that meeting Ke Zhiguang here was quite lucky. If it were a normal draw, she might have drawn some fierce-looking person. Even if she won first place, the washing machine would be hard to divide. She wasn't the type to argue in the street.

Moreover, she had a general understanding of Ke Zhiguang's Go skills, and it was quite remarkable that he could beat Teacher Cang Yu even with a handicap.

Although her classmates found it beneath her to participate in such a down-to-earth commercial activity as the club's star student, fortunately, Ke Zhiguang didn't seem like the type to gossip about it.

He should be very reliable.

"Well then, thank you very much, Ke. Let's work together well from now on."

"Yes, cooperation."

The alliance was formed for the time being.

Ke Zhiguang also kept a close eye on his surroundings, wary of the Swamp Lord who might appear at any moment. As the saying goes, according to the principles of the script, it is very likely that it is waiting for him in the final stage.

Just keep going downhill, nothing is simpler than playing chess.

The venue for the event was quite large, with thirty-two chessboards set up in an open space for simultaneous games. Since it was a commercial event, the time limit was very short, with only five seconds allotted for each move, so players had to rely mainly on their intuition.

It's still a two-player game, but the teammates have to play like peasants in a card game, unable to talk, only communicating through their hands. Understanding each other's thinking is essential to continuing.

Looking around, it was clear that many people were well-prepared, having rehearsed with their partners beforehand and having fixed partners, making the situation quite unfavorable.

"Ke, can you keep up with my pace then? We need to coordinate our thinking at times like this," Bai Mengyinyu said. She felt that she was still a bit stronger than the other person; after all, she was at the level of winning against the teacher first.

"No problem, the important thing is to get first place."

"Yes, thank you." Bai Mengyinyu was very glad that the other party was able to prioritize winning first place, restrain their own moves, and not care about these face-saving issues.

Ke Zhiguang was also pleased that the president was not putting on airs and allowed him to boldly explore his own ideas, provided that he was determined to win first place.

The two had completely opposite understandings of the phrase "the important thing is to be number one".

The first round started quickly. The opponents were an old man and a young man, who didn't seem to be a good match and were probably just casual players.

The outcome is determined by guessing who goes first; you play black and your opponent plays white.

Star, star, small eye, star.

Hook up, fly a little, and then—

With a single backflip, Bai Mengyinyu placed her finger on a star position, creating a beautiful small forest layout.

According to Koichi Kobayashi's past life impressions, Kobayashi-ryu was Koichi Kobayashi's favorite and most proficient layout. This layout style was also named after his surname. In the 1990s, he relied on this layout to make his name. The shape is quite beautiful, with undulating clouds.

If we can continue to guard the small point and create a "worry-free corner", then Kobayashi's aesthetics will reach the ideal in terms of visual effect.

However, in this era, this layout was created by a man named Inoue Kobayashi during the Edo period, and it also has a certain historical basis.

This was planned in advance, and Bai Mengyinyu liked the layout because of its beauty.

Da-da-da-da

The pieces were placed one by one. Since this was not a formal game, there were no special effects around, and everything looked quite clean and tidy.

The opening moves were completed in the blink of an eye. The young man on the other side couldn't sit still any longer and threw a piece into the black formation.

The move proceeded smoothly, from the top to the top, then to the bottom, everything was in order. But when it was the old man's turn to make his move, a bad move was made immediately – he inexplicably placed his piece on the second line, which he shouldn't have.

The young man's face immediately contorted; he had clearly been let down by his teammate.

But there was no other way; we could only continue.

Emerging – Thrust – Stick – Bad move.

Counterattack—block—turn—bad move.

XX——XX——XX——Bad move.

The game proceeds in four-move cycles. Whenever it's the old man's turn to make a move, his skill level drops drastically, and the young man beside him gradually turns pale.

On the fifty-sixth move, the young man stopped.

"You idiot old man, don't let me run into you again!" The young man swung his collar and left, while the old man walked in the opposite direction, cursing and grumbling that young people these days have no mentality; they give up as soon as they're at a slight disadvantage.

Bai Mengyin felt relieved; his partnership with Ke Zhiguang was better than he had imagined.

Moreover, there was a wonderful sense of tranquility, which greatly eased my anxiety over the past few days.

The second round began quickly. The opponents were a well-prepared middle-aged couple who started by developing complex and predictable patterns, and even used some unusual variations, which might have been deceptive moves.

Bai Mengyin felt a little tricky. Complex moves had always been her weakness. Demon Blade, Great Slant, Avalanche—each of these complex moves was a huge maze, with countless hidden flying knives and deceptive moves. She was most afraid of these hidden weapons.

She did intend to simplify the formula, but the decision on that crucial step rested with Ke Zhiguang.

Without hesitation, I cut off the path and chose the most complicated route!

this......

Perhaps, in Ke Zhiguang's mind, she certainly has the ability to perfectly handle these established patterns.

She couldn't back down then.

A low chuckle came from the other side, making Bai Mengyinyu shudder.

The other party placed their hand in a strange spot, a change that was not present in Bai Mengyinyu's fixed memories.

Muramasa's trickery has come to pass; it's what she fears most.

With a crisp snap, Ke Zhiguang didn't even hesitate for a second.

—Does he know how to break this trick?

She glanced at Ke Zhiguang and noticed that he was almost expressionless, but surprisingly resolute.

Then we have no choice but to believe him.

Following his train of thought, Bai Mengyinyu continued to make her move, with the five-second thought period for each move being purely a reaction.

After hitting the target, the next move is a straight line.

Although the name "Ipponmichi" sounds strange, it is indeed a Go term meaning "the only move that can be made in the current situation".

In the end, the deception finally came to an end—

A moment of respite, and then a counterattack!

The two middle-aged men revealed their hateful expressions.

"Forget it, we can't beat them." The two were quite decisive; seeing their deception fall apart, they immediately left.

"Ke, have you researched that trick you just used?"

"I wouldn't call it research, but I know a little bit about it," Ke Zhiguang said.

It's not just Hase Kamiya who drops books on deceptive tactics; veteran Go players in the Go club drop these things even more frequently. These people love to use deceptive tactics to bully unskilled, academic Go players at the Go table, and they're very efficient at it, always managing to fool them.

"What's wrong?" Ke Zhiguang suddenly noticed that Bai Mengyinyu had been staring at him.

"Cough, it's nothing. I was just thinking that you're actually quite amazing too." Bai Mengyinyu genuinely thought so, so saying it wasn't entirely against her conscience.

He quickly looked away and continued the relentless battle.

From 32 to 16, from 16 to 8, the game went round by round. The number of participants dwindled, but the number of onlookers remained high, eagerly anticipating the final match.

The Lord of the Swamp never appeared.

Looks like I won't be running into him today.

All I can do now is enjoy the game.

"Now, please welcome the two finalists, number 35 and number 26!"

At the host's infectious encouragement, Ke Zhiguang and Bai Mengyin walked up, where they were greeted by a pair of junior high school students in school uniforms, a boy and a girl.

This kind of showdown made the people around them even more reluctant to leave, and more and more people gathered. In their eyes, it was a high school couple versus a junior high school couple, a passionate clash.

Bai Mengyinyu rubbed the hem of her sweater with some discomfort. She used to be watched by onlookers at school, but it was mostly pursuit and envy, and she had gotten used to it.

But this is the first time I've ever been stared at like this, with eyes that are tied together with those of other men.

"President!"

"Yes! What is it!" Bai Mengyinyu was suddenly stopped by a loud shout, her thoughts interrupted, and she was startled.

"Be careful, they're both very strong," Ke Zhiguang warned urgently, as if facing formidable opponents.

this......

I thought he was being so loud because he had something more important to say...

That being said, he said the other side is very strong, which is indeed a very important matter.

"How did you figure out that they were both very strong?" Bai Mengyinyu asked.

"Based on intuition."

—Is this really a reason?

Ever since he saw the monk's back at Youxuan Temple and the Shura Path forged by the bamboo sword, Ke Zhiguang has become more and more convinced of the theory of intuition. Considering the degree of idealism in this world, intuition is even more reliable.

"These two junior high school students are at least amateur 5-dan, and their strength on paper is no weaker than ours."

Chapter 43 The Two Heroes of Junior High

"Paper strength? What kind of statement is that...?" Bai Mengyinyu was stunned for a long time, having never heard such a strange statement before.

"Are there any other types of strength that correspond to theoretical strength?"

"Hard power".

"Ok?"

The two junior high school students in front of them did indeed give off an extraordinary impression. The boy had a smart buzz cut and stood firmly in front of the girl. Although the girl had her hair in pigtails and wore glasses, she was not delicate at all.

"Chunhu, those two look really strong," the girl said.

"Don't be afraid, Kotoka, follow my lead, we can win," said the boy named Haruta, his whole being brimming with Jump-style passion.