The work of the Go master

Kiyotaki nodded, "He calmly said, 'I'll kill any god or Buddha who gets in my way...'"

Ke Zhiguang fell into deep thought.

Before he could finish speaking, another voice came from outside the door: "In the way of Go, neither gods nor Buddhas are spoken of. It's not appropriate for you to say it out loud like that."

A gentle breeze swept across the ground, and a tall figure appeared in the doorway.

The air seemed to drop in pressure. Ke Zhiguang and Qinglong Bu both held their breath for a moment, silently watching the person who suddenly appeared at the door.

“Saito… Ninth Dan?” Kiyotaki Ayumu’s eyes widened.

"Is he Saito Sando?" Koji Mitsu was also taken aback, not expecting that the other party would take the initiative to come to him.

“So you’re Ke Zhiguang.” Saito Sanmichi smiled slightly and took a few steps forward.

This was indeed an awe-inspiring old man, both in terms of his personal presence and his gaze.

It's similar to the monk's oppressive aura, but clearly not on the same level.

Moreover, Koji Mitsuko saw a blurry wind-shaped outline on him, as if an invisible weasel was guarding him.

That's right, in the Japanese yokai (supernatural creature) system, the Kamaitachi appears as a whirlwind.

Could this be the overflow of fighting spirit?

If this pattern continues, we might actually see a scenario where fighting spirit transforms into a horse in the future.

After exchanging glances with Ke Zhiguang from a distance for a while, Saito Sando smiled easily: "Not bad, you are an excellent young talent. If you were two or three years younger, I would want to take you as my only student."

Upon hearing this, Kiyotaki Ayumi reacted first, even before Shigemitsu Kojima.

It is well known in the industry that Saito Sando, as a legendary figure of the older generation, has never taken on any students. His explanation is that he cannot find suitable candidates. Many parents who are confident in their children's talents rush to bring their children to him for inspection, but all they receive are harsh reprimands for not meeting the requirements.

"If he were two or three years younger, I would take him on as a student," this is the highest praise he has ever given.

This is another point worth exploring in depth!

"Actually, I think if you, Saito 9-dan, could be two or three years younger, I'd really like to become your disciple..." Ke Zhiguang said cheekily without thinking.

"Oh?" Saito raised an eyebrow.

"Cross out the previous sentence," Ke Zhiguang said calmly, instantly reverting to his expressionless state.

This murderous aura... it feels like something mischievous could lead to disaster, like impulsively poking the boss and suddenly finding yourself in battle.

[Trigger Event: Contact with the Lord of the Swamp]

The alarm sounded again.

He was in the corridor, just a few meters behind Saito Sanmichi.

The task's progress bar suddenly jumped up significantly.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Separated by a Wall

The air suddenly became heavy.

"Is the Lord of the Swamp there?" Ke Zhiguang asked directly, his voice becoming louder.

His gaze also darkened, taking on a hint of aggression.

The cheerful atmosphere that had been there just moments before was abruptly extinguished.

A leaf slowly fell in the afternoon sunlight at four o'clock.

Saito Sando stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch for a long time. He twisted his neck and glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye.

"Is anyone else here?" Kiyotaki asked, completely bewildered, but no one answered him.

In the hallway outside the lounge—

Kiyonuma Yuzawa remained silent for a moment, then his eyes widened slightly.

He didn't actually have the nickname "Lord of the Swamp," but the moment it was uttered, Kiyonuma Ryouzawa naturally felt that it was referring to him.

—This voice sounds familiar.

Kiyonuma Yuzawa suddenly remembered that a few nights ago, when he was passing through a commercial area in Chiyoda Ward, he heard this voice shouting, "Swamp-kun, please stop!"

At the time, he felt that the voice was calling him, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

I never expected to run into this again.

Am I being targeted?

Even through a wall, he could feel the hostility emanating from behind it.

It felt like a blade was gripping the back of his neck.

Quite interesting.

"Lord of the Swamp, this is the first time someone has called me that. It feels good. I'll accept this nickname," Kiyonuma Ryousawa replied with a smile, though they couldn't see each other.

"Interested? Want to play a game after my match?" Ke Zhiguang said.

“That’s a really straightforward opening. In that respect, you and Saito are quite alike,” Kiyonuma Yuzawa said.

Saito Sando didn't react at all, he just hummed, and a white light was reflected off his glasses.

Ke Zhiguang: "Will you accept my challenge?"

"What a pity, I have no reason to fight you, but I might as well hear your motives for being so eager to fight me. I should have no grudge against you, right?"

"If I had to say something, it would be that I have a friend who's having some mental health issues, and the only way she can be cured is by beating you up."

"Her? She's his girlfriend? I must be incredibly sinful to have offended someone's girlfriend." Kiyonuma Yuzawa clapped his hands, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

He continued, "I can play against you, but I have one condition—we must play immediately, which means you must forfeit the next and final game. How about that?"

Upon hearing this suggestion, Qinglong Bu became increasingly uneasy. He was more and more surprised. What exactly was the relationship between Ke Zhiguang and this Lord of the Swamp? Why would he give up the last deputy general battle in exchange for a game?

Kiyonuma Yuzawa wasn't really setting conditions, but rather asking a probing question to see just how determined he was.

"Of course I disagree." Ke Zhiguang didn't pause for even half a second.

"Then I have nothing more to say. I'm leaving now, what can you do about it?"

"Then I'll just have to storm into your lair and find you there."

Kiyonuma Yuzawa paused, then asked, "You know my exact coordinates?"

"Of course I know. See you after midnight. Remember to open for business on time."

A few seconds later, Kiyonuma Yuzawa's voice came from the other side of the wall: "Then I can only wait for you, but I am very busy every night and may not have time to entertain you in person."

We'll talk about it later.

"Then goodbye."

After saying that, Kiyonuma Yuzawa stomped his wooden clogs and prepared to leave.

"Are you just going to leave like this?" Saito Sando asked, feigning concern.

“I was just out for a walk with you, Saito-senpai, and there was nothing important to do. Normally, this is my rest time, and I need to go back and catch up on my sleep to prepare for tonight’s work,” Kiyonuma Yuzawa said.

But after taking only a few steps, he suddenly stopped as if he had thought of something.

A sinister, damp smile crept across his lips.

"Kejun, in the next game, didn't you ever think you might lose?"

"What do you mean?"

"Of course I don't doubt your strength, Ke-kun. It's just that on the way here, I heard others talking about your achievements. You are one of the few players who fight hard. Playing with that style of play must be very stressful. Your hands must be shaking. You must be worried that if you make the wrong move, you will lose the whole game."

Ke Zhiguang did not respond, knowing that this was an underhanded tactic to put pressure on him before the match and disrupt his mental state.

"Also, don't you suspect that your next opponent might have some problems? For example, that he has some kind of connection with me."

Ke Zhiguang's fist suddenly clenched, and his pupils narrowed slightly.

"He might even be me. When you're deep in thought about a particular part, you look up and suddenly realize... I'm right in front of you."

There was no response for a long time.

"Well, just pretend I didn't say anything. I look forward to your visit tonight, Koji Hikaru... yo."

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor; he was gone.

"You have a grudge against him? It involves women?" Saito Sanmichi asked, scratching his head, not quite understanding the world of young people.

"It was just a casual remark, but my intuition tells me he's a major villain, and killing him would save many people. Mr. Saito, you probably think so too, right?"

Saito was taken aback for a moment after hearing this, then laughed twice: "That's true, who wouldn't want to hang a guy like him on a rack and use him as a punching bag to train him hard?"

He continued, "Then the task of training him hard is entrusted to you. Although your chances of defeating him are extremely slim, and you may very well fall permanently in his lair, but... that's the way of chess. Everyone will have a battle to overcome. If you pass through, you will enter another world; if you fail, you will sink to the bottom of the Sanzu River."

Seeing that there was nothing more to say, Saito turned to leave: "Let me remind you one more time, in our Go way, 'god' and 'Buddha' have real meanings. They represent someone who cannot be surpassed and someone who is best not to be surpassed. It's fine to talk about them in private, but you should think twice before saying them in public."

Kiyotaki Ayumu immediately answered, "Yes! I won't make that mistake again!"

His interruption instantly dispelled the tense and heavy atmosphere.

"Until we meet again." Saito departed.

Ke Zhiguang's shoulders relaxed, as if he had just gone through a high-pressure cold war.

"Excuse me, let's end the interview here. I have to go to the competition now," Ke Zhiguang said to Qinglongbu.

It took Kiyotaki Ayumu a while to realize that he had indeed come to interview Keiji Hikaru... It was all because the scene just now was too tense, which made him forget about this.

“Don’t worry about what that guy said. I’ve already checked out your opponent for the next round. He’s from Hokkaido and has absolutely nothing to do with this swamp. As for changing players mid-match, that’s even more impossible. It’s all just psychological tactics,” said Kiyotaki Ayumi.

"Mr. Kiyotaki, did you specifically remind me like this because there was a moment when you believed him?"

"This... of course I don't believe it. I'm just reminding you because I'm afraid you might actually believe it."

"That's common sense, isn't it?" Ke Zhiguang said matter-of-factly.

"Well... alright, good luck in the match." Kiyotaki Ayumu paused, seemingly unaffected by the opponent's reaction.

And so, the final match of the day, the vice-general battle, began.

.....

.....