After losing two games in a row, Raymond Lei’s face was starting to look a little embarrassed.
He insisted on a third game.
"Sure!"
The more games they played—over ten in total—the more Snow Yue found Go to be endlessly mysterious. So, whenever Raymond requested another round, she never refused.
Unknowingly, Raymond ended up playing seven games with Snow Yue.
He lost every single one.
By the end, his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
"Husband, it's already morning. Time to wrap things up."
Madam Lei reminded him.
"Morning already? I still have official duties to handle, so I'll be off!"
Watching Raymond nearly flee the scene, Madam Lei couldn't help but smile. At his age, he still cared so much about winning and losing.
"Auntie, do you think Uncle Raymond will get mad out of embarrassment?" Snow Yue chuckled.
Beating Raymond seven times in a row was simply too satisfying.
"You..." Madam Lei shot her a half-annoyed look. Suddenly, she remembered she'd originally come to Snow's room for something else, but got so caught up in Go that she completely forgot. Really, she shouldn't have been so distracted.
But before Madam Lei could speak, Snow Yue yawned and said, "Auntie, after playing Go all night, I'm exhausted. Let me sleep for a bit."
With that, Snow Yue went to lie down on the bed. Soon, the sound of steady snoring filled the room. After all, Go drained both mind and spirit, and even with late-Grandmaster cultivation, playing all night was too much for her.
Seeing this, Madam Lei smiled, tiptoed out, and gently closed the door behind her.
Raymond stormed into his office, still in a foul mood.
Seven straight losses—how humiliating! And to a junior, no less. He was Raymond Lei, a commander famed for strategizing from a thousand miles away. How could he lose so easily to a young girl?
Thinking this, he summoned his guard captain, Darren Dong, and ordered a Go set to be made immediately.
Darren Dong worked quickly, and soon had the army craftsmen produce a Go set.
Just as Darren was about to leave, Raymond called him back.
"Darren, come play a game with me!"
"Commander, I don't know how to play!"
"If you don't know, I'll teach you."
Raymond quickly taught Darren the rules, and the two began to play.
Half an hour later, as Darren scratched his head in confusion over where to place his stone, Raymond's gloomy face finally broke into a smile.
One game!
Two games!
Three games!
............
After crushing Darren for seven straight games, Raymond finally vented all his pent-up frustration.
Three more games went by, but Raymond started to feel bored. Darren's Go skills were just too terrible—there was no challenge at all.
"Alright, you can go now!" Raymond waved dismissively, then suddenly had an idea. "Go summon Huang Liang for me!"
"Yes, sir."
Darren responded and left.
A short while later, Ian Song arrived.
Raymond pointed at the seat across from him. "Little Huang, sit down and let's talk."
"Alright."
"Do you know what this is?" Raymond asked smugly.
"This...?"
Just as Ian started to speak, Raymond cut him off: "This is called Go, a very profound game. Here, let me explain how you play..."
Watching Raymond enthusiastically explain Go to him, Ian couldn't help but show a strange expression.
Raymond had two reasons for calling Ian here: first, to regain some sense of achievement; second, to knock down the young man's arrogance. But he had no idea that Ian was the one who taught Go to Snow Yue in the first place.
"Did you understand?"
After finishing his explanation, Raymond looked at Ian and asked.
"I got it." Ian nodded, his expression growing even stranger.
Raymond said proudly, "Come, let's play a round. You're a beginner, so I can't bully you—I'll let you take black and move first."
Hearing this, Ian almost wanted to laugh. Raymond was like someone showing off his sword in front of Guan Yu.
*Pa!*
Ian took a black stone from the bowl and placed it on the board.
*Pa!*
Raymond followed up with a move, looking very stylish.
Ian placed another stone.
Raymond mirrored him.
After a dozen moves, Raymond suddenly paused, his expression blank. He thought for a long time before finally placing his stone.
*Pa!*
Ian immediately responded with his own move.
Half an hour later, Raymond's brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes wide, and his right hand held a stone over the board, unable to decide where to place it.
Ian waited quietly, not rushing him.
Finally, after another fifteen minutes, Raymond placed his stone.
*Pa!*
Ian instantly countered, and in that moment, the board shifted dramatically—a black spear pierced through the sky, locking down the white stones at the throat, leaving them completely immobilized.
"I lost!"
Raymond stared blankly at the board for a while, then said dejectedly. But soon, his unwillingness flared up: "Come on, let's play another round!"
"Commander, is that really necessary? You can't beat me," Ian smiled. Raymond's skill was about amateur nine-dan level—good for a beginner, but nowhere near a real master. If his opponent were a beauty like Snow Yue, Ian might humor her for a few rounds, but with a burly man, he had no interest in wasting time.
"No way, we have to play!" Raymond insisted.
"Last game, win or lose," Ian said after thinking about it.
"Fine! But I want black and first move!" Raymond declared.
"Alright."
*Pa!*
Black stone placed.
Ian followed.
Another move.
Another reply.
Soon, the board was covered with black and white stones.
But Raymond once again fell into deep thought.
This time, he pondered for a full half hour before placing his stone, then looked at Ian with pride: "Little Huang, how are you going to break this?"
"Easy!"
*Pa!*
Ian casually placed a white stone in a corner of the board. Instantly, a great dragon came alive, swallowing all the black stones.
"How... how is that possible?"
Staring at the board in shock, Raymond couldn't believe it. He had a perfect position, yet in the blink of an eye, it had become a dead game.
"No, I placed it wrong. Let's do it again!"
Raymond picked up Ian's white stone and retrieved his own black stone from before.
"A gentleman doesn't take back moves, Commander. This isn't right!" Ian rolled his eyes.
"I didn't take back my move, my eyes just slipped and I placed it wrong!" Raymond argued.
"Fine, I'll let you take it back once!" Ian said, exasperated.
This time, Raymond was even more cautious, calculating every possibility before placing his stone.
*Pa!*
Ian placed his white stone, and the board changed again—black stones were once more rendered dead.
"How... how did you do that?" Raymond stared at Ian in disbelief.
"Commander, do you know who created Go?" Ian asked with a smile.
Raymond wasn't stupid. After a moment's thought, he suddenly realized: "Don't tell me... it was you?"
Ian nodded.
Seeing Ian admit it, Raymond almost wanted to crawl into a hole. He had tried to show off in front of the creator of Go—how embarrassing!