I Really Didn’t Mean to Play Go!
Chapter 205: The Voice of a Go Player

Donghai City, Eastern Go Academy, Tenth Dan Title Match.

At this moment, inside the Handtalk Room, countless cameras resembling long spears and cannons were set up, with every camera aimed directly at the Go board in the center of the room.

On the board, the pieces were being placed one after another.

Under the calligraphy scroll inscribed with the words "Discussing the Way While Seated," this game was neither tricky nor sinister, but it carried a sense of solemnity, as though it was conducted with dignified skill, hiding a touch of ruthless intent.

On one side of the table, a man in his thirties sat, his eyes sharp, his demeanor refined. On the other side, a man in his forties with thick black hair gazed at the board, tightening the folding fan in his hand.

Both men had beads of cold sweat forming on their foreheads.

The first-dan female Go player in charge of recording glanced at the two players as they each picked up a piece from the Go box and placed it on the board. She couldn't help but swallow nervously.

"Such masters..."

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that every move they made carried a certain aura, as if a strong, invisible pressure was coming at her.

Yet this pressure didn’t feel oppressive—it was profound, making the whole atmosphere feel incredibly formal and weighty. The moment she saw the game unfolding, she couldn't tear her gaze away.

Both players extended their right hands into the Go box, picked up their pieces with their index and middle fingers, leaving the ring and pinky fingers slightly apart...

Then...

Clink!

The piece was placed!

Every time a piece touched the board, the crisp sound was enough to shake anyone’s spirit!

After each piece was placed, they didn’t immediately retract their hands. Instead, they gently nudged the piece into the exact center of its point, ensuring it was perfectly aligned before slowly withdrawing their hands.

From picking up the piece to placing it on the board and finally retracting their hands, there was... a beauty to it.

Yes, beauty.

Even someone who knew nothing about Go would feel deeply struck by this beauty, awed by the elegance of it all. But for those who understood the game, this beauty carried more than just aesthetic charm. It held the grandeur of a battle and the hidden, breathtaking sharpness beneath its calm.

In the silent Handtalk Room, only the sound of pieces being placed echoed again and again.

"This... this is the game of true masters."

The first-dan female recorder found it hard to settle her emotions, her heart filled with admiration and longing. She stared at the game, unknowingly becoming somewhat entranced.

Soon after, the man in his forties gazed at the board, silent for a moment, before finally setting his fan down. He lowered his head and said, "I lose."

Hearing this, the player across from him let out a sigh of relief and responded, "Thank you for the lesson."

The game was over.

As the seven players finished their bows, the small door of the Handtalk Room suddenly creaked open, and Jiang Xiahua stepped inside.

Upon seeing Jiang Xiahua, the 70-year-old Go player on one side of the table furrowed his brows, while the 80-year-old Go player on the other side froze for a moment.

Jiang Changdong walked to the table and glanced at the board.

After just a brief look, he withdrew his gaze and turned to the man in his forties, smiling as he asked, "Old Ni, what’s wrong with you?"

"Could it be that the sword of Ni Jingyan, who once held the three great titles of Grand Master, Tianyuan, and Meijin at the same time, has lost its edge?"

Upon hearing this, Ni Jingyan fell silent.

Jiang Changdong continued to gaze at him for a moment before speaking, "Old Ni, the Go competition is about to start."

"I heard you recently lost to that kid, Che Wenyu."

"That kid's only 17, right? His record in the Yingjiao Cup is perfect, and with him in the competition, it seems like there’s quite a bit of hope for the younger generation."

Then, Jiang Changdong suddenly changed the subject and said, "But, to be honest, I don’t know if I should be happy or sad about that news."

Jiang Changdong narrowed his eyes and continued, "Old Ni, don’t let it be the case that, among the ten players in the Go competition, the five who were once hailed as China’s Five Greats are left with just me and Old Zhuang."

After saying this, Jiang Changdong didn’t wait for a reply. He turned to the man across from Ni Jingyan and spoke, "Yan Shengxuan, 9-dan, congratulations on winning this match. You’re one step closer to the Tenth Dan challenge."

...

Jiangling.

Two days later, the Tianjiao Cup pre-qualification tournament began again.

Yu Shao arrived early at the Go Academy, taking a taxi. Just as he got out of the car, he saw Su Yiming stepping out of another taxi. When Su Yiming spotted Yu Shao, he paused for a moment.

It had been nearly a month since they last met. Their schedules during the Yingjiao Cup had completely overlapped, with their matches not being on the same day. As for the title matches, one had signed up for the National Master competition, while the other for the Grand Master competition, so their paths didn’t cross either.

"Old Su, is your Yingjiao Cup match today too?" Yu Shao walked over and asked curiously.

"No, I have matches for the next few days. Today is for the Grand Master competition. The Yingjiao Cup is tomorrow," Su Yiming shook his head and walked with Yu Shao into the academy, asking, "You haven’t lost yet, right?"

"I’ve lost," Yu Shao shook his head and replied.

"You lost?!" Su Yiming’s pupils contracted, and he quickly turned to look at Yu Shao. "When? Who did you lose to? How many points?"

"I lost to Wu Zhixuan," Yu Shao yawned and said, "Last night, she insisted on playing online Go. I thought we were just chatting, but I ended up making a blunder. A huge group died, and I couldn’t even catch up in the endgame. Lost by 2.5 points."

"Online Go?" Su Yiming was momentarily speechless and said, "I thought you lost in a tournament."

Yu Shao shook his head and laughed, "You haven’t lost a single match in the competition, how could I lose before you?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yiming turned his head, staring at Yu Shao, and said, "That’s what I thought too."

Yu Shao smiled, walking while asking, "I feel like you don’t really enjoy playing online Go?"

"Mm." Su Yiming nodded slightly, his eyes distant as he spoke, "I’m just not used to it."

Yu Shao was about to reply when suddenly, a voice rang out behind them.

"Old Yu! Old Su!"

Both Yu Shao and Su Yiming stopped and turned around.

Not far behind them, Jiang Xiahua was rushing over with a look of surprise, asking, "What are you two doing here? Do you both have Yingjiao Cup matches today?"

"I have the Yingjiao Cup match today, he’s playing in the Grand Master competition," Yu Shao glanced at Jiang Xiahua, puzzled, "But you said 'also'?"

"Hahaha." Jiang Xiahua gave an awkward smile and explained, "I got eliminated from the First-Dan Championship, so I signed up for the Yingjiao Cup before it ends. Today is my first match."

Once he finished explaining, Jiang Xiahua quickly changed the subject, asking, "What were you two talking about earlier?"

"We were talking about how Su Yiming isn’t used to playing online Go," Yu Shao answered.

"Not used to online Go?" Jiang Xiahua was taken aback and looked at Su Yiming in confusion. "What’s wrong with online Go?"

"I’ve played quite a bit of online Go, but I always feel that while it’s convenient, as a Go player, you should face each other in person, playing with dignity, not hiding behind a screen," Su Yiming said after a brief pause.

"The more important thing is, when playing online Go, you can’t feel the warmth of the pieces, nor can you hear the sound of them being placed."

Hearing this, Yu Shao nodded slightly.

"The sound of the pieces?" Jiang Xiahua asked, puzzled. "There’s a sound effect?"

"Though there’s a sound effect for placing pieces, it’s not the same as the real sound," Su Yiming shook his head and explained, "In real life, the sound of placing a piece may seem the same every time—just a 'tap'—but each sound is actually different."

"Different?" Jiang Xiahua was even more confused.

At this point, Yu Shao glanced at Su Yiming and spoke for him, "The subtle differences in the sound of each move... that’s the voice of a Go player."

"Yes." Su Yiming smiled and nodded.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiahua suddenly froze in place.

"Aren’t you coming?" After walking a bit further, Yu Shao noticed that Jiang Xiahua hadn’t followed. He turned around in surprise and asked.

Hearing this, Jiang Xiahua snapped back to reality and quickly followed Yu Shao and Su Yiming.

Along the way, Yu Shao and Su Yiming

chatted casually, but Jiang Xiahua couldn’t absorb a word they were saying.

Even though Yu Shao and Su Yiming were right in front of him, Jiang Xiahua felt like they were light years away.

Soon, the three of them reached a corner and parted ways. Yu Shao and Jiang Xiahua walked towards the Go room for the Yingjiao Cup pre-qualification, while Su Yiming headed towards the Grand Master tournament room.

Yu Shao quickly noticed that Jiang Xiahua seemed absent-minded, and asked curiously, "Old Jiang, what’s wrong with you?"

"Nothing... nothing," Jiang Xiahua shook his head. "I just couldn’t sleep last night."

"Really?" Yu Shao gave him a puzzled look but didn’t dwell on it. Soon, they arrived at the game room and went to their respective tables.

Meanwhile, Su Yiming arrived at the Grand Master tournament room. As soon as he stepped in, all the players’ attention was drawn to him.

Su Yiming calmly gazed at Table 5.

At that moment, a young man in his mid-20s, with a thin face, was already seated at Table 5. He looked at Su Yiming, his expression complex.

Su Yiming walked straight over to Table 5 and sat down opposite the young man.

Instantly, countless players crowded around, surrounding Table 5. They had no matches today and had come specifically to watch this game!

Even Le Haoxiang, who didn’t have a match in the Yingjiao Cup, was among them.

He Yu, 6-dan, versus Su Yiming, 1-dan!