I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 174: Winning Without Fighting

Wu Shuheng stared at the board, took a deep breath, and finally reached into the Go bowl, gritting his teeth as he placed his next move.

Click!

Suspension, Column 11, Row 12!

Yu Shao lowered his gaze, quietly observing the board. Then, with a calm expression, he picked up another stone and placed it gently.

The game continued with a rapid exchange of moves.

Black had already set up a stranglehold against White, leaving no room for escape. At this point, it was a battle to the end—a test of pure strength in Go.

"White is completely entangled by Black, utterly unable to break free!"

The taller referee fixed his eyes on the board, fully immersed in the match, and gave his judgment.

"Right now, Black has complete sente, but because of how aggressively he's cut off White, his position is dangerously thin!"

"If White can just hold on for a bit longer, he’ll get a chance to launch a deadly counterattack!"

"So the question now is—will Black's relentless assault crush White completely, or will White’s unyielding defense find the moment to strike back?"

The taller referee couldn’t help but glance at Yu Shao, who was still staring at the board with an eerily calm expression.

He struggled to understand how Yu Shao had dared to play such an outrageous move earlier.

"In that position, ninety percent of players would have chosen to connect. It was the safest move by far."

Yet, Yu Shao had instead chosen an incredibly aggressive variation, willingly exposing his own weaknesses to completely sever White's structure.

"This… this is reckless beyond belief…"

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Yu Shao moved again.

Click!

Clamp, Column 5, Row 8!

"A clamp!"

The referee’s pupils shrank slightly. The shorter referee also showed a look of shock as both of them felt the pressure of this move.

"White’s stones in the upper-left corner—"

"—are now completely trapped!"

By now, Wu Shuheng was drenched in sweat. After much deliberation, he bit down on his lip, reached for a White stone, and finally made his move.

Click!

Extend, Column 5, Row 9!

Yu Shao followed immediately.

Click!

Hane, Column 5, Row 8!

Click! Click! Click!

The battle on the board grew increasingly intense. The rapid exchange of moves felt like the clash of swords, and the referees could almost see sparks flying from the board.

"Wu Shuheng is a 3-dan professional, and every move he plays is solid, but—"

The taller referee’s eyes remained glued to the board, unable to stay calm.

"—the tide is steadily shifting in Black’s favor. White is being forced into an entirely defensive position!"

The shorter referee, equally tense, wiped away the sweat forming at his temples.

"White had clearly put effort into strengthening his upper-left position, but under Black’s relentless attack, it’s still crumbling!"

"White is in serious trouble!"

Wu Shuheng realized this too. He stared at the board for a long time before finally making his next move.

But before long, Yu Shao responded instantly.

Click!

The referees held their breath.

At this moment, Black had already forced his way into White’s territory like an unstoppable tide. But White, refusing to yield, was prepared to fight to the death.

Click! Click! Click!

The game continued—more than ten moves were exchanged in quick succession.

"White has fought with everything he has, but…"

The taller referee had already come to a conclusion.

"…the tide is irreversible. Black is steadily closing in for the kill."

"I don’t think White can hold out much longer."

At that moment, Yu Shao placed another move.

Click!

Press, Column 14, Row 7!

"Huh?"

Wu Shuheng and both referees froze.

This move was completely unexpected.

Black had a golden opportunity to completely destroy White. At this moment, he should have continued attacking ruthlessly—yet, he chose to tenuki?

Why?

But then, as realization dawned upon them, the expressions on all three faces changed dramatically.

"Genius… absolute genius!"

The taller referee’s eyes widened, his throat suddenly dry.

Up until now, Black’s attacks had been precise, deadly, and relentless.

Yet, none of those moves shocked him as much as this single, quiet press.

"White’s stones in the upper-left corner… now finally have a chance to live."

"But that opportunity wasn’t earned by White—it was handed to him by Black."

"Instead of completely annihilating White, Black has deliberately given him a path to survival. But in doing so, Black’s influence over the center has expanded dramatically!"

"Black is suppressing White—not through brute force, but through sheer strategic dominance."

"He’s winning… without even needing to fight!"

The taller referee simply couldn’t understand how Yu Shao had come up with such a move. It was completely different from his previous aggressive playstyle, yet its crushing power was even greater.

"Was this… just a sudden flash of inspiration?"

He looked up at Yu Shao, unable to hide his confusion.

On the other side, Wu Shuheng stared at the board for a long time before finally placing his next move.

The game continued for several more moves. White successfully lived in the upper-left, then attempted to launch a counteroffensive in the center.

But after just a few more exchanges—

Wu Shuheng stopped playing.

The situation was already clear as day.

Though Black had spared White’s group, that single pressing move had been far more devastating than killing it outright.

White had no way to turn the game around anymore.

Wu Shuheng closed his eyes briefly, then lowered his head.

"I resign."

The moment Black had played that one move, he had already known the outcome.

The last dozen moves were nothing more than desperate resistance.

But after seeing Yu Shao’s flawless responses in the center, he had no choice but to surrender.

"Thank you for the game."

Hearing Wu Shuheng’s resignation, Yu Shao nodded slightly.

"Thank you for the game."

The two exchanged bows, then quietly began clearing the board.

After a brief silence, Wu Shuheng suddenly spoke.

"Want to grab dinner together?"

Yu Shao blinked in mild surprise, instinctively glancing at Zheng Qin’s table—he had wanted to see how his match was going.

But since Wu Shuheng was his senior, he didn’t refuse.

"Sure."

After reporting their results to the referees, the two stood up and left the playing room together.

"The first professional match featuring the 3-3 Point… has been won."

The taller referee watched the two players walk away, feeling a strange sense of emotion.

"His first match as a professional… and he won."

"A 1-dan beating a 3-dan isn’t unheard of, but usually, those 1-dans have already been competing professionally for a while and have grown stronger through experience."

"But someone winning their debut match against a 3-dan?"

"That… is far less common."

After hesitating briefly, he turned toward Table 16, where Zheng Qin was playing, and began walking in that direction.

…

As they exited the playing room, Wu Shuheng glanced at Yu Shao and said:

"That Press move was incredible. I really thought you’d keep fighting in the upper-left, but instead, you chose that move."

"That one move… completely crushed my will to fight."

Just as the two began heading toward the cafeteria—

A cheerful, melodic voice suddenly called out behind them.

"Brother! Yu Shao!"

Both Wu Shuheng and Yu Shao stopped in their tracks and turned around.

Not far behind them, Wu Zhixuan was waving excitedly, standing on her tiptoes as she called out to them.

She had curled her hair, the ends softly wavy and voluminous, complementing her fair skin and delicate features. Though her outfit was simple—just a white blouse and denim shorts—it gave her a youthful and lively charm.

Her long, fair legs weren’t particularly slender, but they had just the right amount of muscle, making them look toned and full of energy.

As soon as she saw them stop, Wu Zhixuan quickly jogged over, her curiosity evident.

"You guys finished your match?"

"Yeah, it’s over."

Seeing his sister, Wu Shuheng nodded before asking in surprise, "Wait, you finished too?"

"Yep!" Wu Zhixuan nodded excitedly, scrunching her nose as she grinned. "My opponent was a 4-dan, but I won! If I win two more matches, I’ll be promoted to 3-dan!"

Hearing this, Yu Shao raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

In this world, female players had an easier time earning a professional title, but promotions beyond that were just as difficult as for male players. Unlike in his previous life, where women’s ranks were often considered separately, here, a female 2-dan was just as strong as a male 2-dan, a female 9-dan as strong as a male 9-dan.

This meant that highly ranked female players were extremely rare.

Most female professionals stagnated at 1-dan or 2-dan, struggling to climb higher.

Yu Shao had never played against Wu Zhixuan or seen her game records. Based on her cheerful personality and lack of a "top player" aura, he had always assumed she wasn’t very strong.

Yet, in just over six months, she had climbed from 2-dan to nearly 3-dan—a respectable speed by any standard.

"Maybe I judged her too quickly based on appearances?"

Wu Zhixuan then turned toward Yu Shao, her curiosity sparking again.

"So, who won between you two?"

She clearly knew that today’s match was between Wu Shuheng and Yu Shao, and her gaze landed on Yu Shao as she asked, "Did you win?"

Wu Shuheng let out a helpless sigh. "That’s not how you ask, you know?"

"What? But I was right, wasn’t I?"

Seeing that Wu Shuheng wasn’t refuting her guess, Wu Zhixuan grinned smugly and put on a dramatic expression.

"Ah, truly a case of 'the younger generation surpassing the old'… Wu Shuheng, my dear brother, you’ve aged beyond your years! You might as well retire from Go and stop eating altogether!"

"Wu Zhixuan, don’t act so smug."

Wu Shuheng rolled his eyes.

"You’re not much better yourself. Do you know how many 1-dan players there are? There’s even someone like Xu Zijin among them. If you played her, you’d probably lose. She became a professional with a perfect record, unlike you."

"What are you even saying? I’ve improved a lot recently! You’ve lost to me plenty of times, haven’t you?"

Wu Zhixuan huffed in frustration, crossing her arms. "I’m really strong! If I went up against her, I’d definitely win!"

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned to Yu Shao.

"By the way, Yu Shao, besides the National Master Tournament, are you entering any other events? The Rookie Kings’ Tournament?"

"The Yingjiao Cup," Yu Shao replied.

"Wait… you’re skipping the Rookie Kings’ Tournament and going straight for the Yingjiao Cup?"

Wu Zhixuan blinked in surprise. "Wouldn’t it be easier to just win the Rookie Kings' and take the title?"

While the Yingjiao Cup had an age restriction of eighteen and under, that didn’t mean it was full of low-ranked players—in fact, it was quite the opposite.

For most low-ranked players, the Yingjiao Cup was just a formality.

Each year, there were a handful of prodigies who became professionals at just twelve or thirteen years old. By the time they reached seventeen or eighteen, they had spent years refining their skills in the professional world.

This year, Zhuang Fei, who had turned professional at thirteen, was supposed to be the standout player from the Southern Region. However, since he had been eliminated, no player under fourteen had made it through in the South.

But the other regions were different.

• The Central Region had a 12-year-old who had turned pro.
• The Western Region had a 13-year-old who had also turned pro.
• The Northern and Eastern Regions, like the South, had no new prodigies under 14 this year.

"These players may not have been the absolute strongest when they first became professionals, but after five or six years of grinding in the pro scene, their strength was undeniable."

By the time they entered the Yingjiao Cup, they had already honed their skills significantly—yet, they were still young enough to compete.

"The Yingjiao Cup was practically made for players like them."

If someone wasn’t yet eighteen and wasn’t strong enough to challenge these prodigies, they simply wouldn’t stand a chance.

Yu Shao, who had only turned professional at sixteen, had indeed done so with a perfect record—but compared to those who had been competing in the pro scene since twelve or thirteen, his timeline was just average.

Wu Zhixuan was about to say something when she suddenly froze, her eyes widening.

"Wait… are you aiming for the China-U.S. Youth Go Showdown?"

"China-U.S. Youth Go Showdown?"

Yu Shao furrowed his brow in confusion. "What does that have to do with the Yingjiao Cup?"

"You don’t know?"

Wu Zhixuan looked genuinely surprised.

"The China-U.S. Youth Go Showdown is a team event jointly organized by the Chinese and American Go Associations. Only players under eighteen can participate."

"Each country selects ten players to compete in a knockout-style team battle—whoever wins stays as the defending player, while the losing team sends in the next challenger. The match continues until one side is completely defeated."

"And since the Yingjiao Cup is also for players under eighteen, the top ten players in the tournament are automatically selected for the China-U.S. Showdown. The Go Association mandates this—players can’t decline unless they have a medical reason."

Hearing this, Yu Shao frowned slightly.

"The U.S. can field a team to compete against China?"

"Why not?"

Wu Zhixuan gave him a strange look. "Ten years ago, they were definitely a step behind us, but they’ve improved a lot since then. Their overall strength is now among the best in the world."

Yu Shao was momentarily taken aback.

He knew that in this world, Go was an internationally recognized sport with massive influence. Even Western players had notable reputations, and there were many professional players worldwide.

But for the U.S. to be able to stand on equal footing with China in a team showdown?

This was far different from the Go scene in his past life.

Yu Shao was still adjusting to this world’s Go landscape. In his previous life, the professional Go scene had always been a three-way battle between China, Japan, and Korea. Hearing that Western players were now rising and that Go had become a truly global battlefield was something he wasn’t quite used to.

"Not only that, but this match was proposed by the American Go Association. We were forced to accept it, which means this is a ‘dispute match.’ The stakes are different this time."

Wu Shuheng’s expression turned more serious as he continued, "If past patterns hold, after the youth showdown, the next dispute match will be between top-ranked 9-dan players."

"Dispute match?"

Yu Shao turned to Wu Shuheng, slightly puzzled. "What do you mean by ‘past patterns’?"

"Fighting for ranking, settling superiority, determining the fate of nations—dispute matches have existed since ancient times."

Wu Shuheng took a deep breath and explained, "First comes the youth showdown, a battle for the future. Then comes the high-dan dispute match, a battle for the present."

"If a country loses both, it means they are simply weaker, and their international ranking drops behind the winner."

"If they win one and lose one, the ranking remains unchanged, but the challenging side has to cover all the prize money."

"But if they win both, the defeated country must not only pay all the prize money, but also triple the original amount."

At this point, Wu Shuheng’s expression darkened slightly.

"That’s how we fell from first place to third."

"Over the past decade, we’ve challenged Japan and Korea a few times, trying to reclaim our spot. But we lost every time. Eventually, we stopped initiating dispute matches altogether."

"Meanwhile, the overall strength of American Go has been steadily growing. People have been saying for years that the U.S. would challenge us sooner or later, but until now, nothing had come of it."

"And now, after our poor performance at the Fangyuan Cup, the challenge has finally arrived…"

"Because of how significant this match is, the news hasn’t been officially announced yet. If it were, it would cause a huge stir—even people who don’t understand Go would pay attention."

Wu Shuheng sighed, a hint of self-deprecation in his tone.

"Luckily, my strength isn’t enough, and I’m almost twenty. This whole thing has nothing to do with me."

Yu Shao was silent for a moment before asking, "Does this international ranking actually matter? What’s the benefit of moving up a rank?"

"None. Absolutely none."

Wu Shuheng glanced at Yu Shao and shook his head.

Then, after a pause, he added, "And because of that, its value is limitless."

Yu Shao instantly understood.

With the topic of dispute matches looming over them, the mood between the three of them became heavy. Even Wu Zhixuan, who had seemed excited just moments ago, grew a bit absentminded.

She was still under eighteen and had signed up for the Yingjiao Cup, but she had no expectations of making it to the top ten. She was purely using the tournament to sharpen her skills and earn some match fees.

"If even I make it into the top ten, then Chinese Go would really be in trouble."

At any other time, she would have hoped for the best possible result. But right now, she was secretly wishing she wouldn’t place too high—a rare, conflicted feeling.

Encountering Zhang Dongchen

The three of them walked toward the cafeteria. Just as they reached the entrance, a young man in a plaid shirt stepped out.

He looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, his face sharp and angular, with piercing eyes. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he had a distracted expression, as if deep in thought.

Yet oddly enough, despite his furrowed brows, the corners of his mouth were faintly upturned, giving the impression that he was always smiling.

The moment Wu Shuheng and Wu Zhixuan saw him, they both stopped in their tracks.

Then, quickly snapping out of their surprise, they greeted him.

"Teacher Zhang Dongchen."

Although Zhang Dongchen was only about ten years older than Wu Zhixuan and seven or eight years older than Wu Shuheng, they still addressed him as "Teacher."

In the world of Go, experience was everything—whoever was more skilled was the teacher.

Even if a player was younger, if they held a higher rank, they had to be addressed with respect—either with "Teacher" or by their rank/title.

Zhang Dongchen?

Hearing the name, Yu Shao’s gaze shifted toward the young man.

Though he was still unfamiliar with this world’s Go community, he had definitely heard of Zhang Dongchen before.

Zhang Dongchen was the current holder of the “Go Sage” title.

Originally from the Western Region, most of his matches took place at the Western Go Academy. Yu Shao had assumed it would be difficult to meet him in person—but now, unexpectedly, here he was, casually walking out of the cafeteria.

"He must have a match in the Southern Region."

Hearing Wu Shuheng and Wu Zhixuan’s greeting, Zhang Dongchen came back to his senses. He nodded at them, about to leave—

But then, his gaze suddenly landed on Yu Shao.

His steps halted.

"Yu Shao?"

Zhang Dongchen frowned, his brows knitting even tighter as he stared at Yu Shao.

"Yes?"

Yu Shao was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhang Dongchen to know his name.

He nodded in acknowledgment.

Zhang Dongchen studied him for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"Are you competing in the Yingjiao Cup?"

"I am."

Yu Shao wasn’t sure what Zhang Dongchen was getting at, but he answered truthfully.

Hearing this, Zhang Dongchen nodded again.

He didn’t say anything more.

After a deep, thoughtful look at Yu Shao, he turned away and resumed walking.

Yu Shao watched his figure disappear, feeling completely baffled.

"What… was that about?"