The work of the Go master

“I just finished taking down the Black Market and made up for what you lost yesterday,” Ke Zhiguang said directly.

“Yesterday…” Bai Meng then remembered what happened yesterday, “Yesterday I lost to the owner of that shop, didn’t I?”

"No, you won yesterday. I gave that boss a good beating last night, and he agreed to return the bonus that was rightfully yours."

"Really?" Bai Meng listened to all of this in disbelief.

"Of course it's true." Ke Zhiguang's tone was the same as always, as if he were saying good morning.

"You can do a lot of things you want now, whether it's putting aside your heavy studies to go shopping and sing with your classmates, or taking your younger brother and sister to the amusement park, or even going to Hokkaido during winter break, since I have tickets. Whether you want to become an amateur female Go player in the future is up to you."

Listening to Ke Zhiguang's words, Bai Meng's heartstrings were plucked layer by layer, her mouth half-open, wanting to say something but unable to.

"Thanks......"

"You're welcome. This freedom is something you earned through your own efforts. You won that unshakeable half-point victory by giving it your all. The vice president, myself, and senior Hirashi are all proud of your victory."

Finally, that tear couldn't be held back any longer.

Bai Meng covered her mouth.

At that moment, she gained a lot; the most sincere, touching, and indescribable emotions welled up within her.

"Of course, to be fair, we should avoid such life-threatening actions in the future. After all, even I wasn't sure I would win before I initiated this challenge. There was a moment when I truly felt the fear of risking everything." Ke Zhiguang calmly faced the other person's tears, as if he were having a sincere conversation with an elf.

"Yes, I will never... do that again."

"That's good. Goodbye, I'm off to participate in the team competition's main match."

Bai Meng suddenly realized that today was the main battle, and it should have been her turn to play.

But given the current situation, it seems that Ke Zhiguang should be the one to take the lead.

"By the way, be prepared, you might still be needed for the final duel tomorrow," Ke Zhiguang said.

"Will I also have a chance to play...?"

"Of course, don't think you can just lie down and win." Ke Zhiguang retorted expressionlessly, stepping into the car.

Watching Ke Zhiguang leave, Bai Meng composed herself.

Next, she needs to fulfill her responsibilities as president. I'm sure everyone has been worried about her these past few days.

She arrived at her own living room, a room filled with Japanese style.

She had only intended to come here to enjoy the greenery of the courtyard, but her gaze inadvertently fell on the chessboard in the center.

A white stone is placed at the center point.

She was surprised for a moment. After setting up the game, she would always clean up the board. She shouldn't have missed a single piece, and it just so happened to be right on the center point.

It probably wasn't set up by my younger brother or sister.

It probably wasn't placed there by Ke Zhiguang who climbed over the wall earlier, although he does seem like the type to do something so pointless...

Perhaps it was placed there by the god of Go.

Thinking this, Bai Meng smiled with satisfaction.

The center point, the highest point on the entire chessboard, radiates light that shines like the sun throughout the world.

Just like the sun...

She came to the chessboard, gathered the strands of hair that had fallen beside her ear, and gently bent down... to kiss the chess piece placed at the center.

The sun is shining exceptionally brightly today.

......

.......

As dusk fell, the sky turned a pale blue.

In the heart of the bustling Chiyoda Ward, high-rise buildings overlook Tokyo Bay. In front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows, a man in a navy blue suit looks out, his eyes reflecting the city lights.

A young man who looked like a butler pushed open the door: "Lord Yu Chengqi, Kiyonuma Yuzawa has awakened, but all the power you bestowed upon him has disappeared. The chess hall on Taisho Street has collapsed, and the Cultural Relics Bureau is having a headache over this. The painting of the Swamp Lord has also broken, severed by an unnamed force."

“I have a general understanding of him. Koji Mitsuaki is indeed someone worth risking everything for, including Kiyosuma, to snipe. Even if we fail, neither Kiyosuma nor I will have anything to regret,” said Miki, leaning back in his chair, his voice as firm as a rock.

On his desk sat a luxurious kaya wood Go board, with the Go stones arranged to resemble the nearly 100-point dragon-slaying battle between Kiyonuma and Koji Mitsuaki that morning.

Yu Chengqi has already reviewed the game once based on the game record.

I saw this chess record in a newspaper; the title was "A Masterpiece of Dragon Slaying in This Century."

"What should be done about the follow-up arrangements for Kiyonuma Yuzawa?"

"Let him go back to his hometown. He has completely failed, and the way of chess is not for him."

"Yes." The butler nodded. "Then, Ke Zhiguang, what are your plans for him? He is destined to become a rising star. Winning him over in advance may be the best strategy."

Yu Chengqi shook his head: "Anyone who can be favored by Saito is definitely not someone I can win over. Ke Zhiguang and Saito should be of the same kind. In that case, he is destined to be our opponent."

"There are probably very few people in this world who can be called an opponent by Lord Yu Chengqi. Does this young man really deserve such an honor?"

“I’m not sure either. I really want to put him through an extreme test to find out his true potential. Do you have any good ideas?” Yu Chengqi asked.

"I'm not capable of coming up with such a solution," the butler said with a wry smile, waving his hand.

"The limit..." Yu Chengqi frowned in deep thought, as the sky gradually darkened.

But as night fell completely, he suddenly thought of something.

“Perhaps Master Shixin would be interested in him,” Yu Chengqi said, explicitly using the honorific title of “Master.”

Chapter Seventy-Eight: A Victory Celebration Banquet to Calm the Shock

On the afternoon of April 4.29th, the final singles match of the main general took place.

Inoue Xingcai, against Shiramen Otoyu.

The match took place at a well-known high school in Setagaya Ward, and the captain's one-on-one duel was conducted in a standard tournament format.

Before the match began, the two opponents stood in front of the sponsor's logo and made a fist bump gesture before taking their seats.

After taking their seats, four pieces were symbolically placed at the four corners of the chessboard, and then they sat quietly for ten minutes for taking photos.

Then the competition officially began.

Finally, they've come to this point. In Aoba's eyes, it's a fateful showdown: the strongest high school girl in Kansai versus the strongest high school girl in Kanto.

For the first time in history, the final duel between the main generals was between women, both of whom were somewhat famous, and most importantly... they both seemed to be quite attractive.

Therefore, today's Go channel simply canceled its usual analysis of famous games and focused its attention directly on this game.

This team competition set more than just one record. In yesterday's main player match and the day before yesterday's vice player match, a certain player scored an unprecedented number of points.

This player entered the arena yesterday wearing a professional-style suit, which intimidated many people and made him the most stylish guy in the entire arena.

Unfortunately, the man disappeared immediately after the attack, giving the other reporters no chance whatsoever.

After the coffee-induced buff ended, Ke Zhiguang slept straight until the next morning, perfectly reversing his sleep schedule.

At noon, he also arrived at the competition venue and watched the final one-on-one match with his teammates.

"Why are you only arriving now?" the vice president asked.

"I was waiting for the Go room next door to open this morning so I could let my friend who works there know to come to my celebration party tonight. I've already told her the location," Ke Zhiguang said. He originally planned to use the nickname "Beautiful Girl No. 1," but after thinking about it, he realized that while it might be okay to say it to male friends, it might not be appropriate to say it to women.

"Her? So it's another woman." The vice president noticed this astutely.

“Yes.” Ke Zhiguang nodded.

Wait a minute, didn't the vice president just emphasize the word "again"?

What does this person mean?

"Never mind, I have a feeling that it's quite normal for you to encounter something like this." The vice president sighed, speaking in a very cryptic tone.

Although she didn't quite understand, she didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter further.

"Are you sure your female friend will be coming? If so, I'll add another seat," the vice president said.

"Although her exact words were something like, 'Although I'm very busy today, I just happen to be passing by there, and I can't rule out the possibility of having dinner with you, but it depends on my mood...' she rambled on for a long time, but I think she will come, she definitely will," Ke Zhiguang said confidently.

"Well... alright." The vice president was slightly embarrassed.

After chatting with his classmates for a while, Ke Zhiguang, through his connection with Qinglong, successfully got a spot to watch the one-on-one matches up close.

The symbolic spirits of the two appeared behind them.

Inoue Seika's "Queen Bee"

And Bai Meng's—【The White Swan】

Subconsciously, I imagined the name as the Tu-160—a Russian supersonic bomber—flying a white swan while shouting "Hurrah!", which must have been quite exciting.

From Ke Zhiguang's perspective, the queen bee is engaged in an aerial battle with the swan, each stalking and pecking at the other.

The chessboards of the two players are also surrounded by various special effects, all of which are related to their own symbolic spirits. One side is being showered with needles, while the other side is being scattered with feathers, creating a very magical visual effect.

After yesterday's match with Zezi, Ke Zhiguang roughly understood that once a certain level of skill is reached, the visual effect on the chessboard will also change according to one's own symbolic spirit.

In summary, players with high chess skills will have exclusive special effects, while players with low chess skills can only play common special effects. It's like an ordinary passerby driver can only drive a mass-produced Zaku, while a slightly more important character can drive a custom-made special machine.

If it really comes down to top-level professional matches, maybe the two sides will be competing on which side has a higher-quality graphics card that can handle more powerful effects.

Currently, whether viewed from the normal board position or from the clash between the bee and the swan, Bai Meng has the advantage.

The game is over.

Finally, two hours later, at four o'clock in the afternoon—

"White wins by one and a half points. I hereby declare that the winner of this National High School Team Tournament is Kinkyo Academy." Naosaka Kuranosuke announced from the stage.

The flashbulbs went off, and their fellow club members cheered. Bai Meng stood up happily, while Inoue's expression remained calm, but it was clear that he wasn't in a good mood.

Both of them seemed to notice that Ke Zhiguang had blended into the group of reporters. Bai Meng waved to him, and Inoue also gave him a bitter smile after his defeat.

Ke Zhiguang waved back.

He couldn't explain who he was greeting.

......

......