Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Tak!

A white stone flew sharply onto the Go board.

“Hrm!”

Cho Man-pyeong’s face, widely known in the scholarly world by the name Shameless Go Player, turned black as pitch, and soon cold sweat began to ooze out profusely.

Cho Man-pyeong stared intently at the board for a while with his sweat-soaked face, then soon lifted his head with an embarrassed smile across his entire face.

“Well…”

Wei Yan-ho frowned hard.

“What?”

Cho Man-pyeong wore a benevolent smile that couldn’t be matched. Just by his expression, he was no different from a saint helping those in need. He stammered in a tone filled with compassion and kindness:

“C-couldn’t you let me take back just one move?”

“Are you joking?”

“No, I must have lost my mind for a moment…”

“Forget it. If you can’t resign, then just get up.”

“Look here, I…”

Then suddenly, several loud voices came from behind.

“Ah, really! If you lost, then just get up!”

“Do you play Go alone? Don’t you see people waiting?”

“So much for being called the Shameless Go Player — shameless indeed! You should be called the Shameless Coward!”

Cho Man-pyeong turned around with a disgruntled expression.

People with flushed faces were glaring at Cho Man-pyeong as if they wanted to devour him.

“Ugh…”

‘If I could just take back one move, it seems like I could manage…’ But in this atmosphere, if he whined about taking back one more move, it wouldn’t be his Go game but his life that would be taken back.

Cho Man-pyeong picked up a stone and placed it on the board.

“I lost.”

Unlike Cho Man-pyeong, who was full of dejection, Wei Yan-ho sighed with a face full of annoyance and waved his hand dismissively.

“Next person.”

“Then I’ll go!”

“I was here first!”

“What are you talking about! I’ve been waiting here since yesterday!”

“Yesterday my foot! I’ve been waiting here since morning today!”

“Then why didn’t you come yesterday too?”

“What? Are you saying we should have it out now?”

“Look at this person’s attitude!”

Eventually, a scuffle broke out.

Wei Yan-ho watched the scene and sighed deeply.

‘How did I end up…’

It was all Wei Yan-ho’s mistake for not accurately understanding the meaning of what Moon Yu-hwan had said at first.

“Instead, I’d like you to occasionally engage in hand conversation with me or guests who visit this manor.”

He thought it was literally just asking him to play Go with people who came to visit, but who could have imagined that Moon Yu-hwan would directly invite people over?

While Wei Yan-ho was sprawled about, Moon Yu-hwan leisurely sent letters to Go players throughout the central plains.

It was a simple letter saying that a strong player with a unique Go style was staying at his house, so if they had time, they should come see for themselves.

Looking at this alone, one might think it was just a simple courtesy, but the problem was that these Go players were people who liked playing Go more than eating, and they were people who wouldn’t hesitate to travel a thousand li for one tense game of Go. [TL/N: Li is a traditional unit of distance, roughly equal to 500 meters or a third of a mile.]

More than half of those who received Moon Yu-hwan’s letter headed for the Hanrim Grand Manor, and even those who didn’t take it seriously and didn’t come to the manor eventually had to pack their bags due to spreading rumors.

― A Go Saint has appeared at the Hanrim Grand Manor!

The Hanrim Grand Manor was already famous as a place where a National Master resided, but now there was a strong player recognized by Moon Yu-hwan there – people who would jump up even from sleep at the mention of Go couldn’t possibly endure it.

Eventually, the Hanrim Grand Manor began to bustle with unexpected guests.

From Moon Eun-ji and Moon Yu-hwan’s perspective, it was a very welcome result. The guests who came during their financial difficulties were of great help to the Hanrim Grand Manor.

Moon Yu-hwan said he couldn’t take money from guests, but even people who stayed at others’ houses playing Go and receiving meals had some sense of propriety.

While no money changed hands directly, various items were handed over under the name of gifts.

Unlike chess, Go was still virtually the exclusive domain of the upper class.

There’s no poor person among those who play Go well.

Naturally, to play Go well, one must devote much time to Go. Those busy making a living couldn’t devote much time to Go, which could take up to two days for a single game at its longest.

Even Cho Man-pyeong, who had just played Go with Wei Yan-ho, was a descendant of a family that had served as ministers for generations.

The gifts brought by such people couldn’t possibly be cheap items.

Expensive items began accumulating as game fees disguised under the name of propriety, and Moon Eun-ji, seeing the gifts that began filling the storehouse, let out happy screams.

But on the contrary, Wei Yan-ho was having an absolutely miserable time.

He thought he’d just play one or two games of Go with guests who stopped by on business, but who could have imagined there were so many people in the world who would travel a thousand li just to play Go?

Thanks to this, Wei Yan-ho had to play Go from when he woke up in the morning until the sun set.

At first, not knowing anything, he became completely absorbed in Go except for meal times.

Eventually, the method Wei Yan-ho devised was to limit the number of games per day to five.

Of course, the faster he finished Go games, the more resting time he’d have, and thanks to this, Wei Yan-ho was able to play Go with fire in his eyes for the first time in a long while, like when he used to play Go with Baek Mu-han in the cave.

Tak!

The Go stone settled on the board like lightning.

“Hmm…”

Ma Jeok, the Swift Horse Trading Company leader holding the black stones, gripped the stone in his hand tightly.

It wasn’t yet at the stage where fighting would break out, but Wei Yan-ho’s stone came cutting through Ma Jeok’s territory without hesitation. If he retreated here, his territory would be split in half, and he would inevitably lose.

Normally, Ma Jeok would have leisurely ravaged the black stone that fearlessly jumped into his territory.

He would have given it life and death options while seeming to capture it, expanded his territory, and then finished the game by cutting off its head in one stroke.

But now he couldn’t do that.

First, he couldn’t figure out the intention behind jumping into what was clearly a dead position.

Moreover, the person holding the white stones was none other than the Hanrim Go Saint, who was defeating renowned Go players throughout the realm one after another.

Such a person wouldn’t have jumped in without any thought.

But he couldn’t find that hidden move at all.

And lastly…

Ma Jeok slightly raised his head to look at the Hanrim Go Saint’s face.

‘Gasp…’

A young man with annoyance written all over his face was glaring at the board with a momentum that seemed like he would devour someone.

No, what he was looking at wasn’t the board.

His eyes were fixed precisely on Ma Jeok’s right hand holding the stone.

‘What, what did I do wrong?’

Ma Jeok involuntarily flinched.

Once intimidated, cold sweat strangely kept flowing down, and he felt like he had to place a stone quickly.

“A-ahem!”

Ma Jeok had no choice but to retreat one step.

In a situation where he couldn’t properly grasp his opponent’s intention, fighting carelessly might result in a big disaster.

Even if this territory was split, it wasn’t yet at the level where defeat was being discussed, so retreating seemed right for now.

“This…”

Grrrr.

Suddenly, the sound of grinding teeth pierced his ears.

Ma Jeok looked at the face of the Hanrim Go Saint grinding his teeth while staring at the board and was convinced.

‘Surely if I had fought there, I would have lost! There must be a move I didn’t see! Yes! I retreated well! I certainly retreated well!’

But Wei Yan-ho was thinking something completely different.

‘Why!’

Wei Yan-ho glared at Ma Jeok.

‘Why! Why! Why are you retreating from there! Why!’

Wei Yan-ho felt like he wanted to grab and throw the Ma Jeok in front of him right away.

He had thrown a move that even someone who learned Go for three days could win against.

But these people called the strongest under heaven would all engage in long deliberation after long deliberation, and then the moves they made would tuck their tails and retreat.

From Wei Yan-ho’s perspective, winning or losing was of no use whatsoever.

So even if he lost, it was better if the Go game ended quickly.

That’s why he deliberately threw stones to lose, but these gentlemen would all break out in cold sweats and be eager to retreat.

No matter how much he picked fights, it was useless if they wouldn’t fight.

Yet if he lost outright, rumors would clearly spread that he played Go carelessly.

This wasn’t simply Wei Yan-ho’s problem.

It was a matter of Moon Yu-hwan’s reputation, who had invited them.

In a position where he was mooching without a single coin, he couldn’t do anything that would damage his host’s reputation.

Wei Yan-ho was lazy but a man who knew propriety.

In the worst case, if Moon Yu-hwan’s mood soured, Wei Yan-ho might be kicked out of this good place where he got free food and lodging.

That absolutely couldn’t happen.

Tak!

Wei Yan-ho’s stone pierced inward again.

‘Bite!’

Wei Yan-ho looked at Ma Jeok with blazing eyes.

‘Bite, I tell you! Bite! I’ll lose within ten moves, so let’s fight!’

But this time too, Ma Jeok broke out in cold sweats and tucked his tail and retreated.

“Ugh…”

White steam rose from Wei Yan-ho’s head.

Wei Yan-ho placed a stone on the board with trembling hands.

It was like this every time.

Wei Yan-ho kept throwing unreasonable moves to lose, and his opponent would be intimidated and not accept the unreasonable moves as unreasonable. Then the unreasonable moves became good moves, and contrary to his intentions, Wei Yan-ho kept winning.

The reputation Wei Yan-ho had unknowingly built up.

The pressure felt by those who faced Wei Yan-ho directly.

And it was the result of the momentum Wei Yan-ho unknowingly exuded pressing his opponents.

If he lost moderately and rumors spread that he lacked skill, the people packed in here would return home too, but contrary to his intentions, he kept winning, so the number of people just kept increasing.

‘I have to lose!’

Eventually, Wei Yan-ho was able to barely lose by one point by deliberately making consecutive mistakes.

“You played well.”

Ma Jeok smiled and bowed.

“I know it wasn’t your true skill. If you had played properly, I should have thrown in my stones long ago. Having such a broad mind as well, it seems like it was a game with much to learn.”

“No, that’s not…”

“I won’t forget the Go Saint’s consideration! However, next time please face me properly. This Ma Jeok is not such a narrow-minded person!”

“…Yes.”

It was maddening.

Wei Yan-ho eventually had to play five games of Go with tears in his eyes, and only after a full four shijin had passed could he escape the game room.

“Ugh…”

Wei Yan-ho massaged his legs and sighed.

“It would be a hundred times easier to do laundry or chop firewood! What kind of mess is this?”

Wei Yan-ho felt like crying.

But today the sky was annoyingly clear.

“So why did master tell me to go to the scholarly world!”

When you think about it, it was all because of Baek Mu-han.

And it was because of Baek Mu-han’s internal core embedded in his belly.

“Bad old man.”

Wei Yan-ho grumbled as he walked toward his quarters.

Still, today he had finished all his work, so now he could rest a bit.

Just then, a sharp cry reached Wei Yan-ho’s ears.

“I said no!”