An Jiu approached and looked at the board. “Is it fun?”
Wei Yuzhi nodded with a smile. Seeing An Jiu sit across from him, he cleared the board of its complex position. “Do you prefer black or white?”
An Jiu, favoring light, chose white.
“The board has nineteen horizontal and vertical lines, creating 361 intersections called points. The marked points are ‘star points,’ nine in total, with the central one called ‘Tengen’…” Wei Yuzhi began explaining the rules and methods of Go to her.
An Jiu usually disliked lengthy explanations, but Wei Yuzhi’s were concise and substantive, piquing her curiosity. She listened with unusual patience.
“A stone on the board has ‘liberties’ at the empty points directly adjacent to it. Stones of the same color connected in a line form a unit and their liberties are counted together. If an opposing stone occupies an adjacent point, that liberty is lost…”
An Jiu frowned. “Isn’t this just a game? Why make it so complicated?”
Wei Yuzhi asked, “What allows humans to dominate and hunt animals?”
“Intelligence?” An Jiu suggested.
Wei Yuzhi nodded and pointed at the board. “That’s why only humans could invent and play this game.”
“Alright, continue,” An Jiu said.
Wei Yuzhi resumed his explanation. After covering the basics, he guided An Jiu through several practice formations on the board before they began to play.
In their first game, Wei Yuzhi gave her an eighteen-stone handicap, occasionally pointing out her mistakes. Despite this, An Jiu was thoroughly defeated.
The second game also had an eighteen-stone handicap, and An Jiu was again overwhelmed.
The third, fourth, and fifth games followed the same pattern. Although An Jiu was consistently defeated, her basic errors became less frequent with each game.
Chu Dingjiang, having finished beating Mo Sigui, watched a few rounds. Seeing An Jiu’s persistent efforts despite setbacks, he continued observing.
By the seventh game, An Jiu finally lost patience and recruited help. “You play against him!” she said to Chu Dingjiang.
It wasn’t that she was frustrated with losing, but she realized the game required wisdom and skill. Brute force would never defeat Wei Yuzhi. Knowing Chu Dingjiang was intelligent, she brought him to play, hoping to learn by observing.
The two men sat cross-legged, facing each other. Wei Yuzhi shifted slightly, his posture no longer casual.
The atmosphere suddenly changed, as if they might draw swords at any moment.
The blanket slipped from Wei Yuzhi’s shoulders. He adjusted his wide sleeves and said, “Please.”
Chu Dingjiang reached for the bowl of white stones.
Black moves first. Wei Yuzhi took the black stones and placed one seemingly casually on the board.
They exchanged moves rapidly at first. As the board filled with stones, they took more time to consider each move, aware that “one careless move can lose the entire game.”
An Jiu crouched nearby, watching with interest. She asked about moves she didn’t understand, though the answers were often brief and beyond her comprehension.
After watching for nearly half an hour, An Jiu realized she couldn’t understand what they were doing. She yawned and went to find Mo Sigui.
The room was still full of medicines, looking much the same as before.
Not seeing anyone, An Jiu followed the sound of pestle and mortar.
Mo Sigui, crouching among herbs, looked up and glared at her fiercely, though it lacked the intended effect.
“Ha!” An Jiu laughed unkindly at his black eyes. “Seems Chu Dingjiang was considerate of your eyes.”
Mo Sigui didn’t have many injuries, but his panda eyes were most prominent. His usually charming eyes were swollen like walnuts with just a slit to see through.
Mo Sigui pouted. He understood that Chu Dingjiang’s anger wasn’t about the morning’s bun, but about him examining An Jiu’s body during treatment.
“Good thing I’m clever. If I’d said I touched you, both my arms would be useless now!” Mo Sigui said bitterly.
An Jiu crouched down, resting her chin on her hand. “He probably knows by now.”
“I…” Mo Sigui wanted to explode but his eyes stung too much. He covered them, whining, “Oh, what just happened? I seem to have lost my memory.”
An Jiu patted his shoulder. “It’s not that serious. Did he beat you for this? I’ll avenge you later.”
Mo Sigui paused. “You mean it?”
“Have I ever lied to you?” An Jiu said.
“You must beat him like this!” Mo Sigui pointed at his face. “I’ve always said I rely on my looks! Mingyue already doesn’t care for me. If my face is ruined, I’ll have no hope left.”
“Lou Mingyue isn’t shallow,” An Jiu consoled him. “Whether you’re handsome or not, she won’t give you a second glance.”
Mo Sigui wailed, “Go away! Don’t let me see you again. Take that heartless Chu Dingjiang of yours and go as far as you can!”
“I’m not feeling well, so I can’t go far,” An Jiu said seriously.
Mo Sigui flopped onto the pile of herbs, looking dejected. As he applied medicine to his eyes, he asked grumpily, “Have you seen Wei Yuzhi?”
“He’s playing Go with Chu Dingjiang outside,” An Jiu replied.
Mo Sigui tossed a cotton ball into the medicine pot, seemingly finding an outlet for his anger. He rushed out like a whirlwind. Seeing the two still playing, he shouted, “Do you have a death wish? You just got stabbed and instead of resting, you’re out here playing Go! And you, Chu, how despicable! Is this how you try to eliminate your rival? Let me tell you, he won’t die under my care. Give up that idea!”
His words were full of righteous indignation.
The two players were deeply engrossed in their game, feeling they had met their match, and paid no attention to anything else.
Mo Sigui, proud of his outburst, waited. When no one responded and he saw Wei Yuzhi’s pale face tinged with a sickly hue, he became genuinely angry. He stepped forward and slammed his palm on the board, shattering it into dust that scattered onto the snow, creating a messy pattern.
This finally caught their attention.
Mo Sigui grabbed Wei Yuzhi’s wrist, channeling his qi to thoroughly examine him. His face turned ashen. “Come back with me!”