Lu An and Jiang Tianqi were forcing Gu Hai to compete in Go? If it were music, Gu Hai definitely would not be willing. Long Wanqing would also help to stop it. However, Go?
Long Wanqing immediately stopped making a fuss. Gu Hai also felt stunned. There was a path to heaven for Lu An’s group, but they refused it, choosing the path to hell instead.
The music Dao? Gu Hai was a sham master.
However, the Go Dao, that was Gu Hai’s specialty.
“Master Gu, don’t listen to him!”
“Master Gu, we will go to wherever your This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion moves to!”
“Right! Master Gu, we support you. Just change locations. We will follow you!”
“Go? These shameless people! If you are capable, then compete in music!”
“Indeed! If you are capable, then compete with Master Gu in music!”
The surrounding cultivators felt enraged.
“Silence!” City Lord He Shikang shouted coldly.
The soldiers immediately pushed the agitated cultivators farther back.
“What’s wrong? You don’t dare to?” Jiang Tianqi smiled coldly.
“Indeed. Gu Hai, you don’t dare to?” Lu An said with a cold, cocky smile.
“Compete in Go? That is possible. However, how am I to believe you?” Gu Hai frowned.
“Believe? What is there not to believe?” Lu An frowned.
“If I win, will you honor your words?” Gu Hai asked with a frown.
Lu An and Jiang Tianqi believed they had already pushed Gu Hai into a corner and could do whatever they wanted to him.
“I do this in the name of my grandfather, and City Lord He Shikang will host it. With the entire city witnessing it, what is there not to believe? Do you not believe me? Or do you not believe my grandfather?” Lu An said coldly.
“City Lord is willing to host this?” Gu Hai turned to He Shikang.
He Shikang looked strangely at Gu Hai. Then, he smiled faintly and said, “Since I am here by coincidence, if you are willing to wager on this, I am willing to bear witness.”
However, Gu Hai remained silent.
“What’s wrong? You don’t dare to? Weren’t you willing earlier? Gu Hai, let me tell you this. You had already agreed to a Go battle. Right now, you have to compete in Go whether you are willing or not,” Lu An said coldly.
“Mister Gu, don’t listen to him!” The countless cultivators in the surroundings felt incredibly anxious.
However, Gu Hai waved, assuring the crowd. Then, he turned his head to look at Lu An. “Since Young Master An put it this way, then there is no harm in a game of Go. However, isn’t the wager too small?”
“Huh?” Lu An felt stunned.
He Shikang, Jiang Tianyi, Jiang Tianqi, and the others revealed confused expressions.
“How about this? If I lose, aside from leaving Silver Moon City, I won’t dismantle This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion. Aside from my people, I’ll leave everything in there for you. Furthermore, I will help persuade all the merchants there to continue doing business there. I’ll even give you the method of making the piano. How about that?” Gu Hai said with a smile.
Lu An looked at Gu Hai in confusion. The others also gave Gu Hai bewildered looks.
“Has Gu Hai gone mad? This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion is a cash cow. He is just going to give it all away?” Jiang Tianyi whispered to Lu An.
“Matching that, if you lose, your Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion will belong to me. How about that?” Gu Hai said with a smile.
Lu An’s eyelid twitched wildly. This Gu Hai is not behaving as expected. Shouldn’t you be feeling unreconciled and furious? Why are you so calm?
“Young Master An, be careful. There must be a trick,” Jiang Tianyi whispered.
“Scram. What trick can there be? Humph! I don’t believe he can be better than Jiang Tianqi at Go,” Lu An immediately snarled.
“By the way, let me give you a warning,” Gu Hai said while smiling at Lu An’s group.
“What?”
“I am incredible at Go!” Gu Hai said, his smile widening.
Lu An: “…”
“Humph! You are incredible at Go? Who are you fooling? I’ll take that bet. Bring it on. Prepare the Go board!” Lu An immediately called out.
“Yes!” Lu An’s subordinates answered.
“Young Master An, my wager with you has the city lord and the entire city witnessing it. Shouldn’t you show some sincerity? Invite the property sales registration office here; bring the stamps, title deeds, and various paperwork. After the Go match is over, the loser will acknowledge his defeat and not drag things out. What do you think?” Gu Hai said.
“I think you are just trying to buy time. Everyone is here. You lot! Go bring Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion’s title deeds here!” Lu An said in a cold voice.
“Yes!” Lu An’s subordinates answered.
Lu An looked at Gu Hai coldly.
All the citizens of the city eyed Lu An’s group in rage, worrying for Gu Hai.
Gu Hai also brought over all the paperwork in preparation for this wager.
After they drafted a contract regarding the wager, Gu Hai and Lu An signed it, with the city lord’s name added as a witness.
There was no turning back now. Everyone just waited for the game to start.
All the citizens felt worried.
At a nearby pavilion:
Sima Changkong frowned slightly and said, “Why did this Gu Hai agree?”
“Perhaps Gu Hai really is incredible at Go?” one of Sima Changkong’s subordinates suggested, feeling curious.
“That is impossible. His music Dao is so strong. He must have focused on the music Dao. Even if he comprehends the Go Dao, it should be limited. That Jiang Tianqi specializes in Go. Gu Hai does not hold any advantages in this match-up at all,” Sima Changkong said in confusion.
“This subordinate is not sure.”
Sima Changkong looked at the distant Gu Hai with some misgivings.
Fairy Waner stood quietly in another small pavilion, peering coldly through the window at Gu Hai.
“An inferior person intoxicated by success. Humph! Do you think that playing Go is like playing the zither? Do you think you can bring out a Canon or a ‘Sonata Pathétique’ when playing Go? Humph! Let’s see how you fail,” Fairy Waner cursed through clenched teeth.
Soon, both sides had prepared everything.
The Han Royal Dynasty officials and Lu An’s subordinates handed the documents to a group of officials taking charge of this. Once the results were out, the handover would take place immediately.
With the entire city bearing witness to this, there was no going back on their word.
Gu Hai and Jiang Tianqi sat down with a Go board between them. This game would decide the ownership of two major businesses.
“Mister Gu, you go first?” Jiang Tianqi said with a confident smile.
Gu Hai smiled faintly and picked up a black Go stone. Then, he extended his hand and placed the Go stone on the tengen position.
This immediately caused a huge commotion in the surroundings.
“Indeed, Master Gu can’t play Go. How could he place the first piece in the centermost tengen position? Isn’t that a waste?”
“It’s over. Master Gu is going to lose!”
“Playing tengen on the first move is such a waste!”
Although the surrounding cultivators had limited understanding of the Go Dao, they still understood the basics. Playing the first move on tengen wasted the advantage of going first.
At a nearby pavilion:
Sima Changkong initially felt pity for Gu Hai when his pupils suddenly constricted.
“Playing the first move on tengen, declaring himself supreme? Is Gu Hai that confident?” Sima Changkong raised his eyebrows.
In another pavilion:
“Humph! Just causing a sensation!” Fairy Waner said disdainfully.
When Jiang Tianqi, Lu An, and the others saw Gu Hai’s move, they started smiling.
This was just seeking failure.
Jiang Tianqi slowly played a white Go stone.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Gu Hai and Jiang Tianqi took turns placing Go stones. The surrounding cultivators remained silent, worrying for Gu Hai and not daring to interrupt him.
Outside Silver Moon City:
A flying ship headed slowly towards Silver Moon City from a distance.
A gray-clad old man stood on the bow of the flying ship, looking into the distant horizon.
“Lord Mo, we will arrive in Silver Moon City in another four hours. Young Master An seems to be in Silver Moon City,” one of the gray-clad old man’s subordinates reported respectfully from behind.
Lord Mo nodded and smiled. “Silver Moon City has the World’s Best Zither Pavilion and the duke’s other businesses. We should be able to bring back a lot of money for the army. Now that war has broken out at the frontlines, money is needed everywhere.”
“With Young Master An in charge in Silver Moon City, nothing should go wrong. Furthermore, I heard that the Silver Moon Mountain Manor’s manor lord is holding a zither bestowal event soon. During this time, the World’s Best Zither Pavilion should be bringing in a lot of money!” that subordinate said with a smile.
“Indeed. Since the World’s Best Zither Pavilion and the Silver Moon’s Best Go Pavilion can have the word best in their names, they definitely earned a lot of money during this time. Haha! The duke does not have to worry too much about his military budget,” Lord Mo laughed.
“Yes!”
In front of This Street’s Best Zither Pavilion, in Silver Moon City:
Clack!
Gu Hai played his move on nine-five.
This instantly captured one hundred of Jiang Tianqi’s white Go stones.
Capturing one hundred Go stones in one go was not just executing a dragon but practically swallowing a dragon whole.
Jiang Tianqi did not lose just the game but even all his white Go stones. It was just like how the entire city played “Sonata Pathétique” and utterly destroyed the dark clouds of fate with the fighting spirit produced.
Gasp!
The countless cultivators in the surroundings gasped.
At first, they had worried that Gu Hai would lose. However, Gu Hai gained an overwhelming advantage in the blink of an eye, ending the game. Jiang Tianqi’s pieces ended up scattered everywhere on the board before being completely consumed by Gu Hai’s pieces.
Jiang Tianqi was stunned.
“No! No! You must be cheating! You must be cheating! It should not have gone this way! It should not have gone this way!” Jiang Tianqi felt completely stupefied.
How did my Go stones suddenly disappear? This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Jiang Tianqi stared at the Go board, trying to spot a way out. This is impossible. It should not have gone this way. Where are my Go stones? Where are they?
Jiang Tianqi was on the verge of madness.
The surrounding cultivators were stunned as well.
Fairy Waner gaped in shock, astonished at Gu Hai’s final move.
“This fellow won by coincidence, right?” She goggled incredulously.
At another pavilion:
Sima Changkong took a deep breath. “The first move on tengen and the ending move on nine-five. Is this a coincidence? Is Gu Hai’s mastery of the Go Dao that exquisite? Did I see wrong?”
“It is true. Milord, he did start on tengen and ended on nine-five. The moment he made that move, it decided the victory!” someone behind whispered.
“Send men to the Thousand Islands Sea to investigate. Find out everything about Gu Hai; don’t leave anything out. I want all the details!” Sima Changkong said gravely.
“Ah? Milord, didn’t you make arrangements for that already? We have already sent our men.”
“No. Send another group. I want all the information about his family as well, not just him. Investigate everything. I want the most detailed information!” Sima Changkong said.
“Huh? Yes!”
No matter how Jiang Tianqi searched for an opening on the Go board or how the surrounding people marveled at this, the results were already in. Gu Hai had won.
“I did say I am incredible at Go,” Gu Hai said with a faint smile as he stood up.
