Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 42

Volume 6 Chapter 42: Different Parties (Part 3)

Just when the nine-tailed demon fox was killed, Xu Qingfan rushed towards the black giant mountain, and for reasons unknown, the long-lost Feng Qingtian arrived in the Southern Wasteland. At the eastern shores, there is another story unfolding, which will significantly impact the future of the Shenzhou Continent, especially for Xu Qingfan in the near future.

By the East Sea, on the sandy beach, two old men were sitting across from each other, playing a game of chess.

One of the old men wore a majestic purple robe, was tall and handsome, with white eyebrows and beard, a rosy face, and moved gracefully like a fairy. His gentle eyes were also filled with dignity.

The other old man wore black clothing, had an aged face, and a hunched back. He leaned on a green, skeletal staff. Despite the sunlight, his face was hidden, as if surrounded by dark mist.

Surrounding the two old men, over a hundred feet away, stood dozens of black-clad cultivators, nervously watching the match between the two elders.

The two elders had been playing for an unknown amount of time but remained focused, their eyes locked on the chessboard.

At this moment, the situation on the board was still very clear.

The moves of the old man in purple were like an army in battle, methodical and strategic, appearing powerful yet intricate. Each move had a clear purpose and countless follow-ups. In the middle, his white pieces formed a long dragon that could not be contained, seemingly ready to devour the surrounding black pieces.

In contrast, the old man in black played very cunningly. Although he created a formation of five stones in a row, he also piled up many pieces around the board. While he excelled in close combat, his attacks were fierce and relentless, but he lacked a broader perspective. Initially, he had the upper hand due to his sharp attacks, but once the white dragon formed, his defeat was inevitable.

Observing through the game, it was clear that the old man in black had fallen to a lower position.

After the old man in black struggled for a few more steps, he finally dropped the chess piece in his hand and sighed, "Young ones are to be feared; I have lost."

The old man in purple smiled and said, "Where would I dare to compare myself to you, senior? I was just lucky, and you were gracious."

The old man in black shook his head and said, "Your strategy is very good. Although it seems like the most ordinary moves, this gradual way of playing is often the hardest to break. Not swayed by the opponent, not discouraged by a moment of defeat, simply responding to each move. Once the situation is established, no one can stop it."

The old man in purple replied, "You jest, senior. In my view, the way of Go has no clear winner or loser. Both black and white pieces have their strategies, claiming territory. Although there are battles in between, whether white captures black or black captures white, in the end, no matter which side has more pieces, when a game ends, both sides still stand on the board. No one truly loses. Take this game, for instance; while your black pieces may have lost a few spaces to me, there is still room for black pieces at the edge, isn’t there?"

The old man in black pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, "Yes, black pieces do have some room to exist. For them, that is enough. However, white pieces have the advantage. This game is over, but who can say if in the next game, white will wipe out black entirely? It’s rare for a game to end with only white pieces left, but it can happen. Furthermore, if the player with white pieces can truly eliminate all the black pieces on the board, it would be something to boast about, recorded in history and remembered for generations."

The old man in purple smiled and said, "If I remember correctly, this game has been going on for a full twenty days, right? Twenty days of hard work has surely exhausted the player with white pieces. Though they could start another game and win, it would be too tiring. If the player with black pieces does not challenge them, the player with white pieces will certainly not bring up the next game for a while. During this time, if the player with black pieces practices more, they might make the player with white pieces cautious, possibly leading to further delays in the next game."

"Although the time is delayed, both sides still intend to play another game."

"As long as there is Go, and two colors of pieces exist, they must continue to compete. That is the destiny of the two kinds of pieces, isn’t it?"

"Yes, so delaying the time allows the white pieces to rest, and the black pieces to have space to survive, which isn’t a bad thing," nodded the old man in black.

"The senior truly understands and has realized it just like that."

After the old man in purple finished speaking, he stood up and bowed to the old man in black, saying, "I am sorry for coming to visit and for bothering you for so long. The Righteous Alliance has other important matters that I need to take care of, and I’m sure you do too. I will not disturb you any longer; I will take my leave now."

"Safe travels, Friend Zizhen."

The two old men; the one in purple is Immortal Zizhen, while the old man in black is the ancestor of the Zhong family, Zhong Kui.

The Zhong family ancestor watched as Immortal Zizhen flew away on clouds, and in a moment, he disappeared from sight, suddenly letting out a cold huff.

Turning his head, he found that in the place where Immortal Zizhen had been sitting, a middle-aged scholar was quietly sitting, with a cold young girl standing behind him.

The middle-aged scholar had no imposing aura, yet he gave an incredibly strange feeling, as if the person before him did not really exist. Under the sunlight, the scholar’s figure seemed a bit hazy, as if he were merely a shadow cast here, but at that moment, he twirled a black piece in his hand, showing that he truly existed.

"Why does the senior hold back?"

The middle-aged scholar asked with a smile.

As he spoke, the middle-aged scholar placed a black stone on a spot on the chessboard. The situation on the board changed dramatically. The white dragon was still powerful, but the black stones gathered around the board formed a large black net, surrounding the white dragon. It was hard to tell which was stronger—the white dragon or the black net—but it was clear that the white stones no longer held an absolute advantage as before.

"In this way, even if we can’t win against the white stones, the black stones will have more room to survive," he said.

The middle-aged scholar said with a smile.

The old man in black kept staring at the middle-aged scholar, and after a moment, he slowly replied, "Sometimes, I easily mistake you for Zhang Xusheng. You two are very alike."