I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 117: A Long Contemplation on the First Move

Day 7 of the Promotion Tournament Preliminaries.

Early in the morning, Yu Shao took a taxi to Jinxia Grand Hotel and arrived at the playing room. Scanning the area, he quickly spotted his table and walked straight to Table Eight.

By the seventh round, the number of players still undefeated was incredibly rare.

His opponent today was Miao Xiaoxiao, one of the few remaining players with an undefeated record—just like him.

The moment Yu Shao pulled out his chair and sat down, a wave of attention swept through the entire room.

Some of the players had witnessed yesterday’s match between Yu Shao and He Zhi’an, while others had only heard about it.

"So that’s Yu Shao?"

"I thought He Zhi’an and Qiao Anli, as long as they didn’t face each other, would only lose to Miao Xiaoxiao. But who would’ve thought they’d both fall to this guy?! That’s insane!"

"I’ve never even heard of Yu Shao before! And he’s only sixteen—he’s not a dojo trainee, nor has he made a name for himself in the amateur Go scene. Where the hell did he come from?"

The whispers and murmurs filled the air as many players cast curious and uncertain glances toward Yu Shao.

Soon, as the match time approached, two referees entered the playing room.

"Huh?"

Yu Shao glanced at the referees and blinked in surprise.

One of them was the goateed referee from yesterday’s match.

Since Yu Shao had struggled to find a referee after his game ended, he had a strong impression of this particular official—after all, the man had coughed behind him to get his attention.

As for today’s bald referee, Yu Shao was seeing him for the first time.

The goateed referee also looked a bit surprised upon spotting Yu Shao, but he gave him a slight nod in acknowledgment.

The match was about to begin, yet Miao Xiaoxiao was still nowhere to be seen.

Finally—

With only five minutes left before the game started, Miao Xiaoxiao arrived late.

He was still wearing the same floral T-shirt as yesterday.

The moment he stepped into the playing room, his gaze immediately locked onto Table Eight—onto Yu Shao.

He had considered the possibility of facing Yu Shao today.

But when it actually became reality, the weight of it hit him differently.

Seeing Yu Shao already seated, Miao Xiaoxiao’s expression turned unusually solemn.

Standing at the entrance, he took a deep breath, then silently walked over, pulled out his chair, and sat down across from Yu Shao.

With all players seated and referees in place, the atmosphere in the playing room grew tense—

So tense that it felt oppressive.

With only four games left in the preliminary rounds, these were the final opportunities for players who hadn’t secured a top ten spot yet.

They had no choice but to fight like starving wolves, sinking their fangs into their opponents, refusing to give them a single breath—

Only by doing so could they push forward.

Victory meant survival.

Defeat meant becoming another discarded skeleton.

Brutal. Cold. Merciless.

Five minutes passed quickly.

"Time's up!"

The goateed referee checked his watch, then cleared his throat before announcing,

"Each player has three hours, with a one-minute overtime countdown. Komi is set at 7.5 points. Now, let’s determine turn order."

Hearing this, Miao Xiaoxiao reached into the bowl of white stones, scooping up a handful and rubbing them in his palm.

Meanwhile, Yu Shao took two black stones and placed them on the board.

"Six stones."

After counting, Miao Xiaoxiao declared,

"I’ll play Black."

Yu Shao nodded, exchanged stone bowls with Miao Xiaoxiao, and said,

"Please advise me."

"Please advise me as well."

Miao Xiaoxiao bowed slightly in return.

Seeing that the opening procedure was finished, the goateed referee wordlessly walked over to Table Eight and took a position right behind Yu Shao, watching the game closely.

The bald referee, seeing this, frowned slightly.

"It’s just a match between two undefeated players in the preliminaries. Why the special attention?"

He found it puzzling, but in the end, he also walked over and stood beside the goateed referee, watching as well.

Miao Xiaoxiao reached into his stone bowl—

But he didn’t place a move right away.

Yu Shao sat across from him, waiting silently.

Seconds ticked by.

A minute passed.

Then two minutes.

Then five.

"...Wait, is he not playing?"

The bald referee was stunned.

Five full minutes had passed—and Black hadn’t played a single move.

He couldn’t help but glance at the goateed referee, only to find that—

Even though Black had been thinking for five whole minutes, the goateed referee didn’t seem the least bit impatient.

Instead, he simply stood there calmly, as if—

Even a lengthy contemplation on the very first move was completely understandable.

At that moment, Miao Xiaoxiao stared at the board, his mind flooded with memories of yesterday’s game.

Every single move played by White in that match…

He remembered them all.

The sheer pressure from those moves still weighed down on him, even now.

"Haaah..."

After a long moment, Miao Xiaoxiao let out a deep exhale, releasing some of the tension within him.

His hand shifted slightly inside the stone bowl—

Click.

The sound of stones clinking together echoed in the silent room.

"Is he finally going to play?"

The bald referee widened his eyes, waiting for Miao Xiaoxiao to place his first move.

But then—

Miao Xiaoxiao withdrew his hand, leaving no stone behind.

Then, he stood up.

And walked out of the playing room.

"...He... he left?"

The bald referee was completely dumbfounded.

In a match, players were allowed to use their time however they wanted—

Some would step outside for fresh air, calm their minds, or smoke a cigarette to relieve stress.

That was normal.

But—

"Damn it, this is just the first move!"

"Why does it feel like he’s already in a complex midgame, struggling to find the right move?!"

Finally, five minutes later, Miao Xiaoxiao returned.

His face was still damp, suggesting that he had just splashed cold water on himself in the restroom.

He walked back to his seat, pulled out his chair, and sat down.

Then, after taking a deep breath, he looked at Yu Shao one more time—

Before finally reaching into his stone bowl, picking up a piece, and placing it on the board.

Click.

Row 17, Column 4—Small Point.

"He played the Small Point for his first move…"

Seeing that Black had finally placed a stone, Yu Shao took two seconds to think before reaching into the bowl and gently placing his white stone.

Click.

Row 4, Column 16—Star Point.

With that, the game officially began, and the sound of alternating moves started to fill the room.

At first, the bald referee didn’t think much of the game.

But as more stones fell, his expression slowly changed.

He was beginning to understand why Miao Xiaoxiao had taken so long to play his first move.

"I lost."

A seventeen-year-old player stared at the board, realizing that his black stones were in a completely hopeless situation. His face was full of unwillingness, but in the end, he could only lower his head and resign.

"Thank you for the game."

The bespectacled young man across from him let out a sigh of relief—this victory hadn’t been easy for him either.

After bowing in respect to his opponent, he immediately turned his attention to Table Eight.

Seeing that the match was still ongoing, he hurried over.

And then—

When he saw the board—

His pupils contracted, and he took a sharp breath.

At this moment, over seventy moves had been played.

And the current board position—

White had nearly engulfed Black.

Black’s shape had completely collapsed, with multiple groups being forced into Empty Triangle formations!

It was even worse than yesterday's game.

No—

It was practically reaching the point of a Dragon Capture.

Seeing this, he was shocked—

But somehow, not surprised at all.

Not just him—

Everyone who had witnessed yesterday’s match had also chosen to stay behind.

Even those who were starving didn’t leave.

Instead, they all gathered around Table Eight, eager to watch the game unfold.

Soon, more and more spectators surrounded the match.

Click. Click. Click…

The crisp sound of stones landing continued to echo.

Miao Xiaoxiao reached into his stone bowl.

His face was covered in sweat.

After a long struggle, he gritted his teeth and placed his next move.

Click!

Row 4, Column 12—Peep!

"A good move."

The bespectacled young man immediately recognized its brilliance—

Not only did it strengthen Black’s shape, but it also subtly threatened the three white stones on the second line. A local tactical move.

Even so—

His expression remained tense.

Because White’s advantage was simply too overwhelming.

If White simply jumped away, then Black would have no choice but to hane, and White could just connect—

Even then, White would still maintain a tight enclosure, leaving Black’s group in a precarious position.

Yu Shao stared at the board.

After a brief moment of thought, he picked up a stone and gently placed it down.

Click.

Row 17, Column 13—Cut!

"...Cut?!"

The bespectacled young man was stunned.

His eyes widened in disbelief, nearly gasping out loud!

Beside him, a blond-haired player also had his mouth hanging open, his heart pounding as he took in the ruthless nature of White’s move.

"If you want it, I’ll just give it to you."

Faced with Black’s tactical Peep, White didn’t even bother responding—

He simply sacrificed his stones!

The game continued.

And the more they watched, the more terrified they became.

After the sacrifice, White’s attacking sequence was as smooth as flowing water.

Black was completely powerless, getting slaughtered step by step!

White played with an undeniable, unstoppable presence, methodically ripping apart Black’s defenses, exploiting thin positions, and invading deep into Black’s territory!

Finally, Yu Shao reached into the stone bowl, picked up a white stone, and placed it down once more.

Click.

Row 13, Column 10—Press!

Miao Xiaoxiao had already picked up a stone—

But at that moment, his hand froze mid-air.

A few moments passed.

Then, with great difficulty, he finally lowered his head and spoke.

"I… lost."

"Thank you for the game."

Yu Shao immediately bowed his head in response.

Miao Xiaoxiao was silent for a long moment.

In the end, he still forced himself to return the bow.

"...Thank you for the game."

The entire room fell into an eerie silence.

It wasn’t just Qiao Anli and He Zhi’an—

Even Miao Xiaoxiao, a dominant force in the amateur Go scene, had lost.

And he had lost miserably.

This Yu Shao—

Where the hell did he come from?!

If he had this level of skill, then how had he remained completely unknown until now?!